Christmas Day Photos

We had to wake up Ellie Grace and tell her that Santa had arrived. She is slow to get up in the morning but I was very surprised that she wasn't jumping out of bed to see what Santa had left for her. She was very happy with her bike and the other toys that she found in the living room. Niklas was excited to see that Santa had left him an Elmo Live as well as a few other Elmo toys.

Christmas Day Photos

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was a busy day in our house. We started the day off by letting Niklas and Ellie open a few presents. Then we had lunch and put Niklas down for a nap before going to the Christmas Eve service at church. Niklas was babtized at the afternoon service so we visited with all the grandparents for a few minutes after it was over. The service was very kid friendly (very noisy!) and they enjoyed the cupcakes afterwards to help celebrate the birth of baby Jesus.
We placed the cookies and milk out for Santa and took one quick picture of the stockings since our Elf (from Elf on the Shelf) would be returning to the North Pole. If you aren't familiar with this story-the elf hides in a different place each day and then returns to the North Pole each night to tell Santa about the children. Ellie Grace and Niklas loved finding him each morning!

Ellie Grace's Preschool Class

Chruch Advent Festival Photos

We transferred 0ur church membership from First Presbyterian of Marietta to Roswell Presbyterian Church. We miss our Sunday school class and others at FPC but we have been able to participate in so much more at our new church. Ellie Grace attends preschool at RPC so she sometimes still wonders aloud why we are at her school when we drive up for church.
They offer a lot of activities for families and both children enjoyed the Family Advent dinner program that we went to. The game was to use as many materials that you had in your bag to dress up someone at the table as a Christmas tree. We chose Niklas and he was a good sport!

Dorset Christmas Party

Santa came to our neighborhood party and he brought a Lite Brite for Ellie Grace and a soft Elmo for Niklas.

November Update

Thanksgiving is next week and Christmas will be here before we know it-Wow! Erik and I took Ellie Grace and Niklas to the famous Pink Pig a few weeks ago. It is a ride that was downtown when we were little and now it is at Macy's at Lenox Square Mall. Ellie Grace rode it for the first time last year with our FCC Playgroup. We all climbed aboard the little pink train and enjoyed the ride! Momma wanted to shop a little since it isn't one of the malls we frequent. Ellie Grace spotted the man in the red suit and sweetly asked if she and Niklas could go see SANTA. We gladly agreed even though it wasn't planned and neither child was dressed for the occasion.
Erik and I got a curve ball thrown at us when I asked her what she told Santa that she wanted for Christmas - she got a big grin and said "It's a secret! You will see on Christmas!"
Niklas is still going to ST (speech therapy) and PT (physical therapy) once a week at a neighborhood location associated with our local children's hospital. He loves seeing Ms. Kelly and Ms. Chamar each Thursday morning. We are working on basic language skills and really trying to get him to use at least two word phrases. This sounds easy, but sometimes it is like pulling teeth. We also are encouraging him to say "I want ___ please". This is difficult even when we divide it so that he only has to say two words at a time. Niklas is very good at saying "NO" and having some pretty loud temper tantrums. We are trying to label everything as "my ___" instead of his usual "mine" and getting him to say "ba ba (Chinese for dad) or da da" instead of "na na" for Erik. We have initiated potty training again but we are more excited than he is at the prospect of no diapers at the moment. A few of his favorite things are Elmo, bikes/big wheels, snack or eating anytime, and Ellie Grace.
Ellie Grace is really excited about the upcoming holidays. She loves school and enjoys doing any kind of art project. She has finally started eating more but she can still turn her nose up at dinner and refuse to even taste it. She loves to spell things and tell me simple addition that she can do. She has enjoyed being in choir this year like her Pop. She can be a very good big sister to Niklas and helper to me.

The Pink Pig

Erik and I remember riding the Pink Pig as children-it has changed a bit but it is still an Atlanta tradition. We all rode this year and then had an unplanned visit to Santa because he was spotted by Ellie Grace while we were walking around Lenox.

Halloween Photos

We trick or treat every year with our neighbors. Maddy and Ellie Grace are both going to be in kindergarten next year.
Niklas wasn't too sure about his first Halloween. I tried to get him to put on the Elmo costume but he isn't fond of hats. So, I thought we would look around our house for his costume. He might be Bob the Builder? Ellie Grace was a cat last year and decided to be a Princess Kitty this year. Her pink crown and the kitty ears didn't work too well together.

Fall is Here!

The children enjoyed visiting Burt's Pumpkin Farm with their Nana and Pop a few weeks ago!

September 2008- East Cobber Parade

Baby Gavin

We have a new nephew/cousin! Gavin Worthington Ward was born on October 9th!! He weighed 8 lbs 12 oz and was measured to be 21.25" long

How many boyfriends can a girl have?

This is Timothy and Ellie Grace at the Knoxville Zoo where we gathered with other familes who adopted through CCAI. Timothy's parents went to Vanderbilt with Erik and were very instrumental in us choosing our agency.
Sheridan adores Ellie Grace and she thinks he is pretty special too! He is in our FCC playgroup/First Fridays group and we enjoy spending time with his parents, Michael and Kim.
Zeke and Ellie Grace are about to start their third year of preschool at RPP and they are in the same class again!

A few photos from our first experience at CHOA

Niklas liked the pre-op bed but he wasn't quite ready to change into the hospital gown
Daddy comforting Niklas after surgery
Niklas is leaving CHOA with his treasured balloons (thank you to Grandpa How, Grandma Susie, Aunt Kristi, and Aunt Tina)

We are home!

It is hard to believe that Niklas had his first surgery on Thursday. He woke up in a great mood and he and my mom (thanks for going with me!) played a bit while I completed paperwork at the hospital. His favorite toy in the pre-op room was the remote control. He became very relaxed just after they gave him Tylenol and Versed. I hugged him and put him on the bed when the nurse came to take him and he went without any crying. I had mixed emotions about this but at the same time knew that I felt everyone's prayers and God was watching over him.
Then mom and I proceeded to wait......she was knitting a sweater and I was reading the book Silent Tears (I finished it before we came home on Friday!) as we waited and waited some more for one of the doctors to visit us or call with a report.
Our ENT finally came in and said that they did find a large amount of fluid in both ears so Niklas' hearing should be better. Mom and I thought we had enough time to go eat but the cell rang and the surgeon said that he was done just before we were done with our lunch. We both finished and somehow Erik met us at the room just before they brought Niklas to us. Whew!
Niklas didn't like the nurses poking him or the machines beeping from time to time, but overall he was a trooper. He and I slept on and off that night. He drank a bit out of the syringe (cleft feeder) and then he had applesauce for breakfast. We had visitors from Northside Pediatrics, the nurse practitioner from the cleft clinic, and our doctor during the morning. Erik's sisters and parents were about to arrive with lunch when our doctor cleared us to go home. They went ahead with the visit as we got things ready to go home.
Our experience at CHOA was wonderful! Our friend Amy (she and her husband are waiting on their referral) was our Charge Nurse during the night. She would have been our night nurse if I had reminded her we were coming. I was reading my book until about midnight and then decided to try and sleep (would have rather stayed up talking) so I missed chatting with her. Sorry Amy!
Niklas has had a pretty good weekend recovering at home. I think we will feed him an early dinner tomorrow night though as he seems really tired and unwilling to eat anything by that time. His favorite food today was the Dora ice cream/yogurt that he spotted in the freezer. We did manage to get some more of that eaten instead of the mac n cheese at dinner. He got his No-No's (arm restraints) off during the first night but we now put a long sleeve shirt over them so they stay on. He hasn't put his fingers or objects in his mouth so we let him be free during the day while we can watch him.

We have a surgery date!

Niklas will have palate surgery along with ear tubes at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta on August 28th! I am excited that it got scheduled so quickly because we were led to believe that it would be late September or October so we had planned on having the tubes put in next week. Thankfully our ENT and our cleft surgeon were able to find a date that worked for both of them. Erik may have a very important meeting at work that day but my mom will come sit at the hospital with me and Niklas. Erik will make sure he is there when Niklas returns from surgery.

Happy Children!

Mondays are usually pretty boring days but we had a busy day today. Ellie Grace and I had dentist appointments this morning. She was excited to go see Mrs. Catherine and her tool "Mr. Thirsty" but Erik and I wondered how much cleaning they would be allowed to do in her mouth. She had seen one particular toy when we went to Toys R Us to use the small birthday gift card (too small to actually buy much but a good way to get children in the store) and it was promised if she was a big girl this morning. She pleasantly surprised us and we were off to visit Toys R Us this morning. The panda now has a stroller to sit in and pretty Chinese music to listen to!
Niklas has jumped on Ellie Grace's Dora big wheel almost every time we go into the garage. So we went to Target today to get him the Diego version so they could each have their own. He loves the music and danced to it in the kitchen! He cried big tears this morning when we put it outside where it belongs but we will go ride it soon.

Favorite Links

I have spent the last hour adding links to the "favorite links" section on our blog. I am sure some of you wonder why the list is so long so I thought I should type a quick post. Every family listed has been touched by adoption and many of them are personal friends of ours. Some have used our agency, CCAI, and traveled with us on one of our trips to China. We have learned about the cleft doctors and had tremendous support from others who have brought home children with cleft lip/palate. This support will be invaluable as we face each surgery or procedure in the years ahead with Niklas. Our local playgroup and the fabulous First Fridays groups have also led to new friendships for the children as well as Erik and I. It is amazing to see the path that God has led us on and the wonderful families that he has brought into our lives.

Home Sweet Home

We have been home almost six weeks! It has not been an easy transition to a family of four. Ellie Grace had a wonderful time with her Nana and Pop, my parents, while we were in China. Then she came home to Mom and Dad's rules , a new sibling, and having to share attention and toys. I have heard my share of temper tantrums from both children! Niklas slept fine in China but didn't sleep well alone in his room here. We are very thankful to have a few air mattresses from Grandma Susie and Grandpa How to help us with sleep. they came right over with them when we were desperate for some sleep! Niklas is currently sleeping on one in our room so that we can all get some better sleep. Our ideal place for him to sleep is in his room but that wasn't working at this time. We will work towards that after surgery and/or when he is more secure.
Niklas has seen his pediatrician, the ENT, and the cleft team. He will be having ear tubes put in on August 12 and we are waiting to hear about the date for surgery on his palate. This may be a big surgery as they agree that we really need to help his speech progress. He currently can only say a few sounds/words due to the width of his palate. The speech pathologist at the cleft clinic has him starting speech next week to reinforce basic vocabulary words.
Overall, I think Niklas is adjusting to us and his new home. He and Ellie Grace fight like any brothers and sisters do on a daily basis. It warms my heart to see them play with exchange hugs and kisses. Ellie Grace said "Thank you for borning Niklas in China" to me the other day. She is really interested in reading many of our adoption books such as "I Love You Like Crazy Cakes" and we are talking a bit more about her adoption story.

Heading Home

One last picture of Niklas inspecting samples from the family business, found in the 7-11 across the street. We spent today packing and resting up for the trip home. We leave at 7:00 am tomorrow morning for the airport. Can't wait to get home!

Consulate Day

All of our US visa paperwork was successfully submitted yesterday. Today we went to the consulate (about a half hour bus ride) , took the oath, and received all the paperwork for Niklas to enter the US as a citizen! We've spent the last three days recuperating and doing some shopping. Ann was a great guide to the markets - thanks again Kim and Michael! Tomorrow is our last day in Guangzhou. On Saturday we fly home with a layover in Shanghai. Look forward to finally bringing Niklas home and reuniting with Ellie Grace!