Madison at dinner at the House of Louie. Kaeli ate three full dumplings, and ate the meat filling of a fourth. Madison ate the dumpling dough, but not the insides. So we swtiched plates and each girl had more of their favorite part! What a great match they are!

Madison marching in what we nicknamed "The Screaming House". The two girls and Laurie spent quite a few enjoyable minutes chasing each other around the colulmns in the room and giggling and screaming to hear their echoes.

Laurie and Dave, who were able to come down from Seattle to join us for the afternoon at the Chinese garden and dinner at the House of Louie.

Kaeli, Amy and Madison sitting in beautiful (and heavy!) antique replica chairs. And we can all see what a great job Kaeli's reflecting tape does on her jacket!

Kaeli's "smile for the camera"

MaMa, Kaeli, Amy and Madison. It was a VERY cold day, but so enjoyable!

Kaeli checking out the goldfish (COLD fish!) at the Portland Chinese Garden in Portland's Chinatown. The park is beautiful,, and it reminded all of us so much of China!

Kaeli throwing a smile over her shoulder at Laurie, Dave and Mama watching her through the gym windows.

Kaeli in dance class at Goddard

NaiNai just pointed out that I hadn't posted a picture of Kaeli in her ballerina outfit to the blog yet. So here's a couple!

And here's one of her favorite dance moves....

November Check-in

Let's see, it was AUGUST the last time I posted to our blog! So much for updating weekly!!! Life is just too hectic at this point, and I keep forgetting... so my apologies!!!

Kaeli is doing wonderfully - at 28 months, she's still not showing TOO much of the terrible twos. We occasionally see a bit of temper or obstinacy, but thankfully it is not daily or hourly!!! She continues to love to sing, dance, play, laugh, and make others laugh. She now can identify 8 colors and 8 shapes, and is able to point to the correct letter in books when you ask her to find a certain ones. She almost knows her ABCs, and can count to ten as long as you don't need the 4!

One morning recently, NaiNai went in to get her up in the morning, and Kaeli stood up in her port-a-crib and then waved her arm in the air and said "FOOF!" (the signal that there's a messy diaper around). NaiNai was puzzled (no usual odor from 20 feet away) and asked skeptically, "Do you have a foofy diaper??" Kaeli said "Noooooooo....." and burst into giggles.

When I went in one afternoon to get her up from her nap, she stood up and gave me her usual big smile and "Hello!" as I went to the window to open the curtains. When I turned around, she had fallen to her mattress, squeezed her eyes shut and was "snoring". The big grin on her face gave it away though - she was just pretending to be asleep.

Her ballet dance classes are going well - NaiNai and I are both surprised to see how well she minds the teacher - taking her turn, waiting patiently against the wall across the room while the others take their turns, watching intently so that she knows how to do what she's supposed to do next. She still looks like a football player in tights, but her heart is certainly in it!

Kaeli is still a neat freak - she gets the vacuum hose from the central vac system in the house and vacuums up cracker crumbs she's spilled, or gets paper towels to wipe up a water spill. She also frequently picks up all her toys in her room and puts them back in their baskets, without being asked to.

She is certainly a creature of habit - we have daily routines that we have to follow or she gets upset. There is breakfast time, nap time, book time and tooth time, among others. She "helps" NaiNai get dressed in the morning, imitating putting on deodorant and makeup and doing her hair just like NaiNai. She also "shaves" with YeYe. She is also very eager to flush the toilet for you and make sure everything has gone "bye-bye".

Kaeli sings and chatters and talks and giggles and makes noises almost constantly. She is always hopping or jumping or marching or dancing, or running or walking on tip toe. But she can also sit very quietly for 15 or 20 minutes at a time and watch the birds at the feeders or the squirrels playing in the backyard. She also loves to sit in YeYe's office chair and watch the screensaver on his computer, which is set to display random photos from thousands of pictures YeYe's taken that are stored on his computer.

She loves to imitate others, and will sit at the kitchen table and fold her hands together like YeYe, or put her chin on her hand and her elbow on the table like MaMa, or fold her arms on the table like NaiNai. She is also learning her manners, and covers her mouth (most of the time) when she coughs, and says please and thank you (in Chinese) without prompting (most of the time).

JioJio is here visiting for Thanksgiving, and it is so wonderful to hear Kaeli yell "JioJio!!!" in the mornings and climb onto his Aero bed in the family room to wake him up. She loves having JioJio visit - he's the only one who can lift her high into the kitchen skylight, or hang her upside down or spin her fast in circles on the floor.

Kaeli has gotten quite good at hugs and kisses, and gives them frequently and lovingly. She also cares for her stuffed animals, especially her best friend Frog (or "Sog", as she calls him). She will put all her bears and dolls and frogs in a half circle around her and "read" a book to them like at school - holding the open book out towards them and moving it around the half-circle so everyone gets a chance to look at the pages. Then she "reads" the next page to them all, and repeats the book viewing.

December 13th is our "Gotcha Day" - one year ago was the first time I saw Kaeli in person and held her in my arms. She is SO different in many ways from that tiny little over-dressed roly-poly girl who had no idea what was going on, and who curled up into a tight, frightened little ball on my lap when we rode in the van from the adoption office back to the hotel. We've been watching a lot of the video Laurie and I took in China and the first few months back here in the US, and we just marvel at how far she has come!

I am so eternally thankful that Kaeli and I found each other and will share the rest of our lives together. Kaeli seems to think so too, and announces to others quite frequently and loudly "My MaMa!" and pats me or gives me a hug or kiss. She is one happy, smart, loving, enchanting little girl, and thank you all for letting me share her with you!!!!

The wonderful surprise I received in the mail today from my great team at QVC!!! It made me homesick for all of them, and for my Amish friends (who don't read this blog!) and all my other friends back on the East Coast! Thank you, guys, for the wonderful cookbook and the postcard!!!

Kaeli NOT standing still while her pictures were being taken!

This is Kaeli all dressed up for her night out on the town to celebrate YeYe's xx (number to be kept secret) birthday at Bernie's Bistro in NE Portland. For dessert, YeYe got a piece of apples foster bread pudding with a candle in it, and Kaeli blew it out for him.

Kaeli's Halloween costume - we really went out on a limb here! We bought this Chinese two piece outfit at a wonderful shop in Chinatown in Portland. The owner knew exactly what size she should wear, and we had a really hard time decidng which color and design to choose. Kaeli wore her costume to school for the day, and then we visited the library to pick up NaiNai after her volunteer hours were finished. We also visited two friend's houses - the Danowski boys, Aaron, Luke and Paul, across the street, and then Jerilynn's house, where we saw all sorts of wonderful stuffed animals in a corral and watched Jerilynn hand out ladles full of pork and beans as treats to the visitors to her "cowboy spread". That is, she tried to give pork and beans to the trick or treaters, but most settled for candy instead!

Kaeli surveying YeYe's handiwork, while working on cleaning out her own pumpkin.

Kaeli decided to try on JioJio's shoes - she has a bit of growing to do before they fit! She has a bit more preparation to do before she's an official Stanford student, also!

Here Kaeli is at the head of the children's table at the "Harvest Feast" luncheon held at her day care center. The head of the table seems to be "her" spot!

Kaeli and Ye Ye going for a swing on the back deck

Kaeli and her ever-faithful companion, Froggy

Kaeli and Nai Nai pausing during one of their many walks

Kaeli's first adventure with corn on the cob (and doing quite well!)

Cinder enjoying a bag of catnip in the main hall

Updates (finally!) from Oregon

Kaeli and I are settling in here in Oregon. We are staying at Nai Nai and Ye Ye's house for the time being. Kaeli is attending "school" (daycare) from 9am to 1pm, five days a week, and then coming home for a two hour nap, and then two hours of fun and frolic with her grandparents! MaMa commutes (up the stairs) to her office each morning and is thoroughly enjoying her work (telecommuting) at Grand Canyon University. She heads there Sunday for a week, her third trip since June. Cinder the cat was "home" immediately, having lived here in this house before, while MaMa was in graduate school. We are enjoying the Oregon weather (ittle or NO humidity) and excited about renewing old (and new!) friendships.

Kaeli adores the three boys (Aaron, Luke and Paul) across the street, and is making the most of the greenbelt paths and playgrounds and swimming pool. She has a wading pool on the front deck, a sandbox on the back deck, and toys strewn throughout the house from stem to stern! It's amazing how many friends of Ye Ye and Nai Nai come in and say in horror/amazement "Your house!" Ye Ye and Nai Nai have survived the invasion quite well, and hopefully they and the house will recover sometime in the future, once MaMa and Kaeli have moved into their own new home! But until then, we're all having a wonderful, marvelous time - it feels SO GOOD to be home!

At the same time, we sincerely miss all of our friends and family back in Pennsylvania and New York! But we hope that we will see them all here in Oregon, visiting us! Plus, I still have that one storage unit in West Chester to still empty out and ship home to Oregon, so I'll be heading back to PA sometime this fall!

Kaeli reunited with her Jio Jio (uncle)

Beautiful Haystack Rock, at Cannon Beach, where the reunion was held

Kaeli in a (rare) still, quiet moment

Laurie, MaMa, Kaeli, Madison, David (Madison's BaBa), and Amy (Madison's MaMa), and Dr. Susan

Kaeli and Madison imitating each other

Kaeli and Dr. Susan, the Beijing pediatrician who traveled with us in China. She was luckily able to get her travel visa approved for her trip to the US to attend the reunion here. Unfortunately her mother's visa was denied.

Madison and Kaeli, reunited! Madison is 6 months younger than Kaeli, but definitely in charge now! Kaeli, Madison and Alex (not able to attend the reunion) are "Kunming sisters", from the same SWI (Social Welfare Institute, or orphanage) in China. This is the first time Kaeli and Madison have seen each other since China in December. They immediately grabbed hands and spent the rest of the day holding hands and playing together. Madison is in charge, and Kaeli is the caring one - At one point, Madision headed by herself towards stairs leading down to the beach, and Kaeli raced over, put herself between Madison and the stairs, grabbed Madison's arm with one hand and shook her finger on her other hand in Madison's face, saying loudly "No! No! No!". We were in hysterics, and Madison did NOT go on the steps!

Laurie and Kaeli enjoying the beach

Laurie and Kaeli in front of the world's largest Sitka Spruce, on our way to the Oregon coast for our adoption agency's 10th annual reunion.

The first look at the POD in Oregon - filled to the brim!

Kaeli celebrating her second birthday with angel food cake, strawberries, whip cream and candles!

Ye Ye and Kaeli sweeping up the front deck in our new home in Oregon, with Ye Ye and Nai Nai!

Kaeli supervising the pickup of the POD, filled with MOST of our stuff from West Chester (but not all, unfortunately!)

Kaeli with Gavin, her future husband

Kaeli with cousin Jeff in West Chester

Kaeli and Jio Jio in front of Gramma and Grampa Schneegas's old house in Hornell (where MaMa was born!)

Kaeli at Gram and Gramp Towne's old barn in Medina

Kaeli and cousin Dick in Watkins Glen

Kaeli with cousin Greg, Aunt Margie and Uncle Burt

Aunt Linda and Kaeli enjoying a morning stroll

Kaeli enjoying some self-made airconditioning on our trip to New York to meet and say see-you-later to our upstate relatives

Kaeli practicing with her Oregon raingear

Tme for a pedicure

Taking a breakfast break on the deck

Inspecting Mama's tape job

Making sure Cinder is ready for the ride to the vet

Labeling boxes for the move

We're Coming Home, Oregon!

Kaeli and I are moving home to Oregon! My last day at work is tomorrow, Friday the 17th. We're getting the last of our things at home packed, and the POD is arriving tomorrow. We'll get it loaded over the weekend, and then it will be on its way to Oregon on the 21st.

Kaeli and I fly out of Philly on the 22nd at 2pm. We arrive in Portland at 8pm (11pm our time!), and will have two enjoyable relaxing days with Ye Ye and Nai Nai before I fly to Phoenix on Saturday the 25th to spend a week at Grand Canyon University for orientation and team building and getting my laptop configured for their systems. Then I'll be back home to OREGON on Friday, July 1st, Kaeli's second birthday!

Kaeli and I are going to live with my parents, while I get settled in working for GCU and we start looking for a home of our own to buy. Kaeli will be going to daycare 3 half days a week, and Ye Ye and Nai Nai will be entertained by her the rest of the time. Since I'll be working from home, I'll be able to have lunch with Kaeli and put her down for her naps, and have a more relaxed dinner and evening with her and the family each night. I am really looking forward to working for GCU from home, and think it's my ideal job!!!

See you soon, Oregon!!!