What's In a Name?

Sophie is the Leapfrog. Anyone acquainted with Sophie knows her favorite animal is the frog, which is appropriate as she has boundless energy, a zest for life that depending on the time of day can be either incredibly endearing or incredibly annoying. It is also one quality about her I wouldn't change for the world.

Lily is the Ladybug. In China, the ladybug is considered to be a sign of good luck. Soon Chinese locals will give us the thumbs up and say, "Lucky Girl!", but really...we're the lucky ones because we have been awarded the awesome priviledge of being her family.

Also, Ladybugs and Leapfrogs is the name of a now-defunct store in Johnson City and I just thought it sounded cool...

Welcome to our blog!

Come with us as we travel to China to pick up our newest family member, Lily XiCheng DeBraal! This has been quite an adventure...from the many applications, letters, references and endless documentation we've had to produce to the emotional rollercoaster that is International Adoption. We wouldn't change a thing, though, because as frustrating as this process is, AND IT IS, we wouldn't appreciate Lily and the all of the hardships she's had to endure in her short five years if we didn't have to take a few punches ourselves.

Here is what we know about Lily. She celebrated her fifth birthday on January 22. She has lived at the XianYang Social Welfare Institute her whole life, as she was abandoned by her birth parents at two days old. She is classified as as "Special Needs" orphan, which means she has a medical issue. She was diagnosed with Spina Bifida and is missing 3 tiny bones in the lower three lumbar vertabrae. She has experienced no ill effects related to her condition thus far...she can walk, run, jump and even picks up peanuts with chopsticks, which means her fine motor skills are better than mine! Our plans are to have her evaluated at the Shriner's Spina Bifida Clinic in Lexington, Kentucky upon our return to the United States.

We have been lucky enough to have two different friends visit with Lily in October and January. Both report she is healthy, happy and well-nourished. Thanks Jane and Carol!!! Many people ask us if she can speak any English and she cannot. She is speaking Chinese very well and we intend for her to continue her studies in Mandarin as well as English. She will qualify for language assistance through the public schools system when we get home. Many people report that their children start speaking some words in English before they even leave China. Another parent who adopted an older child told me her daughter was fluent in English in less than one year. I am not worried about communication...I'm really good at charades!!!

Well, that's all for now...if I tell you too much, you'll never come back!! We want you to join us on this trip of a lifetime!