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Saturday, August 6, 2005

Hard to believe that Isabelle has only been our daughter for two months -- seems as though she has always been a part of the Leist clan because she fit right into the routine and takes on each day with vim and vigor. She attacks each day as she explores the house and the toys and the pictures and the books and the...you get the picture. We have installed a baby gate near the stairs leading to the basement because Isabelle is motoring around so much and is so curious that she could easily take a spill, hence the gate. Stefanie had already installed electric outlet safety plugs but we have also added childproof cabinet latches because of Isabelle's curiosity. She is so smart, but then all moms and dads think that; of course, this time it is true -- no doubt! Since the last update Isabelle has been hitting numerous key "markers" in a child's development. She can now use the pincer-grasp to grab Cheerios. On July 27 she actually fed herself something smaller than a cracker for the first time -- it was a goldfish. She loves snack foods and the Leist snack pantry is always stocked with the favorites: oreos, goldfish, cheeze-its. Another marker was moving from a crawling position to a sitting position without help. She has been crawling everywhere but until the beginning of this month she could not move out of the crawling position to anything other than her back or belly -- no longer, our little girl is growing so quickly. We also have been witnessing the bear crawl position. She will get in the crawling position and then push up so only her hands and feet are on the floor (a precursor to walking according to the occupational therapist). Isabelle can also stoop from a standing position to grab something she wants, without falling down or sitting, and rise back up. She holds onto everything in the house to get around and that has even led to a couple of "boo-boos" when she tried to reach too far, missed, and then fell down and bumped her head on another piece of furniture. We know that "boo-boos" are a part of growing up but these opportunities also give Stefanie the chance, as if she needs it, to remind Isabelle that despite the bumps and bruises of life we will be there to comfort her and love her always. Stefanie, the photog, has done an excellent job capturing these great and not-so-great moments. I'm sure we will pass our ancient days staring at photographs of when she was young saying things like, "do you remember when," "wasn't that fun," and "who are you again?" We have had visitors here and been visitors elsewhere since the last update. The Haley family of Nashville visited and Isabelle took that time to charm another couple of adults and their two lovely daughters. It was a fantastic weekend of adult catch-up time and kid get acquainted time. Unfortunately Tori and Zach weren't here to join in the fun but they were having some of their own fun in Dallas. The Haleys arrived Friday and we went to Chevys (everyone can gasp at the seemingly impossible odds of us going to Chevys -- yeah right) and spent the night gorging on Tex-Mex and talking about the changes in our two clans. Saturday found us exploring St Louis for kid-friendly entertainment options. We decided the the coupon from Chevys for the Magic House would be a worthwhile adventure for their family and ours. Our only worry was Isabelle's reactions in a crowd because she hadn't been too keen about large groups of people, other than her own family, since we adopted her! . But wouldn't you know she was a champ. In fact, despite the amount of stimulation, maybe overstimulation, she rose to the occasion and explored every inch of the kid-friendly, four levels of fun. She wanted to join in all the activities the older kids were enjoying and then some. She even missed her afternoon nap but never got fussy while we were there. We then went for dinner at the Macaroni Grill and Isabelle fell asleep while on the way there. She snoozed for short time and then showed us that our little girl has really become interested in the decorations of floors...she loves to look at the floor, realize it is missing something, and grab our plates, silverware, glasses, or anything she can grab and toss them on the floor. She gets a kick out of grabbing stuff and flinging it to the floor. If we hold her while we eat we know must distance ourselves so far from everything that I think my plate is now in another zip code anytime we eat. She grabs and tosses s! o quickly that a mongoose would be jealous. Since our last update we also made it to Dayton, Ohio to visit with friends and attend the CCAI (our adoption agency) MidWest Reunion in Cincinnati. We spent more time on the visiting with friends but the reunion was an excellent opportunity to see other families with daughters and sons from China. The reunion buffet was excellent and Isabelle got to meet Selah and we met Selah's parents; they adopted Selah off the same waiting child list as Isabelle and are members of the CCAI Jan/Feb DTC yahoo group. It was great to finally meet them because in this process you can feel like you know someone because of shared experiences and emails without ever meeting them and then you meet and it is awesome. We also met another member of the yahoo group who are expecting their referral next month. The time in Dayton was fantastic as we were all there, that's right the Leist 7 invaded and our friends survived. Isabelle was a big hit, as always, and enjoyed all the attention from Lisa and her two girls. The boys all played together (all 4 -- three of ours and Jack) and thoroughly tired themselves out each day. We brought the pack-n-play for Isabelle to nap and sleep in and she did it without complaint or fuss...this girl is a "great" baby! She takes on all challenges and may fuss a bit but always seem to come out none the worse for wear and ready for another challenge. In Dayton that additional challenge was the stairs. Isabelle decided one day that it was time to climb their stairs and so up she went while Stefanie kept close watch. She only fumbled once; Stefanie swooped in for the save and then Isabelle continued her assault on Mt. "Stair-everest" and finished with a flourish of style and grace. Physically Isabelle's four front teeth continue their hunt to meet each other in the middle and it doesn't appear that there are any new arrivals any time soon. Her hair continues to make its comeback following the "bowl-cut" she got at the orphanage prior to adoption. Stefanie still would love to get more clips in it but the locks don't quite cooperate, as of yet. She seems to be as smart as a whip as she adds signs to repertoire including: please, no, and high-five. She really loves to clap and does it when she is happy and also when she wants you to get involved in some activity with her. After bath when we are wrestling, er dressing, her and I say "no" for the 20th time to make her stop trying to roll, she will sign no and then start to clap...it really is precious. Thank you all for the prayers and kind words. Isabelle has another heart appointment on August 30. She also has tests scheduled for her thyroid and an elevated white blood cell count she had at her last appointment. In addition to her heart she may need medication for the thyroid but we will await the tests before stressing about what could be. Isabelle is just so perfect for us! We love her so much and it is hard to believe that she hasn't always been here with us! Look for the next update near the middle of Aug. God Bless! Drinkin' in the fun at the Magic House

Girls on the front porch

Coolin' off with Dayton friends

CCAI reunion with DTC friends

Oreo smile Isabelle tending her 'garden'

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