A few new funnies...

I forgot to mention some of the cute things that Lilly says in my last post:
"I lub loo!" "I lub loo too!"

SHe has also started to offer her own mealtime and bedtime prayers. Very cute. She'll take our hands, bow her head, close her eyes (peeking now and then to make sure we're bowing with her), and begin to whisper babbly words, then add in "baba, mama, jiejie, gege, Ta (the dog, Tad), "nya" (her word for both "Anna" and "Nana"), mei mei (herself), "baby" (her baby doll), xie xie (thank you), "Amen!" Too cute!

She loves to sing "head, shoulders, knees and toes" from a CD that Grammy got her. She is starting to actually do all the hand motions. She also loves for me to sing "Jesus Loves Me" as we read a little book the ladies at church gave her at her welcome home party. We sing it over and over before bed, then again once she's in bed, even as I'm drifting off into lala land on the couch next to her bed, she's still asking me to sing it again.

She loves to make us laugh every day!

Happy Memorial Day! Back to the Blogosphere!

It has been WAY too long since I"ve taken the time to post anything on this blog! I'm sure many of my regular readers have since dropped off (sorry!) but hopefully those of you still reading will enjoy these pics from the past few weeks.



We have had much going on in the past few weeks, with my parents' visit, Tom's change of command ceremony, Tom's parents' visit, end-of-the-year band and orchestra concerts for Jared and Anna, a "Welcome Home Lilly" party thrown by the Women's Ministry team at church, and just the normal fullness of daily life!



It was wonderful to have Lilly's grandparents meet her...she now talks about them and sometimes includes them in her regular "roll call" sessions in which she'll go down the list of family members with me and ask me where they are! She loves to talk to them on the phone, and anytime I am talking on the phone (no matter witt whom I am speaking!), she cannot help but say "HI!!!!" very loudly in the background.



Lilly has come a huge long way in the area of contentment...she is such a happy girl so much of the time these days! I know I said I wouldn't post about sleep anymore, but let me just say that we are all SO much more rested these days!! Last week I taught the 5am spin class at the gym every morning (subbing) and felt totally fine getting up atl 4:15am each day. Getting my exercise makes all the difference in my mental outlook, so it is nice that LIlly's sleep habits are allowing me that early morning boost.



Tom and Jared are heading out tomorrow to Colorado for our nephew, Ryan's graduation from the Air Force Academy--very exciting! We girls will stay home and have some girl time...we'll find some fun things to do!



The FLorida weather is beginning to feel a lot like summer with the humidity moving in--looking forward to more days at the beach and in the pool when the kidsa re out of school...just 2 more weeks. We have signed up for some fun summer camps and classes--Kids on Campus at the local college, soccer camp for ANna, Boy Scout camp for Jared, trombone lessons for Jared, and (possibly?) violin lessons for Anna. So life will be full and fun this summer!


I have some projects in mind for the next month of two: a photo/video montage of our adoption trip to try to encapsulate the experience, which I will post here when it is done; and beginning work on Lilly's "Life Book" to document our journey to her and her journey into our family.


We are thankful to God for how far he has brought all of us in bonding as a family and how far he has brought Lilly in her communications skills, her level of contentment, her health, and the blessing of having 3 kids. Tomorrow we celebrate our 19th anniversary--wow, I can't believe it's been that long! Thank God with us for the blessing of marriage and for His enduring love that has carried us through these awesome years together! I am thankful for my man, who works so hard and who gives thoughtful consideration in all that he does.


Thanks for reading, and remember to thank God for those who have laid down their lives for our freedoms.

No, we did not plan to all wear orange. But it worked for a back yard picture! Here is a shot from Grammy and Pop Pop's visit.

Anna with her friends Hannah and Isabella at their 3rd grade orchestra concert at Bluewater Elementary.

Anna and Lilly walking at Destin Commons, a local shopping/dining/lifestyle center.

Jared helping Lilly learn how to drive our latest yard-sale find: a cute little pink battery-operated car.

The girls showing off the cake we made to celebrate Tom's Change of Command. Lots of chocolate. Mmmmmm. Lilly likes to help bake (just like her big sister).

Jared is hard to spot in this shot of the 6th grade band at Destin Middle. They sounded great!

Grammy and Lilly on Lilly's little slide handed down to us by friends the Nippers, whose 4 boys have outgrown it.

Lt. Col. Cantilina and his girls, just before the Change of Command ceremony.

The Cantilina Clan following Tom's change of command ceremony. The object falling from Lilly's hand is mama's pearl bracelet which Lilly insisted on "wearing" during the ceremony. It helped to keep her quiet! She tried a few times to go up to the stage, but I managed to keep her near me!

Tom giving his short speech following acceptance of command. To the left are Col. Van De Car, the med group commander (soon to be retiring), and Col. Stirling, the outgoing med ops Squadron Commander, whom he replaced.

Tom accepting the squadron guidon from Colonel Van Decar.

Lilly has discovered the world of dress up clothes, and LOVES to put on wings and "fei fei fei" (fly!) around the house. I am thankful that Jared is strong enough and enjoys helping LIlly to fly, since I tire of it way more quickly than she does!!!

ANna and Lilly wore their matching Chinese dresses to church on MOther's Day, when Lilly was dedicated to the Lord. Our good friends James and Barbara Haynes came forward to pray over Lilly during the ceremony, and James' words and choices of scripture to pray for Lilly were wonderful.

No More Posts About Sleep...Did I Speak TOo SOon?

After posting my blog entry last night about all of LIlly's progress on the sleep front, we had a terrible night last night. We attended a farewell dinner for TOm's commander at a beachside restaurant, and it got to be a late night for Lilly (and a late dinner time...she was hungry). There were LOTS of people there, all eager to say hi and give Lilly a smile. Lilly was, to say the least, completely overwhelmed. She also has arunny nose and a nasty cough.

So, sleeping last night was sparse. She was up at least every hour (sometimes more than once each hour) between 10pm and 3am, then up for good at 7am. It was apparent that she was having some night terrors again. She was also having trouble sleeping because of her cough, so I finaly gave her some cough medicine around 3am.

I am so tired today. Back to feeling like a zombie, wondering if life will ever seem normal, and lacking energy to complete much of anything. Yuck.

So, praying that tonight will be better, that Lilly's day today (which might involve going to a birthday party for a little 1-year-old friend of ours) will not overwhelm her, and that her cold symptoms will clear up quickly.

No longer will I be posting about her great sleep habits...it seems to backfire! :)

6 Weeks Home: Taking Stock...

Here is Anna workign hard at swim team practice, smiling for Nana's camera...

Lilly and Mama at the pool...she likes the water!

The official certificate of citizenship arrived this week! She looks nothing like the photo on this certificate--taken just a few days before leaving China--anymore.

One of Lilly's favorite places to play--on a towel on the kitchen floor, with a bowl of water, measuring cups, and a funnel.

Daddy and his girls...Lilly had just come out of the bath (which she loves these days...saying "yay!" as Anna dumps water over her head)

She likes to wear her hair in pigtails these days...and she likes to smile for the camera since she knows she'll get to see the image on the back of the camera momentarily...

Nana, Anna, Jared, and Lilly enjoying the hot tub on the last night my folks were here.

Lilly did eventually let Pap Pap pick her up.

Beckoning the water to "lai" (come)...

Hershey's ice cream for dessert one night...

Taking a step back and a big deep breath, it is so exciting to see how far Lilly has come in just 6 short weeks at home. Not just Lilly, actually, but all of us. Here is where we are at:

• We have a daily routine down, Lilly knows when every family members heads out and comes home, and--even though she still asks about each of them all day long--she can trust that at the end of the day, the whole family will be together again. Her favorite time of day.


• I am re-remembering how to fill my days with fun toddler-type activities at home and outings. I am noticing the smaller play structures at local parks, rather than looking to see if they would be suitable for my older kids. I am learning to be highly attuned to Lilly's needs...and learning how to help her cope when my attention needs to be directed to someone or something else for a time.


• Lilly is napping great, sleeping mostly through the night (maybe up once to pee or have a drink every few nights).


• Lilly is speaking new English words each day, learning new signs (even the ones we use with the dog), and is starting to put together sentences in Chinese (and her own little babbly language that she uses with us sometimes. Very cute as she gets an earnest expression on her face, gestures with her hands, and puts together sounds with a few real words thrown in).
• Lilly has begun her catch-up immunizations...no fever the second time around.


• Lilly has undegone an EKG, an echocardiogram, and been to her initial ortho consult. The verdict: for now we'll monitor her closely and see how her growth affects her curvature. There is no rush to do surgery and more information over time on her condition will make the outcome better. Back for more x-rays and consult in October. In the meantime we need to schedule a kidney sonogram to be sure her renal function is normal.


• Anna is learning how to play with Lilly in a way that is fun for all--they have come such a LONG way in bonding as sisters!! Praise God.


• Anna is learning Chinese almost as quickly as Lilly is learning English. I might have two bilingual girls on my hands at the end of the day.


• Jared has shown great willingness and eagerness to play with Lilly and help with whatever needs to be done around the house. He is done with track season and is now running on his own in the mornings to stay fit (and avoid having mom and dad make him get back in the pool with the team).


• Tom will officially take command of the squadron a week from today. Yikes! Go Tom!


• Lilly knows she can trust us, and she knows we care enough to take care of boo boos (she points them out regularly expecting kisses and "medicine" (usually moisturizing cream or hydrocortisone for those pesky mosquito bites that balloon to golf ball size on her).


• Lilly loves the water. We spend time in our pool frequently, playing singing games that promote lots of closeness and smiles.


• Lilly loves to swing with mommy on our disc swing in the back yard. She sits in my lap facing me while I swing. Mommy gets a little motion sickness, but Lilly likes it so we still do it. At least as long as I can tolerate it!


• Lilly actually refuses many foods now. For most moms this would not be considered a good thing, but she is SO over the food hoarding and gorging behaviors, this mama is happy. She is growing and filling out so much. She was definitely malnourished when we received her. Now she looks like a normal toddler.


• Lilly will get evaluated by "Child Find" folks in our county to screen her for possible entry in the Pre-K Disability program at our local elementary school. From what I understand, it is a fabulous school program for children as young as 3 who have English as a second language, language delays, or physical or mental disabilities. We will consider this or preschool of some sort for possibly 2 mornings in the fall.


• Lilly has gotten to meet one set of grandparents, with a visit by the other set slated for next week! Yay!
• Now that school is only in session for about 6 more weeks, we are looking ahead at the summer and trying to decide on kids' activities for the big kids, family trips, etc. Stay tuned!

A Week of Medical Visits

We had a fabulous visit with my folks last week, and we are ALL missing them greatly here! Thankfully they made it home safely on Sunday, and Tom made it home from Ohio Friday night. I cannot believe how much help my parents provided while they were here...my house and my yard are transformed...they got to chores that have been on my list for months and months, they helped navigate the emotional waters with Anna, they helped take care of getting Tom's truck to the shop and back for service, they took our poor neglected puppy for walks, they helped me make it through the commissary with Lilly in tow, and I can go on and on. Most of all, they provided much needed emotional support and unconditional love to us all at a time when stress levels at home are heightened and behaviors reflect that.

And now a new week has begun. Today, I took Lilly in for an EKG (whe was already distraught over getting her blood pressure taken on one leg and both arms...the EKG was torturouw until we put all the little EKG stickers on her baby doll and baby got an EKG first...baby makes everything look so easy that Lilly can do it too. Praise God for baby's influence!). Tomorrow, first thing, we will take her in for an echocardiogram (the cardiologist heard a slight murmer on her EKG and wants to be sure there are no abnormalities on the heart, and we want to see how her spinal curvature is impacting cardiac function, if at all). Wednesday, we'll drive her to Nemours in Pensacola to have her evaluated by the pediatric orthopedic team. Poor girl. I bought a Baby Einstein video for her to watch in the car on the way to Pensacola. We are all getting REALLY tired of the Chinese DVD! (my parents even said it was like torture to watch and listen to!)

More photos to come soon...I promise. Just no time lately to pull them off the camera. Plus I need to get some from my mom from their trip. Stay tuned!

Please pray for Lilly's peace of mind and comfort level as we undergo all these medical tests this week. Otherwise she is doing so well in the areas of bonding and attachment...it is exciting to watch this transformation before our eyes.

Thanks!