Here are the photos from the baby shower hosted by Laura. Just click the photo above and you can view the whole set. It was such a fun day, I hope you enjoy!
Thankful Thursday
Life has been a whirlwind since we got the referral and we both can’t believe it’s already been a week since we saw Nadia for the first time!
o I am thankful for the OK City Orphan officer checking out our file and getting our 171H in the mail to us yesterday. Now we have the LAST piece of paper we need to go and get Nadia! BIG, HUGE, GIANT relief!!!!
o For the orphanage she is in being small. It seems they pay a lot of attention to the babies.
o For such healthy babies coming from her orphanage. Overall they seem to be in great shape when the parents get them.
o For being able to send a care package to her orphanage for the nannies and the other children who will be left behind.
o For the doctors thoughts on her medical report. She is in the 50% on the Chinese growth charts, which makes her tiny here, but it’s all good.
o For my friends and family who have just sent the sweetest emails about her and well wishes for our speedy travel. It’s exciting to know how many people can’t wait to meet her.
o For Kaye at church and the MILLION hours she is working to get us all ready for VBS next week with the kids.
o For VBS and the chance to be a teacher. The kids are so fun and we get to show them the love of Christ through the story of Jonah.
o For all the volunteers at our church from people bringing food to artists and teachers. It’s so great to see so many people come together for the kids.
o For packing lists that other parents have posted and shared. What a lifesaver!
Let’s hope the next 5 weeks go just as fast as this one!!!
It’s not cold there…
Mike and I have gotten so used to seeing those baby referral photos in the quilted outfits that we forgot how weird it must look to those outside the China adoption world. But “Is it cold there?” has been our number one question of the week. It’s not cold in Jiangxi like you might imagine. It’s in the upper 80’s there today. But that’s how the Chinese dress babies. They don’t think that babies should be exposed to cold air or cold beverages or they will get sick. But you will see older women dressing in the same kind of quilted jackets. They like to be toasty 🙂
The FedEx man and more…
So we left a note on the doorbell before going to sleep asking the FedEx person NOT to leave and please wait. The doorbell rang and I jumped up and charged for the door with Mike laughing behind me. I flung open the door and told the guy he was the Stork. I asked him if he would pose for a photo, which is so silly but was fun! He was really cool about the whole thing. All our official documents were in there and we have got to get them signed and returned to Great Wall in Austin early next week. I took her medicals to the doctor today and dropped them off. It was weird, but cool to go to a pediatrician.
Her translated growth report came through today too and I have included it here. She was 5 months at her medical exam for the adoption and I think that is her age in the photos. Her growth report was from April 12, 2007. My personal favorite part is where they say she is extroverted!
Growth Report on Long Liyun
Long Liyun, female, born on 10-28-2006, was found abandoned at Suichuan bridge on 10-29-2006. She had round face, white skin, and dark hairs. The police department found her parents in vain and ratified her as an orphan, then sent her into our institute. Our staff estimated her DOB according to her umbilical status. We named her Long Liyun. Long is the surname shared by all children in our institute, Li means beauty and Yun means rhyme.
When she was sent here, our doctor did an overall examination for her and found she is in good health. When she was 1-month old, she always held fists and occasionally opened her hands. If she felt hungry, she would cry. But as soon as she was fed, she would stop crying and calm down. When she was 2-month old, she could raise her head when lying on her chest. If you put a toy into her hand, she would open her hand and try to grasp it. At this time, she could see the object put 20cm far from her. She could also locate sounds. When she was 3-month old, she liked to observe her hands and wave them in front of the chest. Occasionally, she would put the finger into mouth, sucking. Her sight and hearing were better than before. When she was 4-month old, she could sit steadily with assistance. At this time, she could understand the facial expressions of the adults. If she saw the caregiver looking at her seriously, she would lower her head. When she was 5-month old, she became extremely interested in colorful toys. She liked to walk in the walker because in the walker she could go everywhere she wanted to go and see everyone she wanted to see. She often babbled at this time.
She is extroverted. She likes to watch TV and listen to the music. Sometimes, she is fussy.
Now, she is developing well and good at sucking. She has 6 meals per day, 190ml per meal, mainly eating milk and cereals. She has her meals at 5:00, 8:30, 12:10, 15:30, 18:50 and 22:25. She has 2 naps in the daytime for about 1.5 hours each and sleeps 12 hours in the evening. She sleeps through the night. Her relieving is good. She is on her immunization.
Prepared by Suichuan County WI, Jiangxi
04-01-2007