Just Sadie

I'm wondering if I moved to China and lived with a Chinese family that only spoke a handful of words in English and I had no formal language training if I could do (in 5 months time) what Sadie did yesterday. She answered the phone. Sounds simple enough, but is it really? Could I understand someone speaking at their normal rate enough to answer their questions and take a message? I'm guessing it would be a maybe if I was lucky.

Sadie: Hello
Other: asks for Hayden
Sadie: What you name?
Other: answers her name
Sadie: Hayden no here (which he wasn't)
Other: says goodbye and hangs up
Sadie: (hangs up and gives me the message) That Brynn. She want talk Hayden. I say Hayden no here.

Maybe she could give the boys (ages 10-40) in the house a few lessons.

Sadie was very excited about her birthday. We've counted the days and held up fingers for how many days were left until the actual day. She wanted us to do the same things we'd done for Hayden on his day....wake the birthday person up by being sung to and spanking them later in the day once for each year. She'd requested the singing multiple times, but wasn't so big on the idea when seven in the morning came. She covered her ears. I'm sure it couldn't have been our singing. She got a Kai Lan shirt and pajamas with feet from her Grandma & Grandpa Reeder. She's been wanting "baby pajamas" like Sara has. When I was doing her hair that morning she said "China...no birthdays." Then a few minutes later she said "China, no jamas (pj's), wear shirt to bed." It was so sweet. She isn't sad about things she didn't have in China, but she understands we want to know about her past. I love when she tells me little insights like this. It helps me love this little girl that has accepted us as her family without a single hesitation. She will eat our food and join in our lifestyle and learn our language. I won't ever know hardly anything about her first 6 1/2 years and I realize even her memories of them are fading, so I want to record the few things she does tell us. They feel like saving a lock of hair, or writing down the first spoken word in a baby book.

She also got a blue bike from Mom and Dad that morning and was a little disappointed when she couldn't ride it to the bus stop in the morning. She got to take fruit roll-ups to share with her classes at school. We had to go for a bike ride as soon as she got home--cold but fun. The best was going out for chinese food for dinner. We ordered 4 entrees and ate family style. The kids were all saying which was their favorite. When we ask Sadie what her favorite was she promptly pointed to each thing on her plate. She said "yummy" no less than 5 times during the dinner.

Each milestone we celebrate with children feels important, but Sadie's 7th birthday will always be one that stands out. Happy Birthday Peanut!