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Tuesday, June 24, 2008 Then followed that beautiful season... Summer.... Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood. ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow SarahPearl is a player. She likes her art supplies, her kitchenware, all kinds of balls, and especially pegboards. I can take a shower in the time it takes her to put 25 pegs in the board! She loves to play chase, hide and seek, read her favorite book, draw, go down the slide and play in water. She would eat yogurt all day if I let her. Her willfulness is clear and she makes her wishes known with her little empress finger pointing to what she wants. And she really starts playing at bedtime. All of her cuteness at once comes forth. She does acrobats, Chinese splits, practices all of her signs, prays, prays again to get my attention, climbs on top of me for a few kisses and so it goes until she is suddenly still and sleeping. She had her palate repaired and the complications that were acknowledged as remote possibilities became her reality. After much swelling following the surgery, her airway was obstructed and she spent the next 2 days in ICU. As we attempted oral feedings eventually, her stats went crazy with the stress. Her recovery was slow and I wasn’t sure how to comfort her, how to feed her only liquids with an open cup or syringe, or how to help her when she was reenacting at night all the trauma from the ordeal with her thrashing and fitfulness. The earthquake that was in her mouth is now whole and looks beautiful! During this time she watched signing videos throughout the day from my lap and her signing vocabulary has increased dramatically. She loves to hear us acknowledge what she is saying. She particularly likes to show me the sign “hurt” and the “cry”. She likes it when I say “What hurts, SarahPearl?” “I’m sorry”. With each audiology exam, she improves! My girl can hear! It started with sirens and really loud music and then ever so gradually a sneeze was acknowledged and the a cough. She then started responding to our voices when they were loud. Now, she responding to our voices as we talk to her. Answered prayer. Kate went to Florida with SP and me to visit Nonnie. SarahPearl decided 15 minutes before sunset, the night before we left that the beach was really fun and ran towards the water and then away from it. She would play in the sand from my lap and throw shells from my arms. SarahPearl has become very fond of Kate, who has spent so much time with us the last two weeks. We celebrated the solstice by visiting the Farmer’s Market in Madison. The market there has been such a happy tradition in our family and I was so happy to begin it with SP. So were the others...Meghan met us there from Milwaukee and Eli and Kate came with me! We bought fresh, local veggies and strawberries and then came home and ate. The berries were perfect. So unlike what is in the supermarket. SarahPearl loved the day and running barefoot in the grass around the Capitol building, adored by her family and playing all of her games with each one. I don’t think she has ever smiled so much! All eyes were on her and she loved the audience. She still prefers the carrier to the stroller, so the stroller carries our bags. When we were in China, I was often told that SarahPearl was a “lucky one”. I would disagree. I am the lucky one. I am truly blessed. SarahPearl has been with me for three months. The overwhelming newness of new parenthood is wearing off. It seems as if she has always been here. This small soul has brought contentment to my own soul. I always have wondered what life would bring and this is it. And she is just right.

The playground swing…she likes a back to it. Waiting for the cleft palate repair surgery. Kate and SarahPearl both enjoying the evening sunset in Florida. More of my beach baby.

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