2nd Christmas for Iris

Christmas Eve day started with a long bike ride with Dada and Uncle Justin. Mom was at home baking pies with cousin Grace. In the evening, we had a brisk walk to church to see the Living Nativity scene. With all the animals-donkey, lamb, and cow; she liked looking at the angel on top of the shed. Then, we all attended a Christmas eve service.

The next morning, Iris had the pleasure of waking her cousin up. Then, she pulled the covers over herself to pretend sleep. She really likes her jie-jie Grace. :) Take a look at those smiles!

After A-ma and A-gong arrived with Aunts Ruth and Lai Chan, Iris got to unwrap presents. Yeah!
Iris did very well and likes her new pink hat that is soft and warm. She looked pretty dazed as she watched everyone else open their presents. In the end, I am overwhelmed by God's blessings of love, family, and generous giving. The love of family surrounded Iris this Christmas, and God-willing, this will be the norm for all her formative years.

The traditional turkey dinner was great with plenty of leftovers. Yum-yum! Iris didn't care for much of the food, with the exception of the banana (sweet) bread. The drama happened while several of us were on a walk around the neighborhood. The garbage disposal had a clog, and as Dada tried to unclog it, the pipe under the sink came loose and buckets of yucky water flowed out. Uncle Justin came to help, but what a mess! Note: no picture.

The day after Christmas (a.k.a. Boxing Day) meant Iris actually got to play with some of her Christmas gifts. Once three adults figured out how to assemble it, Iris had fun playing in her toddler size house, tent and tunnels. Aunt Ruth managed to fit inside with her at one point.

Stay tuned for more family photos as we welcome the new year in Pebble Beach, CA!

Visiting Mom's relatives

Iris and Mama spent a week in WA with 2nd cousins and many aunts, uncles, a few grandaunts and granduncles. First, she was greeted enthusiastically by Colin T., whom she called "Ge-ge."
In fact, she had several ge-ge s, jie-jie s, and it soon became apparent that Iris was the
mei-mei.

Iris thoroughly enjoyed her time running around the house, going up and down stairs and playing with different toys alongside the three Thompson children. Yes, and there was a bit of video watching, too, that Iris was attentive, too. The three two-year olds are here with "ai-yi" (Betty). Please note the lovely pink high heels that the girls liked to wear; gifts from her 2nd cousins, Angie and Ellie (different family). In all, Iris met 9 second cousins, 8 aunts, 5 uncles, 3 grandaunts, 2 granduncles, and a gentle 8-year-old black lab.
The occasion was the wedding of the oldest son of one of mom's cousins (Susan). A-ma and A-gong were there as well to help feed and play with Iris at times. Most of the get-togethers centered around food, and we even managed to have pizza a couple of times that week. Yum-yum!

It was a great visit to see how the "children" have grown and for Mom (Cindy) to talk with cousins in person. We were most thankful that Betty and Dean opened up their home and allowed Iris to share all the diaper/potty stuff, so we didn't have to pack it up. Still, I managed to pack a large suitcase that was near the limit of 50 lbs. Oops!

Here's a glimpse of the active chaos that happened when the three two-year-olds got together:

Now, onto Christmas at the homestead.

T-Day in Phoenix

Thanksgiving Day was travel day for us... and Iris was a real trooper! We flew to AZ where several cousins and Aunts were waiting to see her again. The traditional turkey dinner was made possible thanks to Aunt Diane and Grandma Avenell. Yum-yum! The weather was great, and just a tad bit warmer than home. The fun part for everyone was seeing Iris open her birthday gifts one-a-day. Toys were very entertaining, especially the talking teapot with a British accent asking,"Would you like a spot of tea?" Iris WAS the entertainment for all the adults and older cousins, too. They are all so grown up; just look at them!














Some fun activities was decorating the gingerbread house, having red toenails (cousin Shelby was responsible for that!), and sharing a birthday cake with Aunt Lynn, who turned the big 4-oh! One evening was spent walking around the Phoenix Zoo for an annual show called "Zoo Lights." Iris's eyes were glazed over by all the color, different sounds, and all the relatives wanting to hold her. The show was amazing!

Of course, once Thanksgiving and November birthdays were acknowledged, it was onto Christmas. One fun Christmas "ornament" at Aunt Diane and Uncle Craig's house were the dancing and singing snowmen. Click on the video to see:

Next stop: Bellevue, WA in December

The Party Girl!

Iris turned two years old....all week! It started with a party with a playgroup of children whose birthdays are within these winter months-November, December and January.
So what happened?

First, Iris wore her special Chinese dress to church in the AM. I was tempted to put the red squeaky shoes on, but Dada vetoed that. I was also pleased that she wasn't drooling so much that I had to put a bib on her the whole morning.

Then, we went to a birthday party for about 8 or 10 toddlers whom Iris has seen a couple of times in the past few months. At this incredible potluck lunch, the children had a right-sized house to decorate, toys galore, a trampoline, a rocking horse, riding vehicles, and a play kitchen to enjoy for a couple of hours. Iris had an indoor picnic with her new friends. The food was very yummy, and almost all vegetarian. Unfortunately, Iris had to leave early before the delicious pastry was served with two candles because everyone is turning two years old. However, she actually was able to take a nap, which Mama and Dada were so happy about!

In the afternoon, a couple of Iris's friends (Michael and Alina) and their parents (Angela & Chris, and Daniela) arrived for some more play time, pizza dinner and carrot cake. The adults mostly talked about the kids, but we thoroughly enjoyed watching them interact and try to pronounce Iris's name. For some reason, they liked to go down the hall into Iris's room, sometimes led by Iris. They are all active toddlers, for sure!

When the candles on the cake were finally lit (wet matches!), Iris tried blowing, but Mama helped a little. Presents came at the end, and Iris liked everything that she received. The caution was that there were many parts to some of them, such as plastic food sets and Mr. Potatohead. :)

It was a fun-filled day and Iris, per usual, was in good spirits (except for one crying spell right after naptime). It reminds us that all the time, God is good; God is good all the time!

Next: Birthday/Thanksgiving celebrations at the grandparents' homes on Wednesday and Thursday. Watch for more pictures.

What a cutie!

November is here and Iris is almost two years old! She is really a cutie because there are so many things she has been repeating. Here's a partial list:

* loves putting on her shoes herself; often on the opposite foot. See her saying "shoe" in the photo! She can put on socks, too.
* practices opening and closing the doors (sometimes even locking it...uh-oh!)
* calls for her bear and wants it near her almost all the time at home (same goes for her yellow blanket)
* taps her head when she wants to wear her favorite white hat, even though her coat or sweater has a hood
* likes to shake her head "no" and says "no" even when she doesn't really mean it
* confuses "pee-pee" and "poo-poo" after she goes on the potty
* says "down" when she wants mama to sit down or put her down on the ground.
* says "uhh" for "up" when she wants to be picked up
* says "ju" for "juice" or "orange"(in Mandarin) and "shway", which is "water" in Mandarin Chinese.
* "may" for "strawberry" (Chinese is "tsao mei")
* says "pea" with a hand gesture around her chest to mean "please" because she wants more food or what someone is eating.
* likes walking in the neighborhood looking for cats
* says "da" for "dog"
* plays an "ah-choo" game that Dada invented, involving her stuff animals flying all over her room.

After a cold, seasonal flu and H1N1 flu shots, Iris is doing well. Soon, it's time to celebrate her 2nd birthday and the anniversary of her baptism. We thank God for her every day. I'm still wondering why she won't come towards me when I call to her. I'm afraid that when there's a safety issue, it could be disastrous. Dada would say to me, "Stop being a mom!"

Now that she's a toddler, she doesn't always nap as well as she used to. As the holiday season is quickly upon us, I pray that we'll not be too busy or distracted to notice how Iris is changing or needing us. Teaching a toddler is a really tough job (!) as other parents of older children know. I'm thankful for other moms, our families and friends to help care for her. It truly takes a village!

Joy and sorrow

Happy Halloween! It's been a weird couple of weeks, but Iris has experienced her first "trick-or-treat"-ing experience. Once she had a bag and was placed on her way up the steps of friends' porches, she knew what to do and wasn't too shy about going to the door. She was a cute angel with a somewhat loose halo. See for yourself.

Earlier today, Dad and Iris spent time carving a pumpkin. Here's a photo of the one Mama did a few weeks ago that didn't last with our warm weather. The pumpkin is saying Iris's clear utterance, "Uh-oh!"

After a downpouring of rain one Tuesday, we weren't able to go through the corn maze on our annual pumpkin picking date with cousins Noah and Matthew and Aunt Ruth. However, Iris got a pony ride that she wasn't too sure of.
We enjoyed lunch back at home with her first viewing of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" Unlike Charlie Brown, Iris didn't get a rock for Halloween. She did manage to lose her shoe as we strolled down a lively street in town that hundreds of people meandered without cars for several blocks. Iris is a great joy to watch and love!

The sorrow part is that our dear dog, H.G., had to be put down. She was over 13 years old and lived up to her namesake; a good dog. We have her ashes now and memories of her kind, fun and quiet companionship. For those who knew her, I've set up a link to a photo gallery.

On the other brighter note, Mama had a birthday that was celebrated with a couple of friends for lunch, parents for the afternoon, and a delicious mocha cake that lasted all weekend. It's middle age we're talking about, as Mama (and Dada) have realized that we need to watch our diet and exercise more. We're definitely not getting any younger, despite the silliness we exhibit playing with our daughter. Dada truly cherishes the Saturdays (while Mom is working) for bike rides, visits to the park and even grocery shopping. Last week, Dad made an impulsive buy of some sunglasses for Iris. Isn't she cool?

Finally, here is an update of "words" Iris says:
bear, bee (which might mean baby), pee (or pea? or please?), bedtime, cracker, goldfish(as in cracker), banana, mama, dada, up, down, playdough, juice, thank you (in Mandarin), kitty (she sees neighborhood cats), cheers when toasting with drinks, and still the all-purpose uh-oh.

Potty training continues, of course, as well as occasionally dropping food off the high chair. Pray for us regarding that!

Happy Mid-Autumn Moon Festival!

Iris is on the move! Here she is meandering around the park at the recent FCA Moon Festival potluck. There were a few dozen children, but Iris was one of the younger ones. The weather was windy, but the food was delicious, and Iris liked the pineapple mooncakes,

There was a grassy area with some balls, a colorful parachute, a gong, a taiko drum and drum sticks, and a traditional parade lion head. Dada and I helped Iris color and create a lantern. She was happy to hold it as the children paraded behind the lion at the end of the evening.

See for yourself in this video:

As summer turns to fall, we spent a day at the beach. It was a sunny and warm enough day as days are along the coast. Iris found the water too cold and a bit scary, but she loved the sand and walking barefoot. Oh yeah, she loved drinking and eating, too.

That was a thanks to dad's delicious sandwiches. The cheese-flavored baked goldfish crackers were the best!

Last Post-placment report

Before this month passes by completely, there's more to say about our one year anniversary with Iris. First, the post-placement visit by our agency's social worker is done and we think that the information will be favorable. Iris played while our conversation about her was happening. At one point, she stood up in her new chair/table set (from Aunt Ruth!), and mama asked her to sit down. She did...and other times, she didn't. There's definitely independence happening. The words we used to describe Iris: active, fast learner, happy, and fearless. Today after her playgroup, one lady described Iris as a go-getter.

She's usually a great eater and sleeper. As you can see in the photo, she can make a real mess! Yet one new developments: Iris is not eating some of her favorite foods, such as banana (She eats all other kinds of fruit!), french toast, yams, carrots, and rice. She's not eating vegetables, except for frozen peas. Each day is a challenge to give her good nutrition.


Another new development: She communicates more with pseudo-words, such as "day-do" for "playdough" (See photo with her friend Grayson). So far, she says: uh-oh (a lot!), dada, mama, Mmmmm (for cow sound), "guh" for "all gone/I'm done", "ticka ticka ticka" for "tickle tickle tickle" (which ma and dada like to do to her).

As she will turn two years old in November, we are slowly seeing her assert her independence and sometimes, defiance. It reminds me of how as a Christian, sometimes I don't listen to God's Spirit to guide me in the right paths. That's when I get stressed and feel out of sorts. In parenthood, I realize that one of the most important roles is to protect the child. Therefore, I will need to meditate and pray more in listening mode to understand fully how much Jesus loves and protects me. After all, this is what children learn to sing at at young age: "Jesus loves me, this I know for the Bible tells me so."

1st Anniversary of Gotcha Day

It's amazing to think that one year ago, we met our fun, happy daughter Iris. We were in China fumbling our way around what to do with our 9-month old. Wow! We've learned a lot, yet it seems that we still know so little about raising a child.

For example, I think Iris is ready for potty training, ...but how? Once again, I try to consult books and videos. Other parents may try to help, but oftentimes their recollection is not tied to a "method." So, we're going to try different things-potty in her room, potty in the bathroom, regular times after drinking or eating to "try". It's just strange that we are doing this, but she can't really express herself in words.

But onto more pleasant thoughts: a reunion with one of the families that we met one year ago. We met Iris's friends, Isabella and Alexandra, at Tilden Park. All the girls enjoyed petting calves, feeding cows, chickens, ducks, and seeing rabbits, and sheep in the little farm. Iris enjoyed feeding them the lettuce leaves that Isabella's dad and mom brought. It was a joyous and sunny day. Here are some photos:

From Psalm 104 that celebrates our Creator God:
"May my meditation be pleasing to him,
as I rejoice in the LORD."

Preparing for our one year anniversary

It's been over three weeks of new beginnings and busyness in our home. B. started a new job, still in town; and I started teaching fall classes without much of a break between summer and fall classes. I've been overwhelmed by the amount of "kick-off" work I think I need to do and how the home schedule (feeding, playing, sleeping) is with Iris. I'm truly leaning on God's power through the Holy Spirit to help me accomplish what I can. Needless to say, transitions are usually tiring and uncomfortable.

It's noticeable how Iris is starting to respond to verbal commands with understanding of what we're saying. For example, I ask her to get her shoes before she goes outside and she goes over to where the shoes are. She is fascinated with her shoes, as well as her parents' shoes. She wants to put them on and take them off multiple times. Her other concentrated effort goes into buckling herself into things- high chair, car seat, stroller. This would make it easier for us to get her ready to go somewhere (or eat). She points a lot to things and makes a noise that sounds like a request to get something to her. We (the parents) just have to guess what she really wants through trial and error (e.g. a book among her large piles of books). She is starting to use Da-da and Ma-ma when we are around, as well as for other things or people, but I'm going to take the "Ma-ma" enthusiastically as her calling for me.

As she gets closer to two years of age, she definitely shows signs of temper tantrum-like crying and refusals to do something she can (e.g. walking somewhere) because she doesn't want to. Still, overall she is a very happy, sociable, smart, and active toddler. Iris's appetite is also doing well, and here is proof at the strawberry patch (the strawberries were soooo sweet!) we visited:

Some August events:
Iris was stung by a bee! Dada acted quickly and took out the stinger, soothed her and put a baking soda paste on her finger as a salve for the poison and pain. Iris screamed very loudly! (Mommy was gone at the time).

Iris met her Uncle J. and Aunt L.C. for the first time. They'll be visiting us soon, so I hope she can get to know them better.

Brian had a week off between jobs and completed outside chores that was probably equivalent to three months worth of pruning. We now have a rock pathway in the backyard that leads to our vegetable garden.

Ho Gao (our dog) continues to sleep a lot and is pretty much deaf, but Iris is starting to pet H.G. more.

Iris is starting to drink from a plastic (non-sippy) cup without totally spilling the liquid down the front of her torso. She smiles almost after each swallow.

Active Iris

We've been thinking about what we were doing one year ago: The Summer Olympics began, Cindy was in hot Visalia drying peaches (YWAM), Brian was busy getting the final documents and money in order for our trip to China, and we were waiting for our travel date to meet our dear little Iris. A year makes a big difference!

Lately, Iris continues to show signs of understanding us, but not saying words that are distinct. The most adorable thing that she started doing a couple of weeks ago is before meals with Mom, she puts her hands together and a speaks "quiet words" as if praying. I wish I could capture it on camera, but I'm praying along with her. You'll just have to imagine this. Afterwards, I say "Amen" with a fond smile to her.

Another of her new habits is trying to put on her own shoes, as well as mom's. She even can walk with mom's shoes/slippers at times. Here are a couple of pictures:

Anniversary of First Call/photo

It was just a little over one year ago that we first got to see and know our little Iris through a thin file of photos and medical records. My how she's changed! She is walking and almost talking. We marvel at how her face appears to understand some phrases we say, such as "Go find Ho Gao(our dog)" or "get the book over there." We have enjoyed her smiles, and are getting used to her grunts and cries for communicating some of her wishes. No real words, except "uh-oh".

Grandma from AZ is visiting and helping out so much. We all went to to Angel Island for a change of scenery. Iris experienced her 2nd boat ride with us on the ferry to the Island. She was pretty quiet most of the day in her stroller, but preferred being out to walk about.
She also likes mom's hat a lot (see her wearing it in the above photo), but forgot to tell us that she dropped the hat on a trail near the picnic area. Oops! One cap missing!

At home, she has been interested in spending time in the backyard. Here's a video of how she likes relaxing in a chair with a magazine, and oh yeah...there's another hat.

Busy work week

This was the first week of Iris not waking up with either of us. So, who stayed with Iris three mornings this week? A friend (Azar) and temporary nanny came to stay with us because we both had to be at work by 8am. Iris and Azar got along very well. This was very strange for me because Iris would reach for her in the afternoon when I returned. I know she hasn't forgotten about me, but it still rattled my mommy bones not to be the main connection to my daughter. What was of great comfort was that God was keeping Iris healthy, happy and safe while I worked all morning (3 days/week). This will continue for a few more weeks. In fact, Grandma is coming to stay with us for two weeks for the reason of taking care of Iris in the mornings and late afternoons that we can't be home. As with many parents, I wonder if we're working too much outside the home.

On Thursday, Iris met up with an aquaintance, Alina, who is only about 10 days younger, but much bigger in size and weight than Iris. They enjoyed time at the park in Sebastopol, while mommy (me) walked and talked with a couple of other friends from work.

Well, we're looking forward to the July 4th weekend when we'll be together as a family and spend time with my family in the East Bay on Friday, as a well as getting together with families that also adopted from China. The weather is sunny and nice, and isn't that great?

First Father's Day

June 21st found us walking on the beach with the sun shining and a cool breeze that wasn't as strong as the previous days. Where is this? Fort Bragg, CA! Before my summer teaching got too hectic, the Avenells spent a few days and nights to get away from the phone, computer, and chores. It was glorious! We rented a house that we've been to before and Iris felt right at home, even though she had to sleep in her portable playpen.

What do visitors do in Fort Bragg? Well, we were thinking of going on the North Coast Brewery

tour, but walked around town on the day that there was a car show. Here's a Porsche that I liked. It's red and cute!

We took long walks along the shore, but it was very windy and a bit chilly. So we drove the Point Cabrillo lighthouse one afternoon and the nearly Botanical Garden a different afternoon. The flowers were gorgeous, but it was a real treat to see a working model train set outdoors.


We went out for dinner one evening, but saved money by cooking at "home." While Iris was sleeping, we read books, slept, watched two DVDs, slept, and snacked a lot. Needless to say, it was fun being on vacation.


Well, it's back to reality and I am praying for a favorable outcome regarding my teaching jobs. The state budget is a horrendous mess! Thank God for our ability to earn decent income, especially now that we have Iris.

We feel tired in the evening, and Iris is more "cling-y" and whiny (because she has no real words yet). I especially enjoy her backing up to sit on my legs when we're on the floor, and her grabbing my legs when I'm standing up in the kitchen. Dada is great at giving baths and putting her into her crib. Our almost 13-year old dog had a recent yeast infection (we think) and so she's been taking medicine for that and her arthritis. Poor H.G.!

As Iris is now 19 months old, I wonder what she really thinks of her parents-"They're weird! They're funny! They speak different languages." I pray that God will help her sort things out and love us as much as we love her.