Tae Kwon Do, Reading, and Mia's New Arm



Mia has been taking Tae Kwon Do since the beginning of January.  She was so excited to be able to put on a uniform and do this.  A couple of weeks ago Mia tested for her modified yellow belt.  The reason it was modified was because she still needs a lot of help with her form and one steps.  She did receive an award... The Indomitable Spirit Award.  Definitely well earned!

 

 

Mia has been making tons of progress with her learning.  She has learned her alphabet and can write her letters.  Some of the letters she still has trouble saying (for instance the letter "X" is hard for her to say and it comes out "S") but she knows them all.  

 

She has also started reading!!!  The top four books are books she brings home from her ESL (English as a second language) class at school.  She probably has a dozen or more of these books since almost every time she has her ESL class (three times a week) she brings another one home.  We read them together every day.  These are the four that she can read all by herself.  The bottom three are Bob books.  I had two different people recommend these and so we thought we would give them a try.  She can read these three all by herself.  She has a fantastic memory and loves school and that helps a lot!    

 

 

 

Last Thursday, Mia, myself and Ashlyn made the three and a half hour trip back to Shriners in Lexington.  We left early in the morning (around 5:30) but hit traffic, several accidents (the roads were icy in some areas), and Mia also got car sick several times.  Note for next time....bring a change of clothes. 

 

I emptied our food bag out as quickly as I could while I was driving.   She threw up in it and promptly set it on the floor and then continued to throw up all over herself, her jacket and Ashlyn's jacket which Ashlyn had given her.  Meanwhile, I am driving through busy traffic with no way of stopping.  Fortunately, Ashlyn was able to locate my emergency stash of paper towels in the storage area of the car and sort of help her clean up. 

 

With all that said we arrived at 9:30 (30 minutes late).  I ended up dropping the girls off at the door while I parked since Mia was now down to a tank top and that was it!  Ashlyn still had her clothes but was also jacketless.  I washed Mia's dress in the bathroom and then used her dress as a wash cloth to wipe off her pants.  Fun times!!  A wonderful person at Shriners ended up giving Mia two brand new t-shirts and a Sponge Bob sweatshirt.  When I asked her how much I owed her for everything she said, "nothing."  I have I mentioned before that Shriner's is awesome. 

 

Mia has gone back and forth about wanting an arm.  Initially, she was very clear that she only wanted one arm and did not want this helper arm.  I questioned myself so many times as to the right thing to do.  In the end I decided we should at least give it a try even if she isn't on board. 

 

I had not talked to Mia very much about the new arm.  I casually mentioned that we were going back to see Mr. Chris again soon and she would get her Hello Kitty arm.  Mia seemed indifferent.  I did not push it or make a big deal about it.  Then, the night before we left I matter of factly told her what we would be doing the next day (I definitely did not play it up or make a big deal about it).  She responded with a very excited, "Yeah!"  I was very surprised to say the least.

 

During the long morning car ride, she mentioned several times that she could not wait any longer... she was excited for a her new arm.  Unfortunately, that all changed as soon as Mr. Chris put it on.  It felt very tight and heavy and she was almost in tears.  She wanted it off!  But instead of taking it off she had to go spend some time with the Occupational Therapist for a little bit of training.  She was cooperative (barely) but definitely unhappy.

 

Fortunately, the training did not last long and then she was able to play in the big playroom.  She wanted her arm off and I tried to brush her off and say later.  As soon as she started playing she totally got distracted and did much better.  She had a lot of fun playing with another kid (a boy probably about Ryan's age).  They were playing with the cars that run on tracks and you use a remote to operate them.  She loved it and the boy made it so fun.  She forgot all about the discomfort of wearing her new arm.  

 

After that we decided to go to the cafeteria for lunch.  Mia again wanted her arm off but when I said, "later" she did not push it.  At the cafeteria we piled up two trays of chicken and hotdogs, pudding desserts, chips and drinks.  When it was time to pay I pulled out my debit card.  The cashier said, we only take cash.  Oops, I didn't bring any cash.  She said, "No problem.  Enjoy your lunch."  Again, have I mentioned how wonderful Shriner's is?

 

After lunch it was time to head home.  I was planning on taking her arm off but as we were leaving she said, "I want to show Daddy my Hello Kitty arm" and I realized she was planning on keeping it on.  In fact, she did not want to put the sweatshirt on because she didn't want to cover it up.  She was proud of it!  She ended up keeping it on for seven hours.

 

The next day she was happy to put her arm back on and wear it to school.  She was excited to show her teacher.  But as soon as it was on she started complaining and wanted to take it off.  One of the ideas I got from a friend was to reward her with glow-in-the-dark stars for each day she wears her arm (at least for the first few weeks).  This has been the perfect incentive (plus it was only $4 for a bag of 50 stars!).  Her arm was heavy and tight and does take some getting use to.  I don't think I would have gotten her to wear it those first few days without this reward.  Each day I mentioned putting it on and she did not want to.  I told her that was fine.  She can do what she wants but if she wants a star she needs to wear it.  And that was all I needed to say.  Now, I didn't expect her to wear it all day but at least for a few hours.  

 

So far, her arm has helped her ride her scooter.... yeah!!!  We haven't tried a bike yet but a new bike might be coming in the near future.  We currently don't have a bike at home with training wheels.  Although today she said she wants Ashlyn's bike.  Ashlyn quickly agreed and said Mia could have it and she would just get a new bike (apparently Ashlyn has outgrown the princess theme which is her current bike).  Ryan was listening in and offered to give Ashlyn his bike and he would suffer with a new one.  What sharing and thoughtful children I have:)   She has also learned to bat using her new arm...she was super excited about this!  She loves to play baseball!  She also uses her arm to help me cook in the kitchen.  The picture below shows her helping me make cookies.  And I was thrilled that I didn't have to hold the bowl for her.   Tonight we went roller skating with our church.  At one point Adam took her right hand and I took her Hello Kitty hand and the three of us skated together.  That was so cool!    

 

And the best part is, today she told me her arm doesn't hurt anymore.  Awesome!  I don't think it really hurt before but was uncomfortable and hurt is the closest word she knows to tell me that.  And the second best part is that she can now take her arm off and put it on herself.  Yeah!!!  And she seems happy to do so.  So, how much will she end up using this new arm.  I guess only time will tell.      



 

 

 

 

 

 

Mia's Dedication & Shriners

This last week has been busy but in a really good way.  My sister and her kids came to visit for several days.  And it just so happened to coincide with the same Sunday our church was doing "Baby" Dedications.  We have had all of our kids dedicated soon after they were born and it only seemed natural to have Mia dedicated as well. 



At home before the dedication.  On a side note... I think I finally got a good Christmas picture.  Unfortunately, it is just a couple of months late.




I think in the past this has been called "Baby Dedications."  Maybe they changed it to "Child Dedications" for us:)

Sisters

 



It is so neat that my sister and I both have boys born so close together (less then 4 months apart).  

And girls born close together.  Christina (on the far left) was born 23 days after Ashlyn.

We celebrated at Red Robin after church.  Poor Ryan...fortunately, he handles the biggest kid role well.  

 

 On Thursday morning we said goodbye to my sister and her kids.  On Thursday afternoon Mia and I drove to Shriner's in Lexington (about 3 and a half hours) for her appointment on Friday morning at 9:00am. 

This was my first time at a Shriner's hospital.  Given that I have zero experience with prosthetics,  I really had no idea what to expect.  I was very impressed.  Just walking in the front door into the waiting area it was easy to see this place really cares about kids. 

We saw "Mr. Chris" who gave us all of the prosthetic options for Mia.  For instance, she could have an arm that looks like an arm and hand but really has very little function.  Maybe it would help her hold her paper down at school and small things like that.  Then we were shown the arm with the hook which has lots of function but definitely lacks in the looks department.  We were also shown a Myoelectic arm which while it is a very cool arm it is also very heavy and would take a lot of training.  Plus, it is very expensive and we would want to know that she really wanted it first.  We ended up choosing the hybrid.  It is a cross between the arm/hand that look like an arm/hand and the hook arm.  Basically, the hand is in the pincer grasp position (thumb and first 2 fingers) and Mia will be able to use her shoulders to open and close it.     

They did x-rays and decided she does indeed have an elbow but not much past the elbow.  It will be tricky for Mia to bend her elbow with a prosthetic given how soft the tissue is past her elbow.  He said her range of motion will be limited because of this.  However, he said he has some "tricks up his sleeve" and will try to do what he can to give her the most mobility with it. 





I really have no idea how much Mia will benefit from this arm.  Mr. Chris said that most kids find it cumbersome, heavy, hot (basically a pain) and do not want to wear it.  This is especially true if they already can do everything they want to do without it.  The kids that do tend to wear it regularly are the kids that have found certain things that they can do better with a prosthetic.  I am hoping that this "helper arm" will help Mia ride a scooter and a bike.  If this is the only thing it helps her with it will be well worth it. 

 

Mia was casted for her new arm and was even able to choose fabric for it.  And even though she was telling me she only wants one arm (I can tell that she is not completely sure whether she wants this or not), she did put her request in for it to be a Hello Kitty arm.  Today when she was outside trying to ride a scooter (for the hundredth time) I kept thinking I really wish she had her "helper arm" now and I really hope it helps her to ride this scooter. 

 

After Mr. Chris makes her arm we will go back to Shriner's for several days to be fitted and have training on her arm.  They will have us come on a Sunday evening so we can start the fitting on Monday morning.  Mia will have 2 sessions of training each day probably staying until Thursday.  We were told to bring the scooter with us so they can work with her on riding it.  

 

     

The Waiting area.  Mia's is in the background on the little car.  

 

 
 

 

Mr. Chris making the marks and measurements.  He used her right hand/arm to measure everything (length of her arm, length of her fingers, etc.). 

 

 Casting for her "helper arm." 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Chinese New Year

We had such a fun time celebrating Chinese New Year. 

In the morning, Adam and Mia cuddled on a chair and watched you tube videos of different dragon dances and celebrations of Chinese New Year.  Mia seemed to really enjoy this. 

Then we had a very unChinese like breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes.  But, Mia likes them now (she didn't when she first came home).  As the kids were finishing their breakfast we had them one by one wish us a Happy New Year at which point they were each given a red envelope.  This was the first red envelope for Ryan, Ashy and Austin but not for Mia.  In her photo album that we had sent over to China her foster mom added a few more pictures.  One of the pictures shows Mia with a red envelope with 100 Yuan inside (equivalent to about 17-18 US dollars).  Unfortunately, we weren't as generous.  Each kid got $10 from us.  Fortunately, I don't think Mia noticed.  At least this year. 

 

Ryan likes this new tradition

 

 

 

 Mia's first red envelope from us

 

 

Ashy and her big smile

 

Austin (not a great picture) but had to include him as well

 

After church we met up with our adoption group for a real fun celebration!  I wish I had gotten a picture of the food.  So... much... good.... Chinese food.  And everything (except for what we brought- we chickened out and grabbed sweet and sour chicken and general Tso's chicken from our local Chinese place to bring) was homemade.  We will need to get some recipes and some cooking lessons.  It was so delicious.  Even the kids were commenting on how yummy everything was. 
 
One of the families in our group actually bought and owns this Lion costume.  It was the coolest thing.  The kids had so much fun with it because it was so interactive!  The kids were able to follow it around the room, touch, play with it, drop things into its mouth only to have it spit the item back out.  Lots of fun! 

 

 More Red Envelopes were given to the kids at the party.  There was $1 inside these envelopes.  How fun!!

 Happy Chinese New Year!!!! 

 

 

 

 

Making Progress

  We are nearing the 2 month mark since coming home with Mia (11/17).  I truly cannot believe how far we have come in such a short time.  I am sure for those of you reading this it would be easy to think everything has gone perfectly.  Looking at the pictures and the video and even I forget the early struggles. 

For starters, I am amazed at how well we communicate with our new daughter now.  I remember the first day with her and feeling overwhelmed with the realization that I have a new child and she is 7 and I can understand NOTHING she says and of course the same goes for her.  

In those first few hours, Mia babbled (at least that's what it sounded like to me) on and on and I remember panicking and looking to our guide/translator for advice.  Even though I knew in my head we would not be able to carry on a conversation, I didn't fully realize how that was going to play out the first few days.  

Lots of people do what we have done and somehow they make it through.  It can't be that hard I would tell myself.  Well, I was wrong, it was hard and overwhelming.  I looked to our guide as to how I should respond to her chattering.  Our guide told me, "just smile and nod."  

Even though that was probably the right answer I cannot tell you how small that made me feel. How long would I have to "just smile and nod."  Somehow this felt wrong yet it was the only answer. 

And how did Mia react with not being able to communicate with us?  Much better then me:)  I remember thinking at least I knew this was coming.  Did she have any idea that she would not understand a word her new family was saying?  I asked our guide if she had been prepared for this part.  Did she know that this was going to be part of the package of her adoption into our American family?  Our guide's response, "well she knows now."  

Now 2 months later and I can honestly say I almost never have to "just smile and nod."  Communication has come that far.  In fact, on the rare occasion I really can't tell what she is saying I have to remind myself that it is still okay to "just smile and nod" once in a while. Otherwise, I can actually make the situation more frustrating for Mia by forcing her to explain herself over and over. 

Whenever someone is around to translate what she is saying, I am reminded that she is not just babbling but really does have good and even funny things to say. 

 Here is a video of Mia seeing her bedroom for the first time.  I found out that in the video she was saying, "This America...it's pretty good."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnuT8MTZSuA&feature=youtu.be

 Another area that Mia has made progress is with writing and drawing.  Her file written on Aug. 2011 had mentioned that she was not writing yet.  However, I thought for sure that almost a year and half later she would be able to do some writing.  However, I was wrong.  I do not believe she could even write her name.  When she first came home she had trouble following a straight line or making a circle and I never saw her draw any pictures.  I am going to make a guess that she truly did not do any writing/drawing/coloring in China.  I think she did learn to read some but not write or draw.  

After she got home she started school right away.  Each day she came home with a paper.  They were filled with a few scribbles here and there but no pictures, no letters, not even her name was on the paper... honestly Austin could have done a better job on those first few papers.  There was dot to dots where the dots were never connected and again random scribbles covered what should have been a picture.     
   
This was all before the Christmas break.  Over Christmas break something amazing happened.  For our trip to NY, I had given each of the kids a pad of paper partly because that is something I usually do on long trips but I was also secretly hoping it would spur Mia to draw.  I was a bit disappointed that she never used it....the whole drive to NY... nope, the whole time in NY...nope.  

But driving home (in fact, we were almost home at this point), Ashlyn and Mia both had their pads of paper.  All of a sudden Mia proudly displays her paper and of course I have to crane my neck to see it.  She has made a picture of a person...now it was a very crude drawing (maybe something a 3 year old would make) but it was a drawing none the less and I couldn't have been more pleased...I made Adam who was driving even take a look.  From nothing to something... it was amazing.

Mia's first drawing (1/1/13)

 

Yesterday was her first day back at school from break and both days she has brought home papers.  I thought I was going to cry when I saw her paper yesterday.  She was suppose to draw and write about her break.  She drew a picture of the family and wrote about a gazillion letters.  Every line was filled.  Her name was written at the top exactly where it should go.  It looked like a real school paper.  Such progress!!!! 

Mia's first real school paper (1/7/13)

And the back:)

Communicating and beginning to write is great but her adjustment to our family and our adjustment to her has seen the biggest improvement.  Now don't get me wrong I think she has been happy with us from the start but now we are starting to jell as a family.  For the first few weeks it did feel like we had an extra guest in the house.  

Ashlyn and Mia spent a lot of time together in China and had some good moments of interacting together but I don't think they really bonded together like I had hoped.  Sure, they posed great for pictures but it wasn't instant sisterhood like I had envisioned for them.  

Ryan did a wonderful job when we first came home and still does in his big brother role and some ways has been the first to really bond with Mia.  

Austin and Mia have a love hate relationship.  I don't think Mia realizes just how much older she is then Austin.  They are the two I have to keep my eye on when they are together.  In the beginning she would tell Austin "no" ALL THE TIME which was probably deserved but not helping her relationship with her little brother.  I have had to tell her to let me worry about "Didi" (little brother).  Fortunately, this has gotten better.  

They do bond together over bath time.  They both love to take a bath every single morning after they get up.  They are learning to share toys through their bath time together and be in close proximity and actually enjoy it:)  The other day I overheard Mia singing in Chinese in the bath tub and Austin was singing along with her.  It was the cutest thing ever.  And when I pick Mia up from school at lunch time, Mia always says, "hi Didi" and Austin always says, "hi Mia."  They are truly glad to see each other.

Back to Ashlyn and Mia.  They have gotten along just fine and they sleep in the same room.  But that was it.  I wondered if I was being fair to Ashlyn by having her suddenly have to share a room.  However, I don't wonder that anymore.  For the first time there are spending time together in their room by themselves.  When I check on them I am amazed.  They are on the floor wrestling and giggling (Ashlyn letting Mia win the wrestling match), the two snuggled up in one of the bed's together watching a video on the ipad while hugging each other, reading books together, or just playing.  Ashlyn has begun to take on a big sister role and actively trying to teach Mia things.  They are becoming sisters and it is amazing to watch. 

And as for myself....I have fallen in love.  In the beginning I was overwhelmed. There was so much extra noise and chaos (Mia can be loud and energetic and combine that with our other 3 and oh boy!). There were times where it was hard for me to truly appreciate our new family of 6.  

Over these last few weeks, however, Mia has truly become a member of our family.  And not just on paper.  She has brought increased joy and life into our home.  She has adapted to so many new things.  It is starting to feel like she has always been with us.  I love her so much and couldn't imagine life without 
her.
 

 I am so blessed to have two awesome daughters.

 Mia and Ashlyn on Christmas Eve

 The girls were being so quiet in their room and so when I checked on them this is what I found.  Mia was fast asleep.

Austin (otherwise known as Didi) on Christmas Day.  I love my red-headed boy!

After driving home to Ohio on Jan. 1st we had more Christmas waiting for us.

           Mia and Ryan after her first Tae Kwon Do class.  She wanted to do this so badly.  Ryan is the best big brother. 

It's Christmas time

 Christmas time is such a busy time for us.  Fortunately, Mia loves to be busy.  Her file had mentioned that "she likes to go many places."  I am realizing just how true this is.  When we asked her foster mother what she was afraid of, she said, "nothing."  This is also true.  

Mia has done so much these last few weeks.  She has attended several Christmas parties and festivities, started her 4th week of school, gone rollerskating, watched the Nutcracker, gone to the zoo to see the wildlights, sang on stage at church and smiled through many Christmas photo attempts (sorry Christmas photos just didn't happen this year).  

She is learning English and amazing me with new words and phrases each day.  And she understands a ton now. 

She has also begun to learn the alphabet.   I think she knows at least half her letters/sounds (everyday we eat lunch while watching the Letter Factory Video...an added bonus is that Austin is learning his letters too) and is slowly but surely beginning to write her letters (so far Aa, Bb, Cc, i, and M).  I don't think she had much practice writing/coloring/drawing in China and had a lot of trouble in the beginning.  She couldn't even draw a circle.  So, I "make" her write a page of letters each day and she is making progress.  One of the best tips (got this from her kindergarten teacher) is to use a highlighter to make the letters and then let Mia trace with a pencil.  This has worked wonderfully for her. 

Her favorite letter is "B" because it stands for "Baba" and I am beginning to think that is the only thing it stands for in her mind. 

 Here Mia is singing on stage at our church.  She is standing on the middle right side next to the candle decoration in the pink dress.  Ashlyn is above her in a pink dress and Ryan is on the top row second from the left.  She amazed me with how well she did on stage.  She was a pro!  This definitely ranks as one of my top proud parent moments. 

 Getting ready to hang Christmas ornaments bought in China.

 Hanging the ornaments.

 It is kind of blurry but if you come to my house on a Friday night this is what you might see.  Hot chocolate and a movie.  Although, just as likely they are in jammies snuggled on the floor with pillows and blankets. 

 Adam's work puts on a children's Christmas party each year complete with balloons, breakfast, Santa, presents, and crafts.  They do such a great job.
 
 At the work Christmas Party.  One of my favorites.
All of us with Santa.  Austin wanted nothing to do with him and Mia couldn't jump in his lap fast enough.

 Going to the Columbus Zoo to see the wildlights.  So fun!

 Mia loves to help me in the kitchen.  Making sugar cookies on this day.

 Attempting a Christmas photo.

 And then Mia started to do this.

 Followed by this... so cute!

 I love this picture of Mia with Nana and Papa.  They took care of the boys while we were in China and then spent Thanksgiving with us.  Mia hasn't seen them since Thanksgiving but she talks about them ALL the time.

Our family of 6. 

One more attempt at the perfect photo...oh well.

I love that a new stocking has been added this year.

Our Adoption Video - 2012

We've been home now for nearly 3 weeks - just long enough to put together a video chronicling our adoption adventures. I hope you enjoy and share in our new blessing.

Adoption Video - 2012 from Adam Schrader on Vimeo.

First days

This is Ginny.

In the last 3 days Mia has gone to her first day of Sunday School at church and her first two days of Kindergarten.  Amazing!!!

Before getting Mia I had no idea how we would transition her to school.  Should we start her right away (this was what the school wanted), at least wait until the new year (this was my thought), or wait for the new school year so she would at least know some English.  Our social worker suggested we might even need to wait a year or two.  Come to find out there is really no right answer to this...everybody does it differently. 

Last week Ryan and Ashlyn had school on Monday and Tuesday.  On Monday as they were getting ready for school I noticed Mia was getting ready too.... uh oh.  How do I explain this to her???  We had tried using Google translator during our time in China and she paid no attention to it so I had no way to tell her what was happening.  She even put her shoes on and found her backpack.  She smiled big and thought she was going too.  She even tried to stuff Ryan's lunch into her backpack.  I had no idea what to do or how to explain to her what was going on.

As they ran out the door for the bus, Mia stood looking out the window with the saddest face.  After a few moments I remembered her love for baths and announced bath time for her and Austin.  Of course, I had to show her for her to understand but that definitely did the trick and her frown turned into a smile.  Later she got to go shopping with Nana to get new sneakers and new boots (we held off from buying new shoes in China) and so the day turned into a stellar one for Mia.  She loved shopping!  She loved getting new shoes!  And she loved getting new boots!   

Based on her reaction on Monday, I decided to let her "visit" her school on Tuesday.  Adam and I both brought her in and she met many adults.  It was a bit overwhelming for her (and for me) but also very sweet and touching that so many of the adults in the building were excited to meet her.  It was decided that she should start school on the following Monday (after the Thanksgiving holiday).  Mia seemed confused as to why she couldn't stay longer that day. 

I was glad when Wednesday came and everyone would be home.  Adam's parents have been with Ryan and Austin since before we left for China and continued to stay with us to celebrate Thanksgiving.  Danielle (Adam's youngest sister came) as well as my sister Leandra.  It was a full house and Mia loved it.  Basically, she went from family member to family member begging for whatever electronic they would let her use.  Laptop computer, ipad, iphone, DSI, Leappad...yep, just one to another.  Can you think of a better way to bond?

At one point Leandra started using the google translater with Mia.  I tried to let Leandra know it wouldn't work and not to waste her time but before I had a chance she was already using it and Mia was responding to it.  Maybe it is working now because it is the only Chinese she is hearing so her ears are more attuned to it?  But whatever the reason it has made things so much easier.

We are communicating with her in a couple of ways.  She has already learned lots of English words (she knew no English when we got her).  She understands- eat, all done, bye bye, hello, brush teeth, time for bed, potty, just a minute, go get a hairbrush (lots of simple things).  And words that she says a lot in Chinese that we have learned- all done, mine!, pee pee, look at me!  We usually have hand signals that we use too....running our finger back and forth along our teeth to demonstrate brush teeth, rubbing our belly to demonstrate being full, etc..  She has learned to do this as well to help us understand her. 

For the most part I think we are understanding her basic needs (hungry, tired, thirsty, bathroom, want to watch Ni Hao Kai Lan (you know the important stuff) but there is still so much she says that we don't know and all we can do is nod and tell her yeah.  That works some times and other times she just keeps repeating the same thing over and over with obvious frustration.  Fortunately, those moments are fairly few and far between but whenever they occur I wonder how much longer till she learns English and then I start thinking about that and trying to tune out the fact that I can't answer her correctly.  And to be perfectly honest, those moments have been by far the hardest part for me and I am sure for Mia too. 

But ahhh, the google translator has become our life saver!!!!  It has saved us from several melt downs I am sure!  Being able to speak into it and tell her what is going on or telling her that yes, she can do X but first we need to do Y has been invaluable.  We have tried to also have her speak into it but maybe because she speaks Mandarin with a Guizhou accent or because she isn't speaking slowly or clearly enough that just isn't working. 

We decided to go to church yesterday.  I had no idea what to do with her.  Would she go to a class or sit with us in the big service.  Should I stay with her in her class or have Ashlyn go with her or have her go to Ashlyn's class or maybe have Ryan go with her.... so many possibilities and again I didn't know the right answer.  So before we left I got out the google translator.  I first told her, "we are going to church today."  Then, "Ryan will go to his class," "Ashlyn will go to her class," Austin will go to his class."  Before I could go any further, Mia said, "Jin Guo Guo wada ........." and I recognized her name and the word "mine" and knew she was asking what about her and her class.  So, I then told her, "Mia will go to her class" and she got the biggest grin on her face. 

We got to church and dropped Austin off first.  As we were rounding the hallway for Mia's classroom we saw all these cute faces peering out of the door of her classroom just waiting for her.  I wish I had a camera ready because it was the cutest thing.  Mia was basically beside herself to go and waved and smiled at us when we said goodbye.  When we came to pick her up the teacher had a big smile and said she did great!  We honestly had no idea how she would do and were so relieved and also felt better about sending her to school the next day.

We got in the car and then out of nowhere (well I am sure somewhere but we couldn't understand) she completely melted down.  I have no idea why but she cried (similar to how she cried that one day in China) and then after a few minutes settled down and was absolutely fine again.

On Monday she was so excited to go to school.  She got herself dressed and ready in no time.  Ryan and Ashlyn left first on the bus and then Adam and I drove her to school.  We walked her to her classroom.  Her teacher showed her where her backpack and coat go and where her seat was.  Mia was ready and we said goodbye.  When I picked her up her teacher told me she did great and will adjust very well!  yeah!!! 

We got in the car and she was definitely trying to tell me something and I definitely did not understand.  We got home and she melted down (again not sure why??).  Fortunately, after a few minutes she composed herself and was fine. 

We had a great afternoon while Austin napped.  We watched the Letter Factory video while eating Ramen Noodles, colored, did a puzzle, played starfall on the computer, read a couple of books and just hung out together.  After spending close to 2 hours with her and Austin was still sleeping I thought I would slip away to clean bathrooms.  Mia followed me to the bathroom and insisted on helping...ummmm really I thought, she will be bored after the first bathroom (there are 3 to clean).  Nope, she got more into it with each one and seemed to enjoy herself more cleaning toilets than during any of the other activities we did earlier.  I am still not sure what to make of that.   

And today she went to her second day of kindergarten.  I was a little bit nervous that the meltdown the day before might hinder her wanting to go today and wondered if she would still be as excited on the second day.  I shouldn't have worried because she dropped off great again.  When I picked her up the teacher again said she did great, did everything she was suppose to, and will adjust really well. 

And the best part was there was no meltdown afterwards!  I know things are overwhelming and I can't wrap my mind around it but she is determined to move forward and to enjoy herself despite all the obstacles trying to hold her back.  Can I just say she amazes me!

Tonight she watched the tail end of Ryan and Ashlyn's Tae Kwon Do class.  She LOVED it and was trying to mimic the kids in the class.  I have a feeling she will be asking to start that soon too.

Some have asked how she is making out with one hand.  We like to call it a big arm and a little arm.  And she uses both to do everything she needs to do.  There are a couple of things she has trouble with (starting the zipper on her coat, taking caps of markers, buckling her seatbelt and honestly those are the ONLY things I can think of) but I am realizing they are things she probably didn't have to do in China and so they are new to her.  Most things she can do by herself.  One thing she can do by herself is peel an orange...have you ever tried to peel an orange with one hand?  Mia makes it look easy.  If she wants to do it she will find a way. 

 

Getting ready for her first day of school.

Hurry up mom!