Even if the shoe doesn't fit, wear it!

These last 3 days have been an adventure to say the least. For all of us. Our pedi visit went well. Lisa went with me which was a huge help bc Steve needed to work. She is in the 50th percentile for weight and 80th percentile for weight. Can you believe that?!? She's going to be tall and slim like her brothers and daddy. She had so much ear wax Abbey couldn't see her ear drum. Other than that, she got a good report. She definitely showed her personality-telling everyone bye-bye and waving as if the world revolved around her-which right now it kind of does and that's ok. I was telling her today how I knew God had a plan for her-that she was going to change the world-I know she has already changed the world for us. Ok so later the same day we saw a pediatric cardiologist. She had a PDA which is a vessel that stays open in utero and is no longer necessary after we are born. It usually closes within the first few days of life. If it doesn't close, it messes up the blood flow bt two major vessels and causes congestive heart failure. In Ch*na most surgeries aren't performed until patients are symptomatic. Around age 1 1/2 Ai-Le Kate began to show signs of respiratory distress and that's when they found out-we assume- she had a PDA. PDAs are repaired at birth or shortly after so hers went undetected for a long time. They did surgery when she was almost 2 and put her on heart medicine. Our pedi made us an appt with the pediatric cardiologist for essentially the day we got back in town which was also a huge blessing ! He did an EKG and Echo and saw a small amount of blood flow through that opening which means the PDA was NOT completely repaired but he had no concerns. He took her off all meds on the spot (no weaning required) and said she is like a normal kid. We will see him again again in a year. We will take that diagnosis and give God total praise for it!!
She's actually enjoying being around mommy as opposed to simply tolerating me. Sleeping is getting better-for her anyway- yesterday the Wicklunds stopped by to visit and brought Icees so it was another first for her!  today Nans and PaPaw came over. She loves being outside so Nans and Papaw were able to bond with her by staying outside with her for over an hour and a half. She even cried when they left. To keep up with her initiation we ventured to Newks today for lunch with Allison. She ate pickles and crackers and a little bit of chicken. I was dying for a salad! She wouldn't talk to
Allison and was in her contrary phase UNTIL Al gave her some sandals. Ok so the shoe thing is not a fluke-it's an actual fetish! She was blowing kisses to Allison by the time we left. Nap time went 100%
 better today and after nap I tried to give her some other shoes to put on and she wouldn't have it. She went and got her new shoes to put on! So unless the Dollar Tree stats selling shoes, I don't think I can keep up!

When you turn the camera where she can see herself this is what she does

And this

And this

She took all the pecans I had in a basket and played with them all afternoon

We have spent hours outside over the last few days

First Icee

Scarfing up some food!

Just plain sweet

Her new sandals-a little big but she doesn't care

Fell asleep at dinner table Monday-Tuesday it was behind the couch

Home at last. home at last

Thank God Almighty we're Home at last! Uneventful. Ai-Le Kate did better on the plane than I did. The first flight we were on the plane for over four hours. I just about lost it on that flight, Steve would probably say I DID lose it. So I medicated myself for the next flight and prayed and sang for our entire layover. And the next- 14 hour flight was not bad at all. BC Ai-Le prefers daddy I chilled and napped through most of that flight. When we landed in Houston, Ai-Le Kate landed as a US citizen. We were eating some Mexican fast food in the Houston airport and guess who walks up!?!? Danielle!! I nearly lost it again. She was coming back from a meeting and was able to get on our flight home. I love the unique ways God answers our prayers! That last flight was the easiest for sure! To say we were welcomed home, is an understatement! If I had any tears left-they would've fallen for hours. It was definitely overwhelming in the most amazing way! Sunday-our first day home was fine. She slept most of the night Saturday night however Steve and I both feel like we just delivered her! I know it will get easier once we have had some sleep. She loved her room and her ge-ges (big brothers) even more! Of course American initiation included southern maid donuts for breakfast and Mexican for lunch and first trip to Target! She loved all of it and actually ate lots of fruit which she wouldn't do in China! Last night (Sunday night) she slept from 8-5. I feel a little more normal today. She had a fit this morning when I tried to sit her at the table to eat and the boys weren't there-they were still asleep.  She kept pointing in the direction of their room. Steve went to work and took the boys and she had a fit. She sat at the back door screaming for 30minutes. I just got myself ready and checked on her every few minutes to make sure she was ok.

 
 

My trio

 

First trip to Target

 

Actually played with Steph

 

After Steve and boys left-30 minutes-no joke

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 

Robert Frost

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

We are eating breakfast in shifts bc it's early and we don't want to wake the princess until the last minute. And evidently the princess needs to wake up on her own terms bc she was not interested in getting anywhere in a hurry-even if it meant leaving the room. I'm actually blogging in the room- I happened to leave my ipad on the edge of the bed and noticed my pics were actually loading so I'm sitting here with one foot on the bed, one foot off the bed and my hair in a pony- hey- whatever works! We have our US Consulate appointment this morning. She will receive her visa and we take the oath on her behalf, however, she actually will not become a US citizen till we land in Houston Saturday. Yes. That's right! And less than two days from now we will be boarding a plane. One of three over a span of 26 ish hours and we have to have our luggage ready at 4:30 AM so please be in prayer for that! I had to smuggle food from the breakfast buffet to feed her on the bus. When I got back, Steve had opened every food item we had in the room trying to appease her- like I said- she has to wake up on her own terms.
The consulate appt was no big deal for such a very big deal. Tomorrow we will receive Ai-Le's visa and then we will be ready to head home. We ate lunch at the same place we ate lunch yesterday. Steve got todays lunch special and I got this beef bowl. We also had fresh tuna and avocado rolls. So good. Going back again tomorrow if that tells you anything. Nap time was easier than yesterday-after a bath of course. I can not believe we are approaching our final day here. Ch*na is a beautiful country, but even after a week at the beach-we are ready for home! I'm already singing me some Neil Diamond!
The afternoon went well. We walked with some friends to find a grocery store- a term I say loosely. We ventured down this alley where we received lots of stares. We were staring back-believe me- very interesting market. Bought more shoes for Ai-Le Kate- light up sandals with actual squeaky bath ducks on them. She was mesmerized. Steve said we are setting a bad precedent-7 days and 7 new pairs of shoes, cans of jalapeño Pringles for dinner, snacks and drinks round the clock, and two baths
a day. I'm never going to get anything done once we get home! BC it was already 6:30, we decided to order room service. So we let Ai-Le take her usual hour long bath and ordered a burger and pizza. Of
course when the food arrived, she was ready to get out of the bath and get on with eating! I had only
half of one coke today. I've decided my body is rejecting itself!!!  However, we did try a corn cola. It looked like watery cream style corn and tasted like cream style corn. Why???? Night night time was easier tonight. PTL!
I journaled this several different times today so excuse the several different tenses.

The girl with a thousand faces

Here are just some of them

No Whammies. No Whammies. Don't Press Your Luck

Unfortunately we had to wake the sleeping bear from her nap -after her meltdown. We had to take group pics  in the lobby. I think I already posted her demeanor post nap. The pics went well and she eventually forgot that she had forgotten she liked me. So we were in good graces but I didn't want to push it. We ate dinner at a restaurant at the hotel. Everything is backwards. This is the order the food was served. Entree with dumplings. Soup. Coke-only bc we asked and there isn't a complimentary glass of water on the table either bc they don't drink that. Then the steamed rice. No fork and we got frowned upon for asking for another spoon. Also they scolded Steve bc A-Le Kate was standing in the high chair. RUKM?!? Can someone say seat belts and car seats??? What are those? Anyway it was comical. So bc coke is $6 in the hotel and 0.30 next door, we walked to 7/11 after dinner. $5 later, 2-L of water, tons of snacks-including M&Ms. I bought them to bring home to Luke bc writing is in Chinese but I forgot to get her a something she would snack on-so I gave her M&Ms. There aren't a lot of sweets here. We tried giving her icecream from McDs but she wouldn't eat it tonight.  She did eat the Hagaan Dazs a few nights ago so maybe that's just the royalty coming out in her. Regardless- I tried to give her M&Ms so we could call home down on the lobby. Apparently her first super sweet anything. She didn't finish them so I guess we haven't Americanized her just yet!

The most amazing group

Right outside the hotel-evidently PETA doesn't exist here

We tortured her with M&Ms