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.