Even though winter has arrived, Elizabeth continues to bloom and blossom.
She's learning to read with her foster mom's help, and we're constantly amazed to hear her sounding out long words! For her, learning to read English is probably more difficult than it might be for most kids learning to read in their native language, since when she sees a picture and a word, she has to learn both the way the word sounds and the sounds the letters make.
She's learning word meanings and how to read at the same time! Which she makes look shockingly easy, since she is such a smart cookie.
But one of the cuter side-effects of her becoming bilingual is the way that she blends the languages sometimes.
In Chinese, the days of the week go something like this:
Xing Qi Yi
Xing Qi Er
Xing Qi San
Xing Qi Si
Xing Qi Wu
Essentially, this means "Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, etc."
The other day, she told one of our staff members that she was going to do something special on "Xing Qi Four." That's literally what she said - an adorable mix of Chinese and English, from an adorable little girl.
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What a sweetheart! She is SO smart to be learning all that at once AND intermixing it together! I hope she is able to retain her Chinese language in the years to come. What an asset that could be for her. I LOVE ELIZABETH stories! And I see she's lost her front teeth. Oh! That makes me just want to hug her even more. (Can you do that for me?) Do they have the tooth fairy in China? (Tara in TX recently posted on a tooth-fairy pillow that she got as her first purchase for their daughter who will be from China, so it's on the minds of folks on all levels) AND it happens to be a very much anticipated event in our household as Brayden hasn't lost any teeth yet although I promised him they would come out when they are good and ready. I don't suppose that is something ND deals with very often as they don't usually have that age of children. How sweet the new things that this sweet girl brings with her. I cannot get enough of her smile! It amazes me how she has blossomed since first arriving in March.
ReplyDeleteI pray so deeply for her forever family--that her paperwork would be ready and that her family would be prepared and called ... and I'm also reminded of her birth mother and father and the empty arms that they must feel as you reminded us in your post today. Oh the deep ache and heartbreak of missing this treasure every day! She looks like she'd be perfect in a climate with some snow :-)
Thank you for sharing this glimpse of this blooming flower!
I knew Valerie was going to love this post... as do I! It's wonderful to see the precious girl blooming under your care. Her smile is adorable...and I love how smart she is!! Praying along with others that she soon has a forever family to call her own. Cute story... I love the intermixed languages in one sentence!! :)
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Tanya
Elizabeth is such a beautiful little girl. Her eyes just sparkle. I am so glad to hear she is blossoming and doing well. My prayers are with her and all the children of NEw Day.
ReplyDeleteMandi
Elizabeth is such a shining example of God's love. It's so awesome how she speaks both Chinese and English!! Oh, how I wish she could go back to her birth family.
ReplyDeleteOh, I love it! Now if only someone (Elizabeth) could help me say Sunday properly. I've given up on the xing qi ri and now say xing qi tian. Although maybe I just need to say xing qi Sun from now on. Heh.
ReplyDeleteShe's brilliant!
ReplyDeleteWhat a blessing that you get to be part of her life!
Absolutely adorable!!!!!!!! And I love the two front teeth missing! I guess we know "all she wants for Christmas...." ;)
ReplyDeleteBlessings,