Monday, November 12, 2007

Adoption
Not flesh of my flesh,
Nor bone of my bone,
But still miraculously my own.
Never forget
For a single minute,
You didn’t grow under my heart,
But in it.
~Fleur Conkling Heylinger

What an amazing gift each day to watch our sweet daughter continue to captivate our attention, to bring such joy to our hearts, and to fill her own special niche in our family!

Meghan has made great strides in many areas during the last month! She has decided to leave crawling behind and opt for “the number 11 bus,” as our guide in Chongqing humorously refers to walking. She is just so proud of this huge accomplishment, and she loves to clap along with her adoring and encouraging fans at home! We are also thrilled to report that after ten weeks, struggling and stressing with feeding issues, Meghan has finally agreed to willfully take some solid food! Of course we are still in stage 1 and 2 baby foods, as any texture or “chunkiness” sets off that gag reflex, but we are overjoyed with the daily progress she makes and with the relief that accompanies her actually enjoying “meals!”

Meghan’s vocabulary, both understood and spoken, expands daily. She now regularly uses the words mama, dada, hot, yes, uh-oh, no, bye-bye, baba (bottle), ball, fish, hello, and bath. She is working on her furniture-scaling skills, and I’m sure it won’t be too long before she is jumping off the couch with her brother (you all know which one!). Meghan loves to “talk” on her phone, honk the horn on her car, play her Sesame Street saxophone, crush and then chew on Ethan’s Lego creations, “swim” in the tub, and steal the remote control whenever it is in her reach. She has such a playful disposition and such a joyful spirit – I truly cherish our time together each day!

October was filled with many fun adventures (as well as lingering respiratory and gastrointestinal infections and long, sleepless nights – ahh, the joys of having a kindergartener)! Ethan and Zach were excited to introduce their little sister to the world of Chuck E. Cheese, where she was welcomed and celebrated by a great group of our friends and Daddy’s colleagues! Meghan handled the entire adventure quite well; she fearlessly explored the whole place and even approached the mouse himself!

Meghan joined her brothers “Superman” and “Obi Won Kenobi” as the cutest little ladybug in town for her first Halloween experience! Unfortunately, she wasn’t feeling well enough to enjoy an evening of trick-or-treating, and she hasn’t really begun to appreciate the greatness of sugar yet, so she and Mommy cut the outing short and returned home to pass out more candy to the 100+ costumed children that rang our bell. Meghan was happy to stand at the front door and watch everyone arrive for a handful of treats.

Last month, we visited our friends the Schnoors in their lovely new home on the Eastern Shore. It was wonderful to spend some time with them, to proudly introduce our daughter, and to again see her welcomed with great love and warmth. We were reminded of how much we miss seeing these special folks across the street, and we were once more overcome with gratitude for the encouragement, support, knowledge, and beautiful “wardrobes” of little girl clothes they have so generously shared throughout our adoption journey!

The past few weeks have brought many special visitors to our home as well! Meghan spent a wonderful day impressing our dear friend Les with her new walking skills, her art of mimicry, her amazing curiosity, and her sweet smile! Les brought us some delicious treats from his garden, and as usual, many great topics of conversation! Nana, PapPap, Uncle Eddie, and cousins Tiffany, Eddie, and Morgan stopped by, too, for a fun family day! Meghan certainly loves all the attention and entertainment that exist in a full house!

With November underway, we have begun to fill our traditional “Tree of Thanks,” and we are beyond blessed this year to be able to add Meghan’s name to a leaf! Not a day goes by that we aren’t grateful for His call to adoption, humbled by His abundant grace, and awed by His faithful provisions of all that we need!

Wishing you a safe and joyous Thanksgiving! Until next time . . .

Much love,

Eric, Renee, Ethan, Zach, and Meghan