What is 17, 19 and blue?

Elizabeth! She is 17 months old, 19 pounds and her cast is blue! Yesterday she turned 17 months old. It was also cast change day. Between casts, we had her weighed to see how big she is with out the cast. 19 pounds! She was 16 when we got her and 17.5 when we came home. A few weeks ago she was 19 with the cast. She has filled out so nicely. Her face is more round, she has a waist and a little bum now so clothes are staying on. Her arms don't look like little twigs that could snap at any minute. I think the most weight gained is in her cheeks! They are so full and cute. Her face is so round and her complexion is so beautiful. The last eight weeks have made such a difference, she looks so different from the tiny, sick, little baby we met March 31.

She is doing so well. Everyday we marvel at her progress. She laughs so easily and smiles all the time. She wants to be cuddled more and more and will even give a two second hug. She still will pull away if she is getting too much snuggling, but for the most part likes it more and more.

She has two signs in her repitoire. She can tell us "more" and "all done". The best is when she says "all done" when she is in her car seat. We'll be driving along and after a while she will start whining and doing "all done". It makes us laugh. Sam is trying to teach her "cookie". I think she is stubborn and ignoring our requests. People keep asking how much English she is understanding. I think she is getting everything. Or as much as any toddler her age.

Sam is still the best big brother ever. He is so good with her and so proud of her. I continue to be amazed with him. We think that he is so good because in his whole memory he has been wanting a baby sister and waiting for her. David and I are amazed that through the whole process, he never lost hope. He was so young and he kept on believing. Us, that is a different story.

On Sunday in church we sang a new hymn, This is a day of new beginnings #640 (if you have the Mennonite Hymnal around). The tune was not the greatest, but the words made me cry. It says, "This is the day of new beginnings, time to remember and move on, time to believe what love is bringing, laying to rest the pain that is gone. For by the life and death of Jesus, God's mighty Spirit now as then, can make for us a world of difference as faith and hope are born again. Then let us, with the Spirit's daring step from the past and leave behind our disappointment, guilt and grieving, seeking new paths and sure to find. Christ is alive, and goes before us to show and share what love can do. This is a day of new beginnings our God is making all things new." I have been thinking a lot about the last 5 years and closing the chapter of longing and working and opening this next new chapter in my life; Mommy to two beautiful wonderful kids. For so long we were trying to get pregnant. Then for so long we were trying to adopt and working so hard on all the paperwork and fundraising. It was the summer of 2002 when it all started. Now in the spring of 2008 that chapter is done. March 31, we started a new. We started our lives as parents of two children, not one child and hoping for another. Aside from moving on to this new stage, I need to have closure on the process of the adoption. It was very hard, traumatic, invasive, humiliating at times and very stressful. At then end though, we have Elizabeth. Even in all her wonderfulness, it is still hard to put the process to rest. It think of this hymn and how this is the time to "step from the past and leave our disappointment, guilt and grieving". In the time we spent trying to get pregnant, the disappointment, guilt and grief were incredible. Now looking back, I am so thankful we did not get pregnant, because then we would not have been lead down the adoption path. It is strange to now be thankful for my infertility. The pain and stress of the incredibly long process to adopt from China was also a blessing. It stretched the time out so we were matched with Elizabeth. If the process was any shorter, we would not have gotten her. Now I am saying I was blessed with the long wait? Looking back I can see God's hand in the last five years. I think I may have glimpsed it along the way, but not fully realized it. I was too wrapped up in the whole thing to notice much at all. So, we are in a time of new beginnings. We are parenting two children not just one and we have a daughter, not just a son. We are also complete as a family of four, not longing for or waiting for something or someone.

Growing Every Day

I should also comment on how big Elizabeth is getting. Each day she is growing. Not just in size, but in comfort level and attachment too. She outgrew the number two diapers and is now in number threes! Her hair is coming in thicker and growing out more too. She laughs easier, smiles more and more and is just such a joy to be around. The biggest news: she is fine in her car seat! We turned her around to face foward, we figure she is 20 pounds with the cast! She really likes that. She is getting better about being out and about and seems to recognize other people going to Sam's school. It has almost been two months! I can't believe it.

Visiting Weekend

Saturday was a day of visiting and meeting new people. In the morning we went to Adoption Resources for the Parent's Retreat for Children's Hope Network. They are our local agency. We were so excited for Jill and Sandy to meet Elizabeth. It was also exciting for us to talk to parents at their journey and tell them that there really is a wonderful baby waiting at the end. We met one family adopting a boy from China. I am not sure what country the other families were going to. Elizabeth charmed everyone and Sam was the proud big brother answering questions and talking about China. We are so thankful to Children's Hope Network for all they have done to help us bring E home. They have been so supportive and really walked us through the whole process. They also recommended Homeland to us. Thank you so much!

In the afternoon we went out to Madison to see David's cousin Helen and her boys, Mikey and Andrew. Helen was so excited to meet Elizabeth and all the kids played really well. Andrew is two, so he had some trouble sharing his toys, but Elizabeth held her own!

On Monday Grandpa Kent and I took Elizabeth to get her cast changed. Grandpa picked purple this time. They said her foot is doing really well, and she should only need two more casts. Then she will have the tendon lengthening surgery and be in a cast for three more weeks! AKC! I did not realize that. Plus, Dad was with me at the first appointment and he did not hear that either. We thought after the surgery she would go into a brace. So, poor E will be in a cast through June! We are going to have to figure out how to wrap it really good so she can still play at the beach at Pike Lake. Truthfully, she does not seem to care. She has figured out she can bang it against things to make noise, but does not mind it. It is more me that struggles with it. It is hard to get pants over it, it makes her harder to carry and I am constantly asked, "Oh, poor baby, what happened to her leg?". I want to say she was skateboarding or something. I just tell them she has a club foot and they are correcting it. I always stress that it does not hurt her and she does not mind the cast. Then I wait a few minutes for the next person to say, "oh, she lost a sock." "No, she didn't she has a cast on her foot and won't keep a sock on the other foot. " "Oh, what happened to her?" I should put a note on her back, "I was born with a club foot and the cast is to correct it. My parents are very good to me and I am not injured!" So, I guess, I am struggling with it more than she is. I am also bummed she will still have the cast on for her June 21 party and when she meets her Stolpe cousins, Aunt, Uncles and Grandpa. I hope they will be ok with it.

Below is a picture of her digging into noodles like there is no tomorrow. She loves them and can't get enough. The noodles are the best from the Chinese grocery store, I mix a little soy sauce on them and she is so happy. You can also see her purple cast peeking out.

A few more layers are gone

In the mornings I'll put Elizabeth in the chair with Sam while I am finishing getting all our stuff ready to leave. She just snuggles in with him. He always love a good snuggle and is so happy to have her sit with him. She is just fascinated with him and watches him and sits right with him. It is so sweet to see. Everyone keeps asking me how Sam is doing. They also ask how he was in China. I keep telling everyone that he was the best traveler of all of us and he has had the best adjustment of us all too since we are home. He just adores his baby sister and completely dotes on her. He has not shown any signs of jealousy either. Now I am probably jinxing myself. Well probably not, Sam is very easy going and he has always wanted a baby sister. We try to do things with just him still so I think that helps too.

Slowly we are breaking through Elizabeth's shell, layer by layer. Today we were at the park and she loved going down the slide. I would put her at the top and pull her a little to get her started and then catch her. She would squeal and giggle and just loved it. Then she started to lean forward to slide on her own, completely trusting me to catch her. I was so excited. We did it several times. I can't wait to go back to the park.

This week her cast is bright green. You can see it peaking out on this picture a little bit. The doctor was really pleased with her foot's progress. She is doing fine with it and does not seem to mind it. She is funny and will purposely clunk it against things just to hear the noise or get our attention.

We are just so amazed with her and so in love with her. I am so amazed with Sam too. The dog is a different story.......

Peek-a-boo, shell game and a peg leg

Everyone says that it takes a long time for the babies to open up and bond. We are seeing that with Elizabeth. She makes such progress, but yet is still holding back so much. Each day she breaks through that shell, but it is still pretty thick. I seem glimpses behind the shell and then all of a sudden she realizes she let her guard down and quickly puts it back up. I have been taking her swimming while Sam has swimming class. I put her on the side of the pool and pull her into my arms and the water. She loves it and just laughs and laughs. One time she actually leaned in and fell into my arms. I was so excited. Then she would not do it again. She would rock and look like she really wanted to, but was not going to. She loves the pool and the water though.

Our other big break though is peek-a-boo! She has started playing with us. She will initiate it, cover her eyes and just laughs and laughs. It is great that she wants to play with us and and knows how to engage us. She learned really quick that if everyone else is laughing, she should laugh too. Also, if she starts laughing, we will laugh with her.

"Peg leg?" you ask. So Elizabeth has a club foot and on Monday we went to see the orthopedic doctor. He put her in a cast to correct the foot. She will be in a cast for 5 weeks. Every week I have to take her back to have them readjust her foot and recast. The good news is that she does not seem to mind it. I think she is young enough that she does not realize how annoying it is. She can still sit up and crawl around. Most of all she can still sit in her high chair and eat (her favorite activity).

Monday was Grammy's Birthday. We went out for lunch and she had guacamole and loved it. She also liked the chips. The pictures are from Monday.

This is a common expression for her. It is accompanied by an "OOOOO" sound and a fake sort of cry or whine. It cracks us up!
This is a milestone picture! It is the first picture of her smiling! All other pictures she looks sad and or scared. We were playing peek-a-boo, a guaranteed way to get her to smile. It is also the before picture........

This is the after picture. She is eating string cheese, thanks to Carmen for introducing it to her! She loves it. The cast is hot pink with a sock thing over it to protect her other leg from getting scratched up.