Yesterday, we met our friends and played in the squirt zone at our local outdoor mall.  The mall is very nice and the atmosphere is also great.  It was a beautiful day, and the girls really had a blast.  Well…..until a very stocky little boy ran full force into Elyssa knocking her over onto the concrete under the fountains.  It was so sad to see her screaming for help….but mama to the rescue…..wet…..but uninjured…..thank god!  And….the little boys mother was no where to be seen….funny ole thing!

 Brave, but not too daring!

We had our visit with the cardiologist a week ago and Elyssa had her echocardiogram.  She was such a trooper and did not make a beep….she just looked at us with those beautiful brown eyes and we could tell she was a bit scared.  But, after she saw Blues Clues on the TV above her, she was fine and laid still for the entire procedure.

Dr. Humes, her pediatric cardiologist out of Children’s Hospital in Detroit, is her doctor.  He read the results and informed us that he liked what he saw and it is promising that everything will go fine.  Baijie has a fairly large PDA (patent ductus arteriosis) that will need to be closed.  Her heart catherization is scheduled for August 18th at 9:00am at Children’s Hospital.  She will be in surgery for 2-3 hours where they will close the PDA and also take a look at her heart and lung function to see if there is any other damage.  Due to the PDA, her left ventricle is enlarged causing her valve to also leak.  So….we are hoping that once her PDA is closed, her heart and lungs will return to “normal”.

The worries of parenthood…..the have only just begun

No mama..I’m not tired..Can I watch “Yo Gaba Gaba”?

Don’t worry sweetie……..your teddy bear will come with us to the hospital

On Saturday, we met our friends…Jane, Charles and Anna…at a Japanese Buffet.  The food was very good…including the Sushi, and the company wonderful as usual, when we get together with them!  We really had a great time and it was wonderful watching Baijie listen to Jane and Charles talk to her in Mandarin.  It was the first time since we have been home that she heard her language being spoken.   We are not sure what she was thinking at first, but she really warmed up to them immediately and was very happy playing with them all.  Anna is getting so big and is now too, starting to use her words…..adorable!

Baijie did not eat much, which is not unusual…..BUT……we found out that she loves Miso soup!  It is a water based soup, flavored with miso paste (bean /wheat paste), tofu, spinach/bok choy, and scallions.  Of course, she picked the scallions and spinach out of it…but….loves the tofu!  So….mama went out and purchased some of the Miso soup packets to make in an instant….and I am making a trip to the Chinese market to purchase the miso paste so I can make a big pot of it to freeze.

We are hoping Anna and Elyssa will be very good friends for a very long time!

Introductions

The first hand shake ….

Happy girls holding hands after finishing their ice cream!

Charles with the two beauties!

We are having so much fun with my neighbors and friends grandchildren !!!!  Yes, my child is playing with the grandchildren……children……it doesn’t matter how young or old their parents and grandparents are……they just love to play!

 Making lunch with Aidan

Grandma Margaret…Peggy….playing with Elyssa, Aidan and Camden on the stairs

Swimming with Marek…aka….Mr. Hollywood

And sharing the keyboard……we could be on to something!

My first Independence Day as a US citizen!

I love my Hello Kitty sprinkler!

Elyssa Baijie has a nasty cold that has settled in her chest.  But, she is doing well and seems to be over the worst of it.   With her heart condition, it is hard to know how to treat any type of illness until we get to the cardiologist.  She is learning new things every day and is saying a few more words with prompts.  We are also trying to teach her to use her words when she wants or doesn’t want something.  When she is frustrated or angry, all she knows how to do right now is shout, kick and/or hit.  So….we have now showed her what Time Out/Time In is…..we try and give her choices, however, with her not really knowing the language it is really hard for all of us at this point.  Except for her occasional episodes, she is a very, very good girl….very strong, very brave, very independent, and very smart!  Every day brings us such joy!  And…..she is again sleeping through the night …… YIPPEE!

My first boat ride with baba.

 Sharing beef jerky with baba……I love it!

Don’t you know …… everything has to be washed before cooking!

My first day at the park playground…..I had a ball!

This teeter-totter is great!

Baijie on Yao Yao (sheep)

Enjoying my chicken noodle soup to help my cold…..with chopsticks!

We had a great time on Monday at the Detroit Zoo!  And, although it was very hot and many of the animals were in hiding, Baijie got a great thrill in the polar bear exhibit…..a big polar bear jumped in the water and swam right over the top of her.  She loved it and also enjoyed watching the baby seal.  Baijie is continuing to adjust very well and seems to be liking her  bedroom, her yard and her new home.  She loves the water, the sand and is starting to like the grass

Mama used her thermometer for the first time, as Baijie has started coughing and seems to have a scratchy throat….sweating lots.  So far so good…..no temp!   We think it is the sudden changes in temperature from the outside to the inside….and maybe just adjusting to Michigan.

Can I be any cuter?

Wishing everyone a very Happy Father’s Day …. those daddy’s who are home with their children and those who are still waiting to see their beautiful faces!

Last night we had our first play date!  It was a blast and Elyssa really did well, playing with her friend.  Our neighbors invited us over for dinner, as they were caring for their 2.5 year old grand daughter.  The girls were great together and had fun swimming and playing!

Elyssa ate her first cob of corn (at least her first with us) and LOVED it!  Maybe it was because she could use those little corn forks that you stick into both ends of the cob.  Or maybe it was because it was smothered in butter…..her favorite!  Or maybe it was because she really enjoyed the taste of corn!

And, another lesson learned…..take your camera everywhere you go because you never know what may come up

Yeaaaa……I’m walking on the stones!

On the beach with Sidney

Having a ball on the swing!

 Lights….camera……POSE!

My first bite of bratwurst…….Uncle Jimmy will be proud!

Starting to warm up to Seafur….too cute!

Another striking pose …… after serving us breakfast!

It’s been very busy and we are still dealing with a bit of jet lag …… our doctor told us it would take one day for every hour difference….so we are on day 4 with about 8 to go!  Our neighbors, The Coopers and The Scengas, and two of my close girlfriends, Dorothy and Peggy, surprised us by decorating our house, inside and out, for our homecoming.  And, the neighbors filled our refrigerator with wonderful foods that we were missing in China.  A special thank you to you all!

We are doing fine and feeling better every day.  Baijie is doing amazingly well and we are really starting to see her adjusting to her routine and in her attachment to her daddy.  She attached to her mommy on day one, but was rejecting her daddy.  Adrian is handling things very well, even though we have had a couple of very trying moments.  Baijie is very smart, funny, and very independent….as most 3 year olds are.  We are really enjoying her and she is really progressing in leaps and bounds everyday.  We had concerns when we first got home, as she was not eating much of anything except maybe a little rice.  We were still giving her a bottle with formula at night.  We took her to her first pediatric appointment yesterday and she currently weighs 24 pounds and is 37 inches tall.  So…….she is wearing 2-3T tops and 2T leggings.  I had to go out and try and find some pants, a couple pair of pjs and a pair of shorts…..the shorts I bought were a size 6-12 month…..they fit her perfect!  Yes……she is very thin and petite.  We now have her on whole milk from a cup and she is eating fairly well……….major progress is being made!  And she does enjoy it and we have not seen any reaction to the change…so….yeaaaaaa! The doctor just told us “Kids are like flowers……give them a little water and put them in the sun and they grow”.  So….we are not going to worry about what she is eating and not eating at this time.  She does have at least one cavity in her mouth that has to be dealt with soon, before her heart surgery.  He also let us know that she has a valve that is leaking, so we want to get her in as soon as we can.  We have her cardiology appointment set up for July 21st.

The foods she is now eating:

• watermelon
• chocolate ….. oh yeah!
• chicken
• rice
• peanut butter
• jelly (but not with anything or on anything…..just pb or jelly)
•  cookies
• yogurt
• ice cream and whipped cream
• eggs
• butter…no, not on bread or toast….just the butter!
• all snacks with crunch
• fruit snacks
• and the BIGGEST love of all………BACON !!!!!!!

The things she does not like:

• vegetables….ok…..typical
• hamburger
• fish
• potatoes
• french fries ….. oh yeah
• bread…of any kind

We are trying to do a lot of sensory activities, including walking barefoot in the grass.  It was very apparent when we put her in the grass, she had never been in it before.  I tried yesterday, to take her shoes off and let her walk barefoot, but no go…..she does love being barefoot on the beach in the pea gravel though.  The long grass must tickle her feet and legs….

Here are some pictures since we have been home……we will try and post as often as we can.  Thank you all for following us in China and sharing in our excitement and new life together.

Our new ladybug welcome flag

Our welcome home banner and ladybug constellation night light…..Thanks Dorothy and Peggy

 Our garage door welcome banner…..Thanks Diane and Diane!

Breakfast…one egg, lots of butter to lick off the bread, some watermelon, 4 strips of bacon, and a glass of Moo Juice (as we call it)

No…..don’t make me step on that grass……

Fun with the bubbles

Her first step onto the beach with her new Ni Hoa Ki-Lan life jacket…..looking a little unsure of the situation

Can’t tell from the look on her face…but….she loves the beach!

Progress…..taking off her shoes!