Social Worker and Messy Eating

Last weekend we met with our social worker for another evaluation of how the Butterfly is doing now that we have her home. We last saw her two months ago when we had been home only one month with the Butterfly. This was the three month visit, and it went wonderfully. As a matter of fact she stated that in all of her years of working with adoptive families, she has never seen a child improve so drastically in such a short amount of time. So, here are some of the changes that have happened in the last two months:

• The baby wasn't even crawling when we brought her home three months ago and yet now she is walking everywhere, and even running.
• She has gained 3 pounds (yup, a little chunky monkey)!
• She no longer uses bottles, she really never seemed to like them. She now uses sippy-cups all the time.
• The baby has really taken a liking to her big sister (finally), and actually follows her around everywhere (much to the Ladybug's dismay at times). The girls now play with each other all the time.
• She has started talking (babbling mostly, but there are some words starting to come through). She says "bye-bye," "dada," "mama," and "stop." Right now it is cute to hear her say stop since she says it in the middle of giggling when we are tickling her.
• She communicates really well through the use of sign language that we have been teaching her. She knows about 25 - 30 words and uses them all the time to let us know what she wants. (Just tonight she came to me crying hysterically. I was actually worried that she possibly hurt herself somehow. I picked her up and gave her a hug and asked what was wrong. She signed the word for dog and pointed toward the door. I walked with to the door with her and as soon as we got there she pointed to the dog next-door, and nuzzled into my shoulder for comfort. She really was scared.)
• The Butterfly not only seems to be able to communicate with us rather effectively, but she also seems to know what we are saying when we talk with her, which just amazes me since she has only heard English for three months of her young life. This fact also amazed the social worker who was able to observe her reactions to us when we were talking to her and asking her to do things. I honestly believe that sign language has really helped her bridge the gap between hearing only Mandarin for the first 14 months of her life and now only hearing English.
• The baby LOVES music and starts dancing whenever she hears it. She even dances when she hears my cell phone's ringtones. I also often hear her trying to sing with us when we are singing to a song on the radio. It is really cute.
• She seems to love her family. She smiles and giggles practically all the time, and takes great joy in playing with all of us every day.
• She has learned some silly little things to do which make her daddy and I laugh. So, we frequently find her walking up to us, nudging us and joking with us just to make us laugh. She really has a great sense of humor.
• She is a huge cuddler, and can often be found hugging and snuggling us. Some of my favorite times are when she crawls up onto my chest and snuggles into me. Such a loving little girl.

After seeing what a shy, scared little baby she was when we met her just three months ago, I am amazed at her transformation into a fun-loving, silly little girl who loves her family. We really are so blessed.

One of the things that did shock the social worker was the fact that the Butterfly has gained three whole pounds in just three short months. I believe the reason for this is that she was so restricted with her eating in China that when we brought her home she couldn't find her "off switch" when it came to her eating. She has since realized that she does not need to gorge on everything that she sees because we do eat three meals a day, thus she has slowed down. Non-the-less, this little girl does love her food, and tonight is the perfect example of her joy of eating.

I placed a bowl with some noodles and meat in front of her this evening along with a fork to help her eat. She dove right in and ate every single morsel. Every morsel, that is, except the stuff that ended up on her face, on her hands, and in her hair. Gotta love a kid that enjoys her food.

Licking her fingers to get every last bit of sauce!
Diving into her food.
A very happy eater!

The Ladybug watching her sister during dinner, showing her how to smile for the camera.

~~Aloha!

Day 21 - Started Packing, Shopping, Lucy's for dinner

As you can tell from today's post, I am about a month behind on finishing up my journaling of our trip to China. We have been home for just over a month now, and the baby Butterfly is doing beautifully. Keep an eye on the site, I have so much to share about her progress and our summer now that we are home, with lots of photos! I cannot wait to share.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Day 21 – Started packing, Shopping, Dinner at Lucy's (short version)
~Packing, organizing, packing...
~Soaking in the sites
~Ladder beds?
~Dinner at Lucy's
~Great families

Day 21 – Started packing, Shopping, Dinner at Lucy's (long version)


Today was spent mostly packing and soaking in the sites of the island one last time. Today was listed by the agency as a free day for the families, except for the task of picking up the baby’s visa, which Daddy agreed to do for our family. So, Nana and I packed, organized, packed, organized, and continued packing for much of the day. With Daddy gone, we were able to get so much accomplished, even with the girls under foot.


Before Daddy left, I got to witness a special moment between he and the girls. The Ladybug stubbed her toe and Daddy was consoling her with hugs and kisses. While sitting on the bed, the Butterfly decided that she wanted in on the tender moment so she crawled over and climbed up on him. I looked up at just that moment and saw Daddy, giving hugs to both his girls. It was so neat to see “Daddy’s Little Girls” in his arms. He is such an amazing father, and both girls know it. We are all so very lucky.



Aside from the packing (and organizing!) I also tried to take some last photos of some memorable things from the island. I was able to capture the view of the river from our hotel room, which was something I enjoyed viewing each night before we went to bed. We wandered the hotel and enjoyed the beautiful waterfall in the center with koi swimming all around. We wandered the path at the edge of the river and observed the locals swimming, fishing, and relaxing near the water. We observed more couples getting their wedding photos taken, and enjoyed the spectacular French architecture that the island boasts throughout. And, as is common right now on the island, we saw a lot of construction, as well as construction workers resting in the shade, trying to recover from the scorching heat and humidity… gotta love their make-shift beds.




In the evening, a group of us met on over at Lucy’s for one last dinner together. It was wonderful to relax with some of our new friends and see how beautifully our children have blossomed in just a short amount of time. The children all seem to be bonding nicely with their new families with lots of smiles and giggles throughout our dinner together. We each shared some fun stories of our journeys as new families, and loved hearing the similarities and differences that each of us are experiencing. Dinner was wonderful, and just what we all needed before leaving the island tomorrow.

(This is the newly adoptive daughter of one of our friends)

It just seems so hard to believe that after enjoying China for almost three weeks, that we will be leaving in less than 24 hours. The time here has been spectacular, but I am so happy to finally be returning home. I really look forward to settling back into our house, introducing the Butterfly to her new bed and room, and finally getting into a routine with her. She is developing and bonding so well with us. I cannot wait to see what the rest of the summer has in store for us when we return.

~~Aloha!

Day 20 - Oath Ceremony & River Boat Cruise

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Day 20 –Oath Ceremony & River Boat cruise (short version)
~Long bus ride
~Waiting room
~Oath
~Pearl River boat ride
~Papa John's!
~Fun with friends
~Swimming

Day 20 –Oath Ceremony & River Boat cruise (long version)
We are nearing the end of our journey… today is the day of our Oath Ceremony at the U.S. Consulate. The oath was scheduled for the afternoon, so the morning was spent organizing some of our belongings and starting the packing process for us to leave in a couple days.


Everyone in our group met in the lobby of the hotel and were then bussed to the Consulate. The ride there took close to an hour, a rather long drive with many new babies and children in tow. Especially considering the Consulate used to be located right next to the White Swan Hotel, within walking distance. Oh how I wish they would never have moved. Sigh… The Consulate itself is very private and secure, and is located in a rather non-descript building in the city. We were told not to bring any belongings other than a small baby bag with a bottle and a couple toys. We were not allowed to take cameras, phones, or any other digital devices in with us. So, with the bare minimum supplies we made our way up to the fourth floor and found a seat in the lobby area of the Consulate office.


The lobby was filled with many other families, not only from our agency, but from at least six other agencies as well. We all waited patiently (we had nothing else to do) and chatted with each other about the ups and downs of the first week together as a family. It was so neat to see all of the children and to share in so much joy. Eventually, each family was called up to a window, one-by-one, and asked to verify information in the official adoption paperwork. The time at the window was minimal, just about a minute or two, then we returned to our seats and continued chatting with the other families. After about an hour or so, after all of the families had gone to the window, a lady came out to talk with us. She shared some details about the adoption process, the number of children adopted, and the number of consulate appointments they tend to do during the summer months (many!). Finally, she had all of us stand and raise our right hands for the oath. It was short, sweet, and honestly with all of the paperwork that we had completed, just a formality.


Following the oath, we piled back onto the bus and made our way back to the hotel for a bit of rest before a fun evening out with the rest of the families. The plan for the evening was to take a nice boat ride on the Pearl River. Last time we were here we were served dinner on board, and I do remember that the dinner left a lot to be desired. Fortunately, the Holt guides learned this fact over the last few years, so they gave us another option. We put in an order for Papa John’s Pizza… in China! Who knew?!?!? Once we arrived at the boat, our pizzas were delivered and we boarded the boat. The pizza was just like what we would get back home and tasted delicious (and the glass of beer was just what we needed after a hot day!). On a funny note, the “Engrish” that we see throughout China does make us laugh. The “No Somking” sign was another funny reminder that some things are really lost in translation.






The boat ride was beautiful. We made our way up the river and eventually passed the White Swan Hotel. The lights on the buildings surrounding the river were gorgeous, mirrored in the river, glistening as we rode by. We thoroughly enjoyed our time mingling with the other families on the boat, some with whom we have become good friends. I loved talking again with the families and learning about how well most of our little ones are growing more and more comfortable with their new families. This process is just amazing, and the resiliency of the children is absolutely amazing. After about a two-hour ride, the boat docked and we were taken back to the hotel. With the heat of the day, some of us met in the pool for a refreshing evening dip. About four families met at the pool, a perfect ending to a nice day.

(The Ladybug enjoying the boat ride)

(Some of our Holt friends)

(The Ladybug hanging with her friends)

Our time in China is winding down. We only have two more days until we leave. I do know that tomorrow will be spent packing and last minute shopping. Wow, I cannot believe that we are almost to the end of this journey. The baby Butterfly is blessing us every day with more smiles and giggles. I am so happy and thankful that we chose to bring this bay girl into our lives. I am so in love with her and truly cannot believe how much she has enriched our lives already. Thank you Lord, for blessing us with our little Butterfly.




~~Aloha!

Day 19 - Around the hotel, Crawling

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Day 19 – Around the hotel, Crawling (short version)
~Kicked back
~Subway
~Sushi chips?!?!?
~Crawling!
~Ice cream & cake

Day 19 - Around the hotel, Crawling (long version)
Today, many of the Holt families chose to go to a safari zoo in Guangzhou. However, we chose to stay behind for two reasons, the extreme heat, and because we did already have a chance to visit a nice zoo and aquarium in Beijing. That being said, if the weather would have been a bit cooler, I am sure that we would have visited the safari and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, but a day of rest and a little shopping was just up our alley.

Mom and I went out and about on the island again for some more shopping, wandering, and taking in the sights. After a little while out were decided to stop at Subway Sandwich Shop (yes, they even have one of those on the island) for a bite to eat. We were warned not to get anything with mayonnaise on it, so we steered clear. We each chose a nice turkey sandwich, which for the most part was very similar to what you would get here in the U.S., however, in China they are rather stingy with their meat, cheese, and toppings. Not to worry, it was a nice taste of home… away from home. We did laugh at the chips we could get. The safest seemed to be the “Classic American Flavor,” so much better than the “Beijing Duck,” “Sushi,” “Five-Spice Fish,” and “Cool Cucumber.” See… the classic flavor is sounding mighty good now, isn’t it!


Upon our return to the room we met up with Daddy, the Ladybug, and the baby Butterfly. Because the Butterfly has been really struggling with crawling (she has pretty much been inch-worming up to this point), Daddy worked with her today hoping to strengthen her legs and get her into a real crawl. Success! Shortly after we returned to the room, the baby Bug was on the floor crawling back and forth between me and Daddy. We were all so excited because this event was such a momentous occasion for her, and a great bonding moment for our family. Hard to believe that a 15-month old little girl crawling could bring about so much joy and excitement to us, but it did. We know that this is the first of many momentous occasions that we will experience with the Butterfly. Very exciting!




Not much else happened today. One of the young boys in our group celebrated his birthday with his family, new sister, and several of the other families in our group. He was kind enough to share some of his cake with us, which the Butterfly thought was the greatest treat ever. She dove into the slice with lightening speed and nommed her way through, smiling and giggling along the way. In the evening we all enjoyed a nice ice cream cone, which we of course had to share with the Butterfly. So, apparently our new baby girl loves cake and ice cream. Seems like she is ready to help celebrate a birthday party in the near future (though we don’t have one coming soon that I can think of, so we will just have to make due).


Tomorrow is the Oath Ceremony, and we also have an evening riverboat cruise scheduled. Cannot wait!

~~Aloha!

Day 18 – Red Couch photo, Dinner at Lucy’s

We are home!!! We arrived last Saturday, and have been hibernating for a while. We all got sick as soon as we arrived in the U.S., and are now on antibiotics (all of us including the baby). We are doing better now, but needed a week to get settled and feeling better. I will update the rest of our days in China soon. Thanks for the calls and concern.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Day 18 – Red Couch photo, Dinner at Lucy’s (short version)
~Shopped for Red Couch photo dresses
~Matching sisters
~Terrified kids
~Crying babies
~Family photos
~Lucy's
~Dinner with friends

Day 18 – Red Couch photo, Dinner at Lucy’s (long version)
When I first became a member of the adoption community over five years ago, I heard about a special photo that many adoptive families were eager to get while in China. It is called the “Red Couch Photo,” and is “the photo” to get for those who stay at the White Swan Hotel. I remember the day almost four years ago when we gathered all of the little Holt babies and placed them on one of the red couches in the lobby of the hotel and all of the parents took photos as the children started crying. Watching this happen in like watching Chinese drivers trying to make their way around a round-about… you swear it isn’t going to happen, but by the grace of God it actually does. It is absolute pandemonium; parents are trying to keep their children occupied and tear-free, the children honestly don’t know what is going on, and the photographers (often the other parent who does not have child duty at that particular moment) try in vain to get one good shot of all of the children where most of them look somewhat okay.

Nana and I knew about the upcoming photo and we wanted to make sure that the girls were dressed appropriately so we headed out (once again) to one of the little shops on the island to find the perfect dresses. We finally found our way to a great little place just up the street where we found not only traditional silk dresses, but beautiful cotton dresses as well. I had never seen the cotton dresses before, so I was very excited to see this new style, and decided that it was the perfect dress for the infamous photo. We purchased a few different dress colors for both girls and were on our way.


The Ladybug was so excited to see our purchase, especially since we brought back matching dresses for the girls. Now that the Bug has a baby sister, her favorite thing is to dress alike (as some of you noted in a previous post). We arrived in China with a few matching outfits that the girls could wear, much to the excitement of the Ladybug. However, today’s purchased completely trumped those other outfits… these were Chinese matching outfits. What more could a girl want?



After the girls dressed and primped, we made our way downstairs to meet with the other families for the photo. While we were still waiting for some of the other families to arrive, I took the opportunity to take some special photos of the Ladybug and the Butterfly together on one of the red couches. We had explained to the Bug that four years ago we had taken some similar photos of her with and some friends. With that information, the Bug was totally excited to be back at the red couches, ready for a photo-op a second time. I was able to get some adorable photos of the two girls together, the bug happy and smiling, the baby very unsure of what was going on.



Eventually all of the families arrived at the couches so the chaos could start. I moved the baby into position toward the center of the couch, and gave daddy the camera. Soon babies were being placed all over the couch. Some were crying while others seemed to be in complete shock. The Butterfly was still in shock mode when we started, but as more children were placed on the couch, many of them crying, she started feeling a bit uneasy. Eventually she followed the majority and stared fussing and then crying, all while cameras and flashes were going off, capturing every moment. Just as quickly as it started, it ended, and the children were taken off the couch. We captured a few good photos of the crazy event, but I am so happy that it is over.




Following the photo session we took some family photos in front of the beautiful waterfall in the hotel, then headed downstairs for an “English High Tea.” Now, what I remember about high tea is little finger sandwiches and various flavors of tea. However, the Chinese take this event to another level. With our tea we were given free roam of another buffet, this one offering cold cuts, pizza, French fries, chicken, egg rolls, a salad bar, rice, noodles, and many, many, other food selections. For dessert we were offered ice cream, amazing cakes and pies, fruit, and a chocolate fudge fountain that you could dip fruit or breads. Needless to say, we really enjoyed the Chinese version of “English High Tea.”








We had a few errands to run in the afternoon, then met up with our good friends from Guizhou Province for dinner, Mindy, Allen, and Karis. We went to dinner to a tourist favorite on the island, Lucy’s. We all enjoyed dinner which included some burgers and fries (yup, we have been away quite a while… sometimes you just want some comfort food) and some refreshing cold drinks. But, much more than the food, we thoroughly enjoyed the company. We shared stories about our families and the adoption process, but most of all we shared stories about our little girls. We marveled in amazement that in one week’s time how these precious little girls have started to bond with their families and come out of their shells. We are both seeing many more smiles and giggles as each day passes. It was such a joy to visit with this family again and see first-hand how their daughter has started to blossom.




Following dinner, we took a few more photos and then said our goodbyes. We are now back in the room and getting ready for bed. Tomorrow is a free day for us so we have nothing special planned. Coming up on Wednesday though is the Oath Ceremony. More to come…



~~Aloha!