Nearly a year!

It doesn't seem possible, but we are fast approaching the one year anniversary of our Gotcha Day with Claire.  It seems she's been with us our forever when in reality it has been just a snippet of our lives.  This year has been full of so many firsts.  Soon they will be seconds . . .second Halloween, second Christmas, second birthday . . .and the promise of many, many more to come.

Here are a few of the firsts we have experienced since May.

First Hoopfest.  She didn't play, but she participated in her first ever Flash Mob.  

First Gonzaga Alumni/Eastside Rotary Soap Box Derby for special kids.

This is Claire being driven by her sister and helped out by our good friends Claire and Josh.  Extra points for anyone who can identify the guy in the Cubs hat photo bombing in the back.  You might have to be a Zag fan to get it. . . .

First time "chillin'" with a Zag.

First trip to Priest Lake and this was with most of the maternal side of the family.  This is Claire with her Auntie Wendy.

More fun at Priest Lake.

Her first time kayaking.  Mastered it, easy peasy!

Her first hike in the woods.  This is an old growth forest near Priest Lake.  Only my girly, girl would hike in a skirt . . .

First time shooting a gun . . .a Daisy BB gun.  

First inner tube ride.  

First Karaoke . . .Singing Usher's "DJ's Got Us Falling In Love."

First bonfire

Not the first roasted marshmallow, but the first picture of her enjoying a marshmallow.

I'll say it over and over again . . . I am simply amazed at how perfectly Claire fits into our family.   God is certainly very, very good!!

Happy Days!

It has been a crazy few months but the joy that Claire has brought to our lives is immeasurable.  There have been peals of laughter, tears of sadness and lots and lots of love.  Lots of highlights over the last few months.  Here are just a few:

Chinese New Year with the Dotsons

 Headbandz with her sister

Making cupcakes for her first birthday party . . .EVER!!!

THE birthday party

First Soccer Game

Friendships . . .

First Communion and Confirmation

I really can't find the words to describe what a blessing Claire has been to us.  Bringing her into our family has been so much better than we ever imagined.  Thank you Lord for our girl!!

Concert, Court, Christmas and Christening

Wow!  What an amazing month it's been since Thanksgiving.  So much has happened and most of it has been in the last week.

Claire was all set for her first Christmas Concert at school.  There was a play and she got cast(without even auditioning) for the part of "The Littlest Angel".  She was thrilled and there were a lot of practices.  She had a costume and kept trying to tell me what she had to do.  So there we were, the night of the concert.  The kids were loaded in the car.  The girls had special, Christmas dresses they were wearing.  Tights and new shoes completed the outfits and everyone was excited.  We were running a bit late, but only because the seats with the best view were at a premium and we needed to get there to lay down coats.  We got about 4 blocks from home, from the back seat I heard Claire say "Mommy!"  I turned around and she threw up.  Then she began to cry.  Home we went, cleaned her up and into jammies while Kevin took Luke and Catherine to the concert.  I guess Claire's theatrical and concert debut will have to wait until next year.

Over the last week we have completed her re-adoption.  In China Claire was placed with us and the following day we adopted her under Chinese law.  For a variety of reasons and at the recommendation of our agency, we also adopted her under our local state law.  This was done on the 21st.  Typically a sad day for us as it is the anniversary of a family member's death.  But now we have a reason to really rejoice on that day!  Here is a picture of our family after the adoption order was signed.

Just a few days later, was Claire's 1st Christmas!  She was so excited.  She clearly understood what a special day this is.  On Christmas Eve she asked me to write a note to Santa for her.  It was full of thanksgiving.  "Mamma, daddy, thank you so much Santa" she had me write.  Christmas day she was so excited about each present and flew into the arms of each giver to hug and thank them.  Her joy was really wonderful to watch.  You can see how excited she was.

Then the day after Christmas we had Claire baptized.  We asked the Dotsons to be Claire's Godparents.  They are Tai's parents and if it weren't for Tai and his mom, Claire would not be a part of our family.  Who better to stand in that role than the very people who were looking after our child's best interests before she joined our family?  It was a really special day and Claire took it all in with a sense of importance, solemnity and reverence . . . .in her own way.  

Here is grandpa(who nearly didn't make it due to vandalization of his car) making the sign of the cross on her forehead.  Each of us there did this.

I think Claire wasn't quite sure what to think of all of this.  Especially when Father asked lots of saints to "Pray for us".  This was a special part of the ceremony as he had asked for the names of the people that were going to be there.  He then researched who their patron saints were and those were the saints he named.

Here she is being held over the font and being baptized.

Fragrant oil was poured over her head.  Looks like she really wasn't impressed with this part.  I can only imagine what was going through her head at this moment.  I love the smell of the oil and her head still smells like it even though we washed her hair many times.  

When it was all over we started taking pictures and the challenge was to get Claire to smile instead of the usual tongue sticking out.  This one is a keeper with Fr. Connelly and the Dotsons.

Our new normal is feeling really good.  Claire is funny, sassy and so loving.  There are times when she just looks at me, throws her arms around me and says "give a hug, mamma I love you."  What a beautiful sentence!  Kevin and I are getting used to having a third child around, Luke and Catherine are settling into the routine of having to share their domain with someone else and Claire is really doing a beautiful job of adapting to life in a family.  She has, by far, had the biggest adjustment.  

This amazing year is coming to an end and for all of it's blessings we are so very thankful.  We look forward to 2012 and all the adventures that life with our beautiful children will bring.

Already a TV Star!!!

We've been home just 2 months and Claire is already a TV star!  This story ran on our local news station this morning.  I had sooooo much more to say, but probably good they limited me to the short clip.

www.krem.com/news/national/International-adoptions-decline-because-of-complicated-process-136002228.html

Pretty great subjects . . . .I could have talked all day long on this subject!!!

1st Thanksgiving

We have been home a month and have celebrated, today, Claire's 1st Thanksgiving.  Each family has their own traditions.  I'm afraid that Claire might think that ours is something akin to WWE Smackdown.

While there have been many firsts and amazing things about having Claire with us, what I have been most surprised about is her language development.  Her receptive language is through the roof.  It seems she understands everything we say to her.  Her expressive language is coming along really well too and there have been times over the last couple of weeks where she surprised me by asking "Mamma may I have a hug?" and "Hi Mamma, how are you?"  

We've been able to get Claire and Tai together over the last month.  It's really sweet to see them together.   Yesterday we took them to Build a Bear.  It's really clear that Claire is happy to be able to see Tai.  Here they are walking around the mall.

There have been several other firsts since Halloween.  

First trip to Montana, first snow and first sledding trip all rolled up into one.

First time making snowflakes

The first wedding and dance

And the first visit to Santa.

We were reminded that it was a year ago today that we got approval from the Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs to move forward with Claire's adoption.  How blessed we have been in the last year!  We are amazed at what a perfect fit Claire is for our family and are thankful each day for her!

2 Weeks Home

We are two weeks home and I just have to say it again:  Claire is the bravest soul I have ever met.

She was beyond excited to land in Seattle.  I could hardly keep her in her seat.  Somehow she knew this was a very important moment.  As soon as the wheels of the plane touched the ground, she became an American citizen.  After a brief layover, we boarded a plane for the short ride home.  We arrived at noon on October 20 to family and friends waiting for us at the airport.  Instead of being shy and timid, this is how she looked.

Here she is meeting her cousin, Stephen, for the first time.

And, here she is with her friend Tai(Long Long to her) who was the catalyst for this whole process.  They hadn't seen each other for 18 months and it's clear how happy they are to see each other.

We arrived home and she explored the entire house.  She grinned from ear to ear.  She carefully put her things away and while she wasn't thrilled with dinner(Tacos, we were craving Mexican food) she seemed to be very happy to be home.

The next morning she began throwing up.  She couldn't keep anything down and so day 1 home we called the pediatrician.  Since she couldn't keep fluids down, he prescribed nausea medication which she refused to take.  I even dissolved it in a cup of warm water and it was still a no go.  She slept, oh how she slept.  15 hours that first night and day(not counting all the sleep she did on the plane).  The following day, she initially seemed better but threw up as we were walking out the door for soccer.  So she and I stayed home and snuggled while she slept.  There was lots of snuggling which was good.  I just wish it hadn't been because she was sick.  

By late in the afternoon we were really worried and on the verge of taking her to the emergency room.  She was listless, sleeping, not talking and not eating or drinking.  She is 35 pounds and 42 inches tall at 8 years old, so she doesn't have an ounce to spare.  As a last ditch effort, we went to a Chinese restaurant.  We ordered wonton soup and chow mein.  Initially she said she didn't want any, but we told her that if she didn't eat we would have to take her to the hospital.  She ate a bit, then more and more.  We took the leftovers and headed for home.  She fell asleep and when she woke, she was about 75% her old self.  She polished off the remaining food and was just fine after that.  We think now, that while she may have had a touch of the flu, that she was grieving everything she had left behind.  The only place, people, food and language she had ever known.  While she was well prepared and wanted to be part of a family, it's a pretty tall order in terms of a transition and this appeared to be her way of dealing with it.

Since being home, here have been lots of firsts.  The first doctor's appointment where she said, clear as day(much to our surprise) "Hello David Morgan" to her doctor.  She has started school.  

She has been to her first Zag Event.

And her first Halloween.

She has faced it all with enthusiasm, excitement and with such bravery that I am in awe of her!  We could not have picked a child more perfect for our family and she is rolling like she's been with us for years.  We feel so incredibly blessed, that she has joined our family.  We are amazed at the gift that God has given us and the way in which He has orchestrated his plan.  This whole process has been, and Claire herself is, a miracle!

Guangzhou

Friday October 14 was a sad day for us.  Stephanie had to leave us early in the morning to head back to Boston.  We feel so fortunate that she was able to spend a week with us and for Claire to get a taste of what a wonderful Jie Jie (Big Sister) Steph is.  We also left Jinan where we made a lot of wonderful memories, the most important of which is that is where we met Claire! 

We flew from Jinan to Guangzhou.  We stayed at the Victory Hotel which is on Shamian Island.  It was our favorite spot we stayed in China.  It is a quaint spot in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Guangzhou.  The Island was easily walkable even for Kevin.  There are lots of shops for souvenirs and while they are probably more money than going into the city, the people that own the shops were so kind to us and our children that we didn’t mind spending a little extra.  We made friends with many of them and really will miss seeing them every day.               

                                                                                                                                         We did do some local shopping through the markets(which were interesting for the types of things they were selling) and visited the Safari Park.  The Safari Park was pretty neat, but the kids were just fried and so the day wasn’t as great as we’d hoped.  But we’ve been here 14 days and on the whole they have been troopers so they get a little grace for a bad day!   The Pandas were amazing and everyone perked up when we got to their exhibit.

While in Guangzhou we completed all the US requirements for our adoption.  Claire underwent a physical examination, which included a TB test.  On the 18th we had our appointment with the US Consulate.  There we took an oath that the paperwork we filled out was true and correct.  We signed paperwork to apply for Claire’s Visa which was approved.  The end result of all of this work is that the minute we are wheels down in Seattle, Claire is a US Citizen!!  When they told us that at the US Consulate, I teared up.  This is the culmination of approximately a year of paperwork and prayer to bring Claire home.  I can’t believe that we are finally to this point!

As I type this we are on the road to Hong Kong and will fly out early in the morning for home.  We’ve been looking at pictures and are amazed that this wonderful trip is over.  With that said we are looking forward to getting home, getting back to our routine, sleeping in our own beds and eating some of our regular favorite food.  First up . . . .Tacos!!

And by the way, in case you were wondering . . . .Claire is fitting in just fine!!  Yes, those are her underwear on her head!