Today, I'm the mother of a fifteen-year-old. Where did the last fifteen years go?!? (Just kidding!) Seriously, though...for whatever reason, it didn't feel too odd to me to be the mother of a young teenager, but fifteen feels old. However, he is still our own dear Daniel, growing up on his own timetable, and it is a good feeling to be marking all our family's important occasions together with him for the second time. Last year at this time we celebrated in China by going out to Karaoke, eating at Pizza Hut (Daniel's first time eating pizza; he was a fan from the start), and eating a not-too-sweet Chinese bakery cake in our hotel room.
This year, Daniel's activity of choice was (drum-roll, please)...going to IKEA! He had been asking recently about home-decorating stores, and I had told him about IKEA, and he really wanted to check it out. We don't have one anywhere near us, but there is one near my parents, so it was the perfect opportunity. My dad, brother, Tim, Daniel and I all went. Daniel skipped a few sections entirely, but examined every bedroom display that they had. He also liked the comforter section downstairs.
We also managed to find him an Asian-style cake. When we picked it up, he told me, "I want to have my birthday here every year!" (Our small city does not sell anything remotely resembling an Asian cake.) So for dessert tonight, we had non-sweet (but actually pretty good) cake, watermelon, and Neapolitan ice cream (another Daniel favorite). Daniel was a happy boy. :-) He didn't get much in the way of presents, since he has already gotten his present from us (a new mattress) and his presents from Tim's side of the family are waiting for when we visit them. But he was quite pleased with cash from great-grandma and a projection clock (complete with white noise maker and radio) from my parents.
We have some pictures, but I'm too tired to post them right now. Maybe tomorrow.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Happy Family Day, Daniel Huang!
A year ago today, we entered our hotel lobby with some trepidation, wondering what Daniel would really be like and what he would think of us. I do believe the process of adoption is harder on the kids than on the parents, but in any case, becoming instant family with a stranger is not for the faint of heart!
A year later, we have real relationships, a foundation of shared experiences, and some understanding of how each other tick. Can I just say how good that feels?
So, after a year of living life with Daniel, this is the boy we know and love:
Personality/character: curious, kind, intelligent, extroverted, diligent (at least on projects of his own choosing!), helpful, skeptical, authentic, insightful, exuberant, loyal, open, funny, affectionate, outside-the-box thinker, tease
Likes: anything that runs on electricity, mashed potatoes, physical contact, scented stuff (like candles and soaps), friends, music, noodles, sledding, his new mattress, feet (especially Mom's), swimming, ice cream, attention
Dislikes: anything that started life as a dried legume (with the exception of soybean products), wearing glasses, messes (poor kid, our house is always messy!), people being upset (especially if he doesn't know why), waiting to see the doctor/dentist, being stared at, most candy, not knowing what to do next, being ignored
Hobbies: fixing things, taking things apart to see how they work, lovingly arranging the many layers of sheets and mattress pads on his new mattress, helping people, watching the news in Chinese, getting the mail before anybody else does, "getting a rise" out of people, shopping, hanging around Mom, chatting, finding electronics and bed accessories on Amazon.com
Wants: an iPod, wireless headphones, remote switches (so he can turn off his light from in bed), a motion-activated light (he already has the motion-activated soap dispenser), twine and beads for the sort of handicrafts he used to make in China
Talents: fixing things, math, photography, singing
Possible future careers: maintenance technician, contractor, interior designer, plumber, electrician, electrical engineer, architect
Daniel is quite pleased to have a day that is all about him. :-) His first idea for how to spend his family day was to eat lots of mashed potatoes. Then we thought about swimming. But his final choice? Shopping!! We are making a trek to Home Depot (an hour away) and stopping at our favorite Chinese buffet in that city. We may hit some other stores as well (like Lowes, his local favorite!). No promises that we're going to buy any of his beloved gadgets for him, but he will have fun window shopping. And, he wants to go sign up for a library card. It will be a full day, but fun, and very Danielish. :-)
A year later, we have real relationships, a foundation of shared experiences, and some understanding of how each other tick. Can I just say how good that feels?
So, after a year of living life with Daniel, this is the boy we know and love:
Personality/character: curious, kind, intelligent, extroverted, diligent (at least on projects of his own choosing!), helpful, skeptical, authentic, insightful, exuberant, loyal, open, funny, affectionate, outside-the-box thinker, tease
Likes: anything that runs on electricity, mashed potatoes, physical contact, scented stuff (like candles and soaps), friends, music, noodles, sledding, his new mattress, feet (especially Mom's), swimming, ice cream, attention
Dislikes: anything that started life as a dried legume (with the exception of soybean products), wearing glasses, messes (poor kid, our house is always messy!), people being upset (especially if he doesn't know why), waiting to see the doctor/dentist, being stared at, most candy, not knowing what to do next, being ignored
Hobbies: fixing things, taking things apart to see how they work, lovingly arranging the many layers of sheets and mattress pads on his new mattress, helping people, watching the news in Chinese, getting the mail before anybody else does, "getting a rise" out of people, shopping, hanging around Mom, chatting, finding electronics and bed accessories on Amazon.com
Wants: an iPod, wireless headphones, remote switches (so he can turn off his light from in bed), a motion-activated light (he already has the motion-activated soap dispenser), twine and beads for the sort of handicrafts he used to make in China
Talents: fixing things, math, photography, singing
Possible future careers: maintenance technician, contractor, interior designer, plumber, electrician, electrical engineer, architect
Daniel is quite pleased to have a day that is all about him. :-) His first idea for how to spend his family day was to eat lots of mashed potatoes. Then we thought about swimming. But his final choice? Shopping!! We are making a trek to Home Depot (an hour away) and stopping at our favorite Chinese buffet in that city. We may hit some other stores as well (like Lowes, his local favorite!). No promises that we're going to buy any of his beloved gadgets for him, but he will have fun window shopping. And, he wants to go sign up for a library card. It will be a full day, but fun, and very Danielish. :-)