Our girl turned 8 today! We had a birthday cake delivered to her and a fruit basket for her foster family. I am putting a care package in the mail this week with some more goodies for her too. I so wish she could have been home with us for this birthday! I have bought her lots of things, but plan on taking many of them with us to China to surprise her with, to break the ice, and to keep her entertained.
A few days after we sent our previous care package, we received a brief email (in Chinese) from Wuhan Children's Welfare Institute confirming its receipt...along with an quick update and two pictures! According to the email, Mei Mei is 130cm tall and 30kg, or about 4 feet 3 inches tall, and 66 pounds. I am having a hard time believing the weight, which would put her near the 80th percentile on the US growth charts. Especially looking at the way her pants are drooping off her little body in her new pics! I think she was weighed with all of her clothes and her coat on (and maybe her bicycle or something, too???)
I was very surprised, to say the least, that Mei Mei's cute pigtails are gone! Her hair has been cropped quite short, as you can see. Sort of a boy cut, unfortunately. I know it is shallow to be upset about someone chopping off my daughter's hair, but I will freely admit that I am. I have no idea why they would have cut her hair so severely. Of course hair will grow. And I am very glad that I found out now, rather than when we meet her face to face for the first time in China! I am not sure that I would have been able to disguise my surprise! So, I will leave all the cute pony tail holders at home and pack lots of hair clippies and some head bands instead, and some feminine looking clothes, so our beautiful girl won't be mistaken for a boy. I think that she has lovely, delicate features. Now, if we can just put a real smile back on her face!
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I am trying not to read to much into her expressions in these photos (sadness, apprehension, perhaps fear?) and I am hoping that she was just in a big rush, whisked off to the Wuhan Children's Institute for quick measurements and an unexpected photo shoot. I see that she is wearing the same Snoopy coat that she was wearing in her photos in March, which is much too large for her. Hopefully she got her new pink coat from us the same day! I was hoping for a big smile so that I could see if she has front teeth now.
Long hair, shorn hair or no hair at all, she is our daughter and we think that she is beautiful. As a matter of fact, it was the picture below, taken when she was about the same age as Eliana is now and about to go in for her shunt surgery, that made me fall in love with her:
With beauty like this, who needs hair???? Just look into those eyes. She has a beautiful soul and has been through way too much for one so young - too much sadness. I can hardly wait to meet her face to face and love on her. I just hope she will let me.
Hugs,
Laura Beth
What a GREAT update - and I'll take your side on the haircut! Nice catch on her expression - who knows what is going through your beautiful daughter's mind right now....but in the fullness of time the joy and light will return! As for the weight - no - 45# soaking wet with a rock in each hand (if the height is right - it's hard to get any perspective in the picture!)
ReplyDeleteStill - overjoyed for you guys - hugs -
aus and co.
She is such a cutie. I love the bald head picture. She is one tough little girl and I know she will thrive with your amazing family.
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