August 2012
ONE YEAR LATER

It’s hard to believe the last time I posted here was from our hotel in Hong Kong. That was almost one year ago! Today marks the one-year anniversary of our official adoption day in Nanjing.

As I type this final post for Emme Jade’s journal I am sitting on the bed with her. She is procrastinating a much needed nap. A routine that has become very familiar with the two of us!

On all counts, Emme Jade has adjusted beautifully to her new life! She has bonded in a healthy way to Jeff and I and to her sisters. From the start we knew Emme had a huge capacity to love. This gift has served her well as she has found her way in our family! Her joyful personality is contagious! Her smile and her giggle wins hearts wherever she goes! Don’t get me wrong though.. Emme can be stubborn and strong willed to. Most of the time this behavior is met with a, quick, “I’m sorry Mama!” She is so sensitive, that she does not like to disappoint.

God clearly knew that Emme Jade would be the perfect baby for our family! She goes with the flow all the time. Countless times she has been plucked out of her bed to go somewhere. We spend a lot of time in the car going from here to there with her sisters and she does not seem to mind. She is independent and social which makes this easy for her to transition easily.

After we got home, Emme started pre-school right away. That was not our plan. But, once we took her to an open house in early September she wanted to stay. It made sense since she attended pre-school in Yangzhou. She loves to be around other children, and she absolutely loved school. Her teachers did an amazing job of making her feel so welcomed and loved. Especially with the language barrier she faced. Emme really did not start speaking English until Christmas. Today she understands everything. It’s amazing to watch a child learn through immersion!

It’s amazing to think about how much can happen in one year. Emme Jade experienced pre-school, her first Halloween, first Christmas, first pre-school concerts, first dance recital, two surgeries, and so much more! She learned about Jesus, she learned to pray, and she learned what it is like to be forever loved!

In early October, an MRI revealed that Emme had a tethered cord. This was a big surprise to us. Thankfully, due to an amazing medical community here we found a leading Neuro Surgeon in the area to take care of Emme. Her spinal surgery took place in January, and Emme did very well. We laid low for three weeks, but we got through it! Other than an impressive scar, you would never guess she went through this!

Emme loves big! She is still closest to her big sister, Ainsley! The bond that began in China with these two is special!! She loves to play with Sienna and Ruby. Basically like any little sister she follows them around. They tolerate her most of the time! This summer we have spent a lot of time at our lake house in northern, Minnesota. Emme loves it! You will often here her say, “I miss the cabin” when we are not there! Thankfully she loves the water since we spent almost every day at the pool this summer!

Emme recently turned four. What a blessing it was to celebrate this birthday with her! As you can imagine she was so excited to be the birthday girl! She is in the phase of questions like, “Why?” and “How Come!” She is so curious!

She’s our girly girl… Perhaps you have no choice when you are in this family! She does have more of an opinion about things, like what she is going to wear, than my other girls did at this age. I can be accused of saying, “Emme Jade is frustratingly independent!” Honestly it is a blessing that she is!

The bottom line, God has blessed us in such a big way by bringing Emme Jade into our hearts. She had us from “Ni Hao” and none of us have looked back. There is no doubt that life is much sweeter with our tiny blessing in it! We love you Emme Jade! Happy forever sweet girl!

Blessings,
Diana

P.S: If you ever want to check in on Emme and her sisters, I update our family blog often. Visit it  here.