Our Visit to the Doctors

Yesterday went very well at Chapel Hill. We saw 10 or 11 (I lost count) different people. Lillie Mei did great until the eye appt. She fell asleep on the way to the building it was is in and stayed asleep while they dialated her eyes. We had to wake her up for the exam and she wasn't happy!

We'll get a written report in 2-3 weeks but the general consensus was that she would have one surgery in the next few months which would include removal of the skin tags, fixing her cleft lip, and possibly tubes in her ears (she has fluid in both ears).

The 2nd surgery would be between ages 3 and 5 and would probably include a few "revisions" to her cheek area, working on her ear, and her eye.

The 3rd surgery wouldn't be until at least kindergarten (could be much later depending on how she is feeling about her appearance) and would probably involve removing a rib to fill-in her jaw.

Thank you for your prayers. Almost everyone was extremely nice, all were professional, and everything went very smoothly. God continues to follow us and take care of us on this incredible journey!

WHY do we buy toys?

Lillie Mei spent at least 15 minutes yesterday playing with juice boxes. She was very proud of herself!

Please remember to pray for us, we will be at UNC-Chapel Hill all day on Thursday. We will see a plastic surgeon, oral surgeon, orthodontist, speech path., social worker, psychologist, dentist, ear, nose, and throat dr., audiologist, and an opthamologist. It will be a very long day. Please pray that everything will go smoothly and Lillie Mei will not be too traumatized. I'll post as soon as I can after we get home.

Valentine's Day

I'm a little late posting but here are some Valentine pictures.


Prior to the sugar-filled breakfast--


During the sugar-filled breakfast--


At Zeke's class party. I didn't send enough cupcakes to include Lillie Mei. It just so happened that one child didn't want one--lucky for her!


We played a game to see who could pick up the most converstion hearts with chopsticks. Zeke won hands down!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Today marks the first day of the new moon and therefore Chinese New Year. This is one of China's most celebrated holidays. There is a lot of time spent cleaning and cooking for families. They also honor family members who have died in the past year. It makes me think of Lillie Mei's parents and whether this day reminds them of their daughter. Firecrackers are also used to ring in the new year.

We celebrated by having Chinese take-out! Lillie Mei at her favorite, dumplings! Lillie Mei and I also watched Nickelodeon's new show, Ni Hao-Kai Lan, which is very much like a Chinese version of Dora. It was cute and teaches a few Chinese words. I watched while Lillie Mei played--she's not very interested in the TV except in the car. We also have a little book for Lillie Mei about the holiday. In China, the children get money in red envelopes. I have little red bags for the kids that I'm going to put a small amount of money in--I don't want to set any great expectations. I hope we can continue to have some traditions from China so Lillie Mei can have a little understanding of her culture. So Happy New Year--BTW it's the year of the rat :)


YUMMY!

We're finally ready to try Chinese food again.

How do these things work?

Our very own tradition--wearing the valentine bucket on your head!

Three Months Ago....

Exactly 3 months ago today we welcomed Lillie Mei into our family! What a difference such a short time can make. Since November 5th we came home from China, celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the new year. Lillie Mei has learned to pat-a-cake, sing, say several words (including "Go Tarheels" much to my dismay), walk, and pretty much get her way in most situations! She has also won our hearts and been an incredible blessing. I don't think any of us remember what life was like without her!


Three Months Ago


Today