Monday, March
11, 2013
Barbie Dolls, Soccer Balls and First Bumps
My primary audience for this entry are the amazing older sisters
(JieJies) and older brothers (GeGes) waiting anxiously at home
for their new little sister and brother to arrive.
I have talked in the past about how blessed we are to have such
amazing kids. Abby (12), Adam (10), Mia (8), and Will (6) are
some of the best kids you will ever meet.
And while I have only known Sam and Ellie for ~24 hours, I can
already tell that they are the perfect addition and will fit in
beautifully. Here are a few early examples that give me this
confidence:
Cookies vs. Broccoli – When broccoli was offered at
dinner tonight, neither Sammy or Ellie were interested. A casual
observer might have assumed that they were full… that same
casual observer would have to change his opinion when he saw how
quickly afterwards they seemed VERY hungry for a cookie. I know
four kids in Ohio who exhibit similar behaviors.
The Toy Aisle (Boys) – We were at a local department
store for supplies (which is a polite way of saying that we
needed to buy some of the aforementioned cookies… mainly for mom
and dad), and we wanted to let Sam and Ellie pick out a toy. In
perfect harmony with his two older brothers, Sam could not
decide between a soccer ball and a basketball. After trying
unsuccessfully to explain to a non-English speaker that a full
size basketball was not going to fit into our carry-on luggage,
we settled on a mini-basketball.
The Toy Aisle (Girls) – Ellie liked the ball aisle, but her
aisle of choice had a different feel (and color scheme) than the
ball aisle. Ellie’s aisle of choice was 99.6% pink. Like Sam’s
soccer vs. basketball quandary, Ellie also had a debate… but it
was between the Barbie doll and the Barbie “dress up” kit with
full size crown and jewelry. It took a long time to ultimately
decide on the Barbie doll… a struggle I have watched on
countless occasions in the toy aisle at Target with Ellie’s
older sister Mia.
Playing vs. Sleeping – I now have a base size of six data
points with a 100% preference for staying awake to play versus
going to bed in a timely manner when asked. (At least the
Chinese children can claim the language barrier… the Ohio
children are just ignoring us.)
Dancing – At one point today, we started playing some of
our family’s favorite songs on the iPad. (The list is an
eclectic mix of modern worship, 80’s pop, and old school
hip-hop. Our playlist would have been incredibly relevant in
1986.) As soon as they heard the music, Ellie and Sam started to
dance. Ellie’s dance moves are fluid and beautiful like her
sisters. Sam’s are more raw; they feel less like ballet and more
like a cross between kung fu and breakdancing… which also sounds
like a couple of older brothers (and their dad.)
The Fist Bump - While yesterday’s “Gotcha Day” update
highlighted several extraordinary aspects of our first meeting
with Sam and Ellie, that account neglected to highlight at least
one other noteworthy moment. When I tried to have Sammy “give me
five”, he shook his head and extended his right fist instead.
Surprised by his response, I decided to see if this Chinese
orphan was familiar with the concept of the “fist bump”… so I
bumped his fist with mine. When I did, his fist immediately
opened up and his hand shot into the air. This 3 year old orphan
from China had just “blown up” our fist bump. (I will separately
have to address the fact that my 3 year old son from China is
more culturally relevant than me, but at least he will have some
kindred spirits in Will and Adam who would gladly teach him all
the variants of the “pound explosion”… including the family
favorite – “The Squid.”) |
At the moment this picture was taken, my backpack knocked the
letter I in 'ADOPTION' off the wall.
I love my BaBa!
I also love my MaMa!
If you like 'Virtual Abby', wait until you meet the real one!
The three sweetest words in the world 'Xie Xie, Daddy.' |
