Big Sisters and Brothers

In the first few days home from China, Yasmin and Elias seemed to be competing for whom Ahn-Bao liked most! They have now settled into a routine of being able to see that he loves both of them for different things. Yasmin will pick him up and mother him. Elias will wrestle with him and delights when he can get Ahn-Bao giggling by allowing Ahn-Bao to knock him down.

Kia has been very clear and direct from the start about her feelings. Within a couple of days of the reality of this little brother sinking in, she told me, "I don't want to be 3" and "I don't want to be the big sister." Then it turned to, "It's too hard being a big sister" and "I don't know all the things I have to do and not do to be a big sister." Most recently, she's becoming his supervisor because of course, now she tells me, "Now I know all the things to do and not to do to be a big sister." We're even pleased to see that the toilet skills that were just sprouting are starting to return as it might just be o.k. to be a big sister!

2, 3, 6 and 8

Ahn-Bao turned TWO on 2-17-08. We were so lucky to have Uncle Scott, Aunt Lisa and Bailey, Caden and Connor in cold-MN for the weekend to celebrate his birthday with us. Zejna, Mirza and Senad and our good friend Zeinab also joined us to eat cake and open presents -- a birthday party just like I remember when I was a kid (although we missed not being able to have Grandma's and Grandpa's and lots more Uncle's and Aunts and cousins with us to celebrate).

Yasmin and Elias helped with the candle blowing, which along with the "Happy Birthday" singing routine, had to be very wierd for Ahn-Bao, although he didn't seem at all traumatized by it all. We all enjoyed Ahn-Bao's cake - for him - as he's not a big cake eater. He'll learn!

A Family of 6!

It's hard to believe that we really are a family of 6!


We take up all but one seat in the van and the van is the only vehicle that we can all go in at once. The current arrangement on car seats has Ahn-Bao and Kia riding in the middle row of seats, with a passage-way between them to allow Yasmin and Elias to pass through to boosters in the back row. It works for now, but took a couple of configurations before we landed on this one that seems to give most of the four sufficient personal space (most of the time).

And when it's time to leave the house, the packup of diapers, wipes, tissues, bib, etc. had to be reinstituted in earnest. Takes a little longer than it used to from the time Bob calls, "MUDROOM" until the garage door swings open to release the hounds!


Discovered that we only have four stools in the kitchen for meals, which leaves no seat for Mom or Dad. That is, unless we actually use the dining room table for dining (not likely to happen anytime soon)! Not a huge sacrifice given the fact that when Ahn-Bao is eating a meal, you're not sitting anyway, and for a long time. Bob timed him tonight and it was 90 minutes in the high chair.


The lockers in the mudroom are now filled and there are now even more coats, boots, shoes, hats, mittens for tracking and keeping in separate spaces.


Beds have been shuffled a number of times too (and kids distributed optionally among them). For the moment, Kia is teaching her little brother how to go to sleep by sharing a room with him upstairs (it's a shorter trip when one of the little ones is crying in the night) and Yasmin and Elias are sharing the bedroom downstairs. Except for tonight when the oldest three are having a "sleepover" in the living room. And last weekend when the Nebraska cousins, Bailey and Caden and Connor were staying with us and then everybody just moved from bed to bed!

Feeling At Home

This boy is too much fun! We are having such a great time watching him blossom before our eyes! We're starting to wonder if he might have been a little more of the class clown at the orphanage because he can be such a commedian at times. Other times, he is just jockeying for position amongst the four kids (hard to believe we've been so blessed to get to have all four of these angels). He's got the sleeping skill down pat now. Takes a good nap in the afternoon everyday and settles down well at night -- as long as Mom or Dad are visible in the room until he has a chance to settle down (bonus book-reading time for Mom).

His communication skills are improving everyday. He understands all the important things we say and is even starting to say a few simple words or communicate in lots of very effective ways what it is he wants or thinks he needs.

He is still a fickle eater -- one day chicken nuggets are the greatest food ever, and the next he'll almost literally, physically turn up his nose and shake his hand to tell us "don't even put it near me or expect it to be on the floor via gravity." Yasmin started keeping a list of foods he likes and doesn't like, but the lists are so jumbled because items keep moving back and forth between the lists.

Ahn-Bao has had his check-up with Dr. Y and things are good. He's in the 6th percentile for height/weight, but we intend to fatten and strengthen him up. He's wrestling and running and learning to jump off our infamous coffee table (purchased 20 years ago after testing in the store it's ability to withstand Bob standing on it to reach the ceiling fan - important for putting stuffed animals on it for launching, and for jumping off of the table, of course).

What a blessing we have been given, all around!

The Goodies are Disclosed!

I brought back some items from China for the kids who waited at home and we had a chance to break those out on Saturday. Yasmin got a panda backpack (all of the vendors in Guangzhou reminded me that the panda is an important symbol of China) and a beautiful traditional silk vest. Elias got a set of wooden stacking pandas and a t-shirt that says "big brother" in Chinese. Kia got a panda backpack and a traditional silk dress. Bob got a t-shirt that says "father" in Chinese. Ahn-Bao got his traditional Chinese, silk outfit with a dragon on it (you may remember how much he liked it from the look on his face in the red couch photos-see 1-27-08 post).

For the family, I brought an embroidered panda wall hanging and "chops" for each of the kids (stamps with their names in English and Chinese and the animal representing the year of their birth carved into the top - more for their Mom's scrapbooking than for them now). Also brought home a book from the Terra Cotta Warriors Museum autographed by one of the farmers who found the treasure while digging a well in 1974. Oh, and Mom and I both got pearls from the pearl market.