Chinese New Year!

Greetings all to a New Chinese Year! A couple of weeks ago we attended a New Year's party and the kids got to wear their outfits. They were kind of hard to catch standing still but see below for a few shots. The girls seemed scared of the fireworks at the end of the night but B would have probably been down there lighting the fuses if I wasn't holding him.

B is settling in quite well. He is still not real impressed with the daily car rides to the sitter and back while I drop off the girls. Usually by the time we have arrived back home I have already put his boots and socks on three times (yes velcro boot straps while handy for me aren't great for childproofing).

We had great news at CHEO last week. We took B in to get assessed for his cleft palate surgery and the plastic surgeon pronounced that it had already been repaired in China! The orphanage people didn't know that and we just assumed the reports were accurate. So that means one less surgery here. He will probably have his lip reduced a bit just before he starts Grade 1 and his right nostril won't be touched until his face stops growing (18 or older). At the rate he eats they may never be able to do that surgery! We have an appointment for him in March with the dental surgeon to see if he needs surgery for his jaw - the part where the cleft was, dips in a fair bit from the rest of his teeth. He also gets his first appointment at the International Adoption Clinic March 31 and then in April he sees the ear-nose-throat specialist to make sure everything is fine there. It is common for cleft kids to have hearing problems and some require tubes in their ears for a few years. B seems to hear fine - when he wants to listen. The nurse said she can't help us out with that one.

B and I signed the girls up for Junior Kindergarten last week, it is hard to believe the time has gone by this quickly - they will be 4 in June.

B is certainly picking up on the language. He can say "up" when prompted. The other day when I started to take his picture he said "cheese". He also waved at an elderly gentleman in the grocery store today - I think it made the old fellow's day - he seemed quite impressed at that.

B's other passion is small game hunting - particularly housecats. Poor Abby has never been chased this much in her entire life! B even makes a point of climbing up on the couch if he sees her sleeping on the back of the couch and follows her until she hides somewhere. Today I had to pry his hand off her tail or she might be a bobcat now.

The other big news today was that he stopped crying once he got into the tub! He started splashing and laughing and later trying to drink the bath water – hmm I wonder which two girls taught him those tricks?

Well enough talk, see below for the photos.


































The new truck some of K's colleagues bought for B. His sisters even let him use it once in a while.
















The big picnic. Note the miraculous sight of not one "Baby Jesus" but two attending the same party. I try telling A they are angels but she corrects me everytime.
















B at the Chinese New Year party
















E and K playing with an octopus
















A in the only shot I had that wasn't blurry (they don't sit still long).
















Peekaboo!
















The first time I heard him say "cheese"
















Small game hunting

















Toliet paper hands!

He's so smart playing with a computer already...

OK maybe not - then I saw him brushing his teeth with the pen...