Toilet training is looming before us

Since Noelle started attending Tues/Thurs preschool in the 2 and 3 year old class, she has been starting to show more interest in toilet training. Throughout the day, the class has regular "potty breaks" where the children take turns at the diminutive toilet inside the classroom. Many of the kids have been part of this procedure for a while, and a few are even becoming proficient at...um...'expelling waste'...ehem. Noelle has been carefully observing this process and even discusses it at home. She wants to imitate her classmates, and she even prefers diaper changes standing up - the way they do it in her classroom. That's what I call positive peer pressure!

Noelle is also excited to have a potty that is just her size. No falling in, or falling off - like at home, if we forget the insert (oops!). She is used to going tinkle before bath time and before bedtime (if her parents remember...), but neither Eric nor I are very consistent with taking her regularly to the toilet. Frankly, diapers have seemed easier than stopping frequently during a busy day of running errands or running the risk of a leaky mess out in public.

The past couple of weeks we've even been reading a story book at bedtime which tells of a little girl learning to use the big potty. It has a nifty flush button the Noelle likes to push. Noelle is sorta, somewhat, kinda maybe beginning to understand the concept of bm's in the toilet rather than in her diaper. What has continued to boggle my mind, however, is how can a kid stand that warm, soggy (or lumpy, as the case may be), stinky mess smeared to the back of her behind?!!? I mean, any self respecting person would run screaming "Ick! Ick! Get it out! Get it off me NOW!!!" Right? Well, I guess not, 'cause Noelle seems perfectly happy sitting or rolling around in her messy diaper. And when I ask (because the odorific evidence in quite enough for me), "Did you go potty in your diaper, Noelle?", my child, with a quick guilty look downward, states innocently, "Noooooooo."

Yesterday evening after an almost successful 'potty' (aka 'poo-poo') in the toilet - I caught Noelle "in the act" and whisked her to the bathroom to finish - Eric and I decided that maybe we should start following the potty schedule at preschool. At least when we're at home. (Hey! No need to jump right in with both feet, huh?! Baby steps, okay?) So while Eric was off at karate class, I sat Noelle down for a serious discussion.

M: Noelle, instead of always wearing a diaper, would you like to wear panties, like Mommy does?

N: (Big eyes) Yeaaaaaaahhh.

M: If you have panties on, that means not letting tinkles or potties go into your panties. You'll be wet and it feels icky.

N: (Bigger eyes) Oooooooohhhh.

M: That means if you need to go, you come right away to find Mommy or Daddy to take you to the toilet.

N: (Silence)

M: Want to go to the store right now to pick out you first pair of panties?

N: YAY YAY YAY!!!!!!!! (this, accompanied by much jumping up and down)

Okay. Cool. That was all the affirmation I needed. So we jumped into the car and headed down to our neighborhood Family Dollar store. When I stopped the car in the parking space, Noelle hollered from the back seat, "I want to go buy panties!!!" When we found the undies aisle, I was surprised to see a decent selection. I laid out Noelle's choices and she ended up picking a 5-pack which included pastel colors, stripes, and...frogs.

Excitedly, we headed back home. Noelle was in the back seat, ripping open the package and carefully examining each pair of cotton underwear. Once back inside, Noelle began stripping almost immediately. She chose the froggy pair. She pulled them up, and I fixed the wedgie. Oh my word! Toooooo cute!! Our little baby doesn't hardly seem like a baby any more in her big girl panties. Here's a picture of course.

So to give you an idea if we've had any success so far--

Later that night, Noelle was cuddling with Eric an the couch. Suddenly he felt a warm spot on his leg. He jumped up immediately with a shout something like "AAAwwweeeeeUghh!!" It seems that Froggy - with the help of our daughter - had wet on daddy, the throw blanket and the couch.

Then today, for the first time ever, Noelle pottied in her bath! I found IT floating amongst the bath toys. EEEEEickkkk!!

Ahhh. The fun is just beginning...

Happy Chinese New Year 2009!!!

I found something exciting in the mail today...

A Happy Chinese New Year 2009 card from the Hefei Orphanage (Noelle’s orphanage in China)!!!

I knew that the other family in our travel group - the Denzel’s daughter XuXu came from the same orphanage - received one a few weeks ago, but we still had not. At this point, I was beginning to think we might have been missed. I realize that the folks from this great orphanage have cared for hundred’s of children over the years, and they couldn’t possible get cards out to everyone. But I still hoped. Receiving a card from Director Yin would be just another element to Noelle’s life story and something she could cherish along with her other mementos.

When I flipped through today’s stack of mail and saw the now familiar Chinese script on the front of the envelope, I shouted “Whoopee!”…And then nearly wept. I gingerly opened the thick linen envelope and had difficulty reading the card through my wet eyes. Receiving this card, this gift, from people who cared for my daughter during the first year and a half of her life, is a precious blessing. I am so very grateful that they took our little girl, identity unknown, and gave her a home and gave her love.

What saddens me, however, is that Noelle’s first family will never know for sure what happened to their little baby. My prayer is that they know deep within their hearts that she has another family, her Forever Family, and is deeply loved. And that we owe them everything for their heart wrenching, courageous decision.

http://www.hefei-welfare.com/english/etfly.asp (Hefei orphanage website)

**Chinese New Year 2009, the Year of the Ox, is on January 26. We will be officially celebrating on the 31st with the local chapter of Families with Children from China. There will be a big catered dinner and a professional photographer available for family portraits (we plan to take advantage of this opportunity and will be wearing traditional Chinese outfits purchased during our trip last March). I’m not sure what else is planned, but I can hardly wait! We’ll let you know all about it. And don’t worry-- there will be photos! (eventually… ;-)

http://www.123chinesenewyear.com/ (interesting information here)

scroll down to see what's inside...

Please Pray for this incredible family...

... in their time of loss-- their house was destroyed in a fire. They need our prayers! There is also a link to make donations.

Check out these links for the details:

http://lovebuildsahouse.blogspot.com/

http://aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com/

This family is absolutely inspiring! Please check them out.

psst! something new is on the horizon...

OOOOOOh I wish I could tell you what it is!!

It's silly really, to even put a post on the blog, 'cause I have nothing concrete to share. (hence, the vague nature of my post)

But something is brewing in the Johnson family.

Eric and I (and even little Noelle, in her own way) are praying daily for God's guidance.

This "something" - if it becomes "something" - is wonderful and scary and exciting, and causes me to have vivid dreams at night, and weep during times of prayer with hopeful "what if--" emotion.

Got you curious? Good. ;-)

I'll post more information as God makes it clear to us.


(Stop the Rumor Train Here: NO, we are not moving. We love Chattanooga and our church family. So don't go getting any wacked ideas about that. Okay? This "something" is all good!)

Noelle's Health

Our little gal has had a lingering night time cough for weeks and weeks. Some time ago we went to see Dr. Jeanie for a diagnosis and an antibiotic. She determined it was a nasal infection and said the drainage led to fits of coughing, especially at night. The meds helped and cleared up all the symptoms, except for that night time cough.

Then, just as we thought she had conquered even that- the night time coughing has come back with a vengeance, accompanied by a snot filled nose. Soooo, she was back in Dr. Jeanie's office again today. Fortunately Noelle finds this very thrilling. In fact, no boo-boo is too small for a trip to the doctor, even the ones that Super-Mom with her x-ray vision can't see.

So the doc says there is "rattling" in one of Noelle's lungs (unlike our previous visit) and she may have "walking pneumonia". Oh fun. She's now on zithromax for 5 days. Jeanie say this should get the infection but the night time cough will probably linger for a few more weeks. Darn that baby monitor by our bed...

Last bit of news is that we are also having Noelle tested for melamine in her system, which can lead to kidney stones or more serious complications. Noelle's time in the orphanage fits the time frame for when many Chinese formulas on the market were being tainted with the substance.

How are we getting a urine sample for the tests to be run? Very carefully and creatively. This evening Noelle "practiced" tinkling into a sterile cup. We collected several 'drops' of urine during approximately 5 trips to the bathroom, after which point I decided to throw modesty to the wind and ditch the diaper. I let Noelle play with her toys in the living room and asked her every 5 minutes to tinkle in the cup. Her reply was usually "No thanks.". She was more interested in reveling in her new-found freedom. She took great joy in rolling around on the carpet and couches (presumably to experience the texture of synthetic fibers on her derriere) and giggled with glee.

We only had 2 accidents on the rug.

Anyhoo...

After we get a 'proper' collection submitted to the lab, I'll be sure to let you all know the results of the melamine test.

I couldn't resist a few photos of Noelle's indecent exposure.

I thought this one would be acceptable.

I know, I know, I know...

I haven't posted our Christmas photos, or Thanksgiving or Halloween photos, or anything else for that matter. Ugh. I am thinking about retitling this blog: "The Blog of Good Intentions". Whatdya think? ;)

I'll be home tomorrow after being away this week on a prayer retreat (tremendous blessing!) and Noelle has started back to her Tues / Thurs preschool. This gives me hope that I may soon find time to catch up. My fingers are crossed.

In the mean time, check out some of the blogs listed to your right. 'The White Family' and 'Vince and Alissa' both received referrals for their children in Ethiopia in December. Very exciting!

Love you all!

P.S. Just a little teaser-- Eric called me this afternoon from the mall play area (ya know, large, soft things to run and climb on - Noelle calls this the "Big Toys!"). He wanted to share that our daughter was playing on the soft "sailboat" and jumping into the soft "water". Next thing he knows, she starts trying to take off all her clothes. He says, "What are you doing?!". She says, "I want to swim!"

Merry Christmas!

This is a test...

... to see if I can post to the blog via my cell phone. I'm not sure how to get our Christmas photos on here (ba-lieve me, there are lots!) but will try that when we are back at home. We pray you had a blessed day celebrating our Lord's birth. I'll see you here soon with the scoop!

J

House Update

Well folks...

The rent-to-own situation is a no go.

The family that was interested became quickly disinterested when they discovered what purchasing a home truly entails. They decided that renting was the best option for them and have gone another direction.

Yes, we are disappointed. We thought this was going to be our miracle and the removal of our financial burden. We are just hanging on (really hanging on, sometimes by a thread...) that God has a bigger and better miracle in mind.

In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. Psalm 5:3

We may have news about our house...

There is a family in Richmond who is interested in our house. Yipee!

They want to know if we would consider a rent-to-own. We had been hoping for an outright sale, but in this housing market, this may be the answer the Lord is providing for us.

Will you please join us in prayer for God's will in this situation? He knows we want to pay down debt, to be good stewards of the resources He has given us, and our desire to expand our family. We know He has a reason for everything and teaches us valuable lessons along the way. (I'm pretty sure "Patience / Waiting" is still one of 'em - ugh! ;-) ) I keep reminding myself that His plan is way better than our plan. Above all else, we want to honor Christ.

We'll let you know if anything comes of this rental / sale.

And thanks for praying, friends.

Noelle's Referral - One Year Ago Today

What an angelic little face! We just couldn't stop staring at this photo on the computer screen. That same weekend we ordered dozens of prints from Walmart of the 3 referral photos. This one we printed on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet and hung it up in our bedroom. Oh, those beautiful, somewhat sad eyes, those round cheeks, that thick hair-- Ahhh - our baby!

One year ago today we saw our daughter's precious face for the very first time. What a dream come true! I love reliving that day in my mind. I love telling others just how we felt when The Phone Call from our adoption agency came through, and when we rushed home to check the email that contained the photos of Lu Jia Zhen, our long awaited daughter. I feel like crying, shouting, laughing and jumping - all over again! :)

If you'd like to reminisce with us, click on the links below to read about that special day:

http://johnsonfamilyadoption.blogspot.com/2007/12/call-that-changed-everything-part-1.html

http://johnsonfamilyadoption.blogspot.com/2007/12/call-that-changed-everything-part-2.html

http://johnsonfamilyadoption.blogspot.com/2007/12/miracles-along-way.html

Noelle (and Mommy's) BIG DAY

(Photos courtesy of Aleph Bet Director, Shayna Howard)

Today was a really big day for Noelle...and for me.

Noelle had her first day of preschool.

Our kiddo is now the newest member of Aleph Bet Children's Center part-time preschool program. It is a wonderful Jewish school with an awesome director and caring teachers and it just happens to be literally *right next door* to the church my husband pastors.

Yes, I know it may seem like an odd move to some out there, but to our family, today was a huge blessing and answer to prayer.

As you read my post from Nov. 20, you know that I've had my struggles recently. Learning to be a mom while living far from everything safe and familiar had been taking it's toll on me-- and I didn't like the person I was becoming. I have been cranky, exhausted and an emotional wreck. My house has been in a constant state of disarray. I couldn't even seem to find the strength to hang pictures or do other things that would make the parsonage feel like home. I was avoiding calls and emails and could hardly wait until Noelle's nap time so I could take one too. My family and friends began to be concerned. I was concerned. Something had to give.

Through holding tightly to Jesus and leaning on the encouraging prayers of my loved ones, I am starting to find some solutions. Eric and I are working on finding more balance in our home life. I finally went to see the doc for a check-up. (He put me on the, um, "pill" to, er, regulate my, uh, "cycle" and hormone levels.)(sorry guys!) I am beginning to make improvements in my nutritional intake (boy, that sweet tooth is gonna be hard to break), and I started filling out an application to the local YMCA for a regular work-out program (oh me achin' back!).

Sending Noelle to a 2 day preschool program is another one of these solutions. It gives Noelle, an extremely active and inquisitive child, the opportunity to socialize with kids her age. And it gives mom-me the chance to run errands, do chores and...breathe.

Eric and I had talked and prayed about this possibility for many weeks, but did not see a way to fit it in our budget. God bless my sweet parents-- they offered to help us pay for Noelle to attend a preschool program. Wow oh wow!! And then the day we went visiting schools, Aleph Bet Children's Center (a highly recommended school and very difficult to get in to) just happened to have one opening in the Tues / Thurs 2-year-old classroom. Wow oh wow oh wow!! We met with the director and teachers on several occasions, Noelle attend a "practice" day with mom...and we signed her up.

Today, lunch box and blanket in hand, our family of three arrived at Noelle's new school. Eric kissed his angel good-bye and walked across the yard to work, and a nervous mommy and Noelle walked through the front door.

I stayed for 15 minutes or so to let Noelle get a feel for things, gave my baby a hug and kiss, then slipped out the door when she was happily engaged cooking in the play kitchen. At home, I worked like a fiend on long over-due projects, all the while praying for my little girl's happiness, safety and well being. Her class schedule is posted on our fridge, so I enjoyed keeping track of her throughout the day.

At 1:00pm my phone rang. It was Miss Meghan, Noelle's head teacher. She called to say that Noelle was doing fabulously. Praise Jesus! I almost bawled right there on the phone, I was so relieved.

Our scheduled pick-up time arrived and I drove to the school to collect my precious cargo. I wondered how she would greet me. She happened to playing outside on the playground at the time and when she saw me, she acknowledged my presence with a nod then went back to playing. Hey! Where's my hug? Where's my "Mommy, mommy, mommy!!!"

It's okay. Actually it's much better than okay. My little girl was safe, happy and having a ball. Again I breathed a thank you to my Heavenly Father-- for the preschool-answer-to-prayer, but mostly for my gift of a precious daughter.

When I finally persuaded Noelle to come home with me - first she had to hug her teachers and say 'bye' to her friends and Bob the Bunny (her stuffed animal for nap time) and Romeo the Bunny (the live school-pet rabbit that lives outside) - we headed back inside to collect the lunchbox and head home. But before I could get her out the door, Noelle ran back inside her classroom, pressed her face up to the glass door leading outside to the play ground, and proclaimed with a wave, "Bye-bye friends! I miss you!"

AWWWWWwwwwww!!!!

:-)

These last 3 photos show Noelle discovering how to tip over the red couch. She repeated this activity several times before the teachers told her that maybe this wasn't such a good idea...

Noelle: Creative Genius or Criminal Mastermind?

Happy December 1st everybody!

And it sure feels like winter around here-- feels more like Kansas City. As I am writing this, there are snowflakes falling in our yard. Granted, they're not sticking, but they are falling. Several schools even closed this morning due to accumulated snow on the ground in several areas (the higher elevations). I was really looking forward to the mild Tennessee winters, but it seems like Chattanooga is producing the cold weather to make us feel more at home in our new environment.

Okay. Noelle is a smart kid. I realize this is the statement of a typical proud first time parent. But remember, Eric and I can't take any credit, so I figure we get to say it more often than the quota allows. ;-) Anyhoo, I wanted to share a couple stories I think you will find amusing.

~A majority of our church services Noelle is in the nursery, but from time to time she stays with me in "big church" when she needs a little extra mommy-time. This past Sunday morning was one of those times. We were sitting on the back row, and Noelle was on my lap with a pen and the church bulletin. As Eric preached, she was contentedly "taking notes". I soon noticed, however, that she was marking on her paper with great concentration. I looked down to see a bulletin filled with tiny scribbles. She would make a mark, pause with the pen resting against her head, scan the type with her eyes, then scribble another mark.

I took a closer look. What I discovered was that Noelle was crossing out all the O's. That's right. Uppercase, lowercase, she found 'em. I thought I must be mistaken, so I grabbed the paper and double checked. But sure enough-- she had found just the O's.

I doubt I had nearly this level of concentration when I was her age. What's next? Word-finds, Sudoku, The New York Times crossword puzzle? All I could do was shake my head and grin widely.

~The other story occurred just this last Friday. We had family and friends over for the Thanksgiving holiday. It was the middle of the afternoon and people had gone their separate ways for a while to visit, chill, rest, make loud banging noises (that last one would be my husband and father working on some mannish project in the basement). Since Noelle was napping, I took the opportunity to rest for a little while before rejoining the family.

Well, the banging below our bedroom went on for some time, so I didn't really sleep. Nor did I hear anything else going on inside the house. And certainly not what was going on right across the hall in Noelle's room.

I got up to use to restroom or something - don't even remember now - and that's when I heard the voice of my daughter-who-should-be-sleeping. "Mommy!! Mommeeeeee!!" This did not sound like her typical "Mommy I want to get uuuuup!" voice. This had a bit more intensity. I decided to investigate.

When I opened the door to her room, I noticed right away that Noelle's bed was empty. A quick scan of the room revealed no toddler about. I immediately remembered that Eric had recently taught Noelle to climb in and out of her crib / toddler bed (UGH!). Maybe she was hiding under the bed? When I looked more closely, I observed a suspicious wet spot in the center of her mattress, but I also saw that the decorative pillow that usually sits on the rocking chair was now in her bed (it was wet, too - ick).

Noelle had definitely been out of bed, but where was she now?

Then I heard it again. That little voice calling for mommy. Oh no. My sweet angel was in her very off limits bathroom (used only when accompanied by an adult).

I opened the door with some dread and a burst of steam hit me in the face!

My face registered shock as I first observed Noelle standing butt naked on the bath mat, her pj top soaked with water and her head full of bubbly shampoo. Then I saw that the sink faucet was running and the shower was turned on almost full blast to the hot setting.

I stumbled around and stuttered, "Noelle Johnson! What on earth are you doing?!?"

I felt a mixture of relief that I had found my child, amazement at the brilliance of her escapade, frustration that she wasn't napping but had made a huge mess, and fear that she could have slipped, fallen and conked herself out, or severely scalded herself in the hot shower.

(Please note: Eric had cranked up the heat on our teeny water heater to better accommodate our Thanksgiving house guests - and had warned them of this fact. Noelle could have been seriously injured, but the Lord truly protected her when no one else was around.)

Her matter-of-fact answer to my question was, "Noelle want to take bath. Noelle hot in my diaper."

What? Oh. Okay.

"Where is your dirty diaper?"

"In the trash can."

Oh. Okay. Good place for it.

"Noelle Johnson!!! Do you realize you could have been hurt?!? Bumped your head, burned your skin on the hot water?!?"

I went on like this for some time, trying to make sure the message would stick in her head. My mom soon heard the commotion and came to check things out. So then Noelle's Grammy put her 2 cents in about the dangers of bathing without supervision. And of course I had to call to Eric to share the news of his daughter's latest adventure (and to also scold him again for teaching our daughter how to climb out of her crib)

After the hubbub died down, my blood pressure retreated to normal levels, and Noelle had a supervised bath, I started to chuckle a bit (when the kiddo wasn't looking, of course). What creativity!

Then I lifted the toilet seat. The stool was jammed mercilessly with toilet paper. A quick look confirmed that the roll was empty. I also noticed that water was splashed on the inside of every surface...as if little hands had been playing in the soggy paper... Eewww.

Good thing she was taking a bath.

M.I.A.

It seems I've been out of the blog-esphere for one whole month now. Wow! I didn't realize it was so long. Several friends and family members have e-mailed to ask about the blog. (I am amazed once again that folks out there still follow along with our crazy life.) It's not that things here in Chattanooga have been slow or uninteresting - quite the opposite. We have been very busy, and my phone holds the proof. It is filled with fun pictures of Noelle, Eric, church friends, the cats...and Noelle. One example-- Noelle was a "karate-girl" for Halloween. Wait until you see how much fun I had with her hair! When I get these and other 'Life of the Johnson's' photos uploaded to Flickr, I post the link here on the blog.

I don't have any great excuse or explanation for my lack of blogging. I was sick for 3+ weeks, which kept me away from my computer, but to be completely honest, I've just been bummed lately. It seems that moving to a new community, attending a larger church (and all that entails), and the whole 'new mommy thing' finally caught up with me. I have been discouraged and overwhelmed with my life. Making a big move is hard. Learning to fit in with a whole new group of people is hard. Facing new responsibilities is hard. Being a mom is hard.

Whew! Well now that I've got that off my chest...

To answer the common question-- yes, I do intend to continue blogging. Although I have had a rough few weeks, I do really enjoy writing for the blog, and I like being able to keep our loved ones far away up to speed. I can't tell you when I'll get caught up, but I will. So please check in from time to time. (Or just subscribe to our blog (upper right corner)) It is fun to know that you are out there reading. :)

My one request: please pray for God to help me navigate my way through the new life He has brought me to.