Thursday, February 26, 2009

Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall

We renovated our upstairs playroom. Part of the renovation was installing this great dinosaur mirror at eye-level for all the babies. We thought it would be good stimulation for them.

When they first got to meet Mr. Dinosaur, everyone was quite curious. The nannies parked all the babies in front of it, so that they could get a good look at themselves. We thought they were so cute as they curiously stared at themselves and each other. Pretty soon, the newness will wear off. But for now we're having great fun watching the kids watch themselves!

Judson - Isn't he getting big?

Judson, Tristan, and Bess all watch themselves closely.

Baking Day

Our kids know the song, "Do You Know the Muffin Man." It's one of their favorites. We felt like they needed to know what the song was actually all about. So, we cracked eggs, measured milk, poured oil, mixed in blueberries, poured it in the cups, put it in the oven, and voila! We had muffins! Our little cooks greatly enjoyed making and eating the muffins.

Don't ask how many times our preschool teachers had to sing "Do You Know the Muffin Man." You really don't want to know.





Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Let It Snow!

Here in Beijing, we don't get much snow. In fact, today was the first time we had snow all winter! The winters are bitterly cold, but quite dry, so we don't get to have many snow days. Even though it was only a light dusting, today's snow shower was cause for celebration! Everyone bundled up and ran out to play. Here are a few pictures and stories from the day...
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Brett had such a great time twirling around, using his foot to trace patterns in the snow.

Cheryl caught on pretty quickly to the idea of a snowball fight. And she liked making big ones! She didn't enjoy being the target of a snowball so much...

At first everyone was a little unsure about the snow... after all, we don't see it much! But it wasn't long until everyone was squatting down and getting in the thick of it!

What snow outing is complete without a snowman? Ours was complete with a mitten for a hat, coal eyes and buttons, and a carrot for a nose. As someone said, this snowman was given a "mei guo ren bizi" which means "American nose." The Chinese like to tease Americans for our "big noses." All in good fun, of course...

Here are our happy snowman builders! Everyone worked so hard on the snowman that they wanted to take it with them back into the foster home. One nanny tried to explain that the snowman would melt if they moved it into the foster home.

But Cheryl insisted that the snowman shouldn't be left out in the cold... he needed to go with them back into the house! The nanny then told Cheryl, "But if we move him, we'll break him!"
Unfazed, Cheryl pointed out what was apparently quite obvious to her, "Well then, we'll just have to take him to the hospital! They'll fix him!"
She, along with some of the other children, attempted to move the snowman, and the nanny's warning proved true. The snowman crumbled. Most everyone was OK and happily scampered off to play in the snow some more...
That is, everyone but Brett. He picked up what was left of the snowman and cradled it, even crying because it was broken. Brett has such a tender little heart.
Good thing he didn't see the snowman melt...

Monday, February 16, 2009

The Way to Her Heart



So we now know what Julia loves. It will come as no surprise to those of you who've gotten to know Julia...

In preparation for a Valentine's party last week, Sarah was telling the children that Valentine's day was the day that you give people hugs and tell them, "I love you!"

Julia loudly piped up and said, "And you get chocolate!!!"

We're not really sure how she knew that. But, as it turned out, she was right. She did get chocolate for Valentine's day.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Be Mine



Brett's family sent him a care package recently, and inside were Valentine's presents for all the children in preschool. This morning, Brett passed out the little packages to each of his friends during preschool, proud as punch for being the bearer of gifts.

All the kids sat in a semi-circle. Brett used his little walker to roll to the counter where Sarah (the preschool teacher) gave him a package and told him which child should get it. Then Brett rolled his walker and handed it to that child. He did this until he'd passed out all the gifts! He's getting so good with his little walker, able to manuever in tight spaces and turn around quickly. We're so proud of his progress.

It was a great little party, and all the kids enjoyed eating the candy inside the bags.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Forest

When Forest arrived in December.

Shortly before Chinese New Year in late January.

We found out that Adoption & Family Network, Inc. has Forest's adoption paperwork! You can see his file on their Waiting Child website; they've nicknamed him "Evan."


Forest is such an amazing little guy! His progress since arriving here has been nothing short of astounding. He gained over 4 kg in his first month and a half in our foster home! When he first arrived, he was so weak from malnutrition that he couldn't even sit up. Within a few days he was sitting, and then he was standing with help, and then he was pulling himself up, and then he started walking with help, and now he's walking independently! All of that progress in less than 2 months!

If he's already blossomed in such a short time, can you imagine how many more gains he will make when he has a family?

Luke Goes Home


Luke is officially a member of his new family! We're missing his smiling face around here, but we're so thankful that he's with his new family.
If you want to follow along with Luke's journey, you can check out his family's blog.

Welcome!

Welcome to Love Grows Here, the New Day Foster Home blog!

So much happens in the halls of New Day Foster Home each and every day. Love does grow here; our children bloom and blossom in countless ways each day, and we want to share their stories with you. This blog will keep you up-to-date on the latest happenings at New Day through cute stories, eye-catching pictures, and reflections from our staff.

Since this is brand-new, we also would like your thoughts on what kind of things you'd like to see on the blog. Maybe you have some great ideas or questions you'd like answered.

We can't wait to get to know you more as we continue on this Journey of Hope together.