The Family Blah, Blah, Blahg: Parties, Projects, Visitors, Banquets, Rehearsals, Recitals, Finals, Doctor Appointments, and Lots of Pool-time!

Mei Lin went to her first birthday party a few weeks ago. It was Isabella's third birthday and Miyah and Mei Lin were both invited. The girls had a lot of fun celebrating with Bella.

Then Nana and Bumpa (Pat's parents) came for a visit. This was the first time Mei Lin met them and she warmed up to them quickly. She was saying "Bumpa" by the time they left. We had a great time, only I don't know if we were the best hosts....we seemed to be running to one place or another several times a day.
That week...
Megan had some reporting to do for her tutorial's newspaper (on the school play), some final exams to prepare for, ballet, and piano.

Matt had football each night, a sports banquet, and was trying to finish up his 40-hour project. His 40-hour project was presented last week and it turned out great! He made the Wright Flyer out of balsa wood and paper (see pictures).

Mei Lin had two doctor appointments; one at the international adoption clinic and the other with the allergist. The IA doctor gave her a clean bill of health, though we still haven't seen the pediatric cardiologist to know the exact condition of her heart yet. The doctor heard a murmur, but since she's so healthy she didn't seem concerned. She's 20.5 lbs (12th percentile) and 31 in (whopping 58th percentile- on the American charts!). The specimens we collected showed negative for parasites (sorry, TMI) and all her bloodwork and TB test came back negative. We took her to the allergist because she still had hives all over her. They tested her for food allergies and they all came back negative so they put her on Zyrtec to alleviate the itching and hives. The hives are pretty much gone with the meds, but she still has tiny little misquito-bite size red bumps that don't seem to bother her. She's also apparently allergic to disposable diapers. She was tearing her skin apart especially around the waist band. The doctor said anything but cotton would probably irritate what appears to be eczema. Soooo...she is now wearing cloth diapers! I almost died at the thought, but let me tell you cloth diapers aren't like our moms used. They are quite easy and come in a lot of fun styles. I'm sorta getting into it, actually. I'm just now trying to find some that aren't so bulky. Here's a picture of Mei Lin in her cute little China plum blossom print from Blue Penguin.

You've gotta admit that's cute! Thankfully the diaper irritation is gone and her skin is rash-free!

My parents stopped through on their way home from my sister's to see Megan in her ballet and modern performance. Her studio put on Sleeping Beauty and it looked very professional. Both performances were beautiful and Megan did great! My parents, Miyah, and I went to Friday's performance and Pat and Matt went to Saturday's performance so we didn't have to find a sitter for Mei Lin. You can read from her perspective on her blog if you wish. She LOVES, LOVES, LOVES dance (in case you can't tell from her blog entry)!

This was the first time my dad met Mei Lin and really the first time for my mom to spend time with her. She loved them both and immediately began saying "Papa". She's saying quite a few words and signing many as well. When Pat called today she wanted the phone so I told her to say, "hi daddy" and she did as plain as day. Everyday I'm writing down new words that she's saying, though some of the words she's only mimicking and isn't using as part of her daily vocabulary. She regularly says dog (and ruff ruff), mama, daddy, Matt, Megan, Miyah (not very clearly), bath, ball, Bumpa, Papa, hot, one (and holds finger up), no-no-no (pointing to all the outlet covers), poo-poo, hi, and a couple of times she's said banana, more, all done, and water. She also does a lot of animal sounds...she loves animals! I'm amazed at what she's picked up in 1 1/2 months.

Miyah's been saying a lot of cute things lately, too (and some embarrassing things as my dad will gladly tell you!). Today she was outside swinging while Mei Lin was in the sandbox and she said, "Thanks for getting Mei Lin, Mommy". I got teary. She really, really does just love her little sister. I'm so grateful to God for a great start to their relationship. They still have their moments, believe me, but they're just sweet to one another. Later today she said, "Thanks for my whole life". I'm not exactly sure what that means, but it warmed my heart that she was trying to express such broad gratitude. She has such a sweet spirit.

Please pray for Matt tomorrow; he has a job interview! The price of gas has driven him to look for work. This is the place he's wanted to work the most, so I hope he gets it! Then Friday he has two finals and he's done with school for the year. Megan is already done (thank God!)

Which reminds me, Pat just went back to work this week, which was perfect timing because most of the kids big end-of-the-year events are over with including Megan's tutorial. It was great having him home to be the chauffeur, launderer, and sometimes cook! He's been an amazing help to me and I dreaded having him go back to work. It's been okay though. I mean, I love him, but I think we'd all agree that the whole dynamic changes when your husband is home for a while. It's good to be back in the groove of things. That was over 7 weeks we had together!

Many of you are probably wondering how Mei Lin is doing with Pat gone. She's perfectly fine! She really got over that whole daddy-obsession/mommy-rejection thing not too long after we got home, though it's been gradual and I would say is resolved by now. She now smiles when she sees me in the morning instead of thunking back down in her crib with a whine. You know the movie "50 First Dates" where Lucy couldn't remember her boyfriend each morning and he'd have to earn her trust and love every single day from scratch? That's how it was with Mei Lin for the first couple of weeks. She'd warm up to me, but by the next day or after a nap, she'd act like I was the enemy and I'd have to earn her trust all over again. Thank God those days are behind us.

Anyway, here are the swimming photos.....