Eating solid foods....FINALLY!!!!

Well, it has taken 14 months and 3 days; but this evening, Kimi fed herself a bowl full of toddler ravioli!!!  She has been eating solid foods at her daycare for a couple of weeks; but was really balking at home. Her OT said, since she is eating a good breakfast at home (applesauce, baby oatmeal and milk) and a good lunch at daycare, to put foods in front of her on the table for dinner; and if she refuses to eat it, she gets nothing else until breakfast.  Well, I was still letting her have at least a glass of milk and some fruit when she refused the main food item...I know, I'm a softy.  But this evening, she didn't balk AT ALL!  She actually scraped the bowl clean!  And here is video proof of it....

Kimi is slowly learning more and more. She is slowly transitioning to toddler foods; but still hasn't figured out how to chew yet. She is also adding new words to her vocabulary. Yesterday, she wanted me to pick her up ("Up, please", as usual) and then pointed to the back door and said, "Ow-sigh?" (translation: outside?), meaning she wanted to go outside. I think she knows more words than she lets on. She only uses them when it suits her purpose. Yesterday, she found Elizabeth's Minnie Mouse ears (the "bridal veil" version) and thoroughly enjoyed climbing up on the step-stool in the bathroom and looking at herself in the mirror - photo attached.

Our final post-adoption visit - one year

Last Saturday, we had our one-year post-adoption visit with our caseworker, Jennifer! It is hard to believe that in just 11 days, it will be ONE YEAR since we first held Kimi in our arms and she became part of our family! Last year at this time, we were tying up all the loose ends in preparation for travel to China! Kimi has come SO far since then. That detached, overwhelmed little girl who spent most of her time with us in China scratching what was left of her nails on a plastic water bottle, can now say about 35 words, color (although, not in the lines), can use scissors, knows how to match up and zip a zipper, button buttons, brush her teeth, dress and undress herself and her dolls, walk short distances holding someone's hand, communicates her wants and needs with words and/or signing, rides a tricycle, has begun to learn colors, gets upset when we leave her with someone, is ecstatic when we come to get her, and gives big, strong hugs and sweet kisses! Her therapists have even told us that our goal of having Kimi ready for Kindergarten by the Fall of 2013 is a realistic one! All of this was due to LOTS of prayer, LOTS of love, attention, and one-on-one interaction, in combination with lots of great therapy, and a wonderful daycare/developmental preschool! What will another year bring?!

Kimi dancing with Daddy!

Last Saturday night, we enjoyed a surprise birthday party for a friend of ours. They had a D.J. and fast music, and neither Elizabeth or Kimi could contain themselves...they HAD to get up and dance to the music! So, Mike and Kimi danced, and Elizabeth videotaped it! I thought I'd share the video here. If nothing else, if Kimi is ever diagnosed with "shaken baby syndrome", I'll have proof she did it herself...okay...with a little help from her Daddy! :-) Check out that sweet face!

Help for Kimi's Orphanage!!!

For some background, last September, I met with someone who is on the board of Love Without Boundaries (LWB), a group that raises funds to help the orphans left behind in China. She asked me about Kimi's background and I shared with her about Kimi being left in her crib in a Chinese orphanage the first 46 months of her life . I went on to tell her how the Director of the orphanage apologetically explained to me (via the translator) how many children they had living there, many of whom were severe SN children, and how few workers they had. She asked me to provide her with the name of the orphanage, etc. so that LWB volunteers could provide help to the children. So, I provided the information. After speaking with the Director of LWB, she wrote me and said, "...they would start out by offering to help with any medical issues needed and offer to move some of the babies into LWB's Fuzhou Healing Home for care." I had not heard anything more since then, but was thrilled to know that there were children who would be helped as a direct result of Kimi's having lived there.
Well, today, I went to the LWB website, and there were photos of children living in Kimi's orphanage in Huai'An, Jiangsu Province, wearing nice, warm, new outfits provided by LWB last December! So, I thought I would share the link to the article and photos! http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/sites/lwb/uploads/documents/Nutrition__OA_Updates/OA__Nutrition_Update_-_Dec._2011.pdf . They are the first 6 photos in the article. Made my day!!