Six Years Old.......

Emma Yun turns six years old tomorrow and has been home for six months now. She is doing amazingly well and loves her new life. Since my last posting was in November I added pictures from Christmas when Emma Yun spent quality time with her cousins.

In six months Emma's english has really taken off. She understands everything and can speak really well for having been here such a short time. Every week she adds words and sentences. One of her first sentences was "I don't like you" (used when she was not getting her way) which was quickly followed by a new word "naughty" - what she heard when she said "I don't like you"....... To be fair she also sweetly says "I love you". Her favorite word has to be "Mommy". I have often thought about keeping track of how many times she says "Mommy" in one day. She can count to 40, sing the ABCs and repeats everything said to her. There are still a few vietnamese words spoken but the other night while out eating at a Vietnamese restaurant we go to quite often I asked our waitress to speak to Emma in vietnamese. Emma just looked at her and said she did not understand. Three months ago Emma would talk to this same women in vietnamese. I struggle with whether I should help her retain her vietnamese language and still don't fully know what to do. Right now I am doing nothing because I want the sole focus to be on english.

Emma is playing with toys and dolls more than she ever has. Her favorite game is still peek-a-boo/hide and seek which is what I think they played in her orphanage, however, in spurts she will play with her barbies and dollhouse. I just assumed Emma would be rough with her toys and break and/or lose alot of her things. Totally not the case. Emma is very careful with her things and knows where everything is, even if it has been wrapped, placed in a baggy, placed in a purse and hidden under a stuffed animal. Although she cannot read, she loves her books and ends each day "reading" to me. I tried reading to her, but Emma is a completely in charge type of girl and its easier all the way around if she does the "reading".

Emma is very strong willed and will try to do almost everything by herself... except walk! She is a bundle of energy and spends recess at school running around the playground but if I'm around she wants to be carried. I know she is six but I don't mind and I have carried her ever since Vietnam when I feared she might run away if I put her down. I felt it was good bonding for us, however, now that she has officially turned six we talked about her walking on her own and she agreed. We'll see how it goes.

Emma has gained a few pounds but we still struggle with finding a variety of food she will eat. Vegetables are not eaten in any shape or form. Chocolate ice cream was added to the list over Christmas! Chips probably are at the top of her list but are thankfully followed closely by fruit. So when she asks for chips for breakfast and does not get any, she is totally fine with a fruit or two.

Having not had a mommy her first 5 and 1/2 years I wonder what she thinks of me. I got a glimpse into her mind at a birthday party. A little girl came up and asked me to open her water and here came Emma exclaiming that I was not the little girl's mommy. Kind of cute.

Life just keeps getting better with Emma -we have come a long ways in six months!!

Halloween, Football and Fall fun........

Emma has been home 14 weeks and she is doing great! Words are now coming out in small sentences and she understands alot more than she can verbalize. I thought she might be scared of Halloween because she does not like the dark and she did not like all the scary Halloween decorations.....I was wrong. She of course was a princess, and she loved Halloween. She went trick or treating with our neighborhood kids and once she caught on she could not be stopped. She ran as hard as she could from house to house. Her veil had to go because it slowed her down. After we finished trick or treating she sat on our steps and passed out candy. I don't think she found one candy she liked but she could have cared less.

Emma went to her second OU football game where we met my college roommate who Emma thinks is the greatest. This time we stayed until mid third quarter which would not have been possible if we had not had empty seats around us.

Last week Emma had some sad times, which may be some sort of grieving that she cannot communicate to me. She also had a crown put on a tooth that was causing her pain which may have been part of her problem, but this week has started out good, her typical happy self.

Eleven weeks home....

Emma's transition is amazing. She is a very happy child and is trying hard to fit into her new life. She is now talking in a few small sentences of which the first one was "I don't like that one." She's also picking up a few spanish words so Emma currently is using english, vietnamese, spanish and jibberish to communicate - it's quite an interesting mix.

She loves school. My first teachers conference went well - Emma is right on track in most areas but could use improvement with her loud voice. She is very social at school and has adjusted well to full days. She's been to a birthday party for one of her classmates who she now refers to as "Happy birthday Henry". She also plays school soccer (or at least she is on the team) and although her idea of soccer is chasing her little girlfriend on the team she is having fun.

She does not like the Halloween decorations at all. In the stores she makes a face everytime we come across anything halloween. She does not like the dark at all. If it is dark she is supposed to be in bed and there is no changing her mind on this.

First round of shots are done, all blood work is done and 1/3 or her post-placement homestudy is done.

Seven weeks today......

Emma Duong has been home seven weeks today! She is really adjusting well and has a happy personality (well, unless you tell her no!). She has moved up to full day school and reports back from her teachers is that she is doing great. She has made a couple of friends at school. One is three and the other is her age - 5. Last week we got her Certificate of Citizenship in the mail and Emma Duong took it to school for show and tell. Emma Duong of course has no idea what it is but it has her picture on it so she loves it.

The most common word used to describe Emma Duong by people who have observed her in action is fearless. She hesitates for a bit when trying something new but when she finally does she watch out! She loves parks and playground equipment, she loves her bike and she loves to run. Unfortunately all of these activities require boundaries to be set and that is currently a big problem for us. Running is okay since I run myself I can keep her under control. The bike is definately a problem and even the playground is a problem because she just takes off and never looks back to see where I am. The language barrier is hurting us in this category. Since she is fearless, on Monday she is starting a gymnastics class once or twice a week - I think she will love it.

Emma Duong talked on the phone to her little buddy from Vietnam who was adopted at the same time as Emma D. The converstion was short and mainly just saying her name but Emma D. was excited and has talked about her another child at the orphanage quite a bit since the phone call. I have a picture of the 3 kids in her room and since the call she has slept with the picture. She doesn't act sad but she does expect to see them soon.

Emma D's uncle came to see her this week. There were a few tears shed when he arrived - the last time she had seen him was in Vietnam. She recognized him and all we can determine is that she thought he might take her away. She is still unsure of what is happening in her life and daily needs assurance that I am going to be there. She will point to herself and me and if I say yes (ie we are going to be together that day) she is satisfied.

Oh, Emma Duong can sing Boomer Sooner.....

Miss Emma.........

Emma Duong has been home five weeks now and things are going well. She is a very happy little girl who is trying hard to fit into her new world. In five weeks Emma Duong has: started school at the Undercroft Montessori where she currently goes for 1/2 day and according to the teachers is delightful; attended her first OU football game successfully; and ran in her first 1km fun run with a time of 10 minutes 25 seconds (but who's counting).

Emma repeats almost everything you say but has yet to put english words into a sentence. She still jabbers non-stop in vietnamese but knows the important english words that help her get by: bathroom, hungry, no way, shopping and thank you.

I was told by her caregivers that she liked to sing and they were right. She sings non-stop. Once she has heard a tune a couple of times she has it down.. the words are a bit interesting but the tune is usually perfect. She sings at night in bed, she sings in the car, and now most of the tunes are from some sing-along cds she got at her Welcome Home shower. I have not heard a vietnamese song in awhile.

Each week is getting better and better for Emma and I and I am so looking forward to the day the language barrier goes away and we can talk. We do communicate well, but it is alot of pointing and one word sentences.

Emma's Welcome Home Shower.....

Saturday my great friends gave Emma Duong a "Welcome Home" shower. It was wonderful and Emma got many gifts. I was really unsure of how she would react, and yes she definately was over-stimulated, but she loved it and was really good. It did not take her long to understand that every present was hers and she had a blast opening and playing with her presents. As you can tell from the pictures the shower took a wrong turn when we came upon presents wrapped in purple and white (a color combination that Emma will learn to dislike). Inside the presents were all kinds items bearing some weird Kansas State Wildcat logo. Naturally one of the outfits she chose to wear the next day (yes we go through at least two outfits a day) was the awful purple and white. She still has alot to learn!!!!! Emma also got some dress up clothes that she ended the day in. She wants to wear them to school tomorrow but unfortunately for her, mom has the last word in what she wears to school.

Emma and I are definately adjusting to each other. For all she is going through she is doing great, probably better than I am right now. Although we can communicate with each other fairly well, I really miss the ability to ask her how she is doing and what she thinks about her new life. This week I am going to try and set up a meeting with a Vietnamese family that can talk to her and just make sure she is okay. Based on her actions alone I think she is fine but would like confirmation. She is picking up English words every day, Thank you, I love you, School, Mimi, Oh no, Patty, Bye bye, hot.... She still calls me the Vietnamese name for mom.

First Day of School.......

Today Emma started school and it was a successful day! Since we still have the language barrier I asked Thomas from my adoption agency to ride with me to drop her off and explain where she was going and that I would be back to pick her up. Thomas is from Vietnam and visiting the home office of my agency. Although it was obvious she was nervous and scared to get out of the car she did with no tears. School is only for an hour this week. When I came back to pick her up she was walked to my car by one of her teachers who said everything went well. The other teacher gave me two thumbs up. Parents are not allowed to get out of the car, it strictly pull in let your child get out with help from teachers and leave. Emma says school and I have heard this word several times today. Tonight we picked out her clothes for school and she was so excited. She understood exactly what were were doing. I know she misses being around children and the school setting has to be close to her days in the orphanage, or at least closer than spending everyday with me. I put Emma in school so soon for two reasons: 1. I did not want her to start in the middle of school when the other children were already comfortable with each other; and 2. She is 5 1/2 and very social. She has been with me for just 3 weeks and I already know that she is a child that needs to be around other children. School is starting very slowly with this first week at only one hour. Next week will be three hours and then when the teachers think she is ready school will go all day.

She is doing so well I am amazed. She no longer cries at bedtime but tonight did stomp her little leg when I put down our book and turned off the light. Stomping quit and she was asleep in 5 minutes. She loves taking a bath and figured out how to take a bath all on her own. I think it is really a condensed swim lesson as she is floating on her back and pushing off on end to the next most of the time, but still, she loves it. There are sad/tearful times but I am not sure what causes them. Tired? Communication issues? Sad? Probably a mix of all the changes in her little life. The sad/tearful times do not come often.

There are a few things that Emma does that are probably related to orphanage living. I found a banana in the hall closet. She eats like a little pig (but she is eating and I am glad). She is very independant. Although she is sleeping in my bed she wants no covers and does not use the pillow. She is very loud and can be rough if not watched when she is around other kids. When she falls, and she has several times, she laughs. I have never seen her cry from a mishap and some of them have been pretty hard.

Cats are traumatized, dog wonders why on earth this little one has moved in, but all in all we are doing great!