Trying the Bike

It's been a good week. Jodi lost her second tooth which fell right out when she was eating some pizza! The tooth fairy is cheap at our house but she did get a quarter to put in her piggy bank. She tried her bicycle but after a few attempts told me that it was "too hard." She did really try and we'll just have to encourage her to keep it up. We know it's great exercise for her legs but recognize that it really is alot of work for her.

Jodi caught her first cold this week. Her usually sweet little voice was about 2 octaves lower the other morning which sounded funny coming from her! We may have created a monster because she's walking around saying, "Jodi Lang doesn't feel good. Poor Jodi Lang. Poor Jodi Lang." She's healing up well but it's hard to see her sick.

Earlier this week we had the radio on during dinner. We're dating ourselves here but one of Fred's favorite old songs came on the radio called "Funkytown." We were singing it and dancing around in our chairs basically being silly. Out of the blue, here's Jodi singing "Funkytown" right on pitch. We fell out laughing because it was so unexpected. What a cutie! We're gearing up for her to start preschool the week after next. Hard to believe how far we've come in such a short time. So many blessings!!!

Food from the South

Fred officially introduced Jodi to the Waffle House which is new to Asheboro. They had a date night and we discovered that Jodi loves omelettes! Waffle House was mine and Fred's first official date (I had to invite him after a church function...) where we talked until the late hours. It meant alot to now share that with her. We went back to our physician in Concord for followup this week. He was so pleased that she has done so well and we thanked him for his wonderful guidance in caring for Jodi. God has absolutely led us to the right people!

Little Miss Jodi is getting into everything including Mama's makeup when Mama's not around! I was looking for my compact and noticed this trail of powder all over the bathroom only to find my broken compact mysteriously under the towel rack. How did it get there, you may ask??!! Our little girly girl is fascinated with makeup and when asked, proceeded to cry and tell me over and over, "I'm sorry." She has such a conscience and you eventually have to tell her she doesn't need to apologize anymore! Jodi starts preschool in just a few weeks which we can't believe. We're excited for her on the one hand but on the other hand, she will be out of our sight for several hours a day. It's hard when you can no longer control their environment and what they are exposed to. That's when our prayer life gets really good!!!

Jodi has grown 2 inches and gained 5 pounds since coming to America. Fred keeps telling her to slow down so we can have our little girl for a little longer. It's getting harder to pick her up without grunting and sweating but we're still trying!! Love to you all and God bless.

Fun with Nye Nye Huffstetler

This first picture shows Jodi doing her favorite thing now which is winking! It's hilarious because her whole face scrunches up. We laughed the first time she did it so now she does it alot and not always at the best times like winking at people in church!! Nye Nye Huffstetler came and stayed with us a week which was a tremendous help. Jodi had so much fun with her and as you can see from this picture got some beautiful dresses from Nye Nye. Jodi is starting to do more imaginative play now like being Supergirl and running around the house with a blanket tied around her neck. It's so fun to watch this evolve because she didn't know how to play like that at first. Now she has tea parties with Nye Nye and plays mama to her baby doll!

We had our first meeting with a social worker which is required at 6 and 12 months. It went well as far as we could tell so we guess we get to keep her!! Just kidding.... The social worker came out to the house and observed us with her as well as asking alot of questions. Jodi was very sweet, running all around the house and laughing and playing. I really think Jodi is going to be all about the fashion. This morning she came out in her Sunday dress with another bow on the front that she had added by using a hair clip to hold it on. If the dress doesn't twirl, she doesn't want to wear it!! We are continuing to do well and hope you are. Love to you!!

Sleeping Bag Party

Little Miss Jodi got the greatest surprise from her cousin Emily! She is now the proud owner of a Disney Princess sleeping bag which she is so excited about. She wanted to get in it immediately though first putting it over her head because she'd never seen a sleeping bag and didn't know what to do! Her wonderful Baba decided on a "sleeping bag party" so we set up a sheet as a tent and they spent the night under there. Jodi had her flashlight for their campout and I could here the two of them laughing away under their tent. Pretty special!! Earlier that day, we had a great time swimming with her cousins and Baba taught her how to float. She is getting more comfortable in the water and loves the pool!

Jodi is also working on her fashion sense and we think she may have a future in fashion. (OK... maybe not but....) She came out wearing Baba's ties around her waist which looked really cute. She loves to put on her makeup that Aunt Betty gave her when Mama's getting ready. Quite the girly girl!!! We thank God that Jodi got a good report from her neurosurgeon. I think he's as pleased as we are with her progress because as he said, "I've never seen anything like her before and probably never will again!" We don't go back for another 6 months. Jodi is making some progress with her language though she gets frustrated sometimes. She definitely has her moments of pushing limits but still responds to us (which we pray continues!!!). She will often say, "Mama and Baba proud of Jodi Lang." We nod our heads and tell her how much we love her. Thank you for your continued love and support and God bless.

Vacation Bible School

Here's Miss Jodi during our vacation Bible school celebration this morning. At first she was shy about getting up there. Once Baba went up, she joined him and actually did a little dancing. It was very cute! You can see that her shirt says "Fear Not" which was the main theme of their week. I don't know how much she understood but I loved that Jodi heard that all week. Our prayer is that Jodi will one day know beyond any doubt that God loves her and there is nothing to fear with Him by her side. It is truly an honor to be her parents. She definitely has her moments but overall has a precious spirit.

Lately Jodi has wanted me or Baba to lay down with her for "5 minutes" when it's "sleepytime." At first I resisted but one night I went with it and was I glad I did!! Talk about a special time. She snuggles up and gives kisses and repeatedly says, "I love you." I closed my eyes for a minute and when I opened them, she was just staring at my face. I would love to know what's going through her head!! In the orphanage, the children had their own beds lined up next to each other. I've read that some children would hold hands with their neighbor. I got teary just picturing Jodi lying in her bed with noone to call her own and noone to give her hugs or dry her tears. It breaks my heart for her but I thank and praise God that we get to be there for her now.

Jodi has her followup appointment with her neurosurgeon this week and we anticipate a good report. She appears to be doing very well and we are so grateful that God led us to the right surgeon. Wishing you a blessed week and love to you and your family.

Losing Her First Tooth

Here's our cutiepie showing off her "bling"! We definitely have a girly girl on our hands!! She got some beautiful clothes from her cousins Ann, Kat, and Emily and she is loving it. Her new favorite is this gorgeous pink dress (of course). Baba was gone on a youth retreat for a week so she was excited to put on her pretty new dress to greet him. When he got off the van, she went flying over to him with her dress flowing. It was so so sweet. She then showed him and everyone else who would look that she had a very loose tooth! When we got home, Jodi and Baba went to work and pulled it right out. I assured her that a new tooth would take it's place!

Nye Nye Johnson was a huge help, taking care of Jodi while Baba was out of town and Mama worked. Jodi decided that Mama and Baba could go to work and she would just stay home with Nye Nye instead. If only!! One day Nye Nye observed Jodi playing the piano and saw her looking the part of a concert pianist even playing with her eyes closed and giving a big finale at the end. I have no idea where she got that from or when she may have observed someone performing like that. Certainly not from me!

Jodi also got to swim with her friend Keri and watched as Keri went down the water slide. After playing for a while, she decided she wanted to try that slide! She did it a couple of times with Mama waiting at the bottom. She has alot more courage than I ever had!! Jodi continues to bless us every day and we love her more than we can say. Love to all of you!!

Happy 4th of July

Here we are at our first Fourth of July celebration at the mountainhouse. Jodi loved the lake, being out in the canoe and feeding the geese. We couldn't have asked for better weather! It was not too hot and just beautiful. She especially loved the fireworks that we set off and was dancing and prancing all over that dock! She also loved her new princess tiara, ring, and earrings that her friends Taylor and Ryan gave her. I think she was feeling quite the princess since she didn't mind posing for pictures! In case you're wondering, Jodi is actually licking chocolate off of Baba's face because Nye Nye made chocolate fondu and some of it ended up on his cheek. She was so happy and silly all weekend and brought so much joy to us! It's so much fun to see things through her eyes and feel her excitement over new discoveries.

One night when we were going to sleep for the night, Baba told her how proud we are of her. We could hear her sweet little voice in the dark say, "Mama and Baba are proud of Jodi Lang." It was such a special moment, one that we will always treasure. She continues to heal very well and we thank God for that! Love to you all.