Hello, is anyone out there still?!

Hello Everyone. It has been eight months (four before the move and four after the move) since our last blog update (with the exception of Justin’s diligence with the pictures). It has been a very exhausting and busy time for us. Justin and I had been feeling like we were treading water, constantly trying to get things done, with half a brain. Moving into a new house with a two year old is not easy! We were a bit overwhelmed at times. There has not been much alone time and when we finally have some at night, we are exhausted. But life is great. Shaela is getting so big and is so smart. She is wearing size 2 well, and wears size 7 or 8 shoes (she likes them big). She weighs 26 lbs and is getting much taller. She had her 2nd birthday on June 20th and it has been one year on July 10 since we received her.

Time is flying by. Everyone tells me that it goes so quickly, and it does! Yesterday we went to the park and I was pushing her from the front on the swings. She is no longer a baby and was looking sooooo beautiful and happy. I cried from joy and felt soooo blessed. It was truly a moment I wanted to capture in my mind. I feel so grateful for her, Justin, Kobi and Tara, my family. If it weren’t for Justin knowing me so well, and what I needed or wanted, Shaela probably wouldn’t be here with us today. Justin was the force behind our adoption process. I was more wishy washy saying that I could see our lives with or without children, although I always wanted them. I told him then, how I couldn’t picture loving a child as much or more than how much I love Kobi and Tara (my surrogate babies). But boy, Shaela has changed all that. I can’t stop telling her how much I love her! She totally fills my heart up.

This time period is like magic. If anyone got off on seeing sea monkeys come to life as a child, there is no comparison to the developmental speed and process of a two year old. It has been so fascinating, fun, and amazing! I am in awe at her grasping concepts and utilizing them. Everyday, there are “firsts.” Justin and I feel so blessed that we have the opportunity to witness them. Yesterday, in Borders, Shaela wanted to climb up the carpeted stairs all by herself. She did! Up and down them like a pro, holding onto the wall. She was very proud of herself.

At bedtime, she didn’t want to get ready and threw the diaper changing pad on the floor. I redirected and asked her if she would like to change herself. So with minimal assistance, she changed her own diaper and put on her pj pants (MaMa had to help with the top). Again, she was very proud of herself (as were we).

Today, we were getting ready for company, so Shaela helped me clean up the bathroom, mop the floors and assisted in banana bread making for the first time. It actually seemed easier for me as well (not sure why).

The biggest news is that Shaela is in Preschool! Thursday was Shaela's first day in preschool. We dropped her off around 9 am. I was a wreck. My heart ached and was anxious all morning. I woke at 4 am that morning thinking about what to pack for her lunch and snacks, and all the things she may need, blanket, change of clothes, etc. I can't believe I had so much separation anxiety. We were at the most tender stage of her giving me lots of spontaneous kisses and having so much fun and communicating so well, I hoped it would not change. During our first visit to the Playschool for the Arts, she was having so much fun. But at one point a larger boy ran into her and knocked her down. She had a red mark on her cheek and was crying. I tried to contain myself, but scooped her up after the teacher took her and Shaela saw and motioned to me. What was she going to do without me if she got hurt? Would she be ok with all these strange kids? Welcome to MaMa-hood. I did much better her second day while I was working and very busy. Shaela did great. She had a lot of fun, and cried only at naptime and didn’t go to sleep both days. Since she motions for “more” when we talk about school, we think she enjoys it and feel relieved.

Justin and I are now entering a different phase of life, where hopefully we can start having time for each other and ourselves. Also devoting a little more time to the practice, this has also been hard to do. We are planning on seeing a movie on Monday, which would be our second movie in a year. I have started a diet regime and gone to the gym for myself twice this week already, which is pretty big for me.

We have had many visitors stay with us since we moved in April. My parents, our friend Noel, my Mom, my roommate from college, Casey and our friend from naturopathic school, Julie, with her 17 month old, Zereck and her husband, John. We have also traveled to Denver (for a Chinese Children Adoption Agency reunion and to see my family) and Las Vegas (to celebrate my sister Michelle’s 40, Shaela’s 2^nd and Patrick’s 1rst b-days) during this time period. So it has been a frenetic four months.

Shaela loves family and friends. She had a wonderful time with my parents and wants to see them. When I mention their names, “YeYe” (grandpa in Chinese) and “Nona” (grandma in Italian), she signs “more, more.” She had a lot of fun with my Mom and my roommate from college Casey. Shaela is quite interactive, communicative and extremely loving. She gives you kisses and hugs knees. She is blossoming into the most extraordinary individual. She is definitely a leader and not a follower. But if you want her to do something she doesn't want to do, you may be able to coax her if you explain it enough. She is talking all the time. No sentences yet, but you can understand what she is getting at.

She had her second fall two weeks ago while we were walking down the driveway and throwing pinecones to Tara and Kobi. Kobi knocked her down by accident and she skinned her knee. She was upset, but would rather continue than go back home. But after he did it again (this time knocking her on her butt) she was pretty upset. We got home and Dada put a band aid on her knee. So ever since then, she has been pointing to her knee and saying, "Boo Boo, Da Da , Dew! (meaning throwing pine cones)" and then making the panting sign for "dog", after which we say, "yes, you got a boo boo when we threw pinecones with the dog. Kobi knocked you down by accident. And DaDa put a new band aid on." Then she says, "newwww" in the cutest upturned lip way. She likes us to repeat the story over and over. She is really learning her words.

She has shown some interest in the potty. I can get her to sit on it for over 15 minutes if we read the phone book while she is on it. She still hasn't peed or pooed in it yet. But hopefully soon. One plus about her preschool is that they potty train the kids!

Shaela is beginning to hug and kiss stuffed animals! But she still hits her dolls and pictures of kids or babies. This has been going on since we received her. She either strokes the face of new kids she meets or slaps them. Not sure why it is one way or another. So we are a little skittish every time she meets people. But sigh a big relief when it is the stroking.

She is gradually sitting in big chairs and moving away from her high chair. She was also weaning from her bottles, but every time she cuts another tooth, she goes back to multiple bottles a day. She is having about three half bottles a day now. Almost all her teeth are in, just about two more left.

Shaela has been pretty healthy with the exception of some spots she and Da Da got that looked like bad mosquito bites, and her warts that she had since we received her (she had a small one behind her ear).
She loves to play in her tent that Aunt Sue Sue gave her and loves to play with modeling clay. She loves to jump in puddles. She loves to go to the swimming pool, and recognizes it from its sign. She says "pool" several times a day, telling me she would like to go swimming. I dunked her under completely the other day, while holding her, and she was ok with it, not thrilled. She likes to do "yoga" a downward dog like position on the mats. Very cute. She also does a break dancing like move spinning around on her butt or on her hands. While Casey was here, Shaela went with us on a long hike and walked the whole way. She even wanted to wear her backpack with a water bottle in it on the way back up our steep driveway. She has a lot of energy!

Shaela still likes snakes and is fascinated looking at big bugs. She also is totally enamored and can recognize spirals in everything and sees "hole"s in all sorts of spaces. She understands the concept of holes that are not circles, which is remarkable. Even creating holes by crossing legs or placing objects close together etc. She definitely was a priestess in another life. She draws spirals (she uses sign language to show spirals) and snakes ("hiss").

The other day, she was drinking a bottle and stopped, pointed to her hair and did the sign for dog (panting), then scraped her tongue with her finger. I was a bit confused, until I realized she was trying to tell me that she had a dog hair in her mouth. Quite extraordinary communicator. My charade skills are improving!

She has had occasional nightmares, where she wakes up quite upset. But thank goodness these are few. She just seems happier and happier. She now says "home" and tells us when she wants to be home. She also says 'home' while we are home, with such fondness and love.
How sweet she is.

We send our blessings to all reading this blog and hope that this updates you all. More to come in a timelier manner,

Love and Blessings,

Debbie, Justin, Shaela, Kobi and Tara