Poolside

Bad Hair Day

EMILEES NEW FAVORITE TOY

NATALIE,EMILEE,KATARINA

I woke up one morning and to my surprise

A red thread appeared right before my eyes

“Oh my”, I exclaimed, “How can this be?

This tiny red thread seems connected to me!”

I remembered a legend about a red thread

That connects to the heart instead of the head

So I jumped to my feet and searched for the start

And found the beginning down deep in my heart.

The legend’s from China, I grasped what it meant

I knew now for sure where the other end went

It says there is someone I’m destined to meet

A daughter from China would make life complete.

So a chase quickly started for a paper or two

Then three, then four, the pile just grew

The course was quite bumpy and to my dismay

It seemed over time that string started to fray.

The day finally came when I crossed the last “t”

The chase was completed, I was DTC

But then the excitement quite suddenly fled

When I realized there would be another long wait ahead.

The months spent while waiting were really aghast

That crazy red thread became tangled at last

But again it remained an unbroken cord

Whose tugging and tugging could not be ignored.

A referral then came with a picture of you

I saw through the tears what I already knew

The pull on my heart that was so discreet

Was coming from you and your tiny heart beat.

To China I flew, our ends would now link

As soon as we hugged, our hearts came in sync

This tiny red thread perhaps in a way

Prepared both our hearts for our Gotcha Day.

That wasn’t the end of the thread ‘tween us two

We’re both still connected; our love is quite true

We’ll grow so much closer together each year

I love you my daughter, I’m so glad you’re here.

Four Month Update

Its been four months since Emilee "Xiu Xiu" was placed in my arms and I cannot tell you enough how much my world has changed. All along everyone kept saying to me "wait until she come, your life will never be the same." I used to take it as an insult. But I have to say, they were right. My life is not the same. I have an angle that smiles and hugs me everyday. An angel that blesses me each morning until she falls asleep at night. An angle that has made me the happiest person on earth. My life has not been the same. I am not the same person I was four months ago. Emilee is such a joy to be around. She has an infectious smile and laugh that makes me tingle every time I see her. She is developing into an energetic, sweet, compassionate, curious, delightful, mushy child that has a very funny personality. Emilee loves to cuddle and hug. When you are holding her, she pats you three times on the shoulder as if to say "Life is Good." She still does her Tibetan Kiss where she rubs foreheads with you. Its the sweetest thing. And is you ask her for a hug, she wraps her arms around you and hugs so tight that she grits her teeth. At night when I put her to sleep, she grabs hold of me and pats me until she falls off to dream land. She also loves to hold hands and will sit on your lap while watching TV holding your hand. If she is in her carriage and someone is walking beside her, she will reach out her hand to hold their hand. . At her last doctors visit, Emilee weight 18.5 lbs and was 31 1/2 inches tall. We are still working on her verbal skills. I had her tested and although she scored way below her level verbally, she scores too high (at a 16 month level) in comprehension. She understands everything, and I was told that because I anticipate her need before she asks, she doesn’t have to use her voice. In the past two week she has finally started Babbling. Although it is not coherent, it is so sweet to hear. She also sings her sounds. Her favorite sound is "BA, BA, and we spend hours singing " BA, BA, BA, BA-BAB-Ron" ( from the Beach Boys) She starts me off and I finish the song. Emilee’s favorite song at the moment is "The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah" from Sesame Street. When you get to the end where you sing "They go down into the ground, BOOM BOOM BOOM", She laughs with Glee and stomps her feet. She also loves watching Mulan. (A favorite of mine) She hums along with the music. I wonder if she realizes its Chinese. I have also come to realize that she still understands Chinese. A few friends of mine speak Cantonese to her and she pops up and follows their directions. Motor Skill wise Emilee is going full steam ahead. Although she is still not walking (I think she will take her first steps any day now), she is cruising everywhere and she can lift herself up from sitting position to standing position and can stand for a few seconds on her own. The poor thing wants to walk so badly. She gets so frustrated when she falls and is determined to try to do it again and again. Emilee also wants to feed herself and mimics everything she see. She is developing a very independent side. Its amazing that only four months ago she couldn't sit up on her own and her head was still wobbly when she was held. Its been a great blessing watching her blossom. Its like a gift everyday. Emilee has 12 teeth now and is starting to get her eye teeth. She loves to chew on everything. I call her "Jaws." She still keeps her same two fingers in her mouth when she is tired or uneasy with the situation. Its her one vise. I guess I can live with it for now. I think she looks so cute when she is sleeping and her two little fingers are nestled in her mouth. As she gets older I will try to figure out how to correct this situation, For now, it is her one comfort from her old life. Emilee is still shy when strangers come to touch her. Emilee is very charming from a distance -- she waves to everyone and everything she sees -- but doesn't like many strangers to get too close. If she doesn't know you she gives you this snobby stare and has to check you out. This is actually considered a sign of healthy attachment and is a good thing right now. It means she distinguishes the people she knows from strangers and is understanding that we are the people who take care of her. I was told that I should be concerned if she went to anyone indiscriminately. With people that she knows, she is very playful and loves to share. She loves to play a game where she hands things back and forth. Emilee has a very busy schedule. She is in Gymboree, music class and we go to the library for reading time. I was surprised the first time I took her and she sat through the entire 30 minutes, but there were puppets and songs and she just danced and waved along. See also loves the park and the gardens. She especially loves to go on the swing. Her latest trick is to climb the slide. She hold your hand and walks up the slide then turns around and slides down. She can do this for hours. Thank G-d she is such a good traveler. She is always on the run. We have been doing so much visiting since I have been home with her and she adjusts well to all situations. As you can tell I am over the moon with her. I can not remember life without her. She is truly a great blessing. Until my next update have a great summer and please keep me posted with everything that is going on in your lives.

All American Girl