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Tuesday, December 26, 2006Yes, it's Christmas! And what a day it was. Finally a chance to slow down and enjoy watching the children open their presents and play with their new toys. Mostly a time to reflect on the specialness of this day, the day Jesus was born. The ultimate gift given for the salvation of the world. And how blessed we feel to be able to share that with our loved ones, especially our daughters who, if they were still in China, would have had little chance to hear about Jesus. Last night we went to a candlelight service at church and, lo and behold, God imparted a new way for us to keep Isabelle quiet in church! Isabelle plus a lit candle and she's entertained for hours. Initially when the candle was lit Isabelle blew it out immediately; her only experiences with candles being birthday cakes. After relighting the candle, she again tried to blow it out but Chris held his hand between her pursed lips and the candle. Then the game was on as Isabelle attempted to blow out the candle while Chris tried to interrupt the airflow. It was funny but, more importantly, we were finally able to get through a church service without Isabelle yelling out "Ohhh, what's that?" right in the middle of the sermon.

Our last update was from mid-October and since then we've celebrated quite a few holidays. Halloween was an experience. We were anxious that Isabelle would be nervous about other trick or treaters and going up to strangers to ask for candy. We were wrong. Once she caught on to the whole "trick or treat" thing we were all eating her dust. She was the first one to each door and had no qualms with just going ahead and reaching into the candy-giver's bowl if she felt like they were taking too long to deposit goodies in her bag. There wasn't a ghoul or goblin in the neighborhood that frightened her and she kept exclaiming "run!" to Baba between houses.

Thanksgiving came quickly and we traveled to Ohio to spend the holiday week with our beloved friends, John and Lisa and Tom and Chenoa. Lisa and John traveled to China for their daughter Grace in July and Tom and Chenoa traveled in October to bring home their daughter Zoe. It was the first time we had all been together since they had each added a daughter and it was a blessed reunion. The girls had so much fun playing together (as did all our other kids!) and the grown ups were able to spend some much-needed time just hanging out and spending time getting caught up with great friends. Not to mention all the awesome after Thanksgiving shopping we did. The kids did amazingly well on the 10+ hour car ride and if it weren't for an in-the-car-doggie-accident, it would have been the perfect trip ;)

WIth December came the beginning of the chaotic Christmas season and we were determined not to let it sap our Christmas spirit this year. We were able to get most of our gifts bought and wrapped before Christmas Eve! The children were so excited about Christmas this year, especially since we were able to spend it with Chris at home, instead of in Iraq like he was last year. Even though Isabelle doesn't understand exactly what Christmas means, she loves all the trimmings. She amazed us all when she did NOT attack the Christmas tree and we were able to enjoy it without having to constantly be worried about choking hazards or on the lookout for missing ornaments. Isabelle loved looking at the lights on the tree and soon after the tree was up, her favorite spot was on the ottoman right next to it.

Christmas day brought with it many potential issues for Isabelle. Too many things going on, changes in routine and chaos in general all bother Isabelle. We worried that she might not enjoy Christmas or be able to understand the specialnees of the day. Thankfully she truly did enjoy Christmas and was able to hang in there for close to the entirety of the festivities. She opened presents by herself and was most excited about her new kitchen, doll house and a princess tea set. She loves to pretend that she is eating and loves to 'feed' others too. We all spent the good part of an hour 'eating' off a miniature spoon and 'drinking' out of a pink princess teacup. She also received a 'Puppy Suprise' and, as we feared, she doesn't like it. Too hairy. Now that we are learning more about Isabelle's sensory issues, we are beginning to be able to help her through things that challenge her, like Christmas or a birthday party. We are so proud of her and how she has been able to overcome many of the obstacles she has faced due to her sensory issues. Our little angel on Halloween

"Is this all for me?"

Playing baby with Sophie

Sisters being silly

Christmas Eve 2006

All dressed up and ready for Christmas!

Isabelle continues to grow like a weed...she's growing out of all the adorable clothes I bought for this winter! She has shot up and out of 18-24 months and now can only wear 2T. She is gaining weight well and thankfully, we haven't had her at the doctor for a sick visit, so I am not sure how much she currently weighs :) She still loves her favorite foods, but has added some new things and is getting better all the time at feeding herself. She is also getting much better at communicating to us what she wants. Now, when she wants something, she comes and grabs my hand and pulls me to where she wants me to go (usually the refrigerator). Then she points to what she wants and tries her best to say it, even without my prompting. Her speech therapist was thrilled when, after two sessions in one week, Isabelle was saying 'bear' and 'cookie' unprompted. We decided we will continue the twice weekly sessions and, as of mid-January, will add an occupational therapy session once a week. We have found a new OT and hope that Isabelle will enjoy their sessions as much as she enjoys her speech therapy.

We are finally able to see where our consistency and love have had a lasting effect on our Isabelle. She is able to give and receive love freely now whereas it used to terrify her. She is able to look us in the eye and not have to look away like she did not long ago. She loves to spend time pointing to parts of my face and now says 'eye', 'nose', 'head', 'hair' and 'teeth'. She is full of giggles and laughter and is able to thoroughly enjoy snuggles and tickle time. She and Sophie have a great relationship and Isabelle is really beginning to interact with her older siblings more all the time. She now points at pictures and says 'ma ma' and 'baby', something we've been working on for close to a year. She decided she's ready to learn to string beads and once she's made the decision, there is no stopping her. It is a pleasure and a privilege to parent Isabelle and we stand amazed that God chose us for the position.

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