Cecelia Grace Zhifan

Nutcracker

2009-12-03T10:53:00.000-08:00

Cecelia is in her first ballet and what other ballet would it be at this time of the year except the Nutcracker...

She LOVES the stage and is completely dazzled by the lights, props, music, costumes, and excitement...today was the first of four performances...a school show...

Enjoy the pictures!

Cecelia in Washington, D.C.

2009-11-09T14:18:00.002-08:00

Long time, no post, but this life of ours could not be busier...

Two weeks ago, Cecelia and I flew to D.C. to see our son, Jonathan, and his wife, Julie, and their new baby, Amelia...it was incredible...the best thing about having grandchildren, we have discovered, is not only the baby, but also the unbelievably, rewarding opportunity to see your children become the parents you could only dream they would be. We are love all over again; not only with the babies, but with our adult children too!

While in D.C., we also had the opportunity to go to the National Zoo, Harper's Ferry, and get in a little outlet shopping...all fun...

Enjoy the pics of Amelia and Cecelia!

2009-11-09T14:18:00.001-08:00

Girls' weekend

2009-10-19T14:51:00.000-07:00

Each year(or so we try), 10 of my first cousins gather for a long weekend somewhere in the northeast...I have been unable to go the last few years for a variety of reasons, but did this year...it was Cecelia's first...this year we went to the Catskills..it was cold, well past-peak for leaf viewing, but fun...even if the two little ones with us both got sick...

just a few pics...

Dentist Visit

2009-09-29T14:33:00.001-07:00

Today, Cecelia went to the dentist for the first time...we had been dreading it because not many of her experiences with doctors are very pleasant, especially those who work in her mouth...But she did well...a few tears, a lot of anxiety, but then she just decided to it seemed ok and let the hygienist check and clean her teeth...and the dentist too...the good news is that the little brown spots I saw on two teeth are related to her cleft and are not cavities...and that she also has no other cavities!!!! This is incredible as many of the kids from China have terrible teeth from poor nutrition, both prenatally and while in the orphanages...the bad news is that she is missing 3 baby teeth and the adult teeth are not there either...so, after her gum-line transplant, she will need implants...

She was so proud of herself and especially of the Sleeping Beauty toothbrush she received!

Dentist Visit

2009-09-29T14:33:00.000-07:00

Baby update

2009-09-28T11:21:00.000-07:00

Cecelia, Liam, and Amelia....enjoy

Kite Festival

2009-09-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, our local FCC held a kite festival on Lake Ontario...it was the most amazing day for kite flying - lots of wind coming off the lake and nice temperatures too...Cecelia was flying a beautiful kite with a castle and a dragon that was left over from an older sibling(attics are wonderful places!) it was SOOOOOOOOOO high in the sky and she just jumped up and down with joy...until the string broke and her beautiful kite nose-dived in to Lake Ontario...

The sadness was short-lived once she realized that two of her friends were having fun in the sand...we had lots of sand everywhere when we got home...hair, coat, clothes, shoes, even inside the underwear! But a fun day it was! The pics are not so great as we need super-speed to catch these little three year olds in action...but they are a nice memory anyway!!!

The Little Mermaid

2009-09-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

What is it with little girls and the Little Mermaid??? Cecelia's older sister, Kaitlyn, is almost 21...but she LOVED the Little Mermaid when she was little..and look who is following in her footsteps!! Luckily for us, we saved many of Kaitlyn's Little Mermaid things...so after a quick trip to the attic, Cecelia has a hat, tights, pocketbook, dress, doll, and hairbrush...and after a quick trip to Walmart...she now has undies to go with them!

If you look closely, you can see a scanned picture of Kaitlyn in DisneyWorld (in 1993) in front of a Little Mermaid shop...with the same hat on Cecelia is also wearing...what fun!!!!! Some day Cecelia might even get to meet the Little Mermaid in DisneyWorld herself!

Look at our babies!!

2009-08-27T09:12:00.000-07:00

Summer is quickly coming to an end...but so many nice things have happened that it will be a memorable one!

First, Cecelia is going to be in the Nutcracker! She was chosen to be a cherub...too adorable! This picture shows her happiness after auditions...

Second, Liam continues to grow each day and becomes more and more adorable every second..if that is possible...

Third, Cecelia is an aunt again! Amelia Marie was born on August 24th to Jonathan and Julie...

Enjoy this little glimpse of our life!

Is it time for school yet?

2009-08-01T07:50:00.000-07:00

more summer....we went to the zoo( Cecelia likes the statue animals more than the real animals)...Cecelia and her sister-in-law Gillian went out on a girl's date...she was so excited she couldn't sleep for two days (they both wore pink dresses, brown flip-flops, and each other's sunglasses and had lunch out...can you guess where?)...and Liam came over to play...

Summertime

2009-07-15T11:26:00.000-07:00

We haven't done much this summer at all...but Cecelia still has fun...a green blow-up pool is a must and so is fun with Liam...(Cecelia and Liam's dogs also like the pool..but for other reasons than swimming!)

My Family

2009-07-09T18:07:00.000-07:00

Cecelia has a large family...one sister, three sisters-in-law, four brothers, one nephew, and a baby niece on the way...her sister made this little cartoon of our family and I love it...can you guess who is who?

Dragon Boat Festival

2009-06-29T19:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was beautiful summer day; perfect for a dragon boat festival ...our local FCC put on a wonderful day for the kids...a dragon boat parade, dragon boat races, hulahoops, bubbles, water balloon tosses, sack races, a perfect playground, and such good food!...we had the best time... that is...except for the minute when Cecelia discovered just what happens with water balloons!!!(see picture number two above)

Enchanted Forest

2009-06-21T19:51:00.000-07:00

My class went to Enchanted Forest for our annual end of the year school trip last week...it was so much fun. Enchanted Forest is like an old time kiddy park(opened in 1956) combined with great water rides...there is enough to do that all the ages I teach are quite satisfied to spend the day...a wonderful time was had by all!!

No Surgery for a year!

2009-06-21T19:25:00.000-07:00

Cecelia, Amanda, one of my students, and I went to Boston last Monday and Tuesday and met with a speech pathologist and Cecelia's surgeon...the surprise for us was the decision to hold off the next surgery for at least a year...Cecelia's receptive language(that which she understands) is at about 4-5 years while her expressive language is at about 2 years old, this being a combination of her clefting and the fact that she only heard Mandarin for almost two years...Both the pathologist and the surgeon were happy with her progress so far...the bad side of no surgery is that her fistula(hole in the palate) does cause her to lose enough air that she won't be able to say any "plosive" sounds till it is repaired...however, they both feel that her palate tissue is still too sensitive and new from the prior surgeries and that she could run the risk of losing tissue altogether, which we obviously don't want...they also felt that given the fact that she won't be attending school(where she could be made fun of) and also that she is the size of an 18-24 month old, she can get away with speech issues for a long while yet...

so now we are happy to have a leisurely summer to look forward to and to the fact that next summer, at age 4 1/2, her next surgery should be much easier to explain...

Tubbie Pictures and a trip to Boston

2009-06-12T21:13:00.001-07:00

Cecelia had a wonderful bubblebath tonight after a stressful week...next week will be even more stressful - we go to Boston on Monday to see a speech pathologist and her surgeon so that together they can decide when and what her next surgery will be...we have talked to Cecelia more this time about her cleft and what needs to be done to fix it...and she really gets it...she has shown some anxiety which has come out in other ways...but i really feel it is directly related to her better understanding of her cleft...she is one of the strongest little girls I know and she WILL triumph!!!

Time with Friends

2009-06-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, our good, good friends, Betty and Paul, invited us to stay with them for a few days at their timeshare in Cape Cod...it was a perfect time...

and we miss them...

Summer is almost here!!!

2009-06-02T17:54:00.001-07:00

Summer is supposedly almost here, but you would never know that by the weather we are having..it is so cold!!! sweatshirt and jeans weather!!! Here are a few more pictures of our little sweetie...

Cecelia eats nothing sweet...only green things, red things, orange things, and yellow things...BUT especially the green things(Caesar salad is her favorite, hands down!)...well, I should say nothing sweet unless it is loaded with chocolate...a girl after my own heart!...see picture one!!

Sisters

2009-05-18T05:02:00.001-07:00

Kaitlyn is home from college...and she and Cecelia are once again discovering the wonders of sisterhood...

2009-05-05T19:34:00.000-07:00

One for the record books today...or the scrapbook! You would think that after 6 kids something of this sort would have happened to us before but I will say this was a first...and I hope a last!!! Cecelia pushed an unpopped kernel of popcorn up her nose at lunch time today!!!!! We made an immediate trip to the pediatrician but she couldn't get it out...next step was an ENT's office...his nurse practitioner worked at it for awhile( I was a nervous wreck as it was in the nostril that was totally reconstructed because of her cleft)...and finally retrieved it...ughhhhh....teaching is definately the best profession for me...I have no idea how one of my kids is a practioner and the other is in school to be a vet...THESE interests of theirs are not from my genes!!!

Cecelia was shaking a bit and definately nervous...but she was SO brave...she sat quietly and calmly while the practioner worked... and quickly relaxed when the procedure was over...

On to a better story...Cecelia will soon be an aunt again!!!! Jonathan and Julie are expecting a baby girl in the beginning of Seoptember!!! We are so excited!!! Life is SOOOOOOO good!

I also realized that I had not included any Easter pictures on the blog...they are not of the best quality, but Easter was fun! We spent it in Vermont; perhaps the only place in America where it SNOWED on Easter Sunday!!!

2009-04-29T09:13:00.000-07:00

more pictures from vacation................oh, real life is tough!

2009-04-28T20:32:00.001-07:00

We have been on vacation for the past two weeks...here are some pictures from the wonderful time that we had!!!

2009-03-27T11:48:00.001-07:00

MY MOM IS BEHIND ON BLOGGING!!! We made some delicious cookies instead!

Guess whose birthday it is!!!

2009-02-19T07:52:00.000-08:00

Our darling baby turned three years old on Tuesday, Feb 17th... how did that happen? It is the cruelest part of waiting so long for an adoption to go through! 14 months ago, when she was first placed in our arms, she was a baby of 1, like an infant!...soon she was two and now she is three...

She had her 3 year old checkup with the doctor yesterday and it was wonderful! She is 24 pounds and 34 inches...she has made the charts; the second percentile, but we will take it. The best news is that since both are on approximately the same curve, she is just considered to be both short and little...

Cecelia loved her birthday! We had most of her brothers and sisters over for supper and cake. She could BLOW out her candle! If you know anything about cleft- affected children this can send shivers up your spine! That made the day for me! She cut her own cake and LOVED her gifts!

You all know that Cecelia has a new little nephew whom she adores...well, Liam's mom and dad got Cecelia her own sling (an exact replica of baby Liam's) and a baby to go in it...she has slept with it since getting it! Cecelia also received wonderful gifts and cards from others. Thank you to all! Daddy also came home with a tiara and earrings to match! She was in little-girl heaven!Chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream rounded out a perfect evening!

Cecelia and "baby Liam"

2009-02-11T13:06:00.000-08:00

Cecelia just loves baby Liam! Each morning begins with a "baby Liam" song...which has these lyrics...baby Liam, baby Liam, baby Liam, baby Liam...you get it! Her doll has been named baby Liam... the doll poops its diapers alot, is nursed, needs a new pacifier which has to be blue, has to be wrapped at all times, and likes to lay on his mama to go to sleep! The real baby Liam only lives three streets away so if we happen to drive by his house and don't stop, there are plenty of tears! If baby Liam is not here or we don't see him for a day, there are tears! If Cecelia doesn't get a chance to hold baby Liam there are tears! What love!!! Night ends with the baby Liam song too!

Cecelia was trying to nap the other day and baby Liam LOVED snuggling up to her and she to him...he was wide-eyed, yet contented to lay there for at least 20 minutes! For the record, she fell asleep, he didn't!

A Month of Fashion Shows

2009-02-09T09:33:00.000-08:00

Each Sunday, for the past month, Cecelia and her friends have been having fashion shows...some for the public, but most for different area nursing homes. It has been so wonderful for all involved: the families, children, patients, friends... the girls enjoyed showing off their Chinese silks...a small bit of pride in their culture that will be important for them in the future!

Cecelia surprised us all with how "into" these shows she was! When Cecelia first came home from China I thought she was a shy little person, but the past few days have proved us wrong! She loved it and ate up the applause!

Cecelia is easy to find in these pictures...just look for the tiny girl with the big personality!

Enjoy the pics!

Happy Chinese New Year!

2009-01-27T16:40:00.000-08:00

Chinese New Year started yesterday and so far it has been fun...of course, we didn't get our house clean like the Chinese do, but it has still been fun. On Sunday we cooked a delicious feast of Chinese food - crab rangoons, spring rolls, noodles with eggplant sauce, hot and sour soup, noodle and cabbage soup, chicken in peanut sauce, fried rice, and steamed dumplings, and of course oranges...mmmmm!

Gramma and Papa came over as did Ryan, Gillian, baby Liam, Erin, and Evan. We set the table with beautiful clothes we bought in China and a few even tried chopsticks...

In school today we also had a feast and every one received red envelopes with lucky money and a few other fun items...

Here are a couple of pics from today...as you can see Cecelia and her friend Meilyn are getting silly in pictures now!

Fashion Show

2009-01-19T17:41:00.000-08:00

Cecelia has been in two fashion shows this past weekend...both with our local FCC(families with children from China) group...they are being held in conjunction with Chinese New Year...the first was at a nearby public library and was much fun...the next was for the residents of an area nursing home...

Cecelia has enjoyed them alot...we were unsure how she would do because of her age but she is fantastic...she acts very confident and seems to have a great time!

Enjoy the pictures...

Fashion Show

2009-01-12T18:30:00.000-08:00

Cecelia is going to be in a fashion show this Saturday(we hope)...it is at a local library and is for Chinese New Year...I made her a dress today and here she is posing in it...if she does well, I hope to post more!

Cecelia and "Baby Liam"

2009-01-12T09:55:00.001-08:00

I love this new picture of Cecelia, Ryan, and Liam...

On a another note, Cecelia has to go back to Boston tomorrow for a check-up with the surgeon...hopefully she can start to eat mushy foods instead of this liquid diet she has been on...she is back down to 19 pounds and that feels scary...

Our family has grown!

2009-01-05T16:47:00.000-08:00

Cecelia Grace Zhifan is the proud aunt of a new little baby boy!!!! Announcing the birth of our first grandchild, Liam Healy! He was born on December 30th(during Cecelia's surgery) at 8:35 in the morning! Mom and Dad are Ryan and Gillian! We couldn't be prouder - I cry even just thinking of it! Liam is beautiful and perfect in every way!

Cecelia's soft palate surgery!

2009-01-05T16:38:00.000-08:00

Well, soft palate surgery is behind us and Cecelia did very well..she had the surgery on Tuesday, the 30th of December and was home by Thursday night! She is a little cranky, but aside from that no other problems...We go back to Boston on the 14th for a checkup and then she is free to heal until this summer, when she will have the base of her nose and the maxillary bone redone...it was broken incorrectly during her lip closure surgery in China and has to be fixed...a worry for another day, but today all is fine!

The pictures are from Boston...the first is the night before her surgery, the second is the oxygen/moisture tent she had to be in for 48 hours, the third is the night of the surgery, and the fourth is the second night, and the last is her first day home! Kids are amazing!!!

Cecelia's surgery and pre-Christmas happiness

2008-12-09T13:18:00.000-08:00

We received word today that Cecelia will have her next surgery on the 30th of December..this one will build a soft palate for her...the surgeon did tell us that this will be a "real" surgery...since the hard palate surgery this summer was scary enough, I am chosing not to think too much about that statement. This works perfectly for us as I have the week before off and the week after off. Our prayer for Cecelia is that she learns to use this palate very quickly and her ability to communicate with people outside our family improves. She is as smart as a whip and knows the words for everything, but since she can't physically make certain sounds - g,c,k,s,b,d,p (anything that requires a complete gumline or anything gutteral or anything that requires a build-up of pressure), she substitutes an "m" for these. It makes a lot of sense once you know what she is trying to say...but is difficult for someone not used to her speech.

In the meantime, we are finishing up the last week and a half of school this year, and enjoying the season. Cecelia is SO excited about our Christmas tree...last year she had only been home for 11 days on Christmas and I am sure she has no memory of it(neither do we). Our neighbors have a pretty lighted tree in their yard and she is so entertained by it also...oh the wonder and glories of childhood!...a true gift from God! There is nothing better on Earth than to watch a little child unfolding, growing, and understanding...

Brilliant!

2008-11-23T06:56:00.000-08:00

Excuse my bragging and gushing, but I just have to! Cecelia has the most incredible fine motor skills for a two year old..it is just amazing that a baby who was in a crib/walker for the first 22 months of her life can do the things she does...Cecelia's first love at the moment is puzzles...she can do a 48 piece puzzle in no time flat...her second love is drawing...this is a picture she drew for me this morning...of course it is a lady bug...lady bugs are important in Cecelia's life..her favorite doll is even a lady bug...and lady bugs stand for luck in Chinese adoption!

Halloween

2008-11-01T10:27:00.000-07:00

Cecelia's sneak preview of her Halloween costume was a bit ago, but here are some pics of the "real" night! This past week here in Central New York has been so COLD... but Halloween day was like a gift...temperatures in the 60's that stayed that way for the evening... Cecelia was curious and excited about her first Halloween...and I do have to say she was also adorable! I also need to add that one should NOT jump to conclusions about who our choice for President is...let's just say that there were several people here, carving pumpkins that night, who are of voting age...the carving came out incredible, regardless of your personal preference for the White House position!

Lantern Festival

2008-11-01T10:20:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago we went to a lantern festival with our local FCC group. The kids decorated lanterns and then had a parade. It was a great time!

Oklahoma, where the winds come sweepin' down the plains... and the greatest of friends live!

2008-10-22T19:40:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago Cecelia and I were fortunate enough to have some frequent flyer miles and were able to go to Oklahoma to see some dear friends of ours... Betty and Paul. Betty and I met the second day of our freshman year of college...of all places in the cafeteria line and have been friends since. I won't say how old we are....but Betty IS 7 days older than me...and we met 34 years ago! We even joke with our husbands and tell them that we have know each other longer than we have known them! The weekend was wonderful, albeit much too short! Cecelia had her first chance to meet "Aunt Betty and Uncle Paul"...and it was love at first sight! The pictures tell the rest of the story...

Moon Cake Festival

2008-10-19T07:29:00.000-07:00

Several weekends ago we went to a beautiful State Park in Fair Haven, New York, for a mini moon festival with other families from our local FCC( Families with Children from

China) group. It was a beautiful, warm fall day and we had so much fun! Cecelia and some friends even took a dip in Lake Ontario...well, Cecelia's was more like a fall into Lake Ontario...but she loved it! We had a potluck dinner and mooncakes for dessert that the kids had baked the previous Friday night. Yum!

Fall

2008-10-15T14:36:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago we went apple picking, pumpkin picking, and to a farm to see calves. It was a beautiful fall day here in Central New York. The kids had fun, and so did the adults!

2008-09-27T18:52:00.000-07:00

"Dance Class"

2008-08-09T07:50:00.001-07:00

Speaking of ballerinas...Kaitlyn has danced since she was 7 years old and she is desperate for
Cecelia to start ballet...these are a few pictures from their latest dance "class"...

More Summer Fun

2008-08-09T06:42:00.000-07:00

Cecelia has recently discovered the joys of having a 19 year old sister home from college for the summer; nail polishing sessions, make-up, girl talk, and a ballerina room! Kaitlyn(the big sister) goes to William Smith College which is the woman's part of Hobart. Cecelia received a college tee-shirt as a gift and is modeling it here!

summertime fun

2008-07-17T07:56:00.001-07:00

What could be a better than a blowup pool, sunshine, and a summer day!

p.s. i am being forced to put in a "1980, neon-style bathing suit" disclaimer...sorry, it is a hand-me-down from cecelia's 19 year old sister....

Palate Surgery

2008-07-10T06:27:00.000-07:00

Finally we are caught up for now. On June 25th , we traveled to Boston to Shriner's hospital for Cecelia to have the first of her palate operations...this one was to close her hard palate...once the Dr began the operation he realized that during Cecelia's lip closure surgery in China the surgeon there had broken the front part of her maxillary bone(upper jaw) in order to close her lip more easily...that was not too big of an issue unto itself, but the break was never set properly...so this new surgery was more complicated than originally thought...in the end it was successful! She is healing well. The first week was no picnic...but little by little it is better. Last night Cecelia slept through the night for the first time since the surgery!

The first picture is pretty graphic...but it was soon better! Shriner's is an incredible place for children! We are very pleased!

Her next surgery is scheduled for November. That one will close her soft palate.

Disney's bad baby hair vacation contest

2008-07-10T06:19:00.000-07:00

As anyone who knows me well knows..I am a huge Disney fan...so...I came across a contest in which you simply submit a "bad-hair day" picture of your baby and win a trip to for 4 to the "Happiest place on Earth"... one morning, I realized that Cecelia was not only having a "bad-hair day" but that she also had on "piglet" pajamas!..what could give us a better chance of winning the contest(we didn't, but that's ok)...enjoy the pictures of our try!

Memorial Day

2008-07-10T06:11:00.000-07:00

In May we went to Vermont and had a great time. We also found out that we are going to be grandparents for the first time! Baby Belanger is due to Ryan and Gillian in January of 2009!
We also went to Cecelia's grandparent's house where she and her dad fished. Gramma also introduced Cecelia to sidewalk chalk!

The Zoo

2008-07-10T06:07:00.000-07:00

After we were home from Germany we took a trip to the zoo. Cecelia doesn't seem as interested in the animals as she does in RUNNING from attraction to attraction...but it was fun

Germany

2008-07-10T05:50:00.000-07:00

Finally a post from the worst blogger ever! I have to admit that this school year put me over the top...I LOVE teaching, don't get me wrong...but with a new baby in the house, and several grade levels to prepare for, there was just no time for anything else...with that said, I will try to catch up
on what we have been doing since Easter...WOW ...where did the time go?

In April, Collin, Cecelia and I went to Germany to see incredible family friends..actually they ARE family to us! The kids were great on the plane and we arrived with no problems. Enjoy the pictures!

Quilting

2008-03-31T10:57:00.000-07:00

just a little funny story today...I have a few hobbies that I really love, namely: sewing, quilting, and knitting. Cecelia is sometimes patient with me while I sew but not always...so not much gets done anymore, except what I can sneak in at night after she is asleep and after my lesson plans are done...but the other day, she was really patient with my quilting and was playing along side of me. I had to leave the room for a minute and when I came back, a little "quilting helper" had added to my stitches! I hope you can see the handy work!

2008-03-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since we last posted..it is amazing how time flies now that Cecelia is home with us...before her adoption, time was at a crawl...

So many new things in the past month! Cecelia has learned to climb up on a stool and "help" with everything. She loves to do the dishes and I love it as it keeps her busy while I am cooking/cleaning the kitchen. She is just not a toy kid...yeah!!!! Cecelia has also learned to cut with scissors. She had practiced at this for at least a month. She would clip and I would help her to open the scissors until...VOILA...one day she could do it. She was SO proud....now to make sure nothing is cut that isn't supposed to be! And last, but certainly not least, Cecelia's grandest accomplishment came after three months of frustration and practice, practice, practice on her part. Because of Cecelia's cleft palate she is not supposed to be able to suck- she actually chews her bottle nipple to get the milk. She is very GOOD at that I must say. All of the children in our little school bring juice boxes to school and this was just something that she wanted to have very badly( so badly in fact that she would take the empties from the trash if I wasn't looking and sit in a quiet spot trying to use that straw! ewwwwwww!) One day last week, low and behold, some how, some way as she was working at it, the juice FINALLY came up that straw...she was actually sucking it...the picture of her smile and her pride at that accomplishment will not soon fade from my mommy memory! We even went right to the store to get her some of her "own" juice boxes... where there is a will, there is a way...and this baby girl has a will..that is for sure..what a survivor!

Cecelia celebrated her very first Easter! Of course we dyed eggs, had delicious food, had a visit from the Easter bunny, and loved the baskets he left! Enjoy the pictures!

We also had a very nice surprise this month. We have a very good family friend who lives in Germany named Tilly. Tilly was an exchange student from Germany who lived with my great-grandparents for a year from 1950-1951! We have been blessed to be able to go to Germany to see her and her wonderful family for the past two years but this year, with the adoption, it was not going to be possible. Well, let's just say that Tilly can't wait to meet our wonderful little girl and so she made it possible for us to go. Cecelia, Collin, and I leave on April 9th for two weeks in Sulzbach, Germany with our extended "family". Please pray that Cecelia's passport comes on angel wings...we are getting nervous! Also think of us on that plane without Dad's help...Collin says he can be an "adult" while traveling and help with Cecelia...we will see! It isn't many two year olds who can say that they have been on three continents in one year...Asia, North America, and Europe!

Enjoy the picks!

Cecelia's birthday

2008-02-23T19:39:00.000-08:00

Today was my birthday party and I loved it. So many people came to wish me a happy birthday! It was sooooo much fun! I am two years old! Enjoy the pictures!

Snowy Vermont February, 2008

2008-02-22T07:47:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday our family made an unexpected trip to Vermont to see about the damage done to our cabin by a burglar. We were worried about Cecelia in the car as it is a 5 hour ride, but she was fantastic! The trip was uneventful until we got to our cabin...and the 6 feet of snow piled at the end of the driveway! We drove down to the nearest country store to get a newspaper in order to find a snowplower...called a few numbers and no luck...next we went into several other stores to see if they knew of someone...still no luck, and so resigning ourselves to the fact that we would somehow be chipping out that snow by hand, we started driving up the hill to where our house is...as life would have it, on the way up we saw a plow sitting in a neighbor's driveway and stopped to ask???...and YES, he would plow for us...well, it wasn't really plowing, more like chipping snow...and the snowplow driver got stuck! finally they were able to dig out just enough of an area for our van, with a little extra space at the end...ahhh, Vermont in the winter!

The drama doesn't end there...when we got in the house we found that our gas tank was no longer hooked up...the gas company had gone out of business!!! Since we get gas only about every three years, they sent the notice to the house in Vt., and we don't have any forward from there...soooo...another trip to a bigger town to buy a heater until we could get a new gas company...finally we were settled, albeit a little cold for a night...

We had some company in Vt this week...John's brother (who is married to my aunt - follow that?), came to stay for one night...they found themselves in the midst of all the plowing, shoveling, freezing, walk through snow to your hips to get to the front door, no gas, go to the store, buy a heater ordeal...thanks for the help guys! They are also the proud new parents of a little girl they adopted domestically in January...so Cecelia and Juleigh, two little cousins, got to meet and play for the first time!

Our oldest son, Jonathan, also came for a night...he found himself on the warm, already dugout end of the bargain...but I do need to note, got his car stuck at the end of the driveway at 2 in the morning when he arrived!

The rest of the week in Vt was uneventful, relaxing, cozy, and just plain nice. Cecelia acted as though she had always been there and was as happy as could be...

By the way, the burglar must have been as hard up as they come...he dumped a cabinet of kids' games, a few draws of cards, and stole the refrigerator!...a 20 year old, under-the-counter model that I had used for years in my classroom!

next post...Cecelia's birthday!

February, 2008 "my birthday bike"

2008-02-11T17:20:00.000-08:00

What can you do with a new birthday bike...even when it is -20 degrees outside with the windchill????...just ask Cecelia!!!

thanks gramma!

February, 2008

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What a month it has been! Cecelia has been to her pediatrician's for a check-up and now weighs 20 lbs! So exciting! She has also cut four new teeth since we returned home. Unfortunately she has also had three ear infections since we have been home...this is apparently part of the cleft issue, and should clear up once she has her surgery.

Cecelia has a little play group of girls who all came from China. We have gotten together a few times for the girls to play. Her friends include Carly, Meilyn, Lia, and Sofia. They have such a great time together. It will be so important in the future for these girls to have a peer group of friends from China. We feel it is so important that her little play group is top priority for us and especially for her!

We have also been to two Chinese New Year celebrations. Our agency hosted one and the other was hosted by the Chinese School of Syracuse. Cecelia did fairly well at the first one, which was the one hosted by the agency. We have noticed that she does get very anxious when she is around a large group off children from China. I wonder what goes through her little mind... The second New Year celebration was very different than the first. It was a show of the adults and children who go to the Chinese school. There was singing, dancing, storytelling, and instrument playing. It was wonderful! After the show, we enjoyed traditional food that is served at Chinese New Year...oranges, dumplings, fried tofu, sesame cakes, and a few more items that I do not know the names for. It was delicious! There were also games and activities for the older children. It is definately something that we will look forward to in the future. Our hope is for Cecelia to be able to take a Chinese dance class or a Mandarin language class when she is older.

Cecelia's birthday is on the 17th of this month. She will be two years old! One of the oddest things about the adoption process is that it indeed did feel as though we adopted an infant...but an infant who grew so rapidly that suddenly she is two! Cecelia has gone from a baby who could hardly sit up without falling...to a two year old who carries a chair to each room so that she can climb up and explore...and all this in just 8 weeks! It seems as though she has been with us forever!

Cecelia shares a birthday with her gramma! That is one of the red threads of our journey! The Chinese believe that a baby is born with invisible red threads connecting him/her to all the people she will meet in life. We believe that this was one of the first red threads we saw on our journey to Cecelia! Another red thread occurred when we received our acceptance letter from China. It was dated April 29th, which is the birthday of my mom's only sister, Aunt Mari, who also happens to be my godmother! Another example of a red thread occurred when we received our date for our travel meeting at the agency. John and I and our children had cared for my grandmother in our home for almost 7 years, until she passed away of Alzheimer's disease in August of 2006. And guess whose birthday our travel meeting was on!!!...my gramma's; the 16th of July! We have many more examples of this red thread which twisted and turned from our little baby, even before we knew her, right into the folds of our family! This world we live in is an amazing place!

Cecelia's favorite activities all have to do with housework! Give this girl a dustcloth and she will dust a room for an hour!...She loves to fill and empty the dishwasher, carry things to the table for supper, water the plants(she would happily water plants for hours!), and vacuum.

We are going to be traveling to our house in Vermont this week so Cecelia will experience her first long car ride. It will be interesting to see how she does on that 5 hour trip! Unfortunately the reason for our trip is because our house there was burglarized and ransacked. We received a call from the state police about it last weekend...we love to go Vermont but not for this reason!
As long as the house is ok, it is ok. Pray for good weather and a good trip for Cecelia!

Enjoy the pictures. It is difficult to get a good shot of Cecelia as she is such a moving target at the moment. As soon as she sees a camera she runs toward it! But we tried... Cecelia was blessed with two special dresses to celebrate Chinese New Year in. Our friends, the Beckers , gave her the gorgeous purple dress and Erin and Evan gave her the beautiful gold and pink one! Thank you both!

January 20th, 2008

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This is our attempt to blog our life's journey with our newest family member, Cecelia Grace Zhifan. Our family adopted Cecelia Grace on December 2, 2007, from Jiangxi Province, China. We began the process in December of 2006, picked Cecelia from our agency's Waiting Child list in April of 2007, and then waited...NOT so patiently for our travel to China. We returned home with Cecelia on December 13th, 2007 - one of the greatest days of our lives!

Our family is a BIG family, by most standards, but we would have it NO other way. Cecelia is our 6th child! Our oldest son, Jonathan, is 29. He has been married to Julie for 4 years. They live in Massachusetts where he is the IT manager of the biochemical dept. of a major university. Julie is a post-doctorate researcher for the national gov't. Our second son, Ryan, is 27. He is a computer engineer and is also working as an adjunct for a local college and pursuing his doctorate. He was married in November to Gillian, who is a 2nd grade teacher. Our third son, Evan, is 25. He is an RN at a local hospital, and is pursuing a graduate degree in order to become a nurse practitioner. He was married last year to Erin, who is a voice teacher at a local school. Our first daughter, Kaitlyn, is a freshman at Hobart College and would like to be a veterinarian someday. She is a biology major. Our fourth son, Collin, is a home-schooled 5th grader. He just turned 11. Finally we arrive at Cecelia...she will two years old on February 17th. She is just a delight! What a wonderful life we have!

John and I have been married for over 30 years! When we were first married we naively thought we would have two children and live happily-ever-after. The happily-ever-after is definately true, but who were we to know that we would fall so much in love with our children and with parenting! We are so proud of each and every one of our children and our daughters-in-law! They bring us joy each day. It is for this reason that we just knew we were NOT finished in the parenting category. Many of our friends and family thought we were off our proverbial rocker when we told them of our plans to adopt a new little one. But WE knew it was part of our life's plan! So our intent for this blog is for you to enjoy a small part of our incredible life!

The first pictures are the referral pictures we received for Cecelia. Her Chinese name is Zhi Fan. We have incorporated her Chinese name into her American name as we feel it is an important part of her unique heritage. These pictures were taken two months after her surgery and and she is about one year old in them. Cecelia was born with a cleft lip and palate. Her lip was repaired in China at the Jiangxi Women and Children's hospital. Our guide showed us the hospital in Nanchang, China, where she had the procedure done. She will have her palate repaired soon. We have seen a cleft group where we live and are also researching a cleft group in Boston.

The next pictures in our blog are from Christmas. We had only been home with Cecelia for one week when these pictures were taken. Already she was showing bits of the person she really is. She was only crawling in these pictures and was just beginning to enjoy REAL food. Until we got Cecelia, she had only had formula and rice cereal. She LOVES food. As a matter of fact, she would eat all day long if we put food in front of her. She weighed 17.6 pounds at her medical check-up for immigration. By the first week home she was up to 18.4 pounds. It will be interesting to see her weight at her next check-up! She is "filling out" nicely although this girl is one tiny person!

The next set of pictures is from last night. Most of our children were here for the evening and Evan was trying out a camera. Enjoy the pictures! What a difference in Cecelia! She is now walking, running, and climbing. She has grown a shoe size and a clothes size. She now wears a perfect size 12 months. Her receptive language is unbelievable. It almost seems as though she can understand nearly everything we say to her. As we were researching Chinese adoption, most every blog raved about the incredible development of these children once they are home. It is actually UNBELIEVABLE! The human spirit is an incredible spirit! When we first received Cecelia, she had marks on her ankles where we think she may have been tied to her crib. Well, it is our profound discovery that you may tie a child physically down, but spiritually and emotionally they still soar! What a baby girl! Just take a look for yourselves!

January Update

2008-01-20T07:12:00.000-08:00

Updated photos of Cecelia