Loving Life

Get ready to smile! If you find you are going through one of ‘those’ weeks and in need of inspiration, this week’s blog is written and photographed by adoptive parent Kathy Goedeken and should be all the ‘pick up’ you need!

Siew Mei recently asked me to write an update about my son Evan Fu Yang who was adopted from Xining on July 28th.  If you are a regular reader of her blog, you may remember a post that she wrote about us shortly after we returned from China.

Yang Yang has adjusted very well to his new life in America during the past four months.  He is 28 months old now and is happy, healthy and smart.  He is developmentally on-target and is learning new tricks everyday.  I think that he speaks around 200 words in English and also uses many signs.  His favorite sign (and food) is ice cream.  He also takes a private Mandarin lesson every week.  Evan counts to ten in English and Mandarin.  He identifies and names all of his colors in English and is learning them in Mandarin.

Evan is a very social little guy and is the life of the party.  He adores his wai po (grandma) and waigong (grandpa) as much as they love him.  He also enjoys playing with other children at daycare and during play dates with my friends and their children.  Evan always gives everyone a hug and blows them a kiss when we leave.  When he is really excited and happy, he gives long, animated speeches in his own language.  During his speeches, he waves his arms and has lots of expression.  Evan loves music and dancing.  When we heard a marching band playing at a holiday parade recently, he shook from side to side so much that his stroller was rocking.

Having a two-year old is so much fun!  One of Evan’s favorite phrases is, “Let’s go, baby!” and we are often on the go.  We have spent a lot of time at our neighborhood playground climbing, sliding and swinging.  This fall, we also enjoyed hiking and visiting an apple orchard.  We had a great time with my sister at a local children’s museum.

My son is so sweet with his stuffed animals- Meow Meow and Bear. When I was waiting to travel to China, I mailed the stuffed cat- Meow Meow to the Xining Children’s Home.  He attached to this stuffed animal while he was living with his foster family and had it with him when we met.  He always sleeps with Meow Meow and Bear, and some mornings he is hugging them when I wake him up. Evan kisses and hugs both stuffed animals and always invites them to our tea parties. Some mornings, he brings them both to daycare. It is adorable to watch him be so tender and loving with these special friends.

He is drawn to any type of vehicle- real, toy or in a book.  We recently went on vacation to Chicago, and I think that Evan’s favorite experiences during our trip were riding on the city bus and watching all of the cars, trucks and buses.  Evan has many toy vehicles that he likes to line up and zoom around the house and a toy car that he rides on.

Last week, we celebrated Thanksgiving.  During this holiday, Americans remember what we are thankful for and get together with our families for a turkey feast.  This year, I am especially giving thanks for my beautiful son Evan Fu Yang.  I love him so much and cannot imagine my life without him.  I am thankful for his birthparents for giving him life and his foster family and nannies for loving and caring for him during his first two years.

I am also very thankful for the support that my son received from Christian Action while he was living in Xining.  The services that they provided enabled him to be a “regular kid”.  Christian Action paid for and made arrangements for Evan to have surgery in Beijing as an infant.  They also funded and supported his orphanage and foster family to improve his level of care.  Christian Action documented Evan’s first two years with monthly photos which are priceless to us.  Evan already enjoys looking at these photos of “Baby Yang Yang”, and they will be very valuable as he grows up and forms his identity.  Christian Action also helped arrange for us to meet Evan’s foster family and tour the Xining Children’s Home.  I am so glad that I was able to meet Evan’s foster family to thank them and learn more about my son.  I believe that because Evan saw his two families together and saw how much we all love him, it made his transition easier.  He knew that it was okay with his foster family that he was with us.

My son and I wish all of the Christian Action workers and supporters a wonderful holiday season!  Your hard work and goodwill help Yang Yang and many other children in Xining get a good foundation for life.

Comments

[Adam Voysey]

Kathy,
Yours is such a lovely living testimony to the beauty of Christian Action's work - the wonderful tapestry of connectedness and relationships that are being weaved.
Your blog, with all your keen observations on how Evan affects everyone - and to see how deeply he is loved, is fantastic. Evan just cracks me up!-- he is like a walking sunbeam!
God Bless,
Adam

[Tracy]

As a friend of Kathy's I can attest to how special little Yang Yang is. He is joy personified! It is very clear that he was well loved and cared for in China and that his adoption was lovingly arranged and carried out. He will be very fortunate to know where he spent his first two years and to see the great work of Christian Action continue for other children. God bless!

[Siew Mei]

Dear Tracy,

We are so delighted to see the wonderful Yang Yang living happily with his loving forever mom and grandparents. This is a powerful motivation to drive us in serving the needy children in Qinghai for over a decade! We will definitely do our utmost to continue our work in China.

God’s blessings for a Joyous Christmas and a Wonderful New Year,
Siew Mei