Christmas Spirit

We are having such a great time getting into the Christmas Spirit this year. I shopped all online this year, and had all my shopping done by Black Friday. The kids and I made special Christmas ornaments for the Grandparents and Godparents, along with a few other special homemade gifts. We baked some cookies already and I plan to make many more.
My goal this year was to encounter less stress. Over the past years, I have tried too hard to accomplish the things I wanted to do for Christmas, but it was stressful. This year, my goal is not just to do the special holiday traditions, baking and crafts, but to really have it mean something to my children. Thus, we do a little something each night, but on a much smaller scale. As a teacher, I have many students who are in need this year, so I am trying to teach my children to give in ways that we are afforded, and clean out our closets and pass things on that may bless others in some small way. We are taking time to truly experience the traditions and are enjoying doing them as a family without the haste. Most importantly, we are really trying to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. T.J. has been learning about the Advent Calendar and practicing it. Jili is learning about Jesus.
I am really looking forward to the holiday break, but unfortunately I work right up until the 23rd this year. We try to do something special each night when I get home from work. Tonight, Jili picked out our Christmas tree. Last year, we forfeited our artificial tree for a real tree - T.J. picked out last year's tree. This year, it was Jili's turn to pick it out - and she talked about it for the past week. Jili, by the way, is coming out of her shell - she is becoming brutally honest. When we arrived, it was cold out and I was tired, so I pointed to a nice tree, hoping to hurry her along. I told the woman at the stand, "I'd better consult with my daughter, because it is her choice this year." Jili responded, "No, I don't want that one. Hmmm. Let me see." Then, she proceeded to select a really beautiful tree that was the same type as mine, but fuller, and much nicer. She was so proud of her choice. Scott had the privilege of loading that beauty.
In closing, here are a few photos from the Santa in town that is free. Both Jili and T.J. determined that he was the real Santa, because any Santa who would do it for free "is just doing a really nice thing and has to be real."
Merry Christmas Blessings to you and yours!
Jill :)

Halloween Costumes

Here's a picture of the kids Trick-or-Treating at the Briarwood Mall.

Check out this 33 second video on Lili's Service Dog

This is the cutest video. I hope it puts a smile on your face. This is a video of a little girl named Lili, who was adopted by the Dubbs family shortly after our Jiliang came home. Lili received her service dog puppy recently, and the Dubbs family is raising money to train this precious little Service pup to be Lili's hearing dog.

You can purchase raffle tickets to win an IPad or 2 beautiful quilts on Lili's blog:
2 ticketes for $10, or 5 tickets for $20
Check out Lili's blog to support this great cause: http://bringinghomeyun.blogspot.com/2011/10/lilis-hearing-dog-now-has-name.html#comment-form

Jili's School Pictures, Updates, and China Memories

Today was Jili's Picture Retake Day. She wore her new wig for the first time, which has a different fit to it. Children With Hair Loss made her a different style of wig, because she was due for a new one, AND because (if you recall) Jili cut the side of her last wig off about a month ago. Her new wig is not a custom fit, so it feels like it is not on all the way. However, it looks so beautiful. We are so thankful to Children With Hairloss for her beautiful hair piece.

I was so afraid that Jili's wig would fall off before her afternoon picture retakes, but it luckily it looked very nice. My mom was there when she got her pictures taken, and assured me that they turned out really cute, and yes, Jili was smiling. One of the issues that we are dealing with right now is the helmet versus the wig. She wears her helmet for gym and recess. The helmet comes on and off at least 3 times a day and sometimes it pulls the wig off. Jili is also growing out of the helmet, so it comes on and off really tight. She had an appointment to get a new helmet back in September/October. Unfortunately, our insurance company denied it at first, and it was very expensive. Fortunately, our pediatrian vouched that it was medically necessary, which it is. On November 1st, Scott took Jili back to pick up her new helmet, but it was too small. Eventually, we will have the right size.

China Memories:
Jili is doing so good in school. Today, however, she got really frightened being in the picture line. My mom was holding her hand, and she was so tense. Every now and then she has memories from her orphanage. Her picture line-up reminded her lining up with other friends from her orphanage to get their adoption pictures taken for potential families. After my mom reassured her of what was happening, she was able to smile.
Every now and then she will fear that someone is going to take her away from us, but for the most part, she is very attached and secure in our home. We feel extremely blessed, especially when we look back and see how her sense of security has evolved in the last year: a year ago we were reassuring her that she had a permanent place in our hearts and in our home on a daily basis, and every new person or place had the potential to take her from us. Jili has flashback moments or deja-vu moments that creep up on her, and it reminds us to reassure her that she will always be a part of our family and that she is never going to be separated from us. I honestly think that they are unconscious fears. For example, when we celebrated her birthday this past August, she locked up in fear at the birthday cake part, and would not acknowledge her cake right in front of her. In fact, she outright ignored the cake and tried to start eating watermelon. At first, we thought that she was just embarrassed at the attention. Looking back, she did something similar on her Fourth Birthday with us. Aside from the fact that orphans don't get special treatment like birthdays, we concluded that since she did not celebrate birthdays in China, the only time that she had cake was when she was about to leave the orphanage - when we sent her a cake - a going-away present/going-away party. For Jili, it rendered the memory of celebrating change and goodbye.
For Jili, it triggers a memory, and I don't think that she consciously realizes it, because she loves to go to other children' parties. When she started to open her presents, she shifted back to our happy Jiliang.
In the beginning of the school year, she had another "flashback" to her orphanage, when a lunch helper opened her lunch for her. Jili cried unconsolable, silent tears. We assumed she thought that the lunch lady was going to take her lunch. However, later, she told me that someone opened her lunch for her, and she said, "I cried because she opened my lunch for me and I didn't want to eat." Being in orphanage meant that children needed to eat and not waste. I think children were scolded for not finishing or wasting. I believe that the ayi's expected children to eat what they were served and when they were served, because food was scarce; and from my understanding they ate a lot of rice porridge, an orphanage staple food, with porridge-like rice with chicken. Possibly, they were urged the same meal often - food that was available to them. The simple act of a lunch helper opening her containers caused summoned up a memory from her past. Every day is a blessing, and we feel that these memories are healthy, necessary ways for Jili to process her life before and after her Koeppe family life. We deal with them as they surface and know that someday she will be able to deal with them head-on.
Jili is doing well in school. However, we planned from the start that she would do two years of Kindergarten, due to her age and language abilities. Jili loves her teacher and her school, and I know that we made the right choice to forego Young Five's/Developmental Kindergarten to place her in T.J.'s familiar school. My only complaint is that she doesn't eat at school. Unfortunately, I pack cute little snacks in Halloween boxes and healthy lunches with her favorite things, and it all comes back home, unless I pack NOODLES: spaghetti salad, Chinese salad, Thai noodles with peanut sauce, Chicken Lo Mein, similar spaghetti noodles or Ramen noodles... Of course, when she gets home, she makes up for it by eating non-stop. She still loves Chinese food and is tiring of the American novelty foods.
Aside from an occasional set-back, Jili is growing into an independent, studious, humorous, and thoughtful young lady. She loves to have homework and she is very well-mannered in school. She is very well-focused in school, and I believe that it is from the diciplined order of her Chinese orphanage. She is also very quiet - in school ONLY. My mom volunteers in her classroom. When she doesn't talk, the kids say, "It's okay, she doesn't talk," as if other adults or parents would be offended. When she does talk, the children stop and say, "Stop, she's talking, listen..." Some of the staff have a hard time believing that she talks non-stop at home. :)
At Circle Time, Jili is always quiet when it comes to her turn. When I come to her school, her friends always tell me that she didn't talk at circle again. The information is always well-intended. The awesome moment was when we sent Jili's China journey to school for her sharing project. Jili narrated the entire video and shocked everyone by talking more than she had all year. We had watched it so many times, and it became a natural part of her life. Her teacher was shocked trying to take it all in. Those are the moments you wish you could be present for and capture forever. It gave me faith that my little girl would eventually come out of her shell. I believe I will see that next year. For now, I just love watching her blossom, learn, thrive, laugh, smile and be allowed to just enjoy being a kid. As Thanksgiving approaches, I realize that I have so many blessings, and those blessings are members of my immediate and extended family - especially those named Jiliang and T.J.

Embarrassing Mom Moment

The kids and I had a trip to the mall to Trick or Treat, and I had that embarrassing Mom Moment, where wasn't sure if I want to crawl under a rock or throw caution to the "wind". We stopped one of the stores with several novelty gifts, and T.J. discovered the Whoopie Cushion bin. Of course, T.J. squeezes it and says, "Mom!!!! I can't believe you did that!" I'm telling him to stop, but Jili diverts me as she shows me a puppy calculator she wants. Meanwhile, T.J. comes up behind me as I'm bending over, and steps on it, and blames me again! The kids continued to laugh as I quipped at them to contain themselves. An elder woman broke out in laughter, as I pretended not to know my children for a brief moment. I walked away, leaving them in the aisle, as they jumped on Whoopie cushions.
And I owe it all to my Krzyzaniak family members who bought T.J. a Whoopie Cushion last Christmas. I can only laugh at my silly kids.

Halloween Costumes

When Jili told Scott and I that she wanted to be an elephant for Halloween, I was bummed. I have seen that same elephant costume (as cute as it is) worn three years in a row. Last year was Jili's first Halloween and she was a tiger - T.J. was a lion. I was a bear :) Oh my.
This year I wanted so badly to dress her up as a princess or a fairy. Finally, I convinced Scott that it was my Rite of Passage to have at least one decked-out girly costume. At first I tried to pair the kids as Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf, and me as Grandma; but it was too hard to coordinate in so little time.
Then, I found the Pottery Barn witch costume that I had been eyeing since August. It was on sale in Maryland, and it was the last one in the entire U.S.A. (yes, I called around); and it was sold out online. It was a size 7/8, so hopefully I can cinch it up and it will be wearable. Obviously, she will be wearing it for the next 3-4 years, if Scott has any say.
I also got T.J. the PBK shark costume for 19.99 at the Pottery Barn Outlet in Virginia (also sold out online). He has been wanting that one since August as well. These will be my first PBK costumes. If you love PBK costumes, they have many of the online ones in the outlet stores for 19.99 - 24.99. Awesome deal!
Thus, Jili will be an elephant at the Zoo this weekend and T.J. will be a spider. On Halloween night, they will have the new costumes: shark and witch. I will either be Red Riding Hood or a witch too. I am such a geeked Mom right now!!! Please feel free to share your children's costumes.
Jill :)

Help a Fellow China Adoptee Raise Funds for Service Dog

One of the most amazing things, other than adopting alone, is seeing the transformation of a child who has come to know the love of a real family. One of the parents that helped us when we were trying to get Jiliang home, later traveled to China to adopt a little girl named Yun, now and forever known as Lili. Lili was deaf in China, and since coming to the United States, she has been able to hear in a different way, with advanced modern technology. Lili is thriving in her new home, evident in her smile alone. Now, her family is raising money to train a service dog for Lili, and be her Hearing Ear Dog. If you are able to donate, please check out her blog at:
http://bringinghomeyun.blogspot.com/
There is also a quilt auction and other items for sale on the site. Please check them out, and if you can help in any way, please do.
Oh, and one more thing. Watch this video of Lili getting her first hearing aid shortly after coming home to her new family last year. It's labeled, "A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42HPe7RrZSY&feature=player_embedded
Thanks Everyone!
Sincerely,
Jill :)

Photo of the Koeppe Grandparents

As I type, I have to laugh at irony. I really love my in-laws, despite the fact that they are never pictured in any of the photographs or slideshows. Really, it is not intentional. We had dinner at their house last night and the kids enjoyed showing them their vacation video and Jili's China video.
The Koeppes, my husband included, are incognito when it comes to photographs - NOT that they are unwilling. My in-laws are always willing to get photos with the kids if asked; but if you don't ask, you will rarely see a Koeppe grandparent in a photo. On the other hand, when I met my husband, I would have to sneak in pictures of him, and he always grumbled, and NEVER smiled. Thus, I have very few of him while we were dating. Since having kids, he is very willing to get photos with the kids.
As for my in-laws, I apologized for not having them in the video, and told them that they needed to get a photo with the kids last night. Both teasingly grumbled about the photo, and my husband urged that we needed to leave soon, as it was a school night. Nonetheless, I ended up with the worst quality photograph before everyone dispersed. However, it is going on the blog until a more suitable photo is taken. The irony of it all: yes, I manage to snap a photo of the two incognito grandparents - Million Dollars Smiles on everyone - and the quality turns out so dismal.

Just for giggles, here is a photograph of my husband on our honeymoon. Our mutual friends tease that he looks like one of the statues in my wax museum album. To me, he has come a long way, and even being photogenic, in my opinion.

Scott in 2003 (Below):


Recent photos, taken this past 9/11




What can I say? The kids softened him.

Updated China Video with added pictures

I am becoming a videography understudy. I have made 3 movies now, and I get better with practice. In the last video, it was difficult to read the captions, so I upped the ante, and revised the video, to narrate our trip properly. There were so many incredible people that we met along the way, and I thought it was important to highlight those experiences. I also added some new photos at the end of Jili and T.J.

What's New:
September has been a busy month for all of us. T.J. and Jili went back to school in September, of course, and I started my pre-service teaching in Mid-August. We have had children's birthday parties three weekends in a row. All were outdoor ventures, and very fun. Last weekend, we drove to Sterling Heights (2 hours from us) to visit my friend Jess and attend her son's First Birthday celebration. My kids love Jessica and Baby Jacob, and they loved the party - especially the part about feeding the ducks. On Sept. 10th, we drove to Auburn Hills (also 2 hours away) and walked for Autism Speaks, with TEAM SPERLE, in honor of Firefighter Sperle's daughter, who has Autism. On Sept. 11th, we went to our Annual Adoption Reunion Picnic through Hands Across the Water, and local fire trucks were there.

Today, we went to have Jili fitted for her new wig at Children With Hair Loss in South Rockwood, MI. On the way home, we stopped at the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Park in Monroe. T.J. and Jili posed by the monument, with the names of all of the Monroe soldiers who served in Vietnam. T.J. really seemed to grasp the concept of honoring fellow veterans, as we discussed our family members who served in Vietnam and the propensity of the Memorial. Afterwards, they played in the park. The park was really interesting. The play structure was built to help children develop balancing skills, gymnastics, and workout abilities. I took several pictures, which I will post soon. I nearly clobbered myself on a vault beam. I am so out of shape.

Jili's Hair

I can't believe my daughter decided to cut the side of her wig off two days before her school pictures. Nonetheless, she wore a hat in her school pictures today! Uggh!

Monday, Jili decided her hair was in her face, so while Scott was folding laundry, she decided to cut her wig. She trimmed off the entire side of her wig. Yesterday, she went to school for the first time without her wig. When she took off her hat, her peers saw her for the first time without her hairpiece, and started to ask questions. My mom has been working at the school, so Jili's teacher asked if she would like to come in and do an improptu discussion about Jili's skull deformity and partial baldness. The children handled it very well. They had a lot of curious questions, which were asked sincerely and respectfully. I was planning on coming in to speak with the class myself, after the class got to know Jili, but life sort of happened on its own.

Jili doesn't care. She was so happy to go to school with her hat, instead of a hairpiece. I am still trying to figure out how to sensitively handle her situation on a day-to-day basis. I struggle with hat versus wig; and also feel that she should just be Jili - just the way she is. Yet, there is the other part of me that wants to spare her any hurt, or even future resentment that I did not do everything I could to help her be a regular kid. I wish parenting came with a rule book of Standard Operating Procedures. Until then, I guess will be making mistakes daily, and operating under the trial and error system.

I just pray that as an educator, I can help create awareness of adversity and uniqueness, one class at a time, one child at a time. I also hope that I can be an advocate for other children and families facing adversity. Time will tell how God plans to use me in those matters.

Our China Video ~ Finally!!

I started this video about a week before Jili's Fifth Birthday, and I just finished it tonight. I decided it was time to share our China excursion from 2010. Let me know what you think. Jill :)

Happy Birthday Jiliang!!

Our girl turned FIVE today. It seems like yesterday that she was 3 1/2. Today, we made homemade playdough this morning, and T.J. and Jili have been playing with it for hours. Tonight, we are having Birthday cookies at my Mom and Dad's house, and opening presents. Tomorrow, we are having a Picnic Birthday Party for Jili at the lake. It should be very laid back: hot dogs, hamburgers, salads, Hello Kitty cookies, lemonade, and sand and water toys. Sunday, we have our church family picnic. Afterwards, we are using a gift certificate for a waterpark. I will definitely post pictures, along with a long-intended video of our Journey to Jiliang.
Jill :)

The Last Day of My Summer Vacation

Well, today was such a nice ending to my summer vacation. My husband's fire department had a Union Party, celebrating 25 years as a Union, and honoring the three original union founders. They had a pig roast and tons of food. Jiliang and T.J. enjoyed running around with the children. The pouring day rain did not damper our festivities, as we sat in the comfort of a covered tent; and afterwards, the kids enjoyed puddle-jumping.
I am a little sad to say goodbye to my last day of summer vacation as I go back to school (teacher pre-service). We had such an amazing summer together as a family, and I hate to see it come to an end.

Jili's New Hair

This past Friday, Jili and I went to South Rockwood, Michigan, to repair Jili's wig. She had some stitching tear back in May, and she pretty much went the entire summer without her wig.
When we got there, Regina, from Children With Hair Loss, took a look at the wig and decided that a second layer of her wig could come out. It made a huge difference. It is so much more natural on her. We are also getting her second wig earlier, which is nice - It will be nice to have two wigs. Her next wig will be longer in length.
Jili was very nervous about wearing her wig again, and said, "But Mom, it hurts me." Regina was very patient with Jili as she scowled, cried and squirmed in the chair. Regina removed all of the clips on the wig except one. Now the wig is being held into place with adhesive tape. I was skeptical about whether the tape would hold, but the wig stayed on all day, and stayed in place better than the clips. Most importantly, Jili is excited about wearing her improved "Dora" hair (the same hair that her nurse donated).
I was really worried about her wearing her wig to school, because in the past it shifted when she played at home. I am really confident that it will now be much easier to stay in place. I am very thankful to Children With Hair Loss.

Tractor Supply Company - Pet Day

The kids enjoyed petting the basset pups. Myself included.


Jili and the Basset pups.


Isn't he precious? He wouldn't sit still, so the pictures I took of him were all blurry.


I thought for sure she would be apprehensive, but she jumped right on the pony.


T.J. had a good time riding the pony after all. He wasn't sure he wanted to do it.


Look at that smile!


Pocket piggies. I want one. One of them rolled over when I was petting him and started to fall asleep.


I absolutely love cows. Here I am with a mini-bull.

Jili's First Time at the Movies

Jili and I went to see The Zookeeper on Friday, with my sister Leah. It was such a good time. There is a small, family-owned theatre near us. They have great prices on admission and concessions, so it is very reasonable, with a very family-oriented atmosphere. I am not crazy about crowds, but I don't mind going there for a feature movie once in a while. Jili and I really loved the movie, so we brought Scott and T.J. back with us tonight to see it. It was our first family movie with all four of us.
Prior to the movie today, Scott worked on the house, the kids played games in the basement, and I played fetch with Bear-Bear outside. I was disappointed to miss a glimpse of a Indigo Bunting outside. Scott spotted him. They are a bright blue, indigo bird. I filled all of my bird-feeders in hopes of attracting the bird tomorrow. T.J. bought me a new hummingbird feeder a month ago, and I love to catch sight of the hummingbirds. My wrens are back again this year, and this year they have babies in the wren house in my garden.
Yesterday, the kids and I went to Tractor Supply Company's Pet Day. They were supposed to have rescue animals there all day, and T.J. had decided to donate $10. I am so proud of him wanting to help orphaned animals. However, the animals were all gone by 2:00 p.m, and we had just missed them... except for some cute Basset Hound puppies. I was in love. It reminded me of the days with my cute Bassets: Baxter and Casey. Anyhow, I couldn't resist sending Scott a photo of Jili and T.J. with the bassets from my phone. Scott responded, "Cute photo. No pups." I teasingly sent him a message stating that it was too late - a cute basset already chose us. When he didn't respond, I figured I had better come clean. The truth is, Bear is mischievous enough for us, and we can't have any more dogs. It's always fun to dream. On the way to the Saline FD Chicken Broil, we stopped at another Tractor Supply Company. The had a petting zoo and pony rides. I loved the bull and the small piglets. Apparently, the pigs stay small enough to carry around like pocket piggies - instead of chihuahuas. Hmm...future pet? I will post the photos later. The kids had an awesome time.
Well, I am falling asleep typing, so I will get those pictures up tomorrow.
Have a good night everyone.
Jill :)

Fun at The Treehouse in Chelsea

I had a great time with my friend Jessica, at the Tree House in Chelsea, MI, a children's indoor play-land resembling a treehouse. The kids and I enjoying seeing Jess and her adorable baby, Jacob. I wanted to post some pictures, but my internet server
went down about 2 hours ago. I will try to update tomorrow.

We discovered that Chelsea has an evening festival every Thursday night throughout the summer. They had a different band on every corner and in every other parking lot. I love big band music a lot. We left just before they started to play, because our kiddos were all tuckered out. We will definitely make a go of it another evening. They also had a magician and ballon animals. Everything was free and family-oriented. What an amazing fare, especially during these tough times in Michigan right now.
Have a peaceful evening, everyone.

Jill

Reality Check :) Hope it makes you laugh.

Oh yes, back from vacation and back to reality. Today, we took our black labrador, Bear-Bear, to get a haircut, nail trim, and ear and teeth cleaning. When we took him for his first dog wash this past June, he couldn't wait to get back in the car. When I brought him home from his grooming last June, I had just remembered that his vet needed a urine sample from him to monitor a previous infection. Here I was, chasing my labrador around with a cup, and he was looking at me like I was crazy and running every time I got close to him - all in the back yard, of course. Lo and behold, the Schwann's man showed up. The kids proceeded to tell him that I needed to collect Bear's pee in a cup, and that I was out back. I was utterly humiliated, so I ditched the cup and quickly put Bear in the house. Of course, the kids opened the door and he ran outside while I was placing my order. He jumped straight into the stagnant, smelly creek. Then, he wasted no time rolling in something really BAD. Come to think of it, I never did collect that specimen for the vet.
Today, he embarrassed me again in my sister's neighborhood. We stopped by Leah's house after we picked up Bear. He was a perfect angel at her house - so quiet that we almost forgot he was there. However, I went to let Bear out her back door, and before I could even open the screen door, Bear took the screen door right off, and it crashed onto her deck. Later, the kids ate dinner on her deck and started to play in her back yard. I assumed that he wouldn't run off at her house after giving me the sad eyes, tied to her deck post, but I was wrong. I watched as he ran along the kids in perfect obedience. Yet, as soon as I went in the house, in record time, he connived his way into the neighbor's yard - via the gate - while Leah's neighbor was out mowing the lawn. Thus, he proceeded to go under her deck and squat over her hostas - as her dogs barked from inside the house. I apologized profusely and got a plastic bag to pick up his mess. Luckily, she just laughed. The dog that I was sad to leave behind while we vacationed, found a way to be mischievous once again. Obviously, he doesn't like going to the puppy salon.
Oh well, another crazy day at the Koeppe household. All I know is that he is not shedding in my house right now and he was not home long enough to jump in the creek; and I am going on a day-trip with my sister tomorrow for some good old-fashioned, girly fun. I type this as he lies at my feet, like the faithful companion that I know and love. :)

Jill's Traverse City Cherry-Walnut Muffin Recipe

Wow! I modified a few of my muffin recipes to come up with this awesome Cherry-Maple-Walnut muffin recipe. They were so fabulous and fluffy, and the kids loved them.
When I was young girl, we had a Tart Cherry Tree in our back yard. I was especially fond of climbing it in the summertime, and eating cherries off the tree. Every year, I would pick a bowl full of cherries and bring them to my mom, who would make the best home-made cherry pie from scratch. I have never been able to eat store-bought cherry pie since.
When Scott and I left Traverse City, we found the cutest little store full of fresh fruit, cherry items and pastries. I was happy to find a large bag of frozen tart cherries, already pitted.
Feel free to try these muffins, and let me know what you think. ;)

Jill's Traverse City Cherry-Maple-Walnut Muffins
(Yields about 18 muffins)
Preheat to 400 degrees

3 eggs
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. maple syrup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup walnuts
2 cups frozen tart cherries (DRAINED and THAWED) ~OR~ 1 cup of fresh cherries
(Cherries will settle to about 1 cup when drained and thawed)
Beat eggs until fluffy. Add sugar and maple syrup. Blend sour cream, then oil and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients, and gently mix them into batter. Add walnuts. Fold in cherries with spoon (or slowly with mixer).
Spoon into lined muffin tins. Fill 3/4 of muffin liner. Bake for approximately 19-20 minutes, or until golden brown and inserted knife comes out clean. Optional: Lightly sprinkle granulated sugar on top of batter, or lightly drizzle with maple syrup.
Enjoy!

Have a blessed day!
Jill :)


We sprinkled our first batch with red sugar crystals.

Jili's First Family Vacation

The hardest decision about making this video was deciding whether to use 'Ole Blue Eyes or Louis Armstrong for the first song. :)

Vacation

We just got back from an awesome vacation in our home state: Michigan. We went to Mackinac Island, traveled the Upper Penninsula, and made a pitstop in Traverse City, Michigan. I will post some pictures tonight. The blog picture is the four of us on a horse and carriage ride coming back from The Woods Restaurant on Mackinac Island - our favorite restaurant ever.

Mill Park

I had to include this photo that I took at the Saline Mill Park from the camera on my phone. She wasn't too pleased when she fell in the water a few minutes later, but this one was cute.

The Pond...and A Special Occasion

Our little aquatic habitat is a tradition that T.J. and I started in 2007. What started out as a trial whisky barrel fish pond, slowly evolved into a spring tradition. I do need to highlight the epic Goldfish story to truly explain how one little goldfish could make us laugh so hard.
In 2007, T.J. and I purchased pond plants at Hidden Lake Gardens (in Tipton, Michigan), to create a miniature frog pond. HLK was giving away free goldfish to create the ultimate habitat, so we accepted five fish. They were then black, but the gardener told me that they would eventually turn gold. I had the whiskey barrel, liner and plants in place, and just as I was ready to add the five goldfish, I noticed that there was only four fish. I asked T.J., "Where's the fifth goldfish? There were five, and now there's only four."
T.J. replied non-chalantly, "Oh, Bear Bear ate him."
Not questioning my three-year old about his 6 month old black lab eating a goldfish, I moved on and added the "four" fish.
The following day, I opened the dryer to a putrid smell of fish - an entire load of laundry ruined - and a baked-on fish encrusted in the pocket of his jeans. Not a child to be malicious with nature or formulate a lie, I decided that he just wanted to carry one of his fishies in his pocket, but forgot about it. From this day forward, I ALWAYS check pockets before washing.
Goldie Goldfish - the last of the five pond fish - became a permanent house pet last November. When we set up the tadpoles this year, Goldie - who eventually turned into a beautiful shade of orange - stayed indoors, until...
mosquito larvae forayed our little pond. After a few cleanings, I surrendered. Enter Goldie on the scene, who left the fish tank to inhabit bigger water.
T.J., Jili and I watched as he swam around, checking to see if he would eat the larvae. Approximately 50 small tadpoles inhabitated the pond, swimming as fast as they could - away from him - as if he were a shark in shallow waters. Goldie gobbled up a tadpole, then spit it out. T.J. and Jili screamed, "Get him out, get him out, Mom. He's gonna eat our tadpoles!"
Then, he spit out the second tadpole and it swam off in haste. They protested again. Pretty soon, he left the tadpoles alone, and proceeded to eat the mosquito larvae in the container. The kids cheered and laughed in relief. The next morning, we found no sign of any mosquito spawn. Thus far, Goldie is enjoying his pond and keeping it free of pesky Michigan mosquitoes. As for the tadpoles, we have enjoyed see them metamorphis into the tiniest little frogs, and hop over the edge.

Last year, we constructed a "Bug" garden, where T.J. and Jili could lift rocks and find crickets, or watch butterflies feast on flowers. This year, we are very behind on the rear gardens, which are very overgrown. Nonetheless, the kids have enjoyed picking vegetables in the vegetable garden, watching the hummingbirds in the Monarda and the tadpoles in the pond, picking black rasperries, catching fireflies, and spying my favorite returning wrens that house at the edge of our vegetable garden. They always make me smile, when they point and say, "Look Mom, there's your bird!" They know how the wren sightings always create an instant smile on my face.
Earlier this week Jili and T.J. picked black rasperries (some ripe and some red), and added them to our freshly squeezed lemonade. It was really awesome lemonade.

After a few days of monotonous house projects (cleaning our oven, reorganizing our basement, and getting rooms ready for painting), I decided that the kids really needed a break from being cooped in the house. Scott was working, so I decided to be a little Paula Deen-ish, as I packed a special picnic basket for three. We packed soft-pretzel-sandwiches with lunch meat and cheese, tropical fruit, fancy cups with tiny umbrellas and orange slices, pickles, brownies, and my new favorite thing: Iced Mason Jars filled with lemonade and orange slices, and unsweetened iced tea with orange slices (both surprisingly good).
Years ago (before I had kids), I bought these fancy glasses, with matching cloth napkins and coasters to occupy my fancy Longaberger picnic basket, but I never used them. My son mentioned not wanting to get the white napkins dirty, and then he asked why I never used them. I explained that I had been saving them for a "Special Occasion". I told them it was pretty silly to buy things so nice, yet never use them. Then, I said, "We using them today, because today is a special occasion. Today, I'm spending the day with you and Jili." And it was special indeed.

Enjoy the small things in your lives. May God Bless you all with small wonders, laughter and appreciation for life's simplest joys.
Jill :)

Latest Cardiology Visit!!!

Jiliang went to the Cardiologist on June 30th and wowed the doctors. She is doing so well! From December 2011 to June (just over 6 months), she grew FOUR inches, and gained 4 pounds. I couldn't barely believe it, but it did explain why the dresses and clothes I bought at Easter were short. I was ready to blame it on a dryer mishap.
The best news, however, is that Dr. Cotts wanted to wean her off of her heart medicine! After consulting with the cardiologist who specializes in Pulmonary Hypertension, they both agreed to slowly decrease the medication over the summer. By the end of summer, Jili will be medicine-free. Of course, she will go back in September for further tests, and subsequently she will be monitored closely to assure that she can safely remain that way. Currently, the pressures entering her lungs appear to be on the high end of normal. She is doing better than we all expected, and Dr. Cotts said that is near the best-case scenario - with the best-case scenario being free of her heart medicine.
This is such an immense blessing to us, and a Miracle really. Last March, when we brought Jili home, we expected her to have a repair for Tetralogy of Fallot. When we got her home, she was diagnosed with Truncus Arteriosis. It is uncommon to find an older child with Truncus, as most Truncus is repaired within the first week of life. The life expectancy of an unrepaired Truncus baby over age 1 is 20%. In layman's terms, unrepaired Truncus causes damage to the lung vasculature that leads to pulmonary hypertension. Last April of 2010, we were faced with grave news that Jili might have a shortened life span, possibly not making it to adulthood, or even to her teens. At first, surgery did not seem to be a viable option, as her heart reconstructed, may possibly reject the surgery. Her heart could have continued to function the way it had her entire life and sent high pressures into her lungs.
However, after much testing and deliberation at Mott's Hospital, her doctor called to tell me that the surgical team decided that Jiliang's best option for life was surgery. On April 15th, 2010, I received the call that she was able to have surgery; surgery was scheduled on April 16th, and her surgery was done on April 20th by Dr. Ohye. It all seems to be a blur now, but looking back I realize all of the "coincidences" that occurred to make that surgery happen. I was supposed to go back to work on April 26th. Dr. Ohye, a wonderful surgeon, that built a rapport with me before Jili's homecoming, had one surgical opening on April 20th. Then, she got out of the hospital with only a few days to spare before my FMLA time was exhausted. The rest is history.
Link to the April 15th post:
http://thekoeppefamily.blogspot.com/2010/04/open-heart-surgery-this-tuesday.html
The surgical risks were at least 20% chance of mortality, and 80% in our favor. That was terrifying. In our hearts, we knew that we had to try to give our new daughter a chance at life. We also knew she had beaten the odds before in China. After 24 days at Mott's Children's Hospital, Jili came home. She was on two heart medications, and one was experimental - specifically for pulmonary hypertention - and had specific directions for administering it. In November of 2010, we went down to one heart medication, with the idea that she could be on it for years and maybe even for life. Today, we are simply greatful.
We thank the Cardiology team at Mott's Children's Hospital for this precious gift. Please keep our little girl in your prayers. We pray that she will continue to thrive in a long, healthy life, and that as we slowly wean her off of the medicine this summer, her body will adjust so that she can be completely medicine-free.
Thank you for all of your prayers and support over this last year.
P.S. Pauline, we hope to see you soon. Please tell everyone in the PCTU unit that we appreciate all that they do!
Sincerely,
Jill

Annual Detroit FD ~ Engine 21 Picnic

What a great weekend! The kids had an awesome time at the Kay residence last Saturday, in honor of the Annual Detroit FD - Engine 21 Picnic. Kay parties are always favorite events. This year in particular, there were a lot of children in attendance, including my kids. It was very heartwarming to capture all of the Dads and their kids playing Waterball together - the day before Father's Day.

In the video, T.J. is playing Waterball with his Godfather, Nate Darling (AKA: Uncle "Nutz"), who came up from Indianapolis FD. My husband Scott (AKA: Goose) is manning the airhorn in the pick-up truck (blue striped shirt). In attendance were firefighters from Detroit, Indi, Ann Arbor, Ypsi, Pittsfield Twp., Superior Twp. and Saline fire departments, to name a few.

This was my first video slideshow with special effects and music. Now that I have learned the ropes, I am planning Jili's Adoption video. Enjoy the video.
Jill :)

Happy Father's Day!!!!

Happy Father's Day to Dad, Papa Harvey, Papa Koeppe, Uncle (Godfather) Sean, and Uncle (Godfather) Nutz!!!!
Love,
Jili and T.J

Our Dad, AKA: "Goose", at a Training Burn


Dad and Jili first meet at Detroit Metro Airport


Airport Greeting


First family Photo


Jili and Dad at the Pool


Daddy-T.J. catnap


Santa "Harv"


Papa and Grandma Harvey


Papa Koeppe


Uncle Nutz's Wedding 2007


DFD Picnic 2010 ~ Team Uncle Nutz and T.J.K.


Uncle Sean and Jili


Jili and her Godparents, Sean and Lori


Grandpa Harv and Uncle Nutz


Papa H. and the kids


The Koeppes and Gleasons


HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL THE DADS OUT THERE!!

Party Today!

We are off to the BRB (Big Red Barn) for the Annual Detroit Fire Engine 21 Reunion! Waterball, food, fun, goats, tractors and a hillybilly hayride - great family fun. Post pictures later. Let's hope it's a sunny day!
Jill :)

She's Not Innocent Here

She's not hiding behind her big brother, she's using him as a human shield to water-soak "innocent" (not sure this word implies here) firefighters.
~Memorial Day 2011 at the BRB

Jili's Kindergarten Registration

In May, we registered Jili for Kindergarten. I was so nervous when I signed Jili up for Kindergarten Registration. A part of me was worried that I would not be able to advocate the importance of her special circumstances: the skull issue, the wig factor, the heart medication, her adoption situation and trust issues, and let alone being an English Language learner. On the other hand, I was wracked with worry that "I" was going to worry the schools, and that they would overact and flag her, and limit her. Jili is very smart and wonderful to be around, and I just wanted to be fair to her.
I knew that Jili was probably a good candidate for Developmental Kindergarten or Young 5's, due to her age alone. Being a teacher myself, I knew that she would also benefit from a young kindergarten program due to: the adoption transition, the language aquisition from learning the English language; and from coming from an orphanage in general. In spite of these barriers, she is very academically smart, very observant and follows directions well.
Our Young Five's Program is in a different school. I was trying to figure out how my parents (who watch my children while I'm at work) would pick up Jili and T.J. at the same time, from two different schools. I was also worried about putting her on a bus, and being in an unfamiliar environment, without her big brother T.J.
I can thank my son T.J.'s teacher, Mrs. Chestney for rectifying the situation. Mrs. Chestney has been with us throughout the process of getting Jili home, and throughout her heart surgery. She is aware of her skull issue and her heart issue, and Jili knows and trusts Mrs. Chestney - not to mention, she is a great teacher.
Mrs. Chestney was at Jili's Kindergarten assessment on June 6th. Jili went with her willingly, and Mrs. Chestney stayed with her at the first station until Jili was comfortable testing with the other adults. We were afraid that Jili would clam up around strangers, as she had done in the past, but she did great. Mrs. Chestney also made arrangements for Jili to go to kindergarten this year in her classroom, in the same school as her brother T.J. We are prepared that Jili may be in her room again next year, but we are going to cross that bridge next year, and let Jili determine her own path.
We are so excited and feel so blessed to have that weight of worry off of our shoulders! Thanks Mrs. Chestney!

Humane Society Birthday Donations ~ Thanks!!

For T.J.'s Birthday, we asked for donations to the Lenawee County Humane Society, in lieu of birthday gifts. T.J. collected $120 in Birthday donations. The kids were so excited to take all of the money to the Humane Society. Our Humane Society is a no-kill shelter and it is in danger of closing, so it felt nice to help out in some small way.
There was a cute black kitten there named Boo, that I wanted so badly to take home with us. Jili is trying to understand why the "puppies and kitties" don't have homes, and why the little kitty named "Boo" was left in a picnic basket with his sibling, "Yogi". Hopefully, someday she will have the fortitude to understand why she was abandoned in China, and use that compassion to help other orphans, human or furry.
Thanks to everyone who donated to the Lenawee County Humane Society. Every little bit counts, and it gave my children a wonderful lesson on giving and making a difference in their community!
Sincerely,
Jill :)

First Bullying Incident

We had our first bullying incident at the park in late May. Jili's hat came off, exposing her scarred, partially bald head. A boy, probably in fourth grade, starting yelling, "Oh my God, her head scares me! Get away from her!!" He proceeded to encourage other older children to run from her. Of course, I was right there, and I snapped at him immediately and retorted: "You should know better. She's just a little girl." He kept lingering in the area, and I watched him. My glare apparently scared him so much he started stomping his feet, saying, "You're scaring me lady! Why are you looking at me like that?" I said, "I've got my eye on you, kid, because you were being mean to my little girl. Where are your parents?"
Then, he ran to his mom and tattled on himself. I walked up with Jili at my side, and explained the comments that he had said to her. His mother told him that his actions were inappropriate, and said, "I talked to you about not doing that. How would you feel if somebody teased you?" I thanked her for her talking to her son, and we walked off.
I knew that day would come. I just did not know how I would respond. I know that I will not always be there to protect my daughter, but I hope that I will possess the strength to teach her to be proud of who she is and to be resilient against unkindness or ignorance. Despite the fact that Jili was unaware that she was being teased, Jili and I had a conversation about bullies. I told her to never cry if someone says something mean to her. To walk away. To say, "Whatever, I don't listen to mean kids." Of course, we role played, with me being the bully. I said, "I don't like like your shirt...hat...hair." Jili said back to me, "I don't care what you think YOU STUPID KID!" Wow, maybe she can take care of herself after all.
I am forever looking for ways to help my children and my students learn about adversity, compassion and empathy. I am on a path to discovering how I can do more, as I write, as I parent, and especially as I teach. I do have an idea for my book to bring everything into the forefront, but only pray that God can enlighten my perception and bring it all into focus for me.
I am considering setting a non-profit organization in the future, with a similar interest. It is a common interest in my life that keep resurfacing, and am I trying to decide which path to take. If there is anyone out there that has experience with setting up a non-profit organization, please contact me privately at: jillkoeppe@yahoo.com

Jill :)
Fortitude: Strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage - Merriam Webster's Dictionary

Jili Updates and Koeppe Happenings

I have been so AWOL on blogging lately that I am not sure if anyone if checks my blog anymore, but I will do it anyways ~ especially for you family and friends that lurk and don't comment. :)
Over the last three months, things have really started to settle down in our household. My work schedule in Ypsilanti was longer than when I worked in Ann Arbor, and my commute a little longer too (45 minutes). During this harsh winter, many commutes to work exceeded 90 minutes. I miss my Ann Arbor coworkers so much!!! The Ypsilanti people are really great too, and have really made me feel welcome.
T.J. also did soccer and swimming this spring, and Jili is eager to do the same.

Scott had an emergency gall bladder removal in early April. He left three hours before the end of his 24 hour shift at the fire department, and drove himself to the Emergency room. He never takes sick time, so everyone knew something was serious!! Nine hours later, he had it removed and he was home for four weeks, much to his dismay. However, the unwanted time off turned out to be a blessing, as it proved to be a much-needed Father-Daughter bonding time.
When Jili first came home from China in February of 2010, she was really attached to me, and did not understand that she had two parents; and didn't have to choose between us. Nonetheless, Scott was really patient with her, and allowed her the space and trust that she needed to understand that he was not going to take her away from her mom. Slowly, over months, she got closer to her Dad, but the time home with him for a month was a really much-needed father-daughter time. Now, when he is gone, she says, "Where's Dad? He's really taking a long time." She is trying to understand the firefighter tour of duty shifts. Now, she begs for shoulder rides, rocks with him in the rocking chair, and plays with him more than ever. She even lets Dad put her to bed - without delay - when I am out. It was really a blessing in disguise.

This spring, I was able to take Jili to see Dora the Explorer (Treasure Island-Pirate Adventure) on stage at The Croswell Opera house in Adrian, MI. She loved it. We were actually scheduled to go the day that my husband had his gall bladder removed. However, they were kind enough to give me tickets to another show, due to the circumstances. We ended up going to see it twice. After the second show, Jili was able to go up on stage with Dora and the other cast members and have her pictures taken. A young cast member was dressed as Issa, and invited her to sit next to him. She liked that.

Memorial Day Weekend was fun. We went to the parade in town and Jili wore her new Hello Kitty flag shirt. Later, we planted our garden in the very hot, hot sun. We also made our tadpole pond. Some of the them already have four legs now. Every year, we do our little frog pond, about 36 inches in diameter. As the tadpoles metamorphis into frogs, they just hop down to our creek. We also did butterflies this spring. We were contemplating raising praying mantises, but after a few surprise youtube videos, we discovered that they might grow up and devour our hummingbirds; plus T.J. was afraid one might escape in the house and eat his hamster, Sun Sun, or eat the crickets in his bug garden. No praying mantises.
We did lose another hamster, Felix, this winter/spring. My kids are really accepting the cycle of life. Sunny is our LAST hamster, and she is blind in one eye, so the kids give her extra pampering and feed her fresh nuts, fruits, and veggies by hand. Jili often asks, "Mom, why our animals don't live a long time?" I try to explain that animals don't live as long before they go to Heaven, so we need to treat them special every day, and my kids do.
That's my motto: Live and appreciate each day to the fullest, especially with those that you love!
Jill

Writing My Book!!!

What a busy year it has been! I got my first, long-awaited, teaching job last December. Hence, blogging and finishing my book - that I hoped to finish last August - took a back seat. However, I have come to understand that there are no such thing as coincidences in life, for the ending to my book was yet to unfold.
Today was my last working day of the school year, and I am looking forward to spending my first summer devoted entirely to my family, and concluding my book on The Journey to Jiliang.
One of my aspirations is to advocate for special needs adoptions, or differently-abled children, as I prefer to say. In fact, there are so many would-be adoptive parents that would bring children with special considerations into forever families if they had the financial means that adoption demands.
Writing has become one of my greatest joys, and I can only hope and pray for the ability to pay forward all of the love and support that was shown to my family throughout Jili's adoption process and heart surgery this past year and a half. I promise to write something amazing and heartfelt.

Tomorrow, I will post some updates and new photos. Until then, blessings to you all.
Jill :)

What a Close Call!

We celebrated Mother's Day on Saturday as a family, since Scott had to work on Sunday. On the actual Mother's Day, my son woke up at 7:20 a.m., dying to give me my Mother's Day gift. Of course, I ordered him back to bed until a decent waking hour. Finally, the kids both woke up at 9:00 a.m., and presented me with two new birdfeeders and bags of birdseed - I was so surprised!
Later, I took the kids to Bob Evans, thinking it would be reasonable and kid-friendly. It was pretty packed, but the wait was only about 10 minutes, so we decided to look at some of the Bob Evan's food items in the checkout area. A maple-scented candle caught my eye, and I pulled one off the shelf to smell. Jili moved from her original spot to test it out with me. Just then, another male customer decided to try one too. He pulled a candle off the approximate 6 foot shelf, but he grabbed it by the lid. Sure enough, it came down hard on T.J.'s head! I was so upset, yet tried to be calm. My poor six-year old son didn't even cry; although a nice "goose egg" swelled up on his head in no time.
There was a sign posted on the shelf, stating not to pick the candles up by their lids. Subsequently, I asked the cashier to kindly move the candles to a lower shelf so another child wouldn't be clunked with a large, glass candle with an unsecure lid. Then, all I could think about was how Jili had been standing in that same spot seconds before it dropped, and how T.J. was hit in the exact same spot where Jili's skull contained no bone. I was so sad for my little boy, who showed no effect from the blow to the head until last night, when he requested an ice pack and Tylenol.
The last day has left me sad that someone hurt my baby, although not intentionally. The other part of my is thankful that it was not Jili, because the situation would be so much different, possibly grave. An angel was certainly looking out for my baby girl.
After taking all of the necessary and unnecessary precautions, I can say without a doubt that T.J. is absolutely fine. Today, we hung up the finch feeder on the front porch. I watched my children stroll up and down the driveway on their bicycles, while our black labrador chased in tow; and then the entire family went to T.J.'s swim lesson this evening. Thankfulness is such an awesome thing; and having the whole family happy and healthy is a wonderful feeling.

Jill :)

Bedtime Prayers

Jiliang is really adjusting to her family. She asks me every day, "Mom, you love me and you never leave me?" I am always happy to reassure her.
Recently, we were naming people in Jili's life to be thankful for: Mom, Dad, T.J., Papas, Grandmas, aunts, uncles, cousins, Godparents, dear friends, nurses, doctors, helpers. Jili responded, "Wow, I got a lot of people!"

Homecoming Anniversary!!!

Our girl came home from China one year ago today!

Camera Disappointment

I was a little disappointed to find that all of the video footage that I took of Jiliang on T.J.'s camera came out with no sound. There were just a few videos in China on Gotcha Day where she is blowing bubbles. The other videos at home when she still spoke Chinese. She was singing Chinese lullabies and I captured them on video. I am thankful, however, that I took my Gotcha Video on MY camera, with complete sound. :) The memories, however, are still in tact. I will just never know what songs she was saying.
The other dissappointment was that I erased an email from a very kind man that helped me at the Guangzhou Airport. He took a picture of Jiliang and I at the airport, and promised to send it to me, which he did around the time of Jili's surgery. I had always intended to go back and thank him and give him an update on her. It was just a very hectic time. I remembered clearing out over 10,000 Yahoo emails back in Sept. I had so much old mail and Spam mail. Of course, it was the one thing that I neglected to save.
In general, they are only small things, compared to the thousands of photos and videos I have from our China trip and homecoming photos. I guess every little part of her story is just so important, because there was so much of her history that has already been lost.
Back in November, I was backing up all of my photos from China, and from 2010 in general. As I was doing, my son asked to look something up on my computer, so I took a break. Coincidently, he accidently bumped it and it dropped, and I lost everything on my hard drive. Staples told me the hard drive was unsalvageable, but fortunately, one of my preschool students' father was a computer data recovery man. He salvaged everything for me. It was a huge gift and lesson to back everything up sooner.
Cherish those memories and back up your data. As for technical failures, make sure your cameras and video footage is operable on Gotcha Day. I am so thankful that I have that cherished memory!
I know that I will probably never be able to thank that kind man in the airport. I just hope that he knew how much his random act of kindness helped me that day.
Jill

One Year Ago ~ Blowing Bubbles on Gotcha Day

This was a huge turning point for us on Gotcha Day. It was such a blessing to see Jiliang smile. I do have to fix this video, however. All of the videos that I took on my Panasonic camera have no sound. Gotcha Day was an emotional day for Jili and this moment was the turning point in our mother-daughter bonding experience. She started to come out of her shell and trust me after the bubble fun. From that point on, we were bonded. :)

One Year Adoption Anniversary

Last February 19th, I departed Detroit Metro Airport enroute to Shanghai, China. I remember the anticipation that I felt, just like it was yesterday. I picked up a few Motown souvenirs to give the orphanage staff and guides, and finally I sat in a Max and Erma's restaurant waiting for my flight. I wondered what China would be like. I was excited. I was nervous. I wondered if my little girl would bond to me.
I met my girl on February 21st (U.S. Time), while Scott, T.J., family and friends eagerly awaited any glimpse of Gao Ji Liang via email. Oh, how it must have felt to see her for the first time!
Initially, Gotcha Day was frightening for her. Here I was, a complete stranger to her, taking her from the only people that she knew. I approached her gently, and when the time take to take custody of her, I had to pry her away from the staff, as she cried a mournful, frightened cry. And when we entered the cab to leave, my China guide, Fred, told me that he was taking us to the grocery store to buy her snacks and food, per the aunties' recommendations. Amen to that, because that experience solidified her trust in me. She loved the snacks and the treats that I bought, so I was sure that she would be comforted by lavish room service feast that I ordered as soon as we returned to our hotel room. A hotel staff member came up to take our dinner order and Jiliang was unphased. However, after our emotional day, I collapsed into tears when she chased the second room service attendant to the door in tears, and tried to open the door to follow her and run out. After I held her and comforted her, I collected myself and pulled out the coloring books that my cousin Kristy had sent, a quilt that my sister made for her, and mini Valentine bubbles that I bought on a whim. In no time, she was smiling. We called Scott soon after, and she shouted "Ba-Ba" into the phone. Scott couldn't wait to meet her. Then, T.J. got to talk to her. He couldn't wait to meet her either. Her grief slowly melted away, and she showed me the most beautiful smile I had ever seen. We bonded. She was happy, until it was bedtime. She cried herself to sleep with a soft, whimpering cry, unaware of what tomorrow held for her.
She was officially adopted on February 22nd (the 23rd, Nanjing time), at The Civil Affairs Office in Nanjing, that following morning. As a sign of respect and gratitude, I put the little green sweater on her - one in which the orphanage staff had given her the previous day. She silently cried when I put her little red coat on her, and she commenced to retrieving her little red orphanage hat with a somber sigh, as if to say, "Oh, I thought this was forever." Then, like a good little soldier, she lined up and faced the door, resigned to accept our departure. I tried to tell my little China girl in English that she was staying with me forever, and that it was Adoption Day! She stared straight ahead, confident that I must be apologizing or saying goodbye. When we went downstairs to eat at the buffet, she perked up until she saw Fred, our guide from the day before. Then, she was back to her previous, sad state. She refused to eat breakfast. Then, we were ushered forward to our taxi, enroute back to the Civil Affairs Office. I asked Fred to translate that she was staying with me. She was stone faced, but compliant to my every request. I held her hand in mine.
When the orphanage staff arrived, they ducked behind a barrier at first. They were concerned that she would run to them and reject me, like the previous day, but that didn't happen. Instead, the girl they all knew as being an introvert, only opening up to people she knew very well, hid from them. Instead, they explained to her in her familiar Gaoyou dialect that they came to say goodbye, and that she was going with me. They said that "Your Mom will never leave you."
After those words were spoken, her whole disposition changed. She livened up, started to talk and play with them at a table nearby, while I completed her adoption paperwork. Then, they expressed the transformation of her, and expressed their sheer joy and gratitude for our bonding experience, and told me that Gao Jiliang was not a child that trusted just anyone. I told them that she was talking a lot to me at the hotel, but I didn't know what she was saying. One of the females smiled and said that she only talks to people that she knows really well.
They were genuinely moved by our adoption experience, and relieved that Jiliang was happy. There are cases where some adoptions are rejected, sadly enough, and I could almost see a wave of relieve pass over their faces as they expressed Jiliang's transformation and acceptance into her new family. Every word they spoke to me was translated, yes, but some things can be spoken, and some things can only be felt with the heart. They kept looking at her and saying the equivalent of "wow" in Chinese, and shaking their heads in almost disbelief. It was obvious that they truly wanted a happy ending for Gao Ji Liang ("Gow Gee Lee Awn").

This whole year has passed by so quickly, yet I feel that we have known Gao Ji Liang (now Jili Koeppe) forever. For the last year, I had been planning to put a slideshow of this year on Jili's blog. I have been saving photos of important moments and looking forward to putting her memories in something that, I suppose, would mean personal closure to our adoption process and the stress that goes with the paperchase and wait; and celebrate our thankfulness for the health that Jiliang enjoys and appreciates today.
Last Saturday, I got hit with a terrible virus that had been going around my school, and this weekend became a complete blur. As I looked at the date on February 22nd, I realized that we didn't celebrate her first Gotcha Day, because I had been sick and because I was thinking of the China Time (2/22). I was disappointed, but I have learned that it doesn't change the fact that I have been reflecting those special days for weeks prior to that anniversary. I have also learned from this past year through my own faults, that life is not about perfect opportunities, but about treasuring the memories of yesterday and cherishing the small moments of today. Life is but a series of small moments, and we back get what we put into it. On Adoption Day, we kept things simple, and we decided to celebrate with popsicles. The kids thought popsicles were great! Scott made dinner and we each said something that we loved about Jiliang, yet T.J. surprised us most: "Uggh, Mom, I don't know," and he paused, "I just love everything about her. I can't pick one thing." That made Jili smile most.
I find that reflecting on sorrows and tribulations is an important way to appreciate our joys and our accomplishments. Looking back, we can measure how far we have come in any trying situation.
As I look back on our trip in China, I long to go back and do it all over again, but without all of the chaos and the hustle and bustle. Next time, it's panda bears, The Great Wall of China, a visit to the city of Gaoyou (Jiliang's Hometown), and the Gaoyou Orphanage. Jili and T.J. and both looking forward to it.

Happy Anniversary Sweetheart! We love you very much Jili!
Mom, Dad, and T.J.

Our girl is officially Jiliang Josephine Koeppe!!

We had our court date today and Jili's received her legal name: Jiliang Josephine Koeppe. I was really nervous sitting there, but the judge walked in with a smile on his face and made the experience quick, painless and memorable.
Our girl said she wants to be American, but insists, "No, I still Chinese!!" I am happy that she is proud of her heritage. I told her, "You are Chinese-American." Today, she has been saying, "Now, I Chinese-American" with a huge smile.
When we were in the courtroom today, she and T.J. shared a chair at the front table in front of Judge Iddings. When the Judge asked if we were there about "Jiliang", and she quietly smiled from her seat. She understood that her name was going to be Jiliang Josephine Koeppe.
Jili has been asking questions about China. "Why was I in China?" "Why didn't T.J. and Dad go?" I know that the tougher questions are coming and these questions alone tugged at our hearts. What I did explain is that she was born in China and T.J. was born in America. I also explained that we waited a long time to meet her and wanted her for a long time. I also said that I went 'Over the Rainbow' to get to her. Scott said, "I saw your picture and said, 'That's my little girl!' I couldn't wait to meet you." Then, T.J. said, "I couldn't wait to meet you either!" I told her the story of how we saw we saw her picture for the first time and picked her. "Daddy and I were so happy and couldn't wait to meet you. You were in China and we were at home." She really understood. "You loved me and waited a long time for me?" "You couldn't wait to meet me, Dad couldn't wait to meet me and T.J. couldn't wait to meet me." "Yes," I said, "I wanted my little girl every day. When we saw your picture, we cried and we said, "She's so beautiful." Jili smiles when we say this. She is growing very confident about her place in our hearts.
Jili has very little memories of her orphanage life in China. I wanted to ask her some things about China, now that she can express herself and while she can still remember. She does not remember her caretakers anymore or aunties (pronounced I E's) from the photos that I was given. I did ask if she missed her "I E's" and she said no. I asked if they were mean to her and she said no. I asked if they hugged her and she said yes. I asked if they kissed her and if they told her they loved her, and she said no to both. She answered "Yes" and nodded that she missed her friends at the orphanage. She said that Fang Fang ("Fon Fon") was like her bigger sister and was nice to her and hugged her. She said that none of the children were mean to her. She recalls playing ball and riding a bike. She also pointed to a picture of her orphanage and said, "Where is my door?" Then, in a photo of her classroom area, she said that she had snack there. Basically, she was taken care of, but understands the difference between caretakers and family.
Jili no longer fears going to new places. During a Christmas shopping trip in December, Jili and T.J. asked me how far China was from our house. I told her that China was far away and that we had to take a big airplane to get there. We couldn't go there in a car, a little airplane or a boat. It was at that moment that I realized that Jiliang feared every car ride, every visit to a new place, and that every form of transportation or transition meant that her family life - as she knew it - could come to a screeching halt. The smile on her face at that moment finally spelled a sigh of relief. She tells me quiet often, "China far away. You can only get there on a big airplane. Not on a car or a boat." She now understands that she is never leaving us.
The Gaoyou Orphanage staff sent us a Chinese New Year card for the 2011 Year of the Rabbit. They also sent us information on the Chinese Homeland Tour. Jili has even expressed an interest in going back to see China. "We go China, say hi and say bye, and go home." This recent strides in her confidence and security have meant so much. When we talk about Chinese related things, she says, "Yeah, MY China." So, when she says that she wants to still be Chinese, it makes me smile. And when I hear the song, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", I think of how far away she was just 1 year ago, as I was packing my bags to leave for China; and I remember the sad face in the picture of that little girl halfway across the world - one who now beams with excitement, and delights in small moments and the simplest pleasures. And when I think of all of the stress, paper-chasing and sorrows, I think of how that little face could melt it all away: "where troubles melt like lemon-drops". Somewhere, far away there was a little girl who needed us and filled our hearts with joy -"Somewhere over the rainbow".

February 2010