Blending the old with the new

Bringing a child from China into a decidedly American family has it's growing pains. Like communication. We do alot by sign language, not literal sign language but a variation on pointing, and trial and error. Holly is very patient with our inability to speak Chinese, and with our occasional attempts at it which are pretty obviously slaughtering the language, based on the looks she often gives us. She has even taken to trying to correct our pronounciation, but, I think she knows we're basically a hopeless case and she tolerates us. She is picking up at least an understanding of what we are saying. If I ask her if she wants more of something, or if she wants a bite of something, she is able to get what I'm saying.

We rely on some words we do know, like Oleo for telling her she needs to go potty before we head out the door or before bed. She knows exactly what we expect, and that is the only time she will go to the bathroom on command. We play with her when she says Beeyow, which is telling us she doesn't want something, by repeating it back playfully, and she thinks that's pretty funny, since she knows we do understand that word.

I took her shopping for a few age appropriate toys at ToysRUS, since Myleigh no longer has much in the way of preschool toys. This girl really knows what she wants and doesn't want. She has taken a liking to Ni Hao Kai Lan toys, and is not too interested in Sesame Street or Barney. She likes the Teletubbies, but, not Dora. She doesn't like dolls as a rule, but, we found one by FAO Schwartz that is an Asian baby doll, and she immediately liked that one. All I have to do is show her something and she will let me know if she approves or not. If she doesn't like it, she makes a scrunched up face and says BeeYow. If she likes it, she nods her approval and puts the item in the cart.

She ended up with a kitchen set and table and chairs to share with her sister, and ultimately to put in the playhouse when the weather improves. Two folding strollers for both girls to push their dolls in. Some puzzles and a story reader with books that the reader reads out loud for her. And her favorite, a little toy microwave oven with a working turntable with some food and dishes sets for the kitchen set. When we got home, and it was all set up, she sat and played so happily and so quietly, that I was able to get some housework done without worrying that she was bored. I peeked at her at one point, and saw her pouring water from the little tea pot into a tea cup. Well, I hadnt given her any water, but, I had given her water in her sippy cup. I kept watching her, and what she was doing was sucking up water from the sippy cup straw, and then spitting it into her tea pot. So funny, but, I knew Myleigh wouldn't want to drink tea with her, so, I washed out the cups and tea pot, and put some water in the tea pot for her to use.

When Myleigh got home they played together the rest of the day without interruption, until the two grown up sisters showed up. Before I knew it, all four of my girls were playing house, pouring tea and cooking food, and setting up the table. Very cute.

When it was bedtime, I had two rambunctous girls to wrangle into bed. I thought that I had them settled down enough that they would go right to sleep, but, in a few minutes Myleigh comes down stairs to tell me Holly had pulled her blankets off her bed. Holly was laughing when I came into the room, and while I had to be firm with her and get her back into bed, it was hard not to laugh with her.