Christmas 2005 -


This was how Kaeli spent the first part of Christmas - snuggled with Frog on the couch. She came down with an intermittent fever and tummy problems on Christmas eve, and wasn't her normal happy cheerful singing self on Christmas Day. She did rally a couple of times and was able to feel well enough to open presents in spurts, but it was not at all what we had expected Christmas to be like! MaMa got sick before lunch, and NaiNai got sick two days after Christmas. JioJio had to head back to Seattle for work, so YeYe was the nurse and caretaker for the household for most of the week between Christmas and New Year's, when Kaeli and MaMa were both supposedly on "vacation".

Kaeli is back to her normal chipper active self, and back at school. NaiNai is on the mend, and MaMa is still working at getting better. YeYe, thankfully, never caught anything! We hope to ALL be healthy soon!

Gotcha Day! Celebration - December 13, 2005

On December 13th, one year ago, Kaeli and I looked into each other's eyes in person for the very first time. She was a tiny, wide-eyed toddler who was unsteady on her feet but very eager to stay in the arms of this strange person who was feeding her these little round delicious things called Cheerios. And I was an ecstatically happy, proud new MaMa who was thrilled and terrified about all the days and years stretching out before us that we would be spending together. One year later, I am still as enraptured, entranced and enthralled by this growing, blossoming, funny, active, smart little bundle of energy that is becoming her own person as I was when I first held her in my arms.

Laurie and her partner Dave were able to come down from Seattle to help celebrate our first year anniversary of Gotcha Day! We went to "school" early so that we could watch Kaeli in her ballet class. Kaeli saw Dave and Laurie and spent most of dance class standing in one place, pulling her tutu up and down on her stomach and smiling at us, while the rest of the dance students followed the lead of the teacher.

After school ended and Kaeli had her nap, Laurie, Dave, Kaeli and I got on the MAX light rail and rode the "choo choo train" into town. It was Kaeli's first light rail ride, and she enjoyed it.

We met Kaeli's Kunming sister Madison and her MaMa Amy at the Portland Chinese Garden, where we strolled around and visited and enjoyed the sights for the afternoon. It was almost like being in China again! The girls enjoyed chasing each other and screaming and giggling in one of the buildings - thankfully there were very few other people in the garden on such a cold day! We visited the gift shop, and then met Madison's BaBa David and went to the House of Louie for dinner.

The waitress there was wonderful! I explained that we were celebrating the first year anniversary of Gotcha! Day for the girls, and that they had been born in Kunming, China. I told her about the steamed egg custard dish that Dr. Susan and our guide ordered at every meal for the girls in China, and asked if there was something similar on their menu. The waitress said that it was "home cooking" for children and that she would ask the cook about it. Later she delivered a large bowl of steamed egg custard to our table, which the girls devoured! Kaeli kept asking for more "yello"! I think she was calling it jello, or she could have been referring to the color - I'm not sure, but whichever it was, she wanted more! As we were leaving, I learned that the waitress had fixed it for us herself, which was so nice of her!

The girls danced and ran around together, and had a great time, as did we all. It would have been perfect, however, if Kaeli and Madison's Kunming sister Alex and her MaMa Diane and BaBa Todd had been able to be with us!

Madison and her parents gave Kaeli tickets to the Portland Children's Museum, which we are looking forward to using soon! Kaeli and I gave Madison and Alex each a copy of Pi-Shu, a picture book about a panda baby in China, which Kaeli has and loves. Kaeli and I gave Laurie a wonderful hand-crafted book called "Good Morning China" which has lovely watercolors of the various activities people do in the parks in China in the mornings, which made both MaMa and Laurie tear up with fond memories - fan dancing, tai chi, ballroom dancing, games, painting, exercising and so on. There wasn't a picture of basketball bowling, though, which Laurie was disappointed about! (Laurie played a rousing game of basketball bowling in the Green Lake Park in Kunming with several Chinese men, who all cheered and clapped for her but still insisted that she had lost and owed them money - it was wonderful to watch!)

It seems like just yesterday AND a hundred years ago that we were traveling in China and meeting our daughters for the first time. Laurie and I both remember saying back then that some day we would look back on this trip with fondness and longing, and we were certainly right!!!

Here's to many more happy Gotcha Days, and every day in between, to come!!!

Love to everyone -
Kaeli and her proud MaMa

Two-thirds of the 04-05 ASIA Travel Group for December 2004! Laurie, Cheryl, Kaeli, Madison, David and Amy. All of us were missing Alex, Diana and Todd!!!!

Kaeli and her fourth dumpling

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!