Friends

Spring is in the air! MK and her friend, Jaida, enjoyed a picnic on the trampoline. MK was so excited to spend time with her friend and have a "girl day." Though we have done some school, we all enjoyed a break from the usual activities and had more time with our friends.

The girls stayed busy outside with bubbles, swinging, and hopscotch - ever watched two four year olds play hopscotch? Quite entertaining.

Maddox was pleased to join in the fun too. Here she is seated in her favorite spot in the house - the stairs. When she cannot be found, she is on the stairs....at least she has moved on from the bathrooms :)

The girls finished up their day together with a game of Pretty Pretty Princess!

Outside....

Today was beautiful! When the girls were not taking a nap, we were outside on the trampoline or riding scooters or playing on the playset or riding bikes or doing sidewalk chalk or playing hopscotch....perfect. I was able to snap a few shots of the kiddos....minus one. Colin. Colin enjoyed a night out with a friend and came home later this afternoon stating that he will need to go to bed early tonight - I am thinking they stayed up way too late.

Pryce adoring "Madd"

Outside and happy.....

MK posing.....

My second son and my second daughter....perfect together.

Maddox loves to swing....she giggled so much!

All is well....under the watchful eye of her brother, Maddox is busy making a few calls.

She knows her name. Today I realized without a doubt that Maddox knows her name. And she knows where her nose is. And her belly. And she does not particularly care for drums being played loudly - ahem, brothers!

MK taking the lead. MK likes her role as big sister. She likes to show Maddox new things and she likes to introduce her to others. She is taking this seriously and it is oh so cute to see. I am so thankful for all FOUR of my babies!

Transportation

I took note in China that one does not see too many 18 wheeler trucks or trucks period. Instead, you see bicycles loaded to the core or people hauling way too many items in their cart...

I joked that when we arrived back home, I was going to get myself one of those stools - like the red one on this person's cart. Everyone had them....they used them in the parks, they used them in their shops, they used them when they ate, they were everywhere.

It really does amaze me as to how one can carry, let alone arrange all of this "stuff", without it falling.....

Daily delivery.....

All strapped on for the ride.....what is incredible is that the moped doesn't even look weighted down.....

I love the pic above.....this tells the story, there is a bus, a taxi, a three-wheeler bike, a three-wheeler little truck thing and a moped, all in one area of traffic, all fighting for the right of way....

And then there are those who are testing the limits where capacity is concerned....I mean, we have three people, groceries and something in a container strapped on back....

And then this guy who couldn't bear to leave the chair behind.....he needs one of those stools as it would be much easier to transport :)

And this is one of my personal favorites. Here is this guy, he is cruising around the city on his moped with a cigarette that is lit....that takes talent and, I would imagine, some practice.

One Week Later.....

We arrived home from China and hit the ground running despite the jet lag. One week later and we are all adjusted to the time, one week later and we are all getting back to school, one week later and Maddox has seen three different doctors, one week later and we can tell who is jealous and, surprisingly, who is not, one week later and we have managed to avoid a stair catastrophe, one week later and we are finally unpacked, one week later and we have only had one person ask if the girls are sisters, one week later....and things are good. Maddox continues to thrive. We are learning her likes and dislikes for food - in comparison to MK, she is quite picky with food and will politely spit things out that do not suit her palate. Maddox loves to be outside, loves to climb the stairs, loves to play with dolls, loves to play peek-a-boo, loves to be held, loves pizza, is tolerating Pediasure, has a bunch of "stuff" in her one ear that is not allowing the drs. to get a good look at it, she loves her bath, she is quite cranky when she is tired, she will give mommy kisses but no one else, she loves our dog, Finley, she likes being outside, she has jumped on the trampoline, she has the best giggle and she is very ticklish, she is hitting less, she will stroke my face when I tell her "gentle" and it is the best feeling in the world. The big kids continue to do well too. Including MK. MK has really stepped up to the plate. I have seen a side of her that I am very proud of. She is quite patient with Maddox. The boys are just glad to be home so they can ride their bikes, play baseball and play Legos. So, one week later and things are going well.....

• Pryce likes to call Maddox, "Madd."
• MK announced she can read and speak Chinese.....after making this announcement, I asked her to go and do something I needed her to do. She muttered, under her breath, something. I asked her what she said and she replied, "Well, I just said something in Chinese and it was real nice!" Hmmmm.
• At the dr., Maddox will not cry until the ear exam comes into play. Up until that point, she will stick out her bottom lip, it will shake and she gets the biggest crocodile tears ever in her eyes....it is a pitiful sight.
• I feel as though I should write something about Colin....Colin has been taking it all in. He is quick to step up should I need his help but he is also quick to sit back and do his own thing. Already 11, he is growing up entirely too fast for me!
• One week later, and we miss our China friends dearly. My children have said more than once that they miss China and the families that we traveled with! And, if we are being honest, I actually craved Chinese food this week - we really don't even eat Chinese!

Squatty Potty

I feel that I must do the ever so popular "squatty potty" post. Our second trip to China and I was oh so prepared for these little loves. MK, however, was not. She managed to avoid them at all costs until one night at dinner. She came to me and said, "I need to go potty" and then the ever so popular question, "Do they have a squatty potty or a real one?" I told her it was a squatty potty and she was not at all excited. The thing is, the stalls are less than small, they are filthy dirty, and, on this particular evening, they were COLD. Alas, we survived without incident and MK promptly ran back into the quiet restaurant shouting, "I did it Daddy, I went potty in the squatty potty!!!"

This trip did bring along with it new "squatty potty" information.....I now know that China has a Five Star Squatty Potty (above - somewhat clean and they even provide toilet paper), as well as......the One Star Squatty Potty (below - the picture says it all).

Needless to say, squatty potties being left behind are not a bad thing in my opinion. MK agrees. Poor little girl, she boarded the plane to come home and quickly inquired, "So, are there real potties on this plane?" and then again in the airport, "Do you think we can used a real potty here?" To say that these left an impression on MK would be an understatement!

Gotcha Day - Reflection

Maddox on Gotcha Day. We came to know this little face with the bottle attached....in China this is how she fed herself. She did not want anything to do with sitting down to be rocked with a bottle or cuddled....now, home one week, and she is all about cuddling up with mommy in the rocking chair to take a bottle....she still wants to hold the bottle but she loves being in mommy's arms while she eats.

I do not recall what the reaction of the foster family was when it was time for them to depart. I remember them giving me the baby and that was it. Maddox was not happy and I was so concerned with her that I didn't even think to wish the family well as they left. Ryan did make a point to go over to the foster father and thank him.....the foster father then pointed to the foster mother and Ryan went over to her. He tried to hug her and she stood stiff, then turned and left. Ryan believes it was just too much for her.

This is how I held Maddox for a bit of time on Gotcha Day....she was not happy, inconsolable and could not find a comfortable position. Pryce was always close by to monitor how she was doing :)

With the foster mother within reach, Maddox was content with the activity that surrounded her.

Going back a bit.....Gotcha Day. Gotcha Day. The day we got our Maddox. The day we had all anticipated, the day we had all longed for. Looking back, the Civil Affairs office was very dark and cold. We rode an elevator half way up to the room where the babies awaited us and then we got off and had to walk up a flight of stairs. There were three rooms, all foggy with smoke. Upon arrival, I quickly scanned the room for Maddox and could not find those eyes. I knew I would know her eyes, they are so defining. A thought of, "Oh, what if the foster family has decided they want to keep her and they aren't going to turn her over for adoption?" crossed my mind. This has happened. This very scenario is why we were told MK was taken to the orphanage several days, maybe even a couple of weeks, prior to her Gotcha Day by the foster family. That horrific thought soon left my mind and I found myself indulged in the face of our daughter, Maddox. She had arrived. There was a man, the foster father, who was snapping pictures as fast as he could. He was all smiles. There was another man holding Maddox, the son-in-law, and he looked like he needed a bit of space. Soon Maddox found herself a bit overwhelmed and in need of comfort from her foster mom. The foster mother took her and comforted her, telling her "jie jie" and pointing to MK and then smiling at the boys and saying, "ge ge" aka "brother." The foster mother sat down beside me, placing Maddox standing between her legs. Maddox was bright eyed and was taking it all in quietly. She muttered not a word. Pryce was so affectionate to her, knowing not to get too close and offering her the little Gerber Puffs. She kept going back for more. MK flitted around in typical MK style, calling Maddox's name and trying to make her smile. Colin waved and smiled and offered her his hand to hold. Ryan played with her, held her eventually and then went off to do paperwork with our guide. In the midst of all of this, I sat with a woman who had cared for my baby girl for at least the past 10 months of her life, she spoke to me and I listened. Though our language was not the same, I understood every word. Her eyes told the story. She loved Hua You Ren, she was happy for her and she was so glad to meet her forever family. It came time for the foster family to leave. I remember our guide telling me that if we had specific questions we needed to ask them right away because the family would be leaving very soon and they would not be returning. We took pictures. Following the pictures, I remember them giving me Maddox, putting her into my arms....and the tears flowed. She was so sad. Her little tiny body flailed backwards and she cried hard, the largest tears I have ever seen. The children offered more Puffs. We tried to read a book. They tried making funny faces. Nothing worked. And so she cried. She would stop momentarily, sobbing all the same and then the tears and wails would come on again, only harder. So pitiful. The other two children and their families were content. Our Maddox was inconsolable and I sat there desperately wanting to leave that building and take my baby girl away from her pain. Finally we were allowed to leave and we traveled back to the hotel. Upon arrival, we ordered Papa Johns pizza - no surprise there - just as we did three years ago on the day that we welcomed MK into our family. Our evening was calm. Maddox was quiet. We all took in that evening, little by little, and enjoyed our new addition.

Jet Lag, Illness and Storms, OH MY!

Due to an acute combination of jet lag, illness and thunderstorms, Maddox has taken to sleeping anywhere she can catch some zzzz's. Here, she is located under the table in the girl's room - long story on how this happened but let's suffice it to say that she was way tired.

Translation: Why did you let that dr. dig in my ears?

And then we have seen lots of this perfectly happy little face....

And when the day is done, again, she will find the best place possible, climb up, lay her head down and off to sleep she goes!

We all continue to do well. Maddox has a double ear infection and her fever has been quite high. She did go to the dr. for a check-up. Our pediatrician did not hear a heart murmur - for this we are thankful! Maddox is needing to gain weight. No surprise there but man it is hard to get a little one to drink 24 ounces of Pediasure in a day. MK continues to be the great big sister....she even scolded me for letting Maddox cry for a mere moment! The boys are slowly adjusting to being home - you know, with their celebrity status in China and all, this adjustment is hard :) - and they thoroughly enjoy their time showing off Maddox. Co-op, ballet, baseball, speech and school all began in full swing again today - stay tuned for a "new normal" post as we attempt to establish our new normal with FOUR children!