It's a Duck Party!

Chloe's 1st birthday was a duck theme.  Guests were invited to wear yellow.

Chloe learned to walk a couple of days before her birthday and loved showing off her new skills.

A girl and her grandma have a special bond - both dressed in yellow for the theme.

Homemade duck decor.

The favors...rubber ducks, of course, and yellow and blue wrapped candies.

Part of my support group.

The decor...yellow and blue tissue flowers instead of balloons (I had the tissue on hand already and wanted to save costs where I could).

Southern bbq food with a yummy brisket (a la Pioneer Woman).

Commanding attention with one of her Ayi's.

What girl transplanted to the south wouldn't love Hash Brown Casserole.

The duck cake was yummy and Chloe didn't take long to learn how to dig in.

Too much partying can wear a girl out though.

With a quick change of clothes, she was ready in her new party attire and loving the attention again.

Chloe loves to clap for her accomplishments - walking and opening gifts.

Here's her uncle thinking that rebuilding a car is sometimes easier than assembling kids toys.

Waving goodbye to guests.

In pictures...February

Optional titles for this post..."things I wasn't going to do before becoming a mom" or "yes, I'm one of those moms." 

• Before becoming a mom I wasn't going to have my toddler watch tv.  Now, can I just say that Barney rocks! (see photo below)
• I wasn't going to have my child use a pacifier.  (what was I thinking?) (see photo below)

Valentine cuteness ahead...yes, I insist on bows when starting an outting and especially a photo-op.

 Chloe continues to insist that bows are not necessary.  She even goes so far as to do random "bow-checks" (puts hand on head to check for extraneous wearings).  She wins this battle...but I'm not ready to admit defeat and already have her bow picked out for my wedding, the bow which she won't wear and I apparently wasted my money on.  And this was such a cute butterfly bow sent from another Chloe LuYun (a blog with a fascinating story on how their family grew when they found out their Chloe LuYun was a twin while in China to adopt her)!

Heading to the playroom...enough with the photos already...

Random cuteness in red... love, love, love those baby thighs!

On the move (a regular occurrence since learning to crawl)...

Still chasing her with the camera...both of us may a bit *ahem* stubborn...

B.L.E.S.S.E.D.

A child is born

from the dreams

of your heart

and becomes

the love of your life.

What better way to express these last few months than with this quote.  Chloe has exceeded all my hopes and dreams, and there is still so much for us to discover. 

Slacker blogger, procrastinator extraordinaire, that has been me, but when it comes down to the moments that matter and enjoying life, it's all about me and my girl...and our growing family.  In January, my boyfriend (DH2B) asked me to marry him, allow him to adopt Chloe, and expand to a larger family to include his two daughters, R (14) and H (13).  I said yes, and in the words of my friends, "he's a keeper!"

Chloe is bonding so well with DH2B.  He understands her exploring side and appreciates her active side.  DH2B also understands this momma's overprotective side!  Wedding date to be announced shortly...we're working on a few details to have a small ceremony with immediate family and a few friends.

To catch up quickly...here's a few tidbits...all about Chloe, of course!

• This precious little girl has gained two pounds and grown 1 1/2" taller since coming home in December. 
• I thought I had so many clothes for her...now why do I struggle to find outfits to fit the varying temperatures and sizes she needs each week.
• Her smile lights my life, and yet it is so hard to capture on camera! 
• She loves her dogs, from the moment we walked in from the airport, she squeeled with delight.  Luckily Norman is hard of hearing and doesn't realize how loud her squeels can be.  Bailey (the yellow) has learned that food dropped from a high chair = a forever bond.
• If a dog is laying in her way, Chloe has no problem crawling over, until getting top heavy and falling to the other side of the dog.
• I love the way she likes to "read" a book while having her diaper changed.
• The comment heard most from people that meet Chloe is, "wow, she's busy."  Yes...I'm well aware of that!

We're Home!

After a very rough travel day, our last plane ride arrived at 11:00pm.  It was a long day's journey made difficult because I became ill all of a sudden, with violent vomiting followed by other uncomfortable issues (sparing the TMI here), at the Shanghai airport.  My mom and sister were absolutely incredible in taking care of Chloe, me and the luggage, sparing any thoughts of comforts for themselves.  They did all the could to get me, baby Yun-Yun, and the luggage through the Chinese security and onto the plane ride home.  In Shanghai, my sister asked me to just lean on the luggage cart, and she would get us through, we agreed to say I had a fear of flying if questioned at all as we were getting on that plane home! 

I tried to sleep the first three hours and heard Chloe crying in the background, wanting to help, but not able to lift my head without feeling the need to vomit more.  Finally, my mother asked me to try to hold Chloe as my sister was at her wits end handling an overstimulated baby and I had been unable to hold my head up and give her any attention for hours.  God answers prayers for giving me healing and Chloe settled somewhat more peacefully in my arms but fought sleep for another two hours.  The unfortunate passengers around us had to listen to baby cries and much squirming until she finally gave in to sleep.

I started feeling better just before we landed in Chicago, and just in time to literally run through the airport trying to make our connection.  Even with the magical orange "Express Connection" pass, which allowed us to jump lines, and running frantically through terminals, we missed the connecting flight.  The somewhat rude counter staff had given our seats away five minutes earlier with a cursory explanation that they had not been called that we were on our way.  There will be a letter or two written to American Airlines for their lack of customer service and common courtesy language skills.  There will probably also be a post in the feature about whether chivalry is dead in America or if it only exists in the traditions of the south.

At long last we arrived at our home airport late in the evening, met by some very special family and friends who had promissed to be waiting there no matter how late it was.  What a welcoming site to see their smiles, joyful faces, posters and flags greeting us!  Through tears and hugs, we found our comfort zone again.

For this very special little girl, we are no longer oceans apart.  Travelling around the world to bring her home was only a part of the journey.  China was everything and more than I could have imagined.  Gone are the thoughts of a cold, Communist country, replaced by memories of a nation surviving, balancing it's long-standing traditions while integrating more modern ways.  To experience, the historical intertwined with the modern of Beijing, the crazy driving and millions of traditional people of Nanchang, and the more serene Shamian Island of Guangzhou, we left China richer for having experienced its culture and beauty.  We also left humbly blessed by being allowed to bring precious Yun-Yun home.  I will be forever grateful to that special nation half-way around the world for allowing me to become a mothe and to my own nation of the U.S. for allowing my little girl to become a citizen and able to enjoy the privileged freedoms we have on our own soil, freedoms of endless opportunities.

Chloe entered her new home with wide-eyed wonder, taking in the surroundings very carefully.  Seeing the dogs brought smiles on her face and squeels of laughter when they came close.  It is evident that their bond will be quick.  We took our first walk in the neighborhood this afternoon as she watched the dogs walk by her stroller and met some kids across the street.  Her nights are still full of fitful sleep as she struggles to understand and accept her new home and family.  I think my adjustment to jet-lag will be harder than hers, I just wish I could ease her sleeping and trust.  As I lay here watching her sleep, all I can think of is how blessed I am.  Thank you, Jesus.  Sleep well, little one, you are home at last, and our journey is just beginning all anew.

Here's a few photos of our last days in China.  This baby girl loves to eat and has those precious baby rolls of thighs to prove it!

Red Couch Day and We're Coming HOME !!!!

Dear all,


I got this email earlier. All the little girls were at the Big Red Couch, but Sandra tells the story better than myself. So far, everyone is on schedule for their return today. They should leave arrive here about 9:30.

--------------------------------

(From Sandra) Chloe Yun-Yun is fabulous and quite the charmer. She has an incredible personality, at times we joke how it can go either way, from a cry to smile as she can be a hair-pin trigger, but each day she is developing more and more. She really is a happy baby and her cries don't last long. My hope and prayer is that her evenings get easier and quicker for her to go to sleep. She is doing better with the grieving and fighting sleep stage, especially if she gets either one long and one short nap or two good naps in a day. Other than that, she loves to entertain, it's quite funny how we have to separate her and my mom at bedtime because she loves to get my mom chatting with her baby talk, anything to prolong sleep and it's hard not to be amused with her little antics right now. My mom and sister are the most incredible help. I just don't know how I'll every be able to thank them. Chloe seems to be attaching to me very well, and she's starting to distinguish me from my mom and sister as her primary caregiver. Bonding is an amazing process, and I realize it will still take many months to get the attachment level I desire for her deepest trust and comfort.

Because photos say it best, this will be full of pics!

Monday was the oath ceremony at the American consulate in Guangzhou, Grandma kept telling Chloe Yun-Yun that she was going to see "Mr. General" (aka the Consulate General). Most of the event was anti-climatic and involved sitting or standing in line. We never did see or hear "Mr General," but rather the adoption officer stationed at this consulate. (Shout out to Allie - for Chloe, it was almost a waste of good outfit day! Ok, especially since her planned red, white blue outfit didn't fit, let's just say, baby got back...hehehe) It was special though as it reminded me of the day many, many years ago when my mother got her American citizenship and we went to the ceremony. I was very young but I remember glimpses of that momentous occasion that allowed my sister to also become a naturalized citizen and attend American schools. Who would have thought that over 40 years later, my family would be in a similar situation only half-way around the world? The final step is for Chloe to touch American soil, and her citizenship will be complete.

Tuesday was a day I've read about on blogs for years, so it was very special also. It was the Big Red Couch photo day. The White Swan Hotel is known for having these red-fabric couches and it is a long-standing tradition for adoptive families to have pictures taken on the couches. (It's also a tradition for most of the families to stay at the White Swan Hotel while they are at Guangzhou doing the official USA paperwork at the consulate.) We picked out a brightly colored Chinese dress for Yun-Yun. Karen had wondered if we would need to add an "expander" to the waistline but we decided she could make it for a couple of hours in the skirt. Grandma pressed the dress while Chloe Yun-Yun decided she would take a nap for about 30 min before we needed to be downstairs. Uhm, not the best timing! But we knew once she was awake from her catnap she would love seeing the other kids. We even took pictures of her getting ready for the occasion and she loved the attention.

The babies did fabulous as they were set on the couch and the older adopted children were so precious and brave sitting in front of the couch. I'll attach a couple of pics from the red couch photo day and soon I need to post some of the out-takes to show that Yun-Yun isn't quite all the smiles!

After a quick change, we out and about shopping on Shamian Island. Love to all and looking forward to introducing Chloe Yun-Yun to you!

Sandra