Easter Collage

Wearing o' the green on St. Patrick's Day

Future Careers???

Earning my keep

Here is a photo collage of Easter Weekend. Daddy read "Benjamin's Box" as we opened our resurrection eggs. Maimie had a hard time sitting still once we brought out the eggs and let her open one.

On Easter morning we all attended sunrise service and breakfast at our church. Daddy, Mikaela, and Joseph sang beautifully in the choir, while Jacob and Maimie kept Mom company. Then we hurried home to capture those beautiful smiles while everyone looked so nice.

Sweet sisters

The kids all enjoyed the egg hunt.

Yummy "peeps"

Later, we attended another service at church. Poor Maimie slept through most of it. Then it was time to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house for lunch. What a great day!

Discoveries

More, please.

Giving the "evil eye"

I knew it would happen eventually. I correctly assumed it would move me to tears when it did. I didn't think it would happen at less than 2 1/2 years of age. She noticed it. And it BOTHERED her.
It happened a couple of weeks ago when Mikaela, Maimie, and I were shopping for some jeans and a dress for Mikaela. We were in the Kohls try on rooms when it happened. Maimie was looking in the full length mirror like she has a million other times. She was up way close--she even licked it, to my horror! Then Maimie got a concerned look on her face and started making a little noise. Maimie, still looking at herself in the mirror, had begun to rub and pick at her scar. She had a frustrated look on her face and worked harder and harder at her lip/nose area. Mikaela and I looked at each other and realized what was happening. We both got choked up and teary as we tried to soothe Maimie into leaving her scar alone. Since that day, there have been several reoccurrences.
When Maimie was seen at the cleft lip/cleft palate clinic this week, I was told most children don't notice their scar until a little older usually. Her teeth, as we have known for some time, are a complete train wreck. She not only has teeth coming out of the roof of her mouth and crooked teeth everywhere, but also some incompletely formed teeth that were referred to as "pegs". Fortunately, with the number of teeth she has, there seems to be a good amount of bone available for later orthodontic work. This may eliminate the need for a bone graft in repairing her mouth in the future. All in all the clinic went well, and I feel confident that Maimie is in good hands with the team of doctors/professionals who are following her progress.

Wii love to play!

Another discovery that was made recently relates to Maimie's past in the SWI (social welfare institute). While Maimie's life in China isn't a current issue to her, we want to have as much information and connections as possible for her should she desire to know more about her life in China someday. I have been part of an online group for her SWI since we received her referral in November of 2006. I have learned more about the care given to the children, the surroundings at the SWI, seen photos of the building itself, photos of the man who found her, photos of the place she was found, photos of the other girls who shared their time with her there. I recently learned from a mom of one of the girls who had the same caretaker as Maimie that her daughter recognized the photo of the caretaker and called her "Fay Fay". I didn't know if Maimie recognized her or remembered her name. Then tonight we were looking at the many photos in a collage on Mikaela's bulletin board. When we pointed to the caretaker's photo and asked who she was, Maimie said her name, but not making clear "f"s, we were unsure if she had said the correct name. Then we asked Maimie to identify different people among the many photos in the collage. She correctly pointed out her siblings, Mikaela's friends Selah and Hannah, and a few others. Then we asked her to find "Fay Fay". She pointed right at the photo of her caretaker. It was truly a wonderfully touching moment to realize that even though Maimie has comfortably settled into our family, she still remembers at least some parts of her past.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Today is Daddy's birthday (45), and unfortunately, he's away all week on a business trip in Colorado. So, the celebration is on hold.




Being very musical, Maimie is beginning to join in singing more lately. It's so fun to watch her do the motions and try to sing to "Jesus Loves Me", "Deep and Wide", and "Away in a Manger", among others. Of course, she loves to dance around all the while. Steve and the older kids often sing the song from "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" (You know the one that goes "Heave, ho, all together now..."). Maimie belts out the "heave, ho" part at the top of her lungs. It seems a bit odd coming from such a tiny little body.
Maimie also insists on helping herself with dressing and undressing. Often she is seen with her pants on backwards or her shirt inside out and backwards (with the tag sticking out under her chin). It's such a hoot to watch her put her little underpants back on after going potty. Sometimes she comes walking out stiffly with both legs through one leg opening. Of course she isn't really interested in accepting any help either.
Verbally, Maimie's progress is slow, but she continues to participate in speech therapy twice each month. In two weeks, Maimie will be evaluated in the Cleft Lip/Cleft Palate Clinic at Easter Seals. There is still talk that a pharyngeal flap surgery may be necessary at some point in the future in order for her to make consonant sounds.


It is just so apparent to us that God truly chose Maimie for our family. I don't pretend to know or understand the pain and agony that went into her birthparents' decision to bring her to the gate of the welfare institute early on that December morning in 2005. The information we have about how she was found leads me to believe that it was a very difficult and heart-wrenching decision. Their pain and loss has become our joy and gain. But I do believe that God knew and orchestrated the circumstances in two very different countries, for two sets of parents, linking us forever in our love for one amazing child.