April update

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.