Monday, May 31, 2010
Yue Lu's big day!
After a week of just family time and short visits to stores, the park, and the beach, we felt Yue Lu was probably craving for some play time with kids. One of Brad's friends invited us over yesterday so she and her daughter Isabel could meet Yue Lu. Isabel is 8 years old. She sent Yue Lu an adorable personalized invitation by email that was in English and Chinese. We warned them that Yue Lu may start to get overwhelmed or cranky after about an hour (from what we've experienced with new situations), but she did great and did not start to fuss until about 3 hours after we were there.
Yue Lu did not want to get in the pool, but eventually got all the way in the jacuzzi with her flotation ring. Later, she stepped down 3 steps in the pool, but would not go all the way in. She did sit in a big tube while we were holding onto it in the intercoastal water way, and enjoyed the waves from the jet skis and boats. Later on, Isabel showed Yue Lu how to drive her new set of wheels...a motorized Cadillac Escalade! Yue Lu was also given a bike and scooter that Isabel had outgrown playing with. It was quite scary watching Yue Lu try out the Escalade, but she did much better today at home with practice...thank God! The scooter was a little difficult for her, but all these cool toys are going to help her a lot to strengthen her right side and trunk. Thank you so much Karen and Isabel for a great time!
Later that evening I was actually able to get Yue Lu to finish a puzzle with help and encouragement from me, and then BaBa. She was so good and a lot more patient than usual.
I feel that Yue Lu may be ready for more play dates soon!
Yue Lu did not want to get in the pool, but eventually got all the way in the jacuzzi with her flotation ring. Later, she stepped down 3 steps in the pool, but would not go all the way in. She did sit in a big tube while we were holding onto it in the intercoastal water way, and enjoyed the waves from the jet skis and boats. Later on, Isabel showed Yue Lu how to drive her new set of wheels...a motorized Cadillac Escalade! Yue Lu was also given a bike and scooter that Isabel had outgrown playing with. It was quite scary watching Yue Lu try out the Escalade, but she did much better today at home with practice...thank God! The scooter was a little difficult for her, but all these cool toys are going to help her a lot to strengthen her right side and trunk. Thank you so much Karen and Isabel for a great time!
Later that evening I was actually able to get Yue Lu to finish a puzzle with help and encouragement from me, and then BaBa. She was so good and a lot more patient than usual.
I feel that Yue Lu may be ready for more play dates soon!
Home One Week
It's hard to believe we've been home for a week already. The major jet lag was not something we had anticipated. I thought I'd be fine after a day or two, but it actually took the whole week.
The past few days with Yue Lu have been great, and I feel that we have become a lot closer. In China, when she was talking to our guides or other Chinese people, she did worse around us. Since we've been here, she's interacted with three different Chinese families, and instead of pulling away from us, she was actually leaning on me and wanting me to hold her hand. I think she felt grateful that we brought her to places where she could communicate with people who can speak her language.
Today was one of those days. We met with a woman who will be tutoring Yue Lu in English over the summer. She is from China and has lived in the US for 22 years. Her children are teenagers and speak Mandarin and English. We met at Barnes and Noble to meet her and so she could talk to Yue Lu. Her teenaged son was there and he was great with Yue Lu. This woman was just hired to teach at Yue Lu's Chinese Immersion school where Yue Lu will be starting kindergarten in the fall. The timing of everything has been wonderful, and everyone we've talked to who are Chinese and knows about the adoption are so eager to help us with the transition. I feel so blessed.
Yue Lu still has bad nights, but last night was actually the second good night we've had. I did wake up a couple of times and she was lying forward banging her head 'gently'. We're usually woken up every night from her kicking, screaming, crying, and banging her head hard. It is so hard to watch, and there is no consoling her. It actually makes it much worse if we try to stop her. She pushes us away and hits or pinches us when we try to soothe her. From everything I've read, the advice is to ignore the head banging, which is so hard to do. Fortunately, she doesn't do it on a wall, but she does it so forceful sometimes, that we can't just sit and watch her since we're afraid she is going to hurt herself. We know she is grieving, and she may be having nightmares as well. There is a lot we don't know about her past. I've read about families learning so much once their children have learned to speak English. I'm very curious to know what Yue Lu has to tell us once she is able to.
The past few days with Yue Lu have been great, and I feel that we have become a lot closer. In China, when she was talking to our guides or other Chinese people, she did worse around us. Since we've been here, she's interacted with three different Chinese families, and instead of pulling away from us, she was actually leaning on me and wanting me to hold her hand. I think she felt grateful that we brought her to places where she could communicate with people who can speak her language.
Today was one of those days. We met with a woman who will be tutoring Yue Lu in English over the summer. She is from China and has lived in the US for 22 years. Her children are teenagers and speak Mandarin and English. We met at Barnes and Noble to meet her and so she could talk to Yue Lu. Her teenaged son was there and he was great with Yue Lu. This woman was just hired to teach at Yue Lu's Chinese Immersion school where Yue Lu will be starting kindergarten in the fall. The timing of everything has been wonderful, and everyone we've talked to who are Chinese and knows about the adoption are so eager to help us with the transition. I feel so blessed.
Yue Lu still has bad nights, but last night was actually the second good night we've had. I did wake up a couple of times and she was lying forward banging her head 'gently'. We're usually woken up every night from her kicking, screaming, crying, and banging her head hard. It is so hard to watch, and there is no consoling her. It actually makes it much worse if we try to stop her. She pushes us away and hits or pinches us when we try to soothe her. From everything I've read, the advice is to ignore the head banging, which is so hard to do. Fortunately, she doesn't do it on a wall, but she does it so forceful sometimes, that we can't just sit and watch her since we're afraid she is going to hurt herself. We know she is grieving, and she may be having nightmares as well. There is a lot we don't know about her past. I've read about families learning so much once their children have learned to speak English. I'm very curious to know what Yue Lu has to tell us once she is able to.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Yue Lu's first beach experience
We went to the beach late in the day, around 6:45pm, so it wouldn't be so hot. Yue Lu has been getting pretty hot when I take her to the park, and her 'little' cheeks get all red, even with 70 spf sunscreen on. So, I wanted her first beach experience to be comfortable for her temperature-wise.
When we arrived, Yue Lu said, 'Wow'! We walked down the boardwalk and when we got to the sand Yue Lu was afraid to walk on it. Brad picked her up and we walked down to where the sand was compact, and he put her down. We got right into trying to build sand castles, but Yue Lu has no concept of that, and we couldn't explain it to her. So it was more like dumping buckets of sand, breaking it down, and adding water. After being afraid of the water at first, Yue Lu eventually put her feet in it and squealed with excitement. She also squealed when she saw seagulls. At the end, she started to lose her fears, and walked on the sand and got a little deeper in the water. It's such a joy seeing her reactions and sharing all her new experiences with her.
When we arrived, Yue Lu said, 'Wow'! We walked down the boardwalk and when we got to the sand Yue Lu was afraid to walk on it. Brad picked her up and we walked down to where the sand was compact, and he put her down. We got right into trying to build sand castles, but Yue Lu has no concept of that, and we couldn't explain it to her. So it was more like dumping buckets of sand, breaking it down, and adding water. After being afraid of the water at first, Yue Lu eventually put her feet in it and squealed with excitement. She also squealed when she saw seagulls. At the end, she started to lose her fears, and walked on the sand and got a little deeper in the water. It's such a joy seeing her reactions and sharing all her new experiences with her.
Yue Lu's Likes and Dislikes
I've never seen a kid like to take a bath as much as Yue Lu does. Maybe it's because her baths are a lot different here, with bubbles and toys. I don't know what it was like in China, but I have a feeling it just wasn't as good as it is here. Over the last 3 days, Yue Lu has wanted 2 baths within hours of each other. I allowed it twice. She didn't get a second one yesterday, and she threw a fit that lasted for at least 45 minutes. One of my shower gifts was foam numbers and letters for the tub, and Yue Lu enjoys playing with them and has been learning her colors and numbers. In China, she would brush her teeth at least 3 times a day, and would get our toothbrushes ready as well. She is still good about brushing here at home, but not like she was in China. Now I have to remind her to brush, whereas in China she initiated it herself.
She also loves chocolate over hard candy, which is good. She loves watermelon, hard boiled eggs, macaroni and cheese, rice, water, and thankfully yoplait vanilla yogurt. She had a ton of yogurt in China, and the first kind I bought here she wouldn't eat.
She loves flipping through any kind of book or magazine. She likes to doodle and rip off every page from a note pad. She likes being outside for short periods. She likes going down slides, but not many times. She does not seem to like the heat here. It was very warm and humid in Guangzhou, but usually overcast or smoggy compared to the blue skies and warm weather here.
She likes barbie dolls and does a good job of putting rubber bands in their hair. She also likes to undress all of them! She likes clothes and dresses. I'm glad she is not the tomboy that I thought she would be. Not like there's anything wrong with being a tomboy, but it is fun to dress her in casual dresses sometimes.
She dislikes the TV being on. We rarely watch TV (no shows, just a little news), and she will turn the TV off whenever we turn it on. She does not want to watch any kids cartoons or movies. We were told she liked a hugely popular kids cartoon in China called 'Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf'. In China, it was on TV at night, and she was only interested in the first few minutes one time that we put it on for her. We're not fans of TV either, but I was looking forward to watching some good Disney movies with her that I've never seen before. Maybe in time she will be able to sit still enough to enjoy them. We picked out cartoons in China that are in Chinese. They don't work on the TV, but on the computer, but still no interest.
She dislikes the car booster seat and seat belts. We asked our guide in China to tell her that in the US we have to wear seat belts and she has to stay in her booster chair. In China, there are no car seats, and few people wear seat belts. Actually, there were kids as young as probably 2 riding on the from of mopeds in a standing position. The whole transportation system in China is scary and I don't know how we didn't witness any crashes.
She does not like milk, although she drank a milk type drink in China that was in boxes with the little straw. I think she thought our juice boxes were the same thing. Unfortunately, she doesn't like juice after I bought 3 packages of the little boxes.
Those are just some of her likes and dislikes.
She also loves chocolate over hard candy, which is good. She loves watermelon, hard boiled eggs, macaroni and cheese, rice, water, and thankfully yoplait vanilla yogurt. She had a ton of yogurt in China, and the first kind I bought here she wouldn't eat.
She loves flipping through any kind of book or magazine. She likes to doodle and rip off every page from a note pad. She likes being outside for short periods. She likes going down slides, but not many times. She does not seem to like the heat here. It was very warm and humid in Guangzhou, but usually overcast or smoggy compared to the blue skies and warm weather here.
She likes barbie dolls and does a good job of putting rubber bands in their hair. She also likes to undress all of them! She likes clothes and dresses. I'm glad she is not the tomboy that I thought she would be. Not like there's anything wrong with being a tomboy, but it is fun to dress her in casual dresses sometimes.
She dislikes the TV being on. We rarely watch TV (no shows, just a little news), and she will turn the TV off whenever we turn it on. She does not want to watch any kids cartoons or movies. We were told she liked a hugely popular kids cartoon in China called 'Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf'. In China, it was on TV at night, and she was only interested in the first few minutes one time that we put it on for her. We're not fans of TV either, but I was looking forward to watching some good Disney movies with her that I've never seen before. Maybe in time she will be able to sit still enough to enjoy them. We picked out cartoons in China that are in Chinese. They don't work on the TV, but on the computer, but still no interest.
She dislikes the car booster seat and seat belts. We asked our guide in China to tell her that in the US we have to wear seat belts and she has to stay in her booster chair. In China, there are no car seats, and few people wear seat belts. Actually, there were kids as young as probably 2 riding on the from of mopeds in a standing position. The whole transportation system in China is scary and I don't know how we didn't witness any crashes.
She does not like milk, although she drank a milk type drink in China that was in boxes with the little straw. I think she thought our juice boxes were the same thing. Unfortunately, she doesn't like juice after I bought 3 packages of the little boxes.
Those are just some of her likes and dislikes.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
So behind with blogging and posting pictures!
So my posts are out of order since I'm so behind with everything. Still feeling jet lag 3 days later..unbelievable! I'm really hoping I can get to sleep tonight and stay asleep. I may take some ibuprofen pm to make sure I don't wake up so I can start fresh tomorrow.
I will post more pictures later. We're about to go out to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. I'm curious to see what Yue Lu thinks about western Chinese food.
I really enjoyed meeting everyone from our travel group. I've been thinking about them daily and hope that everyone is starting to get in a groove with their new lives. Being a new mommy with sleep deprivation is challenging, but I wouldn't change it for the world!
I will post more pictures later. We're about to go out to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. I'm curious to see what Yue Lu thinks about western Chinese food.
I really enjoyed meeting everyone from our travel group. I've been thinking about them daily and hope that everyone is starting to get in a groove with their new lives. Being a new mommy with sleep deprivation is challenging, but I wouldn't change it for the world!
Monday, May 24, 2010
My love for Yue Lu
We are so in love with our daughter. One song that I would think about before we left for China was "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack, and while we were in Guangzhou at a restaurant, I took Yue Lu to the bathroom and the song was playing (in China of all places). I just stopped and hugged and kissed on her and started crying. I have so much love for this little girl and feel so blessed that I felt this way from day one. I already knew I loved her before going to China. For some families, it is not instant, but for us it was.
Hotmail has tools for the New Busy. Search, chat and e-mail from your inbox. Learn more.
We're Home!
It feels so good to be home! We made it home at 1:00am last night and it felt so good to sleep in our own bed. I slept until 12pm! It's close to 12:00am now and I'm wide awake since my body thinks it's noon. Still on China time and I hope my body can transition back quickly since I can't wait to start a routine with Yue Lu. Yue Lu is actually sleeping in her own bed right now. Last night she slept with us, and she slept with us, or just me (one of the hotels had 2 beds) the whole time we were in China.
We call Yue Lu 'Lulu' most of the time since that is what she went by in China. Her friend from the orphanage and some adults pronounced her name Lu Luah which sounded pretty when they said it.
First day home and we took Lulu to the park, then grocery shopping which she enjoyed since she loooves food, then played the rest of the day at the house. She had a really good day today....no tantrums and we had a lot of fun! No overstimulation like we had in China. She really likes the house, her bedroom, and the yard..something you don't see in China since everyone lives in apartments.
Yue Lu is not a picky eater, but she is used to eating food from China. She wouldn't eat cereal, oatmeal, or a poptart this morning, so I cooked white rice, added tuna fish and soy sauce. She was happy with that for breakfast. I have a recipe for congee which is considered a comfort food in China. It's rice mixed with broth, and people in China add vegetables, meats, nuts, etc. I tried it and didn't like it. Another staple food is dumplings, which I have the recipe for as well. I will try incorporating new foods to her diet, but also keeping foods that are familiar to her. As a vegetarian (or pescatarian), I really didn't want to cook meat, but I did make chicken for dinner. Yue Lu looked like she gained weight the 2 weeks we were in China since we had huge buffet breakfasts and dinners everyday and she wanted a little bit of everything. At one breakfast, she actually had 3 yogurts a long with many other food items. I would rather her eat well though then to be a picky eater.
Looking forward to starting a routine at home. I need to work on teaching Yue Lu English, and social etiquette. She has cracked us up many times with her behavior. On the plane yesterday, she slapped one of the flight attendant's bottoms, she walked by a passenger and clicked a button on his computer that changed his screen, she took her fork at a restaruant and scraped the floor with it, then put the fork in her mouth (not funny), and would leave the table at restaurants to order rice from the first waitress she could find (after eating her meal). Oh...and she loves to lift up her dress. Try teaching social graces to someone who doesn't understand what you're saying to them. We do a lot of pointing and gesturing, but she rarely does, so she gets frustrated trying to talk to us when we don't understand her, which is most of the time. Her only gesture is when she has to go to the bathroom, even now when I know the words for it in Chinese. She is a smart girl, and I know she will pick up English quickly. She now knows how to say apple, banana, monkey, red, blue, yellow, green, 1-5, thank you, please, let's go. She understands a lot more but those are some of the first words she can say.
The New Busy is not the too busy. Combine all your e-mail accounts with Hotmail. Get busy.
We call Yue Lu 'Lulu' most of the time since that is what she went by in China. Her friend from the orphanage and some adults pronounced her name Lu Luah which sounded pretty when they said it.
First day home and we took Lulu to the park, then grocery shopping which she enjoyed since she loooves food, then played the rest of the day at the house. She had a really good day today....no tantrums and we had a lot of fun! No overstimulation like we had in China. She really likes the house, her bedroom, and the yard..something you don't see in China since everyone lives in apartments.
Yue Lu is not a picky eater, but she is used to eating food from China. She wouldn't eat cereal, oatmeal, or a poptart this morning, so I cooked white rice, added tuna fish and soy sauce. She was happy with that for breakfast. I have a recipe for congee which is considered a comfort food in China. It's rice mixed with broth, and people in China add vegetables, meats, nuts, etc. I tried it and didn't like it. Another staple food is dumplings, which I have the recipe for as well. I will try incorporating new foods to her diet, but also keeping foods that are familiar to her. As a vegetarian (or pescatarian), I really didn't want to cook meat, but I did make chicken for dinner. Yue Lu looked like she gained weight the 2 weeks we were in China since we had huge buffet breakfasts and dinners everyday and she wanted a little bit of everything. At one breakfast, she actually had 3 yogurts a long with many other food items. I would rather her eat well though then to be a picky eater.
Looking forward to starting a routine at home. I need to work on teaching Yue Lu English, and social etiquette. She has cracked us up many times with her behavior. On the plane yesterday, she slapped one of the flight attendant's bottoms, she walked by a passenger and clicked a button on his computer that changed his screen, she took her fork at a restaruant and scraped the floor with it, then put the fork in her mouth (not funny), and would leave the table at restaurants to order rice from the first waitress she could find (after eating her meal). Oh...and she loves to lift up her dress. Try teaching social graces to someone who doesn't understand what you're saying to them. We do a lot of pointing and gesturing, but she rarely does, so she gets frustrated trying to talk to us when we don't understand her, which is most of the time. Her only gesture is when she has to go to the bathroom, even now when I know the words for it in Chinese. She is a smart girl, and I know she will pick up English quickly. She now knows how to say apple, banana, monkey, red, blue, yellow, green, 1-5, thank you, please, let's go. She understands a lot more but those are some of the first words she can say.
The New Busy is not the too busy. Combine all your e-mail accounts with Hotmail. Get busy.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
We're in Beijing!
Had a full day of touring and we're about to grab some dinner with a couple of the families we're traveling with. We leave VERY early tomorrow morning for Yue Lu's province. We meet up with the families in Guangzhou on the 14th. I will post pictures tomorrow after we get to Hefei City.
I hope we can walk tomorrow...the Great Wall was pretty brutal! I will write a lot more tomorrow!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Headed to Hong Kong today
I haven't been able to post for several days due to our busy schedule in Guangzhou between the tours, the American Consulate appointment, and shopping. Yesterday was the first day Yue Lu and I made it to the pool here at the White Swan hotel. At first Yue Lu didn't want to get in the kiddie section, but after she saw me swimming laps, she was really excited and actually let me hold her with her swim tube in the deep section. We had a lot of fun splashing and spinning around. In the kiddie section she walked back in forth doing her little funny dance that she does with her shoulders and head moving from side to side.
I have to say we've had many many tantrums, with the worst episode at the Safari Park a few days ago, and then yesterday with just me and Yue Lu on our way to a park after I bought her some new shoes. Both episodes were absolutely horrible. Yesterday was in the rain and it took two different Chinese families to help me talk to her. It must have been about 20 minutes before she started to walk with me again back towards our hotel. Her tantrums are so bad and due to her size, I can't just pick her up and take her with me. I can only hold her for so long since she does a bad job at helping out when you're holding her, especially when she's upset. We have a lot to work on, and the language barrier has been a real problem. We went to our guides hotel room yesterday and she had a long talk with Yue Lu. Last night was her best night sleeping.
We are headed to the pool again, and then we have to finish packing for our 90 minute train ride to Hong Kong. We leave tomorrow afternoon at 12:30pm. We have plenty of snacks and toys for the long, long plane ride back home. Oh...and some children's benadryl!
I will try and post pictures tonight when we're in Hong Kong.
Hotmail is redefining busy with tools for the New Busy. Get more from your inbox. See how.
I have to say we've had many many tantrums, with the worst episode at the Safari Park a few days ago, and then yesterday with just me and Yue Lu on our way to a park after I bought her some new shoes. Both episodes were absolutely horrible. Yesterday was in the rain and it took two different Chinese families to help me talk to her. It must have been about 20 minutes before she started to walk with me again back towards our hotel. Her tantrums are so bad and due to her size, I can't just pick her up and take her with me. I can only hold her for so long since she does a bad job at helping out when you're holding her, especially when she's upset. We have a lot to work on, and the language barrier has been a real problem. We went to our guides hotel room yesterday and she had a long talk with Yue Lu. Last night was her best night sleeping.
We are headed to the pool again, and then we have to finish packing for our 90 minute train ride to Hong Kong. We leave tomorrow afternoon at 12:30pm. We have plenty of snacks and toys for the long, long plane ride back home. Oh...and some children's benadryl!
I will try and post pictures tonight when we're in Hong Kong.
Hotmail is redefining busy with tools for the New Busy. Get more from your inbox. See how.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
The Six Banyan Temple
Families receive blessings at the temple for their newly adopted children.
Upon entering the temple you first see the Laughing Buddha in the Tianwang Hall. His smiling face welcoming visitors. Behind it is the Weituo Hall. Weituo was the general who recaptured the stolen Buddhist relics.
The temple's most striking structure is the Six Banyan Pagoda. The pagoda's roofs curve upwards resembling petals. Due to this it's also known as the Flower Pagoda. As well as being attractive the pagoda gives visitors good views from the top.
The main hall of the temple is Daxiong Baodian Hall. In here you'll find three large copper Buddhist statues. They stand for past, present and future.
Hotmail has tools for the New Busy. Search, chat and e-mail from your inbox. Learn more.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
