I can't believe as I sit here and write it has been 4 months since Sha has entered our lives. 4 months and so much has gone one. I can't help but think back to the first time we met her and how nervous and shy she was. I can't even begin to imagine just how scared she was or what was going through her mind. Then I have to remind myself of how nervous Paul and I were. But the best part is when I think back on those fears I remember that it truly was an instant connection the 3 of us had. It's crazy to think we met her at 9:00 in the morning and were back at our hotel, alone with her by 1:00 and somehow it just all fell into place. We managed as a family to decide to go swimming that day, remember, we managed with a brand new person who spoke no English and we spoke no Chinese. It was an organic moment that naturally fell into place the way it was meant to.
4 months and we are now speaking full paragraphs with no electronic translator. 4 months and we are (both) getting hugs and the words "I love you too". 4 months and she is now calling us mom and dad (no longer mama and baba) and is very happy to hold our hands wherever we go. 4 months and we are now sleeping in our room during the school week. 4 months and we know the street we live on, the town, our phone #, my maiden name, all her grandparents,aunts and uncles names, the location where they all live. 4 months and we already have family traditions of movie night and Chinese Take Out. 4 months and she is already insisting on a sibling and what room they will sleep in if we get one;) 4 months and she has filled the hearts of so many people ranging from her grandparents to her Shushus' and Ayi's and to her teachers at school. 4 months and she already has a BFF at school. She radiates with happiness but the best part is the glow in her shines brighter and brighter with every new break through we have and lately we have had some of the best. I think the best is just seeing her trust more and more and to start to look at us as parents and not necessarily as friends which she may have looked at us like that in the beginning, which is fine.
She is very intrigued with learning all about her new family. Her first birthday with us is April 1st, our little baby will be 10:):):) She is finally going to meet Grandma and Grandpa Jameson as well as my Aunt's and Uncles from both sides of my family. We, of course, are having a party for her and I can't begin to emphasize how excited she is for this. Since day 1 all she talks about is her cake. If I do anything right for this party is has to be the cake. Her theme is Hello Kitty (shocking, I know) so I am (along with the Grandma's) going to make an attempt at baking HK's head and decorating it. I will have a backup as well but dear lord let me nail this cake to perfection:)
The relationship that her and I have is getting stronger and stronger every day and I am grateful for that. The more we learn about each other the more it makes sense just how much she is my daughter. We have a lot of similarities which crack me up most of the time. We share the same love of pop music, Lady Gaga, Rhianna, Beyonce, Katy Perry. I am trying to introduce my true favorites like Bon Jovi, Elton John, Billy Joel, Madonna, etc but right now she just thinks Bon Jovi is old-ha. All the things she is into I loved as a child, Hello Kitty, Doll Houses, Breyer Horses, little purses and wallets, the color pink. We both love sweet potatoes and ketchup potato chips (the real ones from Canada). I am even finding we are sharing the same taste in clothes, in fact the other day we bought our first pair (well two pairs actually) of matching mama and shasha shoes. How cool in the not so distant future we can share shoes-haha. She also has strong similarities with Paul too, she is very athletic and is afraid of nothing. She has also taking a liking to hockey:) I know some may think these are silly but to me it just reminds us of why the wait was longer than normal for all three of us to unite but like my father always said, "All good things come to those who wait":).
I can't say it enough, she is a great kid, very kind and has a good heart. We are the lucky ones. I leave you pics of her other BFF, her first photo with Smushes, yes folks that is our cat somewhere in her arms and her latest art work that she did all on her own on her easel in her room. Hugs to all.
