Houghtaling Girls

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Jiang Qinglan

Before Addy Grace became a Houghtaling, she lived in a foster home in Guigang City, China. And her name was Jiang Qinglan, also known as, Lan Lan. And here are some of the pictures that were shared with us on her Gotcha Day…

There are more pictures, but I want to save some for just her to see when she is older and ready. I hope these pictures will comfort her in the future.

Addy's New Bike

John and I received gift cards to help us get Addy Grace settled. We figured what better way to spend them than to get the girl some new wheels!!! She was solo excited!!! And took to it like a champ.

I see bikerides in the Ho's future!

Chick Play

Today we had a much needed playdate at Chick-Fil-A or Chick Play as Ava calls it. The girls has a great time with their friends and the mama's had a great time catching up. I'm so excited I get to be a part of the Thursday playdates for a bit! And are they rockin' the Red, White, or Blue or what???

And a little game of Ring Around The Rosey never hurt, either!

Love our friends!

Thank You!

Thank you to Lisa Dunn at The Truth Behind Suburban Motherhood for bringing us dinner and for the girls new glasses! They were a big hit at the dinner table!!!

Sneak Peek

Yesterday we got the girl's pictures done. And we got a sneak peek. I'm sorry, but my children are gorgeous!!!!

I can't wait to see the rest!

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Addy's First Dr. Visit and Shopping!

We had our first big outing as a family of four today. We started out at Dr. Tracy's for little girls first visit. She did pretty well! No tears, but there was also no shots! She weighs 25 lbs., which means she gained a pound since her medical exam in China. She is 33 inches tall. And isn't on the growth chart at all. Not even a little. PEANUT.

Her mouth is a mess though. Her palate is not repaired and is open completely to her nasal cavity. We have to contact the plastic surgeon to see the next steps. Dr. Tracy said she wouldn't be surprised if Addy has to have work done within the next few months. Her teeth are pretty bad, too. But we made her a dentist appt in a few weeks. We'll rock it! I have no doubt.

After the appt we ran to a few stores. The girls are having their pictures done tomorrow so I needed props! We stopped at Hobby Lobby, who by the way has Christmas stuff out, and Target. The girls each got new shoes and Addy got a new bike!

Funny story from Target -- We got the girls each a cup with a straw. Halfway to checkout, I looked at Addy and she was chomping on the straw! We didn't even pay for it and the straw was smashed. Haha!

We got the girls a bottle of Sprite to split. When we got to dinner, I ordered them each a milk.

Ava: Why do you get to have pop and I don't?

Me: Because I'm an adult

Ava: Oh, because you're 49???

Watch out, chica! I'm not 40 yet!

And how do you finish off a fun family night?? Well, with a trip to Mel O Creme of course!!!! Addy's first trip!

S'More, Please!

The outpouring of love from family and friends is amazing! We have felt the love from every one of you!! We've had lots of love, visits, and FOOD!

We had a great visit with Sawyer (and his mommy, too)! They brought us a super yummy dinner and adorable outfits for the girls!!

Thanks, Mullen Family!!

The girls have really been playing well and getting along great! They are starting to really bond. Of course, Ava is taking the role of Big Sister and micro managing. But Addy doesn't seem to mind and follows every.single.thing Ava does. I love these girls!

We went to school and visited Ava's friends and took them goodies from China. She was really missed! It was so sweet! And we picked up Raphael. They watched him for us while we were gone. He seemed like he did well for them. Since they did a care sheet for him everyday! Ava was tickled to pieces with those! We got a daily report of how much he ate, slept, and special treats he had! Love those teachers! So much so that I was sent this message the other night from Miss Ashley. The China recount from a five year old!