The first few days home were a little difficult. Aimee Mei was very clingy so one of us carried her even when we were home which was most of the time. Her days and nights were mixed up. She was overwhelmed with new sights, smells, and sounds. Consequently we were overwhelmed too. She soon adjusted and with an established routine she now feels secure.
She still retains a lot of her Chinese words. She frequently teaches us a new Chinese word. She is also learning English well. She combines Mandarin, Changsha Dialect and English to communicate with us. She likes to listen to her Chinese CDs.
There have been many firsts. The trips to the grocery store were the most memorable. The grocery store experience was something akin to Disneyland and Christmas all rolled into one. She does not like to ride in the cart, instead Aimee runs thru the aisles (she never gets out of my sight) yelling, “WOW!” at everything. The first few times she would have a meltdown in about aisle #8. There is just sooo much food and Mama isn’t getting all of it. Now she is happy to select a few items and is okay with putting a few things back. We try to visit the store during the slower hours so that she can enjoy herself.
Her experiences at church have been meaningful. She attends nursery and enjoys playing with the other children. She especially loves her teachers. She likes to say, “Jesus is good boy”.
We had a fun day of cooking with Chinese friends. Aimee Mei ate large quantities of everything especially the pork dumplings. That night she lay on Baba’s stomach moaning.
The pool at the YMCA was a wonderful bonding tool. At first she was reluctant to get into the water. She did not want to get her pretty Princess Jasmine swimming suit to get wet. After a few times she was eager to play. It was good for her to learn trust in Mama while jumping off the edge of the pool into my arms. She especially liked to buy ice cream from the snack shack. She now enjoys playing in the Jumping class with the other pre-schoolers for an hour every morning.
We have had several doctors’ appointments. She is developing well. Most of her immunizations she had in China were good, but she was still lacking a few others. We started a round of immunizations. We noticed while in China, her funny dimple on her tail bone area and knew that she probably had mild spina bifida. Our suspicions were confirmed when we consulted with her pediatrician. We are scheduled for a MRI in September to check to see that her spine is anchored properly. We look at adoption the same way we do natural child birth. There are no guarantees in life. In our eyes, Hong Mei is perfect.
In the three months since our “Gotcha Day” we can not believe the progress she has made. She is happy, loving, bright, energetic, funny and a wonderful daughter and sister. She has blessed the lives of our other children. Our other kids are well aware of the great blessing of family. They understand that not all children have parents, food to eat, or warm beds to sleep in. For them they know that they are truly blessed. She is loved by her family and she tells us that she loves us as well. The journey to Aimee Hong Mei was sweet. We are so thankful to God for giving us the miracle of this child.
