The miracle of time! 6 months!!

As I get ready to complete Sera's 6 month post placement and I look back at where this little girl has been, it just makes me so proud of her!! She is truly an amazing little soul and I am so very blessed to have been granted permission to be her mommy! I truly cannot imagine life without her spicy little attitude and gleeful squeals! Looking at her makes my heart hurt so deeply for the Chapman family, how recently lost their precious little 5 yr old. I am enjoying every moment I possibly can

Just 6 months ago, she hated me and wanted to stay away from me and now I find myself having to distract her with things to get out of my lap so that I can get things done. She is such a little snuggle bunny now! It is as if she is trying to catch up on all the snuggles she missed out on....

We are getting her Vitamin D levels checked again and are hoping they are higher than the last time. She originally was at 7 and needed to be at 60 or above... She was at 36 two months ago and hopefully she is at 60 or above now!! Her surgery to repair her lip is supposed to happen this summer. I need to get back with Shriner's and double check. I haven't heard from them for about a month.

She is running and climbing and singing and talking up a storm! If her brother does it, so will she! There is never a quiet moment in our house, since Andy is a chatterbox and must always interrupt Aubri when she talks. Sera cannot stand to have any one talk with out her talking either and sometimes I do find myself wanting earplugs, but I am so happy to hear them all chattering away! Now if I could figure out a way to actually understand them all at the same time, or get them to wait and take turns it would be so much easier, but for now, I am happy to have the chatter going on!




Sera' at about 6-9 months, referral photos. I love her bright eyed, inquisitive look!


Sera at 2 yrs Update photos sent at the time she was give a dx of mental retardation and cerebral hemiplegia. She looks so lost.... I do not like this photo, but it is good to look at occasionally to remember how far she has come! I can only guess why she lost that bright eyed look. It could have been the rickets and the pain, lack of interaction with staff, malnutrition in general... who knows... I just wish it hadn't been that way, but then, I might not have ever had the chance for her to steal my heart and the joy of being able to parent her!


Sera at 2 . 5 yrs when she was taken to the IAAP foster home. Her vacant look just makes me cry to look at now. She must have been in great pain with her rickets , at that point. also, since she made no attempts to stand or walk then. They were so sweet to her, but she truly had no idea how to accept their affection yet, at that point.



Sera at almost 3.5years on her way back to Datong, October 1007, one month before we came to bring her home. She was talking, walking and quite demanding of her ayi to buy her the snack foods she saw everyone else eating! Her spunk was showing up more and more daily!


Sera at almost 4 yrs old!! Nothing is going to hold this child back! She has the most spunk I could ever have prayed for her to have! In this photo, she was so proud of herself for having slid down the pole ( with me holding on to her of course)! Just like GeGe did!


I cannot wait to see what the next 6 months bring!! She has truly blessed our family and everyone who has been able to get to know her!

Nice day and an introduction

Today we worked some in the house and then decided to go spend some time at the park. It was a really nice day and the kids enjoyed themselves on the toys and I loved the breeze! We then went out to eat at Jason's and are home now, tired and happy. It was a great way to spend the day. Aubri has bad allergies to all the trees right now and Sera has a horrible cough, but they really enjoyed themselves and are now showered and have gone happily off to bed without a complaint. Fresh air is truly good for our bodies and our souls!

We had to leave the house in a bit of stress though, since Timmy was refusing to eat and I was worried about him. I am sad to be parting with my little Timmy, our 18, almost 19 yr old toy poodle. He is so thin now and just prefers to lie and sleep. He is so far, not appearing to be in any pain, just wearing out. He did eat once we got home and was happy to curl up on his pillow. I am praying that he will be able to leave us peacefully.

Oh, BTW, we need to introduce a new member of the family, Bao Bao Stitch, a poodle papillion mix. We got him way back in March,when I was so worried that Timmy would be leaving us soon and I would not know what to do without a little dog sleeping on my shoulder. He is not Timmy, and is very different in personality, except that he is also not a barker and is pretty laid back like Timmy always has been. He will hold a very different space in my heart, but he has been wonderful with the kids and is a sweetheart in his own way. In fact he has quite the fan club, who would all take him off my hands at any time, because he is so cute and seems to be an old soul.... It is so unusual for a tiny dog to be this docile and I am very blessed to now own two special little dogs. I just realized I hadn't posted anything with Bao Bao in it. He is a very laid back little dog. I have taken him to school with me and he is able to work magic with my students and has also stolen our hearts at home as well. Sera named him BaoBao and Andy added the Stich as his middle name. It was hard to get used to at first, since I thought he looked more like a Panda, but now it fits well!

I hope you enjoy the photos. Sera has made so many changes these past 6 months..... Today she ran with the others and climbed every ladder all on her own. Just six months ago walking across a room would cause her to fall and she wobbled so much that she looked like a baby just learning to walk. Now she actually fits in with the other 3 yr olds! She is a bit tinier, but she is determined to do whatever she sees Andy and Aubri do. They love to climb, so I am sure she will be climbing to the tops of everything soon!

It is already Summer!!!!

WOW... we have been so busy! I still have mountains of paperwork to do and somehow the school year has come to a close before I could finish!! The kids are out of school tomorrow and I am reeling in shock.... This school year has sped by with not a minute of repose. Maybe the extra little busy body on top of the other little busy bodies in the house has helped it stay busy once I come home, and not given me a chance to catch up, but I wouldn't trade this breathless feeling for anything in the world!!

My dad had to help Evelyn stay safe and put her in a very nice care facility which she is finally adjusting to. It has been a very hard month or so for both of them, and for those of us who care about them, but there is some peace now in both of their minds and that is such a wonderful thing. Pop is absolutely worn out, but I think he is going to try to rest more and take better care of himself. We get to see him all the time now, which is absolutely wonderful and the kids are keeping him smiling and laughing when things get tough.

Sera is making gains by leaps and bounds and chattering up a storm all of the time. She is running and jumping and really enjoying being a kid! She is perfectly toilet trained now and is so proud of herself. She had regressed some and it was so amazing how she wanted to enjoy my baby for a while and then just resumed growing up! She is a total card and loves making everyone smile. She has a heart of gold and it shines through in every thing she does.

Andy has dreaded school ending, since he absolutely adores his teachers. Transitions are so difficult for him. He takes it as a loss and it brings up other losses for him. He is excited about summer, though, and will enjoy himself and be sad summer is over soon. He met all of his IEP goals and is so proud of himself! So am I!

Aubri is excited to be in a summer band and honors choir program, take swimming classes, help in my summer school classroom and of course have some down time too! She made a 4.0 this semester and I am very proud of her, especially since she wanted to put half of the money Grandpa and I gave her as a reward directly into the bank and the other half to help the families in China right now. I am so lucky to have such super kids!

We went to the neighborhood pool tonight for a quick dip in the pool. It was still kind of cold and Andy sat with me, but Sera and Aubri were brave souls! I am attaching a quick video clip and photo from my cell phone to share some of the pure glee in being at the pool brought to Sera.

I will try to do better in sharing photos and updates soon!!!