So here we are.... we have been home 3 months now! Can you believe it? So many changes happen every day. The kids are doing great! All 3 of them. Alex and Jordan are becoming more sibling like. They are having a lot of fun playing together and now that Alex has re-discovered Thomas the train.... he has a lot to teach Jordan. Lauren turned 2 the end of February. We were just looking at the videos from China this week and I was noticing how much she has grown since China. 
There is Lauren on her Birthday. Now that I am looking at the picture it is reminding me of Pretty in Pink... though she has 14 more years to go and I am not ready for boy kissing!!!
She is more mature, more assertive (if that is possible) and is now finally talking! She still chooses when to use her words but the words are now 2, 3 and 4 word sentences. We decided that with the snow on Friday that we should go to Starbucks and get a Hot Chocolate. She was very excited. When I got it in the car and she said "My hot chocolate pleassse". I said "Hold on until we get home" and then realized... wait did you just say 4 words in a row?! She got that hot chocolate and walked in like a young women holding that cup and happy to drink it!!! How funny. Now she will throw out a "That is mine" "Look at meeee!", "Thank you Mom". I love hearing her words...
Now hearing words leads me to Jordan. I would have to say that if you met Jordan right now you would not know that it has only been 3 months. He is talking so much! Most of his
sentences are complete and with little accent. It is amazing. His English tutor is working on diction and now letter and number recognition, as well as, colors and shapes. He is still using Chinese, sometime mixed with English. I actually asked him this morning how do you say that in Chinese and he gave it to me. I am glad that he is over the idea of "Why do you want to know Chinese... you are English!". I had a talk to him a couple of weeks ago about how much I love his Chinese language and how much I am enjoying both Alex and he learning Mandarin. He was not wanting to use Mandarin or learn more. Since then he is enjoying the lessons and using it with Alex. I think we are going to be in trouble soon because they are starting to talk to each other!
Maybe this is not a good idea :)
Jordan has been experiencing so much since he has landed in Denver. He has met both my Dad and his wife, Nancy, as well as David's Mom. Both times we have been so shocked to see how excited, and not shy when he met them. He ran right up to both the them and gave hugs and said "Hi Grandma" and "Hi Grandpa, Nana". He is so excited to meet family. It has been fun to watch.
We have taken him to the Aquarium when my Dad and Nancy was out visiting. He has his glasses now and it was a whole new world to him.
I can not tell you how many "Ca MaMa" (look Mom) I heard that day! He has been so much fun to watch. He is so excited. Our niece, Julia, celebrated her birthday at Chuck E. Cheese this year. Jordan walked in with his eyes the size of saucers. He was so excited that his body was physically shaking. I told Lori if he could live here he would. He could not get enough of the ride-on rides. Horses, trains, motorcycles, if it moved he was on it... multiple times! He could not believe a place like this existed. By the time we went home, Jordan was so exhausted from all the fun and excitement that he actually fell asleep in the car! It is interesting to watch. Alex and Lauren were excited and had fun, but there is something fundamentally different from their fun and his. It is hard to explain but wondrous to experience. I keep thinking of all the things Jordan will experience soon. We are going to be going to my favorite place in the entire world this summer, Cape Hatteras, NC. Jordan has never seen an ocean before. I did talk to Jordan about Vacations. He looked at me a bit lost. He had just bought a toy airplane and I had asked him "Do you want to take that plane to China?". He looked a bit panicked when I said it and I realized that he might be thinking that I was going to take him back because he immediately said No. I quickly corrected my position and said "You know we can take the plane to China for a few days... on a vacation. Do you know what a vacation is?" He said No and I proceeded to tell him it about going places for a few days for fun and to see things or people. He looked at me and said "But why Mama..... (opening his arms) House is so beautiful.... why vacation?" He has no idea what is in store for him! He is going to love vacationing. I am also looking forward to taking him to my Dad's in Rochester. He will meet all of our friends and family there, swim in my Dad's pool, and kayak on the Erie Canal. His world has opened up so much. It is funny.... then there is Lauren who in the first year of her life has been coast-to-coast and seen 7 different States, seen both oceans and has been to Asia! All of this reminds me of how I really want to think about how we spend our time and what experiences we want our kids to have. It is so fun to share this world with these kids. We are so blessed and fortunate to be able to give our children all these wonderful experiences.
David too has had some big changes. He is now working for Newmont Mining, which is located in Greenwood Village down in the Denver Tech Center. He has been there a month and is really liking it. We had to take the kids to his new office because Jordan kept asking me "Where is BaBa working?" Since he has checked out the location he is alright with David's daily disappearances. The only downside to David's new job is the drive to and from work. It is about 30 mins away without traffic and some days it can take 1 hrs and 15 mins with traffic. David avoids the traffic by leaving our house before 6:15 am and not leaving work until at least 6pm. That gets him home no sooner than 6:45pm. It has been a big adjustment not having David home for dinner, but we are all getting use to the schedule changes.
As for me, I am settling in as a Mom of 3. I am getting to know Jordan more and more. I am priding myself on days where I can spend a little time with all of them individually and hoping that I can get to a point where I can do that and get the laundry, dishes and house picked up all in the same day. Currently it is a situation where it is one or the other. So I hope anyone visiting catches me on a house day :) It is all great! It warms my heart to hear the kids playing and sharing their ideas. The squabbling is getting less nerve-racking, and our routines and expectations are all coming together. I am now trying to look at myself and I am going to try to work on myself a bit. I have done some stress eating... my huge downfall... that I now have to rectify. I think that time in the gym will help in so many ways. I was really enjoying it before the adoption. I know it has been a while since our last posting, but I hope that this long one makes up for it. We appreciate all of you who read this and supports us. We hope that you are all doing well and getting ready for the year ahead as Spring if upon us! It is always wonderful to have the feeling of a newness all around us. It makes me think of new possibilities and experiences... may you all have wonderful ones!
d yet I am saying it again. We have the school routine down. Jordan loves going in the morning... Alex is usually not as excited but once he is there is ready to go! By the way, here is Alex during his Pajama day! He loves his teacher, Mrs. Stover.
