Welcome to the Family Tian

We are delighted to announce the referral of our newest daughter and sister. Her Chinese name is Lian Tian Xin (which means Heart of Heaven!) We are planning to call her Tian Xin Bragg Torbenson. She was born on Nov. 2, 2006 and lives in Lianyungang, Jiangsu, China.

Her most recent updates on May 10 and 12th, 2007 are brief but tell us:

• Weight: 15.65 lbs.
• Height: 2 ft., 1.6 inches (25.6 inches)
• Head: 16.14 inches
• Feet: 3.94 inches
• No teeth yet.
  
• She has had x-rays and been seen by a physician. Her health is good.
• She can use her fingers to grasp things.
• She is a good sleeper!
• She is a happy baby!!!!

We got a description dated March 9, 2007 which says (I highlighted my favorite parts):

"When Lian Tian Xin entered the orphanage, her height was 46 cm, weight 2.9 kg, chest circumference 30 cm, and head circumference 31 cm. A physical exam found that her left middle finger was missing, she had syndactyly of her right hand, and both feet were forked with three missing toes. Her physical exam found no other abnormalities. According to her physical condition, we estimated her birth date to be November 2, 2006. We named her Lian Tian Xin. “Lian” is the same “lian” as in Lianyungang. “Tian” is the sky or heaven, and “Xin” comes from the word for happiness. We hope that she wil be happy every day!

When Lian Tian Xin entered the orphanage, she was thin and small, but under the meticulous care of the nannies, she grew bigger day by day. When she was two months old, she could smile. Her eyes could follow a moving object. When she was three months old, she could turn over from her back to her side, and she could make “yi ya” sounds. Now she can laugh out loud, and she likes the nanny to hold her and play with her. Currently her height is 59 cm, weight 5.7 kg, chest circumference 39 cm, head circumference 38 cm, sitting height 38 cm, and foot length 9.5 cm. She has no teeth yet. Her physical growth and development is good.

Lian Tian Xin’s life follows a regular routine. She wakes up at 6:00 am, naps from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm, and goes to bed at 8:00 pm. She has seven meals a day at 4:00 am, 8:00 am, 2:00 pm, 6:00 pm, and midnight. She also has supplemental meals at 10:30 am and 4:30 pm. Her main diet is milk-based formula and rice-based formula, and her supplemental food includes fruit juice and egg yolk. She has one to two BMs a day, usually after waking up in the morning and after dinner. She urinates eight to ten times a day. She sleeps soundly and needs to go potty once or twice during the night. She cries when she is hungry or has a wet diaper.

Lian Tian Xin is an active and lovely little girl. She has fair and clear skin, a round face, large eyes, and a rosy complexion. She responds quickly and gets along well with other children. When someone holds her and plays with her, she will happily wave her hands and feet. She is a bright and pretty little girl."

On that same day, we also got a checklist type form that tells us the following things:

• She wakes up at 6 a.m., has nap from 11:30a.m. to 2 p.m. and goes to bed at 8 p.m.
• She eats at 4 a.m., 8 a.m., 2 p.m., 6 p.m. and midnight. With supplemental meals at 10:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
• She has a good appetite.
• She eats milk formula mixed with rice formula (that's goopy rice cereal mixed in with formula in a bottle usually served piping hot for those not in the adoptive community), plus water. Her supplemental food are egg yolk and fruit juice.
  
• She poops 1-2 times a day and pees 8-10 times a day plus 1-2 at night.
• Her favorite activity is listening to music.
• Her favorite toy is a cloth doll.
• She holds her head up while lying on her tummy and rolls over on her own.
• She visually follows moving toys and locates the direction of sounds.
• She laughs aloud.
• She is active, restless and fond of imitating.
• She has a ready smile and quick reactions.
• She is impatient sometimes.
• She loves her caretaker.

That is about all we know about our beautiful new daughter! Other adoptive parents know that you hang on every little scrap of info. and every photo when your baby is half a world away. We can't wait to learn more!