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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.'


Maybe they do not fall asleep quickly
because SOMEONE is wrestling with them before bedtime...


He doesn't speak English,
so maybe he misunderstood when we told him to 'go to bed'


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