PLEASE VOTE FOR HALF THE SKY!

There is an organization in China called Half the Sky Foundation (HTS). They have different programs in orphanages in several provinces. Jade's orphanage was blessed with at least one HTS program. Jade was in the Grandma Caring Program provided by HTS for her last 4 months there. Local women come in to give one-on-one attention to babies. They play with them, sing to them, take them outside, help them try to crawl, stand, etc., all in a effort to help their development along in a way that the nannies just don't have time to do enough of.
The woman who founded HTS, Jenny Bowen, is applying to carry the torch with 8 children from different orphanages in China. I guess the decision is based on the number of votes.
Jade would have been a different child if she had not had those 4 months with her "grandma." We have a few photos of her with her grandma. These are a precious peek into her life before coming to us. If I can get it to work, I'll scan them into the computer and post them here some time.
Please click on this link to vote for Jenny and the children to carry the torch. It only takes a few seconds to do, and it will help bring HTS to more people's attention. Hopefully, people will support HTS in their efforts to bring help to more children in China's orphanages.
http://pub1.chinadaily.com.cn/olympics/torch/members.shtml?mid=212
On behalf of Jade and the children still in China waiting for their families, thank you!

Summertime With Jade

(Click on each photo to see a bigger version. )

We've been strawberry picking twice.
We've made strawberry jelly.


We've planted a garden.


We've been to the beach where Mommy taught Jade
how to build a sand castle (well, we tried, anyway).


We've eaten lots of fudgesicles!


We've gone swimming at a friend's house...


...and had a little picnic, too!


We've tried on hats at Walmart!


We've driven the cart while grocery shopping.


We're exhausted!

Life is so much more fun with a toddler!

To Our Little Treasure

"What a difference you've made in my life
What a difference you've made in my life
You're my sunshine day and night
Oh what a difference you've made in my life"
- not sure who wrote it, but BJ Thomas sang it -

How can it be?

Monday, July 16 was our one-year anniversary of our Gotcha Day...the day that Jade was placed in our arms to stay forever. It just doesn't seem possible that a year has passed. Where did the time go?

We went to Rhode Island for a Gotcha Day reunion with some of our travel group on Sunday the 15th. It was such a great day! The grandmother of one of our families who traveled with us was there, as was the pediatrician who traveled with us. Both were amazed at how Jade has changed. It still amazes me!

We have a 14-year-old from Hong Kong staying with us for one month. Jade thinks she is so great, and lights up when Christie speaks to her in Mandarin.

Since Monday was our actual Gotcha Day, Jade and I had egg rolls for lunch & Christie and I cooked an authentic Chinese meal for supper. We still have leftovers from that meal!

This photos is from our Gotcha Day dinner. You can't see it, but she is wearing the outfit she was wearing on our actual Gotcha Day. It finally fits her! Here she is trying out chopsticks, and quite successfully!

How is it that Jade gets cuter every day???

Jade turns 2!

I can hardly believe that this tiny little sick baby is now a healthy 2-year-old! Jade turned 2 last Wednesday, June 20. We had dinner & dessert & presents with Jeff's parents & my mother that night. Then on Sunday, the 24th, we had a HUGE party! Oh my gosh, there were so many people that I barely said more than "hi" to a few people.
Two families from our travel group were able to come to the party. That was extra-special to us. It was a wonderful, wonderful day.

She's just too cute!

One Year Ago Yesterday

We received our referral for Fu Xiao Zheng one year ago yesterday! How can it be a year already? I've sat here reading our blog of our trip to China. It all makes me so emotional. Everything is so normal, now, that I've forgotten how wonderful, yet frightening our trip was. It's like a whole different lifetime.

Jade will turn 2 years old on June 20! I just can't believe we've had her for almost a year already. And yet, I can't imagine what we ever did without her!

Jade has really shot up in height in the last 2 months. She's grown too tall for all of her pants, so I've been hitting the thrift stores for 24 months-sized pants! It's amazing...things that were a bit too long for her last month are now fitting her perfectly! She is just growing up too, too fast already! And, she is a wonderful, loving little treasure.

Easter

Thought I'd post photos of Easter Sunday. There isn't a bit of this child that isn't adorable!!!

COMPARE THE DIFFERENCE IN THIS CHILD!!!

Here is Jade on July 17, about 15 hours after she was handed to us. She was 13 months old, weighed 13 lbs., and was 25 inches tall. Look how skinny she was!

This photo was taken on November 11, almost 4 months after the photo above. She was 17 months old, weighed 20 lbs., and was 30 inches tall!

God is incredibly good to us! We are more in love with our little girl than ever.

I will try to post more often. I had lots of trouble posting pictures - and sometimes messages - for a while, but it is working better now. Please check back for updates. I'm going to try hard to keep you up to date.

Theresa

I know, I know, it's been way too long since we have blogged. We are doing very well, despite Jade's recent ear infection, and now what appears to be a cold. She is such a happy baby, even when she doesn't feel well. And her strong will...well, suffice it to say that we have recently purchased James Dobsons book, "The New Strong Willed Child." We are just so happy to have this little girl for our daughter. She is wonderful and loving and sweet. I tell ya, I'm in love with her!

Jade began to crawl about 2 weeks ago, and can make it across the room so fast that we can't leave her for a second anymore. She is walking while holding our hands with great steadiness, and last week took about 4 steps by herself to Jeff, then back & forth between us about 10 times. Then, because of our excitement, she got so excited that she wanted to jump to me instead of walk. She was so cute! I think she forgot about it, because she's only done it once since then. I predicted that she'd be walking by herself by the end of August, but I was wrong.

So, Jade had a hard night due to her cold (and as a result, so did I), and she felt bad enough this morning that I stayed home from church with her. Now that she's had a little medicine and is finally able to nap, I thought I'd post some pictures so you can see how far she has come. Remember how she weighed 15 lbs. when we got home from China? Well yesterday she weighed 20 lbs! Woo hoo!!!

Jade has received her first party invitation from Mia, one of the children adopted in our group. Another couple in our group will be there, so we'll have a little reunion with part of our group. I'm so glad. We've shared the most important event in our lives with them, and I want to see them again. I wish everyone in our group lived closer so we could see them, too. I would especially love to see Patrick, Lianne, and Charissa. They are wonderful Christians, and prayed for us during our frightening nights in China. Patrick is the lung cancer doctor who was part of our "divinely appointed medical team," and he & Lianne are the Chinese couple who translated the medicine so Jade could have a shot instead of another IV in her head.

I'd better get the pictures posted before she awakens. Let us hear from you! We love you all & wish that we lived closer so you could share all of our wonderful little moments with Jade.

I can't get the pictures to load, so I'm just going to post this anyway...months after typing it!

Love,
Trisa

To My Little Jadie Girl From Mommy

"I love you so very much I don't even mind that life made me wait so long to find you. The waiting only made the finding sweeter."
- Ronald Reagan

I hope to post more pictures of our trip to China, our arrival home, and others since coming home if I ever get enough time, but right now I thought I'd post a few recent photos while Jade is napping.

We went to Rochester, Vermont for our nephew Casey's high school graduation 2 weeks ago (what a fun time!). Our last day there, our other nephew Aidan, along with Jacob and Marissa were playing cards. Jade wanted to sit on the floor with them, and they gave her some cards to hold. I love the one that looks like she is actually discarding! You can see Anne's dog, Elbie, in the background. She is the first dog Jade has ever seen. Jade loved her!






Jade's first picnic at Hilltop Park at the mouth of Great Bay, Dover, NH. It was a spontaneous picnic last Saturday. One of those fun times when you stop at the grocery store, pick up some stuff & drive to a park. She loved the water!


After church last Sunday, Daddy got Jade out of the car while Mommy went ahead into the house to fix lunch. Daddy & Jade came in with Jade's first flower for Mommy! I couldn't even get the camera before she had torn off all the petals, so here you can see the stem in her hand! She is one pretty little girl, isn't she?

Jade has Giardia

Our pediatrician's office called us on Sunday afternoon to tell us that Jade's stool samples show that she has Giardia, an intestinal parasite one gets from contaminated water. It looks like I may have it, too. This is something they test babies from China for. I just didn't think she'd have it. She doesn't really show too many symptoms. She's been cutting teeth, so I thought her fussiness was just that, but her teeth are through & she's still fussy. At least now we know why and can treat it. Treatment used to last for up to 5 weeks with a nasty-tasting liquid 3 times a day, but there is a new medication out that tastes good & is taken twice a day for 3 days. Yeah! She started it last night, so hopefully it will be over soon & she will be feeling better again. Despite a parasite taking most of her nutrition, she has gained 3 lbs. since coming home and looks wonderfully healthy! She's filling out well. Take a look at these pix. Finally, I can get some to download again!
This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago. My friend, Carol, brought her granddaughter over to play. Jade is 6 months older than Ella, yet is still quite small.










These two photos are from last week.


This one makes me think of my Aunt Jean! Maybe Jade will be a preacher when she grows up!

Finally, Another Update

Well, life has just been busy. Happy, busy hands & hearts. It seems that every time I try to blog, Jade wakes up & needs to be held. And I still love holding her. Clean towels are piled up on the couch waiting to be folded & put away. Dirty dishes are waiting to be loaded into the dishwasher, but the clean ones need to be put away first. Usually these things bug me to death. Now, well now I just don't care. I'd rather hold my baby.
Jade had her first full check up last Monday and has gained 2 lbs., 12 oz! She's grown 1/2 inch in length. She looks so much fuller and healthier. I thought the doctor said (last time we saw her) that Jade was under the 5th percentile of growth, but she said (at this visit) that she has moved from under the 3rd percentile almost up to the 5th. I wonder how she has survived except for the grace of God. And the strong will that He gave to her. She is determined and persistent, and although sometimes I wish she weren't, I'm sure it gave her the fight to live. So, I am thankful for her strong will.
We were referred to early intervention since she still can't crawl. However, I'm sure she's going to be walking on her own by the end of the month. Her back & hips have strengthened and she is far less wobbly when she walks holding our hands. She can pretty much stand by herself.
It seems that Jade has been saying "Mama" for quite a while and we didn't realize it. It has become more clear, and I love it. She is such a happy baby. When she is really happy, she flails her arms & legs and laughs and laughs. I wish I could put a video of it on here.
Well, she's awake & calling for me, so I must go.
I've had trouble getting pictures to download to blogger since August 1, but I'll keep trying.
Trisa

Yes, we are still alive and kicking!

A couple of days ago, our new friend John told me we hadn't blogged since August 1. I was so surprised! Sorry about that. Life is mega-busy right now and I guess the time has flown by. It's hard to believe that we'll have Jade for 1 month on Monday.
We are all doing well. Jade is making progress every day. She is finally holding her bottle - well, about half the time, but still. When we hold her fingers, she can walk and we can see improvement in the strength of her back and hips. She chatters all the time in her sweet little voice. And she is so much fun to play with. She thinks almost everything is funny. She says, Ba Ba, Da Da, and just 3 days ago started Bye Bye! I think she is actually speaking half Chinese, half English with bye bye because she says something like Bye Jian. She tried to repeat almost everything I said yesterday. She clearly said Lao Lao (my mother), okay, hi, and bye bye daddy. I guess that was her first sentence! She still doesn't say mommy but she gives me kisses, and that's okay with me!
She's fussing, so I must go. I'll try to attach some pictures of China before posting this.
Love, Trisa

Happy Days

I know it's been a long time since I have posted to this blog. I caught Jade's virus and have bronchitis and double ear infections, plus my right ear drum has a slight perforation from our plane ride home. And now jet lag is upon us. Poor Jade doesn't know if it's night or day, but she is still her sweet self.
More and more, as Jade's health improves, we see her personality coming out. She has a great sense of humor, loves music and has good rhythm, she has two hollow legs (eats everything we give her!), and is proving the orphanage's report that she can be stubborn & strong willed. She is so tiny that with her developmental delays, she seems like a much younger baby than she is. I know she will catch up quickly, especially once we begin early intervention, but I am enjoying her baby days. Every day we see changes in her. She can walk while holding our fingers. She gets so excited when she's approaching someone who is cheering her on, and she laughs and laughs. Her laugh brightens the room!! She is just adorable!
Jeff returned to work this morning and Jade and I went with him so we could show her off. She drew quite the crowd of admirers. It was so great, because I used to work there, so those were my former co-workers as well as Jeff's. Afterwards, I took Jade to the Kittery Town Hall where I worked until October '05. Again, the folks ooh-ed and aah-ed over her. Then we went to my mom's for a surprise visit. Two friends who live at her complex came down and we had a ball with Jade, especially with her walking back and forth between us.
Jade can now say "Daddy" in Chinese and English. I say to her, "Jade, say Mommy" and she sweetly says, "Da Da." She is just the cutest!
We were able to go to Harbinger on Friday night. I wasn't sure if Jade and I would feel up to it, but we did and it was great. We planned to go Saturday morning, but Anne's ride kind of fell through, so we took her halfway home (which was good, because Greg was able to meet Jade), and went on to Harbinger from there. We came home yesterday morning (Monday).
I am so grateful that Anne was able to spend Wednesday & Thursday nights with us. It helped us a lot to be able to sleep through most of the night.
Well, I can't spend all of Jade's naptime on the computer. The house is a wreck, so I need to go clean. I want to add pictures, but they are on Jeff's laptop and I don't know how to transfer them. I'll try to get him to do it tonight.
We'll try to post more often now that we are home and settling down.
Love,
Theresa

We're home!

Our travel journey has ended after 30 hours from Guangzhou China to Kittery, ME. What a long trip home! Everything went smoothly through all the airports, and customs in China and the U.S. If there was one important thing to stress about the whole trip it is to plan a long layover in Chicago on purpose. We got into Chicago at about 2 p.m., and we had a layover before our next flight left at 6 p.m. However, we did not realize how long customs was going to take nor that there would be a long wait while the Chicago Customs Officer processed our brown envelope of adoption and Chinese papers to make Jade a U.S. Citizen. We walked away from him at about 4:30-4:45 p.m., and then went through at least two more security checkpoints before getting to our gate a little after 5 p.m. So, it was really good that we had a four hour layover. Other adoptive families in the airport had scheduled their flights closer together, and they missed their connecting flight before the U.S. Customs officer even looked at their paperwork. Anyhow, we're home and open to phone calls, and visits. Thank you all for following our very special journey, and I'm sure that Theresa will add more information to the blog today or tomorrow.

Take care,

Jeff, Theresa, and Jade XiaoZheng Gilman.

More pics