A Whole New World

Nina-Li has been our daughter and the boys sister for 3 weeks. She's been an American for 1 week. It has become a whole new world for all of us.
There are some things I am learning about sweet little girly girls like Nina-Li:
90% of Barbie time, is all about the hair. Taking the little rubberbands out, brushing, brushing, brushing, maybe getting it wet, and brushing some more.
Playing is a universal language. It doesn't matter to Nina-Li what language you speak, how old you are, or what you are wearing. She is thrilled to meet you and play with you.
Party dresses or tutus should be worn daily. Life is worth celebrating and why not dress-up for the occassion.
Princesses and Strawberry Shortcake have healing power. Cute band-aids make it all better really fast.
Princess costumes can and should be worn to bed. Why make it an issue? Certainly sweet dreams will flutter by through out the night when worn.
Having a friend brings joy.
I am amazed at the progress we have made in a week. Especially considering how things were in China. She holds my hand often and doesn't want me out of sight. Which is completely normal. However in China, could care less where I was or what I was doing. Bill and Nina-Li are growing closer each day. Nina-Li loves riding on her daddy's shoulders. We took a walk today and she was full of giggles, which we hear daily, A LOT!
Everything is new to Nina-Li. Things you wouldn't think of. Like cups with glitter that swirls around and ice cubes. We've gone from warm water to now 2 ice cubes per cup of water. Last evening she was totally fascinated with the printer and copier. We copied numerous coloring pages. I was tempted to show her how to copy her hand, but I thought we'd have a few dozen copies of hands all over the house if I did. One of the most fascinating things to Nina-Li is blue sky. The first night we arrived home it was 11 PM, and she got to bed at 2 AM. She woke up 14 hours later at 6 PM and then went to bed late that evening. When I tucked her in bed (which went flawlessly), she got out a picture of our home and pointed to her window and then to the blue sky. I assumed she wanted to know when she was going to see daylight. I told her tomorrow (mingtian) she would see day. Well, the next day was sufficient, but cloudy. The following day, she came in my room and said "mama, mama, kan, kan". Which is 'mom, look!' It was the blue sky. At least that is what Bill and I have determined. In China we had sunshine everyday, but no blue sky. Too much smog. The smog was thick enough hardly anyone wore sunglasses.
It is fun watching her discover new things each day. From food to toys. She loves shopping and going places. She is content at home but loves to go out.
We are so proud of our boys and how they have handled the entire situation. Their character really shown through, through out the event. Through all the tears in China, they never once complained. Were always willing to lend a hand, and tolerated Bill and I being a little edgy at times. They never questioned Nina-Li being their sister and have been incredible big brothers. As I shared on Facebook, Kota told my mom "The moment I saw Nina she hypnotized me and made me love her." Wow! Times like that you feel like you are doing something right. Praise God. I kind of wonder how God will use this event to mold our sons into the men they will be someday. I realize now how compassionate they are.
I mentioned earlier that Nina-Li has been going to bed flawlessly. It is common for institutionalized children to not want to sleep alone. She had her own bed, but shared rooms with other girls. However, in China, our guide asked her if she wanted anyone to sleep with her in her room and she said no. And she has done great.
There's a lot she has to learn, like prayer. Why do we hold hands and close our eyes before we eat? And homeschool will be an adventure. Considering she doesn't know English and has to learn all her colors, shapes, numbers, and English alphabet, I am pretty much going to pretend like she is 3. She is a sponge when it comes to learning, so I think we'll have fun as she discovers new things.
I cannot tell everyone how much their prayers have sustained us. Your support and love have been immeasurable. I have no idea how many followed our blog, and will even read this post. But, it is so comforting to know how much people care. We are simply two parents doing what God called us to do. It was written on my heart before Bill and I got married in honor of my mom, who was also adopted. Bill has been incredibly strong when I was weak, and vice versa. We have been each others sounding board and comfort.
I will continue to post every once in awhile the progress Nina-Li makes.
Love to you all.