Teething Agony

I so wish that Kamryn would get the rest of her teeth overnight tonight. It seems like it would be a better thing to get the teething agony overwith in one shot rather than sporadic episodes. The constant waking at night,the 5:30 am wake up times, the fussiness during the day and the drooling is just no fun for any of us. But this too shall pass. To be honest, tonight I loved the snuggling before bed and holding her sleeping in my arms. This beats the crying fits we've endured the last few nights at bedtime when nothing would soothe her. Maybe the tooth is finally coming through.

We may start calling her little playgroup "the glamour girls" since they all have these special handmade shirts that spell out their name in jewels. One of the families is moving to Texas, and the mom, Lisa, surprised us all at her going away party with these adorable shirts that she made. We will miss Lisa and Lena and wish them the best in their new home.


Kevin & I enjoyed a dinner out alone (without the kids) last Saturday night thanks to our friend Delilah. I thought maybe Kamryn would be angry at us for leaving her, but she did fine. Probably because Delilah and the boys gave her lots of TLC.

Brendan went to Boy Scout camp last week, and the whole family helped him celebrate the end of it by attending a family picnic at the campgrounds last Friday night. He loved showing us where he swam, did bb guns, archery and canoing.

We went to a local town "fest" this past weekend, and boy did it make us homesick for the fests back in the Western suburbs of Chicago. Everything is done on such a bigger scale there with hot air balloons, carnival rides, games, well-known bands & fireworks. The highlight for the boys here was either the water balloon launching station or getting the chance to dunk a local policeman in the water tank. We had fun just getting out of the house though and walking around.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day, daddy! I love you! xoxo Kamryn
(this picture was taken by mommy, but Kamryn was smiling at her daddy! Just look at that twinkle in her eyes.)

This is the first year Kevin is a daddy to a daughter as well as to two sons. One of his gifts was a book about Life Lessons on Raising a Girl. It's a cute little book with 378 pages of insight. The lessons span from toddlerhood to college age advice, so I'm sure we'll be referencing this book often. One page reads, "Write this down. Girls cry. A lot."

Kamryn readily smiles and rarely cries, however, can I just say that hearing the whining gets so exhausting! I'm hoping that stops some when she actually starts talking. I know, the moms out there to daughters are probably laughing and shaking their heads no because something tells me that won't end. Kamryn sure knows how to get what she wants even without talking! She is one smart girl who has us completely wrapped around her finger . . .

Not only is her daddy a special guy, but Kamryn has a thing for her grandpas too. My parents came to visit for Matthew's birthday (which was Thursday) and Kamryn was totally happy to be in my dad's arms. When we saw Kevin's dad and Marc (her Godfather) in April it was the same way. She loves these special men in her life! Happy Father's Day to all of them!

Six Months Ago

We just had our six month post placement visit from the agency who completed our homestudy. Of course I was nervous before the gal got here, but it went smoothly and she could tell that Kamryn has adjusted and so have we! She asked us questions about Kamryn's eating & sleeping schedules, doctor visits, and generally just wanted to know if we think Kamryn is on track developmentally and we do! The boys were home for the visit too, so they talked about the trip and some of Kamryn's latest tricks. She then wanted to see the room where Kamryn sleeps. We had to have 6 pictures mounted on paper that will get sent back to China to the CCAA. It was hard to come up with the best photos, but in reality, I bet nobody in China really looks at the pictures anyway. I made sure that Kamryn was smiling big in all of the ones I used just in case.

I should have posted this sooner . . . last week Kamryn had her first official haircut! I took her to Clubhouse Cuts for Kids and they gave us a 1st Haircut Certificate and of course her first cut of hair to keep. She did pretty good during the cut. She moved around alot but she didn't cry like one boy I know did lots of times! (Brendan hated getting his hair cut!)

Some of Kamryn's newest tricks are actually doing somersaults! Now I just have to say the word somersault and she'll put her head and body down and actually somersault over. It's so cute. She surprised me the other day when I started singing "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider" and she actually did the motions with me! She got her 2nd molar and continues to love swinging on her swing.

Today we went to the pool for the first time, and all was well until she stumbled in the one foot deep baby pool and went face first into the water. She didn't want to go back in after that. She didn't like taking baths at first either but now loves them. So in time, probably by the end of summer, she will love the pool!

When Lightning Strikes

Tonight we had an awful storm, and I think maybe lightning struck our house again since our alarm sounded right after an awful boom. I was the solo parent home tonight and after disabling the security system in order to stop the sirens, the kids & I noticed that our house siren wasn't the only siren going off. There were fire trucks at the house two doors down. They were there quite some time too, but I don't know yet how much of a fire they had or what the damage is. This storm brought much rain and our backyard is just so wet . . . so much so that the momma duck from last year brought back her baby ducks to play in our yard! (at least that's what Matt thinks)

Storms often come without warning. Personal storms and trials in our life sometimes come without warning too. My dear friend Sherri and her family are going through a huge personal storm since they found out that Sherri has breast cancer. Please keep them in your prayers and everyone else going through this same "storm." Jesus proclaimed "I am the Light of the World" (John 8:12) so we trust that He will guide them through this difficult time and bring comfort, strength and healing.

Kamryn brings comfort every time she gives a big hug because with her hugs, she squeezes you tight. Mmm, it feels so good. Sherri is special and knows how it feels, since she gets hugs from Kamryn every time we get together.

Kamryn Meets Alvin . . . and the rug at the bottom of the stairs

Unfortunately Kamryn tumbled yesterday. Not a somersault (which she loves when I help her do one) but a tumble down a couple of stairs. Luckily she landed on the carpet landing inbetween the two flights of stairs to the basement. She did however get a battlescar, a nice rug burn on her eyelid. She had learned to go down the stairs on her belly and slide down, but now that she is walking, she thinks she can walk down those stairs! She was okay, just sitting on the stairs. I told her to turn around, then freaked out as I remembered that Brendan had left some Magnetix on the stairs. So instead of picking Kamryn up, I ran ahead of her down the few stairs to collect those magnetic marbles that many children have died from swallowing, and she came tumbling after me. What a lesson and reminder for me that toddlers can act very fast, in the blink of an eye, and that accidents can happen in just seconds. I'm sure it won't be the last of her boo boos, but this is her first one, and I feel awful.

There is something about our house that attracts wildlife. We've had birds' nests in wreaths, we had a momma duck sitting on eggs last spring underneath one of our plants, and now we have Alvin. I walked into the family room this morning and looked out onto our patio only to see a chipmunk perched on top of our chair! Yikes! It must be the same one that visited us last year . . . he actually got into our screened in porch area then. Our neighbors generously handed down a big plastic house for Kamryn to play with that is out on our patio. Now when I go out with Kamryn to play, I will have to check for Alvin first. She loved watching him from the window, but that is close enough for me!




We're all fighting a sinus thing in our house, and Kamryn, Brendan & I are on antibiotics. Hopefully we'll kick this soon so we can enjoy the holiday weekend. Brendan & Kevin are going to the Indy 500 race for the first time this Sunday. They should have a good time. Kamryn, Matthew and I may just go for a bike ride since we just purchased one of those bike trailers for the back of my bike. Hopefully we have nice weather. The neighborhood pool opens this weekend too, so the kids are excited for that. I can't wait to see how Kamryn does in the water. She loves bathtime now so she will probably enjoy it. I still love experiencing all these "first" things with Kamryn and am constantly in awe of her outgoing personality, wit and charm.

Speaking of her outgoing personality, the other day we did a makeup music class at Gymboree instead of the gym class. There were 12 toddlers each with a parent in the room and here is Kamryn, standing in the middle of the group, dancing and clapping and yelling. She was very friendly especially with one of the few boys and his dad in the group. She wanted to hang with them instead of me most of the time. Must be that she is used to her older brothers because she's too young to be flirting already! My friend Beth was there with her son and just chuckled and said that Kamryn was just meant to be a third child because with her personality, she would have been bored just being the only child in the house! How funny and probably true!

Mommy to Three Now!

On Mother's Day, Kamryn turned 16 months old. She's been with our family for 5 months now, and I feel lucky to be a mom to three wonderful children this year. One of the best presents I got this year was a card from Brendan where he had filled in the blanks about me. The funniest one was "My mom is as tall as . . . a teenager" The one that I was most relieved and touched to see was "My mom always tells me . . . I love you."

Well, Kamryn knows how to meet her deadlines! She is officially walking 100% of the time now! Our goal was to have her walking by race weekend, and she's ahead of schedule. She looks so cute toddling around. Although now that she can walk, she doesn't want to sit still.

Gymboree is the perfect place for a wandering toddler. She just loves playing there. The boys had no school on a Gymboree day, so they came with us. They loved it more than Kamryn I think and actually thanked me for taking them with. The other moms were so impressed at how the boys doted on Kamryn and took care of her. I was a proud mom!




One of the playgroup moms and I decided to swap babysitting time, and it's been wonderful! The girls cry at first when their mommy leaves, but their crying time is down to 5 minutes or less. Usually some Cheerios or a fun DVD like the Laurie Berkner Band can stop the tears. Kamryn loves music and that DVD has been alot of fun for her.

We're waiting for this rainy week to end and want sunshine! I bought Kamryn a sand and water table for outside, and I'm excited to see her play with it. Lexi was over today, and the girls played with the sand side for a little bit. I've decided that Kamryn may still be on the young side for it since she tried to eat the sand and throw it more than really mold with it. It will be nice to have though as she grows!

Are You My Mother?

Recently one day, a bird flew in our house when we simply opened our front door to let a friend in. The baby bird must have been sitting on the wreath and then not knowing enough to not fly in, did fly in over my head. Funny thing is that the bird flew right to our “dog” that currently resides on the landing of our steps. (The boys are both allergic to cats and dogs, so this decorative dog is the closest thing to a real pet other than a fish that we will ever have.) It was comical to say the least to see us freaking out about how to get this bird out of the house! We thought if we left the front door open, he might fly out, but I was more afraid that his anxious momma bird might fly in, so we closed the door. We tried our fishing net, but that only sent the bird flying into the dining room. Since the bird was so tiny and actually preferred to walk instead of fly, I finally thought that maybe we could coax him into a paper bag. Matthew was the hero who did get the bird in the bag, and then deposited him outside by his very loud momma bird who was waiting for him.

This picture reminds me of that Dr. Seuss book, Are You My Mother? I found the book on our bookshelf, read it, and then chuckled because even though Kamryn does not look like me, I am most definitely her mother. Even though I do not look like my parents, they are most definitely my mother and father. It’s the parent-child relationship and bond that is the most important factor to me and what ultimately clinched our decision to follow the dream to adopt from China. Growing up, I never hid the fact that I was adopted, and always felt lucky & blessed that I was given two loving parents who would go to the end of the earth for me. Now I feel lucky & blessed to have been given the gift of a Chinese little girl to mother, in addition to my wonderful biological sons.

I admit it is fun to see the same characteristics in the boys as Kevin or me and to try to figure out who they look like. The whole “inherited traits” thing is fascinating, but most fascinating is how God orchestrated it all to be this way. Before we received Kamryn, I would pray that she fit in with our family and would blend with us well. She totally does, and it’s obvious to us that she just belongs with our family. It’s fun to see her liking music as much as we do and just overall having the same temperament as the boys. Again, it’s fascinating to me how God can perfectly match hearts. Our three children are all different and have unique personalities, and I love them all the same. That confirms to me that I’ve always had a healthy perspective about my adoption. Love is what is important to me, and not whether or not we look like our mothers and fathers. I do hope that Kamryn will someday feel the same way.

May All Your Dreams Come True

I wonder what she's dreaming about? Hmm, better service at the restaurant? Miss Kamryn fell asleep on the way home from a most entertaining/frustrating dinner at a restaurant that won't be named. The only good thing was that we were with our friends Sherri & Rusty and their family, so we were able to spend alot more time together that evening. Our waiter was so bad, that we had a hard time even looking at him for fear that we would either laugh at him or be too nasty which we didn't want to resort to. The whole experience was tiring, and it sure wore out Kamryn too. She has a time limit in a restaurant you know. These days she has a short time limit anywhere when a stroller or shopping cart is required too. Unfortunately she totally lives up to her being born in the year of the monkey and stands up and tries to climb out. Remind me, this is only a phase, right?

I love snuggling with my children, and bedtime has always been my favorite snuggle time with them. This song is one that I rocked the boys to sleep with at nighttime years ago, and I’m so thrilled that Kamryn and I have been able to snuggle to this song too. It reminds me that it is okay to have more than one dream, and that we should never stop dreaming. The next most important thing is to always follow those dreams, because when dreams come true, happiness overflows!

May All Your Dreams Come True
from The Rock-A-Bye Collection by Aaron Brown

I look at you here in my arms,
And I know that dreams come true.
Tonight life is sweet and
My dream’s complete,
So I offer this prayer just for you.

May all your dreams come true,
May life be good to you,
May happiness follow you your life through
May all your dreams come true.

Someday you’ll dream of a family
Children of your own
Perhaps you’ll sit in this same rocking chair
And sing your baby this song.

May all your dreams come true,
May life be good to you,
May happiness follow you your life through
May all your dreams come true.

Lovely Little Babies

Every Friday morning we get together with 5 other little babies from China and their mommies for Chinese baby playgroup. It's so much fun to see the girls interact with each other and to watch them blossom from babies to toddlers. All of the girls are around the same age. Kamryn is only one who is not walking yet . . . but she's been taking steps more frequently lately. I really think she will be walking very soon.

At playgroup a couple of Fridays ago, one of the dads was there with his camera. He captured the girls on film all morning. He surprised us all by giving us each a CD of the photos. We're hoping he'll come to more Friday morning gatherings!

Friends Are Presents We Give Each Other

Thank goodness for friends who can help us, support us, spend time with us and just be a blessing! My online friend Chrissie has given me "expert" advice on this blogging! She is also in the process of adopting from China. I'm so excited for her and Chris . . . you can follow her journey by clicking on her blog, the Estok Journey.

Way back when Kevin & I were celebrating our 5 year wedding anniversary,
we went on a cruise. On that cruise, we became friends with honeymooners, Valerie & Scott. We are still friends today, ten years later! They live in Arkansas so over the years we've planned midway trips to St. Louis and have traveled to each other's homes. Over this past weekend, they drove 1o hours one way just to meet the newest addition in our family. Kamryn was instantly drawn to Scott and giggled the whole weekend. It was so much fun to just hang out.

Kamryn is quite the hugger these days. She especially loves to hug her brothers! They love it when she shows them some attention too. She will also give hugs to anyone she likes. Needless to say, Scott got lots of hugs this past weekend too!

I like to climb in with my toys! 

Kamryn "talking" on my phone! 

Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother.--- Lin Yutang

This is so true . . . I always knew I wanted to be a mom, and I thank God daily for the boys and for bringing Kamryn into our lives. She is babbling “momma” and whether or not she really associates the word with me, it is music to my ears! It’s so wonderful to see her blossom every day. We think she is very smart! Kevin has been working with her on where her nose and ears are, and she really seems to get it! It’s funny but every day she’ll check out my ears to see what earrings I have on.

Her adoption paperwork stated that her favorite toy was a doll. She does really enjoy feeding her doll a bottle, but we’ve noticed that she has picked up some of my habits and really more so loves to pick up my cell phone and say hello. Her toy phone is just not as much fun as mine. She also knows that after we take a picture of her, she can see it instantly on the camera. She loves looking at pictures just as much as I love taking them.

More snow hit us today and it's supposed to be spring! We need warmer weather so that all these winter sick germs go away! We finally took Kamryn to get her shots, and the same day she got a fever. I thought no big deal, just a reaction from the shots. But a couple of days later and after many junky coughs and wheezes, we headed back to the doctor. Kamryn had bronchiolitis and unfortunately cloudy fluid under one of her ear tubes. So we have had the joy of giving her breathing treatments with the nebulizer 3 times a day, giving her an oral steroid, an antibiotic and ear drops. She seems to be feeling better now though.

She's has taken 7 wobbly steps on her own! Yea! She is such a happy girl, and we are truly blessed. Her laughter is such a wonderful sound!

Kamryn's one year photo 

Christmas 2005 as a new family of five! 

Home Almost Two Months!

I can't believe we've almost been home two months now. Time sure does fly. Kamryn is doing well, although we are visiting an ENT on Wednesday because she has had 3 ear infections since we've been home. Sleep is something neither Kamryn or I get enough of! Her nose is still running constantly and has since Gotcha Day on December 11th. I thought I was immune to it, but I am now finally down for the count with a major head cold which is whipping me. I'll post later, but since this is my first time blogging, I'm anxious to see how this works! Goodnight!