In Love

I know that it has been so, so very long since I posted, and I do apologize. Life has a way of speeding us along, particularly when it is so full. The news is good - very good. Mayana is such a delight to us, such a beautiful blessing, indeed. She has embraced us fully as Mommy and Daddy, showing us great affection ... hugs, kisses, and "I love you's." While the mastery of English is a long way off, she has made huge strides in spoken English over the past few weeks and she understands quite a bit more than she can say. Much of what she says now are complete thoughts, completely in English. If she doesn't understand something, she says, "I don't know" with this cute puzzled expression and adorable inflections. Today she repeated it a few times, and when we weren't able to explain she said, "Will somebody please help me?" It caught me so much by surprise -- the wording, so appropriate, and the deep desire to understand what we were saying.

What is it like having Mayana around? I'd say, "Mostly sunny. Often funny. Occasionally frustrating. Seldom stormy." Mostly, we're in love.

When will she learn to read? Who knows? It isn't even on the horizon yet.

Is she quick at math, like some of her adopted peers? No, not particularly.

Is it hard homeschooling her? Yes, if I think of her as 8. No, if I think of her as 5 ... well mroe like 4 1/2.

Are you glad you're homeschooling her? Oh, yes. I can't begin to imagine her in school. First, I'd miss her all day long. Second, she'd be so lost, academically. Third, now that it's getting nice outside, she absolutely loves having time in the afternoons to play and play.

What else is she doing? She learned to ride a bike. She told me that the bikes she rode in China all had 3 wheels (tricycles) and she really likes riding with just 2 wheels. She loves to draw, and she's pretty good (not like artist good, but she has a flair for color). She loves to sing, and she's really good at carrying a tune. She sings in Mandarin often. It's so pretty. She's learning quite a few songs in English and some in sign language.

Will she keep her Chinese? No, she will gradually lose her Cantonese. We found out that she learned very little reading - neither Mandarin nor Cantonese. And without that and without someone she sees regularly to reinforce Cantonese, her brain will dump it in order to learn English. She is taking a Mandarin class and loves it since she's the best in the class! I hope that she will want to continue and eventually become fluent in Mandarin.

Does she like her sisters? Do they like her? Oh, my, yes! It is delightful to watch Grace, Lia and Mayana together. They play so well together - with the typical sibling fights thrown in. Kayla and AnneMarie are wonderful big sisters. They help me keep track of the three younger ones.

There's always a lot happening around here. It's not always positive, but I like to keep the focus on the positive. If you think of it, pray for us. We were in a car accident last week and are still recovering from whiplash, back strain, etc. (Pam, Kayla, and AnneMarie) and our car was totaled. Good news is it was totally the other guys fault - rear-ended us at a stoplight - and he has insurance. So, our medicals and car will be paid for ... But it's the biggest pain in the neck (literal and otherwise!) I have to ice it regularly and we all need treatment. This is hard on all of us, even Mayana, who can't quite understand why I can't pick her up anymore. But, I am sure thankful we are all alive!

Many blessings to you! Photos will be loaded tomorrow. My back is killing me!

Pam