I'm so glad we were able to celebrate her 3rd birthday. We feel so bad that we missed so much in her life. So many birthdays and holidays. It's not fair for her. I hope that we can make every single celebration with her from now on an event she will never forget.
We had a beautiful white cake with pink flowers and cookies and cream ice cream. Ella didn't care for the cake too much (very sweet), but LOVED the ice cream. The candles on the cake also freaked her out a bit. We had to chuckle a little bit trying to think about the fact that she probably never saw them before. I guess we would freak out too under the same circumstances. She didn't understand the whole "blowing the candles out" and had to get help from her big brothers.
Rob gave Ella her first bouquet of flowers and wrote Ella a heartfelt note that we will put in her scrapbook. It was very special. Here is what it said.
"My Dearest Ella,
Today is your first birthday! Well not exactly, it is actually your third birthday but it is your first birthday since we brought you home from China. You are home with your forever family now! We all Love You and you will always hold a special place in Mama and Baba's hearts. You have filled a void in our family that has been there so long. Will you always be the youngest child? Only time will tell. You are so precious and beautiful with your smile, your thumbs up routine that Canaan taught you, and just your happy go lucky personality. I will always remember the day we got you in China as well as the many other FIRSTS that have occurred so far in your life. (IE: holding you for the first time, kissing you for the first time, you telling me you loved me for the first time, the first time you sat on my lap and other firsts too many to write down. I can't wait for the many other things that will come with you being my daughter. Well, my precious daughter, Happy Birthday. I Love You more than words will ever describe.
Love, Baba"
I was very proud and touched that Rob was able to express his feelings like that in a letter she can look at years from now and know how much we really do love her.
After Christmas, she figured out what presents were all about and wasted NO time tearing into them. Her Grandma Barbara and Grandpa Rollie sent her an adorable Asian baby doll that looks incredibly real! The tag said her name was Baby Mei Mei but since Mary's doll (of the same kind) was named Mei, Ella named her new baby Qai (pronounced Kai). The girls had a blast pushing their babies around in the toy strollers. The look of sheer joy on Ella's face was amazing.
We got Ella a V-Smile console. It's a video game for toddlers and preschool kids. We thought is might help with her language development. When she started to play in (she knew the basics after watching her brothers play playstation), you could tell she was confused. Again, I feel so bad. I sometimes forget that she spent almost three years of her life in a place I cannot even fathom. A place with no toys, no tv and certainly no video games. Ella may be close to Mary in age, but she has to learn all the little things that we take for granted with Mary like colors, counting, shapes and alphabet. We will most certainly be working on those over the next couple months. I imagine it will help with her language development as well.
Here are some pictures from Ella's birthday celebration. I really hope it was special for her.
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