Happy Birthday Mommy!

My Mommy turned 40 yesterday! We started celebrating the night before, when I walked in from school with a bouquet of cream and pink colored roses for her. She sure wasn't expecting a dozen roses from me! Here they are:

Today, they started opening up. They were completely closed when I first gave them to Mama.


They smell really nice too!


Then we all slept late yesterday. I went to school for a few hours while Mama and Baba went out to lunch and to do some shopping. And then after school, we all went out for pizza. Here we are waiting on our Margherita Pizza.


Oops - Baba took a surprise picture that time! We were NOT ready.


And a close-up of my Mommy - not too bad for 40. ;)

And now one with Baba (that pizza sure is taking a long time to make).


And then we came home to a little birthday cake for Mama -- and we do mean little since none of us really NEEDS any cake. Believe it or not, we had enough left over for all 3 of us to have a
piece again tonight.


Happy 40th Birthday Mama! Last night, after we read my bedtime story, Mama told me what a wonderful birthday it was for her to spend her day with me and Baba and how truly blessed she feels to have us in her life.

Now, we are in for some FUN this weekend. Pop-Pop, Grandma and Doe are coming up. We are going out for Thai food for dinner on Saturday to celebrate Mommy's birthday with her parents, and then we are going to church on Sunday, to a Pumpkin Patch and then to the Asian Children Mentor Program's Halloween Party, where I will be sporting my costume - Stephanie from Lazy Town. We will be taking lots of pictures!

Happy 2-Year "Gotcha Day" Anniversary!!!

This post will be from the point of view of Mommy today instead of Mei-Ling. This is a very special day for our family. Two years ago today, Adam and I walked into the Civil Affairs office in downtown Chongqing, China, to meet you, Mei-Ling. We had waited so long for this day, and it finally arrived. We were accompanied by our wonderful adoption guide, Mable. We walked into the main room, and there were babies everywhere! We arrived early and knew we would have to wait awhile for you to arrive. A few minutes later, we spotted you from across the room, as your nanny (we later found out was the actual orphanage director) walked in with you. Within a couple of minutes, she placed you in my arms:

Mei-Ling, we knew that day would change our lives forever. We knew we would love you with all our hearts. And two years later, it's hard to believe that our love for you grows every single day. From the moment you were placed in our arms, you didn't cry. We have always said that it was like you had known us all along. And we felt the same way. From those first sweet moments with you at the Civil Affairs Office to your first bottle, your first bath, and then your first bedtime back in the hotel room, we were a perfect fit for one another. We are so grateful that our lives took this direction and that YOU are our little girl. There could not have been a better match made. And it is our pleasure to be your parents.

We also realize that on October 9, 2006, the dream of your birth parents was realized. They simply wanted you to have a better life than you would have had in rural China, most likely living at a level of poverty none of us in America could even fathom. We heard this sentiment echoed throughout our visit to China. In Beijing, older Chinese women would grab my hands and rub and pat them and sometimes even say "thank you" in broken English. When we asked our guide Mable what else they were saying, we found out they were tearfully thanking us for giving one of their daughters a life of freedom and choices and abundance that you never would have enjoyed in China. We have a lot to live up to - the hopes and dreams of your birth parents, and the hopes and dreams of every woman in China who has faced a life that did not include what you have now. It's our honor and privilege to work hard to live up to the collective dreams of those in China who know that a better life exists. We promise to always honor and celebrate your choices in life and to remember to thank God that we live in a country where we have those choices. We also promise to educate you about your birth culture as well, since that will always be a part of who you are.

We have watched you grow from a 16 pound 8-month-old to a toddler. We can't believe you will turn 3 in January. The old adage holds true: time does "fly" when you are having fun. Every day is an adventure with you as you learn, test your boundaries, gain confidence, and become more and more polished in your speech and coordination. You are developing a wicked sense of humor! We look forward this year to your Baptism, and then the holidays with your grandparents and Doe. And then you will turn 3 on January 22. We also look forward to the young lady you will become. We already have a preview of what you will be like, but knowing you, you have some surprises in store for us - good ones of course.

Once again, we thank God for the journey that led to you. We pray for peace, health and abundance for your birth family. We thank the orphanage workers who nurtured you for months, and Mable for being not just an "adoption guide" but truly a midwife and friend to us for our three weeks in China. Mable anticipated our needs without us even having to speak them. We thank the People's Republic of China for finding us to be a worthy home for you. We thank our families and our friends for all your love and support.

And Mei-Ling, we thank YOU just simply for being who you are. You are smart, witty, energetic, compassionate, interested in learning about everything, and of course sometimes you throw a temper tantrum - or two! We celebrate the fact that you already have a well-developed sense of self and that you will emphatically assert yourself when you feel you need to. We can't wait to see the woman you become.

Happy Gotcha Day to all of us, for we feel like the most blessed family in the world, and we know that in many ways, we are.

We Celebrated The Fall Moon Festival!

This past weekend, we attended the Asian Children's Mentoring Program's exciting Fall Moon Festival event! I didn't really know what to expect, but Mama and Baba told me it would be a lot of fun. Here we are arriving at the event. I also was excited to see my mentor, Ji In, again. I also dressed in traditional Chinese attire for the event. This is one of many outfits Mama bought me while in China.

This was the first time I decided to let Ji In hold me. I am usually fairly "shy" about other people besides Mama and Baba holding me. However, she was able to successfully bribe me with balloons. It worked!

See, I'm all smiles now! All it takes is a little creativity to get me to come out of my shell.

Ji In asked me how old I will be soon (January 22nd), and I told her "THREE!"

She was amazed at how much talking I am doing now compared to just a few months ago.

As always, I was the center of attention. These students seem to really enjoy my company.

I decided that Ji In and I should wear some streamers. She put a yellow one on me
to match my outfit.

Ji In, I think you need some more streamers around your neck to complete your look.

You're getting there - looking good so far.

Peace!

Now Ji In is tying a string to my balloons so I will not lose them.

And then we hit the buffet line! Ji In is about to feed me some rice and noodles. YUMMY!

Wait - what is that?

Oh, OK. A piece of chicken. Mmmmmm!

We're having a little conversation now.

We had time to play with my balloons before the activities started.

Give me back my balloons, Ji In!

And now it's time for the show.

The show began with a young Chinese woman playing an instrument called a Guzheng. Those have been as popular in China over the years as the piano has been in Europe and America. And, the instrument dates back more than 3000 years. The song she played was very beautiful and was called "Xue Shan Chun Xiao." It was a song about the changing of the seasons in honor of the Fall Moon Festival. She is also wearing a replica of a traditional silk palace dress.

And then a young man from the Philippines sang the Filipino National Anthem, Lupang Hinirang, meaning "Chosen Land" in Tagalog. He sang the song beautifully.

And then some other students from the Fillipino American Student Association performed for us. It was called Tinikling, which involves two people hitting bamboo poles, using them to beat, tap, and slide on the ground and against each other in coordination with one or more dancers who step over and in between the poles in a dance. Mama said it's sort of like "Double Dutch" with poles instead of rope.

Wow, look at them dance!

Then they let us come up and try. I was the first one to jump up and volunteer! I am pictured here with my friend Lili.

And then we watched the UGA Taekwondo club perform. This guy broke two boards with one good kick.

Now THAT's a kick.

And then they asked for some volunteers. Mama didn't catch this picture, but again - I was the FIRST person to run up there when they asked for volunteers. :)

Alice, who is one of the Asian Mentors, taught us how to make fists and
pose in a particular stance.

And now a few moves. Here I am again with my friend Lili.

And then Delta Phi Lambda (and Asian-interest sorority), performed a puppet show for us about the history of the Moon Festival.

After the puppet show was over, it was time to enjoy some moon cakes. But first, the girls from Delta Phi Lambda handed out the puppets from the show to us. I got the emperor!

And now, I'm about to try a Moon Cake.

Well, it's almost time for the festival to end. We had a GREAT time.

Mama said she knows this picture is a little blurry, because I was moving. But this is one of her favorite expressions of mine that I make when I'm really happy.

Mama and Baba also wanted to thank the Asian Children's Mentor Program at the University of Georgia for all they have done to help children like me to remain linked to our birth culture. These students put a lot of time and energy into planning and holding some WONDERFUL events for us. We are very, very grateful for the program and also for me to have my very own mentor, Ji In. We look forward to a long relationship with this awesome group of Asian students. Thank you! Oh, and didn't they do a great job decorating? Look at these pretty paper lanterns.

Happy Two-Year Referral Anniversary!

Two years ago today, on August 25th 2006, Mama and Baba got "the call" they had anticipated for so long. Our adoption coordinator Julia called to tell them that a baby in China was destined to be their daughter. And that baby was me! Within a few hours, Julia sent them the following pictures of me.

They spent the next few weeks getting prepared for their trip to China. Mama said that she could hardly sleep during that time. She carried my pictures everywhere. And my nannies began to prepare me to meet my forever family. What a wonderful day that referral day was for Mama and Baba because they knew for sure that they would meet me soon. And my nannies began to explain to me that I would soon be in the arms of a Mama and Baba who would love me my entire life.

We also would like to encourage the waiting families out there. We know it's a tough wait, but your day will come. And the wait will be just a memory. Our thoughts remain with you always.

Happy Birthday Pop Pop!

Today, my Pop Pop turned 76 years old! He, Grandma and Aunt Doe came up and spent the weekend with us. We started off with an excellent dinner at Siri Thai on Friday night, did some shopping and other fun things on Saturday, and then on Sunday, we went to brunch at one of our favorite places - The Last Resort. Here we are sitting outside waiting for them to open on Sunday morning.

Pop Pop and I went walking through downtown Athens while we were waiting for them to open.

Thank goodness it was only 10:45 AM because otherwise, it would have been way too hot!

Ooh, is that a puppy I see? I love when people walk their dogs downtown.

Here we are sitting on a bench outside - Grandma, Pop Pop, Doe and me.

I'm getting a little bored and very hungry. It's time to relax on Baba.

Grandma and Doe are all smiles.

I really did enjoy their visit this weekend. I'm so happy to spend time with my Pop Pop.

He always likes playing with me. And reading to me too!

Mama and Baba went out on a "date night" after I fell asleep on Saturday. Here they are all dressed up. They enjoyed a delicious dinner at Harry Bissett's and a movie.

Happy Birthday Pop Pop! We enjoyed your visit.