"What are YOU doing?"

That's most of the conversation I have with AL on the phone during the week. Angi calls me at work sometimes during the day or I call home to see how things are. I hear "BaBa!" in the background and Angi puts her on the phone. She gets on the phone and says "BaBa!" then giggles in a way only she can. It makes me smile... The same way that I smile when I hear my three boys say something in a way that only they can say it. Life is good sometimes. After the phone introductions with AL we have a conversation that starts off with me asking her what she's been doing which results in us saying back and forth repeatedly, "What are YOU doing?" With emphasis on the word "You." Then we will play a phone tennis match with the phrase "You're silly." But when she says it, it sounds like she has a British accent; "You're Sully!" It's cute yes but of course we have to move on. Now we have added "You're goofy!" The giggles continue and then she excitedly starts to tell me something in Chinese and I of course do the usual, "really?" Until she runs out of gas and then it's "Let me speak to MaMa." I love progress.

Then there is the communication at home. I arrive home from work one day with AL greeting me at the door with a toy bicycle that came with an action figure one of the boys used to have. She was fascinated with it and showed it to me. After dinner we were sitting at the table and she pointed at different parts on the bicycle and in Chinese she was saying, (I assume), "what's this?" So I pointed at the part she was inquiring about and named it. Handles, handlebar, brakes, wheels, tires, chain, headlight, etc... We went through every part of that bicycle. She showed me how she could spin the wheels and we took turns spinning the wheels. Then she kept putting a pencil next to the bike and leaning the bike towards it. She was saying something in Chinese waiting for me to get it. She would stop to let me think and then she would do the whole thing over again. She's a smart girl. She saw the wheels turning in my head. It took me a little while but then it dawned on me... "kickstand." The toy bicycle didn't have a kickstand. So I said, "Oh, kickstand?", while I made the motion of the bike leaning against the pencil. She nodded her head in agreement. An understanding was made. Progress... This is how we are communicating. When I named the bike parts she repeated them the best she could in English. She likes to learn and is very willing.

I know she gets frustrated when she is trying to explain something or ask a question in Chinese. But she doesn't really show it. She is very patient and works with us to sort it out. We have different methods which include hand motions, pictures, and having her show us or take us to what she is talking about. We do know a limited amount of the Chinese words or phrases she uses. But like I said, it's limited. She is still picking up more words everyday. Now SHE's saying no. Angi took her to a store yesterday and would show her something. Anna Lin would say "no" if she wasn't interested. ("I was getting a little frustrated because she was passing on some cute purses! I mean this was a big warehouse sale. Shopping 101 silly girl. You always say yes!" -Angi) Angi said the people at the store were laughing at her cuteness and talking about her being a girly girl. All in all it's going pretty good on the communication side.

Now...what have WE been doing? I'm not sure how many people are reading this anymore but if you still are you have probably been wondering where we've been. One, if we posted about everyday like we were it would be a bit monotonous because it isn't like the day by day excitement in China. (Between the trip to another country and meeting our daughter, we definatley had a lot to say!) Two, it's been very busy since we've been home especially with me at work, the boys in school, and keeping up with little bit. I have not been feeling well at all for about a week. I've pretty much been coming home and going to bed. Not too good. Angi was sick the first week back and has been busy with AL. She does not like to be on the computer when AL is up and at 'em because that takes time away from her. So, like I said we have been busy... We'll do our best to keep this going but it will probably be on a weekly basis, unless something big happens.

Group Hug Part II - I also continue to be humbled and touched by the people who come up to me at work and even when we're out that ask how we're doing and congratulating us. It is unexpected but that's what makes it so touching. We have a lot of great support out there and I can't tell you how much we appreciate it. I have also been overwhelmed by all of your generosity. We live in a world where the focus is usually on all of the bad but I continue to see an abundance amount of good around us. The blessings we have help make us who we are...

- Ric
(Very good post sweetie! I've edited only a tad. ;-) -Angi)