It seems crazy to think that our sweet daughter has been in her forever home for just over a month. We are constantly amazed at how well she is doing under the circumstances and the trauma she experienced in being removed from the only home (the orphanage) she has ever known and placed in a strange place, with unusual food and weird smells. She has adjusted extremely well and is picking up new English words and phrases on a daily basis. She understands so much English, much more than she can speak at this point, and her communication by handmotions is getting less and less. Some of her words sound similar and it can be a challenge to understand her pronunciation.
She knows her ABCs, her colors, and numbers to 10. When she arrived home, it was obvious that she had never done a puzzle before. She now wants to do puzzles on a daily basis and is getting faster at matching the pieces together. Most of them are 25 pieces but there is one that is 63. She is gaining strength in her legs and is getting much better at maneuvering the stairs. When she arrived home, she had difficultly with pedaling a tricycle. She has improved so much and now drives my pedal tractor on a daily basis. She loves to pedal as fast as she can. If you ask her her name, she can recite first, middle, and last names. She loves our dog, Bessie. She prefers when she is laying beside her or giving her kisses. She talks to her constantly about going outside to potty.
She spent a few days at our church preschool to ease her into transition to all day school and has been attending Kindergarten for a few weeks. She loves going to school and and knows her teacher's name is Mrs. V. She asks for "more school" all the time. Her writing continues to improve, and I'm sure with extra services, like ELL (English Language Learners) and Title I, we will continue to see great progress.
We have kept pretty busy over the last month spending time with close friends and family. We have done fun things like visiting Curtis Orchard and the Great Pumpkin Patch. We have went "swimming" and enjoyed playdates. We celebrated Chris' birthday and she had fun making the cake, singing Happy Birthday, and helping to blow out the candles. She regularly tells us "no airplane, Lixia home." It is obvious she is looking for reassurance that we are not shipping her back to China.
We met our friend, Joy, for dinner recently so that she could hear and communicate in Mandarin. You could see the little wheels turning in her head as she concentrated and focused. It was apparent that she could interpret and understand her native language and she answered many questions by shaking her head yes or no. For some questions that Joy asked her in Mandarin, she would turn to me and respond in English.
If you have had the privilege to spend any time with Lixia, you know she is always happy and smiling. She has brought so much joy to our lives in such a short-time and it is hard to imagine life before her presence graced our lives. I would also describe her as brave, resilient, cheerful, polite, sassy, ornery, loving, and smart. We fall more in love with her everyday.
We may not update the blog as frequently but will try to post when we hit special milestones. Thanks for continuing to follow our journey. Enjoy some pics from the last month.
“Once our eyes are opened, we can’t pretend we don’t know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act.” Proverbs 24: 12
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Saturday, September 17, 2016
Welcome Home
Lixia was welcomed home, in style, by Nana, Papa Swing, and Grandma Barb, complete with welcome posters, balloons, and gifts. She was so excited to see everyone and gave out lots of hugs and kisses. She was even treated to Chinese noodles at a nearby restaurant afterwards. This sweet girl is already loved by so many. Can't wait to see what God has in store for her life.
In addition to our warm welcome from family, the gate agent remembered us from two weeks ago and wanted to know if we made our connection in Dallas and how things were going with our new daughter. She also pointed out another family who was departing from Champaign to fly to China to adopt their daughter. We were blessed to chat with them for a few minutes and compare stories. What a cool encounter to end our journey home!
In addition to our warm welcome from family, the gate agent remembered us from two weeks ago and wanted to know if we made our connection in Dallas and how things were going with our new daughter. She also pointed out another family who was departing from Champaign to fly to China to adopt their daughter. We were blessed to chat with them for a few minutes and compare stories. What a cool encounter to end our journey home!
Hong Kong
We had an overnight layover in Hong Kong before we truly headed home. It was great to see a small part of the City as we were just passing through. Hong Kong Park was just a few minute walk from our hotel. We walked through the park and took the Peak Tram to Victoria Peak. It was a quick 10 minute tram ride to the top. The views during the tram ride and once we arrived at the peak were breathtaking. There was tons of stores/shopping and food vendors at the top as well. It was an amazing, albeit short, trip.
We made our way to the airport for our 13 hour flight to Dallas. Lixia was a great traveler. She slept on me for probably 6-7 hours of the trip. She also watched some Disney movies to help pass the time. Her only motionsickness was during the landing. Despite being physically ill, she loves to fly or maybe it was just her destination. She was so ready to be at home. We arrived in Dallas as planned. We had extra processing at U.S. Customs and Border Protection due to the adoption. The special sealed packet was delivered and processed. It actually did not take much time at all. Lixia Marie Swing is now officially a U.S. citizen.
After an overnight layover, we continued on to Chicago and finally to Champaign to meet our welcoming crew.
We made our way to the airport for our 13 hour flight to Dallas. Lixia was a great traveler. She slept on me for probably 6-7 hours of the trip. She also watched some Disney movies to help pass the time. Her only motionsickness was during the landing. Despite being physically ill, she loves to fly or maybe it was just her destination. She was so ready to be at home. We arrived in Dallas as planned. We had extra processing at U.S. Customs and Border Protection due to the adoption. The special sealed packet was delivered and processed. It actually did not take much time at all. Lixia Marie Swing is now officially a U.S. citizen.
After an overnight layover, we continued on to Chicago and finally to Champaign to meet our welcoming crew.
Exceptional view from our hotel room (61st floor) |
Entrance to Hong Kong Park |
Walking like a big girl |
Cool fountain |
Love being in big city parks where you can see the skyscrapers |
Riding the Peak Tram |
The Tram track |
Views from Victoria Peak |
Views from Victoria Peak |
Views from Victoria Peak |
Views from Victoria Peak |
Views from Victoria Peak |
Views from Victoria Peak |
Posing with our Tram |
Getting ready for the long plane ride |
Ready to be HOME |
Airplane selfies |
And again |
Sleeping beauty |
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