A Giraffe Story

Back in February, Greg took the girls to a local exotic animal petting farm for a sleigh ride.

Chloe got to feed llamas, emu and other animals.

There were several new baby giraffes they got to feed.  One in particular loved Chloe's red coat and even licked her face.

Ever since then, Chloe has had a great affinity to giraffes.

We bought her a stuffed giraffe for Easter and it's the first stuffed animal she consistantly hugs and sleeps with.

     Chloe chose to name her giraffe Aye (I-E).  This is the Chinese name for nanny.  We had not heard Chloe say this word since she was little.  At night time she would wake up calling for Aye.  Out of all the words she could have chosen to name her new buddy, she chose one of the few Chinese words she knew.  She has only named 2 other things.  Both dolls have Chinese names also: Mei Mei (little sister) and Min Min (Chloe's orphanage name).  Sometimes the smallest actions give us a glimpse into what's really going on inside.  WhenI passed this information on to her attachment therapist, her comment was "well it looks like we still have some work to do."  We rejoice every day for the progress Chloe has made in the last 8 months, but we also see that she is clinging to the country she left behind.  Please continue to pray that God would mend the pieces of Chloe broken heart.

Happy Gotcha Day 2010

It's hard to believe that it was 2 years ago today that our little China beauty was placed in our arms.

We celebrated at the Chinese Buffet tonight with Papa and Grandma.

Chloe thought it was great fun to try using chopsticks. 

We gave her Chinese/English ABC book and a drum that we brought with us from China.

   When I look back at that angry little face from 2 years ago and now look at this bright smiling one from today I can't help but reflect on this journey.  It has been one with many trials, but God has brought together the pieces to heal Chloe's heart.  Even though the road has been hard at times, we will all be better for having traveled it.

Happy Easter

    I hope you had a good Easter holiday.  We had a fun time coloring eggs, hunting Easter baskets and spending time with family.  I must confess though that we colored eggs while Chloe was sleeping.  Sat. we took the girls to an egg hunt where they hid 5000 eggs.  It sure looked like a lot of eggs, but would you believe they were all snatched up within 2 min.?  Thankfully, they had the kids divided by age, so Chloe didn't get trampled by the big kids.  I pray though that your holiday was about more than just bunnies, candy and hard boiled eggs.  We celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ who conquered death once and for all through His resurrection.

Chloe and Cousins

We got to spend a few days visiting my dad and Grandma Loretta in FL 2 wks ago.  We were a little concerned that Chloe's first airplane ride since China would cause her some trouble, but thankfully she did great.

The girls loved the beach and swimming in the pool.  Even though the temperature was a little cool, we northerners didn't mind :)

What a difference 2ft. can make!

      What a difference 2 ft. can make in a girl.  Sat. night we moved Chloe's bed away from ours.  She can no longer touch me when she wakes up at night.  Surprisingly, night time has been pretty much the same.  It's the day time that the claws have come out again.  Much like the last sleeping move, Chloe is letting her anger with the situation known during the day.  Immediately on Sun. she began hitting, pinching, and screaming all over again.   It's just one of those storms we have to weather to bring her to ultimate heart healing.  Chloe really has been improving with her bonding.  Eye contact comes regularly without any persuasion.