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.

Katie's Birthday

Katie celebrated her 11th birthday this weekend. We planned an animal theme party. She had her two best friends, Ryan and Casey, over. We went to the National Zoo to see the new Asia Trail and then came back to the house for dinner and ice cream cake. Casey slept over. It was a wonderful day.

We gave Katie a skateboard for her birthday. Katie and her dad went to the skateboard shop and picked out her own special board. She is already very good on it. Soon she will be doing all sorts of tricks.

On Sunday we had a brunch with her grandparents. It was nice to have Katie with us on her birthday. Katie enjoyed the weekend and I think she was grateful to spend time with her baby sister. Katie adores Sophia and Sophia is totally enthralled with Katie. They have a special bond.

Some of our favorite things

Sophia is truly a blessing. She is a very happy child who loves to laugh and play. She is very smart. Her vocabulary is amazing. She has about 85 words which she either signs or says. She clearly understands what is asked of her. She is learning to count... it goes something like this ... 1, 2, 5, 8, 9.... but it is a start.

She loves TV. She will turn it on herself. We have to limit the TV time because she could watch it all day. She loves Elmo, Noddy, Barney and The Wonder Pets. The Wonder Pets is also one of Steve's favorites too!

She enjoys playing with her baby dolls. She puts them in a stroller, tries to dress them, feeds them in her high chair, puts them to sleep and hugs and kisses them.

She loves being outside and playing with the older kids. She adores her big sister, Katie. Katie is super with her. It is so fun to watch them interact. They are both totally in love with each other. Sophia is getting to be a very active child. She loves to climb. I have signed her up for a mommy and me gymnastics class which starts in April.

She also likes to cook. She helps me make dinner at times and loves when we make special treats together. We have made playdoh, cookies, muffins, pudding, and pretzels. She is getting good at pouring the ingredients into a bowl and loves to stir. She has recently learned that tasting the things as we cook is fun.

Sophia is quite the reader. She sits and reads her books, either alone or with us. She tells us a story at bedtime after we finish reading her the story. Books about animals are her favorite right now.

Sophia enjoys helping out. She helps me unload the silverware from the dishwasher. She helps wiping the table down after dinner and throws things away in the trash. We have had to start to check the trash though because Sophie really likes to toss stuff out. She feeds the cats their dry food (although sometimes more is on the floor than in the bowl.) Sophie also loves to take baths and asks to brush her teeth.

Sophia's likes a wide variety of food. She reaches for the pickle jar first thing in the morning. She still loves fruit and vegetables. She now is able to hold an peeled banana and eat it. She has recently discovered how good pasta with sauce is. This child also loves grated cheese. (See, she is her mother's daughter!!) We are trying to avoid all milk products. We still don't know for certain if she is lactose intolerant. We will wait until she is two to see if she outgrows it.

Sophia is typically an early riser. She is a good sleeper. She has stopped taking a bottle of milk at night. She goes to bed with a bottle of water instead. She still likes the bottles of milk during her morning and afternoon naps. It is something we are working on. She loves drinking juice from a sippy cup but has not taken to milk from a sippy yet. I think we have about eight different kinds of sippy cups hoping to find one she likes to drink milk from. No luck yet.

We feel blessed to have Sophia in our lifes. She certainly brightens our days and warms our hearts.

Six months together

February 14th

Sophia was placed in our arms six months ago today. It is hard to believe! In some ways we feel like we have known her forever and in other ways we feel like it was just yesterday. It snowed a bit today and in true Maryland fashion everything cancelled. Steve, Sophia and I were home all day together. We cherished every moment. Sophia helped make muffins as a Valentine's Day gift for her baba (dad.)

It was a perfect day!!!

Chinese New Year

We celebrated Chinese New Year three times this year. It started with the local FCC Chinese New Year party. This was a huge event with crafts, music, dancing and a show featuring maritial arts and a dragon dance. Sophia was a little young to appreciate most of the activities she loved the music and watching the dancing.

On February 17th we went out to dinner with a group of fifteen of our friends. They all study maritial arts with Steve or are spouses of Steve's training buddies. We went out for Thai food. It was delicious. The best part, however, was spending time with everyone. Sophia was presented with a red envelope, her first one since she has been home.

On Sunday, February 18th, we braved the cold and wind and headed into DC for the Chinese New Year parade. There were tons of people and the parade was very short but I am glad we went.

First Haircut- Feb 5th

We got Sophia's haircut today. Her hair was by no means long but was growing in very uneven and wispy. She now has a very cute and stylish haircut. We brought her to a Vietnamese Barbershop. They did such a great job. Sophia sat there without crying up until the very end when they used the blow dryer.

First snow

We don't get much snow down here in Maryland but we did get enough to go out and play in it on Sunday, January 21. The snow was covering the grass and sidewalks so we got Sophia bundled up and Kaegogi harnessed. Steve's coworker let him borrow a small sled for Sophia and Kaegogi pulled her on sled. Actually Steve did most of the pulling but don't let Kaegogi or Sophia know that!

Sophia was unsure of the snow. She fell face first into it right away. The bulky snowpants, coat, mittens and hat, not to mention the big, heavy boots are hard to manage for a tiny 13 month old!! She was not at all happy. However, true to her spirit, she stopped crying right away and gave it another shot. She loved being pulled by Kaegogi. Her face lit up as they slid down a small hill. Overall, the snow was a lot of fun. We hope to get more snow so we can go sledding again. Maybe this time we will have enough to build a snowman.

Christmas

Our first Christmas with Sophia was amazing. Throughout the whole adoption process and the painful wait it seemed like the day we would hold Sophia in our arms would never come. Sophia has been a gift since the moment we met her. To have her with us this Christmas made the day even more special.

Nick and Katie spent Christmas with us. It was so nice to have the whole family together. Christmas Eve was spent with Katie decorating a gingerbread house while Sophia decorated the cookies we left for Santa. We went to a candlelight service on Christmas Eve then got the kids to bed early. Santa visited in the middle of the night so when Sophia awoke at 5:00 AM her gifts were there waiting for her. We woke up Nick and Katie about 8:00. Nick got a Wii from Santa and Katie got a bow and arrow. We then openned up the gifts we bought each other. It was such a nice morning with everyone sitting on the floor marveling at the gifts.

After Sophia's morning nap we all headed to Grandma Bev and Grandpa Skip's house. We had a lovely day with them and Grandma Beadle. We openned more gifts and then had a wonderful dinner. It felt so good to be all together for Christmas. This is a day I will always cherish.

Nick stayed down for a few days but then had to head back to NJ and back to work. Katie was with us the entire week. We traveled to Connecticut on Thursday. Anne's brother, George, and his family met us at Anne's mom's house. It was nice to have Anne's siblings, George and Linda, and their families home with Grandma Barb. The kids (now six of them) all enjoyed playing together. We went out to a restaurant for a wonderful steak dinner before returning to Grandma Barb's to open yet more gifts.

Grandma Barb enjoyed spending some time with Katie and Sophia. It is always nice to go "home" to be with our family. Being with family is the best gift anyone could ever give.

Up and about

Sophia is a joy. She is up and about all the time. Once she started walking full time (on Thanksgiving) she has not stopped. She is a little helper. She helps us load (or should I say unload) the dishwasher, she closes doors for us unless it is the refrigerator door. When the refrigerator is open, she picks out what she wants to eat and brings it to us. Now that she can reach the snack draw she grabs the goldfish or animal crackers and brings them to us signing "more cookie."

Speaking of signing, this girl has quite the vocabulary. She signs a new word every day. The one that has surprised us the most is sleep. She will cry and sign sleep when she is tired. It is amazing. She doesn't miss a thing. She is like a sponge. She has a favorite book called "Moo, Baa, La La La" She hands us the book so we can read it to her. She makes the sounds of the sheep, cow, and dog as we read it to her. She also signs the words cat and duck when she reads that book.

Every day with Sophia is a joy. We can not wait until Christmas so the whole family could be together. Nick and Katie will both be with us this Christmas. We are really looking forward to some great family time.

Thanksgiving

We had a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. We are thankful to have Sophia home with us. We are thankful for our family and friends who have supported us through the whole adoption process. We are thankful for our health and the health of our family.

We spent a wonderful Thanksgiving day with Grandma Beadle, Grandma Bev and Grandpa Skip. We shared in the cooking so we were all able to sit down to a wonderful dinner without being totally worn out.