First off NO MORE HIVES! After last weekend, we cut out all of the Halloween candy and have been keeping her diet bland and watching it closely. Towards the end of the week we started adding in a larger variety of food with great success.
She has also decided (on her own) that she doesn't like the name Kelley, Kelley Tao or Tao Tao. She wants to be called Huangtao (Hwong tow), her Chinese name which means yellow peach. She is a peach! I still write about her as Kelley and talk about her as Kelley, but usually call her Huangtao when I'm talking to her.
Tuesday night we went to Hiram College for their trick or treat. Kimmy was a mermaid and Kelley was a ghoul, who didn't wear her mask. That means, she was basically, just a kid. Each group or club had a table and gave away candy after the kids did an activity. She figured this out right away and learned to grab a sucker and say thank you. Kelley fell asleep on Thursday and missed trick or treat from house to house in the rain...smart girl! Kimmy & I dredged out in Garrettsville for about 45 minutes.
I don't remember if it was Tuesday or Wednesday, but she took another successful bath in the big tub with Kimmy AND we got her hair washed without too much trouble. She cried for a minute or two and then laughed at Kimmy. Good thing Kimmy is here to help with much of the transition. It makes things much easier on Kelley (and Mom & Dad). Her hair is still very fine and brittle so I have started adding some leave in M&T conditioner. I hope to get it long & thick, like Kimmy's.
Kelley has been sleeping all night in our room, on a mattress on the floor, without crying at bedtime. She has even gotten pretty good at sleeping straight or turning a little sideways, but not upside down. We decided a mattress on the floor is perfect. One night she did fall out of bed, but only eight inches! She can also undress and half dresses herself, which makes things easier in the morning.
Daddy stayed home with her on Tuesday & Wednesday this week - the two nicest days. He cleaned the garage and she helped. He swept dirt out of the garage and she swept it back in. I think she also rode her bike, the 4-wheeler and blew some bubbles. They went to Home Depot to buy new outdoor Christmas lights for the new house. She tagged along and afterwards they visited me at work for lunch on Wednesday. She likes Wendy's chili (one of the new foods added in).
When I stayed home with her it was cold and rainy and there was nothing to do outside. She likes to play on the piano and especially likes the Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star tune. She has sung a Chinese song to us that follows that tune. We've been working on the ABC song (same tune) and she is picking that up. This morning she sang the whole thing to me, including "now I know my ABCs, next time won't you sing with me". I was impressed. She just laughed...which is what she does most of the time.
Friday night we went to a Chinese buffet for dinner and she ate the inside of a breaded shrimp, the inside of a pork potsticker, some fried rice and then Kimmy's chicken wing. She ate it all...even started gnawing on the end of the bone. I had to take it away or she would have eaten the whole thing! We met another family that was from Macedonia that had 2 older girls adopted from China, 11 and 8 years old. It is nice to be able to connect with other families that are similar to ours.
We went to the Akron Zoo on Saturday, in between rain sessions with Grandma, Papa, Mommy, Emma, Kimmy & Kelley. I think she like the river otter slide the best. It was enclosed, but actually went thru the water in their enclosure. There were times they could like sideways in the slide and see the otters swimming. Or maybe it was the lion she liked best; since she can show you how loud he can roar. The Zoo had a special to promote the grizzly bear and offered 1/2 off admissions. Their Zoo is smaller than Cleveland, but a perfect size for kids to walk the entire way. Of course, she did get a piggyback ride from me & Papa at the end of the trip. That was our way of controlling her and getting out on time.
On Sunday, we had the Harp family from Elyria join us. We missed our get together with Kimmy's group of Chinese sisters in August because of our move. The Harps wanted to meet Kelley and check out the new house. Kimmy knew Shu and Jie from the past four years and was off to play as soon as they got here. Really, it might have been that she was happy to show off for her friends. Kelley was running and screaming thru the house like she was best friends with them, too. She doesn't speak much English, but she knows the universal language of children...play! They settled down and watched a movie and had some soup and sandwiches, too. Dan and I visited with Ken and Sharon and before long our time was up. Kimmy invited the girls to come back next weekend. Kelley would be happy if they came over every day!
I would also like to give a shout out to our AWESOME girl scout troop. They have been very supportive of our adoption and have been following along on this blog. Last week they gave a present to Kimmy & Kelley...matching shirts that are perfect! Kimmy has been with these girls for a year and enjoys all of their activities. In another year or two Kelley can join and hopefully her troop will be as great as #595.
Tomorrow morning is her first doctor's appointment with the International Adoption Specialists at University Hospital. They will examine her, draw blood to test titers and lead levels and recommend a treatment plan for her hand. Last week I had to fill out a 300 questionnaire that measures her development. Some of the questions, I couldn't answer because I just don't know. Can she count to 10? Probably in Chinese, but I had to answer no. Over the next few months, I will answer the same questions again and again to see how quickly she progresses in the different areas.
At the end of the week, she has a preschool evaluation with the county. We are hoping to get her enrolled at the beginning of the year at Garfield Schools. When we went to China, we weren't sure when she would be ready for school. We were told that she was in Chinese kindergarten and enjoys learning. I think (hope) she will be ready in January, but we are letting her set the pace. One thing is for sure, she likes to play, help and learn. If it turns out to be too much for her, we can wait till after spring break or try again in the summer.
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