ONE YEAR AGO TODAY!!!

             One year ago today, November 27th, Annie Kate, aka XinTian, walked into the Hefei Social Welfare Institute and was handed over to total strangers who were already in love with this tiny 3 1/2 year old child. She was scared and dazed. These people look and sound. We were terrified. How would this precious little child would react to us? What might be some of her health or emotional issues? Would she fit into our family? One year later...She is our  family!
            Our child, Annie Kate, has brought us so much joy, happiness and humor. She is a Myers all the way.
            We were so  concerned having read and been educated as to the many possible issues facing a child who has been in an orphanage for her whole life regardless of the quality of the institution. I remember there were so many words that were in my mind. How would they be defined by Annie Kate.
We can now answer them easily:
Adjustment: Seamless embraces each experience, food, environment, culture with trust and enthusiasm  
Bonding:  Like Super glue  Nothing can separate her from all of us.
Attachment: Instantaneous with mom, quickly with everyone else
Attitude: Confident I was born to be with this family
Language: Fluent including expression of emotions, Ex. "dat is roode" "I is fish-tra-ed"
Health: Excellent Never sick, Not even a cold, not a single sick Dr. visit in a whole year.
Emotions: Loving complete and unconditional! 
Trust: Totally If we indicate it (whatever "it" is) is ok, she believes us and will try it.
              That day, that moment, seems like a lifetime ago. How is it possible that we have been a family of 8 for only one year. It feels like Annie Kate has always been here with us. But then something will remind me that she doesn't have 4 1/2 years of experiences in our family or this country for that matter.
           As Christmas approaches this will be the last holiday that requires a tutorial. Last year with limited language and home for only two before the holidays Annie does not know Santa or what Christmas means. Yesterday, while still in Fl, we went to see Santa at the mall. Although not afraid, she also was not excited. She seems to go along because Mom said something about pictures and she is always flashing a camera so this seems like another photo opt for no particular purpose.
         I tried to explain, as Annie Kate wanted to take up permanent residency in the toy kitchen display in Pottery Barn kids, that she could ask Santa for the kitchen set ( already ordered) for Christmas. But she needed to be a good girl for Santa to bring her toys on Christmas Day. She ignored me as if to say: "Yea like that is ever going to happen. I get in trouble when I start asking strangers for gum or objects off their desk and now I'm supposed to ask some big guy in a red suit for toys? I am not falling for that one. Plus you guys have been playing this "santa" character all year long."
       Today while having lunch with her big brother Timmy she asked him: "Do yous seed my pic-tour wit...wit...hum...wit dat guy?" Yes. That guy is Santa... don't think she quite gets it yet. I give her another week.

        Never did I dream we would be allowed to parent, yet another, perfect child from China. How did we get to be so blessed?

This should have been posted in Sept.
It's official, signed, sealed, delivered!
Yesterday we appeared before Judge Spero Pines to accept the signed and approved paper work that filed Annie Kate's adoption in New York State and the USA.  It was only a formality but very symbolic for us and hopefully meaningful to Annie Kate in the future. Although at the time, she was most interested in banging the gavel and playing with the microphone. She now has a USA NYS birth certificate, documents proving she is a US citizen and most importantly unequivocally, indisputably, undeniably OURS!
We went to lunch to celebrate the milestone. Annie Kate apparently didn't understand the vocabulary of "celebration." She thought her lunch salad was called a "salad-brate!"

It is official! All paper work done, filed, signed!

Baba, Annie Kate, Judge Pines, Mommy, Molly!

I going to be "Jack o man turn"

 

      "Max"
from "Wear da wide fings ares" 

We may have started Halloween a little too early around here. In August I started to explain October holiday after Annie Kate saw costumes in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog. "Yes I wanta be da Max." We ordered the Max costume 
only to be told it was back ordered. While at T.J.Maxx we found the "Jack o man turn" costume. Annie Kate insisted on trying it on in the store and wearing out. Of course then Max showed up and we had two costumes! So much fun watching this beautiful child experience so many new things we would other wise take for granted. The pumpkin farm, Boo at Zoo, school Halloween parties and trick or treating. She still needs a little work on trick or treating protocol. Apparently she thinks that when complete strangers answer their "ding bell" they are really saying, here is some candy and by the way: come right inside, tour our entire home, help yourself to whatever you want and leave when your good and ready! Shy she is not!

These people just told me about this thing called Halloween! Seriously? I get to dress up in a costume, ring stranger's "dingbell", say "ticker treat" and they will happily give me candy!

                                                         I am one happy Pumpkin!!!

Almost 11 months

       I know I have been lax in posting Annie's progress. It is hard keeping with this amazing little girl. We were given the  advise that we would find our "new normal" with Annie Kate in our lives. Honestly, as documented in much earlier posts, we were not sure about this whole thing. Life would change for us...we had no idea that our "new normal" would be this wonderful.
      We experience each day with a little soul who finds every moment of life so new and exciting! I have been keeping notes and will attempt to go back and fill in moments that I have not had time to document for our and about sweet girl.
       She remembers and can pick up on anything she sees or hears. One of her new infatuations is, Taylor Swift.
While riding in the car she said: "Mommy play da Tee shirt song"
I don't know that song.
"Yes you do's, played it peas."
"honey I am not sure what that is?"
"Pretend mommy"
"Ok, Annie wears a tee...."
"No mommy no is Molwee's fav o it song"
"Oh ( light bulb moment) do you mean, She wears short skirts, I wear tee shirts, She's cheer capt. and I am on the bleachers."
"Yes dats it!!!! I loub dat songs."