Case Family in Hong Kong

Pics of Ezri enjoying Mom & Dads backyard, she can’t get enough of the “puppies”.  Also some pics of a vist to my (Jason) Grandma’s house and my good friend Brian’s to meet his son Cooper.

Ezri and her cousins head up to Iroquois Park to enjoy the new playground with water fun.

Hello all!

Just wanted to post those pics I promised a couple weeks back…you will note the following photo ops: 1) Me, livin’ large in mommy’s t-shirt; if clothes are lying around the house…it won’t be long before I get my mitts on ‘em!……………. 2) Some pics of me and mommy watching a video–my favorite time of day (oftentimes I begin asking for video as soon as I awaken around 7:30am, but unfortunately–unless I’m sick–video is reserved for around 4:30pm….still gotta try, eh?!!…………….3) Daddy got some shots of the view out of our living room window…around sunset…………….4) Some photos of me eating two messy treats: spaghetti, and my first try on cream cheese spread on a cracker–let’s just say the cheese was good and the cracker was left standing alone!………………. 5)Finally, you’ll note a couple shots of me wearing Daddy’s sock; they may be ‘ankle socks’ to Daddy, but they are more like boots on me….knee-high boots!!!

OK then…hope this finds you all well and enjoying summer wherever in the world you may be!!!

–Ezri

So, I’ve posted a few pictures for you to check out…as it’s been a while since I’ve done so, …and don’t want you all forgetting what I look like! Included in these are a few pics of me just hanging out around the house, while there are others of Easter Sunday (or R.O.C. as mommy calls it–Resurrection Of Christ, a more accurate labeling of the day we celebrate). And, lets not forget the pictures of me having a tea party!!! My Uncle Nate and Aunt Kelly Thompson sent me this fabulous cloth tea set for my birthday (Thanks so much guys!!!)… it is such fun; the shots shown here were taken just after I’d opened this gift and was enjoying it for the first time. Since then, we’ve become well acquainted, and we are now having not only tea, but oftentimes ‘cockee’ (what I like to call coffee).

Well, just wanted you to have something fun to look at. Oh, and a video of my tea party exploits can be seen below! Enjoy.

p.s. Still no new word on my brother, Javier. Please keep praying for him, his birth mom…and our family as we all want want is best for him. Please pray for God’s will, not that of us silly people, to be done!

–Ezri

Well, you’ve been hearing a lot about my brother, Javi….and I suppose you are up-to-date. We haven’t heard anything more, but continue to pray that God will facilitate on each child’s case and that the babies will be placed in the homes and hands God has prepared for them very soon!

On other matters, you’ll see on the video above that I have a very loud and scary roar!!! This clip was taken about a month ago..so I am bigger now–I’m growing quite quickly! But mostly I’m still Ezri and mostly the same. Some new things going on with me include a greater interest in my Cabbage Patch baby doll that my Granny gave me for my first birthday. (This requires a bit of explanation: on the adoption papers that came with my baby, her name is listed as Kaitlyn Sherlyn….then there was the introduction of Elmo into my little life…and well, Elmo has a “Baby David” in his amazing potty book….. So, daddy and I decided to chuck Baby Kaitlyn’s hair bow, and, since I hadn’t yet identified her as a girl anyway,…we decided that she should also be Baby David!!! So, her cute outfit is no more, and Baby David now proudly wears a blue sleeper outfit, and occasionally likes wearing only his diaper!) What more?….Let’s see…Ah, yes: our swimming pool opened today, and mommy and I went to check it out. It was quite a fun time and I only went under once (sort of an accident; sort of on purpose. I wasn’t exactly sure what would happen if I bent down…well I found out and mommy scooped me up to safety, dried me off and we went back at it! There was another baby there too..and he had a small beach ball with an even smaller ball inside it; he shared with me and that was pretty fun. Maybe mommy can find one of those for me and Javi!

Well, I don’t want to get too long-winded here. Hope you enjoy the video, and I’ll soon be posting an entry called “Livin’ Large”….featuring me in mommy’s clothes!

–Ezri

Well, it’s been a while since you had an “Ezri Excerpt”, so here goes:

May I call your attention to the video clips shown below… We have me, Ezri, enjoying my very first corn on the cob. You see, mom and grammy got a family meal from KFC and I normally prefer the ‘ chicken and rice ‘a la king”…that’s right…in Hong Kong, the have rice dishes at KFC–a shocker for some of you, I know. Anyway, the rice is fabulous….rice, gravy, peas, carrots and chicken! But, mom handed me this yellow mystery on a stick…and i went wild! I’ve liked whole kernel corn for some time, but this puts a whole new spin on things!

The next video, you will notice I am running. “Running from what?”, you may ask. Well, the time is about 8:00pm, and my usual bedtime is around 7:30pm…..we are out at a friend’s house, and am roaming about, being chased by grammy…just a fun time to squeal, I suppose! it is a bit of ‘toddler tazmania’ when I’m out and up too late! I am becoming quite the little walker/runner; sometimes mommy and daddy let me walk beside them now, holding their hand, of course.

And, the last shot you have here is of me getting my jam on to the best new song around: Elmo’s Alphabet Rap!!! What a great song!! I mean, my friend, Elmo, can really rap! He goes from the A to the B….then the C, D, E…you get the picture—he’s tremendous! I like bopping my head and occasionally swaying my hips a bit to the beat!

Well, that’s all for me for now. I’ll be in touch. I actually have some other photos and footage around somewhere, that I should share as well…so, we’ll keep you posted. ————– Oh, and just to give you an update on my brother, Javi: he’s still doing swell, it seems. We are currently waiting on this one office to sign our papers before processing can proceed. This office has 44 cases from Javi’s orphanage in their hands right now, and all they need to do is sign already!!! There is some fishy business going on and it seems they are asking for bribes, etc.! Please pray that these officials will do their jobs and sign off on all 44 cases, so that the babies can be united with their forever families a.s.a.p.! We’ll sure be glad to have the Javster on board with us here in HK!!!

Okay, then…check out the video footage!

–Ezri

Ezri gives Daddy some water from her bottle

Ezri keeps mommy on her toes

Melanie & Cheryl hold Ezri’s hand

Ezri reads with Steve

 So, I’ve recently become an artist–tapping into the area of visual arts–emphasis on crayons and the art of coloring!!  What fun it is to take colorful waxy objects–you got it: crayons–and color to your heart’s content!  So far, I enjoy using two different colors at once–one for each hand.  This way, I get to learn two different colors and both my hands stay happily busy!  Mommy has drawn me a couple of my favorite book characters:  namely, Millie Moo (from her farm yard adventure), Young Pip the caterpiller (from When I’m Big) and Applebee Cat (from Applebee’s Numbers).  What fun to sit and color characters while listening to my fav. stories!  My current coloring attention-span is around 20 min. max; we’re hoping to build on this.

 Anyway, what more on me?  Well, it is getting warm here in HK, so I am beginning to enjoy short-sleeves, skorts, and my new sandels.  It’s nice not to wear all those winter clothes–you can have too much of a good thing!  And, with the warmer weather comes two things:  playground fun and sickness.  One of these, I am super-keen on, while the other I could do without!  Seems HK kiddos are getting hit hard with the flu, and though I’ve not had the flu, I’ve been super-congested, had a mild ear infection, and unfortunately experienced my first bout of something that rhymes with ‘comit’ the other day (you guessed it–vomit!—yucky!)  But alas, I am doing fine.  Mommy has a full-time job just keeping my nose wiped, but I am learning how to blow my nose a bit more effectively, so that is helpful, I’m sure.

What more?  Oh, yes, I’m sure you’ve heard that my brother, Javier is growing steadily.  He is so sweet; we look at his pictures often, and today when mommy said something about, “Javi…Ezri’s brother…”  I went straight over and pointed out his picture and proudly said, “baby!” and smiled!  I think that once I get over the shock of sharing mom and dad, the Javster and I will be great friends!  I can’t wait to teach him about puzzles and blocks….playing songs on the piano, coloring…riding on the train and the bus…oh, and my favorite: pushing the buttons on the elevator!–and free cookie samples at Mrs. Field’s cookie shop!

Well, that’s all for me.  Keep an eye out for  a clip or two–coming soon!

Now 15 months old,

Ezri

So, it’s been quite some time since I updated you guys out there on the life of me….  Thought I’d give you some pics. to let you see some of the fun stuff that goes on around here. 

First of all, some of these photos show me getting a little snack after lunch.  Somehow green peas just seem more appealing when they are on the floor, right?!  (Am I the only one who feels this way?)  There is just something about discovering them on the floor….like small treasures, you know?….I mean, don’t get me wrong…I enjoy food when it’s on the table too–don’t think I’m completely barbaric or something!  So, mom caught me snatching up these green peas after a meal one day, and thought it would be appropriate to then label me the ‘green-handed bandit’; she did in fact catch me with pea in hand! 

On to other things:  other pics show me with daddy….enjoying the new bows that my Auntie Brittany made me for my birthday.  I sure do like playing with these things.  But mom and dad keep trying to clip them in my hair; what is up with that?….Did I ask for anything in my hair?  I mean, I know I’m a girl and all, but lets keep a low profile!  Anyway, I like them to play with, and perhaps one day I will appreciate adorning my hair with them–to my parents’ delight!

Let’s see…..some other pics here show mommy and me playing dress-up.  I was really more into dressing mommy up than putting clothes on myself, but there are a few shots of me in some interesting gear.

The tent:  ah, yes…the tent!  One morning when I was feeling a bit bored, daddy made me the coolest tent in our living room.  It actually spanned the entire perimeter of the room!  He made it with a quilt, the help of the sofa and some office clips–what genius!  Anyway, we had my piano, xylophone, other toys and daddy…and, of course, me all under there!  It was pretty fun to say the least.

Well, that gives you an idea of the life of this one-year-old girl—actually, I am now 14 months and growing every day!  Hope you enjoy, and I will try to keep you updated on my little life’s adventures!

–Ezri

So, as many of you realize, I turned one-year-old about a month and a half ago.  The birthday was fun stuff…can’t wait until next year’s cake–I mean, birthday!  Anyway, as you all know, the one-year marker means a doctor’s appointment and that means imminization time!  So, mom had been asking around for a few months, gearing up for the big doctor’s visit, and had heard from some other moms that the local public healthcare was actually quite good and, best of all–free!  So, we checked it out and, for the first time, gave the public clinic thing a shot.  (no pun intended!)

Let’s start with our arrival at the clinic.  We had an appointment for 3:00pm; we left early, at around 2:30pm, thinking that the clinic was just a short distance (one MTR stop away and a short walk after that).  We got on the train, and off again within minutes, and then started to try and locate the road on a local station map…..couldn’t find it.  Finally, mommy decided to call the clinic, as our appoinment time was inching closer all the time.  So, she finally got someone on the phone…and then–3 people and about 5 minutes later–spoke to someone who could acually converse in English who told her that we were at the wrong MTR station and would need to get back on the train or take a taxi there!  What?!!  I was beginning to get a bit ansy and impatient (but daddy ensured me that this would be a good time to develop my patience, so I though, what the heck, I’ll comply.)  So, my somewhat frazzled and frustrated parents and I  got back on the train, only to get off at our own MTR station (located right by our house!)–where we had originated only  20 minutes before!  We then caught a mini-bus (which meant that I got to get out of my stroller–yeah!) and got off at the Tseung Kwan O Hospital.  We darted in and went upstairs to the outpatient clinic, where the lady who mommy spoke to on the phone had instructed her to go–she thought.  Anyway, they were clueless as to what we were looking for, and so we kept on searching.  Before I knew it, mommy had the cell phone out again–( I was thinking maybe she was going to let me play with it a bit, but no….she was making another call to the clinic.)  She spoke to about 3 people again before someone understood her; this time they instructed her to leave the hospital and assured her that the clinic was located just across the street somewhere…”just ask the people on the street”, the secretary said.  Anyway, finally, we found it. 

It was about 3:30pm when we walked through the door and into the massive waiting area where we talked to one of the ladies at the check in desk (which had about 15 people working in it at various stations).  By this time I was glad we’d arrived and all, but come on, I’d missed my morning nap, and hadn’t had much of a snack…and I’m one, right…so, give me a break already and get me the heck out of this stroller!  Mom went on to get me checked in, and after talking to several of the women working there, got me registered and got a number—-we were number 96, and I cannot begin to guess how many parents and babies were in that massive waiting room (I can barely count, you know).  Anyway, it was a bunch.  There were babies everywhere!  We sat and waited a while when they directed us to the weighing and measuring station room.  It was really warm in there–I think because they strip you down to nearly nothing in there, so they don’t want you to freeze and all.  Anyway, mom and dad took off my duds’ and sat me on this scale that read 9.75 k (that is 21.5 lbs.) and then they laid me down on this table with my head against this thing, and the lady stretched my legs out, as if I were made of taffy or something, supposedly to measure me–but, come on, can’t you people thing of better ways to do such things?!)  Anyway, I suppose I measured 75.5 cm in length (that is 29.7 in).  Then they got me all dressed again.  And I was just getting used to the whole naked thing. 

We then found a cozy spot in the waiting room and sat down.  A nice lady (who actually lives in our building) was there with her baby, and I enjoyed playing with this little Hello Kitty toy on her stroller; she took it of and gave it to me!  Wow…gotta love being a baby!  Anyway, they soon called us back to do a family and medical history–they called this room the ‘interviewing section’.  (Daddy had to make his departure at this time, so that he could go to a seminar class.)  So, it was up to mommy and me to complete the ‘interviewing process’. That’s what it was alright.  They asked mommy all sorts of questions.  Meanwhile, I played and kept running out the door so that mommy could get up every few questions and come catch me.  Finally, she got out some star snacks, and I stayed around a little better for those.  After finishing the ‘interview’, we journeyed downstairs to the dispensary to get some meds. for possible low-grade fever and pain–something to do with the immunizations, I think.  We got the medicine, and headed back up to the waiting room again.  What a process!!!

The physical examination was next.  We entered yet another room where there was a doctor who had several cool toys–including a blonde-headed doll that she remarked ‘looks just like you’—to which I wanted to reply, “This doll really looks nothing like me at all.”  But whatever.  The exam went pretty good and I seem in good health.  Mommy was told to keep an eye on my birth marks and a few other remarks.  Of course, I had to be undressed yet another time for this process, and then redressed.  The undressing I don’t mind, it’s that whole redressing part that I’m not so fond of!  Guess where we went next:  the infamous waiting room again. 

This time, we awaited the needle–that’s right, it was time for my immunization of the day.  They finally called our name–my name, actually–and we went into this room where there were about 6 nurses/nurse aides standing around or doing various jobs.  Mommy sat down with me on her lap, and then I saw this big needle — going toward my leg!  Ahhhh!  That hurts!  I cried a bit because that stuff really stings.  Mommy gave me my pacy and then we made our exit–to the waiting room one last time to get our things together to go.  Finally, we were homeward bound.  We went out the back of the clinic and made our way home–sort of a short-cut–only about 7 minutes walking! 

Well, that is my story.  Enjoy, and next time I will try to keep it short!

–Ezri