Friday, March 5, 2010
AN UPDATE . . . FINALLY

On January 22nd I went ahead and sent in the 5 questions we were allowed to ask sensing we would be leaving for China by March I thought...well I checked back several times over the last few weeks only to be told that due to all the holidays in such nothing had arrived. Yesterday after getting the news of our article 5 I asked again and today I got an email indicating I should have gotten an email on February 4th, but I had not...overdue but an update is good anytime. Look at how our little ladybug II is growing.

1. The last photos and measurements we have are from May 2009, could we get updated measurements and photos with respect to her size?
Weight: 11kg =24.2 pounds Height: 81cm =31.9 inches Head circumference: 46cm =18.1 Chest circumference: 45cm =17.7 Feet length: 13cm =5.1 inches Teeth number: 15

Update photos please see the attachment. The last we had heard she only weighed just over 20 pounds...yeah she is close to 25 pounds. She is 1 1/2 inches taller, her chest and head about the same, her foot is slightly bigger and she has lost one tooth...maybe a miscount last time she had 16 :).

2. Does she still have asthma and what medications does she take to control or manage her symptoms?
No, and she health is much better than before. This is great news...we had worried some if she still had asthma and how it might limit her...praise the Lord!

3. What is her diet now and is she still drinking formula from a bottle or cup?
She eats rice, noodle, vegetable, meat and fruit. She likes drinking milk with cup, and adults help her to hold the cup. I still plan to give her the next step formula for 6 months to help her catch up.

4. Her medical indicated she was on target developmentally at one year, now that she is 2 is she walking and talking, how has she continued to develop?
She can speak baba(dad), mama(mom), yeye(grandpa), nai nai(grandma), and she can speak two-words-sentence like come here, want water. She can count the number from one to ten. She walks freely and goes up and down stairs by self. She draws on the paper without meaning. She also can pick up a nut and take off her clothes. This is so exciting and I can't wait to hear her first words and to say some words she might understand.

5. How is she being prepared for her adoption? Will she stay with her foster family or be returned to the SWI?
She will stay in foster family before adoption, and the orphanage staff will tell her foster parents when the girl will be adopted. During the period, the foster parents will tell Jing Jing about the family members of adopted family and other information they knew. We sent a photo album of our family and it has stickers with both the English and Mandarin Chinese identifying each photo.
 
Since we won't be there for another...66 days this was food for this Momma's soul. I really do not know how I have endured this wait knowing our daughter is in China and growing up without us..I just keep thinking we have forever and that is what I hold too and I do know she is loved and cared for...and there is not much else that I can do. Now this is what you have been waiting for...photos taken on January 7th of this year.

We also sent you a photo book and letter with it…

January 21, 2010

Dear You Jing Jing,

We received a picture of you this past summer and have now completed all the requirements to be invited to China to be united with you. We are overjoyed! You are a dream come true for our family. You will be our 2nd daughter our baby girl. We love your precious smile and we can see determination in your eyes. We have begun packing for our trip and are counting the days until we travel to bring you home.

First we want to thank your foster family for taking such good care of you…we are so grateful for their love and care of you. We received some updated photos of you in June and you had grown a bit from the photos we saw from around your first birthday. We hope you are doing well and growing. We have been practicing our Mandarin so that we may be able to talk to you when we meet.

We talk about you all the time and your big sister Ellie Lu “Bo Juan” loves you already. We look at your pictures and talk about you when we eat meals as a family. We wonder how you have changed since June and how many teeth you may have and what you might be eating. We wonder what words you might be saying and if you are walking and running. We wonder if you have a favorite toy or if you love to play outside. Every day is one day closer to you, but we still wonder how you are.

Our Precious Ladybug II in her Volunteer Orange...Precious!


So Proud...


I can't wait to see her first steps she seems assured...