She is quite the dancer.

Here is a little video of Hope enjoying some of her favorite music.

Other News from the Week

Saturday we went with Grandma and Grandpa Perry to the Dragon Festival in St. Paul. We had a great time. The weather was perfect! We saw some cool boats, visited a few vendors, had a good meal in the pavilion, and a took a nice walk by beautiful Lake Phalen. Hope loved the opening ceremony performance where they "awakened the dragon." She was very tuned in as she watched and kept signing "PUPPY" as she looked at the dancers. CUTE! :)

We got home pretty early in the afternoon. After Hope finished napping, we decided to head up to New Richmond. We were going to find a couple of geocaches, but ended up watching the end of a parade and trying out the merry-go-round for the first time. Hope was fascinated by the marching bands and clapped appropriately when they finished playing. She also had some fun waving at the royalty as they "floated" by. I have a question about that now...it seemed to me that all the different courts were doing dances on the floats. Gone are the days when the ladies would just sit atop their thrones and wave to the crowd, I guess. Has anyone else been to parades this summer and noticed the same or is it just a small town midwestern thing?

Sunday after church, we went back to the "castle park" in Hudson for a picnic with our friends Brad, Tricia, and Lauren. It was fun to see them again so soon! We had a great time! Check out these pix...(not sure why the captions are so huge. Usually I can choose the size, but when I made this slide show, I wasn't given the option.)

Other misc. updates:

Hope has had more success on the potty! She doesn't do well when I try to hold her squatting, but Ron seems to have good luck with her (both #1 and #2) . YEA! I'm sure if we really worked at it, we could figure out some kind of schedule for when she needs to go, but I'm just not going to push it at this point. At least we know she can do it and she's not afraid of the toilet or the flush. And, if she happens to go once in a while, training down the road should present fewer challenges.

Hope got some very special mail on Monday last week. Her official US citizenship paperwork along with a letter from the President welcoming her as an American. We had our follow-up from the agency yesterday so now we can proceed with the WI requirements for re-adoption after which we'll be able to file for her SS# and birth certificate. Another exciting piece of the puzzle is coming together.

So that brings us up to date I think. Hope everyone is well. Lots of love - B, R, & H

Hope is 13 months old!!!

(My blogging updates are taking longer to get posted. I don't know if I'll keep trying to publish once a week/every other week or what, but I'll do my best to update everyone well now.)

We continue to keep busy here. Life is good for little Hope KeXuan Charlotte. I can't believe that she is 13 months old already! It seems like yesterday that we celebrated her birthday in China. And, can you believe that she's been home now for a month?

Speaking of which - on Friday night we had a "Hope is 13 months old on the 13th/Home for a month on the 14th" party. I know, I know...that is a lot to put on the top of a cake. ;) We had some family come for cake and ice cream after dinner in the evening. We had some yummy cake and a fun visit with those who were able to make it. I've been feeling a bit guilty because Hope didn't have a 1st birthday party after she got home, so I wanted to do something for her. We informally asked Hope's grandparents, aunts and uncles, and her cousin Mitchell to come and celebrate with us. It was all pretty low key, but we had a great evening and eased my conscience a bit. P.S. - I know she's wearing a fall outfit! It was a chilly night. And, it is a 9 mo. outfit she had in her closet that I thought she'd never be able to wear...so YEA. ;)

Grandma & Grandpa Heutmaker were unable to come on Friday, so they came Thursday night to help us get ready a bit. We all worked hard to set up the new outside playset. Hope was given this fun set at one of our showers (thanks Vriezens!!!) over a year ago and we finally get to put it all to good use. She especially likes to go in and out and in and out and in and out...what is it about doors that toddlers think is so fun?

Hope has changed so much over the past month and a half. When we first met her, she was a very scared and VERY sad little girl who first wanted only Dad and then decided on only Mom. She couldn't crawl on both knees. She sort of scooted on one knee and one hip. Smiles were very hard to come by and the only sound we heard for about the first week was a very heart breaking cry. Now, after this incredible short time, we are the very proud parents of a brilliant daughter who is smiling, giggling, and laughing with the most beautiful little "belly laugh" you'll ever hear. She loves her parents and every day is becoming more and more comfortable accepting nurturing from them both. She has taken her first steps, said her first words, learned sign language to communicate some of her wants and needs, and dances the cutest little hip wiggling dance every time we turn on the radio. She is a strong little girl with a personality that shines. We were in love with the growing belief that God's plan would expand our family. We were in absolute awe the day we saw our daughter's picture for the first time in April. And our hearts completely burst with joy the day Hope was placed in our arms and joined her forever family. Every day with our little girl is a blessing. Many many answered prayers have brought us to this day. God is so very good!

Hope & Ella

I started writing this post on the 8th and now I see that I never published it. Sorry - enjoy the video. ;)

First of all - HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE MARK!!! (disclaimer...sorry this is being posted so late. :( I really thought I hit publish that night. I know we sent you cards, but I wanted to wish you a special day here, too. We miss you guys!)

Remember the other day when we had Hope and Ella in the car together? Here is some video we took during the ride. Hope is learning to sign a few words and the patting on her legs is her sign for puppy. She really loves Ella. I think that the feeling is pretty mutual.


Other sign vocab for our little girl? Her first sign was MORE and she did that one before we left China. She can also sign ALL DONE, MILK, and the beginnings of DADDY and MOMMY. Her handshapes will come, but we can definitely tell what she's saying. Pretty impressive for only knowing us for a little bit longer than a month!

Spoken vocab you ask? Hope has 3 words that are pretty recognizable: "Mama," "Dada," and (are you ready for this?) "Jesus." When we were in China we were always singing "Jesus Loves Me," and "Jesus Loves the Little Children of the World." It wasn't long before Hope would sit with her "Jesus Loves the Little Children" book, rock, and sing "Jesus." It is so cute! She can also say "Ella" which we recognize. Once in a while it comes out pretty clearly. I just love listening to her babble. It is so fun when she really starts telling stories. Hope also has some pretty distinct sounds that I'm sure have some meaning in Mandarin. There are definitely times that I wish we knew more of her native language. I think she thanked me in Mandarin the other day! She is one brilliant little lady and we just LOVE LOVE LOVE her so much.

Such A Big Girl!

For those who are anxious to see, here are a couple of quick videos we caught this morning. Hope wants so badly to walk, but we wouldn't mind at all if she continued to crawl for the most part, at least for a while. She can push the little walking toy like nobody's business. It is so cute to watch her little hips wiggle. I think she's a born shopper. She could sure push a cart. :)


AND - without further ado, here she is...ON HER OWN! This is the most walking Hope's done. She hasn't taken but a couple of steps since I first posted about it. I guess this morning she was just ready. Now, everybody take a deep breath, and no more pushing, encouraging, coaxing, bribing, suggesting, or using any other crazy tactics to get our little girl to walk. :) For now, she's just our baby.

FUN week/TONS of pics/GREAT day! (Part II)

Here is "Part II" - Today

We had such a wonderful day...we just have to share...

We had a fun morning playing and then when it was time for morning nap, we hopped in the car. We had things to do, places to go, people to see! So, the first news of the day is that Hope has been on her first geocaching hunt. I don't know if you could say that she has officially been geocaching because she fell asleep in the car right away, but she was "along for the ride." We had two new e-mails this morning of new caches in Baldwin, so we thought we'd hit them on our way out of town. That makes #252 & #253 for us. FUN!

To finish morning nap, we drove to Woodbury and finally saw our friends Wendy, Larry, & Hannah. They have been so patient waiting to see us since we've been home. We had such a great day with them. Hope LOVED Hannah. It is so fun to see Hope meet new friends! We met for a quick lunch before heading to the house where the girls played for a while. Hannah was very gracious with sharing her toys. Then they swam for a bit until we got back in the car to drive to the zoo. Hope's first trip to the zoo was awesome. You should have seen her trying to talk to the spider monkeys. They were very active and she was captivated! It was so warm out today! The thermometer on the car said 104 as we drove to the zoo, but hey...after southern China in June, we can handle a little heat, right? :) It was so fun. We've missed our friends. Thanks for a great day guys!
(too many single photos - slide show needed for this one)

NOW - big news!

Hope went potty on the toilet! OK here is the story...We've been periodically trying to hold Hope over the toilet because her foster Mom said that she could use the potty or a diaper. In China, potty training starts very early with the use of split pants. Please ask us if you'd like more detail than that. :) Anyway, so far we've not had success. But tonight we tried and nothing...until she to in the tub. HA HA HA - nice little floating thing in the water. :) OUT she came quickly and back over the potty. SUCCESS! YEA - squatting on the toilet seat (as in squatty potties in China) she did it! Hopefully we can keep it up. We're so proud!

Then, Hope had the best bath she's ever had. She and Dad played and played. It was hilarious! I was unpacking/repacking the diaper bag for tomorrow and I just kept hearing this hysterical laughter coming from the bathroom. We have video we can show but would prefer not to post it here. Just ask. She thought it was so fun to bend down, get very wet, and then pop up and splash all over Ron. She was so cute! Here are a couple of shots...imagine the giggles.



Here she is post bath, all clean and winding down.


And finally, here is the best highlight of all...Ron put Hope to bed tonight for the first time. After getting ready with pj's, etc., I said "goodnight" and Ron and Hope took Ella out. When they came back, I was in the shower - convenient, huh...nope, just well-planned parenting. ;) So, Ron and Hope made her bottle, read stories, and rocked together. I have goosebumps and tears in my eyes just thinking of it. Talk about one proud Daddy tonight! This was huge!!!

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Night - B,R, & H

FUN week/TONS of pics/GREAT day! (Part I)

Here are a bunch of shots from the week. Ron took a few days off and we've been having some great family time. We're still working on some bonding with Mom & Dad and attachment things (I know it's a long process), so it has been wonderful to have Ron home. (Also, remember that you can click on the photos to see them larger.)

BUBBLES! Hope didn't offer too many smiles on this night. She was just trying to figure it all out.





Mom's favorite shot -

We've been trying out carriers since the stroller isn't always convenient where we hike. We'd love to have one. I think Hope is in agreement! We'll try to pay attention at garage sales for the rest of the summer and see if something pops up.


We were out for a drive the other day and looked back...at this (they do reach the mouth by the way) -
"MMM, look at these."


...and then this -


On a side note, Ron said that he thinks he's becomming more and more like his father everyday. He is now enjoying 45mph drives through the country on quiet afternoons. I think that a growing family changes a lot of things. :)

We finally decided to try Ella in the back seat with Hope. They both did great. I was afraid that Hope was going to get "kissed" like crazy, but during the short drive over to Grandma & Grandpa's she quickly took control of the situation.



When we got to Grandma & Grandpa's they had BOOKS!!! This girl is serious about reading. Well, maybe not the reading part so much yet, but she loves books. Just look at her delight. It was fun for me to look through the bin and remember some of the books that I used to recite, too.




4th of July Watermelon and Clean-Up Crew





On Saturday we drove south to Nugget Lake county park where we like to camp. I grew up camping there a bit, and Ron and I have since enjoyed or two there as well. We drove through the campground to show Hope the sights (and to use the flush toilets) before we drove down to the lake and playground. We found a shady spot for a picnic and had a fun time playing. Hope was getting a bit frustrated trying to get her car through the grass. Just leave it to her creative Daddy to come to the rescue.




So there you have it. You've been updated about most of our week. Please scroll up and read on to find out about all the other remarkable things Hope did today.