Pinkalicious

To celebrate Eva Mei's last week of soft foods we made pink cupcakes. Why Pink? Eva's new favorite book is Pinkalicious by Victoria & Elizabeth Kann. Pinkalicious is a little girl that made pink cupcakes with her mom and ate so many that she turned pink. Eva likes to turn to the page where daddy scolds Pinkalicious for eating too many cupcakes. She points to Pinkalicious and says, "naughty" or "no-no." Our matching cupcake aprons were made by our Aunt Vera Neely.

Eva helped me put all the ingredients in the bowl and even cracked the eggs, which she thought was pretty cool. I had to pull apart the cracked eggs so Miss Clean wouldn't get her precious fingers dirty. That's one thing that Eva still doesn't like is being dirty or messy, and I'm thankful for that. After we put all the ingredients in the bowl, we put it on the KitchenAid mixer, of course. Eva wanted to help with that, but I didn't want her to get too close and put her fingers near the mixer.She patiently waited for the mixing to finish and then she was ready to eat it. I told her she had to wait for them to cook in the oven, but she could lick the spoon when I was done. Eva just learned what licking is from her liquid diet. She's been licking a lot of ice cream in the last few weeks. She really liked the pink batter.

Frosting the cupcakes wasn't as much fun as eating them. Again, I had to help her do it so she didn't get any on her fingers. Once she finished frosting and putting sprinkles on she was ready to eat them. I didn't want her to turn pink, so she could only have one. She of course wanted more and kept whining for more all day. I just kept telling her I didn't want her to turn pink like Pinkalicious. She didn't really go for that, but she agreed to wait until dinner for another one.

Priorities

I'm not sure if there is anyone left who still reads my blog...as I'm a very inconsistent blogger. Eva's just been a very high maintenance patient lately. Her surgery went well on July 16. Her first week home she developed Thrush (fungal infection in her mouth) so that didn't help her situation. She then started to have serious mental health issues. After having daily crying spells that we could not stop, my social worker and I decided we needed to see a professional. Eva waking up in Daddy's arms.

Eva and Mei mei sleeping after surgery.

Eva starts play therapy next week and we hope this will help her develop the connections in her brain to help deal with trauma. Eva appears to be reliving the trauma she experienced as an orphan and with her first surgery in China. I'm looking forward to it as the Dr. Jeckel and Mr. Hyde personalities are about driving me to therapy. Two weeks after surgery, Eva posing on the back deck.

On a happier note, Eva is now talking more and using a big girl cup (normal open cup) with out anything coming out her nose. She knows her colors now and some of the alphabet. The letter 'A' is now called 'Apple' and 'U' is called 'Umbrella'. Eva loves to sing 'Jesus Loves Me' and 'The Itsy Bitsy Spider'. She does not like bugs and tells the flies to 'shoefly' and 'fly away home'. She loves water and we're due to get back to Meijer Garden to play in the fountain. She starts preschool next month and Mom couldn't be more excited for her. ; )

God in handcuffs

Did you ever think God could be handcuffed? It sounds absurd to think a sovereign God could be bound, but He chooses to restrain Himself every second of every day since the fall of man. Think about it, God cannot lie, and He will not go against His word or His promise. He has graciously given each of us a free will and He will not force us to do what He wants just to keep us from making bad choices.

Do you think this is blasphemy? Well, God is not a wishy-washy deity. The Bible is pretty black and white when it comes to sin and the wages of such – death! AKA: separation from God FOREVER. Thank you, Jesus that we don’t have to cash that paycheck. And even after we’ve used our free will foolishly, God chooses to keep His handcuffs on after we’ve sinned and often replaces His judgment with mercy.

It’s ironic that our free will and God’s honoring of such freedom can cause us to be a slave to our freely chosen sin. Think about how often God would have to intervene in our lives to keep us from making poor choices…even deadly choices. For me I think it would be an hourly, no make that a minute-by-minute intervention. Between the evil thoughts I have about my own country’s politicians, the ice cream I eat as a meal, or the awful comment I make to my husband before he leaves for work, they all lead to the path of destruction. These may be minor infractions to you, but the Bible is very clear that we are to honor and pray for our government and leaders. We are to honor our bodies as the temple of God and we are definitely not supposed to tear down our spouses, especially before they start their day. Most times I wish I could take back the things I do and say, and sometimes I relish the thought of going to see an “R” rated movie and eat the butter-laden, heart-attack-inducing popcorn (they must put some addictive drug in there) both of which are neither good for your soul or body and probably not good for your spirit. But then that’s what Hollywood wants. Something so innocent has turned this once God-fearing country into a fat whore willing to do whatever it takes to partake in instant gratification. I digress and will leave this for another rant.

As Perry Stone says, “quit before payday,” because you don’t want the wages your due. How do you quit? First, you repent and ask God to help you start making better choices. This is as much for me as it is for anyone. I’ve been obese most of my life and I know small meals and exercise are the way to a svelte body, and yet my free will supersedes God’s will every time. I’m working at it and trying to listen to the still small voice that is the Holy Spirit, but my body and soul keep screaming for the second helping. The good news is that God is merciful and forgives us as many times as we ask and He is patiently waiting for us to ask Him what His will is. And therein lays the key that unlocks God’s handcuffs. When our free will hooks up with His good and perfect will, we enter into the truth that sets us free.

A day at the garden

Fredrick Meijer Garden is a lovely botanical garden in Grand Rapids, MI. I got an annual pass because it is so close to our house. They have many different gardens and one of them is the children's garden. Eva Mei loves going there to play in the water. They have a tiny little fountain and a replica of the Great Lakes. If anyone is interesting in coming for a visit, let me know and I'll meet you there.

The children's fountain.

Eva had it all to herself the day we went.

Eva plays in Lake Ontario.

The reason I took this one is because of the two ladies on the bench. They thought Eva was so cute they took her picture...as you can see she had no problem with it.

There's always time for tea. (Taken under the treehouse)

Homemade yogurt

I just bought a yogurt maker from Williams-Sonoma. Wow, it is so easy peasy. I made the first batch with just milk and freeze-dried yogurt culture. Boil the milk, let it cool, add the culture and pop it into the yogurt maker. Ten hours later you get homemade yogurt. It came out a bit soft so I decided to strain out the whey (the yellow liquid) and turn it into a creamy dreamy Greek-style yogurt. OMG, it's sooooo good with honey! I'll never buy Yoplait again.

Two cups of whey came out of four cups of yogurt.

I just used a paper towel in a mesh strainer and put it in the fridge for an hour.

The pièce de résistance.

Nail-scarred hands continued...

As I see it there are four views of the nail-scarred hands:
1. The BELIEVERS don’t require a sign and they believe.
2. The DOUBTERS require a sign and they believe.
3. The EXPLAINERS see a sign and they don’t believe.
4. The AVOIDERS don’t see a sign and don’t believe.

Mary, the mother of Jesus was a BELIEVER. She took Gabriel’s word that she would have God’s son…hello, that’s one faithful woman! Interestingly, Satan and all his demons fall into this category too. Read Matthew 8:28-34 and you’ll see the demons address Jesus as the Son of God and acknowledge His power to overcome them. Thomas is the obvious DOUBTER. “Because you have seen me, you have believed, blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) In John 4:48, Jesus predicted our unbelief, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.” The Israelites in the Old Testament and the Pharisees in the New Testament are EXPLAINERS. In John 6:36 Jesus tells the people that even when they do see Him they still do not believe. They always have an explanation for what they see. King Agrippa and the Roman leaders are AVOIDERS. They worship worldly knowledge, riches and power. In Acts 26 Paul gives the King and his court his testimony and “Agrippa said to Paul, ‘Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?’ “ Agrippa had no need for faith because he believed in himself and the praises of men.

Are you praying and waiting for a sign – a glimmer of hope? Or have you given up all together? Do you depend on your own understanding and the power of your own works? Or do you believe what God promises in His Word? Be blessed! “Don’t be deceived; God cannot be mocked. A man reaps whatsoever he sows.” (Galatians 6:7)

Nail-scarred hands

I was reading a devotional about belief and it mentioned Thomas, for which most of the Western world knows as Doubting Thomas because he did not believe the disciples’ testimony of Jesus’ resurrection. But let’s not be so hard on Thomas; the other eleven disciples didn’t believe Mary Magdalene’s testimony and the two apostles tried to tell the others about the risen Lord, “but they did not believe them either.” (Mark 16:9-13)

Has anyone ever wondered why our Almighty Powerful God raised Jesus from the dead, repaired his pierced heart and decided to leave his skin blemished? It must be spiritual irony for the Son of God to heal leprosy without any sign of the disease, and yet God Incarnate decides to walk around post-resurrection with nail-scarred hands. Knowing his unbelief, Jesus tells Thomas to touch his scars and then declares, “Because you have seen me, you have believed, blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) God knows man struggles with faith and yet this is the very thing He asks of us. In Hebrews 11:1 it states, “Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things NOT seen.” But God is gracious and knows where to meet us with our level of faith.

Some of us need to see the scars to believe and others are blessed with “blind” faith. Where are you at with your faith? Do you need a sign or are you ready to step out and trust “the substance of things hoped for”? To be continued…

Julie's fresh pesto

Well, I didn't have all the ingredients for traditional pesto, so I made one up myself. Jason said it was the best pesto he's ever had, so I thought I would share it with you. It started out with me just pruning my basil and needing to do something with it, so I only had a handful of leaves. I added to it a sprig of fresh oregano - of course this is minus the stems. Then I added 1/4 c feta because I didn't have any fresh Parmesan. I used 1/2 c walnuts because I didn't have any pine nuts and 3 large cloves of garlic (which was really strong, so next time I'll just use 2 cloves). I put all this with a small squeeze of lemon (to keep it all green) into the food processor. Then I added about a 1/2 c of evoo as it was chopping. All this is to taste. I didn't add any salt because the feta was salty enough. All of these measurements are total estimates because I never actually measure anything.

An apple a day...

Eva tackles a Granny Smith all by herself.

One bite at a time.

Yikes, smaller bites, Eva.

Apples can be juicy...

All done!

Eva Mei goes to the zoo

Eva Mei and her friend Carly went to the John Ball Park Zoo here in Grand Rapids two weeks ago.

A goat in the petting area was sleeping and Eva mkes the sleep sign.

Carly and Eva

Drums in the African exhibit.

Looking at the Baboons.

Another new mom

It appears the birds and the bees and the deer have been busy this Spring. Today at 2:00pm I looked out our back window and saw this mother and her fawn. You can tell she was used to people, Eva and I managed to come out on the deck and take several pictures while her fawn was nursing.

More potty humor

Eva Mei is really getting into the role playing. Several weeks ago I bloged about her helping all her dolls go potty. Well, this week she really got into it. We have a dolly training potty that "Mei-mei" uses. After several minutes I asked Eva if Mei-mei was done. Eva shook her head then started making grunting sounds on behalf of Mei-mei. Then she ran into the bathroom and got toilet paper to wipe her. And as if that wasn't enough, she pinched her nose and said "pee-eew." It's so funny because she doesn't pinch her noise at the nostrils, she does it on the bridge of her nose between her eyes.

Mommy Accolades

I like to give Eva Mei positive reinforcement, but maybe I'm going overboard. A friend of mine said that in Montessori schools they don't praise children for things they should already be doing, but Eva Mei is playing catch-up and so I'm saying a lot of "good jobs" and "Yays". Today we were at the store and Eva had to go potty. Since I was in there with her I took the opportunity to go too. As soon as she was done I sat down and told her she had to pull up her own pants. She did it and I say, "good job." Then I stood up and pulled up my pants and she said, "good job." I told her "thank you," and she just smiled and flushed the toilet.

One track mind

Today we went out for dinner and Eva Mei got the typical kid menu and crayons. She just learned how to trace her hand and feet with a crayon, so as soon as she sat on her booster seat she took her shoe off and per her foot on the table before I could stop her. I didn't realize she wanted to trace her foot until I yelled at her and then she put her hand on the menu and asked me to trace it. She thought it was really cool that I gave her red nail polish on the drawing. Then tragedy struck - I broke the crayon.


I'm not sure exactly how I did it or if it was broken before we got it, but all of a sudden is was broke and then there was drama. I said I was sorry and then all she could do was point to the crayon then say and sign broken. I would say I was sorry and she would then repeat it with accompanying sign for sorry. This went on all through dinner and even after I moved the crayon to the other side of the table and found another red crayon in her bag. Some things make a lasting impression...and now she knows when you break something you have to say sorry, it was an accident.

Swing into spring

Eva Mei discovered she loves to swing. The park next to the Comstock Park post office has toddler seats on their swings and they were perfect for a spring swing. We usually park at the library, walk through the park to the post office and then stop at the park on the way back to the car. It's a great way to hit the library and post office all in one trip. She's usually tired when we get home.

New mommy

Here is the latest mommy in our neighborhood. Mrs. Mallard hatched sextuplets and was teaching water safety this week. They would walk right up to the edge of the water but wouldn't go in.

What you say matters

Last night our ambitious toddler decided she was going to go downstairs on her own - against her parents' request for her to wait. She knows how to go down one step at a time and hold on to the rail. I don't know exactly what happened, but one second she was stand up looking down at the steps and the next second she was taking a nose dive off the first floor. I yelled two words, "Jason" and "Jesus." (Jason was standing closer to her than I was, but he was unable to catch her.) It was all I could get out of my mouth, but it was enough.

Somehow she managed to stop herself on the third step and was laying peacefully face down lengthwise on the step. Jason was mad and I was glad. I was so relieved that I put together a long list of scriptures before we got Eva Mei and I confess them all the time. Psalm 91:9-12 is what saved her from going all the way to the bottom. I'm sure of it. "...For He will command His angels concerning Eva Mei to guard her in all her ways." I know there were angels on those steps that stopped her. And I'm glad I've been confessing Psalm 34:20 "The Lord protects all of Eva Mei's bones, not one of them will be broken." What you say about your kids is a matter of life and death, so speak life over them.

Don't let yourself go

Well, motherhood is an easy excuse to let yourself go. First off, I need an eyebrow wax in a bad way. The goat hairs on my chinny chin chin need to be plucked and the grey on my head needs to be dyed. Okay, all of this I know and I need to take care of...but when your 2 year old daughter says eww at the sight of your underarms it's a wake-up call.

Potty training

Eva Mei is getting very good at pretending. Today she worked very hard with Bear, Bunny and Mei-mei, but I think they finally learned how to use the potty. Eva was a good mommy and helped them wipe and flush!Waiting on Bear to finish his business...

Helping Bunny wipe...

"Poop is yucky, remember to flush!"

Baby signs

Today I was busy making the bed and Eva Mei was playing with her favorite doll. We had just finished breakfast and Eva Mei must have thought Mei-mei (what she calls her dolls) was hungry because she started feeding her pretend food. She would give some to Mei-mei and then she would take some for herself. This was very cute, however the most precious part was when Mei-mei was full she signed "all done," with the help of Eva Mei of course.

I can't believe we've only had Eva Mei a little over a month and she's already using sign language with her babies. It is amazing how quick they pick things up. I mentioned this on my Facebook page that Eva points to the goose poop in the backyard and does the sign for poop and then says, "ick," including the scrunched up nose and sticking her tongue out. At least she knows the important things - poop is icky!

Our bundle of joy

Eva Mei is such a good child. She likes her babies and calls them Mei-mei, which I think is what they called any baby or doll in the orphanage. It means "little sister" in Chinese. Anyway, she loves to pretend she is the baby. I think most of the attention was given to the babies in the orphanage. She asks to be wrapped up in the blanket along with her Mei-meis and put in the chair. Sometimes I even have to feed her with her sippy cup. It is cute and I've even figured out which is her pretend cry and which is her actual cry.

Potty time

This picture was taken in China the first week we got Eva Mei. Although Eva was potty-trained, she was only used to squatting in a Chinese toilet (aka: a hole) so in order to get her to go on a Western toilet we had to have her strip down and squat on the seat. This was not so nice for Jason who was trying not to breath during her No. 2.
We finally graduated to using a child seat on the toilet just in time for the flight home. She was a trooper on the plane and didn't use her diaper the whole 13 hours.

Looking for time

I so badly want to update my blog, but I'm finding it hard to carve out the time. Eva Mei has been getting up at 4:30am so Jason and I are really tired. I've been putting Eva down for two naps since we've been home because she is so sleepy. This afternoon she crawled up in the chair and pulled the covers over her, so I knew it was time to put her down for a nap. It was really very cute.

Heading Home

Well, we made it out of China and back to Hong Kong yesterday. That's why I couldn't update the blog. China has a block on Facebook and Blogspot. Now for the real news. Eva Mei is amazing. I can't believe she has become part of the family so fast.

March 1 we got her at the civil affairs office in Chengsha, Hunan, China. She was in the orphanage director's arms just looking at me with a big scared look and then I took her and she freaked. I mean with a capital F! She literally screamed and cried and kicked for one hour. All the other families were cooing their little kids and thinking to themselves, 'thank God we didn't get that child.' I just kept telling her it was okay in Chinese, but it didn't work. I handed her over to Jason and finished the paperwork.

She was dressed in three layers with split pants and I was surprised at how big she was. Once we got her back to the hotel, she was drained. We stripped off a couple of layers and realized she was actually very tiny. She started playing with us right away and it was as if she had cried all the tears she had and was ready to start fresh with us.

What a blessing it was in the end. She was daddy's girl for the first three days, but now she goes to both of us with loving arms.

Back in Hong Kong

Wow, we are back in Hong Kong and it feels strange to be here and not call it home. There will always be a soft spot in our heart for this city. I feel like I'm dreaming. I keep questioning if we're really here and this is all really happening. We already had xiao long bao and dan dan mian for dinner.

After waiting 3 1/2 years for a baby, we just can't believe that there are only two days left of just the two of us. Sometimes ignorance is bliss...I think it is good that I don't really know what I'm in for. I just hope Eva Mei will like me.

Brilliant Glory

This past week has been overwhelming. I have been blown away by God’s mercy and grace. He truly gives good gifts to those he loves. Have you ever received anything from someone and not expected it? I have, and then I feel bad because I don’t have a gift to give them or I think a dumb thought like, I don’t deserve this. But, if you’re the giver and you surprise someone with an unexpected gift, don’t you just love to see the look of childhood on their face that says, oh goodie a present. In China, it is impolite to open a gift in front of the giver and I hate that. It’s supposed to help save face when the receiver doesn’t like the gift and doesn’t want the giver to know it. And I suppose it shows restraint on some level, but I think it’s bad for both parties. If it’s a good gift (no re-gifting please), how exciting it is for both the giver and receiver to celebrate the exchange of love openly.

Well, this week God was showing off His unconditional love for me. I started the week off looking for furniture for our new home, of which is a miracle in itself. Not only did Jason agree with all my selections (another miracle) everything we ordered was in stock. Wednesday we got our I-171H which is our post-fingerprint form from the US government that gives us permission to adopt an international child. The very same day, we received our travel invitation from the Chinese government. Now, what are the chances of receiving the final two documents for our adoption on the very same day from two different countries? I tell you only a God-chance! Friday was the capstone, the cherry on top, the piece de resistance. I got THE call from our agency – our Gotcha Day would be March 1, 2010. We would be traveling in two weeks. Labor has started. My pupils are dilated. Delivery is upon us. As if that wasn’t enough, Jason received an unexpected bonus at work and I received diamond stud earrings for Valentine’s Day. Did you hear me ladies? Diamond studs – Not CZ! I think to myself, I’m so happy for me.

As I sit back and take in everything that has happened this week, I’m awestruck by God’s love for lil’ ol’ me. I realized how awesome He is, which sounds obvious, but you can know about someone, but until you really experience their friendship and love, how can you really appreciate them? That is how I feel about my Heavenly Father. I desire to know Him better and then when He reveals Himself to me, I’m overwhelmed by His glory. Our human brains just can’t grasp the wonder of Him and in fact, we cannot live in the presence of his full glory because it is just too much for us to take in. We cannot look at the brilliance of the sun without going blind, so it is with God. I think God is constantly restraining Himself because we can’t handle His fullness, not because He doesn’t want to bless us.

In Exodus 33:16-23 Moses asked God, “What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?"
And the Lord said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name."
Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory."
And the Lord said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." Then the Lord said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen."

This week I felt like Moses because the Lord showed me unrestrained goodness. My face is reflecting His glory and it makes me want to brag about how good my Daddy is to me.

Jesus has a car wash

Have you been distracted lately? I have to admit that my mind has been wondering on many things – where to live, the adoption, packing, unpacking, finding furniture, the budget, learning Chinese and sign language; the list goes on and on. Yet, Jesus tells the fretting Martha, “You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.” He was referring to himself as the One Thing.

Over the last couple of weeks God has been talking to me about this. “Be still.” “Stop doing and start believing.” “Keep your eyes on Me.” Well, the latter came with a picture. Sometimes when God speaks to me it is through my thoughts, friends, or books, but this one was a vivid picture.

I saw myself driving into our local car wash, the kind that you drive into and put the car in neutral and the wheel is grabbed by the automatic conveyor. In my vision, the man directing me to steer into the guide rails was Jesus. He was looking right at me with His hand up, waving me to go a little to the left and then a little to the right. He was showing me that if you keep your focus on Him, he will direct your path. And the cool thing about it was that if you stay on the path He has planned for you, you come out clean and shiny from His glory. And my car wash puts fragrance in their soap, so you can smell it as you go through the car wash so “we are the pleasing aroma of Christ.” “And all these things will be given to you as well,” if we just focus on Him first! So, forget all the distractions and look at the One Thing that is needed.

Reference: Luke 10:41, Psalm 46:10, 2 Corinthians 2:15, Luke 12:31

Seeing God in Cauliflower

Only a creative God could have put beauty in cauliflower. They say, "you are what you eat." So, eat up some beauty.

Since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men would be without excuse. Romans 1:20

Tanorexia

I'm not making this up. Yesterday I read an article written by US News and World Report that states, "A 2006 study from Wake Forest University found frequent tanners experience withdrawal symptoms - like nausea or jitteriness - when they stop using tanning beds." I have a couple of family members who may have tanorexia. They are beautiful women who have that healthy warm glow of a summer day - 365 days a year.

The bad news is that not only has the FDA reported that tanning beds increase your chances of skin cancer by 2.5 times non-users, there is now talk that tanning will be taxed as part of the new US healthcare bill. Check out more info at this website. www.skincancer.org/five-great-reasons-to-give-up-uv-tanning-in-2010.html

Now I have lots of reasons to be proud of my pasty white legs.

Eva Mei

This is Eva Mei FuMeng Pruiett. Born September 16, 2007 in Hunan China. God selected her to be our Beautiful Baby Girl. She is named after Jason's grandmother, Eva Mae. We found out December 2 that she was available as a special needs toddler. There was never a question that she was our daughter. She was born with a cleft lip and palate but her lip has been repaired. We are waiting to hear the update on her palate.

We received the official CCAA letter that we are the matched parents to Eva Mei on January 14, and our agency said I can finally post her photo in a public setting. So now the world can see our beautiful baby girl. We are now waiting for China to send us our travel invitation that will allow us to schedule a date with the US embassy. Once we have a date at the embassy, we will know when we get to pick up Eva Mei. Until then, we estimate we can get her late March or April. We just don't know because Chinese New Year falls in the middle of February this year.

The orphanage has sent us a bio on Eva Mei and she was only 20 lbs on her second birthday, so she is quite small. She appears to be healthy and progressing in all areas except speech. She is only saying a few words, but we don't know if the delay is due to her palate, mental function or because she is in an institution. Nevertheless, her bio states "she likes to play with dolls and can be obstinate at times." Her favorite food is fruit and by the looks of her pictures, she is a serious little girl. Or perhaps she just didn't feel like smiling for the camera. Soon enough she will have plenty to smile about.

I have just sent a list of questions to our agency to find out more about Eva Mei, so when I hear something, I'll let you know. Until then, please keep Eva Mei in your prayers.