Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Happy “One Month Together” Jenna!!!

Today is our one-month “anniversary” with Jenna! After waiting so long to be together, we decided a celebration was definitely in order today. Kaylee and Madison decorated the living room, helped Jenna blow out her candle, and sang (to the tune of Happy Birthday):

“We love havin' you as a sister,
We love havin' you as a sister,
We love having you in our family,
We love you Jenna!”

In many ways, it's hard to believe that Jenna's been part of our family for only a month. She fits in so perfectly, it seems like she's ALWAYS been here. We couldn't possibly be more blessed.

Jenna now sits independently, rolls over easily, squirms across the floor to get something she wants, claps, waves, plays peek-a-boo, and feeds herself finger-foods. We're working on crawling now, and soon we'll be teaching her the Gator Chomp. (After all, she was born in 2006, the year the Gators had TWO National Championships!)

Jenna loves music, playing with her sisters, and swinging at the park, especially when Madison is pushing her. She smiles and squeals and kicks her legs like crazy. She likes to eat avocados and splash in the bathtub. She is happy all the time, and seems to really cry only when we put her in her crib (and then she sobs). She is so precious and adorable ~ she must get a million kisses every day, from each of us.

Let me catch you up on our last few weeks. We arrived home from China almost three weeks ago. (Now THAT part does seem hard to believe!) On the plane Kaylee said, “When I get home, I'm going to sleep for 100 hours,” and we pretty much did. We had a serious case of jet lag--in addition to being completely exhausted after such an incredible trip. There's a 12 hour time difference between here and China, so when we got back home, the middle of the night was literally the middle of the afternoon for us. We were definitely “nocturnal” and out of sorts for a good couple of weeks.

We've kept things very simple since we've been home, and we've had a GREAT time bonding as a family (even if most of it has occurred in the middle of the night!). Jenna's adjusting very well, she got a great report from the pediatrician, and the three girls get along PERFECTLY. We couldn't have possibly asked for anything more.

A few days ago, when I dropped the girls off at Sunday School and kissed them goodbye, Madison came back to give me a kiss on one cheek for Daddy--and then a kiss on the other cheek for Jenna. It was SO sweet! They really hate being apart from her, and they especially hate it when she's right there at home sleeping. They are always SO anxious for Jenna to wake up, and when I put her down for a nap, Kaylee often says, “You just want her to sleep all the time!” When they hear that first noise coming from Jenna's room, Madison runs over, yelling: “Kay-yee, Kay-yee, Baby awake!!!” and they both go running in Jenna's room with big smiles on their faces. Jenna greets them with a happy squeal, and if Madison gets in there before I do, I often find she's climbed in Jenna's crib so she can give her a big hug.

Jenna is a part of everything Kaylee and Madison do (and thus, we've had to have a few conversations about the difference between Jenna and a stuffed animal!). In their eyes, she is a perfect combination of a real-live baby doll, and a friend their age. And though she isn't either, it warms my heart to see them include her in everything. They “camp-out” together under the kids' umbrellas they've set up like a tent in the living room. They play firefighter, with all three of them using buckets as hats and the jump rope as the fire-hose. And, of course, they play princess together. Soon after we got back home, Kaylee and Madison had a very, very special coronation ceremony in the living room, which they completely planned themselves. They got dressed as Cinderella and Ariel, while Jenna sat on her “throne” (the fuzzy pink Dora chair Uncle Greg gave Madison for Christmas). They both made special magic wands, and used them simultaneously to turn Jenna into a princess. Now, whenever she's sitting in that chair, they bow and call her “Your Majesty” and “Princess Jenna”. It's very sweet.

They love to play with her, and would cart her around everywhere if we let them. Every now and then, Madison will look at Jenna and say, “Wanna dance, Baby?” She'll hug Jenna's chest from behind, stand up, and bounce with her. Jenna loves it and stamps her feet, with a big smile on her face. Madison will also try to count to 10 for her in Chinese, and proudly say, “Baby likes to hear Chinese!” They're both such great big sisters.

The other night all three of them were having a musical performance in the living room. Jenna was banging two drumsticks together and pounding them on a tambourine. She was laughing, wrinkling up her nose, kicking her legs, and loving it. I can't wait to see the marching band parades they have around the couch as soon as Jenna is able to walk!

And as fun and heartwarming as it is to watch them all together, I'm also treasuring the little bit of “alone time” that I have with Jenna this week. Madison and Kaylee have been at VBS each morning this week, and I've just loved those few hours to snuggle and laugh and play peek-a-boo and Patty-Cake with Jenna. We bob our heads to the music, and make each other laugh. (Plus, it's heaven to have those cheeks all to myself!) She smiles, and makes all kinds of noises, and melts my heart ~ over and over again.

We just love EVERYTHING about her! We love the way she crinkles up her nose, and smiles, and kicks her legs when she's really happy. We love the way she bobs her head as soon as she hears music or someone singing. We love the way she plays peek-a-boo behind her brightly colored toy chain (and thinks she's hiding!) And we especially love the way she claps when she eats. (After you give her a bite to eat, she makes a noise that sounds a lot like “mmmmm,” smiles, and claps her hands. Then after the next bite, she'll clap her hands again. It's the sweetest thing!)

I think it's so fitting that the first thing Jenna learned how to do with us was clap. Kaylee and Madison have been her biggest fans, and are always encouraging her and celebrating her accomplishments. Now any time she hears someone say “yaaaaay”, she starts clapping.

As you can tell, we've just been having SO much fun together. Here are a few of the funnier quotes from our first couple of weeks home:

▪Madison (very calmly after Jenna tipped over): “Mommy, me baby fell over.”

▪Kaylee (after Jenna again toppled over and bumped her head): “Could we get a softer floor?”

▪Kaylee (laughing after Jenna drooled on her): “Ewwww…she spit on me. I guess that's her secret weapon!”

▪Kaylee (trying to get Jenna to stop crying): “It worked last time when I gave her a Cheerio off the floor.”

▪Madison (after Grandma said, “Tell them what your baby's name is, Madison.”): “Jennalicious!”

▪When we were talking about Chinese school, Kaylee said, “Do they have English school for babies?”

▪Kaylee (rolling her frantically over and over on the floor): “But I want her to be able to go down the slide sooner. She's 10 months old now!”

▪Madison (after Jenna bit my finger because she's teething): Madison smiled and said, “He hungee today!”

* Madison keeps calling Jenna a “he” and we keep having this same discussion over and over again. “Is Jenna a boy or a girl?” “Girl.” “Is a girl a he or a she?” “She.” “What is Jenna - a he or a she?” “He. He has not a lot of hair, Mommy!” (Sigh…we'll keep trying!)

Since we've been back home, our friends from China have come up often. Madison will say, “Want to see me friend,” and I'll say, “Which friend?” expecting her to say Meg or Amber or Katie. Instead she'll say, “Me friend in China” and I'll think about Lillian, and wonder how she and her mom are adjusting to their new life together. Kaylee will often talk about Madeleine and Samantha and ask when we can see them again. And of course they miss Baby Lila and Baby Vivienne, too. Out of nowhere, Madison will say, “I miss Daffy” (Daphne). And whenever Kaylee sees a picture of Jason, she gets a big smile on her face and says “JASON!!!” Almost every day, Cameron, “Me friend” (Cadence), and “The Owner” (Leah) are part of our conversations. And now, after this trip, Kaylee is even more motivated to save money and toys for the babies in China. She's been doing that for quite a while, but now anytime she finds money, she puts it in a special place to “send to Cameron and his friends”. It's so sweet.