Halloween

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

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

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

August 14th, 2007

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Mother's Day and Anne's Birthday

We celebrated Mother's Day and Anne's Birthday in the same weekend. Anne's birthday was on Friday. Her very good friend, Lisa, was in town with her family. We spent the afternoon with Lisa, her husband, John, and son, Jacob. Jacob is two. Sophia and Jacob played together at the park and then went swimming together at their hotel. It was a wonderful day.

On Sunday we went to Steve's parents house to celebrate Mother's Day with Steve's mom and Grandmother. We spent a lovely day outside. We (Skip, Anne, Steve and Sophia) even went swimming. Sophia loves to swim. She enjoys "jumping in" from the side, of course we are holding her the whole time. It is going to be a fun summer at the pool with Sophia.

Having Sophia home for Mother's Day was indescribable. We waited so long to finally meet her. The wait was extremely hard but now that she is part of our family I see how it was all worth it. She had to wait to be matched with Sophia. I could not imagine life without her.

Pigtail

Sophia has not liked having barrettes in her hair. They last all of about 5 minutes. Today I tried a pigtail and it has stayed in quite a while. She looks so cute in it.

Sophia's First Easter

This was a fun filled weekend. We started on Friday night dying Easter eggs. Sophia thought it was more fun to dye her hands rather than the eggs.

On Saturday we took our first trip to Build a Bear. Sophia was a bit overwhelmed by the sounds of the "stuffing machine." She did make a very cute bunny. We then we to Elioak Farm for their Egg Hunt. We got there a little early and pet and fed the animals. Man, it was cold!!! It actually snowed overnight. We saw flurries while the kids were hunting for eggs. Katie helped Sophia search for the eggs. Sophia had fun.

On Sunday we had brunch here with Grandma Beadle, Grandma Bev and Grandpa Skip. Sophia enjoyed jelly beans and her lollipop. She typically does not have a sweet tooth so this surprised me.

Katie had Sophia laughing so much today. They really have a special bond. Sophia truly loves Katie. I know that Katie feels the same. It is so nice to see them together. It is unfortunate that Katie isn't here more often.

Adorable

Further proof we got the cutest baby from China!!!

Meeting Uncle Micky

Steve's brother, Micky, was in town for business in February. This was Sophia's first chance to meet her uncle. We had a wonderful dinner together with Steve's parents.