Well, it has been one year since we met our little lovebug Charlotte. Words can not describe the last 365 days. Here is a little slideshow I put together to share some of the love she has brought to us. Enjoy!
http://www.smilebox.com/playBlog/4d7a63354d4441784f44673d0d0a&blogview=true
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Monday, December 3, 2012
Surgery Tuesday morning
Well, friends and family, just when you thought the blogging was over...IT'S BAAAAACK! I will try to not overwhelm folks with the details of the last few months...and the details of the next few days. I wanted to let you know that we have appreciated all of the love and support we have received since coming back from China with little Charlotte. She has added an amazing spark to our family, and we are thrilled to be learning about her and loving her every day. Joely is doing wonderfully as the big sister. Charlotte is in love with her and lights up when she sees Joely walk in the room. Awesome.
So, here are some of the highlights of the last few months, as well as a summary of what will happen tomorrow in the surgery. I will try to update the blog as best as I can, so everyone can be informed of the progress.
Highlights:
Sisters rolling in the hand -me-down-Barbie Jeep. Too awesome! Yes, daddy makes Charlotte wear a helmet and walks beside the vehicle with a long stick to keep the door closed. AND yes, she did try to jump out while it was going.
Charlotte would give anything to be in school with Joely. She says hi to every kid on the playground as we walk Joely to class in the mornings. Charlotte carries around her own backpack now, loaded with fake keys, a wallet, and even her own homework bundle.
Yes, this is Davis, CA. We rode our bikes down to campus and got to see the former President of the USA, Mr. William Jefferson Clinton. Charlotte was not impressed.
The Scarecrows and the Farmer at Halloween. Charlotte is a good sport. She was asleep by 7:20.
Our family feels truly blessed to have been able to adopt Charlotte and we seem to have adjusted to each other quite well. God is amazing.
The next few days will be tricky for us all. Charlotte is scheduled to have her cleft lip and palate repaired tomorrow morning in Roseville. We have complete faith and confidence in the medical team. The scarier part is knowing your little girl is probably going to be scared and in pain. Oh boy. We could use your prayers for a smooth operation and recovery. She will be home after only 1 night in the hospital. Yowza. We will keep the blog running to let you all know how we are doing. This parenting thing is pretty amazing. Thanks for being our support system. We need you all!
Much love,
J Kam
So, here are some of the highlights of the last few months, as well as a summary of what will happen tomorrow in the surgery. I will try to update the blog as best as I can, so everyone can be informed of the progress.
Highlights:
Our family feels truly blessed to have been able to adopt Charlotte and we seem to have adjusted to each other quite well. God is amazing.
The next few days will be tricky for us all. Charlotte is scheduled to have her cleft lip and palate repaired tomorrow morning in Roseville. We have complete faith and confidence in the medical team. The scarier part is knowing your little girl is probably going to be scared and in pain. Oh boy. We could use your prayers for a smooth operation and recovery. She will be home after only 1 night in the hospital. Yowza. We will keep the blog running to let you all know how we are doing. This parenting thing is pretty amazing. Thanks for being our support system. We need you all!
Much love,
J Kam
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
We are home
Well, everyone, we made it. Safe and sound back at home. I have to say it is really good to be home. I will post some pictures later. Just wanted to give a brief update of our status, since I have received some panicky emails from my family!
We arrived at SFO to our dear friend and neighbor. He caught some great pictures of our family stumbling out of the baggage terminal...giddy with lack of sleep, too many pineapple buns, and joy at being on solid ground. Once we arrived home, we discovered our house had been beautifully decorated and CLEANED by our dear friends. What a blessing. PLUS a delicious meal was waiting for our 3 am dining pleasure. Awesome.
Charlie and Joely are doing well together. Joely is starting to warm up to the idea of having a little sister. Today she said, "I think it is actually ok to have a little sister now." Phew. She likes to play with Charlie, and has done a great job at getting back into the swing of school.
Charlie is exploring all over the house. She has opened up every cupboard and has spread stuff all over the place. She is really good natured, and has even started teasing me. She hides behind the wall and then looks at me with a giant smile like "peek a boo". Very cute. The bad news is she does not sleep well after 12 am. Phew. Tim and I have spent a lot of time rocking her in our arms, getting her to sleep while we pace the master bedroom walk in closet. Tonight Tim told her in Cantonese that she does not need to be scared here and that Mama and Baba will be here all night and into the morning. She seemed to understand and nodded her head. Then she went to sleep. Please pray that she stays asleep all night.
I want to thank all of you for your kind and encouraging words on this journey. It meant a lot to have a large and loving support group pushing for us back home. I think we will keep the blog going with our progress and upcoming medical appointment information, etc. I hope it will not be obnoxious, merely informative! I will also put up some pictures of our girls at home soon. Love love love, J.
We arrived at SFO to our dear friend and neighbor. He caught some great pictures of our family stumbling out of the baggage terminal...giddy with lack of sleep, too many pineapple buns, and joy at being on solid ground. Once we arrived home, we discovered our house had been beautifully decorated and CLEANED by our dear friends. What a blessing. PLUS a delicious meal was waiting for our 3 am dining pleasure. Awesome.
Charlie and Joely are doing well together. Joely is starting to warm up to the idea of having a little sister. Today she said, "I think it is actually ok to have a little sister now." Phew. She likes to play with Charlie, and has done a great job at getting back into the swing of school.
Charlie is exploring all over the house. She has opened up every cupboard and has spread stuff all over the place. She is really good natured, and has even started teasing me. She hides behind the wall and then looks at me with a giant smile like "peek a boo". Very cute. The bad news is she does not sleep well after 12 am. Phew. Tim and I have spent a lot of time rocking her in our arms, getting her to sleep while we pace the master bedroom walk in closet. Tonight Tim told her in Cantonese that she does not need to be scared here and that Mama and Baba will be here all night and into the morning. She seemed to understand and nodded her head. Then she went to sleep. Please pray that she stays asleep all night.
I want to thank all of you for your kind and encouraging words on this journey. It meant a lot to have a large and loving support group pushing for us back home. I think we will keep the blog going with our progress and upcoming medical appointment information, etc. I hope it will not be obnoxious, merely informative! I will also put up some pictures of our girls at home soon. Love love love, J.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Goodbye China
This is it! We're heading home with Charli today! We're going home Charlotte, to a whole new life but don't worry, Mama's got you. Mama and Daddy are always gonna get you.
I think Tim will miss making new friends so far from home. He is hilarious, keeps saying he doesn't like to talk much but every time I turned around, he was chatting up a storm. He just went about charming everybody he met so, so long to all the people who laughed at Tim's jokes and thanks to the Victory hotel for being so comfy.
Goodbye lovely old people who strap buoys to their chests and swim in the murky green waters of the pearl river. Little bit "ew" but you are an inspiration to people everywhere!
Bye to all of you, young and old, who jog in loafers and flip flops. May nothing slow you down.
Bye to gymnastics guy who did his high bar routine in jeans and an orange polo shirt. So awesome.
Fairwell to the endless steams of brides with jeans and sneakers under their gowns. Happy marriages to you all. Maybe one day you will be called to adopt a little one of your own.
Thank you to the convenience store owners who stopped following us around like we were up to no good. After that first visit, you greeted us with all smiles. You made us feel welcomed.
A really big thanks to our coordinator, Michael. It really would have been a maddeningly frustrating ordeal without him and Tim would have never gotten to visit his parents' villages.
Special shout out to Starbucks and subway sandwhiches for making life just a little bit easier. And FYI: where there's a Starbucks, there should be a western toilet!
Last but decided not least in any way shape or form, a fond farewell to the hotel espresso/coffee dispenser, the morning purveyor of Goo Goo's morning madness! She will miss you!
Goodbye lovely island. Since you dropped the heat and humidity, you've been a darn good host!
I think Tim will miss making new friends so far from home. He is hilarious, keeps saying he doesn't like to talk much but every time I turned around, he was chatting up a storm. He just went about charming everybody he met so, so long to all the people who laughed at Tim's jokes and thanks to the Victory hotel for being so comfy.
Goodbye lovely old people who strap buoys to their chests and swim in the murky green waters of the pearl river. Little bit "ew" but you are an inspiration to people everywhere!
Bye to all of you, young and old, who jog in loafers and flip flops. May nothing slow you down.
Bye to gymnastics guy who did his high bar routine in jeans and an orange polo shirt. So awesome.
Fairwell to the endless steams of brides with jeans and sneakers under their gowns. Happy marriages to you all. Maybe one day you will be called to adopt a little one of your own.
Thank you to the convenience store owners who stopped following us around like we were up to no good. After that first visit, you greeted us with all smiles. You made us feel welcomed.
A really big thanks to our coordinator, Michael. It really would have been a maddeningly frustrating ordeal without him and Tim would have never gotten to visit his parents' villages.
Special shout out to Starbucks and subway sandwhiches for making life just a little bit easier. And FYI: where there's a Starbucks, there should be a western toilet!
Last but decided not least in any way shape or form, a fond farewell to the hotel espresso/coffee dispenser, the morning purveyor of Goo Goo's morning madness! She will miss you!
Goodbye lovely island. Since you dropped the heat and humidity, you've been a darn good host!
Mama, I'm ready! Let's blow this joint...
"Hey Joely, Daddy just wants to thank you for being great this whole trip. I love you so much."
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
One Day Left
It's almost go time people! Today we went to the US consulate for Charlotte's swearing in. Pretty unremarkable but it puts us at 1 day from getting on that plane!!!!! Woohoo!!!! We are primed and ready to go!
Our penguin walking drool monster is turning out to be quite the eater! She's chowing down on some moon cake right and coming at me with an open mouth and two yellow (from egg yolks) rivers of drool on either side of her mouth. I can't wait to take her to pau-pau's (Tim's mom) house. Pau- pau is going to go nuts when she sees we've got another power eater!
Charli is so different from when we first got her. She's walking and laughing and chattering away. She monkeys Joely's movements and is totally picking up English words. We're pretty sure she's saying hi love, hi mama, dada, eat eat and a few others. Man, this kid is adorable! All she needed was a little loving. Wait until you see this sweet face in person.
Charli is my new go to nickname. Somehow Tim came up with Chachamo. He thinks It makes her sound like a fierce warrior. Your guess is as good as mine as to how he came up with Chachamo. This is Tim Kam after all.
I'm so very thankful to God. I know He has been with us on this journey. I see it in the quiet subtle things like how well Charli fits into our family and how she does some of the same things Joely does like pulling on her hair when she's tired. I feel like all the mishaps were opportunities to let go of my anxieties and just trust in God and look how it has panned out!
All right my friends, we'll be home soon. Thank you all for your encouraging comments and all your prayers!
Our penguin walking drool monster is turning out to be quite the eater! She's chowing down on some moon cake right and coming at me with an open mouth and two yellow (from egg yolks) rivers of drool on either side of her mouth. I can't wait to take her to pau-pau's (Tim's mom) house. Pau- pau is going to go nuts when she sees we've got another power eater!
Charli is so different from when we first got her. She's walking and laughing and chattering away. She monkeys Joely's movements and is totally picking up English words. We're pretty sure she's saying hi love, hi mama, dada, eat eat and a few others. Man, this kid is adorable! All she needed was a little loving. Wait until you see this sweet face in person.
Charli is my new go to nickname. Somehow Tim came up with Chachamo. He thinks It makes her sound like a fierce warrior. Your guess is as good as mine as to how he came up with Chachamo. This is Tim Kam after all.
I'm so very thankful to God. I know He has been with us on this journey. I see it in the quiet subtle things like how well Charli fits into our family and how she does some of the same things Joely does like pulling on her hair when she's tired. I feel like all the mishaps were opportunities to let go of my anxieties and just trust in God and look how it has panned out!
All right my friends, we'll be home soon. Thank you all for your encouraging comments and all your prayers!
Charli sure is getting the hang of this playing business!
Joely found a giant chess board. Such an observant kid.
Our two rascals at breakfast.
Looks like Daddy might still be in a state of shock at suddenly having two kids. Bet he's wondering if there are any more Orion pies left in our hotel room!
These's halls were made for walking. Up and down...back and forth...up and down...
Monday, September 17, 2012
Home Sick
This morning we were treated to big daddy belting out "We gotta get out of this place if it's last thing we ever do! " We double, triple and quadruple that!
I'm sure we all have scabies. I just want to come home and take a bath in a mass amount of medication.
It's so interesting, I'm seeing so many similarities between Charlotte and Joely. Chacha likes to put her feet on people's laps just like Joely did when she was little, pulls her hair when she's tired and has that same quiet observant personality.
Chacha is blossoming right before our eyes. She's talking and chatterering. I can't understand anything she's saying but it's fun. She's feeding herself and yesterday after her first bite of broccoli she pointed excitedly to it for more. And she laughs big laughs as of today. It's so awesome!
It is wedding central here. Gobs and gobs of bridal photos with the most awkward poses. Also fashion models galore in wool coats and ski hats in the heat and humidity.
We're headed to the US consulate tomorrow morning but there is a potential protest in front of the consulate too. We need your prayers the all goes smoothly at the consulate. We really need big prayers that none of us get sick. Each of us getting run down and feeling off and my brain is going through all the worst case scenarios . We just want to come home!
This is not one of my most upbeat posts. On a cool note, Tim got to visit not only his mother's village but also his father's. He saw some family and was able to see the sites of both of their childhood homes. It was a highlight for Tim.
So off to bath and sleeping. Charlotte is wiped out. Hopefully no walking the halls tonight!
I'm sure we all have scabies. I just want to come home and take a bath in a mass amount of medication.
It's so interesting, I'm seeing so many similarities between Charlotte and Joely. Chacha likes to put her feet on people's laps just like Joely did when she was little, pulls her hair when she's tired and has that same quiet observant personality.
Chacha is blossoming right before our eyes. She's talking and chatterering. I can't understand anything she's saying but it's fun. She's feeding herself and yesterday after her first bite of broccoli she pointed excitedly to it for more. And she laughs big laughs as of today. It's so awesome!
It is wedding central here. Gobs and gobs of bridal photos with the most awkward poses. Also fashion models galore in wool coats and ski hats in the heat and humidity.
We're headed to the US consulate tomorrow morning but there is a potential protest in front of the consulate too. We need your prayers the all goes smoothly at the consulate. We really need big prayers that none of us get sick. Each of us getting run down and feeling off and my brain is going through all the worst case scenarios . We just want to come home!
This is not one of my most upbeat posts. On a cool note, Tim got to visit not only his mother's village but also his father's. He saw some family and was able to see the sites of both of their childhood homes. It was a highlight for Tim.
So off to bath and sleeping. Charlotte is wiped out. Hopefully no walking the halls tonight!
Chacha wiping her own face for the first time.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Chopper
Who has a chopper?! Come chopper us out! We are so ready! 4 days left. We are on the down slide now. We can do this!
Checked 3 times so far. No signs of lice! Feeling very thankful for this!!!!
The hotel room is trashed! Crumbs and stains all over - on the beds, the chairs, the carpet. Food and supplies covering every possible surface. Overflowing garbage can. Empty water bottles wherever we look. Half bottles of juice, some with no caps. Half eaten loaves of pineapple bread. Coke zero bottles, each with only a few sips left. Joely's books and crafts spread out. I bet if the housekeepers dread coming to our room!
Chachi slept through the night thanks to a little Claritin magic the doctor prescribed. Did I forget to mention that this little one HATES the crib! Think she probably spent too much time in one at the orphanage. So each night Tim pushes the beds together and we sleep family style minus daddy who sleeps on the floor so he won't roll over and accidentally have a smushed Charlotte. Wondering how long before she sleeps in her own bed.
It's only been a short time but we're starting to see her personality. It's encouraging. I think Charlotte likes our crazy family. She watches us and smiles.
Checked 3 times so far. No signs of lice! Feeling very thankful for this!!!!
The hotel room is trashed! Crumbs and stains all over - on the beds, the chairs, the carpet. Food and supplies covering every possible surface. Overflowing garbage can. Empty water bottles wherever we look. Half bottles of juice, some with no caps. Half eaten loaves of pineapple bread. Coke zero bottles, each with only a few sips left. Joely's books and crafts spread out. I bet if the housekeepers dread coming to our room!
Chachi slept through the night thanks to a little Claritin magic the doctor prescribed. Did I forget to mention that this little one HATES the crib! Think she probably spent too much time in one at the orphanage. So each night Tim pushes the beds together and we sleep family style minus daddy who sleeps on the floor so he won't roll over and accidentally have a smushed Charlotte. Wondering how long before she sleeps in her own bed.
It's only been a short time but we're starting to see her personality. It's encouraging. I think Charlotte likes our crazy family. She watches us and smiles.
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