Tuesday, June 13, 2006 Our little bundle of joy has been at the ole’ homestead for five months now and we can’t imagine what our lives would have been like without her. Brooke is a whirlwind of life that blows through our home. She has an energy that I have never experienced before. I don’t mean energy in the literal sense, we all know the amount of energy this little girl has, but more in a metaphysical sense. When you are around Brooke, you don’t want to be sitting still; you want to move- run and frolic and dance and really explore the world around you. Just like she does. Brooke is not the kind of child that will sit quietly and play with toys. You can not plop her in front of a television and expect her to watch Barney or Sesame Street. She wants freedom in every sense of the word. The highchair, crib, stroller and car seat are just to darn constraining for her. Perhaps those first 11 months in the orphanage gave her this drive to be free. The orphanage staff did tell us that she was always trying to get out of her crib. She is a free spirit and wants to enjoy all that life has to offer – plus she doesn’t mind getting into a little mischief too. One day last week I put the prettiest pink dress I could find on Brooke. I dressed her like a little doll with matching lace socks and a pretty pink bow in her hair. She was so adorable she took my breath away. She paraded around the house like a peacock and then I got the shock of the day. Little Brooke lifted her pretty little dress with her dainty little hands and there as plain as daylight was Brooke’s bare bottom. Our little angel had learned to pull her diaper off and preferred to prance around bottomless. Thank goodness we were home! Freedom schmeedom, my daughter might be a free spirit but no way am I going to let her be an exhibitionist. Now Brooke not only wears a diaper but panties and bloomers as well. Next we will have to bring out the duct tape and tape the diaper on her. Matthew continues to enjoy every waking moment with Brooke and he never tires of her or she of him. It is beautiful to watch the two of them play so well - especially considering there is a five year difference in age between them. He is very proud of her and loves to show her off and tell people about her. I have met several people who mentioned they wished their children expressed such devotion for their siblings like Matthew does for Brooke. We have enjoyed getting together with the folks from FCCLI (Friends with Children From China Long Island). It is wonderful to have so many people who share the same experiences and can offer support to each other. We were happy to see our friends Barbara, Andrew, Josh and Lindsey at the FCCLI Barbeque this weekend. Lindsey and Brooke are adorable together and I am so glad that they will get to see each other often. They are as close to being sisters and they can be. They grew up in the same orphanage and wound up living across the world only a matter of a few miles apart from one another. It is so much fun to see how these two little babies are growing so fast right before our eyes. This has been a great few weeks. We celebrated Mother’s Day as a new family and Father’s Day is right around the corner. We are truly blessed. Can life be any better? Love and Peace Mandee, Howard, Matthew and Brooke.

Brooke on a summer's day. Brother and sister - forever family! Brooke and Lindsey - Soul Sister's. Flying through the park with Lindsey's daddy Andrew. Contemplation.

Pretty in Pink

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