Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

I was inspired by a fellow blogger (thanks Lesa) to try my hand at Jib Jab. E and O had a great time as we put their faces in High School Musical.

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

3 Sweet Girls

Well, spring has sprung here. We mowed the grass for the first time this weekend. This week is spring break. E started the week long holiday off with strep throat. She is much better now. We have nothing big planned for the week. The girls are enjoying being outside, playing with their babies, and just hanging out. We will make a trip to the zoo and build a bear at some point. My goal for the week is to get everyone's closets ready for the warm weather. E needed some new shorts/shirts as she has grown quite a bit.
O got a few new things but is inheriting most of E's wardrobe from last summer which still looks brand new. C, of course, got a few new items as well. I need to take down the storage bins of warm weather items and get them ready. I will pack up C's winter clothes to consign in the fall. I also have a bunch of spring stuff that I will consign that doesn't fit or that I don't need/like. If I get that much done while entertaining 3 busy girls, I will have done alot! C and O are growing out their bangs. Our goal is a one length short bob. In the meantime, C is sporting her new sprinkler hairdo complete with a bow on top. She is so cute in a dress, but it still looks odd seeing her little arms and legs sticking out as we really haven't seen much of them before now. We are looking forward to our first summer together! Here are a few pics to start off the vacation.

February Pics!

We have had some beautiful weather lately. This past week, with temperatures in the mid 80s, we had the girls out in the yard helping to do some yard clean up. In true fashion, O wore her purse to pull the old dead plants out of the pots and collect any seeds that she could. E was happy to dig in the dirt and collect rocks - one of her favorite things to do. C, of course, followed her sisters around the yard.


C's favorite meal of the day is breakfast! (Well, lunch and dinner, too, but especially breakfast!)

We have 5 other families in the area with daughters from China that we get together with regularly. When we adopted O, we traveled to China with one of these families in 2004. O and their daughter are from the same orphanage and only a week or so apart. Every year, we celebrate their birthdays together. Funny thing is, they went back to China about a year ago to adopt a second daughter. As it turns out, C is just about 3.5 weeks younger than their daughter. So it looks like in April, even though we traveled more than 6 months apart, we will celebrate our "babies's" birthdays together as well. Here are a few pics of my girls enjoying the party.








While at the party, Celia showed off her latest in blue tooth technology!

Sleeping Beauty

Today in PE class, O and her fellow kindergarteners did some Tai Bo. After that, they went to Music. Apparently O was tuckered out. She passed out on the floor fast asleep right in the middle of singing. Luckily, the music teacher grabbed her cell phone and took this priceless pic for me. Guess that's a perk of working where your kids go to school.

PARTY!!!!

E's Valentine Party...



O's Valentine Party...



C's Valentine Party...


C's raingear...


E and O get a bear hug...


O's Build-a-bear Party...

An Undivided Heart...

When C was admitted to the Qingdao Children's Welfare Institute, she was very sickly - breathing hard, blue in color, and had pneumonia on top of everything. The medical staff at the orphange stabalized her. She was admitted to the hospital in a matter of weeks for open heart surgery. It was determined that she had a large hole in her ventricle wall (a VSD) near the aorta causing an opening between the 2 lower heart chambers. She also had an opening between the 2 upper heart chambers due to a flap not closing after birth (a PFO). These 2 openings effectively allowed the oxygenated and deoxygenated blood to mix. The surgical staff very skillfully stitched the flap closed and then applied a patch over the hole in C's heart. She no longer had a divided heart.

In the past few weeks we have had an echocardiogram and an EKG done on C. Today we met with the pediatric cardiologist to get the results. He said that the repair was very good. There is no leakage around either of the repair sites. He said her blood pressure and oxygen level were in the normal range. The EKG revealed that her heart was beating regularly and normally. He declared that C's heart is completely repaired and she is to be treated just like any other kid regarding medicine/vaccinations, dental visits, and physical activity. We have to return in a year for a follow up as he wants to follow C's heart as she grows to ensure that there are no surprises. He emphasized that he is not expecting to ever find any in her situation, but just a precaution. If there are no changes after the 1 yr mark, then the time between check ups will be extended. He declared her healthy!

There was also a concern on her original paperwork that stated she had pulmonary hypertension. The doctor told us that she does NOT have PH. He thought that there could have been an issue in the translation and difference in the way that her condition is described between US and China. He said that if her 2 defects had not been corrected, she could have eventually ended up with PH. The way PH is referenced in the US, it is not a good thing. It is irreversible and can be fatal. I had to take a step of faith on that one when I accepted C's referral. I did feel the peace of God to do so and had to trust that what ever C's condition ended up being, He would see us through. That is my miracle.

I am including a couple of scriptures that I prayed for C while I waited for her to come home...

"Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; Give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name." Psalm 86:11

"I run in the path of your commands, for You have set my heart free." Psalm 119:32

These are still among my prayers for C that her heart would completely belong to the one who has literally set her free.

Here are a couple of pics after her EKG. She did reapply all of the little monitor stickers that they hook the wires to all over her pants for entertainment while we waited for the doctor to read the test results.

Happy 6th Birthday Princess O!

We have had a rough couple of weeks here at our house. Everyone has been sick - strep, tummy bugs, more strep, the fun doesn't seem to ever end. Unfortunately, we all stayed in our pajamas today and tried to get back on our feet before another week starts. I say unfortunately because today is O's 6th birthday. We tried to make the best of things in between naps and medicine doses. She watched some of her new videos and played dress up with C for a diversion.

Since O's Chinese name begins with X, we have nicknamed her Princess of Hugs and Kisses. Here are a few pictures of my sweet princess in her favorite element.






C, of course, had to get in on the act...









Happy birthday my precious O. You are my sweet May flower and the sunshine of my life. I am grateful every day that I get to be your mother. You are a rare and precious gift. I look forward to all of the wonderful moments that we will spend together this year.