Tuesday,
June 17, 2008
Hailan is growing and changing so fast that it is going to be
difficult to try to capture all that has happened since our last
post.
Hailan turned 1!!!! As did many of the other children in her
group at the baby home. We celebrated her birthday by having a
joint Mickey and Minnie Mouse party for her and Cal whose
birthday falls a week after Hailan's. It was really fun
preparing for it! When we went to Florida in March, I bought a
Minnie Mouse dress for her to wear and then I found a cute
little Minnie bow for her hair, patten leather shoes, and
matching red black and white polka dot socks with a number “1”
on them. She looked so cute and kept the dress looking beautiful
until it was time for cake! She ate (devoured!) 2 pieces of Cold
Stone Creamery cake and had frosting from the top of her head to
the tip of her toes. A definite Kodak moment! She and Cal both
loved all the attention. After the party, my 2 cousins, who are
like my sisters and also my best friends, hung out with their
husbands and children and we had dinner together and just let
the kids continue to play. On so many levels, it was one of the
most fulfilling, perfect days.
We also had Hailan Christened on Father’s Day. We feel so
blessed to have our precious daughter, and know that God played
a huge part in bringing Hailan to us, so this was a very special
day for us. During the ceremony, which was a private service
with just our family and friends, our Reverend mentioned how we
were all there for this one special girl, and right on queue,
Hailan sat up straight and yelled out “Ahhhh!” It was so funny!
Everyone started laughing, including our Reverend. It was as if
she wanted to acknowledge that she was the center of attention.
The relationships that have developed between our angels have
really blossomed. Cal and Hailan are best buds. If I haven’t
mentioned before, Cal is my real love bug. He is so caring,
nurturing, and thoughtful and is always hugging and kissing.
Since Hailan came home, she is his first thought in the morning,
and that love and affection continues throughout the day. As
soon as Cal wakes, the first thing he does is ask where Hailan
is; then he runs to wherever she is; she’s usually still in bed
so he jumps into her crib with her and will just hang out with
her playing with her crib toys, hugging her, and making her
laugh. Nolan is definitely the “big brother”, the protector, the
teacher, and once in a while, the instigator. He loves
entertaining Hailan, making her laugh, teaching her new things,
and most of all, he loves getting her and Cal to do things to
get them in trouble while he stands in the background laughing
uncontrollably!!! He’s the brain behind the chaos! And he
certainly loves his sister. He tells me at least once a week,
“Mommy, I love having a baby sister. I love Hailan soooo much!”
He also refers to her as “beautiful”—so adorable! It amazes us
daily how seamlessly “HayHay” fit into this family. She is
definitely right where she was meant to be and that is evident
every day!
As far as how and what Hailan is doing, she says “Momma”, “Dadda”,
and very loudly and with an attitude, responds “Da” anytime we
say “nyet”! The boys get a real kick out of this! She also
crawls up the stairs as fast as she can, looking back to see who
is chasing her to get her down. Of course, as soon as she spots
the chaser, she laughs and climbs that much faster! She loves to
empty everything…toy bins, drawers, cabinets, baskets. She also
loves music -- she’s even got a couple dance moves down -- head
banging, clapping, waving both arms over her head, and pointing
in the air with one finger (that’s my favorite!). Hailan also
got her top 2 teeth one day apart. She’s now got a total of 4
and working on several more. She also walks around holding on to
furniture, pushing her walking toys, and standing on her own.
Last weekend she took 4 steps by herself. She definitely has the
balance and the strength to walk; she just needs a little more
confidence. We’ve been practicing walking with her and holding
only one hand and she’s doing great! I think she’ll be running
by the end of June! The picture of Hailan in the pink and brown
rugby dress shows her walking with my mom’s cane! For some
reason, she thought this was the coolest thing and was laughing
non-stop as she proudly walked across the driveway!
We’ve been spending most weekends at our house in the White
Mountains. The boys continue to love hiking, riding their ATVs,
swimming, etc., and Hailan has quickly attained a love of the
outdoors. We’ve been putting her in the backpack to go for hikes
and she just seems so relaxed looking around, amused by her
surroundings. Oh, and I can’t forget to mention an important
family tradition, she loves sitting around the camp fire and
eating S’mores!
This will be our last post on myadoptionwebsite, so we have a
few final words.
Firstly, thank you so much to Joe and Jen for providing these
services and for your friendship, support, and kind words during
this process. I don’t think you guys realize how important what
you do is to all your families, so on behalf of everyone, “thank
you, thank you, thank you”!!!!
Secondly, to our children. We are so proud of all of you and
love each one of you a trillion much! You bring more pleasure,
love, happiness, and fulfillment into our lives than we ever
could have imagined or could ever capture in words. You are all
truly unique and so very special. You truly are our MIRACLES. We
are so Blessed!
Thirdly, I want to thank everyone who has followed our journey.
Your support and love has been overwhelming. We are so fortunate
to have so many loved ones in our lives and to have made so many
new friends through this journey! The comments left by everyone
on our guest book will be part of the legacy we will one day
share with Hailan. We will never forget your kind thoughts and
actions. It is all of you who made this process so special for
our family. Thank you seems like such a simple phrase to express
the gratitude we feel toward all of you.
Finally, to our daughter, our angel, our Kaz Princess. You have
completed our family and we will be forever grateful.
The Gift of Life
I didn't give you the gift
of life,
But in my heart I know.
The love I feel is deep and real,
As if it had been so.
For us to have each other
Is like a dream come true!
No, I didn't give you
The gift of life,
Life gave me the gift of you.
--- Unknown |
So cute
Bubbles in the Sink
Riding my tricycle
Facing Forward in my car seat
Swinging on my playset
I love walking! |
