Christmas Joy Abounding

As you might imagine, our Christmas was extra special this year. So much joy to share with family and friends. Maryn knew exactly what to do on Christmas morning like she has been celebrating the holiday her whole life. After opening presents at home, we traveled to my sister's house so we could spend the day with Grandma and Grandpa, Auntie and Uncle and the cousins. I know there were many times during the day when we would catch ourselves smiling thinking about how seamlessly our family fits together with Maryn in it. What a blessing she is for all of us.

The cookies in the bottom picture were done by my nephew for his girlfriend. It was a labor of love, and they were so beautiful when they were packaged for presentation. It wasn't easy to pick a favorite, but the little bear with the green tie in the upper right caught my eye. Good thing they were too pretty to eat.

A Good Night

There is a group of adoptive families in the area, and we have been attending the group events without a child since 2006. They always welcomed us and felt the pain of our long wait. Tonight we went to the group Christmas party as a family, and it was a delight to introduce ourselves as such. Our friends Cindy and her daughter, Iris, and our unofficially adopted daughter, Louise, came along and shared the fun. What a well planned and orchestrated evening it was. Craft tables were available and manned with volunteers to help the kids, the gym was set up with an obstacle course and pinata, and the church's huge climbing/sliding play area was open. Maryn was using her imagination pretending parts of the play area were her house. She showed me where the kitchen was and mommy and daddy's bedroom and which was her bedroom. We took advantage of the opportunity to discuss her sleeping in her own bed. When we arrived home, she had been asleep in the car so we carried her into the house and helped her get settled into her own bed for the first time. She didn't object and slept the whole night on her own. The next night she was asleep in the car on the way home again so we carried her in and tucked her into her own bed. No problem, and it was another great night of sleep for all of us. We had been wondering how we would ever get her into her own bed, and the planets were aligned just right to give it a try. We got lucky. She wants the nightlight on, but she knows where to find us if she needs us, and we have been tucking her into her own bed since. Neither of us parents are getting kicked in the night or clinging to the edge of the bed anymore, and we don't have to tiptoe around any longer. There's nothing sweeter than tucking a child into bed with a story and a kiss unless, of course, you're tucking her into her own bed. Good night, sleep tight!

FINALLY! 03/29/06 - 12/02/09

After more than 44 months, those with whom we shared our original Log In Date of March 29, 2006, have received The Call, and today they are seeing their children's faces for the first time. It has been a long wait and today their dreams have come true.

There were many months and years when it seemed that this day would never arrive. For us, it arrived on May 4 when we received The Call, and it changed our lives and Maryn's life forever. We were told there was a healthy 7 year old girl who was going to be placed on the Multiple Agency Waiting Child List, and they wanted to know if we were interested in locking her file because she was going to go fast. They were right, she did go fast, right into our hearts.

For our fellow March 29, 2006 LIDers, we could not be happier. Congratulations to all of you and your family and friends who are thrilled along with you!

Goofy'n Around

We had a great time over Thanksgiving getting together with some real characters. The smiles tell the story. So much to talk about at the end of the day.

Field Trip Fun

Last week Maryn's class went on a field trip, and I went along as a chaperone. In the two weeks leading up to the trip, we talked a lot about it, and, when I say we talked, I mean Tom and I told Maryn about it because we don't have the language skills to converse with each other about a school field trip. We had the greatest understanding by explaining that Thursday was school bus day, and she was going to ride the school bus on Thursday. School bus has been in her vocabulary for quite a while, and she has been wanting to ride on one for just as long. When we got into the garage so I could drive her to school that day, she objected to me opening my car door because she was going on the school bus! A lot of words and hand motions explaining that I would drive her to school and then she would get on the school bus cleared the air, and we were on our way. I dropped her at the entry door and went around to the front door to sign in. When I arrived in the classroom, I stood in the back giving her her space, and one of the girls came up to me and said, "Are you Maryn's mom?" I said yes, and she told me her name and said, "Maryn is my best friend. We play on the playground together everyday." What a nice girl. Someone is doing a great job with her because she was so polite, and the rhythm of the conversation was exactly what it should be. It was my best conversation of the day. Maryn's teacher and the students and other adults in the school are so happy to see her do well. You can tell the students in her class understand that this is all new to her, and they watch out for her. During the field trip, one of the workers called on Maryn to volunteer to do something so Maryn stood up with a smile on her face, and a girl sitting behind her said, "That's Maryn," as if that would explain to the person that Maryn doesn't speak English and might need a bit of assistance. It was so cute. All in all it was a great experience for all of us. A lot was learned that day, not all of it related to the curriculum but important nonetheless, and we haven't heard about riding the school bus since.

Happy Birthday Party Day!

Our little girl is eight today. Of course, she was eight yesterday and the day before that and the day before that. Maryn turned eight the day before we met. Shortly after we returned from China, we jumped right into family birthday season, and she even went to two birthday parties for friends from church. After that she asked continuously if it was her birthday party. The only answer was to give her a birthday party, and we were able to get everyone together today. It was a beautiful day, so we were able to play outside then have dinner, cupcakes and presents. We all decided that a faux birthday party is just as much fun as a real one. It's great to be eight!

"Tricka-or-Treat"

We talked about Halloween the entire month, and I always told Maryn she was going to love it. I was right. We kicked the holiday off at 3 p.m. at a Halloween party a few houses down. Batgirl, Batman and Robin were there as were an angel, two devils, a genie, Snow White and a cast of additional characters. Maryn was Minnie Mouse, although she kept calling herself Mickey Mouse, so we just simplified it and told people she was Mickey Mouse in a dress. That's the beauty of Halloween: anything goes, and it all works. Her friend, Iris, came over to enjoy the festivities. It was Iris' first Halloween, too, and she couldn't stop marveling at the fact that it's a holiday where you get candy! Tom took the kids out, and I answered the door at home. I knew things were going well out there when one of the neighbors shouted from the sidewalk, "I think Maryn's got it all figured out. She's running." I knew they would return with a haul, and they did. It doesn't get much better than a holiday where you get candy.

Wickedly Cute

I've always loved Halloween, as a child and as an adult. Always. I love the colors, the decorations, the costumes, the candy, the fun. This year it's more than that. As we see the delight through the eyes of our child, it's joy! Here's wishing you a joyful Halloween!

After School Special

After school we played outside enjoying the beautiful day. Set up the cones for a little soccer on the driveway, and Maryn's getting better about turning to avoid kicking the ball in the street. That's a significant improvement, and if we keep up the running and kicking she might be up to speed to give soccer a try next year. After soccer we raked the leaves in the parkway, and then Maryn ran into the garage to her school "pockpock." She pulled out a handful of beautiful yellow and orange leaves carefully selected during recess. She showed me where she wanted to plant them, and that's just what we did. The dirt was moist enough that all it took was a poke with a piece of mulch to get the stem into the ground. We can cross fall leaf planting off the list of things to get done before winter, and we didn't even have to get our fingers dirty.

We Were Booed!

Around 5 p.m. the doorbell rang. When we went to the door, no one was there, but a bag of Halloween goodies was on the porch waiting to come inside. We had been booed by a mysterious neighbor, and the treats were well chosen for a new trick-or-treater. Past experience had taught me to get the BOO! sign on the door quickly to avoid getting booed twice in a matter of minutes. The signs are appearing around the neighborhood now as are the pumpkins and other decorations. We're ready for Halloween.

Punkin Pickin'

The only thing on the schedule for today was to get some pumpkins and get some photographs of our pumpkin, and we did both. It was a perfect day for it, and we passed quite a few places that offered just the right setting. The one we chose drew us in with two farm wagons full of beautiful pumpkins from teeny tiny to ginormous. They must have tended to them night and day to make sure they were absolutely perfect because they were, and there wasn't a speck of dirt on any of them. It was a tough choice, but we were able to weed out the hundred pounders and go with a few we knew we could carry. Maryn was beaming when we put them in the car, and when we got home she couldn't wait to get them out and placed on the porch just the way she wanted them. We're so happy she's enabling us to appreciate all the wonder and beauty of autumn right along with her.

Sister Surprise

The day started with my morning dog walk, and when I opened the front door to depart there was a package sitting on the threshhold from Maryn's adoring sisters, Robyn and Allyson. I set the package on the dining room table and shortly after Toby and I returned from the walk, Maryn woke up, and it didn't take her long to spy that package trimmed with Halloween paper. Inside were special Halloween treats: a t-shirt, pencils, ornament craft, dangly spider, Jack-O'-Lantern parachuter, and photos of her adorable nieces and nephews. We immediately got to work coloring the ornaments, adding the glitter and attaching the glow-in-the-dark eyes, which were a hit when we tested them in my closet. The t-shirt was just what she needed for a beautiful day perfect for fall photographs. Thank you for giving us a great start to the weekend.

Not Till I've Had My Coffee!

Good Loween Is Coming Soon

Our decorations are up, and we are looking forward to an extra special Loween this year. You see, in Chinese the word hao (how) means good, so we're guessing that Halloween sounds to Maryn as if we are saying hao Loween. She's not one to judge a holiday until after she experiences it, so, at this point, it's still just called Loween at our house. By the time she gets home with a pillow case stuffed with candy, we're sure she will declare it to be a hao Loween.

This and That

We went to a harvest festival and enjoyed playing some of the old time games, watched cloggers and rode on the horse drawn wagon twice. Next year she'll have to wear less noticeable tights so they won't remember how many turns we take on the wagon ride. Yesterday we went across the street to help celebrate a neighbor's 14th birthday. Powered down the food and cake and enjoyed a nice afternoon chatting with neighbors. A number of the neighborhood kids were there, and Maryn was right in with them, even out of our sight when they were playing in the basement. She has become much more comfortable around kids, and it's great to see. On Sunday morning she was whining a little when she realized she didn't have school, but I reminded her she was going to Sunday school and that seemed to satisfy her. The children's choir sang in front of the congregation, and Maryn went right along with them. We had been practicing the hand motions and singing the song during the previous two weeks, and the hand motions really helped her learn the words. It's adorable to hear her sing, "Be bold, be strong for the Lord your God is with you." We got it on video, including the couple of swipes to the nose, and it's a great first performance for happy parents and an adoring congregation.

There are three questions people have been asking us frequently: 1. How is Maryn doing in school? 2. How is her English? 3. What is she eating? Here are the answers:

1. I mentioned that Maryn was whining about no school on Sunday. That's a good thing. We do the drop off and pickup at school, and she gets out of the car in the morning with a smile on her face and gets in the car in the afternoon with a smile on her face. We think that anything she learns in between those smiles is gravy. Many people who bring home older children keep them out of school or home school so that they can work on the bonding. The first week and a half, I was second guessing our decision to send her to school right away, but I no longer feel any hesitation about our decision. She is a happy girl, and she is learning. It's more than just English. She's learning a routine, she's learning to be with other children and adults, she's learning to play in a group, she's learning to trust that we will return for her.

2. Her English comprehension is up. We know there is English in her brain because it is just starting to leak out. The other day we were finishing up after a shower and without warning or reason she said, "No talking." It was as if she had been scanning her hard drive and suddenly landed on that. I chuckled and asked her, "Do you hear your teacher say that?" and she said, "Dui," which is "correct" in Chinese. She heard me say, "Oh, my gosh," to something stupendous, and now she says, "Oh, my guy," when something is neat or even when it's not.

3. What isn't she eating is the better question with the shorter answer. I don't think she would eat a salad right now. She's not crazy about regular yogurt, although she enjoys yogurt drinks. She doesn't like oatmeal, although she'll get it down if I feed it to her. Cantaloupe is out. Most other things she will eat gladly and robustly. If it's new, she's always willing to take a taste. If she likes it, she'll smile at me and tell me it's delicious in Chinese. That's a nice compliment and one I don't want her to lose to English.

Many Hands Make More Work

On Saturday morning Tom was cleaning the house so he enlisted Maryn's help and gave her a disposable duster. He showed her how to dust the rungs on the kitchen chairs, and, with that successfully mastered, he showed her how to dust the tops of the tables in the family room. Next she started on the furniture in our bedroom while he returned to cleaning the shower. A short time later he came into the kitchen with the wet duster that Maryn had been using on the bedroom furniture. It makes perfect sense. If a dry duster works well, imagine what a duster held under the faucet can do. Many hands make light work but not in a house with an 8 year old, novice cleaning lady. Is she enjoying that cotton candy or planning to dust with it?

Picture This

Today was picture day at school, and Maryn opted for classic fashion to capture the essence of first grade. Her cousin Jenny has handed down some adorable clothes, and we are happy to give them a second chance on a new model. Maryn may have Scotties on her sweater, but she's always got her loyal Lab, Toby, by her side, especially at mealtime now that food is dropping to the floor on a regular basis.

A T-shirt Speaks a Thousand Words

We bought this t-shirt in the summer of 2006 when Maryn was just a gleam in our eyes, and we had no idea just how long the wait would prove to be. I happened to see it in the K*Mart sale flyer in the Sunday paper, so we drove about 30 minutes to get to a K*Mart. We found it on a wayward rack of discounted shirts. It was the only one, and we bought it hoping that at some point it would fit our future daughter. It's a perfect fit, and so is she. There are no coincidences in life, not even at K*Mart.