Our Adoption Journey

January 2012 update

2012-01-30T17:53:00.005-05:00

January was another fun filled month. We visited Grandma Barbara in Connecticut to celebrate Christmas with her, Auntie Linda and the girls. We had a blast. Anne's cousin Lisa came over for dinner too. It is so nice to spend time with family. I wish we lived closer. Grandma Barbara loves spoiling Sophia and spending time with us.

We celebrated Grandma's birthday again. Linda and George had done this the week before but Linda felt we should celebrate again seeing Sophia and I were there. More cake, more good wishes... how could it ever be too much?
Sophia is doing great in school. She is learning to read, sound out words and write. She is doing first grade math work. She comes home every day having learned something new.

Sophia made cupcakes AND cake for Baba's birthday. We used the Star War items he got from George and Tracy for Christmas to decorate the cake.

Nick and Katie came for a weekend visit. Sophia loves spending time with them.
Sophia continues her horseback riding lessons. She is a natural on the horse. She continues to amaze me.

Sophia has her first wiggly tooth. I don't do well with wiggly teeth... bad memories of my dad pulling out my teeth when I was young. I am trying to be brave and share Sophia's excitement about this milestone.

December update

2012-01-30T16:59:00.006-05:00

December was a wonderful month. Christmas could not get here fast enough in Sophia's eyes. She enjoyed shopping for Christmas gifts. This year she bought gifts on her own at school. She picked out the perfect gifts for us, a candle for me, a book light for Steve, a cat calendar for Katie and presents for her cousins.

She visited Santa and trimmed the tree.

Sophia loved her toys at Christmas. Santa brought her a Cinderella horse and carriage and dinosaur train toys. She got a DS from us with games from Nick and Katie. We spent Christmas day with Grandma Beadle, Grandma Bev and Pop Pop.We then went to Williamsburg and spent some time with Uncle George, Aunt Tracey and the girls.It was a fantastic month.

Daisy Girl Scout

2011-12-15T11:29:00.006-05:00

Sophia was very excited about joining Girl Scouts when she entered school. They have a Daisy troop for kindergarten girls. There was a troop meeting in the evenings but nights are still so hard in terms of Sophia being exhausted that we wanted her to join an after school troop. No one stepped up to lead it. Steve and I finally decided that we would do it together. We had our first meeting in October. We have had three meetings so far. We have eight girls in our troop.

They have begun earning their petals. They are learning what it means to be helpful and caring. They love the troop meetings and the activities that are done within our troop and with other troops in the council. It is so nice to see the girls learn how to become leaders in positive ways.

We have a troop mascot which will travel home with the girls in between meetings. The girls all can't wait to have their month with Daisy Bear.
Steve and I are glad to be leading the troop.

November update

2011-12-15T10:53:00.006-05:00

We always start November off with a bang. Sophia turned six years old on November 1st. I can't believe how quickly she is growing. I think back to when we brought her home. She was just learning to crawl, saying a word or two and totally dependent on us. Now just over five years later she is independent, active, smart, caring and funny. She wakes up every morning signing. Her creativity blows me away. She is kindhearted and well-liked. There isn't a day that goes by that I am not thankful for being her mother.

We celebrated Sophia's birthday a few days early with her grandparents. She got a wonderful horse and doll which she now plays with all the time.
We kept the birthday morning tradition this year. We greeted Sophia with a balloon, a card, cupcake and her gift from China. This year she got a song book from China.
We asked her what she wanted for dinner to celebrate her birthday and she wanted to go to Bertucci's.

Sophia had her birthday party at Jump Zone. She had a blast. She got her first Barbie dolls and now loves playing with them. The Barbie dolls always spend time at the stable and hiking! She has very down to earth Barbies.

Sophia continues to play in her room at night before she goes to bed. Tonight she had a tea party and then fell asleep on the floor. Noelle attended the tea party and fell asleep right next to Sophia.
We celebrated Thanksgiving with Grandma Beadle, Grandma Bev and PopPop. Sophia brought some of her school work to PopPop. Katie spent Thanksgiving with us. As I said before, we have a lot to be Thankful for.
We had an active Thanksgiving weekend. We went for a hike on Friday to work off all the delicious food we ate. We also went ice skating on Saturday. Katie only went once before but she did great. Sophia did a great job for her first time. Steve and I managed too even though it has been years since we have been in skates.

Sept/Oct update

2011-12-15T10:32:00.006-05:00

The fall was very busy and lots of fun.

Sophia is really enjoying school. She is learning a lot and comes home talking about her friends and the thinks she is learning. She is still exhausted at the end of the day but she always wakes up singing.

We visited Grandma Barb in Sept. We always have fun when we visit. We had a yard sale and got rid of some of Grandma and Auntie Linda's stuff. It was fun. Sophia came home with a bunch of costume jewelry. How glamorous.
Katlyn and Sophia had a sleep over. The next day we went to the horse center and Sophia showed Katlyn around.
October was filled with all Fall activities. We went pumpkin picking, apple picking and through a corn maze.

The horse center had a Halloween Party and Sophia won a costume contest. Sophia was a horse, of course.
We had a blast trick or treating and at the school party.

Labor Day- Horse Show

2011-09-05T14:34:00.007-04:00

Sophia has been taking horseback riding lessons since April. Today the school had their in house show. This was the first show Sophia competed in. The in-house shows are informal and a great way to show off what you have learned.

Sophia chose to ride Jenny, a horse she has ridden before. However, Jenny spooked at the very beginning of the show, rearing up with Sophia on her back and me trying to control her. Sophia took this all in stride. The staff quickly helped me get Sophia off that horse and gave her another horse to ride. She rode Noell who she has ridden a lot.

Sophia competed with two other children. The first class was for equitation which is where they judge on form, style and ability while walking, posting trot and two point trot. Sophia took first place in this category.The next class was pleasure which is where they are judged on keeping a smile while walking, posting trot and two point trot. Sophia took third place in this category. They said sometimes a rider gets so intense when they are riding they forget to show they are having fun. I think it was because she was talking about winning first place while she was in the middle of this competition.
The third class was cross rails. She had to jump over a short cross-rail in two point position. Sophia took first place in this category too.
It was a great day. Sophia enjoyed the event and it was a huge self-esteem booster. She is already confident on the horse, even with it rearing up, but I am sure this just adds to her confidence.

August update

2011-09-01T21:06:00.006-04:00

Wow! It has been an exciting month but it has gone by too quickly.

We started the month with a trip to Grandma Barbs. We always have fun when we visit. It is filled with shopping and eating out. We also spent some time with Uncle George and Aunt Linda and Sophia's cousins.

Nick came to visit for a weekend. It just happened to be the same time of the year that we get our family pictures done. Nick was able to join up for the first time in five years. We were thrilled.

We went to our yearly Chinese family reunion. It is amazing to see how nicely the girls get along. They played from the moment we got there until the time we left without any fights. I am glad we are committed to making this reunion happen every year. I hope it is something we continue to do as the kids grow older.

Katie went back to her mother's to start band camp at the end of the summer. We miss her but she will be coming to visit this coming weekend. Sophia is thrilled.

Sophia celebrated her last day of daycare with a farewell party. She is going to miss her friends and Mary Beth so much. Mary Beth has taken care of her since December 2006. We have been very fortunate to have Sophia there.

Sophia attended her kindergarten orientation on August 26th. She went to her classroom while the parents met in the media center. She walked right into her classroom and didn't look back. It might have helped that the parents organized two play dates at the park so she knew a few of her classmates before the orientation.
After her orientation, Sophia and I spent our last "Mommy and Me Day" at the state fair. Sophia and I have been doing "Mommy and Me" days every Friday for five years. Now that school is starting those days will be happening less often. We were at the fair for seven hours. Sophia had a blast running from ride to ride and making new friends. We looked at the animals and saw a pig race. It was a great day.
The first day of school was delayed by a day due to the hurricane. Many schools were without electricity. Her first day of school was on Tuesday, Aug 30. She was a bit nervous on Monday night but was thrilled when she woke up on Tuesday. She had a great first day. She was exhausted when she came home but clearly loves school. On Wednesday she woke up early, got dressed, ate breakfast and wanted to wait outside. It was an hour earlier than when we had to leave!
Did I mention that we also had an earthquake this month? As I said it has been exciting month.

How my brain works

2011-07-18T22:01:00.001-04:00

Sophia explaining how she remembers things on 7/18...

Sophia--My brain takes pictures. Then it goes down (a conveyer belt is what it looked like) and then I sort it.

Me- how do you sort it.

Sophia- well they go into boxes.

Me- Boxes? What kind of boxes?

Sophia- Well, I have a car box, a nature box, a food box, an animal box. The helping hands takes it from the in box and puts it in the right box.

Steve- what does the helping hand person look like?

Sophia- it is not a person. It does not have eyes.. just lots of hands and it is big.

July 2011

2011-07-14T15:42:00.007-04:00

It has been a very hot and very busy summer thus far. That has not kept us inside. We went to the July 4th fireworks which Sophia loved despite the fact that she had her fingers plugging her ears the whole time.

We went picking berries. They were great in yogurt and made yummy smoothies.

Sophia got her haircut in July. She decided she wanted to grow out her bangs and then get her hair cut shorter. She did a little trimming of her bangs on her own...right in the middle of her forehead. It is going to take months to grow back there is no way it could be blended in with her new haircut seeing she cut it so short.
Sophia's art work has really changed over the summer. Guess she is getting all those skills in place for Kindergarten in the Fall.

We took a day trip to Dutch Wonderland this month. Sophia had a blast jumping from one ride to the next. It was a hot day but that didn't stop us from having fun.
We also went to see Katie's race on the last day of her crew camp. Another hot day but thankfully the race was in the morning.
We put Chloe to sleep on July 26th. Chloe was Anne's fifteen year old cat. She was such a great cat. She used to sleep on the bed every day when it was just me. Once Steve and his cats joined she took to sleeping on her favorite bed or the ledge going upstairs but she jumped up to the bed every morning and night to get some loving. We will all miss her.

July 1- through the years

2011-07-14T15:35:00.008-04:00

July 1st... Referral Day

2006
2007
2008 2009
2010 2011

June 2011

2011-07-14T15:21:00.004-04:00

June has been another busy month.

Sophia had her dance recital. She performed a tap and ballet number. She did a great job. She smiled the whole time and had fun. She remember both routines. She is a confident girl.

We have spent time outside, gardening, going for walks and bike rides. We also spent some time at home hanging out and playing with the animals. Noelle sleeps with Sophia almost every night regardless of where Sophia decides to sleep.. the floor or the bed.

May 2011

2011-07-14T14:27:00.011-04:00

We took our annual May 1st picture again. It is amazing to see how Sophia has changed over the years.

Sophia started her horseback riding lessons this month. She is so happy about it. She talks to the horse as she rides it. She is confident on the horse which is a big plus.

We started our vegetable garden in back and planted flowers up front. Sophia loves to dig in the dirt and help out.
We went to see Thomas again this year. Sophia had a great time.

We spent Mother's Day with Grandma Beadle, Grandma Bev and Grandpa Skip. We had a nice day together. Sophia was the only one brave enough to go into the pool.

Sophia had a tea party for some of her most cherished friends. I am amazed with how well Sophia entertains herself. She is quite creative.

We ended up the month visiting Mom in Connecticut. Sophia always has a blast visiting grandma. Grandma always has cool gifts for her when we arrived. Sophia loves shopping, going out to eat and playing with her cousins. We went out on Chuck's boat for an hour or so. The girls had a blast but the movement put Sophia to sleep after a while.

We also went to a Memorial Day party at my cousin, Paul's house. Sophia had a blast playing with her cousins and spending time with Aunt Philly. I am glad we are able to visit Grandma as often as we do.

We also celebrated Chloe's birthday with a can of tuna fish. Chloe is Anne's favorite cat. She turned 15 years old. She has a big tumor on the top of her head but is in good spirits. I know that we are going to have to put her down soon but now we are just enjoying the fact that she jumps up to be petted as soon as I walk into the room, eats well and seems to be pain-free. She doesn't look pretty especially now that it is affecting her eye but we still love her.

April 2011

2011-07-14T14:02:00.009-04:00

Spring is here. Things are starting to pick up for us. Sophia is growing up quickly. She likes to pick out her own clothes. She has been into wearing dresses lately. She is truly a princess at times.
We went bowling with Sophia. She had fun. She got the hang of it and did pretty well. She was disappointed that she did not win but we all had fun playing. We went to NJ to see Katie and her crew team row. It was nice to spend some time with Katie. Her team did not win but it was still lots of fun to watch.

Sophia is creative in many ways. It is fun to see her artwork change over the years. She also gets creative with the animals...dressing them up and putting on shows with them.
We went re-enacting with Steve. Sophia has a blast seeing there were other kids in our group. She loved playing with Tommy. In this picture .... she is took the gun from Tommy and told him he was shooting the wrong way. She said "watch, this is how you do it."

She had her first unofficial sleepover with Katlyn. I spent the night there which made it easier for Sophia to spend the night over. The girls had a blast... all of us.. Katlyn and Sophia and me and Heather.
Sophia enjoyed dying eggs for Easter and then finding the candy eggs the Easter Bunny hid for her.

March 2011

2011-07-14T13:52:00.004-04:00

We celebrated Katie's 15th birthday this month. I can't believe I have known Katie since she was six years old. Where does the time go?

Sophia also took a free trial horseback riding lesson. She was hooked from the moment she got there. We knew she would be. She has been talking about horses for over a year now. She can't wait for her real lessons to start.

February 2011

2011-07-14T13:45:00.004-04:00

Sophia, Katie and BaBa went to Mount Vernon on Presidents' Day. It was a fun little day trip.

Sophia has fun with the dogs and cats. When she is not dressing them up she is making sure they are comfy.
We went to a Chinese New Year celebration at the local Chinese restaurant. Sophia was a bit nervous so she watched from the outside with BaBa. She ended up loving the festivities even if they were loud.

January 2011

2011-07-14T13:29:00.008-04:00

Christmas came and went very quickly. We started the new year off pretty busy. We spent time in Connecticut for Mom's surgery. Thankfully everything went well. The were able to remove the lump from her breast. It has not spread to the lymph-nodes. They were predicting a big snowstorm so we went up a day early. Thank goodness because they did get lots of snow.

Sophia was a great nurse. She even gave Grandma one of her stuffed animals to take to the hospital for good luck. She had fun playing with her cousins while we were visiting.

We had some snow of our own at the end of the month. Sophia loves playing in the snow and helping shovel us out. We were even able to build a snowman with this snow fall.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T11:20:00.009-05:00

It is hard to believe Christmas has come and gone. Sophia enjoyed Christmas shopping for BaBa, Mommy, Nick and Katie. She made beautiful ornaments for her grandparents, aunts and uncles.

We made cookies for Santa but Sophia only left him one cookie and two pieces of cheese. She saw an episode of Imagination Movers where they mentioned Santa needed to go on a diet because his pants did not fit any longer.

We tracked Santa on norad.com. When we first checked in the morning Santa was delivering gifts in Chongqing, China. This was were Sophia was born. To think that we began tracking Santa at the minute he was Chongqing was amazing.

We made ginerbread sleighs to add to the decorations in the house.

Nick and Katie are spending Christmas with us. It is great to have them here. Sophia loves spending time with her brother and sister.

Sophia, Mommy and BaBa went to church and watched the navity pageant. Sophia had one question after another. She is the most curious child I have ever known. I guess that is part of what makes her so smart.

On Christmas morning Sophia woke up at 6:45 and began to ring her "Christmas Bell" saying that Christmas is here... wake up. She woke up Katie and Nick and we all went downstairs to see what Santa left.

Santa left Sophia a big dinosaur from Dinosaur Train along with the Dinsosaur Train trainset. She was thrilled. He left Nick a Harry Potter lego set and Katie a pillow pet. After playing a while we opened gifts from each other. Sophia loved everything she got. Katie got her a horse and Nick got her a remote control car. She got more dinosaurs for her Dinosaur train, a horse calender and a leapster game from us.

We then went to Grandma Bev's for Christmas dinner. It was nice to spend the day with all of Steve's family. We opened more gifts there. Sophia got horse sheets and a blanket for her bed from Grandma Bev and Pop Pop and horse posters from Grandma Beadle. She also got another stocking filled with goodies, stamps for her scrapbook, jelly belly filled crayons and a coloring book. Sophia had a blast playing with her cousin Emma.

I am thankful for the time we get to spend with family. As our own parents are aging we are thankful for the time we do get together. Pop Pop had an "off" day today. He wasn't feeling well. It is hard to see the toll Parkinsons takes on the body.

Christmas in Connecticut

2010-12-27T10:53:00.008-05:00

We traveled up to Connecticut on December 17 to celebrate Christmas with Anne's family. We spent the night at Grandma Barb's on Friday night. We were greeted with the typical bag of gifts for Sophia. Sophia presented Grandma with her typical gift of a bag of M&Ms they share together.We headed to Linda's house on Saturday after breakfast. George and his family joined us on Sunday for a wonderful Christmas dinner. We headed home on Monday.

It was great to be all together for Christmas. The kids all enjoyed playing together. They get along so well. There were plenty of gifts to open and good food to eat. Sophia got the gum ball machine she has been longing for from Uncle George. She got a game for her leapster from Aunt Linda as well as things to decorate her room. Grandma Barb gave her stamps for her scrapbook, soft pajama's and a doll.

It was a joyous day after what has been a very difficult month for us. Grandma Barb has breast cancer. She will have a lumpectomy on January 13th. At this point the tumor is small. We are hoping it has not spread but we won't know until later in January after the pathology reports come back. We are hoping that this is an easy surgury and that she makes it through without any complications.

December Update

2010-12-27T10:21:00.006-05:00

December was an extremely busy month. We prepared for Christmas. We wanted Katie to help decorate the Christmas tree but on the one weekend Katie was down Anne was away at a scrap booking retreat. Sophia had a perfect solution. We put the tree up one day and decorated around the house. Then when Katie came down they decorated the tree together. It worked out well.

Sophia and BaBa went to Virginia for a holiday dinner with the re-enacting group on December 3rd. They had a blast. They got to town early and found a huge playground and then went into town. There was horse drawn carriage ride in town. Sophia loved this. Sophia and BaBa also saw their first snowflakes that day.

Sophia talked with Santa three times - once at the mall in late November, then at the train station, and once at the Bass Pro Shops. She asked for a gum ball machine, trains, and dinosaur train toys.

BaBa took Sophia and Katie to the train station to visit Santa. They had a blast. Sophia loves trains and never tires of seeing them and climbing on them.

We got a little snow on December 16th. It wasn't much but was enough to go sled riding with Boba pulling the sled. Sophia laughed so much. Her laughter is contagious. If we could all get such pleasure from the simple things in life we would all be much happier.

November update

2010-12-27T09:27:00.007-05:00

November started with the big birthday celebrations. Sophia is growing up so quickly. She now has a chore list and has begun to earn an allowance.

November included the typical fall activities like raking leaves and preparing for the holidays.

We celebrated Thanksgiving at Grandma Bev's house. It was nice to be together for a delicious dinner.

Sophia's favorite cat. Noelle (No-No) wasn't feeling well which meant a trip to the vet and the administering of now daily meds. It is no fun trying to give this cat medicine every day but she seems to be more "regular" with it. Sophia was very worried about No-No and took good care of her while she was sick.

We went to a model train show the day after Thanksgiving. Sophia loved the trains. She even was able to control a Thomas train. She picked this up quickly and wanted to return to that set up to drive the train several times.

Sophia loves stuffed animals. She surrounds herself with them every night. When Sophia is put to bed at night she tends to play quietly in her room for almost an hour. One night she took out many stuffed animals and piled them up on her bed. She feel asleep surrounded by these animals.

Five years old

2010-11-01T11:21:00.005-04:00

Sophia turned five today. I can't believe it!! She is growing up so quickly.

We celebrated her birthday with a party with a few of her best friends. Katlyn, Jason and Jennifer joined her at Chuck E Cheeses to celebrate. They all had a blast there.
We then did the traditional birthday morning cupcake and balloon in her room this morning. She now knows it is coming but seems to enjoy the tradition. She was a bit sleepy this morning but woke up quickly. We gave her the gift we bought for her 5th birthday while we were in China. This year she got a backpack. We want her to always remember her beginnings. We want her to know that China will always be a part of her. That her birth parents will always be a part of her. These are some of the things that make her special. We honor her roots and hope that we can instill that in her.Because I taught that night we also let her open her gifts in her room. I took her out to Chinese food for lunch and Steve played with her and her new toys that evening.

Our baby is growing up!!

Halloween

2010-11-01T11:18:00.006-04:00

Last year Sophia changed her mind about what she wanted to be for Halloween around ten times. This year she decided early she wanted to be a Banana Witch and never looked back. She created the concept herself. A banana witch is a banana with a witches hat. A banana witch steals bananas. She had a broom to go with her costume but decided she could not handle that, her treat bag and knock on doors at the same time.

We went to the zoo for their trick or treat festivities on Saturday and then trick or treating in the neighborhood on Sunday night. She got loads of candy and had a blast. We love watching her enjoy life so much.

October update

2010-10-28T15:33:00.010-04:00

October has flown by. We had lots to do to keep us busy. We went to visit Katie and watch her perform in the marching band. We saw a football game in the afternoon and then a band competition in the evening. It was great to spend some time with Nick and Katie. Sophia misses them so much.

We went to the duck park. We gave them a few small pieces of bread. One goose decided he wanted more and got out of the water and started to chase us. Yikes.

We went pumpkin picking. Sophia took her time and picked out the "best" pumpkins.

We did a family re-enacting event. Something I thought I would never do. I know how much this means to Steve and how happy re-enacting is making him so we joined him for one night. It actually was fun. I would have been happier if I didn't have to dress in the funny clothes but other than that it was just like camping. It was fun being outside. I sat around the fire and knitted for a while. Steve cooked for us and did all the hard work of getting our tent up and stuff.

Sophia went fishing with BaBa one Sunday morning. They did not catch anything. Sophia probably scared all the fish away splashing in the water. She had so much water in her boots!!!

BaBa took Sophia to get her hair cut one night while I was teaching. She looks so cute. She told me she almost cried when she looked in the mirror. I asked, "why?" She said, "Because I looked so cute." How is that for confident!

Before .....

and after....

Visit to Connecticut

2010-10-28T15:24:00.007-04:00

I try to get up to Connecticut every three months or so to visit Mom. I know how much this means to her. I want Sophia to know her and understand the influence she has had on my life. Sophia loves these visits to Grandma's. After all, Grandma always has presents for her, we go out to eat and get to visit family.

This time we didn't spend too much time with her cousins Hollie and Stephanie since they were in Florida for the week. We did help Grandma take care of their dog, Jessie. We got to spend a morning with Auntie Linda, Chuck and Stephanie and Hollie before we headed home.

We had a rainy couple of days there. We went to Chuck E Cheeses one day to stay dry.

We also visited my cousins, Tommy and Lisa. I haven't seen them in years. It was nice to see them again. Tommy has been diagnosed with ALS. It is sad to see how quickly this has affected his body. He has an eight year old daughter and Lisa has a twelve year old son so Sophia had fun playing while we caught up.

Sophia and I met Damien and Melissa at the green for the Annual Apple Festival. Sophia had a blast. She rode all the rides and even was a magician's assistant. She is getting so big.

September update

2010-10-28T13:47:00.015-04:00

September always brings back routine into our lives which typically means we have some time to breathe. I am not sure why this September was as busy as the summer months.

We started the month with a day at the State Fair with Katlyn. The kids had fun. We even watched some horse races and cheered on our favorite horses.

Sophia played a lot with Jennifer and Jason, our neighbors and two of her best friends. They will be moving back to Korea in November so they took advantage of all the wonderful weather and spent as much time as they could outside and when the weather was bad they played inside. Sophia is going to miss them.

We went to the zoo, had our last swim of the season at Grandma's and Pop Pop's house and visited Baba at a re-enacting event.

Sophia went to her friend, Elena's princess birthday party. She had a blast as you can see her here all partied out. Needless to say, we were busy but it was all fun.

August update

2010-08-25T14:16:00.009-04:00

Wow!! August has come and gone very quickly. We had another busy month. Katie headed back to NJ early this summer to attend band camp and practice. We all miss her. She charged Sophia with watching her stuffed animals and Sophia is doing a great job checking on them every few days and ensuring they get enough "lovin" until Katie comes back.

We went to the County Fair where Sophia just jumped from ride to ride. She had a blast. She made new friends on almost every ride she went on. She is very daring and never seems to get tired out! We also went to a minor league baseball game seeing Sophia got a free ticket from her summer reading program. She thought the game was neat but really enjoyed the fireworks after the game a bit more. She wants to go back but only on fireworks night.

Sophia had fun playing with Baba at home this summer. Melissa gave her some of Damien's old trains and tracks to add to our set. Sophia and Baba were able to build a huge train track with it.

Sophia got into her make-up case this summer. Isn't she stunning?
Sophia has been talking about becoming five. She can't wait for fall for several reasons. She loves jumping in leaves, Halloween and, of course, her birthday. We walked by a party at the local park last weekend and they had ponies there and each kid got a ride. Guess what she wants to do on her birthday!!! Not sure how we are going to convince her to do something else. She also knows that the local horse center gives lessons starting at age five. She is anxious to go for a free trial lesson. We are hoping it ends there.

Steve had a couple of fun trips back in time for his French and Indian War re-enactments. He loves these weekends. Sophia and I are going to visit him this weekend. We are looking forward to that.

Gettysburg

2010-08-09T15:33:00.009-04:00

We went to Gettysburg this summer for a couple of days. Katie had wanted to see it again seeing as she was about five the last time she went. Steve is up for anything history related and Sophia and I have never been. Steve planned a great trip for us.

We toured the museum and battlefields. The kids had a blast climbing on the rocks at Devil's Den and Little Round Top. We took a double-decker bus tour which Sophia loved. We went in some shops downtown.

As a little side trip, we went to the Land of Little Horses as something special for Sophia. It turned out to be a really interesting place with all sorts of animals and lots of very small horses. We all enjoyed it.

We stayed in a cabin at a campground. The campground had a swimming pool which was a little chilly but we made use of regardless of the temperature. We had a campfire at night complete with smores. It was really a great family weekend.

China Sisters reunion

2010-08-09T15:25:00.009-04:00

All five families who traveled to China with us four years ago got together again this year. We stayed right outside Harper's Ferry, WV. It was amazing to see everyone. The girls have grown and matured so much over the past year. We even had an addition to the group this year. One family adopted a little boy in 2009. He had a blast with all the girls even though he was out numbered.

The weekend was very hot but that didn't slow down the girls. They all played so well together. We gave them some water balloons and wet sponges to stay cool. They picked raspberries at the retreat center.

The parents were able to sit back and chat while the kids all played. It is interesting to share stories. The bond the kids share is special. I know that the parents all feel connected in a special way after sharing of the amazing journey to China to bring our children home. It is also special to have the support we offer each other now that we are back.

We hope to do this every year. There is even talk about where we will go next year. Someone even brought up all going back to China together as part of a homeland tour together when the kids get a bit older. How cool would that be?

July 4 weekend

2010-07-07T12:29:00.016-04:00

Nick and his girlfriend, Kim, came down for the July 4th weekend. It was so nice to have the entire family together. Nick has really matured over the past year. He is working full time in New York doing IT work. He has really found a wonderful person to share his time with. We really like Kim. She is easy to be around and a whole lot of fun. Sophia now has another special person in her life.

We went to the fireworks on July 3 as a family. It was a great show and Sophia was so brave. She covered her ears about 15 minutes before the show started and kept them covered the whole time but loved the fireworks. She especially liked the purple ones.

We went to Steve's mom's house on July 4th. It was a very hot day but the pool kept us cool. It was great to have us all together. We celebrated Grandma Beadle's birthday.

July 1- Referral Day

2010-07-01T12:12:00.003-04:00

Wow!! Four years have gone by since we received the referral for Sophia. It seems like just yesterday we were waiting, not very patiently, to get information about our daughter. It seems like just yesterday we got the call that referrals had come in and were being translated. Sandy told us that our daughter was in Chongqing and seven months old. It seems like just yesterday that Sandy sat us down each with a picture in hand and told us to turn the picture over and take a look at our daughter. What an amazing day that was. A day we will never forget.

Every year I take a picture of Sophia on July 1st holding the very first picture we had of her. It is amazing to see how she has grown through the years.

2006- referral photo2007
2008
2009
and this year

June update

2010-06-30T11:45:00.003-04:00

Sophia went fishing with her BaBa. I tagged along this time. After a lot of patience they finally caught a fish. It was a tiny fish but the excitment it brought was huge. It is so nice so see a father and daughter do things together. Steve is totally involved with all his children. I don't see too many fathers as involved as he is.

Katie graduated from middle school this year. We went to New Jersey to attend the graduation. We are so proud of Katie. She has grown so much. She had a blast introducing Sophia to all her friends. Katie and Nick both share a special bond with Sophia.

Anne's friend, Tracy came up to visit. She and her daughter and another mom and daughter went to DC and New York on this trip. We were able to spend a night with them. Sophia had a blast playing with Tracy's daughter, Julianna and her friend. It was so nice to catch up with Tracy. We have been friends since we were in kindergarten. She moved to Texas in third grade but came back to visit and spent a whole summer one year. We have been in touch since. Seeing Tracy was so much fun.

Sophia and I went to pick some rasberries. We had such a blast. We picked red raspberries, black raspberries, tart cherries and spinach. We made smoothies, berry pancakes and a yummy syrup as a dessert topping. We can't wait to go again.

Florida!!

2010-06-15T11:19:00.003-04:00

Sophia and I were lucky enough to spend a week in Florida with Heather and Katlyn. It was such an awesome trip. She stayed at Heather's dad's house. The house is right on the Sarasota Bay. It was beautiful. Sophia and I went down a couple of years ago for a few days but this time we decided to stay the whole week.

The girls got along great. We went to the beach, the pool, mini-golfing, a farm where they rescue animals, a park, an aquarium and shopping.

One night we brought dinner to the beach. The seagulls swarmed. One was trying to get a chicken leg from Sophia. I took the chicken to get the bird away from her and in seconds that bird swooped down and stole the chicken leg right from my hand. It was wild.

It is hard to say what our favorite part was. I enjoyed the sunsets on the beach. Heather and I brought snacks and something to drink and enjoyed the sunset while the girls dug in the sand and played at the shore line. There were some hammerhead sharks and sting rays sited in the area so we made sure the girls did not go far into the water.

May Update

2010-05-30T10:18:00.003-04:00

We started out the month with a picture of Sophia in front of the azalea bushes. This is becoming our yearly tradition.

May 1st

This year......

Last year (2009).....

Two years ago (2008)....
May 2 was a BIG day. We went to visit Thomas the Tank Engine at the train museum. Sophia took this day seriously. She began to plan her outfit days in advance. She had to look good after all. She tried on dress after dress until she decided on the perfect dress. She was so excited to see Thomas and Sir Topham Hatt. The smile on her face and joy in her voice was amazing.

Sophia had her dance recital on May 7. She did a fantastic job. I was worried that she wouldn't let me put her hair up in a bun or put on her make-up but she did fine. She did a super job on stage. She was one of the few kids in her class that actually did most of the dance. She was in her element, shining on stage.

We started our vegetable garden and then had a cold snap. Thankfully all the plants made it. The fence BaBa added this year is keeping the dogs out of the garden and the plants alive. I love gardening. I wish I had more time to do it.

Katie came down of one of Steve's reenacting weekends. Katie decided to join him and spend a couple of days in 1760's. She had a blast dressing up and working around the camp. She had so much fun she plans on joining him again.
Sophia had her turn a few weeks later when she went on a day trip re-enacting with BaBa.

After getting all dressed up for Thomas, Sophia must have decided it was fun to wear dresses. She has all her dressed hanging up on her bed rail now. Every day she picks a new dress to wear. I think she has worn only dresses every day this month.

We went to the zoo and farm a few times this month. It was a month packed with all fun things.

April Update

2010-04-30T09:32:00.003-04:00

Spring is finally here! We are beginning to see the first signs of the new season after a long winter and we love it.

We went on an Easter Egg hunt at the farm. There were lots of kids and Sophia got a bit overwhelmed at first, so much of the candy and treats were gone by the time she figured out what was going on. With a little help from me she did find a few treats. There was also a girl who was about seven years old that saw Sophia walking around with an empty basket and took two treats out of her own basket and gave them to Sophia. This girl's parents were not nearby, she did this on her own. It is so nice to see that empathy and generosity is a value in some families. I hope that someday Sophia will do the same thing. If the empathy and compassion she has now continues I know that she will become a very caring and giving person. In addition to the Easter egg hunt we enjoyed seeing the animals for the first time this year.

Sophia and I made Easter Bread together. This was a recipe that a neighbor taught my mother when I was young. I remember the night the neighbor came over to help my mother make the bread. The bread calls for ten eggs. My father, always the joker, had gotten into the eggs beforehand and poked little holes in the bottom and drained the eggs. My mother cracked three eggs before realizing that my dad had played a joke on her. This is a childhood memory I cherish. I think of my dad and his sense of humor when I make this recipe. I told Sophia the story as we made the bread together but I don't think she got the humor in it. Guess you had to be there!

Sophia and BaBa dyed some eggs. She had a blast preparing for Easter.

The Easter bunny came and left her a basket full of goodies. Sophia put on her pretty dress and we went to Grandma Bev's for lunch.
We began planting flowers this month. Sophia loved helping out and made friends with lots of worms. I am so glad she loves to dig and get dirty.
For the past few years the azaleas burst into color on May 1, Sophia's half birthday. I have captured this with photos over the past few years. This year they bloomed a couple weeks early. I will still take a picture on May 1 but had to capture the color on this day, April 22.

March update

2010-03-30T14:52:00.000-04:00

March was another fun filled month. Katie turned 14 on March 10th.

The weather started to warm up and we went on several adventures. On March 20th Sophia and I went to the zoo. We enjoyed the beautiful weather and seeing the animals. After a long day at the zoo we went to Sophia's dance class followed by her music class. A very busy day, indeed. Sophia got her costume for the recital in May. They tried them on and danced for the parents. Sophia did a great job. She is such a ham.

Baba, Sophia and I went to Jerusalem City on March 21. We brought Jimmy's Flat Stanley with us and all had fun.

Sophia and I went to Connecticut at the end of the month. Linda had a huge Easter egg hunt. Sophia loves spending time with Grandma and her cousins. This time was no exception. We went shopping with Grandma, colored and hid eggs, hunted for eggs and enjoyed each others company. Linda did a fantastic job with the hunt. I am glad we were able to take part in it. Regardless of the temperature when we visit Grandma Barb we take a few trips to the beach. I try to keep her out of the water on the really cold days but she often takes her shoes off and dips her feet, then her ankles and then her thighs... into the water. It is good to be young and carefree.

February update

2010-02-27T14:24:00.000-05:00

After a quiet January, we were treated to an exciting February. We got hit with back to back snow storms. We were at home and together for about 10 days. The first storm hit on February 6th bringing 30 inches of snow with it. We lost power for about 12 hours. We were prepared. When the alarm clocks started flickering at 3 AM Steve and I got up and cooked up some food that we would be able to eat in the event power did go out for several days. Sure enough just as we finished cooking the power went out. We spent the morning by the fire and Steve was out in the woods looking for more fire wood seeing stores had sold out days before. We had a blast living simply for 12 hours or so before power was restored. We spent hours digging out our cars, shoveling the sidewalks, making a path for the dogs in the backyard, making snow forts and enjoying the snow. It was too deep for the dogs to pull a sled once it all fell and too dry to make a snowman but we had fun, nonetheless.

And if this wasn't bad enough we got hit by a blizzard on February 9th and 10th. More snow and high winds made it hard to stay outside for long but we did get out several times a day to get some fresh air and and dig out.

Nick came down for a visit in February. He brought his girlfriend, Kim. We had a great time together. It was nice to finally meet Kim after hearing so much about her. Sophia loves Nick. She looks forward to his visits. Now she also looks forward to seeing Kim.

January 2010

2010-01-30T14:12:00.000-05:00

We had a relatively calm month after all our December festivities. It was a welcome calm. BaBa (Steve) went on his first re-enacting adventure where he learned how to spot animal tracks and other neat things. This just so happened to fall on his birthday weekend. It was a great gift. Sophia wanted to celebrate his birthday when he got home by having a cake waiting for him. We turned off the lights and hid when he arrived home. We yelled surprise as he was walking in the door. It was a nice thing to come home to.

Christmas in Connecticut

2009-12-31T13:58:00.000-05:00

Celebrating Christmas continued with our trip to Connecticut to see Grama Barb and Aunt Linda. Uncle George and his family traveled to Connecticut too. Grandma was happy to have her children and most of her grandchildren there. The kids had a blast together, running around, having dance contests and opening gifts. It is so neat to see them all get along so well.
Our final Christmas celebrations were eating lunch at UNOs with Nick working our table. It wasn't an ideal way to celebrate but he did get a chance to open his gifts between bringing food to the customers. We then brought Katie back with us were we celebrated once again, this time at Grandma and Pop Pop's house.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-30T10:18:00.000-05:00

What a great Christmas. Sophia clearly understood that Christmas meant waking up and seeing gifts from Santa and spending time with family. Of course spending time with family also meant opening more gifts!!

Christmas Eve was spent making cookies for Santa, making a gingerbread house, going to church and leaving a note for Santa.
Joy filled the house on Christmas morning when Sophia came down to find that Santa did indeed leave her lots of toys. She got a kitchen set which she LOVED. She immediately started making coffee and cooking breakfast on it. She also got a Leapster which she tested out and ended up playing a game for quite some time.

Grandma Beadle, Grandma Bev and Pop Pop came over for brunch. It was nice to spend some time with them on Christmas. Sophia made gifts for her grandparents. She felt so proud giving the gifts to them.

After a wonderful visit we packed up the car to head to Connecticut for another Christmas celebration with Grandma Barbara. We left around 5:00 PM so went straight to the hotel. Sophia could not wait to see everyone in the morning.

SNOW!!!

2009-12-22T08:41:00.000-05:00

22 inches of snow!!! Amazing!!

It is very rare to get any snow here never mind 22 inches. We had a blast digging out, making snow angels, having Boba pull Sophia on a sled ride. The roads took several days to be cleared and schools were closed so we had lots of time to play. It may not snow on Christmas but we will certainly have a white Christmas.

Getting Ready for Christmas

2009-12-19T12:01:00.008-05:00

Christmas is such an exciting time of the year. The anticipation this year is tangible. Sophia is over-joyed with the thought of Christmas. She loves every aspect of it. She loved putting together her list for Santa. She loved decorating the tree. She has been making gifts for family and friends.

No doubt the Grinch was right when he said, "What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more." Seeing the joy that comes from the anticipation, taking time to celebrate as a family, making gifts from the heart and remembering that life is all about enjoying these moments is something you can't buy from a store and truly means so much more.

First Snow of the Season

2009-12-05T11:52:00.002-05:00

These pictures say it all. We got a couple inches of snow on December 5th. Sophia could not wait to go outside to play. We had a blast. We took the dogs for a walk at the park. Sophia then played in the snow making snow angels. She went sledding with some neighbors before we had to head in. It was a wet snow which made us both cold. We went out later that night after the snow stopped and made a few small snowmen. It was so much fun!!! I am not sure who loves the snow more, me or Sophia.

Visit with Santa

2009-12-01T11:57:00.002-05:00

We went to the Baltimore and Ohio train museum to visit Santa again this year. Sophia made a list of things she wanted for Christmas. It was quite the list. She cut pictures out of toy magazines and taped them into a little book. She asked for a toy kitchen, a Super Why computer, a ride-on Thomas toy, a microphone, Leapster and other toys. She sat with Santa and reviewed her list. She was so brave this year. No tears this year. After reading the list together we took several pictures.

Sophia decided to take the train ride with Frosty this year. She was a little shocked to see it wasn't a real snowman. She understood that if it was a real snowman it would melt. She was glad Santa was the real thing and not in a costume. We took some time looking at all the trains including the toy trains. Sophia can not wait until Thomas the Tank Engine comes to the train museum this spring.

November Update

2009-11-30T11:29:00.001-05:00

Are the months going by faster or are we just getting busier? November was another month which we packed a lot of fun into.

Sophia and I took another trip to the Zoo. It was a beautiful November day this time around. We visited all the animals and feed the giraffees. Sophia loves seeing the animals and enjoys looking at the map to find the animals she wants to see. We did a lot of walking and Sophia never complained. She is such a trooper.

Steve, Sophia and I took a weekend trip to Williamsburg. We had a great time. On Saturday we went to Historic Williamsburg. We listened to Thomas Jefferson and then checked out some of the shops. Sophia loved seeing the kids march in the parade. She followed behind them marching along. She even got a drum afterwards so she can make her own music. We took a horse and carriage ride too.

On Sunday we went to Jamestown. Sophia loved seeing the fort and ships. They had a lot of hands on stuff for us to do. Sophia enjoyed grinding corn, scrapping out a tree to make a boat and trying on the armor. We had a great weekend.

We had a lot to be thankful for on Thanksgiving. Nick and Katie joined us, so we were all together. Grandma Bev made turkey and stuffing and we brought the fixin's for a true feast. Sophia made Pop Pop's favorite pumpkin pie cake. We all enjoyed spending time together. These weekends seem to go too quickly.

FOUR years old

2009-11-01T21:20:00.002-05:00

My goodness! Where does the time go. Sophia turned four today. It is so hard to believe. Over the past few months she has really starting to look forward to special events. She could not wait for her party. We had such a fun-filled day. It started with our tradition of a cupcake and balloon being delivered to her first thing in the morning. She also opened her gift from China. This gift from her birth county hopefully serves as a symbol that her roots are important to her and us and will never be forgotten. This year's gift was a puzzle of China.

We then had a party at the music school where Sophia takes lessons. This was her first birthday party which she celebrated with her friends. She loved every minute of the party. She loved all the attention, games, songs, dancing, cake and presents.

Baba saved the day with checking on the cake order on Saturday. It is a good thing because they never had record of us ordering her Thomas the Tank Engine cake. She loves Thomas and had picked out Thomas favors and we made a Thomas craft project. She could not wait for her special cake. I can not imagine going to pick it up only to find out they lost the order. Baba went to another store and they rushed the order for us. They had the cake ready Sunday morning. What a great Dad!!! He saved the day.

We celebrated with Grandma Beadle, Grandma Bev and Pop Pop Skip. We all went out for dinner and then came back for more cake and presents.

Needless to say at the end of the night Sophia was all partied out.

Halloween

2009-10-31T21:00:00.002-04:00

What a Halloween! Sophia could not wait for Halloween. She has been talking about it for months. She started out over the summer planning her Halloween costumes. We had everything from Mickey Mouse, a banana, an elephant, a witch, Dora, a dinosaur and Minnie Mouse. We finally told her she needed to make a decision and stick to it seeing we were going to buy the costume. She decided on a purple butterfly. We got her wings and a purple outfit. She even went to the zoo in this costume. Her mind was made up... until Halloween morning when she decided she wanted to be a race car. She finally settled on Minnie Mouse, a costume that her cousins had given her. Seeing that she had the costume in her closet we decided it was okay for her to change her mind.

She had a blast walking around the neighbor and getting candy. She was very polite, thanking everyone for her treats. It was a great night.

October update

2009-10-30T19:08:00.005-04:00

We had lots of fun in October. Nick and Katie came down one weekend. It just so happened that it was the weekend of the Family Day Picnic at the adoption agency we used when we adopted Sophia. It isn't often we are able to do things like this as a whole family. Nick enjoyed himself playing soccer with some of the boys there and Sophia was her typical outgoing self, running around and playing.

Later that month Sophia and I took a trip to visit Grandma Barb. We all had fun. We went out to eat with Grandma Barb, went to the beach (even though it was COLD) and went to Aunt Linda's to celebrate her birthday. Seeing Stephanie, Hollie, Sophia and Auntie Linda all have fall birthdays we had a little birthday celebration with cake. Sophia loves playing with her cousins.

Gearing up for Halloween we went to the zoo for Boo at the Zoo. Sophia went as a butterfly. She loved getting the candy and visiting the animals. Unfortunately it started raining so we weren't able to feed the giraffes but I am sure we will get back there again soon.

We had fun playing in the leaves. I remember the joy of jumping in piles of leaves as my Dad raked them up. Watching Sophia do the same reminded me of my childhood days. Life is so carefree when you are young. It is about enjoying the moment and not trying to finish the task. It made me pause and enjoy the moment without worrying about getting the leaves in the bags and heading in for lunch. It is great to have a four year old around to help us remember what life is all about.

Disney Cruise

2009-10-01T23:01:00.000-04:00

Where should I begin? The Disney Cruise really is magical. Believe all the advertisements you see. From the moment we boarded the bus from the airport to the ship Sophia was captivated.

I was a bit worried about her seeing the characters. She was not thrilled with all of the of the characters but she LOVED seeing Mickey and Minnie. She took pictures with them several times. She even took pictures with Goofy and Cinderella.

She loved the pool. The best part was her and Katlyn could run in and swim with Heather and I sitting pool side. They entertained themselves for hours.

Castaway Island, Disney's private island, was amazing. Sophia and Katlyn loved swimming in the ocean and playing in the sand. They went to the kids club for a musical scavenger hunt so Heather and I got to check out the adults only part of the beach. It was beautiful.

I can't think of a better vacation for young children. I can't wait to go back again someday with the whole family.

Sophia says, "No more pictures Mom!!"

Summer is winding down

2009-09-15T14:59:00.009-04:00

Katie went back to NJ at the end of August. Steve started school. We are back into our routine.

Sophia and I went to the State Fair with Heather and Katlyn. Sophia rode her first roller coaster. It was pretty fast and she looked scared the entire time but she did it. Katlyn held on to her and that made her feel safer. It is so nice to see the bond they share.

Sophia started a music class which she loves. We go every Friday night. The class is really structured very well. They have the kids constantly moving. Parents join in. She gets homework every week. The teacher said she had perfect pitch at our trial class. That must be a birthparent trait because it did not come from me!! No doubt her love of music has been fostered by Steve.

We are still going to gymnastics. Sophia loves the class. She is picking up new skills every week. She still knows no fear.

Sophia has taken an interest in scrapbooking!! Yippee. She did her first few pages of our recent trip to the beach.

We are looking forward to our mom and daughter 3-day Disney cruise next week. We are going with Heather and Katlyn. We will have lots to scrapbook after this trip.

We have had better days

2009-09-15T14:47:00.009-04:00

On August 25th Sophia had major dental work done under general anesthesia. She had four caps put on and many cavities filled. Her teeth were/are in really bad shape possibly caused by lack of pre-natal care/vitamins.

We found out that she needed this work back in June. They never really could tell us just how bad the teeth were since Sophia did not cooperate when they tried to X-ray her mouth. They even tried it a second time a week before the procedure with laughing gas. Would you believe Sophia is immune to laughing gas? Her strong nature and the fact that she was hyperventilating when she was screaming meant most of the gas never got into her. What an ordeal.

We were really worried about how she would react to the mask used for general anesthesia, especially after the laughing gas incident, but she was great. We arrived to the hospital and she was nervous (as were we.) Sophia somehow managed to be brave about the whole thing. She did not resist the mask. It may be because of the sedative they gave her orally but I don't want to discount her wonderful attitude through out this morning.

The work took 2 1/2 hours. We were getting antsy in the waiting room but finally the doctor came in and said she was doing fine. She said they did a lot of work and there was a lot of bleeding but all looked good. Sophia woke up after about 30 minutes of being in recovery. She was scared and could not wait to go home. Shortly after she was home she was herself again. I had to stop her from jumping on the bed!

The next day Sophia cried when I brushed her teeth. Could it be pain? The doctor said to give it one more day to see if things got better. They didn't, they got worse. She screamed the next day. We made an emergency trip into the dentist and the dentist pushed on the gum where Sophia said was hurting and sure enough it is infected. After a round of antibiotics (and a rash from the antibiotics on the eighth day of treatment) things are finally back to normal.

Sophia now gladly brushes her teeth. She in no longer in pain. Her teeth look good. Let's hope things stay status quo when we visit the dentist again in December.

Visit from Leslie, Emma and Will

2009-09-15T14:42:00.007-04:00

We were fortunate to spend time with Leslie, Emma and Will for a week in August. They stayed with Mom, Skip and Grandma Beadle so they were not too far away. It was so nice just to hang out and get caught up face to face. We went for walks, swimming, ate wonderful dinners and played games. Katie spent a couple of nights over Grandma Bev's so she could chill with her cousins. The best part of this visit was when Leslie told Steve and me that they are planning to move back here within the year. It will be so nice to have them close. I grew up seeing my extended family on a weekly basis. We have only been able to really do this with Steve's parents and Grandmother. It is nice to add to our local family, especially when you really like the family members!!!

Family Day

2009-08-16T19:22:00.001-04:00

We celebrated three years as a family on August 14th. We started the day taking our annual portraits. We then hung out at the mall for a while before heading to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. It was a great way to remember one of the most important days in our lives.

3rd Reunion

2009-08-06T14:43:00.009-04:00

Every year it gets better. The families that traveled together to China three years ago to bring their daughters home have been trying to get together yearly for a reunion. The first reunion was at Grandma Bev's and Grandpa Skip's house. We got together for the day and enjoyed a day in the pool. Last year we all traveled to Jae and Mary's house in Maine for the weekend. This year we did it big. We planned a week at Lewes Beach. Heather found a great house that would hold the families that were staying. Four families stayed the entire week. One family came in for the weekend. One family, unfortunately could not come.

It is hard to describe the week. The girls had a blast playing with each other. We had four 3 1/2 year olds, a 5 year old, 7 year old, 8 year old and 13 year old when we were at our max. Everyone got along so well. Yes, there were occasions when someone would not share, there were a few tears but overall the girls got along beautifully. The parents even enjoyed a night out without the children.

The beach was great. We were on the bay so the waves weren't big. The girls enjoyed running in an out of the water. They found hermit crabs, conchs and sand crabs. Unfortunately, two girls and a dad "found" a jelly fish.

Heather arranged a treasure hunt for the girls. Todd has a family member that really looks like a pirate. He came and helped the girls find the clues to find a buried treasure. The girls each got their own little treasure box filled with goodies. This was a blast!! Sophia was a bit afraid of the pirate at first but joined in on finding the treasure and forgot all about being scared.

We went to the boardwalk on Friday. Sophia rode the rides there and played games to win tickets. Winning the tickets was more fun for her than actually taking home the prizes.

The week went by too quickly. We are already thinking about what we will do next year. I am not sure if we can beat this year's fun.

Sophia's First Cruise

2009-08-06T14:31:00.006-04:00

Anne's mom has been wanting to go on another cruise for quite some time. Anne's sister, Linda, wanted to get away with her family. She found the perfect trip that met both needs. Linda booked a 4-day cruise that left out of New York and went to Canada. Linda invited Mom. My mother would be in a room by herself so she invited me and Sophia to join her.

Sophia was thrilled. We would see Grandma Barbara, Auntie Linda, Chuck and her cousins, Stephanie and Hollie. She knew she would be going on a boat. We even checked out the virtual tour online. I don't think she realized just how much fun she would have.

The night before the cruise Sophia could not sleep. She was so excited. She picked out an outfit she wanted to wear on the cruise and could not stop talking about the trip. We took a train to New York. That in and of itself was a treat. Once we got to NYC we took a cab to the pier. Sophia LOVED the cab ride. Little things make Sophia so happy!!

Once we got to the ship she was amazed. She could not believe the pools, the stores, the food and the fun. She spent her days swimming and playing with the girls. She had a blast every night at dinner. The waiter and waitress treated the girls like princesses. They got everything they asked for. We also stayed up really late on two nights so we could see the shows. Sophia loved the dancing. She danced in her seat while we watched.

My mom enjoyed spending time with us. She loved spending time with her grandchildren. I know she loved having dinners with us. Most of all, I think she loved the casino.

I am so glad we were able to do this trip. It made Mom so happy. I haven't seen her that happy in a long time. We planned this at the last minute so George and his family were not able to go. Perhaps we can arrange it so we can all cruise together next year.

Fishing with Baba

2009-07-05T15:24:00.002-04:00

Sophia has been fascinated by people fishing at parks. She has been asking for a fishing pole. Baba bought her one and took her fishing on July 5th. She had a blast. Sophia can cast very well for a beginner. They did got catch any fish on this first attempt. The fish were biting.... but biting the worms right off the hook. They are going to give it another try with a smaller hook.

Not catching any fish was fine with Sophia. She had fun trying and then enjoyed some time on the swings. I know she loved this father daughter time as did Steve. I hope these are the moments Sophia will remember.

I am so proud

2009-07-03T12:08:00.008-04:00

While there are many parenting books and on line resources available no child comes with a step by step guide to raising a happy, confident and empathic child.

My mother and I have been talking about what parents do to raise children who are compassionate and caring. My mother and father must have done something right seeing they have three children who have these qualities. We wonder about how this was accomplished and wonder if it is just from modeling of those behaviors. Perhaps it is that simple. Be a good person and your child will see that and learn to value being kind, compassionate, caring and empathic.

This week Sophia made me so proud. While I can not say we are totally responsible for this act of kindness I like to think we contributed to it. I have talked to Sophia about giving away things we don't need to people less fortunate. We donate clothing that no longer fits or things we no longer need to Goodwill or people in our community that are in need. We sponsor a child in China in an effort to give back.

This week Sophia called me up into her bedroom after being put to bed. She was holding a stuffed animal in her hand and told me that a child at daycare needed this so she was going to give it to him. She could not wait to go the next morning to give it to this child. The boy was not there the next day and I was sure she would change her mind once she brought it back home but she did not. She woke the next morning and could not wait to get to daycare to present her gift. I watched her as she gave it to this "baby." She glowed with pride, almost as much as I did.

Sophia loves giving gifts. She picks out the gift she wants to give. For my birthday she gave me a stuffed animal (a frog) which she now sleeps with. She gave Steve a car for father's day. She wanted to get him a baby doll but changed her mind when she got to the store. I see that she picks out things she likes in these gifts. The act of giving away one of her toys this week was totally self-less. She acted out compassion and nothing could make me prouder!

There is something to be said about modeling. We encourage Sophia to be independent and at times we talk her through tasks. Well the tables turned the other night when I put her to bed. She has been sleeping in her tent. I lay on the floor to read her stories. When I was getting up one night I asked her to help me up off the floor (she loves to help out.) She told me I could do it myself I just needed to try. She then talked me through getting up. "First roll over. Get on your knees. Now put one foot on the floor....." She encouraged the entire time telling me I could do it if I tried. When I did it she said, "I am so proud of you. You did it yourself!"

Life doesn't get better than this.

Celebrating Grandma Beadle's Birthday

2009-07-01T16:09:00.000-04:00

Grandma (Phyllis) Beadle turned 87 years young on July 1. Seeing Nick came down for a weekend visit right before the "big day" Steve, Nick, Sophia, Bev and Skip celebrated with Grandma a few days early. Unfortunately, Anne was away at a weekend interpreting workshop series and was unable to attend. Katie was in NJ. Our hearts were with Grandma as she celebrated her big day.

The day was spent swimming, enjoying good food, laughing with family and of course, cake.

Referral Day--3 years ago!!

2009-07-01T15:42:00.001-04:00

It is hard to believe that three years and one day ago we had no idea who Sophia was. It was three years ago today when we went to the agency's office and got Sophia's file. It included a summary of her milestones, development and three pictures of Sophia taken when she was six months old. I will never forget the moment I first saw the face of the little girl who would someone be my daughter. I can honestly say that I loved Sophia before I ever knew her. I loved the thought of her. Seeing her picture made me fall in love even more. I thought I knew a mother's love for a daughter then. This pales in comparison to the love I now know. Motherhood is an amazing journey.

This picture will be a yearly one. It is Sophia holding her referral picture on the anniversary of our referral day.

June update

2009-06-30T16:28:00.007-04:00

We started the month on a very low note. Sophia had her first appointment at the dentist. Sophia was great in the chair while they examined her and cleaned her teeth. She was a trooper. She tried so hard to be brave. It all went down hill when they tried to get x-rays. She did not like the films in her mouth. She started gagging and crying (well, screaming) They were not able to complete the x-rays but what they saw with the naked eye was pretty overwhelming. She has three teeth that are decaying. She needs caps on them. There are about eight more that need fillings. She will need to be put under general anesthesia at the hospital to have this work done. We got a second opinion and they agreed with the treatment plan. The dentist is only in the hospital one day a month and during July it is the week we are at the beach so right now we are planning on having this done on August 25. We are becoming more diligent about brushing after each meal and flossing at night. Sophia doesn't like it but complies.

Anne's brother, George, came to DC with Danielle and Gianna. We were able to spend the day together on Sunday. We walked the mall and then back to their hotel. It was a loooong walk. Danielle and Gianna were troopers. Sophia even managed to walk quite a distance keeping up with us. We then relaxed by the pool at George's hotel. Sophia went swimming with Danielle and Gianna. The night ended with a dinner at Clydes. Sophia sat with Danielle and Gianna so I got to enjoy a meal without a little one hanging on my arm. What a treat.

We celebrated Father's Day a little early seeing Katie was with us and Sophia would be in Connecticut on Father's Day. Sophia picked out a gift for her BaBa. She had her heart set on a baby doll but then decided on a red car when we got to the store. Sophia loves giving gifts to people, especially gifts that she has picked out herself.
We visited Grandma Barbara in Conn this month. We had a wonderful time again. This time Sophia helped Grandma make lemon cookies (Grandma's trademark cookies) I captured the whole thing on tape. I am so glad they were able to do this together. We visited Linda's and Sophia had a blast playing with her cousins. We even played a game of mini-golf while we were there. We will be taking a short cruise with Grandma Barbara, Linda and the girls in July. We wanted to take this cruise while we could. Unfortunately, my mother is having a harder time breathing and walking so we didn't want to put off this trip any longer.

Baba (Steve) had a scare at the playground at the end of the month. Sophia was running up stairs on the play structure and tripped. She hit her hip or rib area and blacked out for a moment. Thank goodness Steve was right behind her and caught her as she fell back. It was scary but all was fine.

Sophia has been climbing into bed with us every morning. She cuddles up and goes back to sleep. I don't fall asleep quite so fast when she is bed with us. This is becoming a new habit. Thank goodness it isn't all night. It seems to happen in the morning. She is sleeping in later once she is in our bed so I guess we have to take the good with the bad.

Sophia loves picking out her clothes. She often will refuse to wear what I pick out. We have had some very interesting outfits but as time goes on she is getting better at matching.

May update

2009-05-31T15:53:00.007-04:00

There is something about May 1st... it seems that spring is in the air. This is the second year that our azalea bushes bloomed again on May 1st. This is the second year in a row that I have Sophia's picture in front of the bushes in full bloom. It just so happens to be Sophia's half birthday on May 1st so it is neat to see the comparison at 2 1/2 and 3 1/2. The picture in the purple hat is from 2008.

Spring was short lived with a taste of summer on May 2. Sophia took her first swim of the season at Grandma Bev's and PopPop's house. She used the noddle to keep herself afloat. She would prefer her arm swimmies but BaBa wants to teach her how to swim. She was scared at first but seemed to get comfortable as time went on.

Sophia "graduated" from the parent-child gymnastics class into a preschool class. She could have started this class when she was three but her friend was in the parent child class and I liked going with her. Her friend is still in parent child class but Sophia was really ready to move on. She is doing great in the class. She listens well, tries new things and really has fun. I watch from the window so we can talk about what she accomplished in class during our drive home.

Sophia is growing up so quickly. I swear she grows taller every night. Her face is also changing. She is more inquisitive than ever. There is no doubt she is a thinker. Her ability to reason is amazing. All I can say is she is wise beyond her years.

April update

2009-04-30T14:28:00.006-04:00

We had another fun filled month. Steve's step-brother Micky and his family came down to spend time with his father. We were able to spend some time with them on Thursday night, as well as, all day on Saturday. Micky and Erin have two boys and a girl. They are all a little older than Sophia but they all got along beautifully. On Saturday we went to the train museum and then out to Little Italy for a wonderful Italian dinner. We ended the day with an Easter egg hunt. Each child was assigned an egg color to look for so even Katie was able to play with it still being fair. The older children helped Julia and Sophia find their eggs. It was so nice to see everyone working together without fighting over who should get the egg.

Sophia ran a high fever again. This month was as bad or maybe worse than two months ago. We had a hard time getting the fever to go down at all. Once again, Sophia did not want to eat or drink. She laid around and was miserable. The doctor checked for the flu and strep test. Thank goodness the news about the swine flu had not hit yet otherwise I would have been a mess.

Sophia has taken an interest in dinosaurs. Steve took Katie and Sophia to the museum during Katie's spring break. Sophia lost interest quickly but I think they enjoyed the trip.

Sophia got up early one morning and climbed into bed with me and Steve. She went back to sleep quickly cuddling up next to us. I am not sure if she got used to sleeping in our bed when she was sick or she was just testing her limits. Either way we let her stay with us seeing she went back to sleep right away.

February / March update

2009-02-27T12:34:00.007-05:00

Time flies. February flew by without much excitement. Katie spent her February vacation with us. Steve took Katie and Sophia to the train museum. Sophia loves this museum and the fact that she was able to share this with her big sister made it even more fun.

Sophia ran a high fever in February. Tests never revealed any infection but she was running a high (104.7) fever which was hard to bring down for five days. This was the first time we really noticed Sophia being sick. She has gotten colds and coughs but things never seemed to slow her down. These five days were different. She was lethargic. She didn't want to eat or drink. We had to watch her for dehydration. It was very scary. It is hard not to be able to help. She ran a fever something like this in Oct 08 but it didn't climb quite this high.

March was a little more exciting. We had another small snow storm to start off the month. While it was not a big storm, Sophia had a blast. Steve was away for five days at the beginning of the month so it was just me and Sophia at home with the pets. Our puppy, Boba, was more work than Sophia and all the other pets together but we managed.
Sophia went to a Pirate Adventure class offered through our Parks and Rec Dept. Sophia loved it. She wore her pirate hat and came home with lots of cool crafts including a treasure chest with coins in it. She wasn't ready for me to leave the room but I hung back and let her do her thing. She really enjoyed it

We managed to have a play date with Katlyn. We went to an open gym where Katlyn takes gymnastics. Katlyn has always been a dare-devil but I have never seen her like this. She was totally in her element. Sophia and Katlyn are such good friends. I am hoping we can continue this friendship despite how busy life gets.

We finished up the month with a visit to Grandma Barbara's. We all love these visits. It gives me time to spend with my mother and gives Sophia a chance to get to know her grandmother. We also get to spend time with my sister and her daughters. Sophia loves spending time with her cousins. This trip we ended up going to the Mystic Aquarium. Sophia was in awe. She loved seeing the fish. I think her favorite exhibit was the beluga whale. She picked out a stuffed penguin in the gift shop. The entire visit was so much fun. We visited Aunt Philly while we were there. I wish we could spend more time and see more people but the time always goes so quickly. We went to the beach to find some shells and build a sand castle. Sophia managed to get wet despite the rain boots she had on. I don't know how she continued to play with wet and COLD feet but she managed.
Sophia is getting more independent with each passing day. She has starting picking out her own clothes and getting dressed with very little help. She also told me I was annoying her. She is growing up too quickly.

January update

2009-02-02T15:17:00.005-05:00

January was an amazing month. We started the month ...or rather finished the year with a trip to Connecticut to celebrate Christmas with Anne's family. We drove on New Year's Eve, which ended up being a huge mistake. They were predicting some snow in the northeast but we knew it would not amount to anything. Connecticut ended up getting about 2 or 3 inches but that caused a huge traffic jam. I-95 was a parking lot from New York through Connecticut. A trip that should take 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 hours ended up taking us about 10 hours. Sophia and Katie were troopers. Thank goodness for the portable DVD player Santa brought us. It made it a little more manageable with Sophia. We spent a few days with Anne's sister Linda. Of course, Anne's mom was there and Anne's brother George and his family came up on New Year's Day. It was nice to see all the cousins play together. The adults enjoyed the time chatting, watching the kids open the gifts and playing a fun dice game. Sophia, Stephanie and Hollie enjoyed the snow in the days that followed.

We were lucky enough to get some snow at the end of January. Sophia had a blast with our dog pulling her on the sled. If I could capture the giggles in a bottle and hold onto them forever I would. Sophia is filled with joy, gratitude, excitement and love.

Christmas 2008

2009-01-02T15:24:00.014-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas. Nick and Katie came down to spend the holiday with us. Katie made a wonderful gingerbread house again this year. I think this is becoming a tradition. We went to church as a family on Christmas Eve. Christmas morning was filled with excitement. Sophia understood that Santa would be leaving her gifts. It is so much fun to watch the excitement in the eyes of a toddler. This was, by far, my best gift this year.

Santa left Sophia a sippy cup in her bedroom. Yes!! Santa tiptoed into her bedroom to leave a present and note. Santa's note said that Sophia is big enough to use a sippy cup with water in it at night and no longer needs a bottle of water at bedtime. Sophia heeded Santa's words and transitioned to no bottle with only a few night of some quiet whinning.

Sophia was thrilled to see her dollhouse, her "pee pee in the potty" doll and DVD player. She went from one thing to another. She really enjoyed openning up all the gifts... tearing through the wrapping to reveal the toy.

We spent Christmas Day with Steve's parents and grandmother. Sophia got wonderful gifts from Grandma Bev and Pop Pop. She got her very own leapfrog computer... a huge hit. She got the donut shop she had been asking for from Grandma Beadle. Sophia could not have been happier.

It was nice to have Nick and Katie with us on Christmas. We missed Leslie and her family but hopefully we can take a trip out to California one of these days to see them.

Santa

2008-12-23T09:47:00.009-05:00

Sophia created a wish list (more like a wish book) for Santa this year. The items she consistently asks for are a "Pee Pee Dolly" (a doll that comes with a potty), a dinosaur and a donut shop. She had more things she cut out and put in the book but she only really asks for those three things. When we ask if that is all she said, "That's enough."

She did not want to sit on Santa's lap again this year. We waved to him a few times at the mall. This weekend we went to the train museum and Santa was making an appearance. There were no lines to visit with Santa so I sat down with Santa and talked to him. Sophia then joined me and told Santa that she wanted a "Pee Pee Dolly" and a dinosaur. Santa asked Sophia to leave some cookies for him and some carrots for his reindeer. We then took a train ride with Santa. He handed out candy canes. Sophia was thrilled.

Sophia loved the museum. We need to visit again when we can spend more time outside (it was COLD) She was hoping to see Thomas but he wasn't there. Maybe we will see him this Spring. She loved checking out all the trains and couldn't believe how big they were.

It is so nice to see the joy in Sophia's face. She truly appreciates the little things in life. She throws her arms around me and says, "Oh, thank you, Mama" when I straighten her room. Sophia and Baba had a special night on Thursday while I was out at a meeting. They ate dinner picnic style on the rug, went to the park, played cards, read and watched TV. She told Baba when he was putting her to bed, "This was the best night." She says it with such sweetness it could bring tears to your eyes.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-23T09:27:00.007-05:00

We have so much to be thankful for. It has been a hard year for so many people. We are thankful to have jobs, even though we sometimes complain about going to work. We are thankful to have a house, even though it is a very tiny one. We are thankful for good health. We are thankful to have wonderful family, some close and others farther away than we would like.

We were able to spend a day with family that live close by, Grandma Beadle, Grandma Bev and Pop Pop. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner and spent some time looking at videos of Nick when he was young.

Dance Recital

2008-12-23T08:25:00.007-05:00

Sophia took a ballet class through the Rec Department. She loved the class. We take gymnastics every week which she LOVES but it is a parent-child class. I was a bit worried on the first day of ballet that she would want me to go in to class with her. We talked about me waiting outside the room and how she would go in all by herself. To my surprise she walked in without looking back. She was so proud of herself. She told her teacher that she could come in all by herself and that mommy was waiting outside. She is really growing up.

The ten week class ended with a small dance recital. Sophia was in the purple Angelina Ballerina class. On the way to the recital Sophia announced that she had to go potty NOW. We pulled over at a fast food restaurant and sure enough she had to go. We finally got to the school where the dance recital was taking place and she went in to sit with her class. After the first number she turns to me in the audience and says I have to pee. We run out. As soon as we left, they called her class to the stage. The entire class and audience waited for us to return. She joined her class on stage and danced a beautiful dance. She seemed to shine on stage. She remembered a lot of her dance and her favorite part was walking around in a circle holding hands with a friend and taking the bow.

We went out for her favorite food, Chinese, of course, after the recital. We hope to enroll her in another session this winter.

Three Years Old

2008-11-01T21:47:00.016-04:00

We started birthday morning bright and early. Sophia woke up at 6:30AM and we kept our tradition of bringing her a balloon, a cupcake and her gift we bought her in China as she woke up. Sophia lit up when she saw us enter her room with the balloon and cupcake.

This year's gift from China was a jade bracelet. While she might not fully grasp the significance of this yet we hope that someday she see that we value her roots and honor her birth county and her birth parents.

After jumping, climbing and swinging at gymnastics we came home to a little party with our neighbors. The neighborhood children came over and joined in hitting a pinata to celebrate Sophia's birthday. Sophia was the one who ended up breaking it, with a little help from BaBa. She yelled, "I won! I won!" Everyone got tons of candy and goodies, just what we needed after Halloween!

After nap, Grandma Beadle, Grandma Bev and PopPop came over. We went out to our favorite Chinese restaurant. Sophia enjoyed her dumplings but could not wait to get home and open her "surprises." Sophia loved her Dora cake and blowing out the candles but really couldn't wait to finally get to open her gifts. She got a "school book" from Katie, a Clip-o table and set from Grandma Beadle, Grandma Bev and PopPop and a Dora bike from me and BaBa. She has wanted the Clip-o set from the first time she saw it on TV. She was so thrilled to get it, she couldn't wait to dig in and play. She tried riding her bike but was it was hard to do in the house. We will take it out tomorrow and let her really try it out.

It is hard to believe our baby girl is already three years old. She is growing up so fast. She is a chatterbox constantly singing and making up songs for everything. She loves to pretend. Often she pretends she is still a baby and I am the mommy. She says goo goo gaa gaa and pretends to fall as she attempts to walk. She also plays with her stuffed animals at night. She rescues them from different dilemmas such as falling into a waterfall. She loves creating different art projects and loves to cook. She is always a big help around the house. My favorite time of each day is the first thing in the morning and the end of the day when we cuddle. As old as Sophia gets she will always be my baby.

October Update

2008-11-01T21:24:00.019-04:00

Well the Two's weren't so terrible but I am not sure about the Three's. Sophia has always been strong-willed but this month it has blossomed.

She had such a temper tantrum one Friday when I wanted to leave a McDonald's Playland that people knocked on the bathroom door asking me if everything was OK. No doubt the screams, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NOOOOOOOOOOO were alarming to folks on the other side of the door. We had had some trouble getting out of the house in the morning and when she decides she doesn't want to do something, it is hard to convince her to do otherwise.

We have tried a simple behavior chart and she gets a sticker for good decisions. She looks forward to getting these stickers in the morning and it made things much smoother. Thank goodness this was short lived. She has been much more agreeable recently.

We had lots of fun fall activities on our calendar this year. We went to Green Meadow Farm on a beautiful October day. Sophia was able to milk a cow and pet goats, pigs, horses, cows, llamas and ducks. We saw tiny piglets born just three days before. Sophia loves animals and enjoyed the day.

Anne went to a conference in Puerto Rico for four days. Sophia had some one on one time with BaBa. They had a blast. Sophia was so busy playing everytime I called that she didn't want to talk to me. Grandma Bev came over and spent Friday with Sophia. She took her to dance class and even got to watch her dance.

We also went to Boo at the Zoo again. Sophia loved the trick or treating and filling up her pumpkin with candy and other goodies. She also loved seeing all the animals. This year Sophia fed a giraffe. It was so cool. The giraffes were so gentle. Sophia let go of her leave as soon as the giraffe took the first bite but it was still fun. The Children's area in the Baltimore Zoo was open again. Sophia loved all the activities, she jumped on lily pads, walked over a bridge, walked like a bear, went through the otter and ground hog tunnels and slide down a great big slide. We walked for hours and Sophia enjoyed every minute of it.

We ended October with a small birthday party at daycare. Sophia picked out Dora plates, hats and treats for her friends. I created an art project making Dora and Boots face, on her request of course. It was a lot of fun. She was so excited squealing "i\It's my party, it's my party!"

And of course we had a blast on Halloween. Katie was here to go Trick or Treating with us. Sophia was a blue dinosaur. She was thrilled to be getting so much candy. Some of the houses in our development had tons of decorations, some of the scary. Sophia was so brave.

So another year over. Tomorrow Sophia turns three!!

September Update

2008-11-01T21:10:00.014-04:00

September was another busy month. Katie headed back to New Jersey and Steve headed back to work after a wonderfully fun summer. Sophia continued to grow by leaps and bounds. She is getting so expressive. She loves telling stories and never ceases to ask why? She is curious and faces new experiences without hesitation.

Sophia started a ballet class in September. It is an Angelina Ballerina class. She is the youngest girl in her class of eight. She is so proud of herself when she walks into the door while leaving me out in the waiting room. The teacher closes the door so we don't distract the ballerina's. Sophia seems to enjoy the class. She also loves our little lunches after class.

We also took a trip to Connecticut to visit Grandma Barbara. It was amazing to see Sophia interact with Grandma this time. It seems like each time we visit Sophia is bonding a bit more. She loves Grandma's little presents. This time she got some great bubbles, beach toys, Dora dolls, clothes and a tent. When Grandma took a long time to get up the stairs Sophia went back a couple of times to check on her.

Sophia and I went to the beach almost every day. I am not sure why we didn't do this on other trips. Sophia had a blast digging in the sand and running in the water. We also took long walks and played on the playground there. It was a little cold but that didn't make it any less fun.

We spent a night at Aunt Linda's. Hollie had a birthday party which Uncle George, Gianna and Angela, as well as Hollie's friends attended. It was nice to see all the cousins play together. Sophia was spoiled by all her cousins. I don't think she ever got as much attention as she did on that day. Sophia, Grandma, Pat and I spent the night there. The next day we went raspberry picking. Sophia put more in her mouth than her bucket!

July/August Update

2008-11-01T16:15:00.011-04:00

Where does the time go? It is now November 1st and I am just getting to documenting our wonderful summer.

The summer went by very quickly it seems. We had so much fun on our nightly walks to the park. Sophia is a social butterfly playing with other kids at the park. She squeals with delight, "There are my friends." She is outgoing and a leader. She attempts to lead games of tag but she doesn't quite get the concept of the game. She just likes to fun and say "You're it."

We took a trip to Maine for our second reunion with all the families who adopted their daughters with us. We affectionately call them Sophia's China Sisters. Jae and Mary were kind enough to have all six families at their house for the weekend. It was wonderful to spend so much time together. We went to the beach even though it was very cold. It did not phase most of the kids, I think all the girls went swimming. Katie loved the water. The girls had so much fun playing together and the parents enjoyed time together after all the kids were in bed. We are fortunate to have traveled with such wonderful families. I hope that we continue to stay close as the girls grow. We had so much fun this weekend that we are trying to plan a week at the beach next year.

We celebrated Forever Family Day on August 14th. This year we watch the video together of us becoming a family two years ago. Sophia loved watching the video of the first day we were a family. She loved hearing the stories about China. She thought the story about the day she pooped all over me was hysterical.

July 1

2008-07-01T15:29:00.006-04:00

It was two years ago today that we first saw the referral information for Sophia LiHua Mae. I don't think I could ever forget the day Sandy placed the pictures of Sophia in mine, Steve's and Katie's hand and told us to open our eyes and see our daughter. That moment of seeing Sophia LiHua's face for the first time is forever etched in my mind. I took our yearly picture of Sophia holding her referral picture today. It will serve as a reminder of just how much she has grown over the year.

Today is also Grandma Beadle's birthday. Sophia's middle name of Mae is in honor of Grandma Beadle. We will be celebrating Grandma's birthday with her later this week.

June- A Busy Month

2008-06-30T17:11:00.000-04:00

June was a very busy month for us. It was filled with lots of short trips and time with friends.

On June 6th & 7th, Sophia and I took a trip to Lancaster, PA to spend some time with my friend Lisa and her son, Jacob. Sophia and Jacob got along so wonderfully. Jacob is three years old and full of energy much like Sophia. They had a blast swimming together, playing on the playground and just hanging out in the room watching movies. It was so sweet to watch them playing together. We stayed at Willow Valley Resorts. It was so nice. The hotel is geared to young children with it's playgrounds, indoor and outdoor pools, farm and buffet dinners. We visited Strasberg Railroad and took a ride on the train. The steam engine scared Sophia but she seemed to enjoy the train ride. It was a wonderful trip. We hope to go back again soon.

On June 13, we went to visit Heather and Katlyn. They took us to the pool they belong to. Sophia and Katlyn had a blast playing in the water, especially the splash pool.

June 19th was a big day for Katie. She gradudated from elementary school. We drove up to New Jersey to attend the graduation. It was really nice. The kids sang songs. There was a powerpoint presentation with pictures of each child as a baby and then as a 6th grader. Katie had a dance to go to that night so we spent the night in the hotel. Sophia loved the fact that there was a swimming pool. This also gave Steve some time to hang out with Nick. We headed back to home with Katie the next day.

June 21 was another busy day. Sophia went to her weekly gymnastics class and then we spent the late afternoon and early evening at Heather and Todd's. Todd slaved over the hot grill while Heather worked her magic in the kitchen. Laura, Jim, Sarah and Ellie were there. The girls all played together. Katie was fantastic, as always. She kept all the girls busy, playing and laughing. The fact that Katie was on crutches did not seem to matter in the least bit. It did not stop her or the girls from having fun. It was nice to see everyone, hang out, chat and play some games. All the girls are getting so big.

To finish out the month we spent the weekend of June 27-29 in Williamburg, VA. Anne was presenting at the VRID conference on Saturday and we decided to make a mini- family vacation out of it. Steve, Katie and Sophia toured the historic town on Saturday. Anne joined them on Sunday. The weather was hot but we were thankful for the breeze and the pool at the hotel. Sophia and Katie enjoyed the weekend and the car ride back home. I never heard two kids laugh as much as they did on our drive back home.

Katie's Mishap

2008-06-25T15:41:00.003-04:00

Katie and her friends went to the skateboard park over Memorial Day weekend. Katie attempted a half pipe just minutes after they arrived only to fall and break her ankle. Her ankle is broken in two places and the growth plate shifted. Needless to say the skate park trip turned into an all day hospital visit. She will need to have surgery on her ankle next week in NJ. Poor kid.

Visit to Connecticut

2008-06-25T10:51:00.006-04:00

Sophia and I took a trip to visit Grandma Barbara for a long weekend in May. It was great to see my mother, sister, brother and neices. We spent one night at Linda's. Sophia, Stephanie and Hollie tried sleeping together but with all the giggling going on no one was going to fall asleep. On Saturday morning we went to dig for rocks and play on the playground at Nature's Art. The girls had so much fun together. Sophia loved playing make-believe with them. Sophia was often playing the baby role. It is nice to see all the girls get along so nicely.

On Sunday, George and Danielle made the trip up. Danielle entertained Sophia, Stephanie and Hollie while George, Linda and I did some work around the house. We all went out for a nice dinner before George had to head back home.

It is always great to go home to Connecticut. We managed to visit Aunt Philly and Aunt Rosemary on this trip. I really wished we lived closer. I grew up in a tight knit family and visited grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins every weekend. We don't get up to Connecticut as much as we would like. We always enjoy the time we do spend there and just wish we could do it more often.

May Fun

2008-06-25T10:26:00.008-04:00

Sophia continues to amaze us everyday with the things she does and says. We celebrated Mother's Day and Anne's birthday with Grandma Beadle and Grandma Bev. It was a cool May day but that did not stop Katie and Sophia from swimming. The water was too cold for me to venture in. Nonetheless, it was a relaxing day spent by the pool with family.

Sophia and Anne did some gardening during the month of May. We started our vegetable garden in the backyard with some tomato, green pepper and cucumber plants. We also planted some rosemary, basil and strawberries. Sophia loves strawberries and is looking forward to getting to eat the berries. Sophia's gift for Mother's Day was a beautiful pot filled with sunflower plants. We planted them outside once they got a little bigger. Sophia loves to help out and garden work proved to be very messy and lots of fun. She loves helping water the plants.

May 1

2008-05-01T14:01:00.010-04:00

May 1, 2008

Sophia is 2 1/2 years old today. It is hard to believe. She is growing up so quickly. She amazes me with some of the stuff she does and says.

She is enjoying gymnastics and decided it would be fun to tumble off our couch. She made a ramp with a couch cushion and then tumbled down it. She is quite the tumbler. She is also a very good dancer. She has been dancing around the house, wiggling her hips and spinning. She calls herself a ballerina.

She has been talking up a storm. She gets into bed a night and talks for up to thirty minutes. We think she is talking to her stuffed animals. Sometimes she just sings or counts. It is very cute to listen to her. If we go into her room to tell her to settle down she lays down quickly and pretends she is asleep.

She is silly. Lately she has been telling some of the Knock-Knock jokes her BaBa taught her. It usually goes something like this.
S- Knock Knock
Us- Whose there?
S- Banana
S- Orange Banana

The way it was told to her was
Baba- Knock Knock
S- Whose there?
Baba- Banana
S- Banana who?
Baba- Knock Knock
S- Whose there?
Baba- Banana
S- Banana who?
Baba- Knock, Knock
S- Whose there?
Baba- Orange
S- Orange who?
Baba- Orange you glad I didn't say banana

We are planning a trip to Connecticut later this month. Sophia and I will visit Grandma Barbara. Grandma Barb has been suffering from shingles and in a lot of pain. I know seeing Sophia will brighten her day.

More soon!!!

April Update

2008-05-01T13:58:00.006-04:00

April seems to have come and gone without many changes.

Sophia is still excited about using the potty and wearing big girl "underwear."

Katie spent her April vacation with us so Sophia and her had lots of fun together. We went to Elioak Farm petting zoo with Katie and Katlyn at the end of the month.

Grandma Bev spent a Friday with Sophia while I attended a conference. They cooked dessert together. Sophia always enjoys time with Grandma.

Boba is getting bigger but is still very rowdy. Hopefully he will grow out of the puppy phase soon!!

March Update

2008-05-01T13:36:00.007-04:00

Where does the time go? Here it is May 1st and I am writing an update for March. I am not sure how I have fallen so far behind.

March was a pretty extraordinary month. We added another animal to our family. We got a new puppy, Boba, on March 14th. He was two months old at the time. He is a puggle, half pug / half beagle. He is FULL of energy. He is chewing everything he can get his mouth around. Sophia likes to take him on walks seeing she can hold his leash all herself but does not like it when he jumps on her or takes her food. It has been quite noisy in our house lately between Boba's barking and Sophia's screaming when the dog is bothering her. Kaegogi, our 5 year old Shiba Inu, seems to be enjoying the playmate but I do think it becomes a little too much at times. The cats don't seem to be bothered by the puppy but the cats stay upstairs most of the day so contact is very limited.

We had new neighbors move into the house next store. They have a five-year old girl, Jennifer, and a three-year old boy, Jason. Sophia loves playing with them. They have had several playdates and trips to the park together. We had an Easter Egg Hunt with them and one other neighborhood friend on Easter day. Sophia had a blast looking for eggs. It is so fun to watch her as she explores and discovers.

We went to visit Sophia's friend, Katlyn, at the end of the month. Katlyn was wearing pull ups and Sophia decided that she does not want to wear diapers anymore. We are now using "underwear" which are pull ups. She is so excited about going on the potty. Katlyn got two M&Ms for successful trips to the potty. Sophia negotiated three jelly beans for her successful trips. It turns out to be a great motivator.

Happy New Year

2008-02-08T09:52:00.001-05:00

Gung Hay Fat Choy!!!!

January update

2008-01-24T10:17:00.001-05:00

Where does the time go? I can not believe February is almost here. Sophia continues to amaze me. She is getting so tall. Her face is changing again. She is getting dimples when she smiles. She is talking up a storm. She continues to entertain us with her singing and dancing. She tries to amuse us at dinner with her silly antics. Sometimes she pretends to be a dog and gets on the floor and barks until we give her a "treat."

She has been sleeping in her "big girl" bed for the past couple of weeks. She loves her Dora sheets. She has been very good about being in the bed. She has not crawled out at all. My baby is growing up!!!

Sophia has worn her "big girl" underwear for several hours at a time and stays dry. We will let her lead the way with some gentle encouraging on our part in February.

Sophia still loves gymnastics. She can tumble on her own. She loves to jump and does it all the time. She is a big helper around the house. She loves to feed the cats, carry in groceries, clean the floors and wipe the table. We hear "me do it" a thousand times a day. The other day she told me to stay in her room while she got on the potty all by herself. She is independent and confident.

I am attending training for four days out of state next week. This will be the first time I leave Sophia overnight since she was placed in my arms. Steve has traveled before for several weekends and once for a whole week and she survived! It is not like I am leaving her with strangers, she will be with her dad (baba) but it is still a huge, scary step for me. Yes, me... not Sophia. Sophia will probably handle this better than I do!

Christmas in Connecticut

2008-01-24T10:09:00.000-05:00

This Christmas season went on forever! We went to Connecticut on January 18th to spend time with Grandma Barbara. We had a wonderful homecooked Italian dinner on Friday night. Sophia could not wait to open more presents... and she was not disappointed. Grandma Barbara found the perfect gifts for all of us. Sophia loved her doctor's kit and Dora pillow and blanket.

We visited Anne's Aunt Philly on Saturday. It was so great to see her. Growing up we saw our grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins weekly. We used to spend Sundays together. I miss that time and wish that we lived closer so we could see each other more often.

Sunday we all headed to Linda's house. George and Tracey came down with the kids. Sophia and Katie had a blast playing with their cousins. Danielle and Katie are close in age and seem to have a lot in common. The girls all doted on Sophia. She kept up with all of them and giggled all day long. Linda cooked a fabulous dinner. We opened more gifts, yippee!!

We had a great weekend. I wish these visits could last longer. Time flies by.

Christmas 2007

2008-01-09T12:45:00.000-05:00

We had such a great Christmas season. It was filled with family and fun, not to mention a lot of shopping. Sophia and Katie helped us put up our Christmas decorations. Sophia was fascinated by all the lights and ornaments. We went to visit Santa at the mall and after waiting in line for over an hour Sophia decided she did not want to sit on Santa's lap. We did get one picture with me sitting on the arm of Santa's chair with Sophia on my lap but that is all.

We had a blast baking cookies for Santa and preparing for the big day. Sophia woke up early on Christmas morning and could not wait to go downstairs. She noticed that Santa ate the cookies we left but did not notice the gifts he left by the fireplace. She walked right by them!!! When we asked her if Santa brought her any toys she looked in her toy box. We had to lead her to the new gifts that Santa left. She loved the doll and the chair for her house, however, what she loved the best was the candy in her stocking! This was followed closely by her Dora underwear which she put on right away, over her clothes!

We had a nice morning at home opening gifts. She enjoyed opening the presents and liked everything she got. We then went to Grandma Bev's and Pop Pop's house. Grandma Beadle was there too. Aunt Leslie, Emma and Will flew in from California that afternoon. We had a wonderful dinner and then opened even more gifts. It was a great day.

Nick and Katie came down on Thursday. We had a second Christmas celebration on Friday with Nick and Katie. We spent a good portion of the week at Grandma Bev's and Pop Pop's house. It was so nice to have everyone together. We played games and the girls beat the pants off the boys in Pictionary! We went for a nice walk one day. Sophia loved walking through the woods and jumping in every puddle she could find.

Being with family is the best Christmas gift ever. We are thankful that we had time to spend together.

Let it snow!

2007-12-05T22:35:00.000-05:00

LET IT SNOW

What a wonderful day. If you could only see Sophia this morning. She wanted to wear her fairy dress Grandma Barb bought her this morning. She was dressed in jeans and a sweater with her fairy dress over it. We got on her coat and opened the door and she squealed with delight, "It snow out." She bounded through the snow running and playing.... making me late for work.

I only work a half day on Wednesday so after lunch we played in the snow again. That is when these pictures were taken. She was having a blast. She loved trying to make snowballs, eating snow and just plain old running around in it. If we could only all enjoy things as much as this two year old does the world would be a better place.

After her nap she headed out again, this time with her baba and went sledding. She laughed non-stop. The snow up her mittens and in her face was not going to prevent her from enjoying every moment. They made up a wonderful concoction of snow and strawberry syrup and claimed it tasted great.

Thankful

2007-12-05T08:20:00.000-05:00

There is so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving and every day of the year. Today we were thankful to share the day with family. We had dinner at Steve's parents house. We had a wonderful dinner and enjoyed spending time with each other. This year Katie spent Thanksgiving with us. While we were all thrilled to have us her with us this year no one was happier than Sophia.

Sophia adores Katie. Katie truly gets what being a big sister is all about. I can watch them play for hours. Katie can always make Sophia laugh. They share a special bond.

Trip to Connecticut

2007-11-05T22:54:00.000-05:00

Sophia and I took a trip to Connecticut to visit Grandma Barbara for a few days. It was wonderful to spend some time together. It is important to me that Sophia gets to know her grandparents.

We also spent a day with Aunt Linda and Sophia's cousins, Stephanie and Hollie. The girls had a blast. Linda took us to a place where the kids "mined" for rocks. They had so much fun. We also celebrated the girls birthdays seeing they all have late fall birthdays.

I wished we lived closer and could spend more time with Grandma Barb, Linda and the girls.

And today she turns two!!

2007-11-01T21:23:00.001-04:00

It is hard to believe that my little baby is two today. She is getting so big. She is talking up a storm and asserting herself more often.

We started the big day by singing Happy Birthday to her in her crib as she woke up this morning. We had a cupcake and a balloon for her. We also gave her the gift we bought in China for her second birthday. This year it was a children's story book with PinYin, Chinese characters and an English translation. The stories were interesting to say the least. They may have lost something in the translation!

We also had cupcakes with some of the neighborhood children after dinner tonight. She had a blast. We also gave her our present for her tonight, the Rose Petal Cottage. She LOVES this!! and I must admit I do too. I wish they had toys like this when I was growing up. I guess having a child is like having a second chance at childhood again. I certainly love getting on the floor and playing with Sophia.

Halloween

2007-10-31T21:33:00.000-04:00

Sophia and her dad had a great time trick-or-treating tonight. She enjoyed walking through the neighborhood and getting candy. She got an awful lot of candy for a little girl!!

Birthday Celebrations

2007-10-30T13:58:00.000-04:00

Two years old!!! This is something to celebrate!! We are having several small "parties" with the people who are important in Sophia's life rather than a big and overwhelming party. We celebrate both Sophia and Katlyn's birthdays on Friday October 26th. Katlyn is one of Sophia's best friends. She will be two on November 5th. We got together for a playdate, lunch and cake. The girls had a blast as they typically do when they are together. Sophia got a Dora doll which she has been carrying around ever since. Sophia has really been into Dora over the couple of weeks.

We will have cake on November 1st to celebrate Sophia's birthday and then get together with her big sister, Katie, and grandparents on Saturday for dinner and some cupcakes. Anne and Sophia will be going to Connecticut on November 9th and I am sure there will be more presents and cake with Hollie and Stephanie whose birthdays are also in the fall.

Stay tuned for all the pictures.

How sweet!!

2007-10-30T13:08:00.000-04:00

When I picked up Sophia from daycare on Monday (10/29) her daycare provider shared the following story. The four girls were going out for a walk. I sent Sophia with a sweatshirt and jacket seeing it was cold in the morning. Sophia got on her jacket for the walk but was not wearing her sweatshirt. One girl did not have on a jacket. The girl told the daycare provider she did not wear one. Sophia heard this conversation and went to get her sweatshirt. She gave the sweatshirt to her friend saying, "Here Ella. Jacket."

It is amazing to see how much Sophia understands. She not only understood the conversation but that she had something that a friend needed. She was willing to share to help out a friend. Many adults don't "get this" but here is this almost two year old showing what true friendship is.
She has always been generous. She shared her food with us by trying to feed us on our first few days together in China. She continues to share her food and her toys. Now I am not saying she does this all the time. There are a few special toys that she would prefer no one gets their hands on but don't we all behave like that at times. Sophia is remarkable... can a child this young empathize?

Halloween

2007-10-30T12:58:00.001-04:00

Fall is here and we are having a blast celebrating autumn and Halloween.

This year Sophia is Ming Ming (the duck) from the Wonder Pets. Sophia loves the Wonder Pets and when we saw a duck costume in Target a few months ago we could not resist. I made Ming Ming's cape out of felt and it looks great.

At first Sophia protested about getting in her costume but sure enough she humored me and Grandma Bev on Friday night.

We also took her to Boo at the Zoo on Sunday since I teach on Halloween night so I will miss all the fun.

Sophia makes a wonderful Ming Ming.

Growing Pumpkins

2007-10-15T20:58:00.000-04:00

Back in May Sophia and I went to Home Depot to pick up some plants and seeds for our garden. Sophia picked up a small cup with three pumpkin seeds in it. It was made just for children and I think cost all of 59 cents. Sophia and I planted late May and within days the plant sprouted. It grew very quickly... so quickly you could almost see it grow. We transplanted it outside in June and by July it had taken over the garden. We did not have much luck with the wild flowers this year so I ripped them out to give the pumpkin some space to grow. It used that entire space and creeped out of the garden onto the lawn and even up and over our fence. This pumpkin plant was HUGE. I was amazed to see six pumpkins grow. We watched as the pumpkins grew larger each day and then turn from green to orange. We picked them in late September. We had some very large pumpkins. Who knew Sophia was such a good gardener!! We gave a pumpkin to Grandma Bev and Grandpa Skip and another one to Grandma Beadle. Katie forgot to take her's home. We have four pumpkins left. We plan to carving them, playing in the goop, roasting the seeds. We will also paint one or two pumpkins. What fun!!!!!

September Update

2007-10-09T12:53:00.000-04:00

Wow!! Where does the time go? We have had a very busy and exciting September. Anne and Sophia took a mother-daughter trip to Sarasota, Florida at the beginning of the month. They joined Heather and Katlyn there. Katlyn is one of Sophia's best friends, they were adopted at the same time. Heather was house-sitting there so we joined her for five days. We had a blast. Sophia and Katlyn had so much fun at the beach and the pool. Watching them on the beach, running around and playing in the sand was a show in and of itself. They can entertain each other (and us) for hours. They are both very brave and love the water. They just jumped right in the pool and swam. The arm swimmies helped keep them afloat so they felt more independent while swimming. They both experienced Chuck-E-Cheeses for the first time on a rainy night. These two are so self-confident and self-assured.

Sophia also started her parent/child gymnastics class again. Class meets on Saturday mornings. She really enjoys the class. She loves jumping but is not so into the warm-up stretches. She would rather wander off and explore than sit and stretch. She has been doing the stretches at home but I guess there are too many exciting things to explore at the gym.

She is growing up so quickly. She is talking up a storm. I can't say that we understand half of what she says but that doesn't stop her!! She is also picking up more signs and that helps so much. She still loves watching TV, The Wonder Pets and The Wiggles are her favorite shows.

She is getting more and more independent. There are days that she refuses to wear what I pick out for her. She wants to pick out her own clothes and wants to put them on herself. Usually we end up with two legs in one pants leg but she does give it her best try. She only asks for help when she is truly stuck. She has been using the potty every morning. She isn't into going on the potty during the day but the morning trip is always a success.

She is still a good eater. She will try almost everything you give her. She still loves fruit and can't get enough of it. She has been drinking milk in a sippy cup as long as we put strawberry or chocolate flavoring in it.

She still loves being outside. She is really enjoying the new park that opened behind our house. We walk there almost every night so she can run, climb, slide and spin. She also loves to paint and help cook. She is starting to play with her puzzles more often. Sophia loves playing with Anne's old Cabbage Patch doll. She takes it for walks in our house in the doll stroller. She likes pretending she is feeding the doll. Sophia also loves to sing and dance. She enjoys looking at books and having books read to her.

She is growing so quickly I need to post more often!!! Stay tuned to see her Halloween costume.

More September Pictures

2007-10-08T21:31:00.000-04:00

August 14th, 2007

2007-08-14T22:18:00.000-04:00

August 14th, 2007!!!! One year ago today we first took Sophia into our arms. So much has changed in the past year. She has grown so much. She has gotten so much taller and stronger. She has become such an independent child. She enjoys life to the fullest. Her referral documention said she had a ready smile and she most certainly does. She is such a happy child.

It is hard to remember life before Sophia. We do know it was not as bright and fun as life with her. Sophia loves to entertain us with her singing and dancing. She does silly things to make us laugh. She tells us very animated stories... and gives the best hugs and kisses.

We waited a long time to meet Sophia and bring her home. The wait seemed impossible at the time. We just wanted it all to move so much quicker. Now, in hindsight, we know that the timing was perfect. If we did not wait so long we would have never been matched with Sophia.

This year was filled with firsts, her first words, first steps, first birthday, first Halloween, first Christmas, first time playing in the snow, and so many others. While next year may not be filled with as many first time experiences we know that it will be filled with lots of love and laughter. Keep following this blog to see it all.

Celebrating One Year Together

2007-08-09T22:10:00.000-04:00

It is hard to believe that we were in China one year ago today. We hadn't met Sophia yet but were sightseeing in Bejing. At this time last year all of our lives were about to be changed forever in just a few short days.

We celebrated the one year anniversary of Family Day (Gotcha Day) a little early seeing Steve works on Tuesday nights. We had a great dinner at PF Changs. Sophia loved the food. She sat in the regular chair (she hasn't liked sitting in high chairs for a couple of months now) and ate like it was going out of style. She even enjoyed some sorbet at Maggie Moo's after dinner.

We took a couple of pictures similiar to the ones we took in the hotel lobby when she was presented to us.

Sophia is growing so quickly. On Monday she was home with Steve and he noticed her about to have a BM... she gets this look on her face. He asked her if she wanted to go on the potty. He put her on the upstairs toilet and sure enough she had a BM. She was so proud of herself.

She has been getting dressed herself. She sometimes needs help making sure her legs go into the right pant leg but she is determined to do it all by herself. She says, "My turn." She has been into wearing hats lately. She puts them on and walks around the house. She looks so cute in them and gets quite a kick out of it if you tell her so.

She has been talking up a storm. She yells at the dog if she thinks Kaegogi is doing something she shouldn't be doing. She sings and dances around the house. She wakes up in the morning and "reads" the book in her crib. She also tries to sneak toys from the toy box in her crib. I have snuck in a caught her in the act. She reaches out and grabs the toy and then carefully manipulates it until she can get it up over the side of the crib. She has such an imagination. She feeds and rocks her dolls. She loves to clean, she washes the table down after she eats and helps throw things in the trash.

She knows what she wants to do. When we go out for a walk she tells me which way she thinks I should turn and lets me know if I turn in a way that is not to her liking. When she wants to watch TV she will turn it on and hand the remote to me. She decides which shoes she wants to wear (lately these have been the squeaky shoes we bought in China.) She asks to go to the potty but usually doesn't sit long enough for it to be a successful trip. We have started to read a book on the potty in attempts to get her to sit longer. Now she says, "Potty, please" gets a book and tells me to "read it." She likes washing her hands and playing in the water. I suspect this is the reason she asks to go to the potty so often.

She is an easy-going child. She sometimes asks why or whines when she doesn't get her way but once you give her a reason she usually sighs and says "O'tay."

Life with Sophia is always fun and silly. She makes being a mother so easy.

"Family" Reunion

2007-08-01T13:52:00.001-04:00

We hosted a reunion for the families that traveled to China together last August. All six families were able to attend. One family even flew in from Maine to attend this celebration.

We spent Friday night with two other families and had a blast. The girls are very close in age (about three weeks apart) and they played together so nicely. At one point Sophia and Katlyn sat down on the floor and started rolling a ball back and forth to each other. It was so cute. The girls also enjoyed jumping in the moon bounce Todd set up and swimming in the kiddie pool. It was a great night.

On Saturday we all headed to Steve's parent's pool. Everyone got there in the early afternoon and had a lot fun. The girls played in the pool (while the dads supervised) and all the moms sat around catching up! It so nice to see everyone. All the girls have grown so much. They have changed in so many ways in the last year. It is neat to see how they are all up and running, talking, singing, playing and loving their forever families. The girls took to each other right away. They seem to know they share a history, a special bond. I tell Sophia that these are her China sisters and I do hope they always stay in touch.

We tried to re-create the "red couch" picture taken last August. I think we had more luck then when many of the young ones weren't walking. It was hard to get everyone to sit, especially so late in the day and when they much preferred to be running and swimming. This picture doesn't capture the children at their best but it will be treasured. Trust me.... the girls were much happier before we corralled them for this photo.

One Year Ago Today- July 1st- Referral Day

2007-07-01T21:03:00.000-04:00

On June 28th last year we found out that our referrals had left China and should arrive on June 29th, a Thursday. We had waited so long for this call and so long to find out more about Sophia, it was hard to believe it would all be happening soon. The paperwork did not arrive until late on Friday but Sandy from our agency called us with some of the details. We knew that Sophia was born in November and living in Chongqing. Our agency worked very hard getting the papers translated Friday night so we could get the referral on Saturday. Even now, I remember the feelings like it were yesterday.

On July 1, 2006 we would finally have a picture of our daugther. We would finally have a face to put with all the love we had in our hearts. We would finally learn more about the child who was to become our daughter. I will never forget that meeting with Sandy. We were the first family to arrive so we met with us first. She told us we had the little dumpling of the group. She gave me, Steve and Katie a picture faced down and then told us to turn it over. I looked with tears in my eyes. I was holding a picture of Qian Li Hua in the pink outfit, still my favorite referral picture. This is the child who would become our daughter. Although we had loved even the thought of Sophia, seeing this picture and being able to visualize her was unbelievable.

I remember waiting in the lobby and seeing the other families come out of the room with smiles on their faces too. This was an amazing day, one I will never forget. We then left the agency and ran to make copies of the referral pictures for our family. Steve and Katie went to his parents house and celebrated the referral and Grandma Beadle's birthday. I got in the car and went to Connecticut to see my mother. I had this trip planned for quite some time and the timing of the referral could not be better!!

Fast forward to July 1, 2007. We have so much to be thankful for. We celebrated Grandma Beadle's 85th birthday with her and the one year anniversary of referral day.

We took a picture of Sophia holding her referral picture. I am going to try to do this every year. It will be a neat way to gauge how much she changes in the course of a year. I can imagine doing a scrapbook layout of these pictures 10 years from now- that is if I ever get caught up with my scrapbooking!!

Seeing Sophia today and feeling like I have known her from the moment she was born made me realize how lucky we are. A year ago we knew how much Sophia weighed and how tall she was. We knew about some of the things she could do and knew that she was living with a foster family but we had no idea of her charming personality. We had no idea how smart she is. Now not a day goes by where she isn't learning something. She sings all the time. She loves life and is very silly. She is such a brave girl and takes risks that make my heart stop, like when she jumps into Grandma's pool or jumps off things on the playground. She loves to give hugs and kisses. Just a year ago this was all unknown.

Time does fly!!!

First trip to the beach

2007-06-18T12:33:00.000-04:00

Sophia made her first trip to the beach on June 15th. We were invited by Heather and Todd who also adopted their daughter when we adopted Sophia. We first met them during our very long wait to bring home our daughters. We became friends through the adoption process and traveled to China together. Sophia and Katlyn have gotten together for playdates since we have been home.

The beach was wonderful. The town had a quaint feel to it. It was a bit cloudy on Friday and Saturday but we didn't mind at all. Sophia loved the water and playing in the sand. This girl knows no fear. She walked right into the water. She was not tentative in the least bit, even after she fell down and swallowed some sea water.

She really liked playing with Katlyn. They tended to follow each other around copying each other. It was really cute. They are beginning to get the concept of sharing.

Once the girls got to bed the adults enjoyed good conversation and a mean game of Mexican Train. We reminisced about this time last year when we hadn't even had our referrals yet. Our families lives had changed forever. We are all so glad to have our babies home and having the long wait behind us.

A Fun Weekend with Grandma Barb and Cousins

2007-06-05T10:50:00.000-04:00

Sophia and Anne took a road trip to Connecticut from June 1-June 4th. It was a lot of fun. We pulled into the hotel at about 1:00 AM on Friday morning only to find out they were out of portable cribs. This was a nightmare. Sophia had slept the whole way down and now was up and ready to play. She thought that jumping on a King size bed was so much fun. She was full of energy. Needless to say, Anne was ready to hit the hay. After several hours of jumping Sophia wore herself out and fell asleep. She awoke bright and early Friday morning.

We went to Grandma's house and then had lunch out with her. We picked up Stephanie at school and then went to a farm and had ice cream. Sophia had a frozen ice treat. It was cute to see Sophia follow her cousin Stephanie around looking at all the animals.

Sophia, Stephanie and Hollie enjoyed spending time together over the weekend. She kept telling the girls "Come on" as she led them around to the toys she wanted to play with. We all went swimming at the hotel pool. The girls even took baths together.

Grandma Barb was thrilled to spend time with Sophia. Sophia enjoyed the time as well. She very generously feed her cookies to grandma, even if it meant putting them in Grandma's mouth when one after another. It was very cute to watch.

It is very important to me that Sophia develops relationships with her grandparents and cousins. When I (Anne) was growing up we visited our grandparents every Sunday. All my aunts and uncles would be there with so I really became close to them and my cousins. I think family ties are important but it seems that in today's world it isn't valued as much. We are all spread out and busy that it is often hard to make the time. It is really a shame. The benefits of feeling like you belong to an extended family are so plentiful. I am really trying to be sure Sophia knows her extended family. Not only have I made several trips home, I am in the process of creating a small memory book for Sophia with pictures and memories of her family and friends. This way she will get to see those who live too far to visit on a regular basis.