Father's Day and Baptism Day

First Father's Day for Tony and Meighan!

After a good night's sleep (finally, that's happening more often now!), we got up and ate a little breakfast. We gave Daddy/Tony our Father's Day cards. Then after we got all ready, we dressed Meighan in the dress we'd ordered from China. It is silk and champagne colored and has dragons and phoenixes embroidered on it. It is called a qipao (chee-pow). We left for church a little earlier than normal. This was Bible School Sunday so there were going to be more people in church today.

We got to church and most of our family and friends were there already or got there when we were getting there. We found a couple rows for us all to sit in. There were two other younger babies also being baptized today. Most of the service centered around the many kids on stage (maybe 150-200!) while they did their singing. When it was time for the baptisms, we all got up and lined up. Once Pastor Bruce finished taking pictures of the three families and Pastor Nancy did the questions for the parents and sponsors, Nancy took the littlest baby and Bruce took the other little one AND Meighan. We told him he was brave. The two younger babies didn't care about the water on their heads but Meighan didn't much like it. Then, as we all sang "Jesus Loves You," Bruce took his two babies down the center aisle to meet people and Nancy took her baby around to meet people.

After church we took everyone out to eat at the China Buffet restaurant just down the street from the church. It was an easy way to feed everyone and WE didn't have to cook and everyone got to eat what they wanted. If anyone left hungry it was their own fault! We took some pictures before everyone left.

We got in the car and drove to Council Bluffs to see a friend of Tony's. We had seen him before we left for China and had said we'd stop again sometime after we got home. He was real glad to see us as he is pretty much confined to a wheelchair and easy chair. He doesn't say much but he knows who we are and was very glad to meet Meighan. Meighan, on the other hand, got antsy partly because she'd just woken up and partly because she was probably hot in her qipao. She also wanted to go outside but it's a nasty hot and humid day today (and the forecast isn't much better for the week!).

We got home and there's no taking a nap for any of us today! I was hoping she'd go down for a nap so I could take a nap but nothin' doin'!

Reflecting on our first 2 1/2 months with Meighan, Tony is a pretty awesome dad. He plays with her and it's so fun to watch him with her. Lately she's figured out that it's fun to get a ride on Daddy's back while he crawls around on the floor. She loves bathtime and I think Daddy loves spending that time with her. When we are hanging out when Daddy comes home from work and Meighan hears the door open, she runs into the kitchen in her cute little way to greet him. He looks so comfortable holding her (like she belongs).

We keep trying new foods and she likes most tastes. Textures are a different thing. She likes peaches and pears but they have to feel like applesauce. She likes most cookies and crackers but we've decided those need to be very limited. We need to try to get more fruits and veggies in her. She has a sweet tooth!

Speaking of teeth, I think I am now seeing an 11th tooth coming in! AND she loves milk and is getting better and better drinking from a cup.

On June 13, Tony went racing and that day/evening, Meighan figured out how to line up Legos so she can actually push them together! That's definitely a new skill. She knew they went together. She just would push with all her might and they just would not go together! Today she put 5 Legos together! And we have several things that make music when buttons are pushed. Sometimes she has 2-3 music things going at once!

Last Monday Meighan had tubes put in her ears. She came home with an ear infection and fluid behind her eardrums and the doctor recommended the tubes to avoid damage to her hearing later on. I certainly want her to continue enjoying music so this made sense. Whenever we are in church and there's music, Meighan dances!

Well, enjoy the pictures from today and I'll post again so keep watching!

Eating ice cream with Daddy! It's COLD!

Just A-Swingin' !

Today we acquired a swingset for Meighan. Our neighbors offered theirs as their daughter has outgrown it. So Tony and Bob walked it down and Meighan can now swing. We need a baby swing and may have one of those that was offered from my cousin. Meighan LOVES the slide as you can see by the picture below.


We also received her dress today that she will be baptized in. We ordered it from China and it is a traditional Chinese style dress. I will also have to look for a slightly different color of shoe because white shoes won't really go with this color. I wasn't completely sure what color it would be. I ordered a 12-month size. It fits but if her arms are down, it is a "maxi" dress! If she grows up and not out, she will be able to wear it for quite a while!

We also received a letter a couple days ago that we will soon have her social security number. It's not hard to get at all. You just need to wait for the Certificate of Citizenship and then apply for the number which is all free.

We bought her some SHOES!

One of my earlier posts before we left for China told that I was thinking "I can't wait to buy her some shoes!" Well, we finally bought her some shoes!

Actually we bought her 3 pairs of shoes! I know we bought her the squeaky shoes in China but those aren't that well made or good for her feet and they are actually all too big for her tiny feet. Sunday we were at Walmart and got her some tennis shoes and a pair of shoes and a pair of sandals she can wear to church. We will be having her baptized on Father's Day so we got some shoes for that.

I think she walks more confidently outside with the tennis shoes on and they are so cute!

We need to get outside a little more because she likes outside and I need to walk more due to some back problems I've been having. So... out we go!

Memorial Weekend

Well, Friday we went and applied for Meighan's Social Security Number. We should have the card in 3-4 weeks. We then went to Westroads to see if we could find a dress for her baptism. The store I wanted to check is now closed. We had lunch with Tony, Tim and Bryan and then went to see if the same store at Oakview was still open. They are but they don't have little kids' clothes. So I'm ordering her dress online direct from China.

Saturday evening we walked down to our neighbor's place. He was having a "going away party" for some neighbors who had been in the neighborhood for many years. The people that bought their place were also there. Meighan played in the playhouse, the little slide and they hung the baby swing up and she enjoyed that, too.

We found out this weekend that Meighan likes potato salad, hot dogs, and even ice cream (cold!). While I was at "Wicked" last night she sat in Tony's lap and actually ate ice cream! DARN! She LIKES it! Less for us! She also likes Cheetos, potato chips, chocolate chip cookies, brownies although we need to limit that kind of stuff! We are also getting more "daddy" sometimes instead of "da da". She can also point to "mama".

"Wicked" was a really good show! I didn't know the show at all and had only heard part of one song, "Popular", previously. I think my favorite song was "For Good" that summed up the show very well. The singers were awesome, the music was great, the set and costumes were fantastic! I'm glad I got to see the show. And, yes, I took binoculars and was glad I had them. Since I didn't know the show, it was good to be able to see their faces and lips so I could understand the words and story better. They worked well because there were several songs that were just solos, duets, or trios. When the whole cast was on stage it worked better just to watch the whole stage, as far away as it was.

Certificate of Citizenship

Today was fairly eventful.

This morning we spoke at the NCHS International Information Sharing Meeting. We basically told about our adoption journey (thus far) to the couples that were there to learn about international adoption. In the afternoon they were going to have the Domestic Information Sharing Meeting. We had been to both meetings -- the domestic when we first got started thinking about adoption and the international back in November of '07 when we started thinking about international adoption. Meighan roamed the room and made some friends.

On the way home I stopped downtown and got my ticket for "Wicked"! Can't wait to see it though I think I'll need binoculars where I'm sitting!

This afternoon when the mail came, Meighan's Certificate of Citizenship arrived from the Department of Homeland Security! Yeah! It has the picture that was taken as her visa picture while we were in Guangzhou. Now we can get her SSN in one step instead of two and also get her American passport, I think!

Meighan also received another package in the mail! It was a pink rain slicker! It's really cute and she'll be able to wear it for a long time!

Our First Mother's Day

We celebrated our first Mother's Day yesterday. It was Meighan's first Mother's Day WITH a mother! We went to church in Murdock and she did very well. She actually does quite well in church as long as we bring snacks and her little ducky. Shoes and socks eventually come off everywhere (especially in the car!).

After church we all went over to Quarry Oaks Golf Course where they had a WONDERFUL brunch! Everyone is amazed at how good of an eater Meighan is! She had coffee cake, scrambled eggs, part of a biscuit, hash browns. We tried pineapple and cantelope but it all came out. When I ate my pineapple I realized it was a little tart. Oh well. She liked it once. She'll like it again!

After lunch we went back to my parents and she was asleep by the time we got there. She slept a good hour and a half! Then we gave her a bottle and went to Tony's family's get-together. They had more food, of course, and I just couldn't eat anymore and be comfortable. Meighan ate a Graduates later on when she was actually hungry. We got home in time to get settled for Sunday TV (Desperate Housewives).

Her follow-up with the ENT doctor went well. The fluid is still behind her eardrums so she will probably end up with tubes very soon -- a common thing these days with all kids, not just cleft lip/palate kids.

My mom, Lindsay and Tyler came up on Friday to watch Meighan while I got my tomatoes and beans planted in the garden. I had gotten the garden tilled the night before and was all ready with everything when they got there. They got her so worn out that after I gave her her lunch, she fell asleep in the high chair! She slept a little while that afternoon. It was kinda nice being able to change a diaper on a sleeping child for once!

On Saturday we went to two different graduation parties in Murdock and Weeping Water. That was a different schedule for her, too. Weekends are really hard when we change schedules and activities around.

Our one-month follow-up report is due by May 17 so we will be talking to our caseworker soon. We stopped by there a while back so he could meet her.

Here's a picture taken yesterday. Her hair is growing but it will still be a while before she gets her first American haircut!

Her Name

I realized today when I was telling someone else that I haven't explained why Meighan is the perfect name to those who weren't at the airport. We gave cards out at the airport explaining her name. We had her name and spelling picked out before we got the referral. The cards said:

Meighan Beibei Smith
Our Pearl from the Pearl River Delta
Megan (Welsh) = Pearl
Beibei = Flower's Bud (beauty)

We spelled Meighan this way to make it look more Asian. She ended up being from the Pearl River Delta so Meighan was the perfect name. Beibei was the name given her by the orphanage and fits, too. We think she's quite a beauty!

A little more explanation: The pronunciation is "May-Gan". "Mei" in Chinese is pronounced "may". "Mei Mei" in Chinese means "little sister". Hence, "Beibei" is pronounced "bay-bay".