Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Egg Hunts, Doctor Visits, Proud Brothers & a New Sandbox
Well, it has been over a week since I have written anything. I have to tell you, by the time we all get settled down for the evening, I'm exhausted. Words just don't come. "Miss M" is quite the busy little girl! Add in a crazy schedule with the boys and it is just about all I can do to stay awake during an episode of Glee!
So, a quick update and some new pics!
Wednesday we had our first appointment with the surgeon who will repair Mia's cleft palate. We also met with speech therapy and will go back for an appointment with the dental team. We will do everything at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. They have an incredible team, sort of a "one stop shopping" kind of thing. Once we were in our room, everyone from each team came to us. Pretty neat, I thought. Everything looks great and Dr. B wants to do her surgery late summer or early fall. This will give her more time to bond with us and adjust to her new home before having surgery. At this point, it looks like one surgery will do the trick! We won't know for sure until it's done - sometimes they can't get the palate totally closed or a portion may open again - but it all looks good so far! We will start some speech therapy now so she can practice sounds that she will be able to make after her palate is closed.
Mia continues to amaze us everyday. I can't believe how quickly she has picked up the English language. We have had her for 5 weeks now and she can say so many things. "bye-bye, hello, hi, ball, night-night, up, more, eat :), and the list goes on and on. Two of my favorites are Carly and Max - our cat and dog. These were a couple of the first ones and they came way before "momma and "daddy". Every time she sees either Carly or Max, she gives a big surprise face and calls their name. Every time. It is so funny! You would think that by now the "newness" of the cat and dog would wear off. Nope. Every morning it is like she has never seen them before. Of course, because of the cleft palate these words don't sound exactly like I write. "Up" is more like "Uh" because she can't make a "p" sound and "eat" is just "eee" without the "t". We have had no problem so far communicating with her. Never underestimate the power of a pointed finger coupled with a grunt. :)
The boys have just been great too. What fantastic big brothers they are! They really enjoy her and can't wait to see her in the mornings. You should see the excitement everyone has when we pick up the boys from school. She grins and giggles. They say "hey, Mia" in their best "I'm talking to my baby sister, baby talk". It is just a joy to see. They also love Mia's night time hugs and kisses. Boy has she learned the art of good hugging quickly! Tate has also been the proud recipient of a few smooches right on the kisser.
Mia is adjusting to her new home and family well. She is not quite the ferocious eater she once was. She still wants to eat anytime she sees food, but doesn't shovel it down anymore. This is a good sign because she is realizing that she will have enough. She is sleeping great. One of our favorite times is bedtime. She loves drinking her milk and being rocked. She is quite the playful thing and has created all kinds of little games to play with us - mostly for the purpose of trying to stay awake. :) It has become a great time for bonding with her and so we play the games and don't get to worried about getting her to sleep. Eventually she settles down and is even ok with being put in her crib awake. She just turns over, gets all comfy and falls fast asleep.
I just can't express what a joy she is. This kid has some major personality. She is so expressive. I can't wait to get some video up for you all to see. Hopefully coming soon!
I'll leave you with a few pics!
Egg Hunt!
Sandbox!
So, a quick update and some new pics!
Wednesday we had our first appointment with the surgeon who will repair Mia's cleft palate. We also met with speech therapy and will go back for an appointment with the dental team. We will do everything at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. They have an incredible team, sort of a "one stop shopping" kind of thing. Once we were in our room, everyone from each team came to us. Pretty neat, I thought. Everything looks great and Dr. B wants to do her surgery late summer or early fall. This will give her more time to bond with us and adjust to her new home before having surgery. At this point, it looks like one surgery will do the trick! We won't know for sure until it's done - sometimes they can't get the palate totally closed or a portion may open again - but it all looks good so far! We will start some speech therapy now so she can practice sounds that she will be able to make after her palate is closed.
Mia continues to amaze us everyday. I can't believe how quickly she has picked up the English language. We have had her for 5 weeks now and she can say so many things. "bye-bye, hello, hi, ball, night-night, up, more, eat :), and the list goes on and on. Two of my favorites are Carly and Max - our cat and dog. These were a couple of the first ones and they came way before "momma and "daddy". Every time she sees either Carly or Max, she gives a big surprise face and calls their name. Every time. It is so funny! You would think that by now the "newness" of the cat and dog would wear off. Nope. Every morning it is like she has never seen them before. Of course, because of the cleft palate these words don't sound exactly like I write. "Up" is more like "Uh" because she can't make a "p" sound and "eat" is just "eee" without the "t". We have had no problem so far communicating with her. Never underestimate the power of a pointed finger coupled with a grunt. :)
The boys have just been great too. What fantastic big brothers they are! They really enjoy her and can't wait to see her in the mornings. You should see the excitement everyone has when we pick up the boys from school. She grins and giggles. They say "hey, Mia" in their best "I'm talking to my baby sister, baby talk". It is just a joy to see. They also love Mia's night time hugs and kisses. Boy has she learned the art of good hugging quickly! Tate has also been the proud recipient of a few smooches right on the kisser.
Mia is adjusting to her new home and family well. She is not quite the ferocious eater she once was. She still wants to eat anytime she sees food, but doesn't shovel it down anymore. This is a good sign because she is realizing that she will have enough. She is sleeping great. One of our favorite times is bedtime. She loves drinking her milk and being rocked. She is quite the playful thing and has created all kinds of little games to play with us - mostly for the purpose of trying to stay awake. :) It has become a great time for bonding with her and so we play the games and don't get to worried about getting her to sleep. Eventually she settles down and is even ok with being put in her crib awake. She just turns over, gets all comfy and falls fast asleep.
I just can't express what a joy she is. This kid has some major personality. She is so expressive. I can't wait to get some video up for you all to see. Hopefully coming soon!
I'll leave you with a few pics!
Egg Hunt!
Sandbox!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow
I was looking through our blog last night and rereading all of the wonderful comments we received while in China. "Praise God from whom all blessings flow" was written by a friend of mine on the day we received Mia. Really, such a simple statement, but one that so touched me that it brought me to tears the night I first read it (and again last night). It's just Truth. Simply stated. Praise God. From whom ALL blessings flow.
Keith wrote the blog posting our first night with Mia and did a wonderful job capturing our "Gotcha Day". But I want to tell you my perspective too. The best words I can come up with are "unbelievable" and "miraculous". Really, it is just hard to put into words. Here you are, in this room, waiting to meet a child you have only seen in pictures. And you have been waiting for what seems like forever. And then, this is it. Here you are. You're nervous, scared, sad, antsy, excited, giddy, hopeful - all wrapped up together. It's just crazy.
And what's better than it being your moment? It is everyone else's moment too. And you get to be a part of it. On our flight over to Guangzhou, we met a couple from Athens, Georgia. When we walked into the Civil Affairs office to meet Mia, I saw the couple. It was just moments before they met their daughter and we did the across the room, "Hey! Do you need someone to take pictures?" thing. They had waited four years for this baby girl. Yes, four. Their first child. And I got to be there to see it. Unbelievable, miraculous.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow. I don't even remember their names. But I will never forget that mother's face the moment she first saw her baby.
Nor will I forget Mia's face the first time I saw her. Sweet. Beautiful. Scared. We had been staring at her pictures for so long and then, there she is. Wow. Just right in front of you to touch, and hold, and love. And in a moment, she is just yours. Forever. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
This Sunday we had the honor of introducing Mia to our church family. What a blessing. So many of you have been with us the whole way. Praying for us. Praying for Mia. Asking how the process was going. "How long will it be?" and "Do you have pictures, yet?". You followed us on our trip to China and left sweet messages of encouragement along the way. Thank you. We have been so blessed through this entire experience. I can't even tell you really how much it has all meant to us. To know that we have friends and family that love us and share our joy. It means the world to us. And one day, it will mean so much for Mia. I have saved your messages and emails for her. We will be able to tell her all about the people who were cheering us on and awaiting her arrival right along with us. Thank you.
And for my sweet friend, who, with such familiar words, reminded me from where all these blessings come: They leave next week to bring home their baby girl! You can follow their journey by clicking here.
Keith wrote the blog posting our first night with Mia and did a wonderful job capturing our "Gotcha Day". But I want to tell you my perspective too. The best words I can come up with are "unbelievable" and "miraculous". Really, it is just hard to put into words. Here you are, in this room, waiting to meet a child you have only seen in pictures. And you have been waiting for what seems like forever. And then, this is it. Here you are. You're nervous, scared, sad, antsy, excited, giddy, hopeful - all wrapped up together. It's just crazy.
And what's better than it being your moment? It is everyone else's moment too. And you get to be a part of it. On our flight over to Guangzhou, we met a couple from Athens, Georgia. When we walked into the Civil Affairs office to meet Mia, I saw the couple. It was just moments before they met their daughter and we did the across the room, "Hey! Do you need someone to take pictures?" thing. They had waited four years for this baby girl. Yes, four. Their first child. And I got to be there to see it. Unbelievable, miraculous.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow. I don't even remember their names. But I will never forget that mother's face the moment she first saw her baby.
Nor will I forget Mia's face the first time I saw her. Sweet. Beautiful. Scared. We had been staring at her pictures for so long and then, there she is. Wow. Just right in front of you to touch, and hold, and love. And in a moment, she is just yours. Forever. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
This Sunday we had the honor of introducing Mia to our church family. What a blessing. So many of you have been with us the whole way. Praying for us. Praying for Mia. Asking how the process was going. "How long will it be?" and "Do you have pictures, yet?". You followed us on our trip to China and left sweet messages of encouragement along the way. Thank you. We have been so blessed through this entire experience. I can't even tell you really how much it has all meant to us. To know that we have friends and family that love us and share our joy. It means the world to us. And one day, it will mean so much for Mia. I have saved your messages and emails for her. We will be able to tell her all about the people who were cheering us on and awaiting her arrival right along with us. Thank you.
And for my sweet friend, who, with such familiar words, reminded me from where all these blessings come: They leave next week to bring home their baby girl! You can follow their journey by clicking here.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Two weeks, Two years
Oh, how the time does fly! I can't believe we have been home two weeks! I also can't believe I haven't written any updates in those two weeks! The biggest event so far? Mia's second birthday! It seems like yesterday that I was panicking over whether or not we would have her home before she turned two. And then we were packing, and then getting on the airplane etc.... And now here we are.
Wow! I won't bore you with a running commentary of the time - there are just too many cute pictures to tell the story!
Meeting Granna and Pap-paw
Standing at the window, looking for "Ma", our dog Max
Hanging with daddy and Max
One of our first "mommy and me" mornings - we found the accessories!
The smile her brothers get everyday
The little girl who would eat anything we gave her has now become picky! No veggies for her. That's ok sweet thing... I just pureed those veggies right into your pizza sauce. :) The aftermath of the "pita pizzas"
Meeting Great Grandma Redwine and the sweet outfit she made for her!
Spring means baseball for the Jennings family!
Boo!
Look Who's Two!!
Opening her presents
The hit of the day? This adorable My Little Pony ferris wheel from the Richoux's!
One of mommy's favorites? This too-stinking-cute raincoat from Aunt Mary and Uncle Wayne! Thank you!
Since we had just been home for a week, we opted for "small" instead of "big". Cupcakes with 2 sweet candles were just perfect.
Many of you have asked if I am having fun with all of the "girly stuff". Um, yep. I was afraid this outfit wouldn't fit in the fall, so we wore it one day, just because.
Wow! I won't bore you with a running commentary of the time - there are just too many cute pictures to tell the story!
Meeting Granna and Pap-paw
Standing at the window, looking for "Ma", our dog Max
Hanging with daddy and Max
One of our first "mommy and me" mornings - we found the accessories!
The smile her brothers get everyday
The little girl who would eat anything we gave her has now become picky! No veggies for her. That's ok sweet thing... I just pureed those veggies right into your pizza sauce. :) The aftermath of the "pita pizzas"
Meeting Great Grandma Redwine and the sweet outfit she made for her!
Spring means baseball for the Jennings family!
Boo!
Look Who's Two!!
Opening her presents
The hit of the day? This adorable My Little Pony ferris wheel from the Richoux's!
One of mommy's favorites? This too-stinking-cute raincoat from Aunt Mary and Uncle Wayne! Thank you!
Since we had just been home for a week, we opted for "small" instead of "big". Cupcakes with 2 sweet candles were just perfect.
Many of you have asked if I am having fun with all of the "girly stuff". Um, yep. I was afraid this outfit wouldn't fit in the fall, so we wore it one day, just because.
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