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Wednesday, September 17, 2008 Now to him who is able to do immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. ~Ephesians 3:20 Today, we celebrate six months with SarahPearl Yan Nan as part of our family! What a blessing she is. She is so easy to love and the days have passed so quickly. She is a healthy, thriving 2 year old. She entertains me daily with her joie de vivre, her laugh and her appreciation of the smallest kind gestures. I look at this child, my daughter, and I am simply in awe of her beauty, her sweetness, her little voice, her tender heart. Just the thought of her makes me smile, throughout my day. She has made my life better in every way. I have fallen in love and everything, her health, her sweet little smile, her little hands, her head resting on my shoulder, her attempts to communicate with her words and signs, has breathtaking significance. She is answered prayer! As long as I live, I will never forget the surreal moments of seeing her for the first time in person. She hung onto me so tight. Her eyes, alert, and scared as she was taken into the arms of a stranger. How precious those moments were for Yan Nan and I. The world was changing for both of us in that very instance. My big girls, her sisters, stood close by and watched and waited. Their arms badly wanted to hold her and feel the softness of her little body. She looked directly into my eyes. My tiny,vulnerable, daughter. I stroked her dark hair, tried to hold back my tears and held in my heart the wonder of those moments when we were first given to one another. I was filled with overwhelming love, tenderness and thankfulness. I still am. It feels just right. I look at her and think, “It is you I have been waiting for.” The waiting no longer matters. She is real. She is here. She has a family. For each one of my children I had waited, I hoped, I imagined. For each one I prayed for the wisdom to be what they needed. For each one, I have wondered how did I get to be the mama to this child. For each one I thank God. SarahPearl will always stop and listen to live music. We were in Madison, at the Farmer’s Market, and she was mesmerized by a street musician with a violin. Her head turned towards the sound and she pointed that little Empress finger in the direction it came from so she could get closer to it. She puts her tiny hands on the piano keys playing one at a time, gliding from note to note savoring each sound. She has an innate sense of how to handle this instrument. She will sit on my lap or next to me and carefully play her songs. She climbs up next to Eli when he plays, wanting to be close to the one who makes the house move with sound. SarahPearl has started home daycare as I went back to a new school year. She once again is revisiting those night terrors. As well as she is doing during the day at Tonya’s, it is obvious that she is stressed by the separation with her reluctance to go to sleep at night and her subsequent wakings. It is almost back to the beginning… although she only sleeps on top of me about twice a week now instead of every night like it was in China and initially back here. It is more than likely a combination of losses for her that have been the struggle. Fortunately, Kate has been home and has really helped with her responsiveness to SP and her neediness at night. My oldest daughter is getting married! She needed to make wedding plans and was able to spend time at home. The timing was perfect. She has returned to Minneapolis. We MISS her! We went to two FCC events. The picnic was a great chance to spend time outside and meet some other families and reconnect with those we already knew. There was also a Moon Festival, and we baked mooncakes with a variety of fillings. SarahPearl ate three of them as fast as she could, making her little face as round as one! The facilitators were wonderful in their planning of multiage activities. She enjoyed the play doh and recreating her own mooncakes with colored dough and molds! She prays. She prays before she eats, attempting the Sign of the Cross on her little body. She prays while she plays and will coax those around her to fold their hands and bow their head. She prays at night, before her bedtime shenanigans begin, and then sometimes pauses and prays again. SarahPearl went to the pediatrician for more immunizations and updated growth this week. She is 32.5 inches tall and now 21.9 lbs. . She is now in the 5th percentile for height! She still hasn’t made the growth chart in her weight, so it is back to adding more fat to her diet. Thank you to those who pray for us. I am so encouraged by your thoughtful emails. Blessings, Julia

She has my heart! Watching the other families at the FCC picnic. A walk in the park. She likes hiking through trails, stopping to look at all that catches her eye. She is learning to pose for the camera. My own little mooncake. Her family!

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