Happy Memorial Day!!!

28 May 2007

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!!
To my husband, my Sister-in-Law, Brother-in-Law, my late Father-in-Law, and ALL the men and women who have gone before (and those who continue) to SERVE OUR GREAT country, we THANK YOU. The amazing gift of living in the "Land of the Free" is often overlooked as so MANY Americans do not realize what a blessed nation we are!!!

I think I took all the RICH resources and blessings we have as Americans for granted until going back to VIETNAM. I do not know how someone cannot changed after visiting a 3rd world country. It really is life changing and humbling beyond words. We live in such a "ME" society here and "WHAT'S in it for ME???" status, that it's overwhelming to think we cannot just HELP someone without wondering the REWARD that will result for our actions... Our prayer and hope for our children are to be HEALTHY, HOLY, HAPPY & HUMBLE (4-H club) and it's a struggle with all the peer pressure and "cool" tech-no stuff out there!!! It's disheartening to know what our boys know already from school (I don't think I want to REALLY know) but I pray they are NOT sucked so much into peer pressure and being accepted that they are doing things behind our backs that we do NOT know about!!!?? ugh.

I remember a friend in Michigan once saying that our kids REALLY need us HOME when they get home from school, more in Middle School than any other time. I have realized more and more how fast time flies by and our babies are only littl' once. Another school year has ended and I'm so sad about that. I pray I do NOT screw it up for Maile and truly enjoy her "baby years" with us. She is REALLY coming out of her shell, laughing, dancing, singing and even yelling around the house!!! Boy, she can hold her own in telling her BIG brothers if something is not right and she is irritated!!!

I will close for now, but just had to share the FIRST :) Happy photo of our 3 sweet babies smiling together. They are each such amazing blessings and to watch their individual spirits and personality shine is the true gift of freedom!!! Thank you God for allowing me to have these littl' lives in our hands and house for short time to "train them up in the way they should go, so when they are old...they will NOT depart from it."

Again, a big heartful thanks for the GENEROUS service men and women who help us live in FREEDOM day to day!!! God bless you!

Love, Ms. Saigon

HAPPY Mother's Day!!!

Here's a slideshow of the passage of time within my family's 3rd GENERATION Adoption that began over 100 years ago!!!! I am deeply humbled particularly this Mother's Day in realizing the joy, excitement and gratitude of adopting our daughter, as it was for my GRANDMA (adopting my mom), then my MOM adopting me! Wow, it's pretty surreal to have our daughter finally HOME with us after 2 years of starting the Adoption journey!

Happy Mother's Day to all those Mommies who have the joy and honor of being a Mommy!!! I remember going to church last year saying "I hope we have our baby girl this time next year..." And, look it, by God's AMAZING Grace, we DO!!!! I cannot believe it was 2 months ago TODAY that we met our daughter for the first time!!! Maile is now 29 months old TODAY as well and while we know we did not have the first 27 months of her life with her, we are thrilled to now a LIFETIME together.

Maile is REALLY coming out of her shell, she has taken to "Ba" (Daddy) - what a blessing!!! I have a feeling she WILL be a "Daddy's girl" in no time...THIS MORNING we were both there to greet her out of her crib and she REACHED for Daddy to get her out!!! Step over Mommy, here comes Daddy! Wow, it was bittersweet...happy for Daddy and sad for me, just a twinge of sadness of the realization I'm NOT her EVERYTHING any more. Thankfully, though, she has found refuge, safety and gaining trust in Daddy to love her and take care of her too as we are ALL so willing to do!

More Maile Moments
**Maile is FINALLY enjoying baths more, loves to pour the big cup of water all over her belly and watch the bubbles cascade like a waterfall. She has NOT quite learn, it's better to keep her MOUTH CLOSED during this event!

**Maile is warming up to SAMUEL, still grunts NO when her big brothers get into her personal space, but has quickly learned to grab the nearest hand near by to drag to the pantry! I think she is still in awe of our "grocery store of food!" She eats ALL the time, still such a littl' peanut.

**Maile LOVES Tofu!!! She ate 9-10 pieces of TOFU for LUNCH the other day, I'm talking 9-10 squares that were 1.5" x 1.5" BIG!!!! Maile does NOT like cottage cheese, there is NO way of hiding it, sneaking it, mashing it, etc...she gets whiplash telling us "NO WAY" when she KNOWS there is any hint of cottage cheese anywhere!

Time to sign off...God bless you and HAPPY Mother's Day!

"May Day" Pictures...

Look at Maile "All dressed up & READY TO GO..." Tonight, for the first time (May 6th) she waved & said, "Bye Bye" and then blew a kiss after saying good bye to neighbors...she is really quite a sponge and so alert!!!! She is getting the hang of this American way of Life!!!

Look at "Joe Cool" in shades!!! He is such an amazing Big Brother to Maile, so kind, gentle, caring and protective of her! I KNOW he will be an awesome Father someday! I am so proud of him...

Finally, a discouraged & disheartened Samuel got his wish of Maile reaching out to him. He thought she didn't like him (which broke my heart!) She finally reached out to him to take his hand to go outside & she is warming up to him more & more!!! Yahoo...

Here's my littl' ballerina in the making!!! Standing tall at 32" and 21# (at 28.5 mos. old) she is such a peanut, but so adorable!!! She loves to "dance" trying to plie, releve, soute, turn & bourre...too cute!!! AND, just started doing SIGN LANGUAGE a couple days ago saying, "More" "Eat" "Please..." and then "Thank you!" The sweetest sign is when her littl' pinky finger goes up and she says, "Lub you" for "Love you!!!" Oh my heart DANCES with JOY to have Maile in our FOREVER Family now!!!

Can it be true???

That I would be privileged enough to be NOW be Maile's MOMMY??? I get tears in my eyes when I look into her BIG BROWN EYES, her sweet littl' face, her littl' arm hug my neck and hold me tight when it's bedtime and I am rocking her to sleep. I just CANNOT believe she is HERE with us and it's FOREVER. I sing to her at nap/ bedtime and for this short season, she ONLY wants ME to rock, sing or lay her to sleep. She will CRY when Daddy or Grandma offer to rock her with a bottle. I am just so honored she feels SAFE enough with me to cuddle, snuggle and let me HOLD HER as she drifts off to dreamland.

Maile is REALLY taking off on speaking English...she is understanding more and trying to say words. In her sweet, littl' 2 years old voice...she now knows four, bive, seck (4,5,6)...we are not quite to a dancer's "5,6,7,8..." but she loves to collect, stack, hold, hide, throw anything she can hold in her tiny hands. She will take anyone's hand (NOW even Samuel's hand :-)) to the pantry to get her a rice cracker, dried apricot, pretzel, etc...She LOVES grapes and bananas, but WILL NOT eat YOGURT if I sneak any COTTAGE CHEESE in it!!! How does she know??? She is such a smart whipper-snapper...

Maile has even done some sign language, starting YESTERDAY May 1st, she did "MORE" "EAT" and "PLEASE" all together :). It was so sweet, even tho' she repeated what we did/ said, she DID IT...and then "THANK YOU" as well!!! Then she jumped up and down with a big ol' grin with such pride in herself. Our hearts just MELT to see her shine and her spirit soar as she gains confidence and trust in us!!!

Another "FAVORITE" moment before I close for tonight, is when I tell Maile, "Mommy LOVES You!!!" She responds back to me in question form, "Ma Yeu Cong?" (But she says it like: "Ma YEEWW-EEE Cong???" with her mouth gaping open!) It's the CUTEST thing to see her do it in person.... When she is drifting off to sleep and I say it, she muttles it but can't quite get the words out, so precious!!!

I have returned back to the dance studio more and Maile has done fairly well with OUT me. Daddy has been able to come home early to relieve Grandma Duty, but I LOVE how Maile gets SO EXCITED to see me!!! She won't let me out of her sight once I am home. I wonder what goes on in that littl' mind when I'm gone, out of sight- out of mind?? I miss her so much when I am gone, not sure Maile misses me?? Attachment with TODDER ADOPTION is soooo different than birthchildren...really the OPPOSITE than we naturally think is "normal or healthy." Does she REALLY know HER MOMMY is gone and WILL come back? Hmmmm...

Oh my goodness, I am just so humbled and in love with this AMAZING LITTLE LIFE that God has entrusted to us. THANK YOU GOD for making Maile for US!!!!!

Forever changed, Forever in love with my sweet BABIES...all 3 of them! Wow...(that sounds like a lot of kids, hard to believe I REALLY am the MOMMY of 3 now, esp. growing up as a "Lonely Only.")

LOVE YOU Sweet baby girl!!!! XO Your Mommy FOREVER! XO