The Little Engine that Could

I was driving home yesterday in H's old Honda and it stopped three times as I climbed up the steap hill to our house.  It stopped the first time at the first possible left on the long hill.  I thought, "Oh no, is this car breaking down?  We can't get another car."  I then looked at the gas tank and it was empty.  So I turned off the engine and turned it back on hoping that it will go just a little further up.  And it did.  I shifted to second gear hoping it would have enough power to take me up the hill to the traffic light.  It huffed and it puffed and it went up a little more and stopped.  I restarted the engine a few more time and it finally made it up the hill.  It felt like I was in the story the Little Engine that Could.  I was able to turn left at the traffic light and made it to Carson lane.  Then the car completely stopped and can't move even an inch.  It stopped right at the entrance to the short cut that leads to our house.  What a blessing it was that the car made it and I didn't have to walk up the hill.  I only have God to thank for that.

So why did I let the gas tank go to empty?  First, the annoying empty indicator light is broken and it didn't come on.  There are many other reasons, but most of all it's been a busy week.  We are hosting a couple of students from China.  So ever since last Friday I have been running around buying food and other things in preparation for their arrival.  I made sure the fridge is stocked and have enough food to make them different varieties of breakfast and dinner everyday.  H and I have to coordinate who is picking up our kids and the students.  On top of that, H and I switched cars and I usually gas up my car on Wednesday.  Gas station was not on my schedule for Monday and Tuesday.  PTL that the car is not broken.

Already 7 Months?

K has been with us for 7 months already.  It's a short time, even though it felt like she's been with us since birth.  In 7 short months, she adjusted so well that people and doctor can't tell that she spent 10 months in another country, speaking another language.  Like all babies at this age, she has to learn how to communicate with her parents.  On top of that, she has to adopt a new language while she learning to decode what adults are saying.  I have to say she is doing extremely well.  The Pediatrician only expects an 18 month old baby to say three words in the language she was born into.  K is not even 18 months and she is able to say 9 words in two languages, both of which are not what she was born hearing.  So she is developing really well.  PTL for that!  In English, she can say: hi, bye, more, Mommy, and Daddy.  In Cantonese, she can say: hye (shoes), bie (to put), Mama, nie nie (milk), and bay (nose). 

K is a smart girl.  She can understands a lot of things and can figure things out from context.  One time she got into the cabinet and took out the cover to my thermos and played with it.  She hid it amongst the kitchen toys.  I had no idea what she did to it.  I saw that the cover is missing and while holding the thermos, I asked her in Cantonese where is the cover?  She immediately turned around, headed straight to her kitchen toys, found the cover, and brought it back to me.  I don't think she understood every word I said, but she was able to do what I asked her to.  Amazing!  I think most babies wouldn't remember where they put an item, let alone understand what I asked.   She also picks up things we say rather quickly.  Whenever I head to the laundry room or pick up my purse, she will quickly follow me and make sure that I get her shoes for her.  She loves going out so much that whenever I say any of these phases to the boys, she will be the first to head over to the laundry room to put on her shoes: It's time to go, let's go, or put on your shoes.  She is also doing well with the nanny.  She no longer cries hysterically when I leave for work.

No Training Wheels!

Today, I went to Val Vista park in Pleasanton to teach C how to ride a bike with no training wheels. We got these $10 pads for him that protected his hands, elbows, and knees, and I assured him that with these awesome pads, it will not hurt when he falls. And off we went! Here is a video of him after about an hour of learning. Not bad at all! He still has some trouble starting up, and rounding corners can be a bit tricky at times, but overall, he's doing great! We're so proud of him that we gave him 10 Pokemon cards as a reward. His bike actually looks small for him. He needs an 18" bike. If you have one that we can have or buy from, let us know. I will work on teaching the the second born another day. Teaching two in one day is too much.

Where is the bow?

I am soooooo excited to be able to officially drive my new Sienna van.  We got it a couple weeks back and have been waiting for the license plate to arrive.  Both our cars are made in the same year and are really old.  We are afraid that they may break down in the future and we won't have enough money to get another car. After the adoption, we don't have any more cash to get a used car.  So we have been waiting for the opportunity to get another car with 0% financing.  The opportunity arrives to get this car when Toyota offers 0 down and 0% financing.  Toyota often have this deal for their sudans, but not often for vans.  At the same time, H (Hbrn) got a promotion at work.  God's timing is perfect and He provided us with my very FIRST new car.  H did his homework and got a great deal.  So good that only a few dealers are willing to give us that price.  Since I haven't had a new car before, I am kinda afraid to drive it.  I am being very careful with it and not take it to the bad side of town or drive it too much.  The boys love it, especially all the push botton features.  H loves it for the blue tooth feature that can play the music from your iPhone and allows you to answer the phone using buttons on the wheel.  I love it for the space and automatic sliding doors.

I've always imagined that when H gets me a new car, it'll come with a giant bow on top like in the commercials.  H even asked the dealer where to get one.  Unfortunately, you can't get one.  Well, we have a tiny bow instead.  We are truly blessed and thankful for God's provision. 

Remember the commercial?  "I love what you do for me, TOYOTA!"

First Day with the Nanny

Yesterday was my first day back to work.  After having a baby clinging onto my side for almost three months, it weird not having her with me.  Hebron was home with the nanny to show her what to do.  Mui-mui drank milk from her in the morning.  But refuses to drink milk from the nanny during the day and in the afternoon.  In fact, before her afternoon nap, she threw a tantrum.  I think that's because Hebron was home and she wanted Hebron to take care of her.  She will need a few weeks to get use to her nanny.  This morning when the nanny came, Mui-mui cling on to me like a piece of tape, fearing that I will leave her.  I guess that is normal at the beginning.

Having a nanny is great!  She is just who I need in my life.  She cooked for us and cleaned the kitchen when Mui-mui slept.  When I got home from work, I was able to spend some time with the kids and not worry about cooking because hot food was already on the table.  She made a vegetable dish, a meat dish, and Chinese soup.  I can get use to this.  I hope this arrangement works out and Mui-mui likes her soon.  It's making my life alot easier.  Praise the Lord!

10th Year Anniversary

Today Hebron and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary.  WOW! I can't believe it's already 10 years.  We dated for 7 years, so that means we've known each other for 17 years, almost half my life.  I've always thought we would have a big celebration for our 10th, either a big party or a get away.  We didn't do any of that because we've been focused on the kids and I don't think Karissa is ready to leave me overnight.  However, we still had a good celebration.  We enjoyed the fun evening that Hebron planned thanks to our friends, the Trans, for watching our three kids. We first went to Yanagi Sushi and Grill in Dublin and had steak, shrimp, and chicken teppanyaki.  Teppanyaki is a type of Japanese cuisine that the chef cook the food before your eyes. It's really simple cooking on an iron grill.  Much like Mongolian BBQ.  The food was ok, but much too pricey in my opinion.  None-the-less I enjoyed it.

Then, we went horseback riding in San Ramon.  Hebron chose this activity because we had fun horseback riding in Hawaii on our honeymoon 10 years ago.  My idea of horseback riding is just sitting on a horse and a trainer would guide the horse while I am on it.  But this riding lesson is really different than what I had expected.  We learned to brush the horse, cleaned it's shoes, and put on the saddle all before we can ride.   I am not an animal's person, so interacting and touching an animal scare me.  So when I had to brush the giant horse from front to back, I was nervous.  What if it kicks me?  Then the trainer said that we have to clean it's shoes.  If I accidentally poke her, she will definitely kick me.  The trainer sensed that I was scared so she did it with me while Hebron did it himself.  Then, we had to walk (not ride) our horses to the riding area.  The horses aren't suppose to eat the grass or walk where they want.  I was suppose to lead it and control it, but I can't do it.  Along the way, the horse pushed me with its head and tried to walk away.  Hebron's horse was so big that it was really intimidating to even stand next to it.  Hebron couldn't really walk him either, so a little girl (who is a pro with horses), helped him.  When we finally got to the riding area, the trainer was showing Hebron how to mount the horse while I was suppose to tie the horse to a fence.  The horse didn't want me to do that so it kept walking away from the fence while I was trying to pull him back.  My horse had a mind of its own.  After I mounted the horse, we were taught how to tell it to go, stop, turn left or right, and reverse.  My horse didn't want to obey me.  It just likes walking.  When I told him to stop, it would stop and then go before I was ready.  The horses were gentle even though they looked intimidating.  We had a lot of fun and even made the horses trotted a few times.

Definitely a Girl

I thought being on maternity leave would give me more time to blog.  But I have been busy with cooking for people and making Mui-mui's scrapbook.  Mui is now 15 mons old.  She actually understands alot of thing in Cantonese.  Things that she understands are sit, eat it, don't eat it, kiss, where is your shoes? and give me the book. She can climb up and slide down the baby slide in our house.  She is still very attach to me.  When I am at home with her, she always wants to be by my side.  And sometimes that's not enough, I have to hold her.  She is us curious, friendly, outgoing, and a joy to have.  Whenever, I take her to the park she would just walk up to a stranger and talk to her.  She would even want them to hold her.  Hmmmmm....not sure if she thinks everyone is her care giver. 

She is definitely a girl.  She loves shoes; her shoes and  other people's shoes.  We let her wear the pink soft Robeez shoes (see pix - she is ready to go out) inside the house to give her more traction.  I would take them off when I put her to nap.  As soon as she wakes up, she points to them and wants me to put them back on.  Or when I change her diaper and take off her shoes, she would want them back on immediately.  When I hold  my keys and purse, she knows we are going to go out.  So she would find her outside shoes and head to our laundry room, sit down on the floor and raise her leg so I can help her with her shoes. 

Praise the Lord that we found a nanny to come to our house and care of Mui when I go back to work.  She goes to our church and also takes care of our friends' mom.  I just hope she will be good and can take good care of Mui and the boys.  I am a little nervous about how it will be since we don't know her that well.

Eating got better

Thanks everyone for asking and for your prayers and concerns.  Karissa is eating better.  I realized that we have communication issues.  She wants something, but we didn't know she was trying to tell us something by closing her mouth.  We thought she didn't want to eat or not hungry.  She is moody and has be to  in the right mood to eat.  Turns out that she does want to eat.  She mainly wants to eat what we eat.  The problem with that was that she didn't know how to chew.  So I had to keep feeding her baby food and porridge.  She was sick of those things.  Now that she can chew, she is eating a wider variety of food.  I have been making her chicken noodle soup and pasta. 

I am now taking my maternity leave and staying at home with Karissa until the end of May.  I thought I will have alot of free time not working.  If you know me, you'll know that I am not the kind of person that sits around.  I fill up my time home with activities that I normally can't do because I am at work, like visiting friends and cooking for them.  I enjoy spending time with Karissa, but have been busy with errands, cooking daily, any my research paper and final.  One main goal for my time at home is to make a scrapbook for Karissa documenting how God brought her to us.  I really hope I can get this done, it's such a big project. 

Her Heart Condition

Monday was Karissa's appointment with the pediatric cardiologist at Children's Hospital.  The technician took an echocardiogram of her heart.  It is basically a 2D ultrasound of her heart.  The doctor was able to see the hole and measured it.  He said her condition is called Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA).  All fetuses in the womb has a Ductus Arteriosus, a hole in the heart where oxygen rich blood can bypass the lung to get to the body.  This is because fetuses does not need to breath through the lungs.  But when the baby is born and starts to breath on her own, this hole should close.  Karissa's hole measures 1.5 mm, which is 50% smaller than what was reported to us from China.  This is great news!  That means it is closing up on its own.  The cardiologist said that we have nothing to worry about and there is a 85% chance that it will completely closed on its own.  So for now all we have to do is monitor it.  If it doesn't close in a couple of years, then he would recommend surgery. 

What a relieve this is.  We praise God for His healing hands upon Karissa.  Hebron and I felt strongly that the Lord called us to adopt a child with a medical condition.  God, in His infinte wisdom, knows what we can and cannot handle.  So He gave us a child with a very minor condition.  He used her heart condition to speed up the adoption process for us.  If we did not step out in faith, even though we were nervous about the unknown, and pursue a child with a medical condition, we would still be waiting.  Choosing to adopt a child with a medical condition was not what I orignally intended to do, so I was reluctant at the beginning.  After we proceeded with this decision, I was still a bit scared.  Everytime those fears surfaced, I felt God telling me to have faith and trust in Him.  Now that I can see the entire picture, I realized that everything was part of God's plan.  His plan is always the best.

Eating Battle

Why does eating have to be a battle for all my children?  Many adopted children from China eat really well.  But not Karissa.  I am not sure what is going on with her.  For about a month now, she has been moody during meal time.  In China, she ate everything and drank everything we gave her.  After over coming jet-lap in the US, she ate alot too.  So I know she has the capacity to eat.  Something changed and she is not eating much at all.  She does not like jar baby food, so my mom and I have been making fresh baby food for her.  It's so frustrating when she doesn't eat.  Many people say she will eat when she is hungry.  Well, that is not completely true.  She refuses to eat so we will do what she wants.  After skipping a meal, I know she is hungry, but she gets moody.  She wants a toy to play with when she eats.  And because we want her to eat, we give it to her.  Then she would throw it down on the ground and wants us to pick it up.  If we don't pick it up, she won't open her mouth.  So we pick it up and she takes a bite.  Then she would throw it down again and refuses to eat until we get the toy.  We also tried not giving her a toy.  She would be soo grumpy and frustrated that she will wave her arms around to prevent us from feeding her and of course her mouth is shut.  Ahhhhh......so frustrating.  One of my pet peeve is feeding children who do not want to eat.  Both of the boys were bad eaters.  They didn't want to eat and when they do eat, they didn't eat much.  But at least they are not moody. 

Karissa does not know how to chew yet, so she can't eat table food as a full meal.  Making baby food for her is a lot of work.  Cooking meat and vegetable and blending it takes a long time.  But I don't mind making it if she actually eats.  I just don't know what to do with her.  I am anxious and nervous every meal time.  I really cannot tolerate moody children.  If she is moody and does not want to eat, then maybe I just shouldn't feed her.  But on the other hand, I want her to eat very badly.  So part of me want to give in and pick up the toy everytime she drops it so she will eat.  But emotionally, I know I won't be able to keep it up.  Both Hebron and I are totally frustrated and don't know what to do.  If you had the same experience and tried something with your kids that works, please let us know.