Hasnt happened that way.
The days are busy with toys, hugs, kitchen clean up, playing outside...now putting on the girls swimsuits and playing outside in the water. AnnaBelle has found her new love outside, the watering can. She waters everything including herself. She will spend an hour filling up the watering can in the pool from the waters edge and pouring it into the bucket. Repeating over and over. With a drink from the watering can spout and a smile. So cute. While Joy is busy at work, pretending.
Tonight in the Step 2 (plastic) house the girls played and played. AnnaBelle motions me to sit down and has a word for it that I cannot pronounce but I know what it means. Pronuciation lost in translation, sorry. Her Chinglish is improving and her English is expanding. She is an echo. Saying anything. She came up with "yellow" last week one day. She says heavy "heby" and grunts. Tonight the empty shape sorter was so "heby" as she kept giving it to me and watching to see if it was as "heby" as she had made it up to be. I played along! In the Step 2 house she and Joy exchanged snacks on the porch. As she pushed the button the pretend water faucet inside she handed over drinks and food to us both. Of course, snacking on the pretend food herself as she cooked. All smiles and full participation! Very very sweet moments. AnnaBelle hollared and laughed loudly as Joy and I kicked the soccer ball around, practicing Joys kicking skills for her upcoming soccer summer games. I must say she was also digging in the sandbox during this time and she likes to taste the rocks from the sandbox. She willingly spits them out but keeps a little extra sand for teeth grinding. (eeks, as your toes curl under thinking of the sound this makes). It is true, she is always tasting the sand.
It was 2 months ago this weekend that lively, playful, noisy, loving life AnnaBelle came into our lives! She is climbing the ladder outside and now walking up the slide the wrong way (thanks to Big Sister) and hollaring from the top of the slide "ready". The two months has gone by so fast and our adjustment has been good and we are settling in. AnnaBelles sleep patterns have improved over the last week. We have a new routine, new normal around here. It is busier than before. More messy and more fun! AnnaBelle came to us very timid, afraid, silent (except for crying). She did not know we loved her so much. She didnt know what trust was. She did not know that we were trustworthy. She didn't know we would feed her, love her, hug her, kiss her and meet her every need!! But today- she does! She has started kissing her babies and mothering them. She plays "seaset" (tea set) every morning in her room, she hums songs and makes her needs known. She has 3 more teeth than two months ago, all two year molars. And her eating has finally slowed down. I believe she knows there will be another meal and she will be fed often. She has gained some weight and is growing taller!! Her vocabulary is growing everyday. She is more confident. She fights over toys with Joy. She loves to dance and enjoys music. She loves to watch Joy. She likes her personal space. She says "no no" and shakes her head no when it is not what she wants. She loves to be outside with Milton. She likes hide and seek with Joy in the coat closet. She loves icecream and popsicles. She loves her "wa wa" ride. (wagon) She says "owl" and can hoo hoo like an owl. She calls most animals a "meow meow" and chases our old sassy cat around the house, daily. Which is such a difference from how terrified she was of both pets when we came home! She plays "baby" everyday. It is sweet to watch her nurture and care for her baby. I hope that is a reflection that she feels loved and cared for. Joy adores making her giggle. They together like to dog pile their daddy. AnnaBelle wants to be the top part of the dog pile. Smiling and laughing. My favorite phrase to hear her say is, "come come sissy". She calls Joy to come to her room, to come outside, to come inside, to come to the bathetub. Very sweet words to hear.
Since being home we have completed our first post adoption home study. One of many for the next five years. We have played at the park many times. AnnaBelle has been to the Pediatrician for vaccinations, follow ups, a redone TB test, labs..we have went to church, Hobby Lobby and the store many times. She is shy to strangers and its so funny to me that people we know will ask "can I hold her?" I believe they think she is like any other toddler that would want to be held and engage in play. BUT- she has only been here for 2 months and came from a 800 plus sized orphanage. She is learning to trust and strangers she does not! She has let our family hold her and help her with her request..she is learning, trusting and becoming more playful. She does not want to be held by someone she does not know. And, she is really attached to her momma. She is becoming more independent but it takes time. We pray everyday that God will heal every part of her heart and emotions. I can see him doing this as we love, pray, hug, hold and play everyday!
AnnaBelle is precious and I am so thankful she is home! Joy is a good big sister and she does not like it when she is crying. Last week, I had messed with AnnaBelles little sore around her eye checking it out and she started to cry. Joy said, "whats wrong with her mom- you know the rule is not to make AnnaBelle cry!"
Consulate oath taken in GZ. Awaiting VISA. She will be a citizen when we land on American soil
on March 29th in Texas. In the oath, you swear on your life your documents are true and you will parent and take care of this child forever. It was so standard and unemotional and yet was the moment we had waited for, for so long! Your entire travel plans are planned around this appt and this day. What relief to make it back down to the first floor..finished and waiting on the bus to return us to the hotel to wait for our childs paperwork to officially go home!
Gotcha Day! March 18th Monday around noon in ZG. It was an emotional day for AnnaBelle and for us. This is the bus ride back to our hotel leaving Civial Affairs offc. People ask me about this day and its such a loaded question. It was a hard day. We had waited for so long to hold her. It was not what I expected. I had read so many books and so we were prepared for what our transition with AnnaBelle "could" look like. Im convinced that no amount of reading or prayer can prepare your heart for seeing your child grieve. It feels like nothing else in the world. Literally we started and ended the day by praying over AnnaBelle. We prayed alot during those transition days. (I think we prayed all night the first week) I really did trust that God knew what he was doing when he planned on us going to China. We knew it would pass and we knew that we would make progress but had no idea what speed or when. Our travel group was great and each one experienced something similar and we just did it together. Supporting one another. Gotcha Day was in a impersonal room at the Civial Affairs office, with many other people. It was amazing to see children united with families who loved them and had never met until that moment! Children with their family, no longer an orphan. They were a son or daughter to a family! AnnaBelle today is not the same child as she was that day. She is so full of life! (Really this photo does not look like her anymore. Its amazing. She has been transformed.) AnnaBelle showed us early on her "cold shoulder" look and posture. We were told she had stranger anxiety and she did. She is still shy to strangers. We giggle because we don't see it very often with us but with strangers still. For many reasons researched we have committed to being at home, slow paced and without many changes in who is with the girls for a while. No trips planned anytime soon.
I am not an adventurous person. I am not a big traveler. Its not a secret. 2/3 of my siblings really are adventurous and would be more expected to travel to China than myself! Not because I dont like traveling but it hasnt been a priority since Milton and I have been married. For many reasons I wont post in this blog. So traveling to China to adopt was a big stretch for us and for our family to wrap around. I totally depended on Gods plan as we packed and planned to leave. I was confident in our mission to bring Mei Mei home. As I watch AnnaBelle and think of how many more children are "waiting" in the same orphanage she was waiting in. Its hard. Its a burden you bear permanently I believe. I dont know if we will ever return to China to adopt again? But I am so glad we did! God is so good. He is so tender for the orphans. He wants to see them in families. Human touch and love is powerful. It was 8,000 miles over the Pacific Ocean..one way but AnnaBelle was worth it! She is just beautiful inside and out. Joy is a great Big Sister. She is quick to defend that AnnaBelle is her sister "all the way from China".
playing chalks in her tutu
Just girls!
playing in the castle. cute legs..
Popsicle time.(first one for AB)
Mothers Day with my Mom (Nanny).
How thankful I am for these two girls the Lord has blessed us with! 1 Peter 2:4 "Chosen by God and Precious"!
