Baby Joshua is due today! But has not arrived yet.

Elizabeth "reading" to Haiyan.

Today was my due date, but baby Joshua has not shown up yet. I've been to the mall twice in the last 24 hours, hoping that walking around would speed things up! Elizabeth is excited for her baby brother to get here, but not sure that she wants me to have to stay in the hospital. But she is excited because she knows that when I go to the hospital that Lesley & Jared will stay with her right away, and that Grandma & Grandpa will be here as fast as they can drive from Indiana! James has explained the baby to Haiyan, but I'm not sure how much she really understands.

We're grateful though that we've been able to have so much time with Haiyan before the baby arrives. She's adjusting so well to our family, and we've seen a big improvement in her when she's around our friends and family too. We've been able to leave her and Elizabeth with Lesley & Jared a few times and she's only cried for about 5 minutes before calming down and having a good time. It's getting much easier to communicate with her too, because she's picking up so many English words. Our social worker was shocked when she visited 2 weeks ago and Haiyan put 3 English words together. She said that doesn't usually happen for a few months! So, we feel very grateful that God has given us a good transition, especially during this time at the end of my pregnancy when we're preparing for so many changes and my patience is getting very worn out!

We also found out a couple weeks ago that Haiyan was accepted into Shriner's hospital in Chicago. The surgeon that we originally saw got us in at the hospital; we never even had to fill out an application! This is the best place around for children with leg/foot deformities and they are up on the latest orthopedic technology. So, her first appointment is on 3/31.

Haiyan and Elizabeth are getting along great, it's so nice for Elizabeth to have someone to play with. Although they sometimes fight (we've had a few physical fights and a chopstick up the nose), they really love each other. They love to color, play in the kitchen, and play doctor. Elizabeth loves to "read" books to Haiyan and tell her things that she should be saying in English. Haiyan likes to repeat everything Elizabeth says. Haiyan often tells us that she loves us, and Elizabeth comments a lot that she's sure that Haiyan is so happy to have a family!