Two Months Home

Today is our two month anniversary of being home with Hui-Hui. Things continue to go amazingly well with him.

So far in regards to general health we haven't had many concerns. Our biggest surprise and worry was when our doctor told us that he tested positive for thalassemia. This is a genetically inherited form of anemia (sort of like sickle cell anemia) where the red blood cells are too small. The lab results we got on this labeled his form of the disease as "asymptomatic alpha thalessemia". This is pretty good news, as it means he doesn't show signs of problems which would require treatment. For some people thalessemia requires ongoing blood transfusions, and consequently a difficult and uncomfortable treatment called "chelation". We are going to see about further testing to make sure we understand the exact nature of this condition in Kai. If you would like more information on this, CLICK HERE to view the March of Dimes information page on thalessemia.

We have an appointment on December 6th with Dr. Hanel at Children's Hospital in Seattle to look at his hand. We have no idea what, if any, treatment this will require. We think he could use his left hand more than he does, and wonder if he was discouraged to use it at the S.W.I. Either way, it is unlikely he received any helpful intervention regarding this, but the reality is that we simply don't know. He does compensate for it amazingly well, and it's almost hard to notice it when you watch him.

Because Kai was in an orphanage for the first 33 months of his life he has a number of developmental delays. This is normal for children in this situation, and they will usually gain ground rapidly once they are placed with their family. Our doctor suggested we have him evaluated by the hospital's children's neurological development center to see if there are any local programs which may help him in this area. We went to the center and had a fun time with an O.T. there who did a basic evaluation of him. Because language is an issue she was not able to give him the full battery of tests, but she seemed to think he was doing just fine. We are going to have a follow up visit with them in our home this week.

Eating continues to be a bit of an issue. We have adapted to his diet and see that he gets plenty of nutrition, but he still refuses to eat any foods that require chewing. That is, no cookies, crackers, dry cereals, solid meat, cheese, etc. The most common daily diet consists of organic instant oatmeal for breakfast which we make with Boost supplement instead of milk, then we mix in unsweetened applesauce. This is very sweet tasting, and is the only sweet thing he seems to like. For lunch he usually has Top Ramen with eggs and maybe a little milk added. He also likes jarred baby vegetables and will usually have a jar for an afternoon snack. For dinner he usually has some type of soup. We have also taken to liquifying things in the blender to make "soup". This way we can get meat and other types of vegetables into him.

Talking is starting to come along. He clearly says Mama and Baba, and Daisy (our dog), which he says in a high "sing-song", like when we are calling her. He's getting close on "water" (again in a sing-song) but usually says "guh" when he wants to drink. He says "gah" for car. Cam and Ben are both something like "Hem", sometimes Cam is more like "Ham". He says "c'mon" when he wants you to come to him or follow him. We have gotten him to mimic a few words including "Tuesday" and "Black Shoes", again these were both sing-songy chants and not really in context. Over the last couple days he has begun to babble almost constantly. He looks at you and "talks" away in a very deliberate manner. I really don't think it's Mandarin, but rather just toddler babble. When he does this he appears as if he is trying to communicate, but he's such a little mimic that sometimes I think he is "play-talking", and just imitating what he sees and hears us doing.

We continue to use a small range of Mandarin expressions with him:
Wo Ai Ni - I love you
Wo Shi NiDe MaMa - I am your Mommy
Wo Shi NiDe BaBa - I am your Daddy
Ta Shi NiDe GeGe - This is your older brother
Zhe Shi Gei Ni De - This is for you
Bie Ku - Don’t cry
Gui Heidze - Poor Baby
Mai Gui Shi - It's going to be okay
Ai kwan shui shui ba - It's time to sleep

I am trying to expand my Mandarin vocabulary in this area, both to help him understand us, and because I really want him to maintain his native language.

He has overcome his fear of dogs. We no longer use gates to keep Daisy out. He's still not particularly fond of her, as she is big and gets in his way. I know I would not really want a dog around that was taller than me and over four times my weight. But he will pet her with us, and he enjoys chasing her with his ride-on car, or with his toy broom.

This is such a funny stage to start a relationship with a child at. I really wonder what things will be like in a year. I imagine all of this will seem like a dream then. Sometimes I think I want him to develop more quickly: start talking, be potty-trained, eat regular foods, etc. But really, we are enjoying him so much just the way he is, that I'm not in a hurry for those things. They will all happen for him, and I want to enjoy watching the process. I guess my desire for faster development is really about wanting him to be less frustrated by the current obstacles in his path.

Hui-Hui's Friend Liam

I have written about Liam on the blog several times. He is the other little boy at Hui-Hui's S.W.I. in Baoding who is being adopted by another family with our agency, Children's House International. Tina had the presence of mind while we were at the S.W.I. to ask to see him. We took pictures of him for his parents, Tim and Carol Wickstrom, in California.

Liam is 5, and I think it was a good thing for him to meet us and see this process happen with Hui-Hui. The S.W.I. staff had Liam accompany us as we toured the facility.

I finally was able to put together a video of him for his family. They are leaving in about a week to get him, and we are so excited for them!

They let me put the video I made for them on the video page so you can watch it if you like. I think you will agree that Liam is a very sweet little boy and his new family is very lucky to get him!
CLICK HERE to see the video.

Feeling Thankful

We are very thankful this year for all that has come to pass since we began the journey of bringing Kai into our family. We are thankful for the good fortune which has allowed us to do this. We are thankful for the loving support of our extended family and friends. We are thankful for workplaces that support us in our need for flexible work hours, and value commitment to family. We are thankful for the opportunity to have seen a small piece of China and the beautiful people there. And we are thankful for the joy and renewed sense of wonder that Kai has brought to our lives.

The holiday season has officially begun, and we are enjoying being able to experience our family traditions with Kai for the first time. We drove down to the home of my sister's family and had a wonderful turkey dinner with them. This was the second time Hui-Hui had been to their home and he had a great time playing with his cousin Devon. He was very affectionate with everyone and gave kisses and hugs to his Gramma,

And even let Aunt Kris give him a hug ;).

He enjoyed watching some football with his Uncle Mark too!


On Friday night we went to our neighbors the Gudmundsens to listen to music.
Ben has had his drum set over there for a couple weeks now.


He and his good friend Traesti play with Traesti's dad, Bob.


Cam brought over his guitar...


and the four of them played a number of songs including: Brown Eyed Girl, House of The Rising Sun, and License To Kill.


Then Ben and Traesti played a set of songs on acoustic guitar and bass that they have been working on for a while. They play beautifully together and it was great to get to hear them.


We would have stayed longer, but Hui-Hui turns into a pumpkin at 8:00 PM every night.

Film Is Truth...

One of the things that Tina and I loved doing while we waited to adopt Hui-Hui was to watch other people's "Gotcha" videos on the internet. I admit that after you watch enough of them you see patterns emerge, and it's kind of like watching wedding videos; there's the same songs, the same scenes, the same things happen. And yet, while I can't imagine watching other people's wedding videos, I continue to watch adoption "Gotcha" videos. I think it's because of the drama inherent in the fact that the children don't know what's happening. Everybody in a wedding video is a willing participant and it's like a little play. Gotcha videos have much more of that "reality television" thing going on.

I wanted to make one of our experience, and I feel very lucky because our two older sons, Cam & Ben, shot great video during our trip. Cam will be using this material to make a presentation for his senior culminating project, but he is letting me go through and make some family videos.

French filmmaker

Jean-Luc Godard

said, “Film is truth 24 times a second, and every cut is a lie.” I have made a short movie showing the truth only 15 times a second, and have riddled it with lies. The video I have put here on the web is a VERY condensed version of our home movie. My intent was to share a bit of the flavor, and let people see where we were. My most liberal act of "reality distortion" is the actual "gotcha" sequence. In this video it appears that we enter the S.W.I. get Hui-Hui, and drive away. We did all three of those things, but the actual process took about 4 hours. And it involved leaving the S.W.I. with everyone for lunch, a photo studio appointment, returning, and touring the facility. In this version all of that is missing, and clips are rearranged for artistic purposes.

So, with my apologies for playing loosely with "reality", I hope you enjoy watching this short film about our first meeting with Hui-Hui...

CLICK HERE FOR THE MOVIE PAGE

Mail From Hui-Hui's Buddy Jackie!

Today Hui-Hui got a package in the mail from Hong Kong. Inside was an autographed photo of jackie Chan! I am really impressed with this man, I think he is an excellent role model for all three of our sons. Here's a scan of the photo...


On top of that it was a pretty busy day. Hui-Hui and I went to Tina's preschool! This was our first shot at this and we think it went well. He's not really old enough for this program, and with his developmental delays and size it shows. But all in all he did well. I came and stayed with him from 10 to 11:30, then took him home for lunch and nap. Because we're all up at about 6 am on Tuesdays and Thursdays he's pretty tired by this point and it was a trick to keep him awake on the drive home. He had a good time though. We played in the water table, and the cornmeal table, and the play kitchen. We did the circle time too, but this is a bit beyond him. To be fair, some of the other kids have a hard time with this too. We're going to try it next week too and see how it goes.

Then this afternoon We were guests on a local radio station! This was again at the request of our local adoption agency, Children's House International to help them with their efforts to raise awareness during National Adoption Month. I am going to get a copy of the program and hopefully will post it here.

Hui-Hui Vision!

Okay, my apologies...
This really isn't an updated entry. I have been using my time to edit the video of our trip to China. I promise that as soon as I can, I will post some clips of it here. In the meantime, I couldn't leave Joe Bates picture at the top of Hui-Hui's blog anymore. So with apologies to Mr. Bates, Hui-Hui's face is back at the top!

This entry is still about the KVOS TV news spot that featured our family a couple weeks ago. You Can Click on the Picture above to see the clip...

U.S. Citizenship

Dear Fellow American:

I am pleased to congratulate you on becoming a United States citizen. You are now a part of a great and blessed Nation. I know your family and friends are proud of you on this special day.

Americans are united across the generations by grand and enduring ideals. The grandest of these ideals is an unfolding promise that everyone belongs, that everyone deserves a chance, and that no insignificant person was ever born. Our country has never been united by blood or birth or soil. We are bound by principals that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests, and teach us what it means to be citizens. Every citizen must uphold these principles. And every new citizen, by embracing these ideals, makes our country more, not less, American.

As you begin to participate fully in our democracy, remember that what you do is as important as anything government does. I ask you to serve your new Nation, beginning with your neighbor. I ask you to be citizens building communities of service and a Nation of character. Americans are generous and strong and decent not because we believe in ourselves, but because we hold beliefs beyond ourselves. When this spirit of citizenship is missing, no government program can replace it. When this spirit is present, no wrong can stand against it.

Welcome to the joy, responsibility, and freedom of American citizenship. God bless you, and God bless America.

Sincerely,

George W. Bush

Weekend Update...

I'm still using most of my computer time to edit the video. We have 6 hours of tape and 1200 photos to sift through. It's coming along, but so far it's looking long. My first draft of it is really just for our family so I'm putting in as much as I can.

We had a great phone conversation with Carol Wickstrom this evening. Carol and her husband Tim are adopting Liam, a little boy living in the same orphanage Hui-Hui is from! They leave December 6th to go get him!!! We are so excited for them, and feel so lucky to be connected to the family of another little boy with this tie to Hui-Hui! They currently live in California, but we are hoping that we will be able to arrange visits for the boys from time to time as they grow up.

I finally unloaded the pictures we've been shooting over the last couple weeks, so here's a bit of what Hui-Hui's been up to...

He likes to help his big brother Cam practice piano...


He's pretty much over his fear of Daisy. He still doesn't like her much, but he's not as afraid of her anymore. Actually she's starting to be afraid of him!


Playing with soapy water in the sink while Mamma cooks is good fun!


Sometimes we worry that aliens may be listening to our thoughts, so we wear protective equipment...


We like to cruise the living room with our Monkey!


We're starting to like Play-Dough


Our good friends Alex and Kim came for a visit. Hui-Hui played them both hard!




Big Brother Cam helped me rake the leaves...

Homecoming

It's a Big Brother Post on the blog!

This weekend was homecoming at Bellingham High School. On Friday night Tina and I took Hui-Hui to Civic Field to see his brothers perform in the drum line during the half time field show.

Ben's the one in the "Woolie Beanie", and Cam's the one with "The Hair"

The Band: About To Take The Field



And on Saturday night both boys had dates for the dance.

Here's Cameron with Brittni posing at our house before they left for dinner

And here's Ben with Emma at her house...


Ben was in the running for "Freshman Prince" but didn't make the final vote. Both boys were drafted into the homecoming assembly as a "Senior/Freshman Sibling Team". Tina and i didn't get to see this, but as we understand it they were in some sort of race that involved sticking marshmallows on each others faces and carrying one another across the stage.

On Saturday afternoon, Tina and I took Hui-Hui down to visit at my sister's house near Lake Goodwin. This was the second visit for him with this crew and it went great! We did the hour drive down during his nap and stayed for just two and half hours. He was rested and it was the perfect length visit. He and his cousin Devon really got to play together, and as you can see from the photos they really enjoyed one another...







With Grandma...

With Aunt Kris...

Hui-Hui's Friend Jackie...

I have always liked Jackie Chan. I originally knew of him through his Hollywood movies like Rush Hour. I found his martial arts skills amazing, and was very impressed by the physical stunts he would perform himself in his films. But other than that I didn't know too much about him.

Then on one of the most amazing days of my family's life, we were touched by the influence of Mr. Chan...

That day was September 18th, 2005: the Chinese Moon Festival, and Kai's "Gotcha-Day"! On that day Tina and I, and our first two sons, Cam and Ben, all drove from Beijing to Baoding where we recieved Hui-Hui into our family. We first met him at the Baoding Social Welfare Institute. While this is a large S.W.I. it's primarily a nursing home for senior citizens. In all it cares for around 70 to 80 orphans. The building where the children lived was showing it's age, and was beginning to be overcrowded.

One of the first things the orphanage directors told us as they gave us a tour of the facility, was how excited they were about a new building for the children which was nearly completed. This new building had been paid for by Jackie Chan. We could tell they were very proud of this, and we were very impressed. It was a large beautiful building.

After we returned home I began to wonder about this gift to the S.W.I. from Jackie Chan. I was curious what his connection to Baoding was. I started trying to Google-search his name and Baoding but didn't really find anything. So then I went to the official Jackie Chan website and I discovered that the beautiful gift of this building was just a small piece of the amazing charitable works of Mr. Chan. I was very impressed by the scope of work his foundation does.

I wanted to thank Mr. Chan for his gift to the S.W.I. Having been able to visit this facility and see the children whose lives will be affected by this gift I felt very moved. These are children who had been Hui-Hui's friends. It is comforting to know that the quality of their lives is being improved.

I looked for a way to email Jackie through his website. In the section for children I found a form children who would like to be profiled on the site could use to tell why they liked Jackie Chan. I filled it out as best I could for Hui-Hui. Here are the questions and the answers I wrote...

What is your name?
 Kai-Hui Ocheltree
 
What is your email address (required)?
 hui_hui@mac.com
 
How old are you?
 2 (I'll be 3 in December)
 
 What country are you from?
 U.S.A (formerly from China)
 
How long have you been a Jackie Chan fan?
 Since my new parents adopted me in Bao Ding last month and found out that Mr. Chan had donated the money for the new building at the orphanage where I used to live.
 
How did you discover Jackie?
 My parents have shown his pictures to me.
 
What is your favorite Jackie Chan movie?
 I am not old enough to watch Mr. Chan's movies yet, but my parents and older brothers really like Rush Hour.
 
Why is this movie your favorite? Talk about your favorite parts.
 Mr. Chan is very funny in this movie, and we like that he helps a child in this movie.
 
What do you like best about Jackie? Be specific!
 Jackie's charity work. Especially the things he has done for children in China.
 
How has Jackie influenced your life or made you a better person?
 The new building, made possible by Mr. Chan, at the Baoding Social Welfare Institute will make life much better for my many friends I left behind in China. 
 
 If you could tell Jackie one important thing about yourself, what would it be?
 My family is very grateful to the people of the Baoding Social Welfare Institute for all they have done for me. Mr. Chan's gift will make it possible for them to serve other children even better.
 
If you could ask Jackie a question, what would you ask him?
How did you find out about our Social Welfare Institute in Baoding, and that we needed a new building for the babies?

The very next day Hui-Hui received this email...

Dear Kai-Hui,

I know that you are only almost-3-years-old and probably can't read this, but maybe your parents can help out with that.

I want to tell you how touched I was to read your story. It is so good to hear that you have been adopted and are now living in the US with your loving parents. We are very happy that your friends can have a better life in Bao Ding after Jackie's contribution.

Today I showed Jackie your photo and told him your story and he was so happy. You made him smile. He wants me to tell your story on our website.

So Kai-Hui, will you ask your parents if we can tell your story on the website at jackiechan.com? We promise not to use your last name or even say what state you are from. But it's such a wonderful story and we want to share it.
Please email me back and let me know what their answer is. We hope it will be "yes."

Love,
Katharine
Webmaster

I was very impressed that we heard back so quickly, and told them that we would be happy to have Hui-Hui on the website. If you would like to see the story they put on the site you can go to www.jackiechan.com and click on "scrapbook", or JUST CLICK HERE.

Happy Halloween!

Okay, It's November, but it takes me a little while to post this stuff. Here's the Halloween snaps:

Tina really wanted to dress him as a monkey and I liked this idea. I thought we could make it into a Monkey King costume. But I argued for the cute little China Boy outfit on the grounds that we already had it, and besides, it's not going to fit him in a couple weeks, so we should get a few miles out of it!


In this shot, if you look closely, you can make out his "queue" the traditional braided ponytail worn by men in imperial China.
Our very nice neighbor lady across the street asked excitedly, "Where did you get the costume?"
She felt silly when we answered, "China."
I wish I could refrain from the sarcastic comments, like: "The make-up took hours!" But I'm a very bad man. ;-)

Here he is posing with the neighborhood's "usual suspects". Yes, they are all too old to be Trick-or-Treating. But they dressed up, so how can you stop them?

Here's Kai on his first stop. Our neighbor, Ian, is helping him make his selection. The observant eye, will notice that his loot bag on the ground is from The White Swan hotel!

Ben: the Hippy Pumpkin Carver:

and the Hippy Pumpkins!

Thumb Snuckers

Hui-Hui is a very passionate thumb-sucker. At night sometimes I hear him working it so hard in his crib I worry for the thumb's safety. It is, after all, the only thumb he has!

When He sucks his thumb, he prefers having something to hold onto. The very best thing right now seems to be Baby Eyeore's tail. But if Eyeore isn't around he is not that particular. Above I have a few pictures I snapped on Sunday afternoon to show some of the things he will use for what I like to call: Thumb Snuckers!

Crayons are a particular favorite, and are actually used more for this purpose than coloring. He is starting to let us play with the bumble-bee finger puppet, but usually if he sees it, he will want to have it and immediately put it to work as a "snucker". In a pinch he will grab a fold of his shirt, and I have even seen him use a scrap of paper.