Hard to believe...

Seriously, how can it be that it's been over a year since I last posted to this blog I was soo dedicated to during the 4 year wait for Chelsee.   If only the time we spent waiting for her went as fast as the time since we have had the privilege of being Chelsee's forever family!!!

Chelsee has grown in so many ways...physically, she is strong and can run faster than anyone ever could have guessed!!  She has grown 15 inches and gained 16 pounds since we brought her home 3 1/2 years ago.  Doctors, family and friends are amazed!  Me, I still can't get over how big and tall she has gotten and how PROUD it makes me to see her thrive physically!

Academically, this precious child has taken to her native language beautifully.   She speaks Chinese with a beautiful tongue and it brings such pleasure to hear it.  She loves that she knows a second language that very few people know.  She takes great pride in teaching us some key phrases and laughs at us constantly for butchering it as we do!   Secretly, I think she tests me to see how little I retain from day to do, so she can laugh at her mom.  She loves to tell people that she has been trying to teach her Grandma to count to 5 for two years now and she is only up to 3!!!

Emotionally, I believe Chelsee is as attached to us as though she has always been with us.   She feels comfortable talking about her time in China and likes to tell me stories that I might not have heard before.  She even talks about going back to China to visit her orphanage.   We discuss birth mother, foster mom and nannies as often as she likes.  We also talk about what mommies do and what daddies do and she shows pleasant nurturing skills.  She has a fierce love and devotion to me and sometimes, when we just look into each other's eyes, it brings me to tears.  This child defines the truest sense of faith and trust that I have ever witnessed and I am a better person just being in her presence.

Ok, but my oh my, the things she has said and done!  I've tried to write them down as often as I can but man, it's hard to keep up!   She loves Christmas time and her birthday.   She loves to play outside with her neighbors.  She loves to eat, lordy can she eat!  She does now finally show preferences and guess what?  It's pasta!!  And candy!   And dumplings!!   Keep the purple cabbage, cinnamon and red peppers away from her plate and everything else will most likely go in!   She has a wonderful palate and will almost always try something new.  She loves seafood and going out to eat!   She still eats so slowly and sometimes, I have to hurry her along - but she hasn't missed the school bus or a soccer practice yet!!

What I love most about age 7 is that she still wants to snuggle.  We love to snuggle.  It's often and soo good!  7 year olds are easy for the most part.  She does a good job of taking care of her room, her body, her school work and her chores.  She's so eager to help and feels so proud when she contributes!  The pleasure is all mine, really!  And I tell her as often as I can.  She likes money a lot, but also is generous with ~ a trait I admire.  There is a LOT I admire about this kid, above and beyond the regular admire-your-own-kid scale.   She still shows me her survival instinct constantly.  Because now at 7, she has figured out that life isn't always easy, fair or fun!  She's learned a lot of life lessons at such an early age and yet, seems so willing to keep going....

It's remarkable to me that she is again so afraid of loud, sudden noises.   Her reaction to them when we first came home was fear of the unknown (think blender).  But as we explained things to her and warned her when we could, she quickly adapted.  But now, when a low flying plane goes by or you walk past her in the bathroom when she didn't hear you coming, there can be a complete meltdown.  Reassurance helps but you can just watch the wave of fear crash over her.   Sometimes, she is quiet when others are discussing important matters, but you can see she is trying to comprehend and learn.  The best part of her maturing at such a rapid pace is that she talks to me.  She tells me what she is feeling and asks 1,000 questions about life in general. 

I say she has compressed 7 years of learning into the 3 years she has been with us.  It's almost like time travel.   Fascinating!   I have to have my seat belt fastened at all times....and I don't think that will ever change.

And no blog post would be complete without mentioning the most prized facet of all.  Julee and Chelsee.   They are the glue that will never, ever come undone.   I am constantly in awe and it is my single most prideful achievement!!

Here are some recent pics of this precious child and her adored big sister:

Chelsee and Julian Reunited

~I have predated this post to July 2012~ (originally posted on 9/14/12):

In Chinese adoptions, it is extremely rare that two children would have a chance to be reunited after coming home to their forever families a year apart from the same orphanage.  How amazingly lucky that we have been fortunate enough to witness such an event.  I call it a miracle.   And an honor. 

In April 2010, about a year after Chelsee came home, I was reading a Lu'An yahoo group post from a woman who had received their referral of a 4 year old boy.   Ever since I received the 295 photos from Love Without Boundaries of Chelsee/Lu Fu Mei in China, I have thought about the little boy in all her pictures with her foster mama.  He kinda had my heart because he was always there whenever the foster mom was in the picture.  So, I bravely sent this woman an email asking a little about her new son and I explained my story being careful not to probe too much.  But thankfully, she was willing to talk and exchange ideas and pictures with me.  We both decided we thought her new son was indeed the little boy in my pictures.  It was after that that I had the nerve to ask Chelsee who he was and if she remembered him.  She definitely recognized him but had a hard time remembering his Chinese name.  I tried to pronounce it for her but that didn't help!!

Within a few weeks, our new friends, Tasha and Miguel, were on their way to China to meet their son.  They carried a picture of Chelsee/Lu Fu Mei just in case there was a good time to ask their son if he knew or remembered our Chelsee.   They found the right moment and he immediately shouted "Fu Mei" upon seeing her picture.  We had found her foster brother!!  And how he had missed her since she had gone away!!  Through interpreters, we learned Lu QingXin, now Julian, cried when she left and got upset when another child wore some of the clothes our Lu Fu Mei used to wear.  He was sooo happy and relieved to learn she was ok and doing great!  He wanted to know when he could see her again....

So, over the next year as we continued to talk and send pictures of our "siblings" back and forth, we both decided to reunite them.  I am soo thankful that Tasha was as willing and eager to have our children reunited as I was.  My sister also knew this was a momentous occasion and called the local newspaper to cover the story.  On July 31, 2011, they met again in Hilton Head, SC after being apart for over 2 years ~ it was beautiful:

And they enjoyed a fantastic week of fun and sun and play and reminiscing as only 2 long lost siblings could!  I know we made them so happy and in turn, they made us sooo happy!  Pure joy!

We heard stories from China that Julian remembered which made Chelsee remember some of her own that she had forgotten!  Priceless stories!  And as Tasha and I talked, we each learned more things about their time in China.  Tasha knew the name of the foster mom; I'd never been given that information.  Tasha also knew most of the time frame that Julian had been fostered.  And we both learned that Julian was in fact, younger than Chelsee.  From the pictures and info, we both thought the opposite!   My how Chelsee has loved being older than someone!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

So, now, we have resolved to get together as often as possible to keep these kids together.  They send each other birthday cards, Christmas presents and I vow to get a web cam so they can Skype with each other too.  What an amazing journey these little ones have taken us all on.  Just amazing!!  I am beyond happy to think of them having each other for the rest of their lives!!!

Their SECOND reunion - Hilton Head, SC in July 2012:

 

 

I know, I know, I am way overdue with an update!

Wow, it's been too long. I still want to record the memories Chelsee is making, but it sure is hard to find the time.

Let's see...I left off last time in March when we celebrated Chelsee's 2nd anniversary of being part of our family!   We all love Gotcha Day.  There were some transitions and changes to come for Chelsee.   At school, she was trying to adjust to her substitute teacher which had its ups and downs.   There were also some subtle signs of re-attachment going on.  As she learns more, she thinks more, and she is beginning to ask some questions about her life in China before we met.  We always talk about China whenever she wants to but it is usually about our time together there instead of her time there before us.  She has some very specific memories and she has shared them with me throughout her 2 years with us but she has just now starting asking questions....like, why?, how?, and why? again.   I like the ease in which she can discuss her past.  I pray that continues.

So in April, a little dude by the name of the Easter Bunny stopped by to pay a visit to Miss Chels.   Egg hunting is a real, real fun time in our house cause that Easter Bunny is a sly fellow.  S/he hides them in the strangest places which makes for all kinds of giggles.....not so much from big sister anymore cause apparently it is a complete diss when your little sis finds your big Easter basket for you!  Hmmmm!   Also...and this is a biggie: Chelsee became a soccer star!   I believe she has been waiting for this moment since she came home!  She joined her first ever soccer team, the Purple ummm, well they were the Purple Dolphins, Purple Butterflies, and when it was Chelsee's turn to choose the nickname, they were the Purple Seahawks (like her big sis' high school team).  Chelsee quickly learned which way the ball was going and when she played well or not so well.  She sweated out there and ran her heart out....she is turning out to be a pretty quick runner which no one, I mean no one, would have believed just 2 years ago!   Those early Saturday morning games were pure joy!   Nothing better than watching little girls (and big girls) playing soccer!   I especially love how the shorts go down to their knees and the socks go up to meet the shorts, adorable!

Then May, oh May is Chelsee's favorite month of the whole year.   Of course it is...it's her birthday month...and she has been telling everyone she was "5 and 3 quarters" for the last few months and was DYING to be 6!  I mean dying.....how many more days, when is it coming, WHEN???  Tomorrow?  WHEN???   She reminded me of Junie B. Jones during that very long time between birthday month starting and actual birthday day arriving!   We had all been informed that her birthday dinner was gonna be baby back ribs.   She loves them!   Gets them all over her face and hands and stuck in her teeth, but LOVES them and can devour 7 of them at a sitting!   I don't know who ever gave her one of those things but she has never been the same since!   So we all made our plans for visiting One Hot Mamas for Baby Back Ribs on her birthday!   For weeks, it was all she talked about....then she awoke on her birthday and announced, "I want to go to Boathouse!"  (It's another restaurant on the island that we all like and where her dad now works as a valet).  I wondered why she changed her mind, but she explained it like this: "I didn't really want to go to One Hot Mamas, I just really felt like going to Boathouse...but when I am 7, we can go to One Hot Mamas!"   Sheeesh!  She hadn't even turned 6 for three seconds and she was planning her 7th birthday!   Needless to say, we had a wonderful time at Boathouse ~ she ordered macs n cheese and soup (New England Clam Chowder).   She is a trip!   She loved her special birthday present:  Ivy, the American Girl doll who is Asian and best friends with Julie, a '70s American Girl.   Julee passed down some of her special AG clothes and accessories to Chelsee....kind of a sweet moment.   Julee was sure to give Chelsee her favorite soccer outfit for the dolls.

May also had alot of really great events for our extended family.  Chelsee loves each and every one of her family members ~ and loves to share in their moments too.  We celebrated cousin Emily's magnificent achievement of graduating from William & Mary Law School at age 21!!!  It was the first time all of the Hunt grandkids were present at the same time.  I really really love how everyone just scoops up Chelsee as though she has been part of us forever!   The love is so important to her, I can tell she feels it.  It warms her heart.  And it was a special moment for me to introduce Grandma Cheech to Chelsee.  Grandma Cheech is Emily's other grandmother and she has been an avid follower of this blog since long, long ago!   What a pleasure to see the two of them meet.  Amy, you are next!!

I just want to give a real shout out to my trouper Chelsee!   Did you know that this child attended TWENTY-SIX soccer games from the end of March to the middle of May?????   Only a few of them were hers!   She just comes along where ever I go and brings her crayons, a treat and some water to pass the time.  She finds a friend at every game and at the end, asks if Julee/Garrett/Lydia won or not??   She is amazing.   And thank you to all of you who help me watch her during the games so I can actually watch the games myself!!   And congrats to Julee, who brought home the most impressive and amazing 3A Girls Soccer State Championship title!  Beyond exciting!

So now that we are in June, school is out and Chelsee is officially a first grader.  She will move to a new school and has been accepted into the Hilton Head Island Elementary School's Chinese Immersion Program.  This will be the second year this program has been in place and what a fabulous opportunity for her to learn her first grade curriculum in her native language.   She doesn't remember much Chinese but she did complete what they call Kindergarten while enrolled in Love Without Boundaries' Education program at the Lu'An Children's Welfare Institute.  Her progress reports showed a keen understanding of the language, math and reading so I am very curious to see how she can handle reliving some of her earlier lessons.   Thankfully, I do not have to help her with her homework in Chinese...I just have to read to her in her home language, which is of course English now.   I will try to post about how she is doing in this program.   I am most excited about her being exposed to (and remembering) her culture and heritage again.   They tell me the children this year have been simply amazing to watch.   Good luck, sweetheart, I think you are amazing.

So even though I am working more hours than I care to, we are spending lots of time at the beach and the pool.   I will be sending Chels on some local field trips through the Rec Center this summer.   And Chelsee has come up with her own list of things to be learned during the summer of 2011:

• Tie her shoes
• Wipe herself (if you know what I mean)
• Ride her bike with no training wheels
• Swim with no floaties (learned last summer but forgotten this summer)

And already an update is in....she tied her shoes 20 times today and swam without floaties (or my permission) at her friend's house yesterday!  That kid!

Two years ago today!

Oh this day is becoming sweeter and sweeter each year!   In a few years, I imagine we will all celebrate this day as if it was wonderful, easy, natural and a piece of cake.....but as you know my sweet doll, this was one truly overwhelming and remarkable day!!!  Remarkable because you handled the HUGE change in your immediate life beautifully but with such sadness and fear that it still brings me to tears.  Remarkable because MY dreams were finally realized after an agonizing wait.  Remarkable because I saw Julee's heart literally multiply before my eyes!  And sooo remarkable because we witnessed the miracle of life in the most humbling of ways! 

Yes, we look back on this special day two years ago with fondness now.  It really was one of the most significant days in my life and yours.  I admire your bravery, your will to find something happy and your ability to remember your feelings on this day!   Nothing sums it up better than your description of this day:  "It's the day we fell in love!"   Remarkable!   My joy, my forever, my Lu Fu Mei!


Mar 2, 2009





Mar 2, 2010

 


Mar 2, 2011

 

Christmas 2010 and Chinese New Year 2011

Yikes!  It's been a while since I've posted.  This is what happens when the mom goes back to work full time, right Chels?   You have been doing a great job dealing with all the new changes!  I am so proud of you!  You get ready almost all by yourself in the mornings for school, you get right on that bus after school and go to your after school program....where they have all fallen in love with you!  When I pick you up, you have smiles for me and run to me!   You are amazing!   I am "berry, berry prooowwwdd!"

Christmas 2010 was amazing!  Chelsee sure knows how to milk a holiday, that's for sure!  She told everyone, including Santa, that

she wanted a saxophone!  Not a doll, or a bike, or a even an iPod....a saxophone!   Her sweetie cuz Lydia plays the sax and Chelsee has been known to adore whatever Lydia or Julee is doing....so there!   Meanwhile, Santa had already decided on a brand new bike for Chelsee so the saxophone became the IT gift....and IT ain't easy to find one in Hilton Head.  So IT became the mission of my awesome sister!  Of course she came thru...she always does!   I love this video!

Just want to say thank you to all of my family and special friends who show their love to this child!   The phone calls, the presents, the cards, the well wishes...they mean so much to us all!   She is and always will be our (second) Christmas miracle!   December 29, 2008 - the day we saw your face!   December 2010 - your face lights up our lives!

Chinese New Year 2011.  It's beginning to feel like a special time for us now.  This is the biggest celebration in China and it feels good to add it to our holiday schedule!   Hey, Cindy, is there a tablecloth for this one?  If not, can you make me one??????   So, again, our wonderful Families with Children from China (FCC) group will be gathering to celebrate CNY 2011.   Even Al is attending and it's Super Bowl Sunday with his beloved Green Bay Packers playing!!  

Chelsee's Kindergarten teacher is about to go out on maternity leave. Hmmm, wonder what questions that has brought up? Oh right, "Mommy, there is baby in Mrs. Bambeck's tummy. Did I grow in your tummy too?" So, out come the you-grew-in-my-heart books and all the adoption-builds-beautiful-families articles I have read over the past 5 years! We have had some lovely talks about tummies and forever love and all those sweet niceties you can think of! Meanwhile, her little wheels are spinning in that smart brain of hers and I can see that she is becoming aware of her beginning. I'm in awe of how she processes things and asks really thoughtful questions! We have now talked about her birth mother for the first time. Chelsee wants to go back to being a baby for a little while so we can meet then...and then come back to being a 5 year old, so big and strong with a big sister and a dog! (Hey, I'd like to time travel myself, kiddo). Seriously, I am glad this whole topic has come up. It's good timing and easy enough for me to find the words to explain the depth of this concept so that Chelsee will always know about her earlier life. And that she can talk about it freely herself any time! All the BTDTs better be right, just sayin'!!   

"Just remember what your ole pal says..."

Chelsee has come up with some pretty incredible sayings in the year and a half she has been home with us! 

"Two lights, no fan!" was the saying she used in the beginning to tell me when it was time to "go" and how many of the 3 light switches she required in the downstairs bathroom.

"What took you so long?" was what she asked me when she had learned enough English to inquire about why she had to wait so long in China for me to become her mom.

And "when I grow up, I am going to be YOUR mom so I can take good care of you like you take good care of me."  Little does she know that this one will probably come true, God willing!  Oh hell, she probably does know it already.

But there is this one saying that Chelsee uses on occasion when she senses someone isn't feeling their emotional best.  She knows just when to use it too - with uncanny accuracy!  I want to document the backstory cause it is important to me that she remembers it as it unfolded.  Over the course of the 20 months she has been with us, we have occasionally mentioned my dad, her grandpa, to her.  At first, we let her get used to all of her new *living* family and then as it came up, we would explain that she has two grandpas who are in heaven, looking down at her and smiling.  My dad was nicknamed "Baka" by Julee when she was 2.  She switched over to calling him Grandpa sometimes after we moved to HHI but when I'd hear her telling Chelsee about him, she used Baka.  So every once in a while during the first year or so, Chelsee would mention Baka and tell me some of the things he was teaching her.  Like, how to make the letter X or how to dry her hands on a towel or the favorite:  how to tap hard on the bottom of your shoe to get it onto your foot!  I always do that with her and I told her Baka taught me that one so she likes to say he taught her that too.  She has picked up on how special he is to me, and in her sweet mind has extended his light on to her.  Lately, she has been talking a lot about Baka and that he's teaching her all kinds of things.....he is currently teaching her to tie her shoes, to wipe herself without getting off the pot and how to dance really fast. :)

But my favorite one of all that he taught her is if you are sad or feeling bad about something, she will come right up to your face, scrunch her nose, bob her head up and down and point her little finger and say "just remember what your ole pal says...." to which she will add any number of appropriate condolences and inspirational suggestions for putting a smile back on your face.   And the hug that goes with it rivals that magnificent hug that my dad had mastered.   I can just hear my dad talking to her and calling her his pal like he did to all his grandkids.  She somehow has been able to capture his spirit and has taken it right into her being without much help from me (as far as I can see anyway).   This is a miraculous feeling for me, a healing one as well.   I like to think she got her empathy from him.

So sweet girl, as you struggle with your mom being away a little more than usual because of my new job, I want to let you know that it is going to be ok, ~ Mei guang xi.  Just remember what your ole pal says, "I will always come and get you."  Bao, Bao!

A new job and a new routine

My job search has nearly taken me as long as the whole adoption process!!   Wait, nothing takes that long!  But seriously, its been a looooong stretch out in the rough job market for me.  I can not say my family has weathered it very well but if it had to happen, it sure was good timing.   I have been able to be home with Chelsee since she came home 19 months ago!!   And I truly believe she is doing as well as she is because of that one fact!  So there!

But thing$ were getting $eriou$ly tough. 

Thankfully, a company that I interviewed with back in the spring remembered me as a new position opened and within a matter of days, I was working full time!  I have not worked full time since leaving Delta in December 1994!  Before kids!   How the &^%$ do moms do it???

I had to enroll Chelsee in an after school program.   I took her over to see what it was like a few days before she was going to start there, and she loved it.  Couldn't wait to go!  Shweew!   I arranged for Julee to get picked up for each of her million soccer practices and my sister and I had a food prep session that lasted ALL day but at the end, we had more than 10 healthy, non processed meals in our freezers!!

Then, it happened!  One by one, the new routine started to put a cramp in everyone's mood.  Mine included.  Albee of course didn't know how much I ran around picking kids up, shopping for the house, doing laundry, reading to Chelsee, going over homework, picking up kids, paying bills, walking Philly 3 times.  He tried to keep up at least.  Hats off to all you single moms and dads out there.

Now, we are all tired and cranky....and I haven't even gotten my first paycheck yet!!!   

Chelsee has started crying at school just thinking about going to her after school program.  Julee has had to ask for rides home from her friends who have had their licenses for all of 30 seconds.  Albee has fallen behind on his napping before work !?!?!  Even my dog looks sad.  

I am thankful as always for the health of my kids and now for this opportunity to get back on our feet, but can I just ask for a few smiles from my girls?????

She can READ!!!

As Pop Pop would say, "Holy Smoke an Tabacca!"   I've been watching closely and listening to Chelsee as she masters every single sound our crazy alphabet makes!  Even the 2 letter chunks!  Ever since she came home a year and a half ago, she has amazed us with her command of the English language.  To be honest, most children adopted internationally need speech help in some form or another....especially children that were *older* like Chelsee was at adoption time.  But as she memorized the ABCDs (as she calls them), I could tell it was coming easily to her.  Even the "X" sound only took about 3 days to perfect!

So as I continued to read to her and she continued to tell me how the letters sounded to her, I thought that it might be possible for her to actually learn to read in Kindergarten!   Well, as of yesterday, she can!  Already!  Proud mom here!  I LOVE this stepping stone for kids, it is just huge!

Chelsee's homework includes a book a day for them to read, either by themselves, or with the help of an adult or with an adult reading it entirely to them.  Her reading log started on Sep 21, not even 2 weeks ago.  The books that were sent home were one letter books...meaning each page had one word on it beginning with the same letter.  The picture on the other side of the page showed what the word was.   By the second book, she was figuring out how to determine the word by looking at the picture (to be sure, she has been using this method for quite a long time now).   So after mastering the I, X, T, C and a few other books, I marked down in her log that she was "reading" them on her own!   Well yesterday, a true reading book level 2 came home.  "The toy box" is a cute little book that shows a little boy cleaning up his toys by putting them back in the toy box.  Right away, Chelsee noticed a couple of "sight" words.  Those are words she can recognize by sight like is, the, in, I, dog, see, etc.  So she just basically took over and starting reading "The toy box.", "The cars are in the box.", "The rabbits are in the box.", "The teddy bears are in the box.", "My toys are in the box."

Oh I got chills!  She screamed, "I can READ!"  We hugged, I cried!   That child!!!!

The Flower Girl

Last week, we all got in the car and drove 630 miles to Jackson, Mississippi for my niece's wedding.  Lisa was a beautiful bride and the entire long weekend was filled with family and fun....and drama of course!  Hey, it was a wedding, right?

My two beautiful daughters each had a special role in Lisa and Jamie's wedding.  Julee was Lisa's personal attendant which she took very seriously!  And Miss Chelsee was a flower girl.  Her cousin Hailey was the other flower girl.  Seriously, not a whole lot is cuter than two 5 year old girls dressed up in fancy dresses with bows in their hair walking down the aisle and taking a wrong turn at the end!!!

Here is proof:

2 new poems and 1 new saying

Sometimes, I come across a moving poem or saying that seems to reach down far into the depths of my feelings for adoption, and Chelsee in particular.   Here are 2 new ones:

The Gift of You

I didn’t give you the gift of life, but in my heart I know.

The love I feel is deep and real, as if it had been so.

For us to have each other is like a dream come true!

No, I did not give you the gift of life, life gave me the gift of you.

--- author unknown ---

And:

"We witness a miracle every time a child enters into life.

But those who make their journey home across time and miles,

growing within the hearts of those who wait to love them,

are carried on the wings of destiny

and placed among us by God's very own hands."

--- Kristi Larson ---

 

Ok, and I have to tell this funny story even though it doesn't paint me in the best light.  It just makes me laugh out loud that this kid has such a dry wit already, one where she has the nerve to dish up her own jabs at her mom or dad, or anyone else within earshot.  Doesn't matter, if something needs to be said, leave it to Chelsee, she will say it!

As you might have heard, we have had trouble with Chelsee getting used to her new school schedule.  She is just exhausted from her new routine, but loving Kindergarten as long as she gets her way!   She was riding that big old mean school bus, falling asleep on the ride home and drenched in sweat from lack of AC!  If this child takes even a 10 minute nap in the afternoon, she will be awake til 10 or even 11 at night!  She also will cry ALOT when put to bed at the regular 8p bed time!   Then, the next morning, oh lordy, I think she was crabbier than I used to be, and that is saying something!   So we broke this cycle by changing her to a car rider at pick up time!  I now pick her up in the car and I can keep her awake for the few minutes drive home!   Bed time became so much more pleasant again and there were even a few "good morning, mommy"s the next day!  But not yesterday morning!!!  For whatever reason, I had a hard time waking her up and I was pulling out all the stops with my sweet, soothing voice and gestures!   Yes, I did!   But this pint sized pistol would have none of it!   The tossing and turning, the pulling covers over her head, the whining, the crying, the ignoring of all sweet kisses and the usual stuff that makes her laugh started to dip into my patience level.  We only have about 30-45 minutes from wake up time to leave-with-dad-in-the-car time and we had used up 30 of them!  So, I gave her a choice:  get up now or I am coming in for multiple kisses on the neck which always gets her riled up!  She chose neither!   Ok then, I am going to pick you up and cuddle you!   No, Mommmmmmmm, no!!!!!!!!!  Yes, Chelsee, yes, it is getting late, you've got to get up!  Nooooooooo!  Ok, take off your pjs!   Nooooooo!  Time to go peeps!  I don't have to (whine, whine)!   Put on your pink shirt!  I want the bluuuuuuuuuuuue one!   On, and on, and on!   I finally picked her up and started dressing her myself, counting 1....2.....2 and a half!  Not fun!  She turns that mean old stink eye on me, giving me the "chopstick stare" and says, "You better watch your temperature!"

WTH?  Me?  How bout you, sista? are the thoughts running through my head as I turn to not let her see me chuckle out loud!  She then proceeds to school me in Beauty and the Beast lingo about how Belle has to teach the Beast not to use mean words and to control his temper (or "temperature")!   I am beginning to think this kid has had my number for some time and I am always gonna have to watch myself with this one!!  I better just go introduce myself to her principal right now!

Update:  This morning, I got a sweet smile and some big ol' bear hugs!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Same routine, different child! 

First Day of Kindergarten AND First Tooth!!

Ya know, I didn't like this day back in the year 2000 when I sent my first baby off on that big ol' yellow school bus and I didn't like it any better TEN years later when I sent my sweet Chelsee off to Kindergarten...but this really isn't about me.   It's about a really little but very brave girl who thinks she is so big and so ready for Kindergarten, as it should be!  17 months and 4 days after stepping foot on US soil for the first time, Chelsee took another giant step ~ right into HHI's Early Childhood Center's Kindergarten classroom!  She LOVED it!  Proud mom here!

Here's Julee at 5 years old in Sept 2000:                                        Here's Chelsee, also 5, in August 2010:   




And if this wasn't enough, TWO days later, her first tooth popped out!   Chelsee has never been so excited about anything...she was shaking with excitement!!!   And if I ever have any doubts about her complete adjustment to her new life, I need to remember the next morning when she checked under her pillow to see if the Tooth Fairy left her any money and a look of disappointment came over her!?!   I asked her, "What's wrong?  The Tooth Fairy left you 2 dollars, isn't that great?"  She replied, "not really, I wanted $5!!"    I just shake my head!

A special week in Philly

Finally, I was able to make a long overdue trip to Philadelphia happen!  So for a week during the beginning of August, Julee, Chelsee and I found ourselves in the midst of a lot of love in the City of Brotherly Love!  My precious Goddaughter and very special cousin Dina opened her house to us and all of her kiddos were so excited to have us finally come to visit them!   I think we fit in alot of special activities in our week together:  Chelsee discovered lightning bugs, Julee ate some kind of ice cream every day, and I played alot of Eagles Uno with 4 very special 1st cousins once removed of mine!!   Sweet Hillary (half of "Celery"), Paul, Jr (Peeg), Isabella (Zabella), and Patrick (Fang Pi Le!) all took their turns entertaining Chelsee who just let it all unfold around her.   She can just fit in wherever she goes, my sweet doll!  

I was delighted to be able to catch a baseball game of Paul, Jr's.   We had to say good bye to Hill on day 3 as she was heading off to Busch Gardens with a friend.  I totally cracked up Isabella and Patrick with my pathetic inability to shoot a basket on the Wii.   I mean, they were seriously laughing at me!  Little do they know how hard it was on me for them to beat me...and beat me good!   It was my first time on the Wii playing anything, but still!   I liked learning about the every day life in the Jenney household even if some of it was foreign to me (14 chickens?)...their house is busy all the time and I honestly don't know how they get it all done as well as they do!  Did you find the Krimpets yet Deen?

Julee, Chelsee and I took a trip up to the Poconos area to visit our greatly missed Hilton Head buddies.  Julee and Taylor are glued at the hip for life and we all like it that way!   One day, we hope to get them back down south to continue a very special friendship! 

My Fairy Godmother, Miriam, finally met Chelsee! It was a very special moment for me! And for them (see pic). This great lady has always held a special place in my heart and it was wonderful to introduce her to my newest daughter! We had a wonderful, yummy brunch at her house. What wonderful memories I have of family gatherings at that house!


Another fun adventure was our double decker bus tour of Philadelphia! Even though I have been to Philly hundreds of times, I learned so much about one of my fav cities ever! I loved showing Julee some of the things I remember as a kid her age! Chelsee slept through almost the whole tour, but she still had a great time! That is TWO double decker city tours for this child this summer: Chicago in June and Philly in August! Slept thru them both but oh the stories she still tells about them!

Even though our departure left alot to be desired (early morning bath due to di-ree-a, broken tire on first flight, aborted takeoff on reaccommodated flight, 5 hour delay in getting home), we had a great and exhausting week with my Philly connections!

Our first reunion with our travel group

It's been 16 months since we were together in China meeting our new children.  What we experienced together with these wonderful families will bond us for life.  We got to know each other first as strangers on the same loooong path with the same adoption agency, then as parents anxiously awaiting that moment when they can finally hold their newest child in their arms for the first time.  And then after the magic of adoption, we felt instantly glued to ALL of these precious children who have touched our hearts because we all met on the same day in the same way!

Two of these wonderful families were able to come to HH for our first reunion.  I have to tell you that as it got closer, I got more and more excited to SEE these special children again.  When I last saw them, they were so tiny and scared.   I needed to see them with their families even though I knew they were loved and cared for just as deeply as Chelsee has been.  We were so happy to come together to see each other's kids.  Any one of them could have been our own, that is the core of our glue, I believe!

For a week in July, we spent our time reminiscing, laughing, taking pictures, and mostly just staring at each other and the kids to be sure everyone was doing as well as we had been reporting to each other throughout the last 16 months!  It was the most amazing feeling to see sweet Sarah and Maeve so big and happy and completely at home with their new families.  I know it brought them the same joy to see Chelsee (who they all remember as Fu Mei) thriving with us!

 

We wished more of our March 2009 Great Wall families could have joined us but we promised to keep working on yearly reunions.  It is so important to us as the parents and even more so to the special little ones God has given us to raise!   Here are some pics from the week!   Thank you soooo much to both families for making more lasting memories together!  Miss you! 

Always something exciting going on...

"This is the life!" That is what I heard out of Chelsee's mouth one day not long ago! It's sort of a saying we use lightly when we are happy doing what we are doing at the moment! And that is exactly what Chelsee meant when she said it as she was laying with her arms behind her head on her green floating mat in our community pool! I giggled at first cause it was one of many sayings she comes out with ... I honestly don't know where she's learned them! Then I really thought about it and I felt fantastic that she said it! I mean, seriously!! How blessed we are to have this child continue to show us what to be thankful for every single day! Never ever forget, sweet girl, that you have made us better people, better human beings and happier just by watching you live!As the summer of 2010 continues, Chelsee has had many adventures! She has been to the University of Notre Dame to drop off her sister at soccer camp...then continued on to Chicago where she rode on the top of a double decker bus looking at all the very tall buildings! That was no easy task to get this kid up to the top of that bus when it all seemed much too scary for her! But brave she will always be! Then we had to duck into the Hershey's Chocolate Store to wait out a very rare tornado warning in downtown Chicago! I thought it funny that's where we got stuck, hee hee! Everywhere we go, Chelsee is quite a hit! At times, Chelsee will ask me why everyone tells me she is cute! I tell her cause she is and to say thank you....but I know one day the questions will come!

And then sometimes, feelings come over Chelsee and she gets a sort of sad look and I can tell she is thinking about China. She of course is still processing all that has happened in her 16 months of being in her forever family! We were sitting at a mall food court waiting for Julee's soccer practice to be over and she was smiling, giggling, eating her Chinese food when her head bent down, her bottom lip came out and she looked so sad. I asked her what she was thinking about and if she wanted to talk. She asked me to hold her and she wrapped her arms around me and said she was thinking about China. I always acknowledge any feeling she has and I let her dictate how the conversation goes. This one lasted a loooong 20 minutes! She asked again about the day we met and how scared she was but now she adds, "That's when we fell in love!" to the story! Yes, I melt every time! Since we were in a public place this time, I managed to keep my cool and say all the right encouraging words but later, oh lordy!!! I appreciate VERY much that Chelsee is able to articulate her feelings and it always seems to come at just the time when I am feeling she is happy and content and very secure! When we talk about her life, it brings me back to the reality that is uniquely hers! A pleasant although bittersweet and needed reminder for me!!!


Ok, this kid is smart! She makes each of us shake our heads in amazement...here is one she pulled last week at MomMoms' birthday celebration. There was one last piece of cake on Julee's plate! Chelsee was sitting on my lap and both of us had our mouths wide open, cheek to cheek, anticipating that Julee's last forkful would land in our mouth, not the other's. As Julee was "airplane-ing" that last bite in front of my mouth, then Chelsee's, Chelsee quickly covered MY mouth with her free hand and the bite landed smoothly in her mouth!!!!!! Hey!!! I hadn't even thought of that, much less decided to pull such a stunt! Ooooh, that brain of hers!!

And when Julee had her friend Tori over for a few nights, I took them to see HarbourFest at Shelter Cove one evening. Just some window shopping, ice cream, a playground and our favorite summertime entertainer, Shannon Tanner. He sings commercial jingles, top 40, oldies, kids songs, etc all for free and we have been going to see him since the 1990's! Love him! We took Chelsee last summer, and she thoroughly enjoyed it! THIS summer, Chelsee walked up to him, put her hand on his leg while he was singing, waited for him to finish and then asked if she could sing a song! This is part of his act anyway, but I am sure he would have said yes regardless. Shannon says the young kids don't pick children's songs to sing anymore....no more ABCs or Twinkle Twinkle for them.....and Chelsee did not deny! She announced she would sing "Hey Soul Sister" by Train and proceeded to belt out into the microphone the whole refrain! The audience erupted and Shannon just shook his head! Get in line, pal, we shake our heads every day! Julee was beaming with pride, by the way! I of course remained stoic, in complete control...NOT!On to the reunion of some of the families that traveled to China with us!!!!!! So exciting....more later!

Chelsee turns 5!!

Last year, Chelsee enjoyed her first birthday with us. Even though she was only home about 2 months, she was able to open the presents, blow out the candles and recognize a couple of the words to "Happy Birthday!"


But this year....holy moley, she totally got the whole concept! She'd been bugging us non stop for the last few months and telling everyone she met that May 27th is her birthday and that she was going to be FIVE years old! And the very best part of it was that she was going to get to chew gum! Everyone heard about it! Everyone! (Julee thought it was absolutely imperative that Chelsee follow the same rule about being 5 before she was allowed to chew gum!) And all this sweet child asked for was a pony ride! No party, no Chuck E. Cheese's, no cake, nothing but a pony ride!


Wish granted:



We picked her up after school and told her we had a surprise for her. At Lawton Stables, they took her and her new little, next door neighbor friend, Thomas on a couple of laps around the petting zoo on some wonderfully mild ponies. They really loved it, although Chelsee was a little timid. She had a big smile as long as I was holding her hand. It was wonderful and she thought her pony "Sweetheart" was hers to keep! We petted the other animals and she ate a turtle cupcake! I could feel how happy she was and she was beaming with pride! Yes, the child got LOTS of gum! I think she threw back 7 pieces that day!

Then we went back to our house for dinner and presents! She loved her new slip and slide! She got a stadium chair just her size to sit in (yeah, right!) when we are watching Julee play soccer. She is in love with her pink pig pillow pet and the Tball set is about worn out already! Fun, fun, fun for a 5 year old! It was such a pleasure to shower my sweetie with everything she wanted!! And nothing she needed! I hope she stops looking for cards and presents in the mail soon?!?!?

i am done

shhh, whisper! i don't want anyone to know. but it is done! finished, finito, kaput, over, 完成, finition, done.
~the paperwork!~
good riddance to my 5 years of sweat, pain, jubilation, patience, red tape, translations, re-do's, fingerprints, $$$, carpal tunnel, research, exultation, pride and perfection.....i will miss you!

Chelsee's social security card with her American name on it arrived today, May 22, 2010! Zai Jian!

Our Newest United States Citizen!!!!

Yahoo! Finally! Today is a very special day! Not only is it Chelsee's Uncle Dump's birthday, her cousin Laura's birthday and her Biao Ge Ge's (Garrett) birthday BUT it is also the day we received notice from the US Department of Homeland Security that Miss Chelsee Rose FuMei is now a US citizen! Yahooo!!!!!!!

Seems it did take over 6 months from my initial application for her citizenship for the paperwork to be processed! I am seriously so close to being done with adoption related paperwork that I am giddy! All I have left to do is have her social security card issued in her American name now where she will go from a 4 letter name to a 25 letter name!

And it seems that even though we are just learning of her new status, it has been in effect since October 26, 2009!! New definition of snail mail, I guess!

Back to the citizenship! What an amazing journey just for this piece of paper that gives her the right to everything we hold valuable in these United States! It feels wonderful and bittersweet at the same time. I am proud to bring Chelsee up in the USA while always honoring her Chinese heritage. I am proud beyond words for her freedom to be who she wants to be and all those who have made that possible for Chelsee. I am proud to be able to show her a way of life that will always be full of love and respect! We are indeed lucky to be Americans! I need some fireworks or something!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pictures say more than words...

So I will just post some recent pictures and you can see for yourself how well things continue to go with Chelsee...every single day we realize again how lucky we are to have this precious child in our lives!


^Trying on her flower girl dress for Lisa's wedding^



^Such a gorgeous shot^





^Wishing for real pierced ears one day^



^FCC Easter Egg Hunt 2010^




^Both of my girls in their Easter dresses^

One Year Ago Today!!!

Words fail me....they just can't suffice the depth of how changed we are from this day last year 2009 to this day in 2010! We met Chelsee a year ago on March 2, 2009 in a 7th floor room in the Civil Affairs Building in Hefei, the capital of Anhui, China. A tiny, brave little girl who took some Cheerios from my hand and kissed my cheek at the urging of her former care givers. Fu Mei was what we called her and I gently eased my way in to her heart. Slowly, carefully, gently. And 24 hours later, I signed official papers making her ours forever! Big steps after countless hours of waiting and hoping and praying!

Now, 4 inches taller, 5 pounds heavier, I throw this sweetheart named Chelsee around like a sack of potatoes! Still brave, but oh so funny and oh so smart! She is clever and articulate and hysterically funny! She is whiney and pouty and tests all of our strength and patience as any 4 year old can!

I watched our Gotcha Day video again yesterday. This time with Chelsee. As I was explaining it to her, I asked her what she remembered. She remembered alot of it. She said she was scared. She knew she was meeting her new "mama" and that she had to sit in the back seat of a car for a long time. She looked at me as I teared up and said "Are they happy tears?" She knows they are cause I tell her every single day how happy I am that she is my daughter and how happy she has made all of us. She got pensive as she continued to watch the video. A tiny little tear came to her eye and she asked me to kiss it. She said it was a happy tear too. And thanked me again for coming to China to be her mommy. We shared a wonderful little moment just the two of us!

Later, we all went out to dinner at a local Chinese restaurant. Ken, Tricia, Garrett and my mom joined us too. Trish brought her a little cake that said "Gotcha" on it. I surprised Albee and Julee (and everyone else too) by dressing Chelsee in the Chinese outfit that we sent to her in her care package. She was wearing it as her outermost layer the day we met her! It still fits and so do the boots she had on that day. She LOVED putting them on. We went through all her Gotcha Day clothes and we reminisced. These are special to me because it was all she came in, but I am glad to know they are special to her as well. I will see how many years she can still wear (or will want to) the beautiful pink outfit. We had a wonderful celebration. It was a VERY special day!

Still no words.....but here are the pictures:

March 2, 2009:

March 2, 2010:

Happy Chinese New Year! Xin Nian Kuai Le!

What a wonderful holiday this is....it's a time for new beginnings, new haircuts, new clothes, sweeping out all the old dirt from your floors, yummy food and gathering with family!

Last year, we sent Chelsee a care package with a new outfit, some candies, a book, some hair bows, pictures of her soon-to-be new family, and a letter telling her how happy we are to finally meet her!

What a difference a year makes! This year, we have our sweet Chelsee with us and were able to celebrate Chinese New Year with her!!! We attended a fantastic Chinese New Year party with our wonderful Families with Children from China (FCC) group. All the children were dressed beautifully in their Chinese silk dresses and outfits. We had a group photo taken and I think there were 20 children in it! We are soo fortunate to have such a caring, relaxed and happy group of families to share these special times with.

I could tell that Chelsee knew the day was special. She likes to say Happy Chinese New Year in Chinese because she can! Xin Nian Kuai Le! She still can say lots of words in Chinese but she really doesn't know it's Chinese. She prefers to speak Spanish, she says!!! Haha, whatever! She has an amazing vocabulary ~ she shocks me every singe day with some new word used appropriately! "As a matter of fact, mom, the first thing I need to do this morning is ask you what day is it?" "Is it Tuesday, after Monday?" "And because I did not go to school yesterday as usual, do I still go to dance class today?" "Or do I have to wait until next week?" Me: "Uh, what? Yes, that is exactly right and how did you know how to say 'As a matter of fact' or 'as usual'?"


Here are my sweetie pies on their first Chinese New Years as sisters:




And here is my angel in all her glory:






And here is the whole group: