Happy 2013!!

I cannot believe that it is already New Year's Eve. It has been such a crazy last half of the year that the time has just flown by so quickly!

What a year it has been! I returned to work in January after a medical leave of absence and major surgery to help deal with my Crohn's disease. It was the first time we had to truly get used to be working parents with a child -- and it wasn't easy!

It was also the year we were waiting to find out about the newest member of our family -- and the intense joy of finding out that we would be parents to another beautiful little girl.

In the meantime, Paul and I became an Aunt and Uncle for the first time, with the birth of our nephew, Ian. What a happy time!

My job changed drastically in September -- back to teaching Kindergarten. It has been a ton of work to start all over again, but the challenge has been both fun and interesting. Maelyn had her first day of Kindergarten in September and turned four years old the next day.

It was during the second week of the back-to-school grind that we found out that we would be travelling to China much earlier than expected and from then on, it was a crazy, busy time in our lives. We prepared for Ailee's arrival, the Christmas season that we would come home to, and then for our trip to China.

Our China trip was amazing -- an experience that means so much to us on so many levels. We learned so much about Maelyn and her China life and family and then we became a family of four.

The past month, since coming home, has been the toughest. The first week back we suffered from intense jet-lag. By the second week, we were in the hospital with Ailee, who had pneumonia. Then, the rest of us got sick. Christmas was delayed and we are still recovering.

Last Thursday we got a phone call that Paul's mom, whose health has been declining over the past six months, had been admitted to the ICU at MSH. Paul has spent the past five days with his mom, trying to care for her and made some pretty tough decisions.

2012 was a tough year. It has been intense and very full. But -- we remain ever mindful of how lucky we truly are -- to have our friends, family, and our beautiful children in our lives. We are looking forward to a more restful 2013 and to spending quality time with those that we love -- especially together, as a family of four.

Home & Christmas

We are home from the hospital. Blissfully, happily, excited to be home. Our little monkey is finally feeling better and we couldn't be happier.

Ailee needs to be given inhalers every four hours (even throughout the night) and will be visiting the respiratory clinic on Thursday, but she is better. She can breath well on her own and her energy is starting to return.

I will update the blog shortly on all of our hospital adventures, but for now, I wanted to focus on the excitement and happiness of our first Christmas spent together as a family of four.

Our Christmas traditions and celebrations are being severely altered (being that poor Maelyn came down with the virus and the rest of us are still sick and germy), but the kids are well enough to open gifts from Santa tomorrow. We will celebrate with the rest of our family in about a week, fingers crossed.

Opening the tradition gifts - ornaments...

This girl only makes silly faces at the camera... :)

Putting out milk and cookies for Santa...

So, so grateful to be home as a family of four. We are truly blessed. Merry Christmas, everyone!

One sick little girl....

Just wanted to post a quick update...

Our little monkey came down with bronchitis again on Sunday and then went downhill very quickly. After hours spent in the ER on Monday, she was admitted to the hospital. We have been here since and will most likely be here a few more days.

It has been 12 hours since she last had a high fever, so we are crossing our fingers that the medications are working. Her chest/coughing is starting to show improvement.

What a hard week it has been. I am now sick and quickly got medication -- taking care of her while not feeling well myself has been hard. I was destined to get it, though -- being coughed on all day. :) I also really miss Maelyn and can't wait till we are all home together again -- hopefully in time for Christmas.

Most importantly, I hope Ailee recovers quickly -- it is terrible watching her be so ill and miserable.

Will update as soon as I can.

First Week Home

(More blog posts about Beijing coming soon...)

In some ways, I cannot believe that we have already been home for a week. Then, in other ways, I cannot believe that we have only been home for a week. :)

The week has been a long one, mostly because we are still having difficulty adjusting to the time change. Although Maelyn and I have mostly switched our clocks, both Paul and Ailee continue to have difficulty sleeping. As I am writing this, Ailee and Paul are asleep and have been since 1pm. It has been impossible to wake them and they obviously need the rest. It looks like it is going to be a long night!!

Other than the sleep issues that are plaguing us, everything else seems to be falling into place. Since coming home, Ailee has been playing with and bonding more often with Paul. In fact, she will now often leave my side to go and play with her Baba -- especially if Maelyn is playing with him, too. It has been really nice to have a few minutes to myself and to see Paul's joy in spending time with his youngest daughter.

And yet, I am struggling with the time that Ailee needs from me. It is something that I totally expected and have been through before, but it is something that I do struggle with. Ailee spends almost all day in my arms -- and they are now very, very sore. I do remember experiencing the same thing with Maelyn, but with two young children, it is very difficult to carry Ailee all the time. I try to put her down when I have to, but most of the time, it results in a bout of screaming that won't stop until I pick her back up. If time away from me is her idea, then she has no problem playing with other or with her toys, as long as she can see me. I am also missing my one on one time with Maelyn.

I am a very independent person and I struggled with the same thing when Maelyn came home. I keep reminding myself that this too shall pass. Very shortly, the clingyness (at least to this degree) will be a distant memory. I will then be able to make dinners, clean the house, and keep up with things going on in our lives. Until then, I need to be there for Ailee so that she learns to trust me completely.

Maelyn and Ailee have had an interesting week, working out their relationship as sisters. They generally get along quite well. If both of them (or even one of them) are tired, then the arguments, yelling and screaming over stolen toys and treasures can be heard down the street. If they are both rested and have full bellies, they are able to spend more time together without jealousy.

Ailee will cry and throw herself on the floor if I am showing overt attention towards Maelyn. If I am hugging her or holding her on my lap -- watch out! Yesterday, the girls played really well together. Ailee will follow Maelyn and try to copy everything she is doing. Although, if Maelyn isn't listening, Ailee will try to move her face so that she has to listen to me. She also hands Maelyn her clothes every morning to help her get dressed. Ailee is learning so much from watching her big sister.

Maelyn has had some difficult moments this week, but we are trying to show her some understanding and sympathy -- her family dynamics have changed and that isn't easy for a four year old. Right now she is immitating everything Ailee does -- if she is crying and screaming, Maelyn will cry and scream and in exactly the same way. It is grating to listen to both of them going at it at the same time, but I just find myself lauging to the point of having tears in my eyes when I have two crying and screaming kids on my lap. Makes sense, though -- Ailee gets our attention by crying, so Maelyn figures it is a good way to get us to pay attention to her. For now, I am trying to indulge her as often as I can, so that she is reassured of her place in our family.

My sister and nephew have been to visit twice and it has been wonderful to see all three kids together. In fact, even though it took us over an hour of teamwork to get the girls out of the house, we met my sister at the mall and had our annual visit with Santa.

Maelyn loved visiting Santa and was thrilled that she received a candy cane -- yummy!

Today we went to the paediatrician and he declared Ailee to be in good health. The bronchitis and eye infection have cleared and we are working on the poops with lots of fibre. :) We will go back next month to start her rounds of vaccinations.

Ailee's favourite things right now are combs (loves to brush her hair and everyone else's), pens (she loves to draw), a very noisy microphone that plays the same two songs over and over again, her slippers and shoes, and petting our cat, Rocky.

She intensely dislikes diaper and clothing changes, her car seat, when we need to use the comb she is clinging to, and messes (she is a neat freak).

Our love for Ailee is growing every single day. It is such a wonderous process to first meet, then get to know, and love this little monkey. She is such a happy baby who smiles and laughs often. Ailee brings such joy to our lives and adds to the love in our family.

Daddy -- jet lag kicking in....

I haven't captured a picture of it yet, but this girl has a perfect pencil grip -- at 19 months!!
As a Kindergarten teacher, that blows my mind! :)

Happy girl...

Our little miss...

Don't let this photo fool you -- I can only get her to stay in her chair for about two minutes.
Then, it is back on Mama's lap. Can't wait till we master this skill so that I can eat on my own! :)

One of her favourite activities -- sweeping!

Trying mango greek yogourt for the first time...yummy!

Passed out in the living room...

Mama tried making cookies with Maelyn, but Ailee wouldn't be put down.
Auntie April popped by to say hello and saved the day! :)

The Great Wall & Jade Factory

(This was a post that was written in China, but because of our poor internet service, I couldn't get it sent)

Yesterday was an amazing day! We bundled up and headed for the Great Wall. Paul had been hoping to visit a different section than the one we had visited two years before, but we ended up going to the same one.

On the way we realized that we had forgotten to bring the lock we had engraved for Ailee – that we had left it in the suitcase. We couldn’t believe it!! We had come all this way and the lock was back at the hotel. We were pretty disappointed, but we will bring it with us again the next time we visit China and make sure we put it on the wall for Ailee.

The weather held out for us and although it was cold, it wasn’t bitterly cold, which made it the perfect day to visit the wall.

And even though we had visited the same section before, I still found myself in absolute awe of the wall and the tourists it drew. I didn’t remember it being as steep as it actually is! It is such an amazing sight to see – difficult to put into words.

Maelyn told us that she was nervous about climbing the wall. We reassured her that she wasn’t climbing an actual wall and that it had stairs. She said, “Are you sure we can do it?” We again reassured her that it would okay and that we would stay with her the entire time.

When Maelyn saw the wall and that it did indeed have stairs that she could climb, she was ecstatic and proclaimed, “You were right, Mama. We can climb the wall!”

At the beginning of the Great Wall climb...

After a few family shots on the wall, Maelyn decided that she would climb the rest of the way with Paul. I was carrying Ailee and the backpack, so there wasn’t any way that I was going to be able to climb too far. Not to mention that climbing up and down those uneven stairs with a baby strapped onto you is just a little nerve wracking.

 

I enjoyed some quiet time at the bottom of the wall, carrying Ailee while she slept. In fact, Ailee spent her entire visit to the wall sleeping. It made for an easy morning and I was even able to enjoy a hot chocolate while I waited for the others to finish their climb. It was so peaceful to be able to spend time outdoors, looking at one of the wonders of the world, while our little monkey was sleeping in my arms.

Where we would have placed Ailee's lock...

It turns out that Maelyn made it all the way to the top of that particular section of the wall. I couldn’t believe it! When she got to the bottom, she called out, “Mama! I climbed the Great Wall of China!”

Maelyn, climbing the Great Wall of China!!

We were all ready to leave, but we were missing one member of our group. Albert, grandfather to the other little girl in our group, was still climbing. Visiting the wall was on his bucket list and as an avid hiker, he planned to scale parts of the wall that most visitors do not climb.



Paul, playing an impromptu game of hacky sack, while waiting for Albert...

We waited hours for him to return. We missed our lunch reservation and the kids were getting very, very restless. In the end, one member of the group stayed behind to wait for him, while the rest of us went to the Jade Factory for lunch and some shopping.

Turns out that Albert climbed his way across the mountain and ended up getting lost. He said that parts of the climb down were steeper than a black double diamond ski hill! He did end up having an adventure of a lifetime, but it cost him a $40 cab ride to get back to where the driver was waiting for him. J

Paul and I always talk about the fact that it was at the Jade factory that Maelyn first learned to run – and it made for a busy afternoon! Well, turns out the magic of the factory was not lost on Ailee. Both girls turned into absolute nuts while Paul and I were trying to make some serious purchases. Ailee, who always wants to be carried, wanted out of my arms and was all over the place. Maelyn was acting up, copying her sister. The staff must have looked at us like we were those parents – the ones who have no control over their children. They started giving the girls candy, empty jewelry boxes, anything they could get their hands on to try and keep them quiet!

 

Purchases made, we headed back (with Albert now having rejoined the group) to the hotel. On the way we passed the Olympic village and the Bird’s Nest. So cool!

Ailee continues to blossom and change every day. She is such a little sweetie – very easy going baby. She readily laughs and knows exactly what she wants. In fact, she will often take my hand and move it around to ‘show’ me what she wants. If she wants me to feed her, she will put my hand on the spoon and wait until I pick it up. Then, she will move the spoon to her mouth. Or, she will put food in my hand and then move my hand to her mouth. Clever girl!

Ailee’s laugh reminds me of someone and I have finally figured it out – she sounds just like Jennie! Makes me smile each time she laughs, which is often!

It has been wonderful to see the relationship between Ailee and Maelyn grow. Maelyn has been such a patient and understanding big sister. Ailee has been doing well, too. If she takes one of Maelyn’s toys and Maelyn is not happy about it, Ailee will instantly give it right back. I am so proud of Maelyn and how well she has done on this entire trip!

Home & totally jet-lagged...

After a full 24 hours of travelling, we made it home!

We left our hotel at 5:30am on Friday and the kids slept all the way to the airport. Once we were there, our guide helped us get on our flight to Shanghai (and fix Ailee's ticket!). Our first flight from Guangdong to Beijing with Ailee was very difficult, but this flight went really well! Both girls were in good moods and we got through carrying the kids and the luggage everywhere. :) It helped that we put Maelyn in one of the luggage carts -- she loved the ride!

We arrived in Shanghai and had a six hour layover before our flight to Toronto. When we got off the plane, we asked Maelyn if she needed to use the washroom and she said that she had to go, but she would wait until we were home. Ha!

We decided to pay for a room at the airport hotel -- totally worthwhile!! We were able to feed the kids, let them run around and play, and it gave us a chance to rest.

We then boarded our flight and headed for home! We sat on the tarmac for over an hour -- not something you want to do when you have a 13 hour flight ahead of you. But -- we were absolutely blessed on this flight.

The plane was almost empty! We had paid for bulkhead seating, but there were so many free rows that the flight attendants suggested we take over a number of rows, instead. My mom, Paul, and I each had a row and when the kids were ready to sleep, they had plenty of room. It was fantastic!!

The flight attendants were also absolutely amazing! They took such good care of us -- bringing us extra food for the kids, checking in on us often, suggesting the seat switches. I have never had such kind, caring, and fun flight attendants!!

Once we were safely in the air, we changed the girls into their pyjamas and started their bedtime routine. It took Ailee a little while, but she eventually fell asleep and stayed asleep for the remainder of the flight. She slept in my mom's row of seats and my poor mom dealt with watching her all night -- she rolled off the seat often, just like Maelyn did when we flew home with her two years ago.

As I was rocking Ailee to sleep, I heard Maelyn ask, "Daddy? Do we have to keep Ailee? I changed my mind. I want a boy one now. " Ahhhh -- a glimpse at what might lie ahead. :)

It took me a few more hours to get Maelyn to sleep, but once I did, she also stayed asleep for the rest of the flight. Paul and I took turns sleeping across the third row. Not that it was the greatest of sleeps, but it was better than nothing! The air on an airplane is the worst -- we both felt like our throats were on fire.

On a side note -- I have no photos of our travels home. Normally, this would have been a high priority for me, but it was a decision between photos or my marriage. With hauling around our luggage, two kids, and getting food out every time Ailee demanded it, Paul was fed up and the look I got when I asked him to get out the camera was enough to let me know that it was either the photos or our marriage. After thinking about it for a few minutes, I chose our marriage. :)

We arrived at the airport only slightly later than scheduled and we were so happy to finally be on the last leg of our journey home. Maelyn was not happy that we weren't at our actual home -- but when we exited Terminal 1, she was thrilled to see her Auntie Kara, Uncle Cam, and Grandpa.

After spending some time with family and friends at the airport, we got to our car to head home. Ailee was not happy about the whole car seat situation, but she stopped screaming, as long as she had food in her hands.

At home, we fed the girls and then gave them a bath. We all went to bed (in our bed) at midnight and we slept for just over three hours.

The jet lag since that time has been exactly what I remembered it to be -- horrible!! Paul and I have been getting no more than two hours of sleep at a time. We have felt like zombie's and I am pretty sure that Paul has developed bronchitis. We have all been waking up during the night hungry and disoriented. The first two nights, at least one of us was up with the girls almost all night long.

Things have very slowly started to settle down. I think that Maelyn and I might have finally begun to switch our clocks. I no longer feel the foggy feeling that I get with jet lag and last night, when Ailee woke up, I still felt tired and was able to go back to sleep. Maelyn slept ten hours in a row last night -- from 6pm to 4am. Now, we just have to try and keep her up later at night.

Paul and Ailee are still not making the switch -- and it is making it hard on me because I am always up with Ailee. Last night, we did everything we could to keep her up, but she fell asleep at 5pm. Then, she was up at 11:30pm. I got her down again by 1am, but then she slept very restlessly and was up for good at 4am.

Crossing my fingers that the fog lifts for all of us by the end of the week. I also hope to be able to catch up on quite a few blog posts, now that my head is clearing. :)

Bad internet but almost home!

Unfortunately our internet service here has been terrible. I have tried to respond to emails and send new blog posts, but nothing is going through.

We are heading home in the morning -- 24 hours of travelling. Yikes!! We leave the hotel at 5:30 am and we will be taking a 2 hour flight from Beijing to Shanghai. Then, we havea six hour layover in Shangahi. :(

Our flight from Shanghai to Toronto should take about 12 hours. We are landing at 6:25 pm (which will feel like the morning to us!). We are really looking forward to seeing our loved ones and being home in our own environment.

However, we will really miss this wonderful and beautiful country and are already looking forward to when we return. I will be updating the blog with posts from Beijing once we are home and I can get proper service.

Would love to have you check back in to see how the rest of our week went!

With lots of love,
Jan, Paul, Maelyn, and Ailee

Finding our groove...

Time here seems to be quickly slipping away. How is it Tuesday night already?! The days have been so busy that by the time the kids go to bed, we are done for the day and I haven’t been able to get to the computer. But – just had to catch up! So here goes…

Yesterday we left early in the morning to go to the SOS clinic for the girls’ medical check-up. Going to the clinic brought back so many memories of our trip two years ago on our journey to Maelyn. We have been thinking about the McDonalds and the other families that travelled with us – we miss you guys!

Maelyn and Kyle stayed back at the hotel with Kyle’s grandparents while the rest of us went to the clinic. The older kids have been doing fabulously on this trip, but they have had it with the hours of waiting in lines and for paperwork to be done.

Ailee and Gwen spent time playing together in the playroom and it was nice to see the girls interacting together. It made me think of Jennie and Maelyn and the beginning of their friendship.

Ailee wasn’t impressed with the clinic visit. She wanted no part of it! We had the same doctor as the last time and she is very kind. The wonderful news is that Ailee’s bronchitis is finally clearing up (no more nighttime choking episodes) and her eye infection is almost all gone. She has a mild ear infection, but we will have that looked at again once we return home.

Our little monkey is very healthy and in the 80th percentile for height! Wow – we have such tall girlies!

Back at the hotel, we put Ailee down for a nap and I took advantage of it by spending time with Maelyn. I am trying my best to spend as much one on one time with her as I can. I am honestly surprised at how understanding and patient Maelyn has been. She used to dominate all of my time and now it is Ailee who spends every waking minute with me. I honestly miss my ‘little miss’ – I am also used to spending all of my time with her. We are working at finding our new groove.

After Ailee’s nap we decided to brave the silk market on our own. I was positive that my mom would pumped about this outing. She has been dying to spend her money and there is no better place than the silk market! In the beginning, my mom had a hard time getting over the amount of people in such small booths and hallways and the number of people bugging you to buy their merchandise.

Looking back at this outing, I can’t believe that we decided to shop in a crowded area in the afternoon with two active kids. What were we thinking?!! Both girls had meltdowns and were not easy to care for while we were trying to bargain and shop. We convinced my mom to give the shopping a chance and Paul and I survived the shopping experience by laughing (rather than crying), when both girls would be crying in unison. In the end, we had a great time buying art, kids’ stuff, and a new winter coat for my mom. She decided that the bargaining wasn’t too bad after all – and we are returning to the silk market tomorrow afternoon.

Ailee continues to blossom each and every day. She is such a calm, happy little girl. Although, if you try and take food from her for any reason, she lets you know that she is not happy! Ailee has begun to get off my lap to explore more and more and her giggles are more frequently the sound we hear when we are with her.

We are falling head over heels for our little monkey – how could we not?? :)

Sunday in Beijing

We made it to Beijing – after a long, long flight!

We are here, safe and sound, but we are just starting to get settled. This trip has been so much harder than the last one. I guess having a four and a one and a half year old might have something to do with it. ;-)

We arrived at the hotel late last night and today was a bit of a whirlwind – citizenship paperwork and photos, getting other things sorted right away that needed attention. It left little time to get things organized, which is essential when you are hauling around five people. It doesn’t help that the grocery store in the mall that we relied on last time we were here went out of business. But – we now have the essentials we need and are getting a routine in this new hotel room (which is nowhere near as nice as the one in Guangzhou).

On Saturday morning, before our flight, we met up with another adoptive couple that was scheduled to travel with us the entire time, but they had to delay, for various reasons. Our paths crossed for one breakfast, but it was wonderful to see them! We had a great time catching up, laughing, and they enjoyed meeting Ailee.

When we got to the airport, we found out we were taking the double-decker plane and it was pretty cool! It was huge and very new. I thought a three hour flight would be no big deal – but it was such a long flight! Neither Ailee or Maelyn slept, which made for a busy flight. The floor around us was littered with food and in the end, we resorted to giving each girl suckers to help distract them. Paul and I spent the entire flight laughing our heads off – we couldn’t believe what a gong show one short flight had turned into.

The biggest development has been our Ailee. She chose yesterday to be the day that she opened up the most (while at the airport and on the plane). Ailee has now taken to walking everywhere (as long as she is holding one of my fingers) and we learned that she definitely loves to dance. There was a piano playing in the lobby of the hotel last night and on unsteady feet, she grabbed my fingers and staying swaying and moving to the music. Ailee smiled and giggled the entire time! Ailee is getting braver and braver. She is starting to get off my lap to play, but she comes back for a hug and some reassurance almost every minute. She has even started to vocalize. She is cooing and saying ‘Mama’ over and over again! In fact, this evening she said, ‘Baba,’ which made Paul’s day.

A few other things we know about our Ailee:

• She is a neat freak and I love it! Ailee will brush crumbs off of everything and point to ask me to wash her hands if they are sticky; she loves to tidy up toys and knows exactly where everything goes
• She looooooves her food!!
• She sucks her thumbs every time she gets tired or very stressed
• She smiles all the time
• She hates getting her diaper changed
• She now has an affinity for throwing things; hence any restaurant we now go into just loves us! :)
• She shares her food and toys wonderfully with everyone; kinda crazy for a one and a half year old

There are so many things to catch up on and so many new things to share about our little monkey. Unfortunately, I am just too tired. Tomorrow I will catch up on many things, when I have hopefully had a little more sleep.

Thank you so much for all of the messages and emails – they mean so much to us while we have been away from home!

(Stay tuned for a photo to come...)

Notes from Guangzhou

Just a quick note to say that we had an amazing day here in Guangzhou. Paul and I were able to visit Ailee’s orphanage today and it was a very moving experience. Our little monkey also opened up a lot today and we were able to get a glimpse of more of her personality.

Paul and I have been suffering from lack of sleep. The girls are in our bed and they move around all night long – which doesn’t leave us feeling rested in the morning. Also, Ailee wakes up coughing and choking in the night, which leaves this Mama not feeling very comfortable drifting into a deep sleep. We think the medication we got her is finally kicking in, so hopefully that will help.

So – the post about the orphanage visit is just too important to trust to my tired brain right now. I will post shortly, but we leave in the morning for Beijing. Which means we also have to pack up tonight for our trip tomorrow.

I have mixed emotions about leaving Guangzhou – the place where we became a family of four and where Ailee spent the first 19 months of her life – but I know that we are one step closer to home and to our normal day to day family life.

I just had to include a picture of our little monkey and her double-thumb sucking thing that she does when she is tired – melts our hearts!!

Loving our little monkey

Yesterday we spent the day getting to know our little monkey.

My mom was dying to shop, even though we have told her that Beijing is the place for bargains, so off we went to Wal-Mart right after breakfast.

Wal-Mart in Guangzhou ended up being the place where Mama and Ailee began bonding. There was a point in time when we were shopping that Ailee was inconsolable. I ended up holding her to try and console her and while I did, I sang softly to her. She placed her cheek right against my mouth and then that was it – she was a Mama’s girl from then on. She didn’t let me put her down during the rest of the shopping trip or even for the rest of the day.

I felt so badly for Paul – he had done such an amazing job with her for the first two days and he was really enjoying his special time with Ailee. On the other hand, it was nice to be able to get to know my little girl and give her kisses and snuggles.

On our way home from shopping, both girls fell asleep. We were able to put them to bed for a nap and then we had a short nap ourselves (well, Paul slept while I read). We had an appointment to get Ailee’s passport picture done and as Maelyn was still asleep, we asked Grandma to babysit and the three of us went to the appointment on our own.

While at the bureau, I handed Ailee to Paul so that I could get out some paperwork out of the backpack and she started to squirm in his arms. She then called out for me, “Mama.” Her first word!!

When we got back to the hotel, Maelyn was still asleep. This was probably a good thing as she was very, very tired and cranky – lack of sleep was catching up to her. Although, it wasn’t so great when she wouldn’t go to bed before midnight last night!!

When Maelyn woke up we took Kyle and the girls to the playroom in the hotel. Paul chased and ran with the kids for over an hour and wore them out. Ailee started to discover playing with toys – and once she started, she couldn’t be stopped! She played games where she handed all the toys in front of her to me, then wanted them handed back. Then, she would do the same with Maelyn and Grandma.

When we returned to the hotel room, I brought out the stacking cups. Any adoptive family totally understands the magic of the stacking cups. Ailee went to town with them! She stacked and restacked those cups so quickly and furiously that I couldn’t help laughing over and over again. Yan Yan really engaged with us and spent a lot of time smiling and giggling. It was wonderful to see!

Other things we discovered about our little girl is that she loves to rock back and forth. When you are holding her and she can get her feet planted anywhere, she will forcefully use her feet to get you to rock. She loves it! This girl also loves her food! And she has decided that she is way too big for a bottle and has kicked them entirely. Yan Yan will only drink out of a cup.

The cutest thing ever is that when she is tired, Yan Yan will put both of her thumbs in her mouth and cross her fingers – still trying to get a picture of that one! This girl is a sleeper and goes down regularly for naps and bedtime.

We are loving Ailee more and more every day and it has been wonderful to see her personality start to come through some of the fear and anxiety that she has been feeling.

We love you, Yan Yan!

Maelyn’s drawing of Ailee…