That's All She Wrote

I started to blog eight months into the wait for Rosie or as she was called back then, Molly. I didn't know how much I was going to love it or how many amazing people I would come into contact with and in some cases meet and I certainly didn't know how uplifting it would be as the wait grew longer and longer. I have loved doing it, loved it that is, until recently. You have probably noticed that my posts are more sporadic and my comments, few and far between. I thought about taking a break but then I realised: I started this blog to journal our trip to China to adopt Rosie and now Rosie is home and so the last chapter is complete.

I have many conversations with myself about how I need to keep going so that I can document this or that and how much my family loves to read it but enough is enough. I make scrapbooks and every single detail of their lives is written down. I have been postponing this post and have written it at least 10 times but now I am just going to do it and hit publish.

Lily is getting bigger and I really believe that it should be her choice as to whether her photos are sprawled across the web and not mine.

For those of you who are still waiting, I wish you a peace as you continue this gruelling journey.

Lily turns 6 at the beginning of June and we are heading up to Orlando to celebrate her birthday. If any of you would like to meet up with us on Sunday June 7th just send me an email and we can have a blogger bash....even though technically I will no longer be a blogger.

I could continue to ramble on and on because inside I actually feel guilty about this decision as I know that so many of you who are waiting love to see families that are already home but in my heart I know it is the right thing for us, and that is what matters more than anything to me.

I will leave you with one last photo of the girls. They were snuggled up together just before bed and each one is holding her Bunny.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

I have failed to get a photo of the 4 of us together, at least one that I like so I shall leave you with a picture of the 4 of us that Lily drew just after we came home. I love it so much I have it on the wall. Jacob and Rosie have the same hairdo's, Lily and Rose are in matching outfits and I even have a fringe. The details and colours are wonderful, it just screams, Happy Family.




Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books


And one last thing: to my family, we love you and thank you for all of your support through the good times and the bad of what was the longest wait of our lives.

Much love
Jacob, Dawn, Lily and Rose.


I will end with a flourish and say........

And they all lived happily ever after.

The End.

China Needs Our Help.

All of our sons and daughters from China are Goodwill Ambassadors. They change lives for the better on a daily basis. They don't know that they are doing it but they bring people together, not just the families they are creating but the friendships that are forged from their love, the people that we meet because of them. All of us have something in common and that common thread is The Peoples Republic of China.

If you are reading this you are probably somehow tied to a Chinese adoptee. You possibly have a greater interest in Peoples Republic of China than in any country other than your own. When we were waiting for both of our girls my heart would skip a beat when the President would say or do something derogatory towards the Chinese officials. When people make hateful comments about China I cringe, and often not very quietly. Somewhere in that vast land are 2 women ( and two men for that matter) that carried and delivered my girls for me because I could not. Somewhere in that vast country is a little part of me. I left it behind each time I stepped on a plane to bring one of the girls home. It isn't a large part of me, it is just a flutter but it is there, there in the birthplace of Lily and Rose.

Now that little flutter of mine is hurting, hurting very deeply. The earthquake that crippled Sichuan Province has left ten's of thousands dead and many more missing. I personally know people from this Province and it breaks my heart. Families have been shattered, children and babies are missing, mothers and fathers will never come home again and so many lives will remain forever broken. Many organisations have jumped into action to help but they need more help and that is where we come in. I am asking you, yet again, to give up your Star*bucks coffee for a week or empty out your change jars and send that cash to Half The Sky. Click on the link to find out how you can help. Every single penny helps.

The Chinese people are simple people, they do not ask for much. They would rather give than receive. They work hard, very hard and receive very little compensation, their top priority is their family. Perhaps you do not agree with some of their policies but the people don't make those laws the government does. If you can help please do. Somewhere, somehow you will be helping our children. Somewhere, somehow a little part of me will be comforted, knowing that I have done all that I can.

How can you turn your back on this?

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Thank you.

Sick, Sick and Sick

Three of the four members of this household are sick. First Jacob got it and he passed it to Rosie and then she passed it on too Lily. Jacob and Rosie are feeling much better but Lily is sick, sick, sick. I think having poorly children is the worst thing ever.(actually when Jacob is sick it isn't exactly a walk in the park but that is because he is a man!)

I took Rose to the Dr on Thursday because she has been running a fever on and off and she has an ear infection. The pediatrician said she cannot believe all the changes in Rose and she loves the fact that she is so attached to Jacob and I and so very affectionate. We love it too. Rose now weighs 17.8 lbs which means she has gained 1.8 lbs since we bought her home. Of course it is obvious that she is not going to weigh 25lbs by her surgery date in August so it will be postponed. We need to go back to the cardiologist because Rosie's lips have been turning blue. Not often and not for long but she has been doing it and her condition should not make this happen so Barbara wants us to go back to see him because it is possible that due to the fact that she has had a rapid growth spurt and weight gain in a very short amount of time it could be taxing her little ticker. In China it took Rosie 4 months to gain 1.5 lbs. When she has these episodes her breathing remains the same, her activity level doesn't change and she doesn't appear any different at all. I watch her like a hawk for the few minutes that it lasts and then we carry on as normal. I really don't think it is anything. The first time it happened she had just got out of the bath so I guessed she was chilly but now it just happens and this is Florida and it is in the high 80's so she isn't cold. Because her ped' is a friend she called me on Thursday evening to see how Rose was feeling and we got to chatting about Lily and how Lily just doesn't get sick. (yes, those words came out of my mouth) Not even 24 hours later Lily was down for the count and missed school for the first time this year cos she was poorly.I know she was sick in China but that was different that was just some bad ju-ju.

Before this family started dropping like flies we had all sorts of fun.
There is a reason why we have so many picnics! Rose tends to wear her food.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Emergency clean up following Lunch

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books


These swimming cossies arrived in the mail last week from Nannis. They are gorgeous.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

2 fluffy little bottoms

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

This is what happens when you put Miss Rosie down.....every single time.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Tomorrow is Mothers day but I think it should be called Children's day because without them we wouldn't be able to celebrate. I love to pack everyone off to the beach on Mothers day and spend the day together there. This year though we will be staying put because of Lily. Maybe if I cross my fingers and click my heels together she will be better tomorrow or at the very least her fever will be down ......at least under 100.5, that's all I ask for.

Lily made me a cake at school. It is a heart shape and has at least 2 inches of sprinkles and jimmies, and icing on....I love it. She is so proud of it. She came out of school carrying it and made me turn around so I wouldn't see it until Sunday, this was Thursday. I ran to the front door and unlocked it when we got home and she hustled her way in and put it in the fridge. About an hour later she said she couldn't "resist" giving it to me now so she did! Thank you Schnoog, I love it.

Jacobs gift to me this year is turning this blog into a book. I came across this site on another blog and instantly new I wanted to do it so Jacob took charge and it is going to be done. That is why if you have bloglines my blog has been going bonkers cos I have been editing. I just need to get a decent photo of the 4 of us and then I am ready to have it published. If all the family could please get well we could perhaps take a photo.

Jacob said he felt bad that it wouldn't be a surprise and that I was doing all of the legwork but I told him I don't care. When the doorbell rang today I was really surprised to be handed a box of long stemmed pink roses and Calla Lillies. Lillies and Roses.....damned he is good. I think this is the trademark gift for me and if he repeats every year from now on I shall have a very happy heart. They are breathtakingly beautiful, just like my girls. Thank you so much Jakey, I love you.

For many of us Mothers day is a horrid day. It cuts to the core. If you are still waiting you are already a mummy. You became a Mummy the second you sent in your dossier. I know that doesn't ease any pain and you are entitled to feel hurt but your babies are coming and your day will come too.

Bunny Wars

Just before we travelled to China Lily and I went shopping so that she could buy a gift for her sister. She wanted to get her something that she could snuggle with, something that would mean as much to Rosie as Bunny does to her. She found the perfect thing and we packed it very carefully in her case so that she could give it to her baby sister on Gotcha day.

As I am sure you remember Gotcha day wasn't quite what Lily had hoped for due to her high fever and Rosies screaming. Her toy was not well accepted but she was OK with it. Actually she was way to sick to even care. Rosie never really cared for her toy to much and once we got home she became attached to a blanket. Over the past 3 weeks or so Rosie has become 100% attached to Bunny. This is not good. Who in a million years would have expected them to both attach to the pink thing, not me! Luckily we have a back up bunny, his name is "Broken Eye" and he now belongs to Jacob because after his eye got broken in the dryer, years back, Lily would have nothing to do with him and gave him to Jacob. Jacob loves the fact that she gave it to him and now he is upset cos Rosie has his bunny.

As for me, I am just glad that Rosie has found the perfect something to ward off all the evil spirits and generally make her as happy as a clam but every now and again things get nasty around here when one of them has the wrong one or, as was the case the other night, Lily can't find Bunny and won't go to sleep so in a last ditch effort to leave no stone unturned Jacob checks Rosie's crib and finds that she has them both! It is quite comical. We tried to get Rosie something similar to Bunny the other day, it is an elephant made by the same company and is is the same colour, just as soft, etc etc but she wants no part of it.......sigh! Now I am twice as paranoid about losing "The Bun, Bunnola, Bunny.....and whatever name Rosie will give hers.

Here she is with Bunny .

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

He is never far from her grasp...even when food is involved.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Even when she stands on her head Bunny is right there to help her out.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

She has lots of special Lovies that are allowed to grace her crib but only one is special enough to be called "the Bun". I guess Lily was right all along and she is just sharing her knowledge with her Mei Mei. Lily thinks it is fine that she has Broken Eye but it is NEVER fine for her to touch her Bunny.