Photos: Being a Baby Again

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Lydia is ready for her mom to rock her back and forth on this small swing that is built for infants. Lydia loves to ride on swings -- irrespective of the size of the swing.

November 24, 2007

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While holding the Tigger the Tiger stuffed animal with her left hand, Lydia is reaching out with her right hand.

November 24, 2007

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Lydia is playing with the orange fish that is attached to the swing.

November 23, 2007

Note: All these pictures were taken in the formal living room at Uncle Johnny's and Aunt Ginny's home in Fairfax, Virginia.

Reindeer Pictures and Video

December 2, 2007


Reindeer Pictures and Video


SiowFong has subscribed to a local newspaper for many years. Part of her daily routine is to leaf through it during breakfast. During one of the issues earlier this week, SiowFong read that Swanson’s Nursery is featuring live reindeer that can be viewed by the public free of charge. In addition, parents can bring their child(ren) and their camera(s) to take pictures of their loved one(s) with the reindeer, another complimentary service provided by the nursery that takes place from 11 AM until 2 PM on Saturdays and Sundays through December.

After church this morning while it was raining steadily, we drove through a number of streets that were still partially covered in snow from yesterday’s snowfall to the nursery, which is located in a residential section of Ballard. The bad weather probably limited the number of visitors to the nursery because when we arrived at 11:15 AM, only a few families were lined up for the reindeer pictures.

In the expansive greenhouse area, the reindeer, which SiowFong described as a healthy, clean beast with a full set of fur, stood patiently in place while it was harnessed to a red sleigh. The overcast conditions were perfect for people and wildlife photography and videography. During their five minutes of time, parents were snapping pictures and / or videotaping their child(ren) who sat on that red sleigh. Some parents also wanted a family picture, so they asked the next set of parents to take some pictures of them crouching behind their child(ren) in the sleigh.

Because of the short line, the line moved quickly, and within twenty or twenty five minutes, it was our turn. Lydia quietly sat in the sleigh while her mom videotaped her with the reindeer and while her dad handled the still photography responsibilities of documenting her first encounter with a reindeer and a sleigh. After our time ended, we toured the nursery, during which we saw the two more well-fed reindeer that were resting in their pen. SiowFong took some pictures of dad carrying Lydia while both of them were talking with Santa, and we took some other pictures of Lydia sitting in Santa’s area. By 12:15 PM we were ready to return home for lunch after a great experience at Swanson’s Nursery.

Photos: Lydia and Uncle Johnny

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Uncle Johnny is preparing to hoist Lydia into the air.

November 23, 2007

Living room

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Uncle Johnny's lifting of Lydia into the air has resulted in Lydia's peals of laughter.

November 23, 2007

Living room

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Doesn't the word "fun" come to mind when one looks Lydia's emotions in this picture?

November 21, 2007

Kitchen

Note: All these pictures were taken at Uncle Johnny's and Aunt Ginny's home in Fairfax, Virginia.

Christmas Tree

December 1, 2007


Christmas Tree

Being a parent brings a lot of new experiences into one’s life. Today was one of those first experiences. During all the years in which SiowFong and I have been married, we have never decorated our home with a Christmas tree. Because of Lydia, however, we went searching for the right artificial tree for our home. After visiting a nursery, Costco, a Target, and a Wal*Mart, we finally bought a seven foot tall pre-lit Douglas fir with multicolored lights this morning.

Assembling a modern-day, artificial Christmas tree this evening was an easy task. Connecting the three parts of the tree and the cords for the lights required about fifteen minutes of work. MayLee, SiowFong’s sister, recommended that we place some of Lydia’s soft toys on the trees for decoration, a neat idea that SiowFong tried. The end result is a Christmas tree ornamented with Lydia’s soft toys, the smaller ones nestled in the branches and the larger ones spread out on the floor around the tree. Lydia’s eyes sparkled when she saw the tree lit up for the first time. She even placed her beloved Tigger the tiger, her inseparable companion, in some of the lower branches as a decoration at her mom’s suggestion.


The Tradition of Christmas Trees

“Up until 1851, anyone who wanted a Christmas tree had to travel out to the woods to cut their own. As America was still a very rural society, this was easy for most people. Yet for some New Yorkers, trapped in the city, it was all but impossible. A businessman, Mark Carr, saw opportunity knocking. Just before Christmas, Carr took a huge horse-drawn sled into the Catskills, chopped down scores of evergreens, and hauled them back to New York City. He set the trees on a vacant lot and sold them. Soon Christmas-tree lots could be found in every major American city. . .

By the 1880s, Christmas trees were so popular that many worried the seasonal rush to obtain them would make fir trees extinct. Artificial trees, made out of feathers or brushes, were introduced as an alternative. Though it would take some time, the idea eventually caught on.”

(Source: Ace Collins. Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas. Zondervan: 2003. pages 74 – 75.)

Photos: Lydia and Grandparents

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Lydia and Pa Chin are sitting on her favorite chair.

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"Yeh Yeh" (Chinese for paternal grandfather. . .i. e. Pa Chin), Lydia, and Ma Chin


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Ma Chin feeding Lydia her morning bottle of milk while Pa Chin is sitting nearby.

November 22, 2007

Note: All these pictures were taken in the living room at Uncle Johnny's and Aunt Ginny's home in Fairfax, Virginia.

Bethany Christmas Luncheon

December 1, 2007


Bethany Christmas Luncheon

Once a year, during the first Saturday of December, the local office of Bethany Christian Services, the largest national adoption agency, hosts a brunch at Mountlake Terrace Community Church for the families who have worked with the agency and who have adopted domestically and internationally. Even though we did not adopt Lydia through Bethany, Marge, our Bethany social worker, has been doing Lydia’s post-placement studies since Lydia’s return to the states; as a result, we were invited to this event.

Fifty other parents and children attended this event, which was held in the large multipurpose room of the church. We sat at a table where two families had adopted children from Guatemala. One family had two adopted Guatemalan children, a boy who is nine years of age (adopted when he was four years old) and a girl who is four years of age (adopted when she was 14 months old). The other family had adopted their son who is now fourteen months of age when he was six months old. Every country has its own procedures for international adoption, and it was interesting to hear about the unique wrinkles of the Guatemalan adoption process. For example, adoptive parents may visit the child and the foster family before the adoption is finalized. In addition, the visit to finalize the adoption usually only requires staying in Guatemala three days.

After a filling brunch, parents could bring their child(ren) to another room that was set up for arts and crafts activities using crayons, stickers, and markers. During this time, SiowFong chatted with several parents who had adopted children from China, and a number of these adopted children originated from Jiangxi Province also. One family adopted three special needs Chinese children, all of whom were doing well. Lydia enjoyed this time even more than the lunch because she had the opportunity to play with the other children, something that she could not do while she was eating.

At the end of the event, each child received a small gift bag, inside which contained a candle, a candy cane, and a pair of luggage tags. We had a lovely time, and we look forward to participating in this event in future years.

Photos: Lydia with Uncle Johnny, Aunt Ginny, and Cousin Fei Hung

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Lydia, Cousin Fei Hung, and Aunt Ginny are playing with puzzles on the coffee table.

November 21, 2007

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Aunt Ginny is sitting with Lydia in Lydia's favorite chair in their home, a two seat lawn chair that is made for a child.

November 23, 2007

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Uncle Johnny, Lydia, and Aunt Ginny

November 25, 2007

Note: All pictures were taken in the living room of Uncle Johnny's and Aunt Ginny's home in Fairfax, Virginia.

Unsportsmanlike Conduct

November 29, 2007


Unsportsmanlike Conduct

Ever since Lydia entered day care, her behavior and interactions with her peers and her teachers has been fine. Lydia has been affectionate with her schoolmates, such as hugging them and waving bye bye to them, and she has treated her peers respectfully. She also listens to any instruction given to her by an adult, and she helps Abida, her teacher, and Jennifer, the teacher’s assistant, to put away the toys.

Today, however, was a different story. When SiowFong picked up Lydia this afternoon, Abida reported to SiowFong that Lydia evidenced an unusual amount of aggressiveness this week. Two days ago when Lydia returned to day care from her Thanksgiving break, she began pushing some of her classmates. Today her actions escalated. During various times of the day, Lydia pulled Amaya’s hair, struck Zachary’s head with her hand, and bludgeoned Jaimeson with a toy frying pan made of plastic, causing her victim to burst into tears. Fortunately after Abida verbally disciplined Lydia, Lydia stopping doing those things.

On the way home SiowFong noted that Lydia was unusually quiet, and during their trip home, SiowFong discouraged Lydia’s aggressive behavior and informed Lydia that such action can hurt people. When I returned home, I reinforced Abida’s and SiowFong’s messages to Lydia. All of us hope that this atypical behavior ends today.

Photos: Lydia and Grandma Chin

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Ma Chin is feeding Lydia her morning bottle of milk.

November 22, 2007

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Lydia is holding two stuffed animals while taking a picture with Ma Chin.

November 25, 2007

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Lydia and her "Ah Mah" (paternal grandmother in Chinese) are laughing about something.

November 25, 2007

Note: All these pictures were taken in the living room at Uncle Johnny's and Aunt Ginny's home in Fairfax, Virginia.

Line of Sight

November 28, 2007


Line of Sight

“From the moment the umbilical cord is cut, life is full of separations. With each new phase of development comes a new one. Taking solid foods eventually leads to weaning from mother’s breast, crawling and walking to less need for carrying. On that long road to adulthood, countless other occasions for separation lie ahead: the first morning at nursery school, the first night of sleep-away camp,, the first day of college.” (Arlene Eisenberg, Heidi Murkoff, and Sandee Hathaway. What to Expect: The Toddler Years. Workman Publishing: 1994. page 21.)

SiowFong and I have learned months ago that as long as Lydia can clearly see one or both of us, she feels secure. If she hears one of both of us but cannot see us because we are not within her line of sight, she gets nervous – even at home, and her calling out of “mama” and / or “baba” becomes more frequent and frantic. One benefit of day care has been that the experience has taught Lydia that on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, separations from mom and dad are a normal part of the life and that these separations are temporary as she will be reunited with her parents eight to nine hours later.

Two weeks ago, I arranged with Teresa, the Spanish playgroup teacher, and the parents to make individual portraits of the infants and toddlers who participate in the Spanish playgroup. Today was picture day, so I could not shadow Lydia and help her with the playgroup activities. Fortunately Claudia, a mother who faithfully attends the playgroup, took care of Lydia and Breana, her daughter, while I was busy. Because I was within her line of sight, Lydia felt comfortable, content, and confident enough to engage in all the normal playgroup activities. She also periodically walked back to me to see what I was doing, to look into the camera’s LCD screen, and to just be with me. At the end of the session, Lydia had enjoyed herself, I was able to take some decent photos of her peers. Each mother will receive a photo CD of her child’s pictures as well as two 5 x 7 inch prints of the best images that I will give them during the next Spanish playgroup.

Photos: Lydia and Fei Hung

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Lydia and Fei Hung playing with puzzles on the coffee table in the living room.

November 21, 2007

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Fei Hung and Lydia are posing for the camera.

November 25, 2007


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Fei Hung and Lydia are making faces at one another.

November 24, 2007


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Lydia and Fei Hung playing with the Fisher Price Farmhouse
with which my sisters and I played when we were children.

November 25, 2007

Note: All these pictures were taken in the living room at Uncle Johnny's and Aunt Ginny's home in Fairfax, Virginia.

Headed Home

November 26, 2007


Headed Home

It was good to have seen everybody at Johnny’s, Ginny’s, and Fei Hung’s home during the last few days. Today, however, was the day to take our return flight home. We left the house at 3:00 PM, reaching Dulles International Airport by 3:45 PM. Our flight was 5:30 PM, so we were unhurried as we went through ticketing and security.

Although some children do not tolerate trips on airplanes, Lydia does well on flights. Through a combination of her mom’s preparedness (bringing toys, games, and food) and her own temperament (her patience, her ability to sit for long periods of time without complaining, and her capacity to sleep during the flight), Lydia would be appropriately classified as a child who handles air travel well. Lydia again did not disappoint us this evening with her behavior during the flight.