SLC Event with the Beau's and missing the Mac's

If you follow Ramona's blog, you know that we spent the past weekend at an SLC event held by our agency. We didn't get any good shots of our family, so do enjoy the ones of the Beau's! We all missed Jackie, Lucy, and the MacBOYS, but we are certainly glad that Brady is back to himself! Can't wait to get the girls together again! Will we get that Princess photo we planned so long ago?!

Traveling back in time before these girls were home. . .



Both Ramona and Jackie have seen the best and worst of our journey. I still remember e-mailing Ramona in an absolute panic while I was in Taiwan. Ramona is super calm, super informed, and knows how to roll with the punches. She was there to ease my fears. Jackie and I missed each other in Taiwan by a day. She was willing to hand carry our missing document and meet me in Taipei! Boy, that sure does feel like a lifetime ago!

While Gracyn never lived at SLC, SLC was a big part of uniting her with our family, and for that, we will forever be grateful. I sometimes wish she shared in that SLC bond, had those same pictures with Santa, or that pacifier tied to a towel around her neck. We sometimes wish we knew the crib she slept in, or that we'd have an opportunity to actually show her where she lived the first days, or in her case, the first years of her life. . .but that wasn't the plan He had for her. And either way, she still has the same tantrums, down to the dropping to her bottom, throwing her head back, and screaming! And she has the same infatuation with tearing paper! One thing for sure, this journey sure has provided an amazing opportunity to meet so many wonderful people. A special thanks to the 2007 and 2008 SLC ladies and our blog followers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clown or Criminal?

My dad yells, "Where's the camera? Take a picture - she looks like a clown." - Result of a fruity push-up thingy. She reminds me of my pictures from Halloween as a toddler when mom dressed me up as a clown! I soon realized that her face was beginning to actually turn colors - not to mention our SW was due for a visit the next morning - fun was over quickly! Didn't want her to have a "blue" face.

 

The Mysterious Crime. . .a brand new roll of toilet paper absorbed the entire toilet bowl of water. North*rn Quilt*d - go figure.

 

So, is this the Detective with a flashlight in hand, or the Partner in Crime? Gracyn, did you do it?! She nodded "yes," but then again, she likes to say "yes" if it sounds like something fun is going on! My little Clown the Criminal.

 

Honestly, I think it either fell in when Gracyn was stacking the spare rolls on the shelf, or she dropped it in there - Brother has never dropped anything in the toilet. . .well, not intentionally anyhow. He did drop my in-laws cordless in the toilet once, and a pacifier, but we didn't discover that until we remodeled the bathroom and removed the toilet!

 

Kids are great, aren't they? Such entertainment. Best part of it was watching DH take the roll out and dump it in a bag. He then said, feel how heavy it is?! GROSS, he made me hold the bag to see how heavy it really was. . .we do the same thing with SUPER DUPER HEAVY DIAPERS too - quite amazing how absorbent products are these days.

Celebrating Gracyn - No Red Eggs or Ginger

In observation of our Chinese culture, typically we celebrate and honor our children with a Red Egg & Ginger Party around the age of 1 to 3 months. The time after baby is born, but before the baby is announced to world, is to allow Mom to heal from birth, and to ensure baby is healthy enough to survive. Boiled eggs, dyed red, are handed out. The color red for good luck, the eggs for fertility. Pigs feet, yes, pigs feet are made and Mama is supposed to eat it for rejuvenation. With Peyton we had a Red Egg and Ginger Party, handed out the eggs, served pigs feet, but no, I didn't eat it - at about 3 months of age.

Before we brought Gracyn home our intention was to give her a belated Red Egg and Ginger Party. Four months after arriving home, similar to period after giving birth, Mommy recovered from the trip, and Gracyn had time to heal emotionally, so it was time to honor Gracyn. Since we brought her home after the age of 2, we opted to celebrate Gracyn, but no red eggs or ginger, rather a celebration of her being home forever! We were blessed to have so many relatives and close friends join us!

Here we are a family of 4!

 

We proudly displayed the photos we cherished of Gracyn during our wait.

 

We asked for thoughts and prayers for Gracyn to cherish in years to come.

 

DH and I ordered the supplies to make these favors.

 

Because Gracyn loves candy and chocolate the most, we filled them with Kisses. Afterall, the "kiss" in Taiwan was the highlight of my trip!

 

Here we are with the Beauregard family. I met Ramona just after we received our referral, and before they received theirs. Here we all are with our babies home forever!

 

Darryl and Gracyn with Darryl's Mom

 

Peyton eating. What else is a growing three year old supposed to do for 2+ hours in a restaurant!?

 

Jaden, Ramona's daughter, let me carry her just long enough for a photo! I think it was the Dora cell phone she really wanted, but hey, I got the picture!

 

A little love for the "big brother" - it was a long afternoon for him.

 

Lori with Samantha! We followed Lori's journey to bring Samantha home. She and her girls were so perfectly coordinated in purple.

 

Kimi resting on her Mama Megan's shoulder. This is the little girl I fell in love with as I watched Megan bring her home.

 

Didn't I tell ya? Perfectly purple. These are the best behaved girls I know. So glad we met this family along the way!

 

Jaden and Gracyn. . .While I waited to bring Gracyn home Ramona let me get a "baby fix" by visiting Jaden when they arrived home. I think they were still jet-lagged with suitcases still packed and she opened her home to us. Thanks Ramona!

 

Before hitting the road for a long drive home, Kimi came over to burn off some energy! Are these 3 munchkins dancing to Hannah Montana? Absolutely.

 

Megan doing double duty. Megan is waiting on baby #2, so we thought we'd give her some practice!

 

Gracyn, Mommy is so overcome with joy to call you my daughter. I know it's been hard on you to leave everything familiar behind. You are so strong, so brave. You are beautiful, and sweet, and stubborn too! I love that you're always so happy to wake up in the morning. I look forward to your soft pitter patter, and those big eyes and smile every morning. I love that you'll eat almost anything, and that you love mint chocolate and snackies just like Mommy. I can't get enough of your "girly-ness" - the way you sit still to get your hair combed, and how you don't mind changing outfits (sometimes 3 in a row) if Mommy doesn't think it fits or looks quite right! I'm still learning how to coordinate toddler girls clothes!! I know you're 2, but I've been dressing a boy for nearly 4 years, and let me tell you, they are much easier than girls. But girls, they are oh, so fun. My "baby girl," my "girlfriend" - you are home - Forever. With love and kisses, Mommy

On the other side of the camera. . .

Please let this be the last time I write this post. . .I've now lost two versions of it! I have no idea why, but I even had the last version "scheduled" for first thing in the morning on New Year's Day. UGGGGGGH. . .How in the world can a saved draft disappear twice?! I think I just figured it out - Blogger isn't ready for 2009, and both times I had the scheduled date for 2009!!! Oh my, I wonder if 3 versions will show up on New Year's Day! Oh well - I'm "publishing" this one - I'm not going to attempt it for the fourth time. I was starting to think that MY blog really need not involve pictures of ME!

Take 3. . .Third Time's a Charm, right?
New Year's Day marks 4 months since I held Gracyn in my arms for the first time. I can't believe how much has changed. I'll never forget our AIT debacle, or the way Gracyn would scream and cry and kick and hit every time we got near the elevator, or better yet, how she'd point to leave the minute I appeared. She wanted nothing to do with me. Today she is very attached to Mommy. She's finally bonding with Daddy and brother, but Mommy is still the one she wants and the one who can comfort her. I secretly enjoy this, for I wondered while in Taiwan how long it would take for her to love and accept me.

While you wait for your child to come home, you fall in love with their photos. You know that you'll love them no matter what, but it's not until they are home that you can begin to fall in love with them. I didn't have any influence on my child for the first two years of her life. Certainly He has always had a plan for her and I pray she becomes who he intended for her to become. Let's not forget that she also came into my arms with a sleeping pattern, a personality, likes and dislikes, an attitude, a haircut, a scent, and a smile. . .all unfamiliar to me, all influenced by genetics and rearing techniques, not belonging to me. It takes time to get to know one another, and a parent-child relationship is no different. With patience, tears, prayer, and support from you, I can say from the bottom of my heart that we're now, in love.

Gracyn has gained about five pounds, her hair has grown over 2 inches. We've fixed those funny crooked bangs and healed her skin. She can tolerate her car seat now, but prefers and sometimes needs to have snack, a video, or my hand to keep her content. She still loves water and bath time. She loves chocolate, veggies, apples and peanut butter, meat, and oh, CELL PHONES! Real ones, not the Dora-kind, although she does play with her Dora phone quite a bit too. She can say "Mama," "Hello," "Dada," and signs "please" and "more." She somehow communicates with us with her sounds and body movements! I think Ramona affectionately calls it "charades"! She loves music and dancing! She still has her bottles at night and likes to hold Mommy's hand to fall asleep! She is so affectionate and the thing she loves, that I love the most, is me cupping her face in my hand.

Since becoming a mom I've taken thousands and thousands of photos. Primarily of my children, who I love capturing on film. Their silly faces, their "smirky" faces, their grumpy faces, and their "full of joy" faces. It's rare that I actually get any photos of me with my kids. I remember during our paperchase struggling to find photos including the "forever Mom" aka Me. So, on our way out to Costco of all places, I had Darryl take some photos of me with my baby girl. After all, I am the primary author of this blog, and most followers are those of you we've met on our journey to adopt. So, here I am, on the other side of the camera, with the little girl many of you watched journey home to her forever family.


To feel my daughter's head on my shoulder for the first time was amazing. To feel her cheek pressed against mine - that warms my heart.


To walk with her tiny hand in mine - that makes me feel like her Mommy, not just her Mother.


To hold her in my arms and know that's where she wants to be, that makes me proud.


To see a photo of me and my daughter side by side, smiling ear to ear - that makes me so grateful to have been entrusted with her.


To hear her laugh - now that, well that's incredible. . .sure, it's taken time to grow her tears into smiles, and her smiles into laughter, but it is priceless. Her laughter - that overwhelms me with joy.

Blogging wouldn't be the same without you. I can't imagine what it would have been like while I was in Taiwan, in tears, without the support and comments from all of you. Thank you for being a part of our journey through life with our sweetpeas. Thank you for reading, for caring, for laughing, and for lifting me up in your thoughts and prayers! Thank you for sharing your lives with us, and for your advice and inspiring posts! So glad you were a part of our 2008, we sure do hope you'll follow along in 2009!

Happy New Year to all of you, from me, the author, and my daughter, the girlfriend!

Hannah MonDada TAKE 2

Thanks to Lora I didn't realize that I had making the videos private to the point of blocking you guys from viewing! Please go back and try the clips now! Gracyn is so cute dancing!

It's Hannah MonDada!

(Be sure to scroll down for videos!)

 

Hannah Mon-Gong-Gong

 

Hannah Mon-Pey-Pey and Hannah Mon-Gracyn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gracyn's first dancing debut. . .



Like brother, like sister. . .



Kids on their "stage". . .it's this or their coloring table! YIKES!