AMAZING!

That was the word of the day on Weds.! I took Renee to our children's hospital to be evaluated by the international adoption clinic. I can't believe how far she has come in just 3 months with us. Without being asked Renee showed them she could hold a pen and scribble, follow their directions(I really think she understands everything we say to her), showed them how she knows her colors, helped me put her clothes back on, put her shoes on herself and showed off the many words she knows. The doctor would just look at me and shake her head like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. She told me I was in trouble and I should start saving for college, maybe Harvard. If she is that smart I think we should focus on scholarships! :) The biggest thing we talked about was her eyes (their may be a slight chance of a lazy eye and ptosis in one eyelid) and food issues. She had extreme hiccups when we first got her. They would happen many times a day. They would sound like she was choking and sometimes would sound like burps. She is better now, but the doctor thought we might have been dealing with acid reflux. Her poop at the beginning was not solid at all. I realized that when her poop started getting better the hiccups got less also. She is not gaining weight either. I have been concerned that we were dealing with more than just her getting use to a new diet as far as the loose bowl moverments and wanted to leave a stool sample for them to test, but of course she didn't poop all day until we stopped just a mile down the road from the hospital because she had to go to the bathroom. Yup, you guessed it! She pooped!! I had taken her 3 times while we were at the hospital. I considered going back to hospital with it, but traffic was horrible, it had been a long day(Renee took no naps and it was almost 5pm and we had a 3 hour drive to get home) and the person I was traveling with would not have been amused. So now I have to get it done at our hospital. We also talked about how to get her to get all the nutrition she needed. She still loves her meat and it takes bribing to get her to eat fruits and veggies. I read books and prepared for many issues when we brought our daughter home. I remember thinking right before we left for China, what if she has issues with what she will eat? I brushed the thought aside and focused on other issues. That was one issue that I didn't put much thought into. :) The adoption issues I had put a lot of time and energy being prepared for, she had no issues with. :) The very last thing we did was blood work. I didn't know how she would do. When we were in China and she had her TB test, she didn't flinch and she watched it being done and never cried. I questioned if she was still in shock from all the changes and if she would act differently now that she has adjusted to the changes. Nope! She watched the whole thing and didn't flinch. At the very end when the needle clicked as they took it out of her arm, she cried. What a strong, amazing girl I have. Maybe she will be a doctor. :) She seemed facinated by what was happening. I feel so very blessed. This girl is going to keep us on our toes!! Each day she is becoming less of a stranger and I am falling in love with her more and more each day. My niece took this picture. She sales Mary Kay and gave her some lip gloss to put on during a car ride to the hospital. She did pretty good. She loves to be pretty.

Proud to be an American

In her first memorial day parade. "Proud to be an American" song was playing as she raised her flag high. Two months ago she was still a Chinese citizen. It was one of those moments that you just have to step back and soak it all in. Renee is my daughter, but one thing about adoption is it is a process. Not just for the child, but for the parent too. There is still so much I am processing. There are days that I look at her in her high chair and jokingly say, "How did you get there?" For those of you that have waited years and years to bring your child home, I know you understand. You would think after waiting so long that it wouldn't surprise you so much that your child is finally in your arms. Sometimes I can't believe it has only been 2 months that she has been home. Then I read blogs of those who are in China right now and it seems like so long ago that we were there in China. For those of you who have adopted. How long does it take until you really feel settled? Renee is amazing and has fit into our family so well. I think I am the one who is struggling. This is hard to admit when she is doing so well. I am not dealing with the special needs that others are. I love her so very much, yet at times she can feel like a stranger to me. Then I have to remember that I have only know her for 2 1/2 months.

My son the high school graduate!

Much has happened since I last posted. Which is also the reason I haven't posted. The last few days I finally feel like I can breathe again. May 19 my oldest son graduated and the next day we had his open house. I am so proud of my son!! Here are some pictures from the day.

My son Nathan drew these and we placed Josh's photo as the head. My son's nickname is Shaggy and he wears a lot of superman and spiderman shirts. What can I say it fits his personality. Nathan did a great job drawing these.

Renee did amazing. She didn't want to nap during his open house and I really didn't know how I would make it happen with everything going on. My sister-in-law brought her dog over during the open house. Renee loves her dog. They have had the dog for around 11 years now. Want to know what the dog's name is?...... China!!! Now whenever I talk about the country of China, Renee gets very excited, but she thinks I am talking about this dog. Too cute!

This is finally how I got her to go to sleep. She loves to go for a stroller walk. She had no idea I had tricked her.

Life is about to change again. Josh leaves for a 6 weeks mission trip mid-June. He has so much to get done before he leaves. I will miss him so much, but at least I have one more year with him. He is going to live at home and go to a community college in the fall. I am so thankful to have one more year. It has been a crazy year with adotion issues. I just want to enjoy my family. But it will be different in the fall. I was so aggravated when I had to get Josh finger printed when he turned 18 years old. I thought it was ridiculous that the government considered him an adult. Well guess what? My son is all grown up. I am so proud of the man he has grown to be. Look out world here he comes!