Late Happy 4th

We are having a great time in Oklahoma seeing Nana and Papa. This is the first time for ShayLa to meet Papa. On the 4th we enjoyed the fireworks with Papa and both the kids kept saying this was the best fireworks they had ever seen. It was cute. I hope each year is the best. The days of our vacation are coming to a close and I've enjoyed resting and spend time with Nana and Papa. I finally found a bookstore where I could get online. So this will be the only post until we get back to Charlotte.

Julie

First Family Day June 18th 2008

JUNE 2008

JUNE 2007

This has been such an amazing year. God has blessed my family with such a precious child. She finds so much excitement and joy each day. She is a drama queen but that makes life dramatic and fun most of the time. Every day I tell her she makes me smile.

I want to thank my parents for this past year. My mom stayed with us most of the year to help us all adjust to our new family. My job responsibilities changed which meant more traveling on the weekends but more time home during the week. To keep things consistent my mom (Nana) stayed with the kids when I was gone. This meant my Dad (Papa) was left in alone most of the time. They both allowed us to have the best possible start to a family of three.

Nathan has become a wonderful big brother most of the time. They can both give each other a run for the money when it comes to getting their ways. Neither is very good at backing down. Just what you would think a health brother sister relationship would be like.

ShayLa's Top Favorite Things That I Remember are:
1. Dress up - Being a Girly Girl
2. Loves Princesses - ALL OF THEM
3. Loves to eat - From day one she would eat whatever we gave her - Noodles still No. 1
4. Loves to sing -When she first came home she would sing in Mandarin all the time and slowly that changed to songs in English but the singing has never stopped. I love it! I know someday that may go away. I enjoy it and thank God she loves life and is Happy! Her brother on the other hand could do with a little less singing.
5. She prays every night and she lets God know everything that is going on in her life. We can't always understand what she is saying but I know God does and I can imagine Him just smiling and nodding so patiently.
6. She puts all her toys in purses and bags and carries them around.
7. She loves stuffed animals - This year her favorites were - Cat, Pet, Bear and Teddy
8. She loves to talk - All the time!
9. She knows no strangers - Always happy to say hi and ask questions
10. Loves to have her picture taken - She is a poser.
11. She loves to dance. She is usually singing or dancing now she has added skipping.
12. She loves her brother - Most of the time. She has learned to scream before he touches her just like any little sister would.
13. Did I mention she is dramatic - We never had much trouble communicating with her. You can always tell what she wants just from her expressions. Which are not always happy but it doesn't take much to get her back to smiling and having fun.
14. School - Loves going and seeing her friends
15. Cheerleading - Loves to watch and is excited about starting
16. Bath time - After bath being a Baby and letting mama rock her and sing "I love you" from Barney. Then she sings it back to me. So sweet.
17. Mandarin classes - She loved playing and singing songs. She still understands Mandarin but doesn't speak much any more.
18. Mama - She tells me that I am her best friend. Everything had to be the same for the longest time. I had a drink so she needed a drink. I was eating so she was eating. She would point out all the things that were the same.
19. Loves to say "Oh My Gosh" for just about everything new and exciting. It is so cute when she puts her hands up to her mouth.
20. I could go on and on - I don't want to forget any of these things. She is growing up so fast.

She also had some hard times. When I tell people that she is not always happy they can't believe it. She is really good at whinning. This is something we really had to work on and still do. No one is perfect don't we all know.

If anyone has questions about adopting an older child or one with a cleft lip and palate please let me know. She is wonderful and neither issue has been a problem. I love China and pray for her birth family each day. I am so thankful they chose to give her life. I am thankful that God chose me to be her Mama.

Julie

One Year Ago June 17th

On June 17th we traveled from Beijing to Wuhan. Again we had a very easy flight. We had to wait three hours for our plane. The flight only took about an hour and a half. The airport in Wuhan was very small compared to Beijing but they were doing construction and I am sure they are done with that by now. Our guide in Wuhan was very good. She had a major in tourism and clearly loved Wuhan and China. She was very interested in all the pictures that my brother was taking. Our hotel in Wuhan was very nice and the room was the largest of all the hotels. We got in unpacked and then went exploring. We found a grocery store, McDonalds and many places to go shopping. It was a long night but I did get some sleep. I kept think about what it would be like to meet ShayLa. Would she be happy or sad. I kept thinking that they might not approve the adoption at the last minute. Crazy things but it was mixed with excitement and joy at the same time. Looking back it was silly to worry so much God had a plan and it was good.

Julie

One Year Ago June 14th - 16th

One year ago my brother and I started our journey to get ShayLa Elizabeth O'Brien. We had such a great time and truly miss China. I am writing about my memories of our trip. Each day Shay, Nathan and I have sat down and looked at the video, pictures and talked about what was happening last year. I can not wait to take Shay and Nathan back some day.

On June 14th we were traveling and due to the time change lost this day. It was worth the lost. We arrived late around 10:00 p.m. The airport was huge and very nice. We found Chandler our guide without much trouble and the drive from the airport to the hotel was exciting. Just so excited to be in China. Still feeling some disbelief. The city is huge and even at that time the streets were every crowded. Our hotel was very nice and the beds were not to hard. The strangest thing was having to leave the key in a slot on the wall so the lights and AC would work. By day two we realized that is one of us left our key in that the AC would stay on all day. SPOILED AMERICAN!!!.

June 15th we got up early met our group in the lobby and headed for Tian'an Men Square. I remember that the streets were very crowded and many people were on bikes. It was interesting to see all the different things they could do with a bike. Tian'an Men Square was much larger than I thought it would be. When I've seen it on TV filled with people you don't realize just how many people it can hold until you stand in the middle of it. My favorite part of the day was the Forbidden City. The history and beauty of the buildings were amazing. Our guide did a good job of educating us. Chandler was fun and I remember he was so excited about coming to the US later in the summer. I hope he had a great time. It was also very hot. We enjoyed Starbucks in the middle of Tian'an Men Square and later after we came home heard that they had shut it down. I got to see my first squatty potty. Luckily I didn't have to use one. They had western toilets also.

June 16th we toured the Great Wall. This was my favorite site of the entire trip. It is so big and hard to believe that it was built by people so long ago. We had a nice day and John made it all the way to the top. My knee was still bothering me so I only made it to the second tower. I remember thinking how strange it was to have people trying to sell things to us even up on the wall. They were persistent but nice. One of the older men kept following me around he would smile and come back again later. We did end up buying some of the coins. I know they are not real but Nathan loved them. Later in the day we went to the Cloisonne Factory and after that by the Olympic area. In the pictures you can see where they were still working on the building card the "Bird's Nest" and the other one is a picture of it finished. Everywhere you looked Beijing was getting ready for the Olympics. They had so much construction. I wondered how they were going to make the haze go away. We went to one of the Olympic stores and bought a number of gifts.

We had seven families that toured with us in Beijing. All of the children in our group were Special needs so the next day we split into smaller groups and head to the province where our children were waiting.

I want to thank my brother for the great pictures. He did a great job of capturing what we saw. Now we are sharing it with ShayLa. Every time she sees something in China she says "My China" I wish she understood more so we could ask her questions. I am not sure she really remembers. I know that did a great job caring for her. She is a joy and I am so blessed to have her in my life.

One Year Ago Today!

One Year ago today my brother and I boarded three planes to LA / Tokyo / Beijing. We had a safe easy flight on all three planes. Our connections were well timed and other than being really nervous and excited about getting to meet Shay our trip over was very smooth. I remember thinking when I woke up that day "What have I done" (just a little worried) and "WOW I can't believe the time has come" (thankful and excited). I could not believe we were on our way.

We upgraded our seats from LA to Tokyo which made the long part of our trip so nice. I've never been in first class so it was a treat. Our seats laid out flat and made sleeping very easy. I always sleep on planes so that just made it even easier. I think we still have the slippers they gave us. Our seats were upstairs on a plane that held over 400 people.

Shay and I talked about Mama coming to get her today. She doesn't really get it but it was fun talking about it. I am so thankful for her she is such a blessing. Everyday I thank God for letting me be her Mama.

Thank you also to Uncle John for coming with us last year, my Mom and Dad for staying with Nathan while we traveled and Nathan for letting Mama go for so long and being a good boy for Nana. He has been a great big brother most of the time.

Julie

Almost One Year! Look at Her Now

On June 18th we will celebrate our first year Family Day. I have a hard time expressing just how blessed I feel when I see her jump, sing, twirl and laugh. She knows no strangers and everything for the most part is so exciting. She does have her times when she crys and whines but so do we all and it doesn't take long for her to get back to your normal amazing self. I'm just a little bit biased. :) I am working on finding pictures from each month she has been home and hope to post them soon. All the picture stuff and video stuff on the blog's is new to me so it might take a while. My computer at home won't let me post pictures. I think it's to old.

We've had a great couple of weeks the high light was seeing Uncle John and the space shuttle blast off. I will write about that later. Hoping to have pictures to make it more exciting. We have made it to the end of Nathan's Kindergarten and he is enjoying Lego camp this week. We have three weeks of camp and then we will spend two weeks in Oklahoma with my parents. It is finally time for Papa to meet his Little Princess.

We had our first family photo session last Saturday so I hope those pictures will turn out and I will be able to post them soon. Both the kids did a great job except for Nathan's bug-a-phobia. Even the rollie pollies caused him stress. It was actually very commical but he didn't think so. I had visions of all the pictures turning out with him having his eyes all over the place looking for bugs. I am sure some will turn out great.

Julie

Still Here

Sorry for not posting over the last month. I didn't mean to wait that long but I've been having trouble with me computer at home and can't post anything. Hopefully I've got that all worked out "time will tell".

We are all doing great. Shayla finished up her first year of preschool and is out of school this week. She really misses going to school and asked each day if she can go back. Summer school starts next week so she'll be excited to see all of her friends again.

Nathan still has school for two more weeks. He is very excited about moving on to first grade. He is doing a great job at school and we've had almost two weeks of good reports. He will miss school and seeing his friends.

Tomorrow we are off to Florida. My brother (Uncle John) got all of us tickets to see the space shuttle blast off. Nathan can not wait. It will be so good to see him. He has not seen Shayla since we got back from China last year.

Over this past month my heart has just been aching for China and all the earth quake victims and then the Chapman family. We have been praying for them daily. I can not imagine the pain of losing a child. I watch my kids play and smile each day. When they get on my last nerve I remember and rejoice that they are here. So many children and families have been torn apart over this past month. Please remember to lift up everyone to the Lord.

ROM
12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Julie

Going Back to Wednesday

Our one day last Wednesday has turned into a really off week for Nathan. I am spending most of my time trying to figure out why he goes from doing really well to suddenly not being able to funtion at school. I question what he eats, is the medication working or hurting him, I am doing something to make him act this way, is his diagnosis correct or is it something else completely, if so how do we fix it. The list goes on and on. My prayer is that we find out what it is and figure out a way to make it better. He is not able to tell me why he does the things he does. I want to believe that he is not able but it makes it really hard to help him get better when we don't even know why it is happening.

We started OT this week and hopefully this will help. I would love to talk with any parents that are having similar issues. His current diagnosis is ADHD, SID and PDD-NOS. One week he is great and life is wonderful the next day he is totally out of control either at home or at school. I just want him to be happy and be able to function in a why that he can reach his full potiential.

Julie

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful that ShayLa is happy and her palate is healing. So far no holes and her speech is improving. I am also thankful for our great, loving dog Rudy.

Julie

Wordless Wednesday on Thursday

Happy and enjoying life!

One of Those Days

Today was one of those days for Nathan. I wish as a parent I could make each day like the one he had at the beach this past summer. Every minute of the day was so exciting and happy. Having a child with special needs on the outside can be hard but when you never know exactly what is going on inside and how to help it is really hard. I keep asking God if He really thought I was the one who could best help Nathan. I would not change a thing but just wish we could get control over all of his issues. One day he is so good and happy and the next out of control and lost. This picture is for Nathan - I love you now and forever - no matter what!

Julie

Getting Back to Normal

Well we are getting back to normal. Spring Break is over for Nathan and Shay is back to her old self. They both went to school today. My computer at home would not let me post pictures and my lap top is acting up so I've not been able to get these up until now. Shay stayed home all week so we could be sure nothing went near her mouth. She has done a great job of not putting any thing in her mouth. She was so excited to get back to school today. She also has cheerleading tonight and can not wait to start cheering. The past two days she keeps telling me that on Monday she will be a cheerleader.

Nathan seemed happy to get back to school. The first couple of days were great fun not having to do anything but by the end of the week he was bored. He kept telling me yesterday that he was "VERY BORED" and wanted to go do something. Reading and school work was not his idea of a way to get over boredom. On Satuday both Nathan and Shay had great fun at Monkey Joe's.

I am still having trouble with my allergies and went to the doctor on Thursday. Even with the presciptions and other drugs my eyes are still watering and I am not back to normal. Hopefully the tree pollen will clear up over the next few weeks and that will help me get better.

We have our post-op appointment this Thursday and I pray that Shay's palate will be given the all clear. I have not noticed any holes but it is really hard to tell. She seems to be talking better and clearer. We will start speech therapy soon.

Julie

Allergy Season Has Hit Home

Sorry for not posting sooner. My allergies have been driving me crazy and my eyes are watering so much that I can't see very well. Yesterday I was feeling a little better so we went to the park and I paid for that all night. My eyes were stuck shut this morning so Nana is out with Nathan providing him some needed entertainment and ShayLa has a tent in the family room so she can watch movies in style.

ShayLa is doing well she seems to be completely pain free and back to herself. The only thing is the soft diet. She is not excited about her choice of food. She also wants to feed herself and I am suppose to do that for her until we return on April 17th. I have tried to put everything into her bunny mug so she can do it herself. Miss independent feels better but still wants to eat what everyone else is eating.

Well for some reason my computer doesnt want to allow pictures today. And I need to get back to my runny nose which has not stopped running for three days now. Hopefully I can add some pictures later.

Thanks again for all the prayers and well wishes.
Julie

She Did Great THANK YOU FOR PRAYERS!

We are on the way to that wonderful smile again. She did great and looks pretty good. The recovery room was not much fun. She woke up very upset and angry. It took about an hour to calm her down and that did not really happen until we were in our room. The nurse let us remove her No No's and that seemed to end some of the anger. She is so independent and hated not being able to drink by herself. Right now everything looks great and we are getting ready to sleep. She's been very alert for what she has been through I was expecting her to sleep more. Thank you for every one's prayers and suggestions. They have all been very helpful. My adoptcleft yahoo group has helped prepare me for about every thing. If you have or are considering adopting a cleft child I would recommend joining the group. My hope is that we will update tomorrow from home. I just want to praise God for all that He has done. I am so thankful that I get to be ShayLa's mama. Nathan and Nana I hope to see both of you tomorrow. I love you both. Nathan I am so proud of you keep listening to Nana and have fun at school.

Julie

Waiting

Hi Well we got to check in at a earlier time but we didn't get into to surgery until 2:00 P.M. The nurse just said she is doing fine and they have put the ear tubes in and are working on her palate. God is working in that she did not ask to eat or drink the entire time until right before they took us back for the surgery. She was in a great mood but did not approve of the hospital attire they asked her to put on. She should be done around 5:00 p.m. and I will update later this evening. Thank you for all that are praying. We have a awesome God and she could not be in better hands.

Julie

Small Change in Plans but a Answer to Prayer

The main concern I had was the length of time that ShayLa had go with out eating. Later today the hospital called and changed her check in time from 12:00 noon to 10:45 a.m. That is an answer to prayer for me. ShayLa loves to eat so we stayed up and had a late evening snack at 9:30 p.m. Hopefully that will keep her until we get to the hospital. I will update the blog if possible tomorrow afternoon.

Julie

Surgery is a GO!

After much speculation everyone agreed that ShayLa is in good enough health to do the surgery tomorrow. So we have moved to our new hotel and will check into the hospital tomorrow at noon. The doctor said the surgery should take about 2 hours and if they put tubes in her ears it will be another 30 minutes. Around three hours for the entire process. ShayLa did a great job at pre-op and had everyone smiling.

We meet another family with a beautiful daughter from China that was at their post op appointment and she looked great. They made be feel more at peace and went over their story. Hopefully we will be able to get together later and let the girls play.

I will update the site tomorrow to let everyone know how she is doing. We would love everyone's prayers.

She is watching Dora and playing on the bed right now and we will be going out to look around later. Our first obstacle will be not eating after midnight. She doesn't go in until noon so she will not be to happy witb me when we don't eat in the moring. Usually she has already eaten twice by noon. I have some chicken broth so that will be breakfast.

Julie

Rudy - The Best Dog Ever

Rudy - The most patient loving dog ever with his present from the Easter Bunny!

Easter Eggs Princess and Star Wars

After we got down with the festival we enjoyed some Easter egg decorating time. This year Nathan has been totally obsessed with Star Wars so his egg decoration choice was STAR WARS. ShayLa chose Princesses. They both did a great job and enjoyed doing their own things.

Julie

Easter Cont.

We started Easter weekend at a Easter Festival and Egg Hunt. Nathan, Nana and I have done this for the past 3 years. We skipped last year but thought with ShayLa celebrating her first Easter we would give it another try. It has really grown over the years but it didn't stop either of them from enjoying all the activities. Both the kids had a great time even with the long lines. Nana and I survived the long walk in and enjoyed watching them gather egg's and enjoy all the inflatable rides. We even got to see the Easter bunny.

Julie