Playing in the Leaves

Vacay Update

We're winding up our vacation week after spending a few days in New Boston with the Grands and headed back home Saturday afternoon. It has been a fun few days, lots of piano playing, swinging, and running around outside in this gorgeous warm weather!

Bug also helped Nanny make scrambled eggs. She's now an expert egg cracker!

At 23 Months

Our monthly chair photo was taken today...oops just a day late. You can see last month's photo here. The biggest change from this month to last is her talking. She continues to show signs of wanting to talk so badly. Yesterday in the car, we would take turns saying words just to listen to her attempt to say them! Plus, while walking through the grocery store aisle, I showed her an apple and saw her get all excited and shouting "apple" over and over again. Too cute for words.

She's also learning the right words to say when you ask her a question. Asking her "How are you?" will sometimes get a response of "good." We've been working on asking her, "How old are you?" and then shouting "two!" So far, it sounds like a 3 but her excitement level during the shout certainly mimics ours.

Ladybug has heard her Dada snore on occasion and she'll lay down on a blanket and do her own cute version of a snore.

She's up to 24 pounds now and still wearing size 18 months, size 4 shoe, and size 3 in diapers. I'm seeing her pants becoming a little short so we'll be doing 24 months for spring.




p.s. I've been torn between continuing the monthly chair photo and update for Bug after she turns 2 or doing something different and less frequent. I would appreciate your thoughts or opinions.

Family Day

T and I are both off today to spend with Ladybug on our first Family Day adventure. We've got a big day planned and I can't wait to share this little Chinese gift with her.

You may remember, when we were in China we purchased 18 little gifts of love to share with her every year on our Family Day. They are tucked away in my closet and last week T and I dug through the box together to pick something out. It's now wrapped and ready to share later tonight at dinner!

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We've had a busy and fun day! First thing this morning we went to a photo shoot for Ladybug. She wore this really cute "M" shirt that has a matching tutu which you can find here. So cute, can't wait to share the photos with you at a later date.



After the shoot it was a quick lunch and then naptime. We spent the rest of our afternoon and evening doing some shopping and walking around. (Bug's learning that it's much more fun to walk than to ride in the stroller.)

T really loves his Chinese food and I could care less. But, we felt it only fitting that we'd have Chinese for dinner with Bug so we headed to PF Chang's. It was a really nice dinner and she was so sweet the entire meal.

Ladybug really tore into her present and studied it quite intently before figuring out what it was. I helped her put it on her wrist...it's a little bracelet that we had made while in China. It has some pretty beads and they spell out her name. She wore it for most of the evening. I admit I was a little protective, didn't want it to break or get lost. It's going into her Life Box for safe keeping.

Remembering a Year Ago

You had to know that I'd want to share again how our lives changed a year ago today. Looking at these pictures and reliving that time brings tears to my eyes. We were so excited to finally be IN China. We were so happy to finally say, "We gotcha!"

We had 4 years to plan and to prepare for this beautiful little girl. But nothing prepared us for how much we would instantly love her the first minute we would hold her. I don't think I can even begin to describe how lucky and blessed I felt that day and how I continue to feel blessed every day since.

Enjoy this little trip down memory lane with us:

Chinese New Year Celebration

We attended a Gladney sponsored event tonight to celebrate the Chinese New Year with lots of other Gladney families. There were about 100 people there and most had adopted children from China. We enjoyed Chinese food buffet style and it was nice to visit and see the other families. It was great to see our travel companions Becky and Abby. We both can't believe a year has gone by since our trip to pick up our girls!

The girls are so cute together and right before we were leaving they were hugging and dancing in the aisle.

Big Smiles

We've been seeing lots of these big smiles lately...love them!

Shoe Cute

She loves to say the word "shoes."

I love to see her run into the other room straight for them when I say, "Get your shoes."

And sometimes she just plops down on the floor to play with those shoes.

Wordless Wednesday

Three Little Words

I was a happy tearful Mama when at long last I heard those three little words from Ladybug's mouth!

We have been coaching and coaching...and even shortened it to "Love you."

Sunday night, she said, "Bye, I-uh-you" as she was going upstairs to bed.

I did a double take and asked her to say it 10 more times...just to make sure!

Oh yes, I love those three little words.

My heart is singing,
Deana

With the Grands

Nanny and G-dad spent the better part of the past week with us keeping Ladybug while Coco went on a little vacay. I was able to be off for the weekend so the girls went shopping! Although, our best laid plans were foiled when we realized pretty quickly at the mall that we had a grumpy buggy on our hands.

Here's a few pics from our week:

Wordless Wednesday

On my mind...

*Bug has more shoes than I do and there's just something about seeing them all lined up that makes me smile.

Ever since the new year started. I have been obsessively planning Ladybug's birthday party. Yes, I know it's not until the end of February.

*I received real Photoshop software for Christmas but I think I'm going to need a book in order to teach it to myself. I frustratingly played with it for about an hour tonight.

*My ear has been messed up for over 2 weeks now. When I went to the doctor, he said I had an ear infection...and not just any ear infection but a nasty ear infection. 2 shots in the butt and a week of antibiotics later and it's still ringing. I can't hear anything!

*Our "Operation: Eat dinner at home" has started again and working out quite well. T cooks 3 nights a week and I take the other 3. The one night I work late, every one's on their own. I even found these cute downloadable menu/grocery planners to put on the fridge.

*I found a new scrapbook kit club Studio Calico and treated myself to January...well actually I signed up for 6 months, but T doesn't know that yet. I'm looking forward to some new creative juice! Although, I think I have a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth from the last kit club where I won a contest but was never sent the prize. Shame on you Cocoa Daisy.

*This time last year we were getting ready to travel to China. Seems like it was just yesterday.

Snow Day

Little Chef

Ladybug loves her little kitchen that Santa brought and I often walk in and see play food strewn from one end to the other.

It's everywhere right now, too.

T said, "No more food." Ha.

Apron and Chef hat were from Mimi, so cute.

Remembering 2010