Xīn nián kuàilè
It's the year of the dragon!
We celebrated by joining the Chinese Association of West Michigan (CAWM) this past weekend for a New Year's celebration. There was food (oh, so much food!), dancing, singing, and a magician for entertainment (not Chinese, but entertaining nonetheless!). I wasn't sure how Elliott was going to react, as this was the first time he has been immersed in Chinese culture since leaving China in October. He did stare at first at everyone of Chinese descent, and I couldn't tell if he was just trying to look for familiar faces or if it was just a people-watching curiosity. But once we filled our plates and sat down, that thirty pound child proceeded to eat his weight in rice, noodles, dumplings, vegetables, and dim sum. He was so happy! I was so thrilled to be eating REAL Chinese food again. I could close my eyes and feel like I was in China again. I loved every bit of it.
The kids and I all enjoyed the performances.
The crowd was pretty large, about 300 people I estimate, but we were able to find Yi Ling, who is my friend and also my Chinese tutor. We love her!
Fun was had by all.
A dear friend of mine, Yen, first introduced me to Chinese New Year in first grade. It is tradition on Chinese New Year to hand red envelopes filled with money to children for good luck. Red is the color of fortune. These small envelopes are called hong bao. I remember getting red envelopes and eating LOTS of delicious Chinese food at her home each Chinese New Year. It was a festivity I looked forward to all year and I was so honored to be included. I would sit and eat for at least an hour, savoring every tasty morsel and enjoying the celebration. So it was so fitting and so special for us that Yen sent the kids their first hong bao this year. And true to her artistic roots, they were absolutely unique and really special.
Xie Xie Yen!
So.... how have we been doing since the last blog post? That answer is quite complicated.
Elliott has been under the care of a urologist, a neurologist, and a physician specialist in spina bifida care in the past month. He has had three outpatient visits to the hospital for special testing (translate: expensive). After weeks of gathering information, we have a care plan for Elliott. We started with virtually no information about his care in China, and just minimal information about his actual medical need. So to pull this all together in just a couple of months has been no small feat. I have spent most of my days off shuffling him from one medical appointment to another, and this has caused some stress for Charlotte, who feels a bit like an accessory. I have had some great help from friends to schedule special playtime for Charlotte with her best little friends while Elliott and I run around, and this has been so appreciated.
What we are looking at for Elliott is a bright future with minimal limitations (if any!). But it is not going to be easy to assure this for him without a lot of effort on our part for the next few years. We are having to do a procedure with him on an every-three-hours basis that is both unpleasant and uncomfortable for him. It pains me to hear him cry and whimper, but as a nurse I know how severe the complications are if we don't adhere to this maintenance plan. After about a week and a half of this new routine, things are getting easier but are not without struggle. The medications, the medical supplies, the bills, the tests, and all of the appointments are on top of everything else in life that makes parenting an almost-three-year-old, an almost-five year old, and a six-year-old a busy time. I feel like I am falling behind on a lot of things, but it has also provided me with a new perspective of what really matters (hint: it's not having a spotless kitchen floor!).
Please keep us in your prayers as we try to find our new 'normal'.
So what else have we been up to this month? Here are some photographic highlights!
What we are looking at for Elliott is a bright future with minimal limitations (if any!). But it is not going to be easy to assure this for him without a lot of effort on our part for the next few years. We are having to do a procedure with him on an every-three-hours basis that is both unpleasant and uncomfortable for him. It pains me to hear him cry and whimper, but as a nurse I know how severe the complications are if we don't adhere to this maintenance plan. After about a week and a half of this new routine, things are getting easier but are not without struggle. The medications, the medical supplies, the bills, the tests, and all of the appointments are on top of everything else in life that makes parenting an almost-three-year-old, an almost-five year old, and a six-year-old a busy time. I feel like I am falling behind on a lot of things, but it has also provided me with a new perspective of what really matters (hint: it's not having a spotless kitchen floor!).
Please keep us in your prayers as we try to find our new 'normal'.
So what else have we been up to this month? Here are some photographic highlights!
Happy New Year, everybody!
