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December 19, 2011
November 24, 2011
It was exactly a year ago tonight, Thanksgiving 2010, at 11:53ish pm when we received a phone call about a precious little girl in Southern China who God had chosen as our daughter.
Prior to that night, even moments before the phone rang, I felt great unrest in my being as I wrestled with the possibility of a phone call or the dread of facing another holiday season with no child in sight. It was a grueling mix of questions and heartache with a coating of possibility. The disappointments at that point were too many to count and my heart was roughened from the grueling process.
As I sit here and ponder those days of doubt and frustration, I remember the pain and irritation, but the last seven months have amazingly clouded the struggle with unbelievable joy and love for our Cali Jean. She is an amazing little girl and has a way of melting the hearts of everyone she meets. We are so thankful that she is our daughter and are filled with an extra dose of joy this holiday season as we celebrate with her.
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Prior to that night, even moments before the phone rang, I felt great unrest in my being as I wrestled with the possibility of a phone call or the dread of facing another holiday season with no child in sight. It was a grueling mix of questions and heartache with a coating of possibility. The disappointments at that point were too many to count and my heart was roughened from the grueling process.
As I sit here and ponder those days of doubt and frustration, I remember the pain and irritation, but the last seven months have amazingly clouded the struggle with unbelievable joy and love for our Cali Jean. She is an amazing little girl and has a way of melting the hearts of everyone she meets. We are so thankful that she is our daughter and are filled with an extra dose of joy this holiday season as we celebrate with her.
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September 2, 2011
August 29, 2011
Changes
We are joyful, busy, tired, amazed, and in love with our little girl. When we look back at pictures and video from our Gotcha Day, we can't believe that the baby in our photos will be 2 years old this week! At 18 months, she seemed more like
a 10 month old and was so quiet and sad. Now she is a full on toddler and bursting with personality....She's come so far, so fast!
I think the hardest parts of this process have been the complete unknowns that we had going in to our Gotcha Day and the reality of delays brought on by 18 months of institutional life. On the flip side, we are absolutely amazed by the speed in which Cali has caught up to her age group and how she has so easily adjusted to our family. We were told that once an adopted child becomes a part of a family, she will thrive, but it's just so amazing to see first hand.
Cali is every bit a 2 year old and full of spice and energy. She loves trips to the park and anything active and outdoors. We have discovered that she is a gamer and is willing to try just about anything whether it be a different food or a new activity. She loves the water and has enjoyed spending time in the pool and the lake. We can't believe that we're already heading in to September...the Summer went by so quickly!
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a 10 month old and was so quiet and sad. Now she is a full on toddler and bursting with personality....She's come so far, so fast!
I think the hardest parts of this process have been the complete unknowns that we had going in to our Gotcha Day and the reality of delays brought on by 18 months of institutional life. On the flip side, we are absolutely amazed by the speed in which Cali has caught up to her age group and how she has so easily adjusted to our family. We were told that once an adopted child becomes a part of a family, she will thrive, but it's just so amazing to see first hand.
Cali is every bit a 2 year old and full of spice and energy. She loves trips to the park and anything active and outdoors. We have discovered that she is a gamer and is willing to try just about anything whether it be a different food or a new activity. She loves the water and has enjoyed spending time in the pool and the lake. We can't believe that we're already heading in to September...the Summer went by so quickly!
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June 6, 2011
Words, Words, Everywhere are Words!
Cali Jean is exploding with words these days! One of her first and favorites is cheers...we toast everything from drinks to stuffed animal paws. She is constantly pointing at objects and wants to know each name. She continues to love looking at her books and reading with mommy and daddy. She already has a fondness for CS Lewis and likes to "read" Mere Christianity aloud to us as if she understands fully all Lewis has to share.
Sunglasses and tutus are some of Cali's recent dress-up favorites. She insisted on wearing her glasses while eating breakfast the other day and was cracking herself up for the entire meal.
Warm weather has finally arrived in Michigan, at least for now; crossing our fingers! We are loving being outside playing in the water, going to the park, and digging in the dirt. The options are endless in the Summer...we can't wait to head to the beach and experience more firsts with Cali!
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Sunglasses and tutus are some of Cali's recent dress-up favorites. She insisted on wearing her glasses while eating breakfast the other day and was cracking herself up for the entire meal.
Warm weather has finally arrived in Michigan, at least for now; crossing our fingers! We are loving being outside playing in the water, going to the park, and digging in the dirt. The options are endless in the Summer...we can't wait to head to the beach and experience more firsts with Cali!
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May 10, 2011
Bunnies, Butterflies, Bonnets
It's the Year of the Rabbit and so fitting that Cali loves watching those cute little plant eaters in our garden. She and Scout have found common ground in their shared joy of pointing at and pointing them all over our backyard. Cali's current favorite stuffed animal happens to be her bunny as well...of course an animal without a corresponding animal sound.
Cali continues to amaze us with how fast she is learning new things and her ability to communicate. It's like watching her speed through monthly checkpoints in double time. She does seem to get over stimulated with so many new things at one time, so we are continuing to ease her in to new experiences.
We went on a family adventure to Meijer Garden to see the butterflies. Cali loved watching them fly all around her and was pointing them out left and right. She also loved running about in the Children's Garden and was laughing and screaming all the while! She is very active and likes to be on the move which works great because her parents enjoy being out and about too!
Cali is a professional imitator of her mommy and daddy which is good and bad. She has picked up mommy's voices and expressions along with a desire to wear hats and headbands. She actually will keep head apparatus on for quite a while which is very fun!
We are loving life as a family of three and are very thankful that our challenges so far have only been new routine/new schedule related. Cali loves to do things on her own and that does encourage an occasional battle of the wills, though tiring at times, we are thankful for her autonomous desires.
Due to my delay in posting, I have a bit more to add...I apologize as I further this essay with a brief update on on our visit to a Hand Specialist at the University of Michigan...
We traveled to Ann Arbor today and are glad to report that there are not any surgeries or even any therapies needed at this time. Cali has adapted well to her little hand and the Doctor said that kids are their own best therapists. We will check in with him yearly, but otherwise we just move forward with life as usual. We are thankful for this report and feel grateful that we were able to get in quickly to see such a top notch doctor!
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Cali continues to amaze us with how fast she is learning new things and her ability to communicate. It's like watching her speed through monthly checkpoints in double time. She does seem to get over stimulated with so many new things at one time, so we are continuing to ease her in to new experiences.
We went on a family adventure to Meijer Garden to see the butterflies. Cali loved watching them fly all around her and was pointing them out left and right. She also loved running about in the Children's Garden and was laughing and screaming all the while! She is very active and likes to be on the move which works great because her parents enjoy being out and about too!
Cali is a professional imitator of her mommy and daddy which is good and bad. She has picked up mommy's voices and expressions along with a desire to wear hats and headbands. She actually will keep head apparatus on for quite a while which is very fun!
We are loving life as a family of three and are very thankful that our challenges so far have only been new routine/new schedule related. Cali loves to do things on her own and that does encourage an occasional battle of the wills, though tiring at times, we are thankful for her autonomous desires.
Due to my delay in posting, I have a bit more to add...I apologize as I further this essay with a brief update on on our visit to a Hand Specialist at the University of Michigan...
We traveled to Ann Arbor today and are glad to report that there are not any surgeries or even any therapies needed at this time. Cali has adapted well to her little hand and the Doctor said that kids are their own best therapists. We will check in with him yearly, but otherwise we just move forward with life as usual. We are thankful for this report and feel grateful that we were able to get in quickly to see such a top notch doctor!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
April 22, 2011
Babies and Baseball
We are seriously amazed at God's sweet hand in bringing us the perfect child for our family! For so long we clung to the hope that our long wait was so we would be given the ideal child at the best time. It was beginning to feel like a lie that we were just telling ourselves to get through and now we have Cali and know that those words were true! Cali is a treasured gift and beautiful blessing!
As we get to know her more each day, we continue to see aspects of each of our personalities in her and pieces unique to her that are so special and fun. Daddy is already grooming her as a super Cubs fan and Investor and thinks it's great that she loves to kick a ball around with him. She cracks herself up and loves shoes (her China squeakers are the current favorite) which is so like her mommy. We, of course, think she's just the cutest and sweetest little girl ever, but that's to be expected...parents prerogative, right?
Cali loves her baby dolls too... She loves to drink tea with them, cuddle, and sing to them. Singing, listening to music, and dancing are some of her favorite things...she is literally captivated by live musical performances and enjoys singing in her stroller and as she plays.
So, the way we see it...Cali will probably be a singer, dancer, shoe designer, Comedian, Portfolio Manager, Chicago Cub, Professional Soccer Player, or all of the above : ) or none of the above. Right now, she has years to decide and we are so excited to see her life unfold. At this time, she's just concentrating on being a toddler and getting adjusted to her new life!
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As we get to know her more each day, we continue to see aspects of each of our personalities in her and pieces unique to her that are so special and fun. Daddy is already grooming her as a super Cubs fan and Investor and thinks it's great that she loves to kick a ball around with him. She cracks herself up and loves shoes (her China squeakers are the current favorite) which is so like her mommy. We, of course, think she's just the cutest and sweetest little girl ever, but that's to be expected...parents prerogative, right?
Cali loves her baby dolls too... She loves to drink tea with them, cuddle, and sing to them. Singing, listening to music, and dancing are some of her favorite things...she is literally captivated by live musical performances and enjoys singing in her stroller and as she plays.
So, the way we see it...Cali will probably be a singer, dancer, shoe designer, Comedian, Portfolio Manager, Chicago Cub, Professional Soccer Player, or all of the above : ) or none of the above. Right now, she has years to decide and we are so excited to see her life unfold. At this time, she's just concentrating on being a toddler and getting adjusted to her new life!
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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