Our First Week Home

Yi Mei has been home for a week now and I am in awe of how brave she has been. Yi Mei has already learned to ride her bike, plunged down a huge water slide, went to a birthday party and slept by herself.   Her favorite activity is swimming. A s soon as she wakes, I hear: "Mama, pa (pool)?" 

There also have been some challenges, the most difficult being her fear of Freedom.  My neighbors had to keep Freedom for an additional week, as Yi Mei was so terrified of her.  It was very hard to have Freedom next door and not see her.  Using her favorite treat as a bribe (chocolate- the only English word she knows), we met Tony each day for a visit with either Duke or Freedom.  Now that Freedom is back in the house, Yi Mei swings between loving Freedom one moment and refusing to go near her the next.  Freedom has been a very good sport about all of this, considering she has not only had to share her mama but has had bubbles poured on her head and water squirted in her eyes.

  Yi Mei continues to have several tantrums a day.  Some have been refusing to walk and most of them are about food.  Yi Mei is having a hard time adjusting to American food- right now she only eats rice, fruit, chicken nuggets and eggs.  Every day she opens the fridge and searches for food that is simply not there.  If I knew what she wanted, I would gladly purchase it for her.  It breaks my heart to see her this way.

I am also going through a huge adjustment process myself.  Since Yi Mei's emotional age is a couple years younger than her chronological age, she does not play independently at all.  I am learning how to pack a number of tasks such as checking email, cleaning the kitchen and returning calls into the hour and a half she naps.  Yi Mei is very bright and I have no doubt she will make huge gains these next three months.  As challenging as it has been, I am enjoying every minute of this precious time.  Each night as she falls asleep in my arms, I thank God for bringing this sweet, spirited, little girl into my life and I am proud to be the one she calls, "mamma".

Here are some pics and videos from our first week home:

 I

Swimming in Kathy Aiyee's pool

Our first outing with Gabe to the Farmer's Market

Yi Mei Riding Bike, Swimming and Sprinkler Videos