Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Happy Halloween & 6 Month Post Placement!
Happy Halloween! Today, we had Ruby's 6 month post placement review with our wonderful social worker, Amy. November 8th will already be our six month anniversary of "Ruby Tuesday." I look forward to re-capping that next week. All of you Mom's of adopted children will appreciate this story. Five minutes before Amy was to arrive this morning, Ruby fell in our kitchen and got her first bloody lip... She was beside herself as I tried to clean her up and console her. After a lot of love, some ice and some grapes she calmed down. So, we greeted Amy at the door with tear stained cheeks and a fresh new fat lower lip... Classic! Thankfully, Amy goes to our church and knows us. She was so understanding! The good news is the meeting went great and she is very pleased with Ruby Mei's progress.
Tonight we will be joining neighbors for dinner, and the Dad's will be hitting the streets with the kids. I get the fun job of handing out candy with Ruby! It is a chilly sunny fall day here. It may be a short night. Trick or treat everyone!
~Diana
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Take the time to smell the mums!
I think this post is really advice for me! I need to pause and take some time to smell the mums! Before I know it the snow will be here, and getting outside with the girls will not be so easy. Ruby and I seem to be so busy that rarely are we just at the park on a swing where we should be. So, my goal this week is to do more of that with her! I just love the fall, and it sounds like we have a few days left to enjoy it here. I can't remember a Halloween where the weather has been this nice. The kids should have a wonderful time tomorrow!Well - the Christmas card photo shoot was humbling for me. Yesterday, Ruby and I went to Bloomingdales and picked out a beautiful dress for Ainsley. As I told you, my vision was velvet and gold.... Well this was chocolate velvet with a very pale rose petal skirt. I was going to put Ruby back in the gold dress. With the fall colors, I was excited to get the girls together outside. When Ainsley got home from school I was excited to show her the dress. Let's just say Ainsley had a different idea in her head. To her a Christmas dress is red or green not chocolate brown and rose!!!!! At that moment I realized I was obsessing over the darn Xmas pic. So, we dug in Ainsley's closet and found a dress she wore last year. Not my first choice, but she did look pretty in it. We put Ruby in Christmas green, and headed to the Arboretum. I took 80 pictures and got 1 I love!!!! Ruby did great, but getting them together is just not easy. I guess yesterday was God's way of telling me to relax a little! I try to teach my daughter to be more flexible. I guess I need to take a little of my own adivce here!
I hope you have a chance to smell the mum's today!
Blessings, Diana
Monday, October 29, 2007
The Family Group Pumpkin Event!
When Jeff and I first relocated to MSP we were blessed to find a church and a small group to join within our first year here. This group has become our extended family. They are an incredible group of people, who put their families first. We have so much respect for our friends in this group. We learn so much from them daily about marriage, parenting, and serving others. When we received Ruby's referral we could not wait to share the good news with each family. In a way, it was their referral too! The gift of their friendships is priceless to us. And, the way they love our girls, like their own, is such a blessing! These are not part-time friends. They are the real deal! When Jeff was sick, my girlfriends here were the ones who cooked, took care of Ruby, helped with laundry, etc... They knew what I needed when I had no clue. We are so grateful that God gave us these amazing friends!
Annually we do two parties with our Family Group. The first one is the pumpkin carving party at our house. This was yesterday, and we all had a great time. In December we do Ginger Bread Houses. It is so fun to see the kids and the parents working together. It get's a little competitive too!
Here are a few photos from yesterday! For Ruby's first Halloween, I carved the Chinese character for faith! Thanks to Sheri for drawing it. I had the easy job of carving!
This afternoon, we are attempting the Christmas Photo of the girls. I will let you know how that goes!!! And, I must answer several of your inquiries about my camera from Friday's post. I didn't get a new one. It is still my Nikon D50. I was just thanking Jeff for it again. I do love it!
Happy Halloween Week! -Di
Friday, October 26, 2007
'Her Rubiness' all dressed up and no-where to go....
It was a gorgeous day here yesterday. Some friends of my parents gave Ruby Mei this white silk dress that they had purchased for their granddaughter from China. I had owed them a photo of her in it. So since Ruby was willing, I decided to turn it into one big fashion photo shoot! I love the pictures where she is yawning. You can tell she was moved by the whole event. However, she did practically twirl for me in the gold dress. I think she knew how pretty she looked! This dress is special to me, because I found it at my favorite children's boutique, two days after we received our referral for Ruby! In fact, I was talking to Lisa that morning about my Ruby shopping spree!! The only thing left to break out from that crazy shopping extravaganza is Ruby's winter coat...
It is that time of year when I am searching for the perfect Christmas card photo. In my mind I can see the girls in black velvet and gold. (In my mind, Ruby is also looking at the camera with her sister!) I wish Ainsley had been here yesterday. She would have loved twirling with her little sister!
Jeff, thanks again for my camera! I love it, and I love you!
Happy Weekend,
-Diana
Thursday, October 25, 2007
I remember when.....
Today I was tagged by my dear friend Lisa in San Antonio to write a post about "I Remember when..." Well I have been tagged before and I have miserably failed at honoring the request. I will blame it on sleep deprivation. But, this one I will tackle..
- I remember crawling into bed with my big brother while he was babysitting us to watch the movie Airport.
- I remember my parents sitting us all on the couch in our living room when I was 8 to tell us we were moving to Minnesota from Chicago. I remember thinking, "where is Minnesota?"
- I remember ice cream dates with Daddy!
- I remember the smell of Grandma Kathryn's Cinnamon Rolls & Potatoe Bread
- I remember my first ice skating teacher telling me the only reason she yelled at me was because she loved me...
- I remember Donny Osmond and the lunch box I had with his face on it!!!
- I remember my Teddy Bear,Chester!
- I remember Short & Sassy Shampoo and my first Dorothy Hamill Wedge Haircut!
- I remember getting my driver's license
- I remember the apple green paint on my bedroom walls!
- I remember loving Wheat Thins and Tab.
- I remember my favorite maroon Lee cords
- I remember seeing the Olympic Flag and the Olympic Rings on the ice in Lake Placid where I had the priviledge of skating in the Opening Ceremonies.
- I remember how scared I was to leave home at 18 to skate for a year with the Ice Follies
- I remember my Dad calling me in every city for 9 months to check in on me and my friends
- I remember the way my Mom helped me when my first marriage failed
- I remember talking to my Dad on the phone after his stroke.
- I remember the first thing Jeff ever said to me when we met
- I remember Jeff getting down on his knee and asking me if he could take care of me forever?
- I remember the excitement of getting our first puppy?
- I remember the joy when we found out we were pregnant with Ainsley
- I remember Ainsley's labor & delivery and the first time I held my precious gift..
- I remember how devastated I was when I learned my Dad had cancer..
- I remember what I was doing on the morning of 9/11/01.
- I remember the day I recieved Jesus as my Lord and Savior
- I remember Jeff saying, "I think God wants us to adopt a baby from China!
- I remember waiting for Ruby.
- I remember the tears of joy when we learned that 10/24/05 had made the referral cutoff
- I remember hearing the words, "congratulations you have a healthy and beautiful daughter and her name is Yue Meng Ru"
- I remember holding my sister the night her husband died.
- I remember praying over an empty crib in Nanchang with my precious husband the morning of Ruby Tuesday.
- I remember whispering "I love you" in Chinese to Ruby Mei the moment I held her for the first time
- I remember Ainsley's first days of school
- I remember incredible girlfriends who wrapped me in prayer and friendship when Jeff was sick.
The list goes on and on with 43 years of memories. Some happy, some hilarious, some sad, but all part of my story! Lisa - Thanks for asking me to remember......
Love, Di
Thankful Thursday!
Today I am thankful for:- My husband who works so hard, and loves all of his girls so much!
- As Kim reminded me, of my RQ October friends who waited and celebrated with me.
- For a bible study teacher that made the "beautiful attitudes" (the beatitudes; Matthew 5) so clear to me this week.
- For my sister who included our adoption story in her sermon at chapel on Monday!
- For Ruby Mei sleeping through the entire night last night!
- For Ainsley's precious questions about eternal life...
- For the hugs and I love you's that I get from my daughters!
- For how well Ruby is attaching and coming out of her shell more and more each day!
- For the humbling daily reminder that patience is not my biggest strength
- For the five 5th grade girls that I get to work with at our church on Wednesday nights!
- For parents that are healthy!
- For my friends that are long distance that I miss talking to or seeing like Kim, Lisa, Shauna, Glenna, Jane, Tracy, Marjie...
- That my friend Lisa is DTC and that I promise to faithfully pray her through her wait no matter how long that is!!!
- For spending time with Liz yesterday...
- Last but not least, that Madison is home and doing so well!!!! And, that Julie looks incredible after having a baby a month ago, and getting no sleep!!!! You amaze me!
Blessings, Diana
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
In love with a certain Ladybug!
This "Ruby Tuesday" I have to admit I am absolutely smitten with our new daughter. She is in such a fun stage at almost 15 months. I am convinced she knows how to get a laugh out of us. Her infamous "kissy lips" face just brings smiles to all of us. She is walking, talking more, acting silly more than ever, and a constant source of joy. I have always felt a bond with Ruby Mei. But, today when she ran to me when I picked her up after Bible Study and just hugged me for what seemed like 5 minutes, she took my breath away. What a blessing this little 20 pound miracle is! Jeff and I are trying to soak her in because we know how quickly time goes. Soon she will be 6 and going to a concert with her Daddy! :)
I have to give you all the Hannah Montana update! Thank you for your SWEET guest book messages. They had such a wonderful time! Ainsley was sound asleep when they came home. But, she woke up long enough to tell me a few details. Jeff, whose ears were still ringing from the 14,000+ screaming female fans, loved every minute of it too! What is better than having your daughter hug you in the middle of a concert and thanking you for the greatest night of her life! PRECIOUS MEMORIES!!
Thanks to my very special girlfriend Jenny who gave Ruby this precious costume when we came home from China! I took the girls to a Halloween party this evening. I think she is a pretty cute ladybug! Ainsley was Dr. Ainsley for the event. Wasn't she just Tinkerbell?
Time to catch up on the news. We are praying for the familes in southern, CA tonight. We know many people who are being directly affected by this.
Blessings, Di
Sunday, October 21, 2007
The Pearl's Date with Daddy!
Most Dad's are probably home watching game 7 between Cleveland and Boston. Not Ainsley's Daddy. He is her date tonight at the Hannah Montana concert!!! He surprised her yesterday with tickets. This will be a night she will never forget! Her first "real" concert (we don't think the Wiggles counts here!) She is a huge Hannah fan, so she was so excited. They called me after the Jonas Brothers were finished! She sounded so cute!!!! I loved my husband a lot before tonight. But, watching him get ready for a night like this, makes me love him even more!!!My guess is she will be sound asleep when they get home. I can't wait to hear the details from her in the morning! A priceless night out with Daddy! It doesn't get much better than that!
-Diana
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Funny Face!
Dear Mom,
Don't get me wrong, I love getting dressed up in pretty dresses with bows in my hair and all. And, I really appreciate you and Dad taking me to Florida for the first time. I did love the beach! But, if you really want to get a good picture of me these days take off all my clothes, and put me in the tub!!
Love, Ruby Mei
*Last night was classic Ruby! This is the side of 'Her Rubiness' that did not show up for the beach photo shoots! Ainsley and I had so much fun taking these pictures...
Sisters!
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What a blessing Ruby's adoption has been for both of our girls! They have developed a very special bond already. I really noticed it this weekend at the beach. You can just sense how safe Ruby feels when her big sister is around. My prayer is that this relationship will continue to grow into a very special friendship when they are older. I found a poem during our adoption wait that talked about that a sister is God's way of telling us he doesn't want us to be alone! How true!
Blessings from rainy MN! ~Di
Monday, October 15, 2007
The Beach!
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The only negative thing about our first beach family vacation was that it was too short!!!! We had a wonderful time, and we can't wait to do it again!!! What a joy to see both girls walking and playing on the beach. Ruby started walking just in time for this trip!! She was intrigued with the soft white sand, and the ocean. Ainsley took it all in, and had a great time! The joke of the weekend was trying to get a picture of Ruby actually looking at the camera. I literally took over 400 pictures, and I think she was looking at the camera or smiling in less than 10 pictures. I had complete strangers trying to get her to look at me. She was un-impressed with her paparazzi Mom. She earned her title of 'Her Rubiness' during her photo shoots. Oh well, I love a challenge!!!! Tomorrow I will post some sister pics. I got some sweet ones!
Lastly, Madison came home on Saturday!!!!! What a tiny miracle she is!!!
Blessings, Diana
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Jeans and Hats for 'Her Rubiness!'
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One of the things I love about having little girls, is dressing them. Thankfully, Ainsley still lets me help her pick out what she is going to wear to school each day. In her words, she loves "fashion clothes!" So, I do my best to make sure she looks "fashionable" each day! Now helping with her hair is a different story. I am pretty sure a brush will be thrown at the mirror one of these days! What is it about Moms and daughters and hair?
I digress back to the title of this email. Miss Ruby went shopping for shoes with me today in her first pair of jeans. The sweater she is wearing is one of the first things I bought for her when we started the adoption process. That is when they told us to expect a 6-7 month wait for referral and a child around 15 months old.... It's still a little big, but so cute on her!
Well, winter is in the air here in Minnesota today. Ruby got bundled up in her first winter coat and a hat this morning. The hat actually stayed on for five minutes which I thought was pretty good.
We had success getting some Crocs for Ruby today. She is ready for the beach, and so am I!
Hopefully, I will have some fun photos to post of the girls when we return!
Have a great rest of the week everyone!
Blessings from the north! ~Di
Madison Update: She is doing GREAT!!! Moved to her own private room, taking a bottle, and all in all improving daily! I just dropped off a bassinet to Julie because there is a good chance she will be home before I get back from FL. It is simply amazing that this little girl was born two weeks ago today, and that she had major open heart surgery seven days ago!!! Praise God for answered prayers!
Monday, October 8, 2007
5 months ago.....
This little gem entered into our lives and stole our hearts 5 months ago today! She continues to bless our lives daily! Overall, we think she is doing great! We still have some rough nights, but they are less frequent now! She is walking most of the time now, and getting into everything!! She is sensitive, and she does not like the word "no!" The reality of not getting her way, causes "Her Rubiness' to shed some serious tears... Her vocabulary is limited but her ability to communicate by pointing or sign language is impressive. No doubt she will be talking up a storm soon. She loves her big sister and wants to be a part of whatever she is doing. Ruby is healthy, happy, and a lot of fun to be with. Her favorite things at the moment are my cell phone, her blanket, food, and her family. We try really hard to keep her on a consistent schedule daily which really seems to work well for Ruby. Majority of the day she is content and happy. We can't ask for more than that!
Our little girl from the south of China test drove her first pair of Uggs yesterday. Now I just have to get her used to the idea of hats and mittens. From what I can tell, she will not be one bit happy about that. It will be fun to see her reaction when she experiences her first Minnesota snowfall!
We leave Thursday for our first beach vacation with the girls. We are so excited to spend time together playing for a few days! Once Ruby gets over the fact that she can't eat the sand, I hope she loves the ocean!! Ainsley has been packed for one month for this trip!
So my early "Thankful Thursday" entry, is to give thanks to God for choosing Ruby Mei for our family!
Blessings, Diana
P.S: I get to meet Miss Madison today! I can't wait!
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Shopping with the Big Sisters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Today was a glimpse into my future. I spent the afternoon with Ainsley and Katie, best friends and the big sisters! Katie is Madison's big sis and we were so excited to kidnap her for the day!I took them to lunch, and then to the Mall of America to "Build a Bear Workshop" and then to Nordstroms so we could buy some shoes for Miss Ruby. Well, let's just say these two have learned a few things over the years from Julie and I. It was a riot watching them try on shoes, oogle over the things they loved, and chat like teenagers. An absolute riot really! I could see the look in the salesman's eyes sympathizing with my future American Express card balance!
I look forward to the Moms and the Big Sisters hitting Madison Avenue or Michigan Avenue for a girls weekend some day! All in all, we did little damage, but it was really a fun afternoon for all of us!
*On a seperate note, Madison continues to improve daily! It sounds like the doctors are very pleased with her progress. The ventilator came out succesfully yesterday! The specific prayer request is that she will be able to start eating on her own. This needs to happen for Madison to be moved out of ICU.
Bye for now!
Diana
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Madison Update!
Just a quick update that Madison is continuing to improve. She underwent surgery again yesterday afternoon so they could close up her chest. It was left open incase of swelling, or an immediate need to get back in quickly. Julie sounds upbeat and at peace which I am so grateful for. The specific prayer request now is for her to get off of the ventilator, and for absolutely no infection to come into her body. Julie is hopeful she will be moved out of intensive care soon! This has been an amazing first week of life for this very special little girl!
Thank you for praying!
-Di
Thank you for praying!
-Di
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Answered Prayer!
Baby Madison is out of surgery and doing as well as she can right now!!! She is off the lung machine and that precious tiny heart is beating on it's own!!!! The next few days/months will be critical for her. For now we can all rejoice in this great news!
Blessings,
Diana
Blessings,
Diana
Monday, October 1, 2007
Madison's Surgery Update
Thanks to all of you who have left your comments here regarding Madison. Her surgery has been moved up to 7:30am tomorrow morning. I am hoping to get an update from Julie's Mom when the surgery is complete. I will post here when I know more.
Thanks for your prayers for Madison and her family!
Blessings,
Diana
Thanks for your prayers for Madison and her family!
Blessings,
Diana
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