Just a quick post

Ray and Jesse in the coin-op car at WalMart.

Joe and the Munchkins.
Ayi Ping tells me that in China they say the worst ages for behavior are 3, 6 and 9.
Guess how old these kids are?
Joe did turn 10 shortly after this was taken though.

I'm not sure what's so fascinating about grandma's hiney?
Can you believe Ray is 3 and Jesse is 6? I thought Ray was tiny until
the fabulous Miss Jesse hit the scene. She is about 5 inches taller than Ray
and only weighs one pound more than him.

I do have more photos I need to load off the camera so I can post them. My crew enjoyed Halloween quite a lot. Miss Jesse, we found, can become quite aggressive when candy is involved. She started trying to shove past Joe to get to the doors first. Ray got into the spirit of collecting candy, though he still won't eat it. He was so cute with his manners. He remembered to say "tank too" every time he got a goody. Joe played the good big brother and helped mom and dad keep the munchkins out of the street.

Jesse is doing so much better than I thought she would be at this point, but we do have issues. We seem to be down to communication problems and some bouts of selfishness (she likes to take the boys things and not share hers) and being flat out stubborn. Poor kid got put in time out three times today. Once for hitting Ray, once for climbing in the refrigerator (then fake crying under me when I pulled her out) and once for stealing Daddy's nose-hair scissors out of the bathroom (I'd already told her "bu hao" (no good) when I caught her with them the previous day). Even though I had to put her in time out, I've still gotten plenty of hugs and kisses today. She's a really sweet girl who is testing the boundaries of her new family.

She and Ray can be quite jealous of each other at times and like to demand my attention at the same time. If I pick up one, the other wants up. If I get one a drink or food, the other suddenly needs something (even if they just finished). Last night, while Dennis and Joe were at scouts I had them each wanting me to lay down with them in separate rooms to sleep. That just doesn't work.

Jesse and Joe are totally enamored of each other. Joe just gushes over his Mei Mei and says she is the cutest thing ever. Jesse follows him around and wants him to sleep in her room. Its ok for now, but we'll have to get Joe back in his own room before long. He'll be getting too old to sleep with little sister.

Gotta go, Joe's having a little trouble with his asthma ...

Probably the Last One

Ok, here are more photos of our precious little Pixie Priss. Probably my last post here. Thankfully it looks like I will actually be able to bring her home now. I did not need that kind of stress!

Herself tickled the maid yesterday by helping make beds and clean the bathroom. She really can do it! She is just so smart and helpful. I hope she keeps it up when we get home. ;-)

I am so ready to be home with family and friends and for Dennis and the boys to finally meet this wonderful little person!

On with the pictures ...

A little Snag

I just talked with Laura on the phone. this morning and we are having a little DHR snag. Apparently because only one of us went I don't know the condition of Jesse nor do I know how to handle her needs. So someone out there pray for this one person at DHR approves our daughters entry into the country. Reggie and Olga are working on it as I type this. So hopefully They will get to come home on time.

Dennis

2:00pm Problem resolved. They will have the needed document in the morning

More from China

More photos ... Jesse sprawled out in the bed this morning and our trip to the Kunming Zoo. Actually managed to get some photos of me with Jesse and she is smiling! We continue to have issues with her not wanting to play and be held by mama. I know it will come, but its tough. She will let me help her with things, but I think maybe she's trying not to get too close until she knows I'm not leaving her.

Jesse continues to amze me with how smart she is. She copied her Chinese and American names for me, she drew a clock with numbers earlier, helped string beads for a necklace and cut mamas hair! She had done up my hair with some ponytail holders and one of them got very tangled, so she cut my hair for me to get it out. Blends right in, no problem.

She threw up again at breakfast this morning. We're starting to think she may not be able to handle dairy products.

Last night I had to put her in the bed at 9 and she cried herself to sleep. She didn't try to get out of the bed but it was very sad. She finally collapsed around 10 and I was able to get a shower. She slept until nearly 8 this morning and I had to wake her up then.

I know it sounds like a lot of negative, but they are normal stuff. It will get better and better and we do have our good moments. She did actually let me pick her up and hold her for a few minutes last night. A good step in the right direction. I think it will get better faster when we get home and she sees me interacting with Ray and Joe.

We were supposed to leave Kunming Saturday but it wil be Sunday now.

More later ... May be a day or two.

Pictures from China!

Ok, here are pictures finally! We're doing pretty good. Amazing what a difference a day makes. Jesse was trying to escape this morning after I got her dressed. You can see the picture. That's a screaming crying girl with all her worldly posessions trying to run away.

She has changed clothes 4 times today, seems to prefer dresses. And she had a lot of fun playing with Nai Nai's (Pat's) hair, both in the hotel room and the restaurant.

Right now she is playing with Cole and Corey while I borrow the Schmidt's computer.

We went shoping and Jesse insisted on helping the sales ladies hand clothing to Nick Schmidt, then she helped them fold and repack everything. They were very sweet and "paid" her for her hard work with a set of new barrettes for her hair ... hoping that will grow out pretty quickly!

We also bought lots of snacks and candies and our little miss has to open everything and examine it when we got back to the room.

She is still a bit more stand-offish with me than with others with us. I think she's a bit mad at me still, but it is better thos afternoon than it was even this morning.

Its Tuesday here and we will be leaving for Guangzhou Saturday or Sunday.

Will try to post again. I'm not nearly the shutterbug Dennis is, we'll see what I come up with ... mostly more shots of Jesse and not so much the area I guess.

Oh, Godfather, her favorite toy is the calculator. She'll be looking for a position in the organization soon!

Jesse Update

I received this email from laura early this evening and she wanted me to post it.


We are in Kunming now. Just got Jesselin Monday morning and had no time at all to get to a computer. It was go, go, go all day and then hop a flight at 8-something pm. Jesse is dong as well as can be expected. We're having lots of crying and screaming right now with intermittent spells of calm and cooperation. She keeps asking to go home and misses her best friend Dwoh Dwoh terribly. She's gotten sick twice so far. I think the stress has upset her stomach. She just threw up all her breakfast at the table a little earlier. When we first met her she asked where di di and ge ge were. So, I know someone had shown her the picture book. She likes looking at the pictures. She was very happy and sweet at the meeting and then broke down at the embroidery institute. I think it just hit her that everything had changed. I'm pretty sure she did not get to say goodbye to her friend. She is very smart. They gave us some of her homework and she had all 100s! Looks like she may help ge ge with his math. LOL The Schmidt family has their laptop with them and I will try to get some photos to you a little later today. I've not taken many yet, but some. She is very beautiful ... everyone says so. All the people at the airport last night, and even the Chinese gentlman we met yesterday who looks just like my uncle Houston! I should have taken his picture! I failed to bring the card reader down with me at the moment to post on this computer, and changing locations sometimes sets of tyhe crying. She is being very very good for me right now though.

For the Godfather

I promise to do my utmost best to get pictures of your goddaughter posted ASAP. Might have to email to Dennis and let him post, but we'll get it done. I can't wait to see what she looks like now either! I know she must have changed a lot in the past 2 years since the referral photos were taken.

Doris Rocks!

Ya'll who know Doris, know what I say. Those who do not yet know Doris, will.

I was more than a little confused when I got my in-country flight plans, but all has been made clear. Since Jesse is older, Doris wanted to make sure that she was with me when I meet her so she will be able to tell her what is going on and that everything is OK. That she is safe and will be cared for and loved. She was very concerned that neither Pat nor I are fluent in Mandarin. Doris has also performed some of her magic and, hopefully, the magic will hold. It wouldn't hurt to have a few prayers going that Doris' plan works out as intended. We're going to be really, really busy one day ... I'll tell you all about it when we get back.

Sally. July.

Had to say it out loud.

Sally. July.

Sally. July.

Sally. July.

Sally. July.

Sally. July.

Sally. July.

Sally. July.

Sally. July.

Ok. Got that out of my system. ;-)

MEANWHILE ...

I leave in 10 days to meet out little girl! Still so much to do!

Did I mention the comforter I bought for her bed was wrecked in the wash? Cheap comforters! All the batting balled up and fused together. I told Dennis he could use it in the dog house this winter, but he says he won't. Nobody is going to want this mass of lumpy stuff on their bed. I did get a replacement that is pretty close to the color of the top of the wall in her room though. So, I'm happy enough.

We had to buy a new washing machine. We've got a home appliance warranty, but all they ever do is replace part after part after part while we go without our fridge for 6 weeks (living out of coolers to keep the baby's milk cold), without the dishwasher for over a month and without the microwave for over a month. I'm 99% certain they spent way more on repairs than a new appliance would have cost in all three cases. When they told me it would be several more days while they "research" the part for the washer I decided enough was enough. Weird thing is, one of the guys at work has the same warranty and they always immediately replace his appliance. Yeah, I'll be mentioning that when I cancel the policy. I don't care to continue paying them a premium each month for all the lost time at work and frustration and inconvenience for my family. Would I recommend A H S? Nope. Now, watch the AC and heat go out as soon as I cancel ...

Guess that's it for now.

Lean On Me

Ray loves his big brother. Ray loves annoying his big brother. Joe was trying to participate in the bike safety lecture at scouts over the weekend and I eventually had to take Ray out of the picture so everyone could concentrate. Amazingly enough, Joe was answering a question at the time this as taken. ;-)

Pencil Drawings

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful ... Thank you, Margurite!

Ray

Joe

Definitely the 10th

October 10 I leave for China!

Consulate appointment is on the 21st. Head home on the 23rd.

Jesse and I will be home for big brother Joe's birthday!

Meet Pinebow!

Here's the picture to go with the story ...

Ok ... So November

Due to October Trade Fairs ... which unreasonably jack up the cost of a hotel room ($85 becomes $285) ... it looks like I'll be going around Oct. 31. Our agency is trying to get a Nov. 11 consulate appointment.

Its all good. This way I won't have to miss Joe's 10th birthday on Oct. 29! ;-)

I really was getting kind of sad thinking I would miss Joe's birthday this year ... on top of him being upset that he doesn't get to go to China this time ... would have been some tears shed on both sides of the world.

Tubes ... Again

Third time is a charm? I sure hope so! Ray had his third set of tubes put in his ears on Tuesday. Every 6 months, just like clockwork. The doctor said he hoped this set would stay in for about 18 months ... I'm pretty sure that's what he said on the second set. Ah well, what must be done, must be done.

In other news ...

Tonight Ray's best friend is a pineapple. I had to stop by WalMart on the way home. Before I even turned in he starts hollering, "I see it pinebow!" Pinebow being his word for pineapple. We went straight to the produce section where he proceeded to point and tell me "I wan dat one!" Well, "dat one" had a bad spot so I had to convince him to pick a different one. Pinebow rode all over the store with us beside Ray in the kiddie seat. Bear bear (Ray's teddy) was forced to kiss Pinebow a million times. When we checked out and the cashier put it in a bag he got very upset and ripped the bag off. Pinebow rode out of the store beside him, had to sit in the car beside his seat, sat with him at dinner, watched Spongebob, rode in the stroller around the house, shared a yogurt drink and cookies (Ray actually licked the cookie about 5 times!) and played hide and seek with big brother Joe. He finished the evening by sitting on the couch with the whole family as we watched Kitchen Nightmares. He's a little worse for wear and will have to be sacrificed soon (Joe wants to eat Pinebow) because he'll start to rot since the skin on bottom isn't quite intact now. Who knew a pineapple could be so much fun? Surely can't let Ray see the sacrifice. Maybe I can find a plastic one? Will try to post a photo of the stroller ride later.

Met with Joe's teacher today. He is doing pretty well in 4th grade so far. We need to work on his math more. He had mostly As and Bs, but math was a low C. Poor kid is going to end up like his mom and get an ulcer when he has to do Algebra.

I realized today that there is a chance may not be home for Joe's birthday this year. Could be in China getting his sister. I'm going to have to overcome my basic nature and actually plan something ahead of time so Dennis won't stress over the details. Hard to believe he is going to be ten this year. He's growing up so fast. He still amazes me with his grasp of the world and how it works, his compassion for others and his passion for keeping the line between right and wrong. The boy is something really special.

Well, that's it for now ...

For Susan

Pictures!

Oh ... the Name Thing

By the way ...

Our daughter's official name will be Jesselin Shanju. We'll still be calling her Jesse.

Now, with the names we decided to stick together on the English portion (Jesse and Linda), our young lady becomes a "beautiful gift." Technically gift beautiful, but ...

Somebody's Having a Birthday!

Yep. Little Ray will turn 3 very shortly. He's already gotten his presents from mom and dad. A Thomas track and a chalkboard/magnetic board easel. He seems to like both. Not one to really play with toys, Ray gravitates to paper, pencils, crayons .... walls, furniture, major appliances! Oy! The Mr. Clean Magic Erase does come in handy. Never had that particular problem with Joe

No further word on traveling to get Miss Jesse yet. Just waiting and waiting. Of course, in my usual mode, the room is not done yet anyway. I did, however, finally make the curtains for Ray's room this weekend. Only took me a year-and-a-half to get around to that. They turned out pretty well, considering I'm not really practiced at sewing. Wonder how long it will take me to do the ones for Jesse's room?

I've been trying to guess if I have bought any correct size clothes for Jesse. She was 27.5 pounds (2T) and 37-inches tall (4T) on October 24, 2006. Most of the things I have bought have been size 5 and 6. Pat says she will hopefully have some sizes for me this week and then we'll have a better idea. The foster family has to travel a fair distance to get to the orphanage to do the measurements, which makes me feel a bit like I'm an inconvenience. It kind of makes me wonder if they will end up going ahead and moving her back into the orphanage once they get there. I don't think I like that idea floating around in my head either.

Joe had a fun weekend with his friend Conner. They got to watch movies, go swimming at the lake, build and island of rocks and eat barbecued ribs and who knows what else. Those two are like peas in a pod. We have to make sure they get to see each other now that Conner is moving over to another town.

We're about to play musical beds at the house. We're getting a king in our room, because we already have two boys hopping in the bed with us and will add a girl soon. Joe will get our queen and the full in his room will move to Jesse's room. So, we will officially have one bed of each size in the house, from toddler up to king ... Ray has a toddler and a twin in his room at the moment.

Well, I guess that's it for now. All very exciting, wouldn't you say? LOL

What's in a Name?

A lot, apparently.

Yes, we're having a small rethink on the name. Jessie Rose is pretty, but we've had an idea. For one, Jessie may be spelled Jesse. Both have good meanings, but Jesse means "gift," and this child is a gift to our family in more ways than one. Jessie is short for Jessica and means "God Beholds." It can also be a diminutive of Jean, which comes from Joan, which comes from John, which means "God is gracious." Also good. Wonderful, in fact. Can't seem to go wrong with a Jesse, Jessie or Jessica... but, "gift" just works in our case.

The other part, Rose, is pretty, but just doesn't have a meaning. I like names with meaning. So, we're cogitating on that one and will reveal it later.

All of that said, who knows what we're liable to do? I've got to work on it some more. My poor baby doesn't need three given names ... yes, we're keeping her Chinese name as part of the name.

Yes, Ray would have been something all together different if mommy had picked. Daddy wanted a namesake though and I can't blame him. ;-) Its still a good name though. Based from Raymond meaning "advice" or "protector." According to Doris Jing Xia means "old Peking." The protector of old Peking perhaps? I really wanted to stick Jingxia together on his name, but it didn't get on the documents that way. Wonder how much trouble it would be to change it? Just for fun I think I'll start calling him RJ and see how long it takes Dennis to get on to me. ;-)

Joe, btw, based from Joseph means "He will add." Nathan means "giver." Yep. That boy got the right name. He has added so much to our lives, and we simply cannot keep him from giving his toys away to his friends. ;-)

BTW: cool site for name meanings ... http://www.behindthename.com/

LOA at Last!

Ok, so it only took 78 days from our Log In Date to get the LOA for Miss Jessie ... still, its been over a year in process. Mostly me being so slow getting things together. I think its probably good though that Ray has had plenty of time to adjust to us, and us to him. Our agency thinks we may travel as early as September. So, SHE'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR!

I'm hoping to get some updates before heading over to pick up our baby girl, like how big she is now so I can take a few clothes in case we can't go shopping right away.

I have a demanding 2-year-old cryng for me to draw Spongebob right now, so I have to go ...

Meanwhile, I think its ok to post her picture now.