China Decks

Memorial Day Run

2010-05-31T17:08:00.014-05:00

Today was a really fun day, and it was also your first road race! University City has a Memorial Day run with a 10k, 5k, and 1-mile fun run and you've been eagerly excited to "win the race." (The beautiful pictures are courtesy of our friend, Charlie Berg, owner of Charles Berg Photography.)

It started with the 5k and you riding in the Bob. Mom and I pushed you in the jogger and ran a good race...

After that, it was time to pin on your official race numbers and have your pre-race snack. AnMei was number 284 an d JiaLi was number 285.

You've been to a race for me proudly waiving signs, and it was clear that your race would not be complete if we didn't have signs for you. Mom did a great job...

It was time to toe the starting line, and you were ready... You were adamant that you would be running the race by yourselves, which was awesome. However, since the route took you off through a neighborhood and out-of-site mom and I thought it was wise that I followed behind a few yards. It was a wonderful vantage point, watching you two running along the course having a great time together.

And they're off!

JiaLi flying off the starting line.

AnMei showing her natural pure form.

After the race you were tired little 4 year olds. But best of all, you were quite happy and proud of yourselves. And you should have been... you did great and it was a blast.

Winter 2009-10

2010-03-26T16:44:00.008-05:00

Well girls... it's been WAY too long since my last blog update. I'm not going to put the pressure on myself to write everthing that has happened... instead, I'm simply going to at least get pictures of the past winter months up here.

Sorry -- I promise that I'll try to post and write more frequently!

Taking advantage of a snow day in St. Louis.

AnMei - future olympic luger?

JiaLi - having fun, as usual.

4 YEARS OLD? HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Who said clowns were scary? Not you two.

Your newest cousin... Stella Ayantu

You're still loving ballet!

Silly Daddy, Silly AnMei

Mei-Mei with Santa

J-Bird with Santa

Introducing AJ Panda

2009-11-30T08:14:00.002-06:00

Today is the official launch of AJPanda.com.

Since our trip to China to complete your adoptions, your mother and I have had a passion and desire to learn more about your birth country. We realized that your Chinese heritage will always be an important part of your identity, and we also realized how much fun it would be to actively pursue a greater understanding and integrate China’s rich traditions within our own family traditions. And that, my dear daughters, is the inspiration for AJ Panda.

Since bringing you home from China, we have been working slowly but surely on developing the concept of AJ Panda. Today I am filled with pride that we were able to take this first significant step. We have a lot more work to do to fully realize our vision, but as Confucius says…

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

So, let’s hope that today is the start of an exciting and rewarding new business. And let’s hope that everyone following your blog goes to the new site… http://www.ajpanda.com/. We appreciate all feedback and, of course, we look forward to the opportunity to fulfill your orders!

Cardinals Game

2009-08-21T16:43:00.010-05:00

It’s been an interesting month… we’re in the dog days of summer and one of the main themes is that you both keep catching little illnesses! Being twins, it seems like you definitely pass things back and forth, and it’s getting to be annoying. We’ve had about a 4 week stretch where at least one of you has a bad cough, fever, or sore throat. It’s been tough!

But the real message I want to enter today relates to a fun night we shared this weekend. You both have been talking for as long as I can remember about riding the local transit train, the Metro. So I thought it would be fun to get tickets to the St. Louis Cardinals and take the train…

I decided to give Mom a night off and take you down myself. You woke up with an extra spring in your step from nap and got dressed in your “Cardinal reds.” You were giddy and excited from the get-go.

The plan was to get to the train station right when the game started so we wouldn’t (hopefully) have to stand the whole way downtown, and the plan worked perfectly. We ate dinner at Il Vicino’s in Clayton and then made it to the Forsyth train station right at 6:15pm, which was game time. The train came and we marched on like happy soldiers. You thought it was funny that we were facing “backwards.” You sat like big girls in your own aisle soaking it all in.

We got at the new Busch Stadium right as the 3rd inning was starting and began our journey up the very top section. I called it the nose-bleed section and JiaLi immediately wanted to know why, it was funny. AnMei called it the “nose-bleeds” for the rest of the night and was concerned that we didn’t bring our saline spray.

I expected you to be more impressed by the stadium and crowd but there was only one thing on your mind… cotton candy. After an inning had gone by with no “Cotton Candy Man” coming by your excitement grew into concern. I was beginning to wonder myself if the Cotton Candy vendor came up to the nose-bleeds. But then we saw him a section away and waived him over. I’ve never seen you more enthusiastic in getting someone’s attention. By the time I had paid him for our blue sugary treat, you had already ripped open the bag and dug in. You were happy as can be, and I was too… taking the train with you for the first time and enjoying a Cardinals game with my girls, it couldn’t get much better!

I don’t think either of you got the jist of the game and by the 5th inning (remember, we arrived at the 3rd inning) you were ready for the next adventure… souvenirs. So at the top of the 6th we headed back for train station and hit a souvenir stand on the way out. It was a hot night and you both wisely selected little battery-powered fans, which was perfect.

We hopped on the train headed West and made it home a little after 9pm. You had been super-excited and happy all night. Mommy was waiting for us with big hugs and you told her your one regret… you didn’t get to see Fredbird! We had missed him at the game and agreed that next season we’ll have to look for him at another game… it’s a date!

Riding the MetroLink... your first train ride!

Heading back home.

Swim Lessons this summer!

It was a great experience

Even though this picture is a little grainy,
it shows the glowing smiles that were on your faces
the entire time!!!

Celebrating Grandma's birthday in Cleveland

Chillin' with Grandpa, Grandma, and Carmello

Beautiful Little Girls

Ice cream in the Summer... Yes!

Emerald Isle, NC

2009-07-04T14:44:00.011-05:00

Well girls, I have been extremely remiss is writing an update. Life is busy, time flies, yadda, yadda, yadda. It is time for a much needed update, and a lot has certainly happened.

I suppose the biggest story over the past several months was our beach vacation to North Carolina. We hooked up with the Morris family in Raleigh and all drove down to Emerald Isle for a fantastic week of sun, beach, family bonding, and relaxation. It was a fantastic vacation in every regard.

The rental house was great and right on the beach. The beach, ocean and weather were all beautiful. Best of all was our time with Joey, Charlotte, Lauren, Taylor, and Dillon. We had a real blast with their family. Some of my “beach memories” in no particular order…

* The 3-year olds (AnMei, JiaLi, and Dillon) weren’t terribly interested in the beach or the ocean. When we were able to coax you down, you preferred to dig in the sand and generally not stay very long. I think JiaLi was actually the only one to go into the ocean, which was by accident on the first day (before you “realized” your dislike for it).

* Some of the things you enjoyed most included riding the go-karts, playing putt-putt, performing the dance recital choreographed and lead by Lauren and Taylor, and having me talk to “Margaret” on a banana (phone).

* We flew kites for the first time. AnMei had a big sea turtle kite, and JiaLi had a colorful fish kite. That was probably more fun for me than you.

* The big challenge for the kids was “not fighting over the middle”. Everyone wanted to sit in the middle… for snacks, dinner, books, etc. That became the toddler mantra… “No talking about the middle.”

The Beach Crew

Chilling on the beach

Joey with Lauren and Taylor

At the Aquarium

Scary!

Mom and J-Bird

Aunt Charlotte

AnMei for birdie

Fun times playing putt-putt

Dad with his favorite KU cheerleader

There is so much other stuff that has happened that I can’t even begin to list everything, so I’ll just write a few words about my perceptions of you at this time.

You continue to be “show-stoppers.” You attract ALL the attention in public… obviously being twins makes you special. You’re also so darn cute and your personalities are so bubbly and adorable. People can’t help but to notice you and smile. You truly light up everyone’s day.

Another reason for you stealing the spotlight might be due to your fashion sense. We generally let you pick out your own clothes and your style is nothing short of “funky” in a totally good way. You LOVE dresses and layering. Your color combinations are always interesting, to say the least.

When it comes to “figuring things out” you amaze us. Your ability to grasp concepts and make sense of the world is remarkable. Here’s a snippet…

Mom - “You’re the most remarkable creatures on the planet.”
JiaLi - “Mom, octopuses are creatures. I’m a person.”

You both continue to grow and thrive each day. We’re blessed and honored to be a witness and share it with you.

Chinese Culture Days...

AnMei and JiaLi

Watching with Dad

Mom and Mei-Mei

Chinese Drummers

Dragon Parade

The Last Ballet Class (for now)...

JiaLi and AnMei

Pure Happiness

AnMei with her carnation

JiaLi with her carnation

Little Ballerinas

Bonus Pic -

Dressed up for Courtney and Charlie's Wedding

The Past Months in Photos

2009-04-19T15:25:00.006-05:00

You had your first dentist check-up

AnMei hanging strong

JiaLi - the brave warrior

All done - no biggie, no problems!

Beautiful AnMei
Dressed up for the Ahn Trio concert

Reading with Papa Joe

Reading with Aunt Liz

Sleeping bags?

Maybe we'll go camping this summer?

A picnic with Grandma and Grandpa

Having a blast with your grandparents

Oooh, the pretty colors of Easter eggs!

J-Bird coloring Easter eggs

AnMei with one of her eggs

Egg Hunt instructions from Grammie

JiaLi, Felina, AnMei, True

Spring time at Art Hill

Say Cheese!

Mom's most excellent composition

Unkie's Parade

2009-03-17T13:02:00.006-05:00

Girls, I wanted to share a funny story from this morning...

Today is St. Patrick's Day. Your school is in a neighborhood known as "Dog Town" and Dog Town is famous for a big St. Patrick's Day parade. Since your school is literally on the parade route, the teachers have been talking about how you will be watching the parade go by today.

The other piece of the backstory is that, as you know, you have an Uncle Patrick. You affectionately call him "Unkie".

Well this morning on the way to school you asked Mom: "When are we going to Unkie's Parade?"

Get it? Very cute.

Happy Birthday!

2009-02-12T17:06:00.005-06:00

Happy Birthday, AnMei! Happy Birthday, JiaLi!

3 years old!! Wooo-Hoooo! Mom and me are super-excited and can’t believe you’re already 3!?!?!

Who knows what 3’s will be like… some parents say their children are “more challenging” at 3 than 2, others say the exact opposite. What I can say is that we have already seen a subtle switch with both of you lately… you’re a little more in-tune, you’re a little better at exercising your independence, and you’re a lot less “baby-ish” in terms of whining and “crashes”. It’s subtle, but I find myself marveling at the “young girls” you are, rather than the “toddlers” you were.

For your birthday, which you have been waiting on since before Christmas, you were both very explicit with your wishes… birthday cakes! JiaLi wanted a chocolate cheesecake with 3 pink candles. AnMei wanted a white cake with icing. That’s what you got. We had a birthday party at our house with friends and family. It was a great time.

At age 3 you are exactly the same height… 35 ½ inches. You’re also the exact same weight… 25 lbs. Physically you fit right in with your peers… on the smaller side but not the smallest. You are both LOVING ballet class, and have learned to ride your new bikes (with training wheels, of course) -- pictures below. You both courageously try new things, except food, and joyfully go through each day. Life is good!

As always, especially on this day, I think about your China parents. As we mark this day as another year in your lives, it is important to remember your birth country and birth family, and give thanks to their role in our family.

Little Ballerinas

2009-01-24T15:57:00.008-06:00

Today was your long awaited first ballet class! You’ve both been looking forward to this day since before Christmas, it was wonderful to see your excitement this morning.

Your class is at COCA, a community arts center here in University City, and started at 10:00am. You had your leotards, tights and ballet slippers all ready to go and appeared to be walking on air when you entered the studio. Mom and I watched from a 2-way mirror, huddled with a dozen other parents.

You guys did great!! You were both enthusiastic, had no problems following the teachers and best of all… you had a GREAT time. You twirled, pirouetted, dipped, and glided around the room. You were beautiful.

After class you were both giddy, and quick to point out while we watched some older girls that you were learning how to do all those moves in your class.

Something tells me that you’ll be spending a lot of time at COCA. I certainly hope so!!

AnMei... can you see the joy on your face?

Getting ready

JiaLi, a beautiful ballerina!

Watching an avanced class before your class begins

Mom was so excited for you both.

I couldn't have been more proud

Making a new friend before class

All the little ballerinas

You were at the far end

On your "dots" paying most excellent attention

Stretching... gotta loosen up those back muscles

Christmas 2008

2009-01-07T20:45:00.005-06:00

Christmas morning 2008

You had a great Christmas this year in Cleveland!

I’d say the family time together was definitely the highlight. You had a great time playing with Mathew, Colin, and Carmella; and you had some good bonding time with your Aunts Denise, Gigi, and Katie. Of course, Grandma and Grandpa were right there all the time too, and you did great visiting the extended family at parties. Mom and I did our best to unwind from our current busy schedules, and it was nice to have the quality time together as a family each day.

Santa didn’t disappoint, but the party schedule wore you out not surprisingly. On top of that you weren’t rock-star sleepers this week… despite the new “big girl” trundle beds (thanks Grandma and Grandpa!) the struggles at night were a challenge.

Seeing you open your presents was great. I’d say your favorite gifts this year are the Hello Kitty dolls that Jessica got you at Build-a-Bear. We left them in St. Louis and half-way through the week in Cleveland you both expressed how much you missed them; since we’ve been home you’ve been inseparable. Your big gifts this year were bicycles, and we’re excited about warmer weather to try them out. You also got ballet outfits… your first ballet classes are right around the corner!

2 funny things stand out in my mind about the Christmas gifts… Amid all the neat presents you both gravitated toward the $.50 “pen wands” that Colin picked out for you. A lesson to us all about the simple things. Also, when JiaLi was opening a box of clothes you pulled out the clothing hangers and, in a completely sincere and genuine voice said, “Wow, I got hangers.” So cute!

AnMei, Carmella, JiaLi

The Scolaro Clan

Aunt Katie, Gigi, and Denise with Mommy

Mommy on Christmas morning

When you got new clothes, you had to try them on right away.

Grandma and Grandpa Scolaro

Chrismas night at Nonna and Nonno's house

Decorating cookies with Mathew

Carmella joins the fun

Fixing the "Winter Wonderland" bears with Grandma

Your Great Grandfather Scolaro - Nonno

JiaLi with Santa

AnMei loving it

Chilling with the Leuper

A lucky break in the Cleveland weather

Gotcha Day + 2y

2008-12-24T22:17:00.003-06:00

Today marked the 2nd year anniversary of Gotcha Day and the day we became a family. On the one hand we have certainly had our fair share of trials and tribulations, yet on the other hand I cannot believe that 2 years have already passed. Your Mom and I were recollecting about how you were just little babies in Nanchang, and now you are singing Hark the Herald to a crowd of strangers... amazing!

The day started simple enough… as usual we are at Grandma and Grandpa’s house in Cleveland and you woke up around 8:00am (thanks for the extra sleep this morning!). We went down and had some cereal and told you why today was a special day. Thanks to many of your books, you’re both familiar with “adoption stories” and you were interested to hear your story… to a point. About the time we got the gotcha moment you became more interested in the cereal and milk than the story. I’m sure we’ll get farther into the story each year.

After that we enjoyed the rest of the day with your cousins, Aunts, and Grandparents, wrapped up with Christmas Eve mass at Hope and Mark’s house. We marveled all day about how much you have grown and developed in these short 2 years. We are so proud and happy, because you both seem so happy and confident. You are both smart, beautiful, sensitive, inquisitive little girls, and you melt our hearts more than ever!

Right now you are both VERY independent. “No, I can do it” is you mantra. You are ready to be “big girls” and don’t want anything tied to toddlers… boosters - nope. You are ready for dance class and can’t wait to start ballet when we return to St. Louis. AnMei has become the daredevil, bravely trying new things. JiaLi is a self-proclaimed climber, as she loves the challenge of scaling all things, especially me. I’ll bet gymnastics for both of you is right around the corner.

So AnMei and JiaLi… your Mommy and me couldn’t be happier parents. You’ve made our lives double-blessed times 100 and we so look forward to being a part of your lives. Because of you, this is the most special day of the year for us. We love you!

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

2008-12-11T19:36:00.002-06:00

Cousin Colin

2008-12-08T20:32:00.005-06:00

Your cousin, Colin, came in from Cleveland this weekend. He's 11 and bravely flew alone for the first time to come see you, and boy did we have a great time! He's such a nice, sweet boy and you both really enjoyed him, and we certainly crammed in a lot of fun...

Watching the Grinch with Colin

Colin helping you pick things for Santa's List

Breakfast at Pomme, of course

We went ice skating!!!

Colin REALLY wanted to go, and you both did too. Mom and I were a little worried but thought "what the heck." Boy were we wrong... you loved it!! You walked around like experts and couldn't get enough ice time. It was a real fun experience.

Colin on the ice

Mom showing her skating moves

We also took a carriage ride to see Christmas lights at Tilles Park.

Another really fun experience -- even though it was freezing cold.

This is Rex, our lovely carriage horse

On a train ride at the St. Louis City Museum

Colin "exploring" the museum

...you are right behind him...

... and I'm bringing up the rear

Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T21:10:00.006-06:00

Girls, we are thankful for you!

We had a great Thanksgiving this year... you had a great time playing with your cousins Felina and True, which allowed Mom and me to watch you and enjoy the day.

AnMei being silly.

Felina, AnMei, True, JiaLi

True and Granny on Thanksgiving Friday

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving we decorated the house for Christmas. You both did an excellent job of hanging ornaments. Now our house definitely has the holiday spirit.

Halloween Monkeys

2008-11-08T21:11:00.005-06:00

You guys had a great Halloween! You both love Curious George books, so it was no surprise that you wanted to be monkeys.

It took about 2 houses before you realized the process, and then you ran and giggled the rest of the night. It was as if you were on a sugar rush from just collecting the candy.

We did 2 blocks on Stanford. With the houses we know well you attempted to tell your first joke... Knock-Knock -- Who's There? -- Boo -- Boo Who? -- Didn't mean to make you cry. It was cute.

This is my Halloween costume... see if you can figure it out. Only one person did while we were trick-or-treating.

Yes We Can

2008-11-05T16:19:00.005-06:00

AnMei and JiaLi,

Yesterday was a historic day for our country. We elected Barack Obama as the first black man to serve as President of the United States of America.

It’s a dramatic new direction for the country that I suspect will have a profound impact on your lives. To understand the reasons why, you must understand the context...

The founding of our country has the indelible stain of African-American slavery. More than a century before my birth we had a Civil War over the issue in which slavery was abolished. In the decades leading up to my birth, our country went through the Civil Rights movement, which was the long struggle of minorities for equal rights and opportunities. The leader of the movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., called it “A Dream.” Yesterday, Barack Obama fulfilled that dream.

So why will this impact your lives? Barack Obama ran a campaign based on HOPE and UNITY. It was a unique approach for modern-day politics, and he tapped into the shifting face of America -- a mosaic of race, gender, age and creed unlike any in history. It’s a mosaic that mirrors our family. By electing Barack Obama the country made a HUGE statement acknowledging and embracing this evolving diversity and the opportunity it brings.

I gives me renewed hope and optimism for the future it opens up for you.

School Girls and Big Girl Beds

2008-10-25T16:07:00.008-05:00

Big Girls Beds

Another milestone… you are no longer in cribs!

Since you’re about 95% potty trained, Mom and I thought it was time to switch you to big-girl beds. It’s hard to take you out of diapers at night if you can’t get out of your crib to use the bathroom.

We’ve been talking about it for a couple weeks now, and you were both super-excited. Mom and me are super-worried… we hope you don’t realize you can now roam free during the night.

It couldn't have gone better! There were lots of trips to the "bathroom" the first few nights right at bedtime, but that's it! You've both been sleeping better all night, and you both LOVE your beds!

Update on School...

You are doing great at school!

The first week was pretty tough during the drop-offs. The second week wasn’t much better. After the first day, you quickly realized what was going on when Mommy or me took you to school, and you didn’t like being left behind.

But then, out of nowhere, everything fell in place. On the first day of the third week Mommy took you in like usual. You both hung your backpacks up in your cubbies and turned to Mommy and said “Bye-bye, Daddy will pick us up later. We need to go to the Safari room now for breakfast.” At that was it, from that point on you’ve had no problems and really enjoy school.

That’s the best part of it all… you both really seem to enjoy it. Your teachers, Miss Missy and Miss Anisa, both think your amazing and have nothing but great things to report. School has really helped with you language skills, as you’re both exploding verbally. It’s been great… you seem stimulated and challenged in just the right way.

Pumpkin Patch

We visited the same pumpkin patch we went to last year when Grandma and Grandpa Scolaro were visiting. It was again a fun time, and neat for mom and I to see you growing up so quickly.

A couple fun stories about each of you…
AnMei, you’ve been quite the little artist lately. Just within the past week you’ve gone from wild scribbling to more precise drawings, and they’re pretty darn good. Your first drawing was a “worm” and, although quite rudimentary, it was big step forward from scribbling. The other night you drew a “strawberry” and it was dead-on. You really concentrate when drawing, and it’s joyful to watch.

JiaLi, your powers of observation are astounding. I ordered shrimp at the dinner the other night and was dipping them in cocktail sauce. When I told you what it was, you said “Hmmm, I thought that was ketchup.” The other night we all were talking about stars and I started singing the song “The Age of Aquarius.” You said “Daddy, that has nothing to do with stars, why are you singing that?” Your ability to connect things together in your mind has really impressed us lately.

Barack Obama

2008-10-25T15:59:00.003-05:00

Girls, your polical opinions are already forming and it looks like you're Barack Obama fans. What great insight you have at the tender age of 2!!

The cute thing is that you both add an extra "ma" at the end of his name... Barack Obama-ma.

Photo Shoot

2008-10-25T15:41:00.004-05:00

Since you are the most beautiful girls on the planet we wanted to capture your toddler years and hired a professional photographer… Michelle Huesgen of Untamedheart Photography. Mommy collected a bunch of adorable outfits and we were blessed with a beautiful day at Faust Park.

The photo shoot couldn’t have gone better. You’re often times shy, and have never been real hams in front of the camera; but not this day! You both were lovely, and fun, and funny. We were anxious to see the photos, and flipped when we saw them.

Nothing can ever top the referral photos from China, but these are amazing. The two shown above are teasers posted by Michelle on her blog… the others are just as fantastic, as I’m sure you’ll see when you’re older.

First Day of School

2008-09-06T21:28:00.005-05:00

Little Girls is right!

You both have been doing so well at home with Jessica, and seemingly ready to learn more and more each day… we felt the time was right for pre-school.

Your first day was yesterday, September 3rd. What a BIG day for all of us!

First off, your Mom was a nervous wreck. She couldn’t believe this was already a reality and she was so nervous about how you would feel. I was a little nervous too and expected it to be difficult… but we both knew you were ready.

You woke up around 7:30 raring and ready to go. You’ve been excited about this day for weeks… reading “Curious George’s First Day at School”, you had your new pink New Balance shoes and, most importantly, your Dora Backpacks, which we couldn’t pry off of you for 2 days. As we were getting dressed it was interesting to observe that you began realizing what exactly was about to happen… “I don’t want you to drop me off.” But overall, excitement describes the morning.

I kissed you good-bye at the house and mom took you to school. Here’s the story I got after dropping you off… “We walked in and everything went great. We went back to their room and put everything in their cubbies. They actually both went poo-poo on the potty! The other kids were outside, so we went to join them. AnMei immediately wanted to swing and JiaLi wanted to push. They were doing well, so I said good-bye and they gave me high-fives. As we had planned, I kissed them, turned, and walked confidently out. By the time I reached the car I was bawling.”

We called several times to check on you, and each time got good reports. Occasional crying, support from one another, overall doing well, especially considering your first day. We were SO PROUD of you both!

So later that afternoon I came to pick you up. I walked into your room and you were sitting at a table with the other kids eating a snack. Your backs were to the door so you didn’t see me come in. I bent down and said “Hello AnMei and JiaLi.” You both turned around, smiled, and said “Hi Dada, we’re eating a snack” and you turned around and kept eating… what a riot! After you finished your snack we gathered our things and went home. I swear you immediately seemed older to me!

What a BIG day… what a GREAT day!

Getting out of bed... first day of school.

Girls, this is a picture of you with Jessica, your nanny for the past 18 months. We went to dinner with Jessica and her boyfriend to celebrate your passage into school. Jessica has been amazing... she's been a consistent loving and nurturing presence in your lives. It's obvious you all love each other, and Mom and me are so grateful for everything Jessica has done. She's going to be helping us going forward, so we'll be seeing her... hopefully a lot!

This is the picture the day before your first day of school. For weeks you had been excitedly asking about and waiting for BACKPACKS! Every day you pointed out mine and talked about getting yours when you "were a little older are were going to school". We walked around the neighborhood with your new backpacks, it was hilarious.

Potty Training

2008-09-06T21:24:00.002-05:00

You are becoming such "little girls"

Toasting with Starbucks smoothies.

Before we went to Cleveland for Katie and Milton’s wedding we had tried to start the potty-training process with so-so results. A few accidents, nothing major, but you didn’t seem totally ready. With all the activity and new surroundings at Grandma’s house, we decided to go back to diapers in Cleveland. About half-way through the week it seemed like something clicked and you both said “I’m a big girl now… no more diapers.” That sounded like a great plan AFTER we were back in St. Louis.

Well, you two don’t miss a thing… we got back to St. Louis LATE… 11:30pm. You were both fast-asleep in the car when we pulled into our driveway. Mom and me lifted you out of your car seats and were carrying you in on our shoulders. As we entered the house, first JiaLi said “No more diapers, DaDa” and then AnMei repeated the same thing. We thought you were both sleeping! Your Mom and me just laughed.

From that point on you’ve been without diapers during the day! Pretty much no accidents either… you now remind me that “we’re no longer babies… we’re little girls now.”

PS - We also had our first official throw-up incident. The lucky first was AnMei. The funny thing is that you didn’t even realize it was bad or hard… you were actually giddy. “Daddy, something came out of my mouth and I don’t know what it was. Ha Ha Ha” You are amazing.

Aunt Katie and UNCLE Milton

2008-09-06T21:11:00.004-05:00

For the summer trip to Cleveland this year, we went in August to celebrate Aunt Katie and Uncle Milton’s wedding! We drove and stayed at Grandma and Grandpa’s house for the week with Aunt GiGi and Mathew. Of course, Aunt Denise, Colin and “baby” Carmella were around all the time, so we had the whole family together, which was awesome!

The wedding was beautiful for Katie and Milton, and for you being 2-year olds, it was a good time for you too! You REALLY wanted to go on the wedding-party bus and were very disappointed when it wasn’t there at the reception. You both were adorable in your beautiful dresses and special necklaces and bracelets that Mom got for you.

It was another week in Cleveland that went by too quickly… there never seems to be enough time!

Baby Carmella

You were VERY "good" at church

Sassy?

Aunts Denise, Katie, GiGi and Mommy

Look in the background... we were at Nonna/Nonno's house

... and you were chasing deers...

you couldn't understand why they didn't let you pet them!

Uncle Tom McIntyre

2008-09-06T21:08:00.004-05:00

Girls, on August 13, 2008 the world lost a great man that you never had the opportunity to meet.

I remember thinking that my Uncle Tom was a real-life superhero when I was a child. I called him “Mr. Wonderful” and he called me “Wheatly” because I was so tall and thin. He played football in college and almost in the NFL. He was in the Peace Corp as a young man… I still remember his calls home on Christmas Eve at Great-Grandma’s house -- the family’s excitement level went through the roof. He went on to teach, coach, and ultimately become the Superintendent of Schools in Melbourne, Florida. He is the model father and husband. He was only 57 when he left this world, but he made an impact on this world far beyond his years and will always be an inspiration to literally thousands of people. Your mother and I will miss him dearly.

Surprise… Dad is 40!

2008-09-06T20:54:00.010-05:00

Well girls, your Dad had a big birthday and Mom really helped me celebrate it.

It started off with a wonderful surprise party at Grammie’s house. Your Dad is usually pretty hard to surprise, but Mom really pulled it off… I had no idea it was coming. I felt honored to have so many friends and family come to celebrate my birthday, and Mom arranged for this awesome 2-person band to entertain us all day and night. Your Uncles made me an emotional picture video recapping my 40 years (you’ve already become a big part of that history) and, of course, you were both there to help me celebrate, which was the best part of all!

After the party we took a trip to New York City. It was my first trip to NYC and our first trip away from you! We were SOOOO nervous to leave you! Grandma and Grandpa Scolaro came to St. Louis to watch you, so we knew you were in good hands.

For us, it was weird to be away from you. We fantasized about sleeping in, but couldn’t. Overall, though, we had a short, yet good trip. 2 days in NYC isn’t enough. You guys did great… Grandma and Grandpa loved it, although they left a little tired noting that “they are a lot of work!”

All-in-all… I couldn’t have asked for a better 40th birthday!

Having dinner in Little It'ly

Dad at the Wall Street Bull

Surprise Party Pics...

I didn't have the presence of mind to take a lot of pictures at my surprise birthday party... these are the only two we have.

Reunion Weekend

2008-07-14T21:09:00.007-05:00

This past weekend we had fun with 2 visits… first with new friends from China and then with old friends from KU.

Last weekend was the CHI Annual Reunion and we enjoyed a visit from one of the families we were with in China… Trish Murray, Dave Leck and their little princess, Alayna from Kansas City. We had a wonderful afternoon together. After a brief shy period you all warmed up and had a blast together. Alayna is very cute and is doing great… we all loved the visit!

AnMei, Alayna, JiaLi - Jiangxi Girls

The next day you got to meet the Olree Army for the first time. Andy and Michele are good friends from KU, and they were in town from Denver with their 5 (FIVE) kids. You were all about Rachel, their 9-year old daughter.

Ryan, Ethan, AnMei, Rachel, JiaLi

The Start of Summer

2008-06-30T21:37:00.007-05:00

Summer is upon us, and so far everything is great! You’ve both had your moments of being “two,” but overall your mother and I still can’t believe how lucky we are to have you and be able to hold each of you each day.

You’re both downright funny. For 2 year olds, your sense of humor is out of this world. You’re also beginning to tell longer and longer stories. Sometimes it takes several excited minutes for all the words to come out. Most of the time we understand what you’re saying, especially by the 6th time since you have to say the same story several times each. Tonight when I got home from work, JiaLi had to tell me all about the scab that came off your heel again and needed another band-aide and nedospooreen. AnMei was telling me about her preparations for a picnic outside with our cooler, not grammie’s (who apparently has a similar cooler), for her horsies and baby Jacobs.

Lately you’ve become very fond of your dolls, which are all called Baby Jacobs. (Undoubtedly named after your little cousin, who must have made a big impact at Lily’s 3rd birthday party.) You tote them around, put them to bed, change their diapers… you name it. We’ve observed you processing issues with them many times, like “Baby Jacob is mad, so he hit baby Jacob. He needs to take a rest.” “Baby Jake, it’s time to go to bed. No talking.” It’s amazing to watch you learn and see you processing things. I can’t believe how insightful and smart you both are, and I’m not just looking through my dad-colored lenses when I say that.

Below are a couple groups of pictures that pretty much sum up our fun over the past month, with a couple additions… You both had your first sleep-over this past month. Grammie and Papa Joe were the brave pioneers, and it went great. No problems at all, and Grammie and Papa Joe loved it! Even though it was hard, Mom and Dad enjoyed the break too… it’s been over 18 months since we enjoyed a slow, leisurely breakfast at Pomme!

Dragon Boat Races
This first group is for the Dragon Boat races, which were at Creve Coeur Lake. Dragon Boat races are a cultural tradition in China, and since one of you books talks about them you were both excited to go. It was fun, you both love to splash in any type of water.

Planting Flowers
Here we are enjoying a sunny, Sunday afternoon. You’re helping mommy plant flowers… I love that you’re not afraid to get your hands dirty!

Fun at the Wichlenski’s
You both had a blast visiting Johnie, Joey and the Wichlenskis. Chasing after those boys was hard work. You both “played” baseball for the first time, and Johnie patiently taught you how to shoot a water gun for the first time.

Coffee with your Babies
Unscripted, you painstakingly arranged your babies on the steps and joined them with mom and dad’s coffee mugs. They’re all baby Jakes, except for your absolute favorites, Emmy and Ellie. You can both spot a Starbucks a mile away.

Fun with Water
Here’s a brief video of you playing with water. Hearing you laugh and giggle while splashing around is the sweetest music I’ve ever heard.

May 2008

2008-05-26T22:16:00.008-05:00

Hello Girls,

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, sorry about that! Overall life has been pretty busy lately… it’s not easy chasing around after twin 2-year olds. On top of that Mommy is starting her private practice and my business is as busy as ever.

But alas, summer is almost upon us, which is a blessing. This spring you both suffered from bad allergies and, even though summer can be unbearably hot, we’re looking forward to the new season and hopefully some relief. You’ve both been uncomfortable, but poor little JiaLi has been pretty much stopped-up for 2 months.

When the pollen count is down and you’re feeling better, you two are amazingly fun to be around. When you’re not feeling as good you’re still fun, but a little less flexible… who could blame you!

Let’s see… what’s new… I won’t even mention about how well your language skills are -- you’re bona fide talkers. You have both picked up on some of the cutest little expressions… “Look guys, a caterpillar.” “I don’t really like that.” “JiaLi, are you feeling better now?” “AnMei, did that hurt you a little bit?”

You have very particular ideas about things… you each have your “own” water bottles (AnMei - blue, JiaLi - yellow), silverware (JiaLi - red, AnMei - green), car seats (AnMei - yellow, JiaLi - pink), crocks (JiaLi - blue, AnMei - purple)… you name it. If there is something you regularly use, you have figured out who’s who. Which is interesting, because lately we’ve seen a big push towards “mine”; not as it relates to sharing with each other or other kids but as it relates to mommy and me. Daddy, this is my chair, not yours. Mommy, this is my hat, not yours. You’re definitely trying to figure out your space.

You’re eating well and have pretty much outgrown all of your clothes. Every time we put something on that no longer fits you say “Here’s another one for baby Mamello (Carmela)”. And shoes, you already love shoes! It won’t surprise me if you both have closets full of shoes one day.

Mother's Day - 2008

Pigtails - being "girls"

Chinese Culture Days in the Missouri Botanical Gardens

Enjoying your kitchen set.

Fun at Nadoz Cafe

Celebrating Lily's 3rd Birthday

Miss Katie

2008-04-20T21:50:00.004-05:00

This weekend we had the pleasure of a visit from "Miss" Katie. Even though we repeatedly tried to correct you into calling her "Aunt" Katie, you couldn't get away from "Miss" Katie.

Another good weekend, especially seeing Katie. You've both been battling colds, 2-year molars, sleeping challenges, and who knows what else, but you LOVED Katie and we all truly enjoyed her visit!

Grandma and Grandpa

2008-04-20T21:44:00.006-05:00

Grandma and Grandpa Scolaro came for a visit a few weekends ago and we all had a great time. JiaLi... you were all about Grandpa. AnMei... you were the same with Grandma. The whole weekend we kept hearing "No, I want Grandpa to do it." "Grandma hold me." It was cute.

Annabelle

2008-04-20T21:37:00.005-05:00

Girls, this is one of your babysitters... Annabelle. You really like her, but that's not a surprise considering Annabelle is so smart, compassionate, fun and energetic. Mom and Dad really like her too, especially since she gives us a break to go out and have dinner by ourselves every once in a while.

Miracle Mario

2008-04-08T10:20:00.005-05:00

Girls, our alma mater (and your future alma mater) just won one of the most dramatic games in college basketball history.

Kansas beat Memphis 75-68 to win the National Championship. Your mom and I were EXTREMELY excited. You have both been excited and cheering on the Jayhawks too!

February 2007

October 2007

Rock Chalk, Jayhawk, KU!

Overdue Update

2008-03-26T21:41:00.005-05:00

Easter was chilly this year.

It’s been a long time since my last post and a lot has happened…

First off, everyone is doing well and things continue to be wonderful, but there have been a few bumps in the road over the past several weeks.

We struggled through a tough sleepless nights period that seemed to come from nowhere. As I’ve blogged many times before, since the first time-zone adjustments you both have been rock-star sleepers… down by 8pm and solid sleep until 8am. For your mom and me it has been heaven. But about a month ago that all changed, starting one night where you were both inconsolable and none of us managed more than a few hours of sleep. Then we suffered through day-after-day of struggles… struggles to go to bed, major wake-ups in the middle of the night, getting up WAY too early in the morning.

We couldn’t figure out what was going on. Had we developed bad habits from a family bout with the flu? Were you going through a second separation phase that is known to start around the time children begin acquiring their language skills? Were you simply developing your ability to wrap us around your fingers? We sensed you weren’t “playing” us, but were in the middle of a challenging new phase. Well, just about the time we were about to seek out help from a sleep specialist, things started getting better… so I’m knocking on wood that we continue to see progress and return to restful nights.

It’s interesting, we had noticed leading up to this that you had begun a role-playing game together. One of you would lie down on the floor; the other would toss a blanket over you and leave the room, closing the door. A few seconds later the one under the blanket would make a fake, baby cry and the other would come rushing in the door. You would both giggle, switch, and repeat the process endlessly. We thought it was cute and in hindsight realize you were at the beginning stages of working this out, even before you were struggling in your real routines.

It’s also interesting that we gained new insight into your present personalities. AnMei, when you’re anxious you’re a tad withdrawn and easily agitated. You’re not very responsive to reasoning and are determined to get your way. JiaLi, you’re more of a nervous jabber-mouth. You rattle off comments and directions to everyone, including your sister. Here’s an exchange I heard the other night that sums it up…

… both girls struggling to settle down…
JiaLi “AnMei, lay on your stomach.”
AnMei “No, back”
JiaLi “No AnMei, lay on your stomach.”
AnMei “No, back”
JiaLi “AnMei, lay on your stomach.”
AnMei “Whaaaaahhhhhh!”

Another big incident was our second trip to the ER. I’m not super-excited about posting this, but I suppose it is part of the story… A few weekends ago Mom went to Lawrence for a weekend visit with friends and I was trying to get you ready for your naps on Saturday afternoon. JiaLi, I was leading you by the hand out of the bathroom (you’re both fascinated right now with your “potty”) and you decided to protest and threw yourself to the ground. Well, I didn’t let go of your hand and a few minutes later I realized that your arm was hurt. Luckily one of our good friends, Anna, came over to watch AnMei as I took you to the Children’s Hospital, where they fixed your “nursemaids elbow”. It’s a common dislocation with young children that is easily fixed and has no long-term impact… but jeeze… what a challenging experience!

So what else… your language skills continue to explode. It is wonderful to hear you finding your voices and putting thoughts together. You both mimic absolutely everything out of our mouths. We enjoyed a couple recent holidays… St. Patrick’s Day at my Uncle Dan/Aunt Kathy’s house and Easter at Great-Grandma/Grandpa McIntyre’s house. The weather is finally starting to get better, which is great because you are dog-tired of the house these days. I don’t blame you one bit! You have been enthusiastically cheering on the Jayhawks with Dad, and your favorite DVD is Mulan, up until the scary part about 15 minutes in… which is a perfect time to shut it off and play.

Pictures from a Sunday afternoon at Los Decks...

----

Virginia shirts from our friend, Abby.

The only decent picture we got from a Chinese New Year

party organized by the FCC-St. Louis.

Two Years Old!

2008-02-11T21:54:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday, girls!

Today we celebrated your 2nd birthdays, and you both had a great day. You woke up to a house decorated with balloons, lanterns, and streamers. Mom and I were a little worried at first because JiaLi had a fever all day yesterday and wasn’t feeling good at bed time, but you both woke up in great moods with no signs of illness… hooray!

We started by having Dim Sum at our favorite Chinese restaurant, Wei Hung on Olive and then came back to our house for gifts and cake. There were lots of family and it was a great party. Your catch phrase for the weekend was “Mom made cupcakes for my birthday” and you were right -- mom made homemade carrot and pbj cupcakes which were delicious. Overall, it was a great birthday and we are SO happy to celebrate it with you.

Lately, you have both been talking up a storm; it’s amazing. Your vocabulary is unbelievable and you’re both putting together long, complex sentences. It’s wonderful to watch you break out new words and thoughts each day. Physically, you’re doing great in that category too… you both now weigh 24 pounds and continue to outgrow your cloths every few months. Things are just clipping along and you are both thriving and continue to make your mom and me so very happy.

On the day we celebrate your birth, we would be remiss if we didn’t take a moment to think about your birth parents. We have very little information about the circumstances related to your birth, but I personally believe that somewhere in China your birth parents are thinking about you and hoping you are loved and doing well. Today is a day I think about the difficult decision they were destined to make that enabled us to become a family and forever share this distant, yet strong triad bond. I pray that somehow, whether through a ray of sunshine or the song of a bird, that they receive some sign of peace that you are loved beyond words, because indeed you are.

A hug at Wei Hung

Darwin in the party mood... JiaLi needing a nap

Girl Power... Felina, Lily, JiaLi, and AnMei

Grandma Patty and Papa Jack

Uncle Eric and Aunt Meghan

True and Miles

Papa Joe, Uncle Kevin, Grammie, and Aunt Donna

Ning (Donna's mom), Great Grandma & Grandpa McIntyre

Miles, Aunt Julie, and Lily

Opening your mini-piano

Bonus Pictures...

Dad with KU buddies at Keystone

Making Rainbows

TuTus

2008-02-11T21:30:00.000-06:00

I've been wanting to post this one for a while, but couldn't find the time.

Our good friend in Raliegh, Charlotte, sent to one things all little girls adore... puffy, bright tu-tus!

Bobbsey Twins

2008-01-21T21:20:00.000-06:00

This weekend you got your first haircut, and you couldn’t look cuter!

You both still have that fine, wispy baby hair, and lately it has been looking rather straggly. Mom’s been ready to have a clean-up cut for weeks, and on Saturday we finally took the plunge.

We had been preparing you all week and you were ready. After breakfast at Pomme in Clayton, we went to “Hot Cuts for Kids” on Hanley Road, which was the perfect spot. Each station is equipped with a cool “car/truck” to sit in as well as a DVD player. You both chose “Nemo,” no surprise there, and were actually excited to get into the “red fire truck” to have Miss Alisha get started.

JiaLi, being slightly braver at this point when it comes to new things, you went first. You had no problem at all as your sister patiently (kinda) insisted that it was her turn in the red truck. AnMei, when it was your turn you were very happy turning the steering wheel and ringing the bell.

Before we knew it, you both had adorable little bobs… mom and I love your haircuts!

Our first hair cut.

JiaLi goes first.

No problems.

AnMei's turn.

How cute is that bob?

Post-Holidays Wrap

2008-01-21T21:15:00.000-06:00

Girls, life has been busy and it has taken me a while to get my post-holidays entry up, but things went great this year in Cleveland!

Considering this was your first ever Christmas trip to Cleveland, it couldn’t have gone better. You were very comfortable at Grandma and Grandpa’s house and loved all the extra attention from your cousins, aunts and grandparents. You slept like rock stars the whole week, ate well, and were your typical wonderful selves - happy and energetic.

It was a big week for your mom and me as we reflected often about how we were experiencing things a year ago in China with you. We couldn’t believe that our first year together had gone by so fast and that we all were doing so well as a family!

One thing we missed was the normal Cleveland snow -- no snow the entire week. One thing we won’t miss is “By Your Side” by Sade -- you both wanted that song played over and over and over. We must have played that song 100 times in Cleveland. Every time we got in “dadda’s car” we would instantly hear a sweet little chorus from the back seat, “By Your Side, Momma” It was too cute to deny.

The car ride home went pretty good, all things considered. AnMei, with about 2 hours to go you had reached the end of your rope, and we couldn’t blame you. We struggled home, battling the sun shinning in, and you were very happy to finally be back in your home and own room. It was a great trip that I know your mom and I will cherish forever.

The Jedlikas - the best kids in Cleveland!

Merry Christmas

2007-12-26T14:06:00.000-06:00

Christmas was great and the girls had a blast!

The girls have been in wonderful moods the entire trip and are a total crack-up. On Christmas morning all the immediate Scolaro family got together for a great celebration. Girls, you have become pros at opening gifts -- and that didn’t take long! Your biggest gift is at home… a kitchen set from Pottery Barn. JiaLi, you liked playing with the Rubik’s cube and toy maracas. AnMei, you enjoyed the toy veggies from Aunt Katie and the Princess castle from Santa.

We were a little worried on the way to your great grandparents house on Christmas afternoon… you were both a bit tired and cranky. We didn’t know how you’d react to another party, especially since Santa usually shows up. But, as usual, you were amazing. After we gave you some of Nona’s famous and delicious ravioli, you both rebounded with vigor. You ran around, having fun, and were all too happy to accept more gifts! You even sat on Santa’s lap without hesitation!

So far, so good… things couldn’t be going better!

Christmas morning

Aunt Denise helping the girls

Mom and AnMei

Opening Gifts - you are SO cute!

Gift opening experts!

Self Portrait

Mom and Santa

Nonna and Nonno

Santa

Playing Nonna's organ

Christmas Dinner

Playing in the Princess House with Grandma

Gotcha Day Anniversary!

2007-12-26T13:49:00.000-06:00

Girls, we first met you exactly one year ago!! Wow!!! It has been an amazing year… you have filled our lives with more joy than we ever could have imagined, and our love for you overflows our hearts. Last year in Nanchang we caught our first glimpse of the parent-child bond… it is amazingly beautiful and grows stronger every day.

I remember this day last year clearly. Mom and I woke up in Beijing VERY early in the morning. We were too nervous and excited to sleep. We went down to the gym in the hotel to work out, and then made our way to the airport. We COULD NOT believe that later in the day we would be meeting you for the first time.

Mom seemed composed and strong, yet anxious to for the moment. I felt so nervous I was pale and had a stomach ache. We arrived at our hotel in Nanchang and had an hour to get the room and ourselves ready for the big moment. Then we loaded onto a bus with the other 14 families for the Adoption Center. It was an eerily quiet ride, as everyone was on pins and needles. Aunt Liz was there taking pictures and video, capturing the moment for us and providing us much needed support.

When we walked into that wood-paneled room all the babies, you included, were there waiting for us. We all spread out to look for the faces we had been staring at on the referral photos, and then I heard someone say “There’s the twins.” Like a bolt of lightening we headed toward you and caught our first glimpse of your beautiful faces. You were bundled in many layers, dressed in red knit outfits. Your nannies were holding you and, once they realized we were your parents, they started to point us out. You looked at us but it didn’t register what was at hand… what an experience you were about to go through!

After only a few minutes they called our names, checked our passports, and then handed you to us for the first time. Wow - WHAT A MOMENT IN THE HISTORY OF OUR FAMILY!! At first you were patient, wondering when this would be over. We took some pictures and then you were ready to go back to the loving arms of your nannies. When they left, after only 15 minutes or so, you were not too happy, neither of you. JiaLi was especially upset but both of you were distressed. Mom held JiaLi on the bus back to the hotel, I held AnMei.

The rest of the night went quick in my mind. We got you to the hotel and took all those layers of clothing off you. We wanted to squeeze your feet and tickle your bellies. The looks on your faces for those first few hours are priceless… you look scared, confused, and alone. We could see it and new it was the first part of our journey together as a family. A difficult part for sure, but one we could not avoid. Here we were, starting the processing of being the forever family your mom and I had always dreamed of. We wanted to make you understand how much we loved you already, but it would take time for that to sink in and it was not possible for that first night to be easy. When you finally fell asleep from exhaustion, the feelings of joy and relief your mom and I felt are indescribable. We were together, finally, as a family.

AnMei and JiaLi, we were destined to be a family. You complete us. We SO look forward to parenting you, watching you grow and develop, and showering you with as much love as is humanly possible.

December 24, 2006 - the day we started our journey together as a family -- we COULD NOT ask for more!

Mom and JiaLi - Gotcha Day

Mom and AnMei - Gotcha Day

Dad in his custom Emporers Jacket from China

Sleepy AnMei on Gotcha morning

JiaLi - ready to go!

What a cutie... guess who?

Gotcha Breakfast with cousin Colin

Cleveland, OH

2007-12-23T20:50:00.000-06:00

Well, we made it to Cleveland for Christmas!

Actually, the car trip COULD NOT have been better. We may pay for it on the ride home, but the girls were absolutely perfect for the entire 12 hours it took us to drive to Melissa's parent's house. They sat in their seats, peaceful and quiet, holding their baby dolls the entire time -- and I am not exaggerating at all. I don't know what we owe it to, other than confirmation of how lucky we are.

It is very hard to believe that tomorrow is the one year anniversary to Gotcha Day. ONE YEAR! I have a hard time comprehending it all, really. We thought on the drive up that we all had long journeys last year at this time as well, journeys that would unite us a family. Now, we were taking the journey TOGETHER!

Well, I might get a little sappy over the next few days, as I'm feeling emotions building inside of me that I have never felt before. If I could express how I feel it would sound like a 1,000 piece orchestra playing loud, beautiful music -- powerful and harmonious together. When I think about it, that is what comes to my mind.

The girls are in bed now (sleeping well so far this trip). Last year on this night I was nervous to meet them. This year I am nervous to get up and hold them, knowing we have made it triumphantly through our first year as a family. It's a different kind of nerves this year... I love how these nerves feel!

AnMei and Grandma

JiaLia and Grandpa

The girls settling in quickly

Cousing Mathew with JiaLi

Having dinner in Cleveland

Before Cleveland we had a great visit with Patrick,

back from a very successful first semester at SMU.

Uncle Patrick brought ponies, and the girls loved them.

Coloring (mostly on the paper)

More Yel-lowwwww

2007-12-12T20:42:00.001-06:00

It’s hilarious to be around town with the girls these days. They are always on the look out and have a keen eye for spotting Christmas lights. When they see white lights their cute little voices call out… “more yel-lowwww.” And then every once in a while they’ll mix it up and say “ooh, more.”

We took them to Tilles Park, who has a HUGE Christmas light display. The girls were in awe. We heard over a hundred “more yel-lowws” and “ooh, mores” during the 15 minute drive through the park.

I don’t know if they could be much cuter!

Being Thankful

2007-11-26T21:41:00.000-06:00

We certainly have a lot to be thankful for… our girls, each other, our extended family, our health, our humor (occasionally), our friends… did I mention AnMei and JiaLi? This was a special Thanksgiving, to say the least.

It’s hard to imagine that last year at this time we knew who they were, but had yet to meet them… had yet to hold them. What a difference a year has made for us! It was a great Thanksgiving spent in St. Louis. On Thursday we were at Grandma/Grandpa Clendenny’s house and the girls had a blast playing with their cousins. Same thing on Friday as we celebrated at Grandpa/Grandma Deck’s house with the added bonus of seeing Great-Uncle Bill and Great-Aunt Rita from Atlanta.

The girls continue to do great. We are SO thankful. Their vocabulary is finally rapidly expanding -- it’s like music to hear their words. JiaLi knows all her colors, and AnMei says “yel-lowww” like a pro. They are bright, cheerful little girls pretty much all the time. They are excellent little helpers around the house, and even help Mom scramble eggs.

We are so, so thankful for our family and daughters.

True, Lily, and AnMei

Lily and AnMei

Future best friends?

A Day of fun in the Fall Leaves...

More Fall fun... raking leaves

Referral Day + 1Y

2007-11-02T08:29:00.000-05:00

Can you believe that one year ago today we got the big news? Twins!!!!

I can vividly remember November 2, 2006, and I can’t believe it was a year ago. It was a sunny, crisp fall day, much like today. I remember getting the call from Christina in the morning (no mention of any details), and I remember the drive with Melissa to the agency that afternoon. I drove like a nervous idiot, but we made it in one piece. When we arrived at CHI I remember the big group of people gathered to watch, which I thought was strange. Then, of course, I remember my first glimpse of the picture with 2 (TWO!) faces… magical. For the rest of the day and night I remember literally being in the phog of cloud 9. I remember the phone calls, the “open the picture labeled ‘china’” and resulting screams for all of you. I remember that we celebrated with a bottle of champagne but were too excited to eat.

This day in 2006 will live as one of the biggest days in our lives -- it was the day our dreams came true. From the moment I laid eyes on those 2 beautiful faces in the picture our lives have been a whirlwind and a thrill. Back then we felt like the luckiest people in the world, and the feeling keeps getting stronger. Here are the original pictures of the girls, and for those that want to go back to those posts, here are some links…

http://chinadecks.blogspot.com/2006/11/twins.html (TWINS!!!! - Nov. 2)
http://chinadecks.blogspot.com/2006/11/thank-you.html (Thank You! - Nov. 4)
mms://64.224.5.139/childrenshopeint.org/OUTPUT_China-%20Deck%20Twins.wmv (Referral Video)

(When copying the pictures to this post, I just realized that we had the names mixed up back then… the photos we had named as Tuan are actually JiaLi (Yuan) and the photos we had named as Yuan are actually AnMei (Tuan). As for Mom and I, it’s easy for to tell them apart now, even in those first pictures… so that’s kind of funny.)

As we start passing our first-year milestones I can feel the emotions beginning to rise. It is going to be great to reflect back on those weeks before we went to China, and then to remember the wonderful journey we took to meet our girls and experience their birth country. The holidays are going to be uniquely special this year.

The girls are doing great and had a wonderful Halloween. The bad news is that JiaLi can now climb out of her crib (it’s remarkable the way she shimmies down the side). The good news is that she hasn’t done it without an adult in the room… yet. AnMei hikes her leg up, but the only time she went over the rail she crashed on the ground… thud! Luckily we have a nice cushiony rug and she was only startled!

Los Deck - Miles, Aunt Julie, Uncle David, Lily

Ron, Heather, and Lydia (Sweet Pea) - Stanford neighbors

The Rueters - neighbors.

We had a great day at Grant's Farm a week ago...

Visit from Grand Scolaros

2007-10-28T21:21:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we enjoyed a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Scolaro. They flew in on Friday morning and we enjoyed a great time and wonderful weather. We played outside a lot, went to a pumpkin patch, had a nice dinner out in the Loop, and generally hung out together.

The girls are very comfortable with Grandma and Grandpa, and it was a joy to see them connect. True to form, JiaLi was very happy with Grandpa -- for some reason she is very comfortable with men. AnMei takes advantage of this and soaks up the attention and affection from Grandma. They’ll mix it up occasionally, but you can generally count on this set-up.

We won’t see Grandma and Grandpa again until Christmas, so it was wonderful to have such a great weekend with them.

Enjoying Forest Park

Tea Time

The ever-curious AnMei

Storytime before the afternoon nap.

Fun at the pumpkin patch...

I had to toss this picture in...

the girls are SOOO cute in their little coats!

Fall Update

2007-10-15T21:35:00.000-05:00

Groovy Girls... are they getting big?

So much to catch up on…

The girls are doing great, we couldn’t be happier. Lately they’ve been real hams, vying for our attention and totally soaking it up when we shine our spotlights on them. When they’re in good moods and are showing off, they are the absolutely funniest people on earth… we could watch them for hours!

They’ve gotten back into good sleeping patterns, which is great for us. For a while there we were getting a little worn down. They take one good nap a day now in the afternoon. That means there’s more time in the morning to do things, so that’s been fun.

On Tuesday mornings Mom takes the girls to Kinder-music. They have a great time and really enjoy it, especially the stamps Miss Lori puts on their hands at the end. That’s the first thing they show me when I get home from work. Plus they know all kinds of new songs each week.

They love to wear Sesame Street band-aids on their knees -- even when they don’t really have any owies. It’s amazing how something simple and little like that really soothes them -- we’ve caught them both sitting there staring and rubbing on their band-aids, it’s adorable.

They’re off the bottles. We slowly weaned them off over about 3 weeks. It went pretty well. They still ask for them first-thing in the morning (ba-ba?), but don’t have too much of a problem when we give them a cup of milk instead. They still have good appetites, and JiaLi is becoming a bit less picky.

Love this photo... JiaLi in purple, AnMei in Blue

I squatted to get in the picture, they thought it was a good idea.

Breakfast at the City Diner

JiaLi and Papa

Watering Mom's flowers with their sippies.

(Nice t-shirts... did you know KU is 6-0... in football!)

One in bliss, one not.

Playing house.

First Road Trip - Chicago

2007-09-16T22:01:00.000-05:00

This weekend we took the girls on their first extended car ride… we drove to visit the Chicago Decks. As you know, Aunt Liz was with us in China during our big trip and, although we had seen her at a few family functions since then, we were excited to see her and spend quality time with her for the first time since China. It was also great for us to finally see Tim, Annie and Peter spend time with the girls.

The drive both directions went well, the girls were real troupers. And once we got to their house, everything was even better. The girls had a blast playing with Annie and Peter, and we enjoyed the “adult time” after all the kids were in bed. In fact, the girls slept really well in Annie’s room, and seem to be making progress on getting back to their solid sleeping patterns. (Thanks for all the advice we received on that!)

There were many memorable parts of the trip, but the highlight for me was seeing Liz with the girls again. It seems like our time together in China was way longer than 8 months ago and to see Liz and the girls together made me realize just how much progress we’ve already made… and it’s a ton!

The girls are as animated and fun as ever. Their babbling is cute and ever-expanding. Like most siblings, at times they can be each other’s best friends and totally crack up; other times, they fight over things and drive each other crazy. We’ve been transitioning them to be more responsible for their meals… feeding themselves with spoons, open cups, etc. and it’s great to see them step up. It seems like the more we let them be independent, the better they do. AnMei is a wonderful eater; JiaLi is a bit pickier and has mastered the art of straining soup so that nothing larger than a broth molecule makes it into her mouth… it’s quite funny.

Peter showing off his bike.

Annie - a natural with the kids!

Pre-goodbye melt down.

Uncle Tim

The things we do to get kids to eat!

Part of the 'Ville Posse

Peter's soccer game

Bonus picture -- train ride with Lily.

Catching Up

2007-09-03T21:25:00.000-05:00

It’s been a while since the last post, hasn’t it? Things have been crazy busy at work and we’ve been adjusting to the post-vacation fall out.

Like I mentioned in the previous post, the vacation to San Antonio went reasonably well. Since vacation, however, things have been a little rocky. We don’t think that it’s necessarily all attributable to the vacation, as some of these “adjustments” were likely on the way; but the vacation did open up the floodgates.

The biggest challenge is in the category of sleeping. The days of 2 solid naps and a quiet 12 hours at night are an ancient memory. The girls are no longer sleeping through the night, with AnMei struggling more that JiaLi. It’s highly possible this is all related to the transition to one nap, which we started out of necessity in San Antonio… And the transition to one nap is still a challenge as they rarely get even a solid hour. So as you know, tired babies tend to make ---- crabby babies.

On the positive side they continue to amaze us with their ability to learn and grow. They are both babbling up a storm and you can see them really trying to figure out the whole talking thing. They’re still good eaters and are getting taller and bigger. Their hair is getting longer, but it’s still pretty wispy -- I think it’s cute. They’ve recently become very skittish, especially JiaLi. Any kind of noise, like an airplane or sound through the baby monitor, sets JiaLi running to us for security.

==============
This is a fellow Jiangxi sister, Zoey. The fabulous Miss Z was adopted by Stacie and Kelley Hrabe in March and we’ve become good “adoption buddies.” Stacie is the sister of one of my best college friends, Scott Hayes, and it was great to get to meet them.

Zoey is a little fireball of energy and was running circles around AnMei and JiaLi for the first part of the visit. But after dinner our girls loosened up and Zoey jumped right into the play. It was a great time and wonderful to see the girls together.

AnMei, JiaLi and Zoey

Dinner with Miss Z

Ring Around the Rosey

==============
Here we are at the Butterfly House, which is a really neat place to visit. This beautiful atrium-like area is absolutely chuck full of butterflies -- more than I ever imagined would be possible. Unfortunately it is not easy to capture butterflies on a camera, so you’ll have to take my word for it or visit it yourself, if you are in the area. I would recommend it. The girls were mesmerized, especially considering that they LOVE butterflies.

Our little Entomologist?

==============
The weather has been slowly getting better, and we enjoyed a nice night out as a family in the Loop -- which is a hip, cultural shopping/restaurant district in U-City.

Enjoy the vibe of the U-City Loop

Shopping for shoes already

Who knew swimmers made such cool hats?

San Antonio

2007-08-09T21:32:00.000-05:00

Proud Grandparents with their flock.

The cousins together for the first time.

Last week we enjoyed an extended family vacation in San Antonio, Texas. Grandma and Grandpa Clendenny arranged for the entire Deck/Clendenny family to fly down and stay at the Hyatt Hill Country Resort. They experienced their first joy of having their 5 sons, 4 daughter-in-laws, and 8 grandchildren together in one place. With the most recent grandchildren additions coming from excruciatingly long adoption processes, it was a long time coming. The resort was very nice and extremely family oriented. There was a cool “lazy river” swimming pool, a beautiful golf course, spa, and very nice rooms.

Overall, our experience was better than we expected. It’s never easy to travel with 17-month olds, especially when you’re staying in a hotel room. But the girls did well, probably handling the experience better than us. They really enjoyed their play time with the cousins -- perhaps the highlight of the trip. Melissa and I worked our best around their sleeping and eating needs, and did manage to find some fun and relaxing moments as well. The girls did pretty good on the flights both down and back.

I wouldn’t say we saw a ton of San Antonio, but we did experience a little of what the city has to offer. We visited The Alamo, of course, and really enjoyed the grassy shade under the trees. (Yep, that was our favorite part about the Alamo.) We also took a nice boat ride along the River Walk. That’s a pretty cool city feature.

It’s good to be back home, except now we have to deal with the oppressive heat we’re currently experiencing in St. Louis.

The Alamo

AnMei and JiaLi looking very cute!

Our newest, Miles, and big sis, Lily

Annie and Felina - the beautiful older girls.

Peter and True - the big dawgs.

Girl Cousin Power!

Renee and Julia

2007-07-23T22:06:00.000-05:00

We had a nice visit this weekend from Renee and Julia, who both got to meet the girls for the first time. They drove in from Lawrence on Saturday and spent the night. We had a good time and Melissa benefited from re-charging with some good friends.

The girls continue to be doing well. We’ve taken them to the U-City pool a few times, and they like splashing in the shallow end of the baby pool. They’re not real excited about deep water, but who can blame them.

In terms of development, it’s neat to see their personalities coming out. AnMei is clearly the alpha-dog in terms of getting things she wants. She also tends to be a bit more physical and loves the spotlight. JiaLi is very aware of her sister and wants to know where she is if they are in separate rooms. Even though she is less physical, she is more adventurous at this point… she ventured deeper into the water at the pool, for example.

The one thing that is certain is these girls really enjoy each other. They make each other totally crack up and are pretty engaged most the time. It’s wonderful to see and a pure blessing for us.

We just received these wonderful black/whites from our friend, AnnAmie. These were taken a few months ago at Lily's birthday party.

Dad, JiaLi, AnMei, Mom

Mom and JiaLi

JiaLi

They love to dance together... it's hillarious!

CHI Reunion Weekend

2007-07-15T21:29:00.000-05:00

Maci, AnMei, JiaLi, Hannah, Eden

We had a really nice weekend, thanks to the CHI Reunion Picnic on Saturday. Children’s Hope International, our adoption agency, hosts a reunion picnic every summer and it attracts A LOT of families. This year was no different, as there were probably over 1,000 people at Queeny Park, most everyone with children adopted through CHI.

We had the pleasure of meeting new friends and catching up with 3 of the 15 families we traveled with in China. Donnie and Gina Farmer came from Southern Illinois with Maci and 2 of there other children, Dillon and Peyton. Eddie and Gina Bradshaw came from Kentucky with their daughter Eden. And last, but certainly not least, the Fowlkes came from Kentucky with their 2 daughters, Jaycie and Hannah.

It was wonderful to catch up, re-live our life-changing experiences in China, and see how everyone was adjusting and getting along. Everyone is doing great! I don’t know if I’ve written this before or not, but we all believe that we were matched with the exact right child. We are all totally blown away by these little girls and are still glowing from the experience.

We met at the reunion picnic and then had dinner later at Wei Hung, our favorite Chinese restaurant with a very family-friendly environment. We commandeered a small section next to our table and let the girls get a little silly. It was great… they ran around, giggled, climbed, and played together. I think we all had a great time and it was really nice to spend time with people who were there at the very beginning.

Butterfly balloons at the reunion picnic

Eden Bradshaw

Maci Farmer

Hannah Fowlkes

The China Sisters

The next cool thing was getting to meet the Hewetts. As you may recall, when we first got our referral for twins we were a little nervous and CHI put us in contact with the Hewetts. The Hewetts live in Austin, TX and adopted twins from China in May 2006. When they returned to the US they found out they were pregnant with ANOTHER set of twins. We spoke with them back in November and their very calm yet enthusiastic approach gave us a lot of confidence and strength in getting ready for our trip and new family. We relied on their advice a lot while in China.

Well, they left their now 10-month old twins back in Austin with the Grandparents and brought their two beautiful daughters, Grace and Halli, to STL for the reunion picnic. It was wonderful to finally get to meet them. We had Sunday brunch at the Boathouse in Forest Park. Melissa and I continue to be amazed by their lives with 2 sets of twins less than 2 years apart -- they are a neat family and the girls are just adorable. I’m sure we’ll be seeing them more in the future, at least I hope so.

Brunch with the Hewetts

Grace, Halli, JiaLi, AnMei

11 Year Anniversary

2007-07-09T21:40:00.000-05:00

Last Friday we celebrated our 11 year wedding anniversary. With the recent change in our family dynamic it was certainly an interesting and thoughtful day.

We both feel like the first 10½ years of our marriage was a great ride filled with joy, challenges, and growth. On Friday we reflected back on that time of our lives and marveled at how different things have become. We have certainly entered a new chapter in our lives, a chapter we are in the process of figuring out. We are so blessed with our new family and eager to see what the next 11 years holds for us. We think it is going to be spectacular.

We sat at Melissa’s parent’s house feeding our girls lunch. We couldn’t believe our eyes… who are these two beautiful girls with the silky black hair looking back at us? How did we get so lucky to get to raise these wonderful little daughters? Could we have ever imagined 11 years ago that this is where we’d be? It is everything we had hoped for, and much, much more.

Overall, the trip to Cleveland was a great success. You could see a big difference in all 4 of us from the last time. It was nice to see the girls relaxing and enjoying their grandparent’s house and yard, and we had a nice time visiting and catching up with everyone. The Cleveland Scolaros seem to be doing pretty good.

Who needs a big pool?

You look marvelous!

Lunch with Nona and Nono

That cane is a really cool broom!

AnMei at the park

JiaLi - Our little climber

Weeeeeeeeeeee!

Miles Tiul Deck

2007-07-05T19:28:00.000-05:00

I’m proud to introduce my newest nephew… Miles Tiul Deck. My brother, David, and his wife Julie adopted him from Guatemala and, after a long paperwork wait, brought him home on Tuesday. He was welcomed by his sister Lily, who was also adopted from Guatemala about 2 years ago.

Congratulations to the Guate Decks!

I had to include this picture because it remined me so much of the special moment we had when finally arriving home from China with our girls. It's a special feeling when you walk through the final security checkpoint with your new son/daughter.

4th of July

2007-07-04T20:12:00.000-05:00

The trip to Cleveland has been a great success thus far. I’d rate the plane trip up a solid C -- not too bad. The girls have adjusted well. They are falling to sleep easier each night/nap and they are totally comfortable around the house and with Grandma and Grandpa. They’re warming up to Katie and Denise, and have a mild interest in Carmella.

As usual, they love to be outside, and the neighbors have a swing set with big-kid swings. We can’t keep the girls off them, and luckily they hold on quite well. They also love playing with the screen door… open, shut, open, shut, repeat endlessly.

Front yard picnic with Carmella

Grandma Scolaro in the backyard

Walking to have some fun.

Carmella... she's a noisy little cutie.

Sweet AnMei

Fun on the swing set.

Katie and Denise... 10's

Melissa and Milton (Katie's fiance')

On Tuesday we had a great visit with the Jedlicka’s. It was a lot of fun hanging out with Chris, Lauren, Olivia and Gina. We played in the blow-up pool, enjoyed a visit from the ice cream truck, and essentially learned that these kids are smarter than us adults. What a great bunch of kids, and boy are they smart (dwarf planet Pluto).

Olivai, AnMei, Lauren, JiaLi, Chris

Melissa's good friend, Gina.

For the Independence Day celebration we went to Nona and Nono’s house for a family style picnic. It was great to see all the aunts, uncles, and cousins. The girls had a great time and did very well, except when they fired up the 4-wheeler which almost sent AnMei into cardiac arrest.

Great Grandpa and Grandma Scolaro

July 4 cuties

I love the composition of this photo. (Mel took it.)

This one rocks too... I love the backhoe in the background.

Family picnic... Scolaro tradition.

Uncle Mel and Uncle Mike... great guys (but don't tell them I said so)

Summer Fun

2007-07-02T20:40:00.000-05:00

MaMa reading Maisy -- their favorite book.

I wanted to put up a quick post with a few pictures. We’re in Cleveland for the week and will hopefully have lots more to post, but I had these photos from the past couple weeks and wanted to get them up.

I also wanted to mention my brother David and his wife Julie… they’re in Guatemala finalizing the adoption of their son, Miles. They come home tomorrow --good luck!-- and I’ll post pictures of his grand arrival.

The girls got Great-Grandpa McIntyre to help them retrieve their balls.

JiaLi is learning how to smile.

She'll hate this one later.

UPS brought a box, and they played on it for an hour.

Chilling in the Adirondack Chairs our neighbor made.

Father’s Day

2007-06-18T20:46:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure of experiencing my first father’s day. I say pleasure because these girls have certainly made it so.

AnMei and JiaLi,

You are beautiful, lovely, and wonderful daughters. Why, you may ask… you are funny -- hilarious, actually; clever -- I’ve been amazed at what you have figured out already; spirited -- you are assertive and quite energetic; caring -- the way you rally for each other is heartwarming; brave -- what you have battled through already in your lives is remarkable; and inquisitive -- right now everything is a “dah” with a finger point… what is this?

I didn’t realize how much my life would change when I became your father… it hasn’t been everything I expected, but it has been everything I hoped for and so much more. I feel privileged and honored to be your daddy. You amaze me every day, and I look forward to experiencing with you everything that life throws our way.

Girls, don’t ever doubt how much I love you… I love you with all my heart.

Daddy

I do have to say that my first father’s day was more special than I had anticipated. I definitely took a moment to reflect on my new role in life, and it was amazing to consider it. It also gave me new perspective regarding my own fathers and my relationship with them. There’s nothing like gaining a little more perspective after all these years!

JiaLi and AnMei on Father's Day

Father's Day Golf... Pappa, Kevin, Chris, David

The closest I got to an eagle while golfing.

Rolling Along

2007-06-10T20:36:00.001-05:00

Things are pretty good at 7809 Stanford. The girls are doing great and we’re easing into summer.

The girls love to be outside and love to play with water. It’s going to be a wet summer in our backyard! They have become professional climbers without limits… any and all furniture is fair game. Even a few falls along the way hasn’t deterred their daring attempts.

We’ve switched them off of baby food and onto regular food, and they’re adjusting nicely. AnMei has a wonderful appetite and isn’t picky at all. JiaLi… let’s just say she’s more selective.

They are really good sleepers (knocking on wood), and still take 2 solid naps each day. One funny thing is that they’ve become very concerned about the gate being closed… we’ve got a gate at the top and bottom of our staircase going to the 2nd floor. If they notice that the gate is open, stop the presses -- it must be closed! Even if they’re safely in their cribs in the morning, the first thing they do is look out the door at the gate and if it isn’t closed, they let you know.

It would be tough to say that they’ve mastered any words let, but you can see the wheels turning. They’re getting close on several words… milk, more, hi. They can say ma-ma and da-da, but don’t really refer to us using them. They are pretty good at making animal noises; their cutest is the sound of a duck.

So, not to sound like I’m overly playing up the positives… but it’s hard not to… these girls are perfect!

Dinner with cousin Lily.
Lily's brother, Miles, should be coming home from Guatamala in a few weeks!

Grammy brought a wagon... they loved it!

Got a nice bonus visit from the Smarts...
KU friends from Maine.

Aunt GiGi and Mathew

2007-05-30T22:04:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Memorial Day with a wonderful visit from Aunt GiGi and Mathew. We were VERY glad Regina finally made it in from San Francisco, as it was the first time she has met the girls!

The weekend went great! The girls are in a really great place lately -- totally joyful with the world -- and it was awesome to see GiGi and Mathew get to have fun with them. Regina and the girls hit it off well (no surprise), and Mathew definitely had them captivated with his antics.

Like I mentioned above, we’re in a really neat stage right now. The girls seem to be enchanted and elated with everything they experience. Melissa calls it the Grandiose Phase and we love watching them giggle and carry on lately.

In terms of milestones, they’ve become excellent climbers and can scale just about any furniture in the house. Lately they like to climb up on a chair and sit there like an adult. It’s really funny.

Bonus Bathroom Photos...

Grand Scolaros

2007-05-20T21:15:00.000-05:00

We had a great visit this weekend from Grandma and Grandpa Scolaro. They flew in from Cleveland on Friday afternoon and we started the weekend with dinner at Momo’s, which went well.

Saturday was a special day as we went to the Chinese Culture Festival at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. It was a wonderful and surreal experience. It was definitely the most Chinese people we’ve scene since coming home from China -- the girls didn’t seem to pay any attention, but we felt privileged and honored to be a part of it all. There were all kinds of Chinese kids running around… it was really neat to see the little girls, dressed in their traditional Chinese dresses, and get a little sneak peek into our future.

Sunday we spent hanging around the house, doing small projects, and enjoying the weather and each other. The girls are beginning to love the spotlight more and more and were very happy to have twice the number of adults doting on their every move.

JiaLi pointing

JiaLi pointing again (she's always pointing!)

JiaLi getting hammy

Show me my picture, Grandma

Look at us!

Playtime after getting in from Cleveland

AnMei - future Olympian?

MO Botanical Gardens

JiaLi pointing (again)

Daddy giving the girls sticks... how fun!

Dragon at the Chinese Festival

The girls soaking it in

Grandpa and JiaLi

9-year old twins... a glimpse into our future?

Mother's Day

2007-05-13T22:16:00.000-05:00

Life is good, and today was wonderful. Since Day 1 with the girls Melissa has blossomed as an amazing mother and it was great to celebrate her first “Mother’s Day” today.

We set aside the day so that we could enjoy quality time with the four of us. The weather was beautiful so we had a picnic at Forest Park, which went great. We made a quick stop at the zoo before the afternoon nap, and then enjoyed a great night as the girls were in fun moods. All-in-all, I think it was a perfect first Mother’s Day for Melissa.

AnMei at the Duck Lake

JiaLi -- Don't Leave without Me!

The girls just passed 15 months and are thriving. I am still blown away on a daily basis by just how special they are -- they are truly remarkable. Health-wise they seem to be on a good road lately. AnMei still has to take meds daily for her positive tuberculin result, which she hates, but otherwise they are very healthy.

They both toddle around with ease and are big-time explorers. When they are in really good moods they will walk around giggling themselves senseless -- it’s hilarious. We’re transitioning to finger food on plates for them and it has proven to be a bit of an adjustment.

Their receptive language skills are strong, but they are still not using any words yet. You can see them thinking about it and trying, but the most we consistently get is “ba” for “ball” and “ma-ma” for Darwin, much to Melissa’s chagrin!

I’d say their newest milestones are steps, which they now demand to do on their own. When we say it is time to go up for baths (or whatever) they race to the stairs so they can climb up. Otherwise, you can literally see them growing and learning new things every day. Most importantly, we can see them becoming more secure and comfortable in their surroundings and their personalities are shining through more than ever.

Individually, we’ve noticed JiaLi working through some attachment issues lately. When music is on she can hardly contain herself from dancing, and that little girl has some moves! AnMei has shown some athletic abilities with a soccer ball, and she is a very good eater… willing to try just about anything.

Our new nanny, Jessica, is working out really well too. She brings great energy and the girls have really connected with her. She is doing a great job.

Grammy opening her Mother's Day Gift

Talk about finger food!

Springtime in St. Louis

2007-04-29T21:25:00.000-05:00

Our beautiful daughters are in dresses Melissa brought back from China. We were on our way to Lily's (cousin) birthday party... she's 2. Are they cute or what? (AnMei is on the left.)

Lily, JiaLi, AnMei and True
(playing in Miles' future crib)

AnMei on the Left, JiaLi on the right
(study this one, Charlotte)

We do like to play together

Lunch at Kaldi's

JiaLi - such good table manners!

Strolling down DeMun

JiaLi

AnMei

We got totally lucky capturing this next picture... we were walking home from breakfast on Sunday and looked down and noticed that the girls were holding hands... how precious is that!!!

Holding Hands

Awe... we love each other

We love exploring parks!

Meet Jessica

2007-04-26T21:34:00.000-05:00

The girls are now enjoying and adjusting to a new nanny, Jessica.

A few weeks ago Elizabeth informed us that she was no longer able to be the girl’s nanny. She has chronic back problems and, unfortunately, the physical requirements of caring for the twins were too demanding and caused her back pains to flair up. As everyone knows, when you have a back issue it is not good, so there was very little she could do. Elizabeth was great with the girls and will be missed.

But all is not lost; we have been fortunate to find another highly-qualified nanny that we are very happy with… Jessica is from St. Louis and has been a nanny for several years. Her previous family is switching to a live-in Au pair, so the timing was great for us. Jessica brings a lot of experience and high-positive energy, so we think she is going to be a great fit for all of us.

My view when walking Darwin in the morning.

We don't take turns yet.

Care and Counseling

2007-04-22T21:24:00.000-05:00

Life is a bit better these days. I can’t say we’ve rebounded 100%; but considering we didn’t spend any time in a hospital last week, things are improving.

AnMei’s wound is healing nicely and it doesn’t look like it will have any lasting mark. On the other hand, we’ve all been a little under the weather this week. AnMei and I apparently picked something up from the hospital and it’s had us all, including Melissa and JiaLi, not feeling well. The girls are both running low-grade fevers and have faucets for their noses -- but still are in remarkably happy moods.

We’d be remiss not to thank the good people that Melissa works with at Care and Counseling. The day before our hospital odyssey began they threw a shower for the girls at Kim Cella’s house. (Thanks Kim!) It was a really nice party and everyone was extremely generous. A special call-out to Annabelle Cella, who was a natural with the girls!

AnMei is Asleep in Her Own Crib

2007-04-13T21:34:00.000-05:00

AnMei was released from the hospital today and is doing much better. Everyone is very glad to have her back home, even Darwin.

We wanted to thank everyone for their support - it meant a lot to us. AnMei and JiaLi are both sound asleep, and we're about to join them.

Poor Little AnMei

2007-04-13T20:57:00.000-05:00

Let me start out by assuring everyone that AnMei is going to be OK, but she has had a rough couple days.

It is Thursday, April 12, 2007 at 9:45pm and I am preparing myself for the 3rd overnight at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Our little fighter is at the tail end (we hope) of a battle with a raging infection that brought us to the ER this past Tuesday night.

Easter owie.

Easter dresses... they were so cute!

It all started back on Easter Sunday… we were getting the girls ready to head over to Grandma and Grandpa Clendenny’s house and I was putting the finishing touches on their beautiful Easter outfits. AnMei was fully dressed, shoes and all, and I was putting JiaLi’s shoes on. Both girls were on our bed and AnMei had scooted up to the far end. Then you can imagine what happened next… she stood up and attempted to take a step, her shoe got caught on a pillow, and she went toppling over the side of the bed. I saw it all happen in virtual slow motion but was powerless to do anything about it.

I rushed over and picked her up. Melissa came rushing in and immediately noticed blood pouring from her head. She had landed head-first on the one thing around our bed that could hurt her… the metal-capped foot of our bedside table. She was obviously quite upset, but never lost conscientiousness. We could tell pretty quickly that the cut was deep. So once we stopped the bleeding we loaded the girls in the car for a trip to St. Mary’s Hospital instead of Grammies.

Other than a long wait, St. Mary’s was rather uneventful. They glued her wound and took some x-rays that came back looking fine.

That night she was in a great mood and super-playful. Other than a big band aid on her forehead, you wouldn’t have known anything had happened to her. The next day she was also in a great mood, but by night we noticed that she was sounding a little raspy… we figured she had caught a cold from the long wait at St. Mary’s. The following morning she awoke a little crabby with a low-grade fever, so we figured she was going to be a little sick. By Tuesday night, however, things started changing.

The wound on her forehead had really swollen, as had her face. She had red splotches all over her face and head. It looked like she had just come out on the losing end of a 12-round boxing match. She was still in a great mood, but it was clearly time to take her to the emergency room at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

Day 2 - She was actually looking better by this point.

Day 2 - JiaLi supporting her sister.

The ER doctors immediately recognized that she had a raging infection that was spreading throughout her face. They were concerned about many things, but especially the risk that the infection could enter her eyes. They started her on an IV anti-biotic and admitted her into the hospital.

Tuesday night was rough; obviously, none of us had expected this and AnMei had to endure many highly traumatic treatments. By Wednesday night we had a preliminary confirmation as to the offending bacteria (staph infection) and had adjusted to a more effective anti-biotic for the strain she had. She didn’t show much improvement in the swelling, and the swelling around her left eye had actually become worse. Melissa and I had been switching off our time at the hospital, with me doing the overnights and Melissa doing the days -- it was very difficult for us and our nerves were stretched to their limits.

Day 3 - Making Improvements

Thankfully by Thursday morning the meds had started to do their work and her condition was improving. She was allowed some breaks unconnected from the IV and she darn near giggled herself senseless while walking around the halls of the ward.

AnMei, never doubt your strength and toughness. You have been amazing throughout this entire experience. Your ability to fight through all these difficult treatments and maintain your glowing personality has been both amazing and inspiring to your mom and me. You are a strong, brave, and wonderful little girl!

Tonight she fell to sleep for the first time with little difficulty. The hope is that she continues to improve and by tomorrow we can figure out how to effectively close her wound, which is deep but not very long (about 1/3 inch). The doctors are expecting her to be released tomorrow and we are hopeful that is the case. It looks like she’s going to be OK with perhaps a small scar up on the hairline of her forehead.

Let me tell you one thing -- it is not a good experience to see your child in a hospital bed hooked up to IVs.

So, why is AnMei the unlucky one? At this point the doctors don’t have any bigger-picture concerns. Based on her orphanage experience it is likely that her immune system is a little behind. The two infections she’s had to fight through are both sensible based on the circumstances. We’re going to talk to our doctor about it more, but the doctors at Children’s mark this up to the challenges of growing up.

Strolling Along

2007-04-04T21:50:00.000-05:00

Recently we got some cute and funny pictures of the girls in their strollers, and I thought it would be fun to take a quick look at their "stroller gallery"...

Cassie - #1 Superfan

2007-04-01T21:14:00.000-05:00

We finally had the pleasure of introducing our girls to the blog’s #1 fan… Cassie Wichlenski.

We went to John and Cassie’s house for dinner and playtime last night and had a great time! John grilled kabobs, and the girls enjoyed their new abilities of exploring by walking around -- in their squeaky shoes. It was funny… they were walking around so much that after about 20 minutes little Joey (5 yrs.) said “that squeaking is driving me crazy.” It was hilarious.

John and Cassie have 2 boys, Johnnie and Joey, and the girls loved their basement “play world.” They each held balls and walked around while the boys played basketball. John and I caught glimpses of the Final 4 games… it’s a little over-rated without Kansas, isn’t it?

Hip Shades and more

2007-04-01T20:43:00.000-05:00

What started out as a diversion at diaper changing turned into a fashion statement!

The other morning while changing their diapers Melissa got out the cool sunglasses that Aunt Katie gave the girls. Much to our surprise, they loved them and wore them with glee. They literally styled and profiled with them on for a good 45 minutes!

Our first day at the park in University City.

Breakfast at Pomme Cafe... our favorite place!!!

Look at my flip-flops!

An Adoption Plan

2007-03-28T21:31:00.000-05:00

Some of you may have noticed a few comments on our blog from Stacie Hrabe… Stacie is the sister of our good friend, Scott Hayes, and she is also adopting from China. In fact, Stacie and her husband Kelley just received their referral for Zoey (Jin Chunhua) on March 5th. (Zoey is also from the Jiangxi Province!)

Zoey has her own blog (http://www.forzoey.blogspot.com/) and Stacie posted one of the most wonderful messages about the circumstances surrounding adoption in China. Stacie was able to articulate many of the feelings and thoughts that Melissa and I have felt.

Her original post can be found here, and with her permission here it is…

First of all- I know many of you will be alarmed that she was placed at the gates of the orphanage on the day she was born. I know some of you may be alarmed that I am sharing her story so freely. This is what I want you all to know about my girl and her three mothers. Her birthmother, her foster mother, and her forever mother- me.

In China it is illegal to relinquish a child. No matter the circumstance. There are no adoption plans. There are no lawyers to facilitate adoptions. Some of these families in remote villages live on less than a $100 dollars a YEAR. There is no potable water in China. In some villages the women walk 6 miles a day just to get the water they need to function for the day. In some villages the entire village shares one spicket. My point being- there is such a dichotomy in China. Enormous economic growth and third world conditions- side by side. I do not know the circumstances under which Zoey was reliquished. I do not wish to speculate. But I do believe that her birthmother had a plan for her daughter.

Zoey (Jin Chunhua) was placed by the gates of the local orphanage. Her birthmother took a great risk by taking her to these gates. She could easily have been caught and put in prison. Prison in China is much different than prison in the US. I have no way of knowing her direct intentions but believe she utilized the only "adoption" plan that she had available. She placed her daughter in the safest place she knew. In my eyes Jin Chunhua was not abandoned. Her mother had a plan for her to have a chance at life " a lucky life" as the Chinese sometimes say. She placed her to be found. She did not abandon her. Already, I know her birthmother was a strong, brave woman. I am proud of her. I am proud to share her story. To hide it would mean shame. There is NO shame!!!

Jin Chuhuan's foster mother. To this woman I will be eternally grateful. What a selfless woman to take in a baby to love and nurture and know that in a year she will be gone. And to whom, what faith? She knows nothing of us. What are our intentions? Will we love this baby as much as she did? Will we continue to cultivate her heritage and culture? Will we try to obliterate her past? Who are these Western parents- who do not know her cries, her language, her food, her soul. It haunts me. This woman, so strong, so selfless. My love, my heart is yours. Some day I hope I can find a way to translate that to you!

And finally me- Jin Chunhua I am your forever Mama. I am the strongest person I know. Your questions will never hurt me. Your questions guide me, inform me, inspire me. Never be afraid to come to me. I will share in all honesty with you, always. Never be afraid that I can not handle your fears, your anger, your questions. I share in your fears, your angers, your questions and together we will handle them head on. You have every right to fear, to question and to rage. Never question your place on this earth, in my heart, in your foster mothers heart, or in your birth mothers heart. We all have fought for you in our own way!

Jin Chunhua(Zoey)- we know already that you are the strongest of us all. You have survived and flourished. We will do everything in our power to give you the full potential of your destiny.

So as you can see, Zoey is in foster care and many of the details are slightly different for our daughters, but the main message captured so well by Stacie touched the hearts of Melissa and me. We thought you would enjoy and benefit from reading it as well.

Time, Time, Time...

2007-03-25T22:02:00.000-05:00

Life is busy. Life with twins is ridiculous. I imagine everyone already with kids is smirking about now… as you know - it’s a whole new ballgame when kids enter the picture.

My intentions were to update this blog frequently with short, timely posts. As you can see, my posts lately are neither frequent, short, nor timely. Unfortunately, Melissa and I have never felt so challenged to keep up with everything, and the blog has been one of the casualties. (Just one of the many.) So, like last time, here is a lengthy update in reverse chronological order…

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The Girls…

The girls are amazing and continue to be True North. It might come as a surprise to many of you (it’s hard for us to believe), but yesterday marked the 3 month anniversary of Gotcha Day. Considering we have only known these precious little angels for 3 short months makes us stand of awe of what lies ahead. Melissa and I feel very connected and bonded with them, yet we still see many adjustments at play and can tell that we’re still in the early stages of laying the foundation of our family.

They are both totally walking now and recently seemed to have made the switch to walking as movement option #1. They are slow and wobbly (I think I’ve got a good video to post) and absolutely adorable as they scamper around. You can tell when they start to get tired as the legs start to break down and they resort back to crawling -- then it’s nap time!

Speaking of schedules, they are comfortably on a good one. A typical day for them is up around 7am with a bottle. Breakfast around 8am. Morning nap is from 9:30-11:00 followed by lunch at 11:30. Afternoon nap comes after another bottle around 2:30-4:00. Dinner is at 5:30 followed by family time and then a bath at 7:00. A final bottle before bed and then lights out at 7:30pm. During the night one of them will usually fuss at some point, but it’s only for a few minutes and Melissa and I rarely have to get out of bed, so we’re in pretty good shape in the sleep department.

From a health standpoint, JiaLi remains in great shape… nothing to report on her. AnMei is the one that can’t seem to catch a break. After wearing her helmet like a trooper the first couple weeks she developed a sore on her head a little above her left ear, and as luck would have it, it became infected. As a result she had to stop wearing the helmet and start taking antibiotics, which she absolutely loathes. The infection and the sore have cleared and she is wearing the helmet again. But that’s not all… AnMei also received a positive Tuberculin test, which is a screening tool for tuberculosis. Considering she received a tuberculosis immunization, it is not clear if the immunization is the cause of the positive result or whether she was exposed to and is at greater risk of active tuberculosis. (You would think JiaLi would be in the same boat considering she received the same immunizations and was likely in contact with the same people, but her tuberculin test came back negative.) AnMei had chest x-rays and is all clear of active tuberculosis, so now the conservative approach is to treat her with a prophylactic antibiotic to eliminate any risk that she would develop tuberculosis. It’s a daily dose of antibiotic, for 9 MONTHS… ugh!!!!

Otherwise, we are all enjoying the change in the seasons. St. Louis is in full Spring mode, and we all have been enjoying the outside, especially the girls. Talk about a challenge for someone in the oral phase! They’ve been hanging out in the front yard, going on walks around the neighborhood, and I even took them on their first jog in the baby-jogger. They enjoyed it, I struggled.

By the way, the picture above is of the Hayes Gang… our good friends Scottie and Jolene stopped by during their vacation and spent some time at our house with their kids.

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Cleveland

Definitely the biggest thing we did since the last post was visit Melissa’s family in Cleveland...

The flight went reasonably well… you’d think it would be a piece of cake considering we’ve already flown half-way across the world with them, but that was a long time ago ;-) with very different little girls. Whereas back in January you could entertainment them with a piece of paper for 30 minutes, that doesn’t work any longer. For 13 month old girls, they did just fine.

In Cleveland it was wonderful to see Melissa’s sisters (except Regina in San Fran, unfortunately) finally get to meet their nieces. We actually arrived on Katie’s birthday and completely surprised her, it was special. Then Mathew surprised us and came in from Chicago to see his new cousins. So there were surprises galore! It was also awesome for us to see the newest baby of the family, Carmella, who is such a precious little cutie.

All things considered, the girls did well. They fit right into the house, and had a great time with their grandparents. Since we don’t get to Cleveland but a few times each year, there were lots of people we wanted to see and introduce to our girls. Considering all the love and hugs coming their way, they did great. Melissa and I probably struggled more than they did.

There were too many notable moments to detail here, so I’ll try to highlight a couple that stand out in my mind… My fondest memory is of the first night when we surprised Katie. She was shocked, and it was priceless. Denise was there with Joe and Pat, and it was an awesome evening watching the family being together and getting to know the newest little girls… AnMei, JiaLi and Carmella.

Another highlight was watching the girls spin around on Nona and Nono’s lazy-susan like it was an amusement ride. That’s just the funny part of the wonderful visit we have with Melissa’s grandparents, who treated the girls to homemade soup. Probably the other thing that stood out the most was watching the girls play with Mathew and Colin… you’d never think that these 2 boys just got their first 3 girl cousins… they did great!

As for all the other visits, they were all wonderful and we very much appreciate all of your love and support. We felt like the trip was far too short to give any of us the time we wanted together, so we pledge to come back soon and often!

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Dr. Tai’s Class

The last thing I’ll mention (mostly because it’s getting late and I, once again, am running out of steam) is Dr. Tai’s class… As you all know, Melissa and I took a Chinese language and culture class taught by Dr. Tai while we were waiting for the adoption process to run its course. The class is attended primarily by families like us who are in the waiting period, so both Dr. Tai and us thought it would be fun if we stopped by one night with our girls.

It was a fun experience getting to share our story with the families currently taking Dr. Tai’s class. They had some questions about our experience and we were able to show them first hand the incredible payoff to their hard work and patience.

Long Time, No Post!

2007-02-25T21:55:00.000-06:00

Wow, it’s been too long, hasn’t it? All four of us have been crazy busy… as I mentioned in my last post about 2 weeks ago Melissa started back to work and that threw us all for an adjustment (more on that later). As for me, I’ve got several large and exciting projects underway at work and last week I had 3 new developers start, which doubles my development staff. There has also been several family and friend’s visits, and the girls have been doing a TON!

There are enough new stories for many individual posts, but I’ll attempt to address them all here in reverse chronological order…

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The Girls
It’s hard to believe, but Gotcha Day was just a mere 2 months ago! It seems like we’ve been together a lot longer than 2 months. Melissa and I try to remind ourselves of this often when the stresses of adjusting to our new lives spike up… it’s only been 2 months!!

Definitely the biggest story over the past 2 weeks has been the introduction of the “pretty hats.” As most of you know, at the orphanage AnMei apparently spent too much time in one position on her back in her crib. It was likely due to a preferred line of sight or something similar. This caused her to develop a small flat spot on the back of her head (positional plagiocephaly). To correct this she is going to wear an orthotic helmet for the next 3-4 months. The helmet does not apply pressure and it does not actually re-shape her head, rather it was created from a form of her head and has vacuums in the spots where her head needs to expand. So as she grows, the flat spots will naturally start to fill the open spaces within the helmet. She will need to wear it for close to 23 hours per day, and we’re hoping for a growth spurt so she can get through this process quicker!

The great news is that she has had almost no difficulty getting adjusted to her new headwear! So far she hasn’t protested even once, and she hasn’t had any problems sleeping either. The interesting thing is that JiaLi actually got quite jealous of her sister’s new look. We noticed pretty quickly on the first day that JiaLi felt a little left out and was quite happy to wear her winter stocking cap, which was so cute. The next day she started wear her “pretty hat” (thanks Shannon and Matt!) and so far it’s been a smooth transition.

I guess the next big news is that AnMei is now walking. They both are, actually, but AnMei is the one that has made the independent decision to walk. We all thought that JiaLi would walk first, but it was AnMei that cautiously and methodically walked across the family room without any prodding from us. JiaLi does pretty good too, but she’s more out of control and only does it when we’re prodding her. I guess this will teach us all about pigeon-holing these girls… just when you think you’ve got them figured out, wham – they’ll switch everything up! Their preferred mode of movement thankfully remains crawling (although they’re quite fast!), and JiaLi now crawls on her hands and knees as well.

What else… they’ve both mastered sippy cups and have continued to rapidly expand their diets. AnMei has also mastered the “no head-shake,” which she uses with great success to express her wishes. They both give high-fives, and JiaLi will bump knuckles… so cute!

They’re not smiley and happy all the time, but pretty much for most of it. Their smiles, expanding vocalizations (no specific words yet), and dogged curiosity are heartwarming and amazing. Melissa and I have had some challenges adjusting, with more to come I’m sure, but we couldn’t be happier!

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The Running Club
Last night we had a great time with Melissa’s good friends and their spouses/boyfriends… Anna/Mike and Courtney/Charlie. They came over after the girls were done with dinner for some “twin time.” After we put the girls down to bed we had a nice dinner (Ms. Saigon carry-out) and some “adult time” like the good old days. It was awesome. Court and Charlie – thanks for the cool shoes and book!

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Chicago Decks
Last weekend we got to see our wonderful traveling companion, Liz (looking very Guangzhou, by the way), and spent some quality time with Tim (Chris’ brother), Annie and Peter. It was awesome, especially seeing Liz.

Both times we saw them there was a lot of stimulation so I’m not sure if the girls really figured out who Liz was. You could tell that Liz, on the other hand, was glad to see her little panda bears. I asked her if anything stood out since the last time she was with the girls, and she said that she was amazed by their independence and ease in their new house. What a difference it was to see them with all the space of our house to crawl around compared to the tiny hotel rooms when we were in China.

As to be expected, Tim was great with the kids. So was Annie and Peter… and it should be noted that JiaLi seems to have a little crush on her Chicago cousin!

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Celebrations
We enjoyed several celebrations over the past 2 weeks…

The biggest was my mom’s 60th birthday party, which was also the first time that Melissa and I went out socially without the kids since China... We owe a special thanks to our neighbors, Shelley, Olivia, and Isabelle, who came over to our house to watch the girls while we were out for our family dinner. The party was a mix of family and surprise, and everything went really well. The picture above is of the stained glass window her 5 sons had made for her.

We brought the girls to a chili cook-off at Molly and Bobby’s house, which was fun. And we also celebrated (and are celebrating) the Chinese New Year. The house is decorated with red lanterns and couplets on red paper (hung upside down, of course). We had fish and Dim Sum, have red envelops with “lucky money” – anything we can do to connect with our girl’s heritage.

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Melissa back to work
I guess the last topic is the one that I left off with on my last post… Melissa going back to work. It was tough on many levels for everyone, especially Melissa. Even though Elizabeth (our nanny) is working out great and does a wonderful job with the girls, leaving them at home is not an easy thing to do. Anyone with kids knows that. It’s tough, but also important on many levels.

One thing that stood out for me was putting them to bed by myself the first night. What a challenge it is to get everything lined up correctly when dealing with twins! But it all worked out; as I’m sure pretty much everything will as we continue through this journey!

Little Cuties

2007-02-13T21:02:00.000-06:00

It's a big week for us as Melissa is going back to work and Elizabeth is watching the kids while she's out. There are lots of emotions and I'll attempt to address that later this week.

St. Louis (and most of the midwest) was hammered with snow today. Who's ready for winter to be over?

Rock Chalk, Jayhawk?

2007-02-13T09:41:00.000-06:00

I just received an email from my father-in-law asking what this meant. Considering all the years I've been in the family it is hard to believe that he hasn't been fully indoctrinated into the tradition of KU! (He has, it just shows how well he listens to his son-in-law... ;-)

For those who have the same questions, I'm HAPPY to provide the info...
The Rock Chalk Chant

Rock Chalk, Jayhawk!!

Happy Birthday!

2007-02-11T20:42:00.000-06:00

Today is the first birthday of AnMei Tuan and JiaLi Yuan. Shēng rì kuài lè.

We tried to make it a special day for the girls, and I think they had a fun time. When Melissa and I sang to them in the morning, they looked a little puzzled at us and each other – they didn’t seem to quite understand what was going on. We had a Dim Sum lunch at our favorite Chinese restaurant, Wei Hong. We were joined by Nai-Nai and Ye-Ye Clendenny, Great Grandparents McIntyre, and Kevin/Donna/Felina/True.

We had a nice and quiet dinner at home, and then let them have a crack at their birthday mini-cakes. The cake was mostly a no-go. AnMei dug in, but within minutes she was annoyed at the mounded mess on her tray and --swipe-- down on the floor it went. JiaLi was a bit more cautious (as usual). After she took a small taste, however, she literally threw up, which is rare. I’m not sure if it was the build up of excitement with the candles and singing or the cake itself. Needless to say, we got some video and a few photos and that was it.

Throughout the day we had a wonderful stream of phone calls and birthday cards… our girls are loved and thank you for that!

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As everyone knows, a birthday is a special day. For our girls it is special on many levels, as adopted children have a few more issues to deal with. They are too young this year to know any better, but Melissa and I have a lot of feelings for the birth-family component that today represents. I don’t have a crystal ball, but one day our girls might have strong feelings as well.

We don’t have any details regarding their birth or birth-parents. I can only imagine that the decision to put their trust in the adoption process of their country was an extremely difficult one. It was through this act of courage, however, that we were able to become the forever family we were destined to be. It was this act of courage that will also likely cause our daughters a mix of emotions. So as we celebrate the day of their birth, it is important to keep in mind some of the other things this day represents for our daughters.

We obviously have no way to update their birth-parents, and I imagine that today is a tough day for them. If they were able to read this I would like them to know that we love these girls with all our hearts. From the moment we laid eyes on them we were filled with joy. Because of these girls we are now a beautiful family and our love for each other and support we share will only grow stronger and stronger through the years.

AnMei and JiaLi – on this day we celebrate the day you were brought into this world. When you entered our lives you made us happier and more complete than we ever could have imagined. Our lives were brought together in a unique way that will always make our family special, and we will always celebrate you, your birth parents, and your motherland, China. Happy Birthday JiaLi! Happy Birthday AnMei! You are the most beautiful one-year olds I have ever seen and you have made mom and me that happiest people alive!

KU 92 MU 74

2007-02-10T20:02:00.000-06:00

Rock Chalk, Jayhawk, KU!
.

Chinese New Year

2007-02-06T20:42:00.000-06:00

Considered the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays, the Chinese New Year is based on the lunar calendar and occurs every year near the end of January to mid-February. In 2007 the Year of the Pig starts on February 18th.

Now that you all have a personal connection with this holiday, I thought it would be fun to outline some of the basic history and traditions relating to this festivity. As with most things in China, the full story of the Chinese New Year is rich and complex, so rest assured that this is an extremely abbreviated version, according to Chris Deck…

The Chinese New Year celebration lasts for 15 days, beginning on the first day of the first lunar month of the Chinese calendar. February 18, 2007 represents the Chinese year 4705. The first 7 days of the Chinese New Year are a public holiday (wouldn’t that be nice?).

Preparation
On the days before the celebration Chinese families give their home a thorough cleaning. It is believed the cleaning sweeps away the bad luck and makes their homes ready for good luck to arrive. On the Chinese New Year it is important to put the brooms and dustpans away so that good luck cannot be swept away.

Festivities and Traditions
Many of the days during the Chinese New Year period have specific themes for celebration, mostly relating to celebrating family and respect for elders. Reunion dinners are common, and typically hosted by the senior member of the family.

Fish is usually eaten on the eve of Chinese New Year, but it is important to have a little left-over. The Cantonese pronunciation of fish makes it a homophone for “more than enough,” or “extra,” which sets a nice tone for the year to come. As with many things in China, others foods are symbolic of happiness and prosperity and are common at New Years celebrations… dumplings (packaging luck inside the dumpling), candy (representing a sweet year ahead), and mandarin oranges (the name is phonetically similar to the word for “gold”) are a few examples.

It is common for people to wear red clothes, decorate their homes with poems on red paper, and give children “lucky money” (even denominations) in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which according to legend can drive away evil spirits and bad luck. Clothes are typically new, to symbolize the fresh start of the year. The red banners are hung upside down since the Chinese word for upside down (dâo) sounds similar to dào, which means “arrive” and symbolizes the arrival of luck and happiness. Firecrackers are common, as the noise is thought to scare away evil spirits.

Other Superstitions
New Years activities set the precedent for the year, so you should have your debts paid and avoid borrowing, crying, or using bad or unlucky words on New Year’s Day. Talking about death, for instance, in inappropriate.

The first words you hear on New Year’s Day are significant. So mind what you say to others and be aware of the first words spoken to you. (Suggestion – switch your alarm off so the first words you hear aren’t of some horrible news report.)

Do not use knives or scissors, as they may cut off fortune. Haircuts are especially bad, as the word for “hair” is a homophone for “prosperity”, thus “cutting hair” could be perceived as “cutting your prosperity”.

Opening windows and doors allows the good luck of the new year to enter the house. Like I mentioned in the preparation section, however, avoid sweeping stuff out of the house, as you don’t want to sweep the good luck away.

Lantern Festival
The New Year’s festivities end on the 15th day with the Lantern Festival, which is the first full moon of the Chinese new year (March 4 this year). Legend has it that in ancient times people upset one of the gods in heaven and he was so angry that he ordered fire to burn down all the towns. The people caught wind of their fate; they all conspired to light lanterns so that it would look like their towns were ablaze. The ploy worked and the towns were spared.

The Lantern Festival is a time for public celebration -- people are out in the streets with lanterns under the full moon, watching lion and dragon dancing, playing Chinese games, solving riddles, and setting off firecrackers. A rice ball dumpling soup is the traditional meal.

Due to the excitement and romance of the lanterns, this is also the Chinese version of Valentine’s Day, as young people are hopeful to find their true love.

Supplies
For anyone that wants to create your own celebration, check out the Chinese New Year selection at China Sprout. (If you haven’t been there yet, China Sprout is an awesome website for Chinese gifts and items.)

1 Month at Home

2007-02-05T21:28:00.000-06:00

It has been exactly one month since we arrived home with the girls. My how time flies, and yet I can’t believe that it has only been a month. If you would have asked me before we left how I imagined things would be at this point, I would have thought that we would still be adjusting and that progress was slow. Well, we are still adjusting, but progress has not been slow. We have to keep reminding ourselves that we’ve only been home a month… we often think/expect things to be “more established.”

So how are the girls doing after their first month in St. Louis? Let’s see…

They’ve adjusted to the time zone change and are reasonably good sleepers, but not on the same night. They must have some type of conspiracy where they switch off each night on who is going to be fussy.

They both can crawl all over the place. AnMei gets up on her hands and knees and, as a result, is much faster than JiaLi, who does more of a drag. When it comes to standing and walking, JiaLi is days away, while AnMei is not far behind.

Neither of them says any words. They both do a lot of baby-babble, but only a few sounds seem consistent with anything specific. They say “ba-ba,” for instance, when they see their bottles – and then they grunt and fight to get at them. Melissa has been trying to teach them a few signs, like “more” and “all done.” They do them, but I’m not certain yet if they’ve picked up on the cause and effect.

They certainly understand several words… balloon, bottle, book, are you hungry, cookie, ears, to name a few. They understand “no” and “don’t touch,” both of which make them more determined than before. I’m not convinced yet that they really understand “mommy” and “daddy”. They do understand “Darwin,” and I’d say they look at him as more of a nuisance than anything else. They understand what happens when the phone rings and always look to see who’s going to answer it as they put their hand to their ear… it’s cute.

In terms of play, they do play together but at times get annoyed by each other and have difficulty sharing – what siblings don’t? They still love toys that make noise. They’ve figured out how to put smaller toys inside of bigger ones, and that has been occupying them a lot – putting them in, taking them out. They play a lot with books, turning pages, which we love. They like it rough and giggle when they are tossed around, held upside down, etc. Because of the cold, we’ve all been forced to spend a ton of time inside… we’re anxious for nicer weather.

They are both healthy and happy. Our doctor called and informed us that all the blood work was normal. It looks like AnMei is going to wear a helmet for a few months. She apparently spent a lot of time with her head in the same position while in her crib, and she has a minor flat spot on the back of her skull. We’re hopeful that wearing an infant helmet for a few months will correct that. As I’ve mentioned before, they are great eaters with wonderful appetites.

They are very clever and pick up things quickly. Of course, that comes with its own set of challenges. They’ve learned many of the on/off buttons throughout the house… what’s with kids and buttons?

Other than that, they still melt our hearts with their smiles and giggles. One of my favorites is walking into their rooms after a nap to find them both standing, babbling at each other from across the room. When they see us they start smiling, giggle, and bouncing up and down. The feel of their little arms grabbing you as you lift them out of their crib is priceless.

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Listed below are bonus pictures from China! As fate would have it, this morning our agency forwarded these photos to us… perfect timing considering we were thinking about China a lot knowing we’ve been home a month…