Spring Break

Connor has been on Spring Break this week and it has been great to be together so much. The family did a lot of fun things this but two really stick out that we have to share with you. And, there are obviously some photos along with it.
The first event was that we met our great friends, the Dirks, at the Brunswick Zone and Shen went bowling for the first time. Connor got spend time with his friend, Noah, and Noah's dad, Kerry, was just great with Shen.
In the first photo, you can see the little man stepping up to the line and preparing to roll the ball down the alley (bumpers up of course). He had a great time. In fact, he got into it so much that, no matter how the shot ended up, he walked away from the lane and gave a fist pump (see the second picture and smile).
The next day, Connor and I took Shen to Chuck E. Cheese's and all I can say is that #1 it was definitely Spring Break. I have never seen so many people there. Secondly, however, Shen had another great play time. In the final photo, you can see him on the Bob the Builder tractor and just smiling away.
We are getting ready for a Spring snow storm tonight and tomorrow. However, we know it won't last long as Spring is here formally.
Love to you all,
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen

Re-Adopt is Complete

March 18, exactly 6 months to the day that Shen arrived home to meet Mommy and Connor, was a big day. We went to the Kane County Court House, appeared in front of the judge and we, Jodie and Jack, officially became Shen's adopted parents in the eyes of the U.S. Government. This process was necessary for several reasons but mostly so that Jodie could be officially recognized as his mother and so that we can now apply for U.S. Citizenship for Shen. The judge was great and she even gave Shen a big red star with his full name, Shen Jackson Groppel, on the front and the date (3-18-2008) on the back, commemorating this very important date!
I have posted two pictures, one is of the three of us right after the hearing, taken by our lawyer, Jane Ryan (who has been fantastic to work with) and the other picture of Shen later in the day showing his "building" capability with Lincoln Logs. The middle picture was an accident but it reminded me of what happened last September so I have not tried to edit it out.
We hope and pray that all of you are well.
Love,
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen

Physical Exam/Social Worker Visit

Hello Everyone,
This is simply an update of the week's events. On Monday, Shen had the next physical exam in his journey toward becoming a U.S. Citizen. His current pediatrician, Dr. Ochs, is a wonderful man, who Shen loves. She got the next set of vaccinations required for his immigration standing and the physical exam revealed that he has some blockage (wax) in his ears but a little prescription for eardrops should take care of that. We also received a prescription to get another ultrasound. As you may remember, there was a slight shadow on his kidneys in the last ultrasound. We want to rule out any complications from the melamine "scare" from China and ensure that he doesn't have kidney stones.
Amy Trotter, our social worker, paid us a visit last Tuesday, and we really enjoyed having her here. Amy spent about 1-1/4 hours with us and asked some very detailed about Shen's habits, capabilities with care and language, etc. It was a great experience to see what the expectations were and the checklist she had to ensure that he was doing OK. I think he passed with flying colors :)! He really is doing quite well.
This is a big week coming up. On Wednesday, we have a morning court date for the re-adoption. If you remember, I went by myself to China to get Shen and this court appearance is for all of us to go so that Jodie and I both are his formal parents. Then, we will begin the process to apply for U.S. Citizenship.
We hope and pray that all of you are well.
Love,
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen

Early March

This has been quite the past several days. With the flu bug hitting our house and me traveling a bit, life continues to be a journey worth discussing. I am placing several pictures with this post to show you some of the fun stuff we have been doing.
First, note that our cat, Luigi, has gotten quite attached to Shen. One night, after Shen had fallen asleep, we went in to check on him and Luigi was asleep right next to him. It was precious.
Then, Connor was in a play a school and had one of the speaking roles in Fiddler on the Roof. Shen really enjoyed seeing his big brother on stage, along with the singing and dancing. One of the pictures is the celebration we had our home and Shen placed the ribbons on his ears (always the jester). Then, there is a picture of all our close friends who came to support Connor. I guess there about 20 there supporting our oldest. What a great night!
Then, there was cousin Lily's birthday party and everyone was to be dressed up as a Prince or Princess (or something to do with the King's court). Well, Shen being the jester, dressed as that. Note how he loves doing this. And, the final picture is of Shen and Mommy dancing at the party. You can tell he is still getting socialized but is becoming more accustomed to being out in public and around groups of people.
This is a big week; another doctor appointment to finalize the series of vaccinations and get our 6-month report for our Social Worker appointment on Tuesday.
I'll post later this week to update how all those meetings go.
Love,
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen

As February Nears its End!

After over 50 inches of snow and incredibly cold weather, we are ready for February to end and prepare for a little warmer weather. Today will NOT be the warm weather day as it was 9 degrees when we woke and yesterday we received another 5 inches of snow.
Shen continues to do well. Jodie has been working with him on the alphabet and, while he struggles with some letters, he also seems to enjoy practicing and showing her what he can do. One minor struggle has been saying, "L-M-N-O-P". He tended to say it almost as one word and wasn't able to enunciate the letters clearly and distinctly. But, Jodie got him connected to what to practice and this morning, at breakfast, he said his alphabet pretty clearly.
The other "fun" item happened this morning as Jodie was teaching him how to respond when he begins pre-school if the teacher asks a question. She showed him how to raise his hand and wait to be called upon. So, being the teacher, I offered to help. I was the teacher, while Jodie and Connor were my students. I asked, "Who knows their name?" Both of my "students" raised their hands, and I asked Shen, "Ok, what is your name?" He responded correctly, "Shen Jackson Groppel." Then, I called on Jodie and asked her name, to which she replied, "Jodie Arline Groppel." Shen immediately said, "No, your name is Mommy Jackson Groppel." Smiles went across our faces.
The two pictures I am posting with this happened this past week. One is where he fell asleep at night while reading one of his favorite books, "A Pig is Big." And, the other is in his car seat and trying on mommy's sunglasses.
We hope all of you are well!
God Bless You!
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen

Connor's cast comes off

Hello everyone! The Groppel family continues to grow very well together. Jodie and Connor have become deeply connected. He loves his mommy so much that he asks for hugs and kisses, and when mommy leaves to go workout or run an errand, he wants to know where she is going. It is wonderful to see the connection. Shen and Connor are also VERY close. In one of the pictures associated with this post, Connor is teaching Shen how to play a game called "Ants in Your Pants." It was fun to see Shen paying such close attention to Connor. And, in that picture, you can see that Connor still has his cast on. Well, this past week, the cast came off. In the second picture with this post, you can see the technician cutting off the cast with a "saw". As you can see from the concern on Shen's face, he didn't realize that the saw wouldn't hurt Connor.
We are experiencing some very warm weather right now, but with all the past snow, it's pretty muddy outside. All in all, a great reprieve from the bitter cold and snow we have had.
We pray that all of you are well!
Love,
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen

The Adaptation Continues

Shen is growing rapidly and he is learning english quite well. Jodie spends a lot of time with him, teaching how to enunciate words. It warms my heart to watch her say, "look at mommy," as she teaches him to use his tongue to make a "th" sound like in the word THE. And, then the difference in a 'B' and a 'V', a 'T' and a 'D', and on and on.
Since this is one of the coldest and snowiest winters that I can ever remember in my 42 years of living in Illinois (yes, 15 in Florida), Shen is doing really well. He doesn't necessarily like to be cold but he knows that he has to "dress up" to go outside and he loves going "shopping" with mommy and/or daddy whenever possible.
He continues to be incredibly creative with his toys, making new and innovative train track designs, tinker toy creations, and lincoln log houses. We all love watching what he will do next.
Connor is growing by leaps and bounds but takes his big brother role with Shen very seriously. I know that Connor will be a great mentor to Shen when the time is appropriate; there is just so much love.
I am attaching a picture of Shen after he got dressed up one day to be a conductor for his train set. He even has all the sound effects down; likely from watching Thomas the Train Engine so much.
We pray that all of you are well.
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen