5 months

I missed 4 months. There is very little time. I can't believe it's only been 5 months. It seems like always. I can't remember when we didn't have a little boy. Obviously I can, but it seems like we have had him always! He has been very easy to transition into our family. There hasn't been too much adjustment past the first couple of weeks home. He's wicked smart and picks up on everything and doesn't forget it, so that has made it easier I think.

We took a spring break trip to southern Utah, my favorite little bit of earth for some hiking and play time. It was so funny, Tate was terrified to walk on the red rock and sand. It took me back to China when he wouldn't walk on grass. I forget how little experience he has. The first day he was so afraid, the second only a little and by the third he was DONE with the pack and he let the entire state park know it.

 Emily loved everything. She is so easy and so easy going and just enjoys herself immensely.

 The more sand the better. She loved it all.

 My 5. There is no greater peace in my life than to know that my kids are all home. It was a very long and very hard fight. There was and is sacrifice all around but there is not a greater blessing.

 Warm spring days have taken us out of doors and these two are in heaven. Emily can run a mile.  Really. Her legs are tiny, but she starts running and she does not stop. I follow along, and she will run all the way around the block, a rather large block, and still not want to stop when we come in. Out side is the best place to be. I guess if I got tackled this frequently, I'd run long and fast too.

 I fancy myself a hair-cutter even though I completely stink at it. I cut Tate's hair, and it went poorly to say the least. He ended up with a buzz cut and I LOVE it so much! He looks big, and less shabby.

 Tate discovered candy over spring break. For no real reason except I don't keep it around, he's never really had candy. Well turns out, he quite likes it! An easter egg hunt with candy abounding all over the place was just his speed.

 Emily could have cared less for the candy. She just wanted to run. Tate wanted ALL of the candy!

 Easter Sunday at home was nice. I somehow missed Chloe in my photos. It was a nice day. Lots of candy!

 Cute Em fell asleep waiting for lunch

Sleep is my biggest hardest thing. Emily is finally a really good sleeper. She wakes up too early, but usually goes back to sleep on her own. Tate will now put himself to sleep and sleep most of the night.  I have woken up in my own bed for the first times since being home from China, several days a week. His sleep transition has been a beautiful thing compared with Emily's. So thankful for sleep!

 Emily has big things happening with her, she is FINALLY starting to speak! Not too often and not consistently with all of her words. She mostly signs still, but she has grasped the idea of spoken language. She is progressing brilliantly! She will say a new word or two every day, and use her new words along with signs often. It has been such an honor to be her mother and watch her work so hard and organize this world in her little head and really come alive in it. We are thrilled.

Tate today for the first time referred to himself as Tate instead of his Chinese name. It was cute but it made me sad. China is so INCREDIBLE! It's sad to me that he will forget everything he knew. Emily never knew anything, so I haven't gone through this with her. Tate still says some things in Chinese and he adds tones to the English words that he says. He totally speaks with a Chinese accent. He is an American now. It's perfect, and how it was meant to be, but he did lose an amazing heritage, and it's hard. No matter how many holidays and festivals we attempt to celebrate, and no matter how much China we try to keep in our family, we're American. It is so much more than I thought it would be. 

See you at 6 months.

3 months

February was a ROUGH month. Tate had 3 surgeries in 3 weeks. Exhausting to say the least. He's doing great though now. He has a couple of more procedures on his esophagus and he'll be finished for life maybe. Hopefully. He is very wary of doctors offices now and for sure nervous when he gets pulled out of his bed way too early in the morning, stuck in the car, and denied a bottle. It goes down hill rapidly. He's waaaay too smart.

The babies have re-discovered outside. I hear about 2 million times a day "side!" They love it so much! Emily loves dirt anywhere she can find it.

Tate was really nervous outside in China. They told us he probably rarely left his room and may have spent no real time out of doors. The outside of his orphanage was just a parking lot anyway. There was no garden or play equipment, nothing. Well he is no longer nervous and the more time spent outside for him, the better. Man he is so cute!

Tate is sleeping great. I really can't complain too much. Emily at his family age never slept ever! So I'm so thrilled with his sleeping. He loves to get in Emily's crib with her. Loves it. But his own crib was sheer terror for the kid. He wouldn't even go into the hallway leading to his room until I took the crib out of it. He sleeps on a crib mattress on the floor. I have a twin mattress on the floor next to his bed. He goes to bed brilliantly, then around 3 or 4 he calls for me and I switch beds. twice last week he slept all night and I woke up in my own bed for the first times since coming home from China. Scoooooore. I really don't see this arrangement changing any time in the near future. I don't mind it. Waking up to this guy kissing my eyeballs is the best way. He is so smiley and so happy in the morning.  I love my baby boy!!!

He loves his blankets very much. He sleeps with about 5 blankets.

 

He has discovered taking selfies with Lily and absolutely loves it! He will make whatever face she is making and then take her phone around and show everyone who will look the pictures. Vain. So cute.

Emily is just awesome. She is cutest squishiest thing that there is. She is legally and officially 2!! Again.  Poor thing has been two for like 16 months and has 9 more to go before she'll be 3. She is now in private OT and speech and since she is 2 again, she gets to start back with early intervention. She is still non verbal but is communicating better all the time through signing, and she is responding to language finally for the first time. We are super excited for her. She is just the best thing ever.

 

I cannot believe my fortune sometimes that I get to be the mom to these kids. I will forever see the miracles and blessings that they are. Man we all just love them so much!

Valentines Baby

1 year ago on Valentines day, we accepted the file and started the adoption of Guang Guang! It was nothing short of a miracle that we got to see his file. That story here.

 Every time I look at him, I recognize the miracle that he is in our life. We are so in love with this cute boy. He is quite obviously being raised in a house full of girls as he LOVES "pea poppy" with Lily. Every day, he asks to have a "pea poppy." multiple times. He'll get out the blanket and the tea set, and wait for Lily!

 1 year ago now, I became a mom to a boy! Although I didn't get to meet him until several months later, in my heart and head, he was mine. I knew and loved him right away.

 Still do.

2 months

We have had Tate for two months now. Things feel normal. Just recently. I feel like I know him like a mama. Tate loves outside so much! 

 Tate is doing great things for Emily as we hoped he would. Living in a house of grown up people made it all too easy for her to not "need" to progress and work hard. All of her needs and them some were met anxiously by 5 adoring people. Now she has competition, and is working a bit harder. Tate loves her guts.

 I got a love tackle in action! He gets her good and tight.

 She tries to get away! No luck. He's too strong.

 Down! She fights a little more.

 Play dead. The thumb goes in about now and she resigns herself to get a giant hug and kiss!

 Tate loves his mama who loves him right back! He started napping a little while back and oh my that makes this crazy busy boy muuuuuuch easier to love! His sleeping all the way around is pretty darn good. We are still roommates from about 1 am on, but he goes to sleep beautifully, and I get from about 8pm -1am to regroup and get some stuff done.

 Tate IS a preschooler. Do not bother telling him otherwise. When he is not gnawing on one of my cute little kids, or stealing their snacks, or trashing their artwork, they don't mind him.

 Emily can still take it or leave it. She likes the kids, they like her back, she's usually dressed for school.

 Tate will climb up to the tables and jabber on and on and crack himself up and just be 4!

Having these two about the house is completely awesome! It is my favorite thing! They are nuts, and busy, but on my goodness they are my heart. 

 If Tate has Lily and his blanket then all is right with the world.

 All of my kids love blankets and Tate is no different.  He calls it doodly.

 Messes never cease but sometimes being able to eat dinner is worth it.

 

Tate was born with esophageal atresia. His esophagus went down his throat and up from his stomach but was not attached in the middle. Super mild as far as that birth defect is concerned. Where they attached the two pieces, he has some scar tissue that doesn't allow his esophagus to expand and contract as he eats. Eating is really difficult. Finding food that will go down through the very very narrow part of his esophagus has been a challenge for him and for us. He is super cautious about what he will eat or even try to eat, and finding anything that will keep him fed and full has been crazy hard for us. He finally got to go in and have that narrowing stretched out. They made great progress, but not enough. We will go in every three weeks and have it stretched until it's a good size for him to be able to eat properly without risk of everything getting stuck and coming back up. 

It was an easy procedure and he was amazing! He had to be put all the way out but he came out beautifully. Our experience with Em and anesthesia has not been positive. She comes out swinging. True to his nature, he came out smiling and hungry, downed a bottle and we left. They totally let us keep the socks. score!

We love this baby all too much. Our family feels so different now. It's complete. It's as it was meant to be. There is no one missing. It is the greatest peace that there is for me. We went 10 years knowing that we were missing some, trying to find them and bring them home. This is peace for me in it's purest form.