Thank you Grandma and Grandpa

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for our Gator!! We love it!!! We love you!!!!

Potty training update

Well, Sophia is doing amazing with the potty training. She went a full week without an accident. She had one on Monday evening but she was literally inches from the potty when she had it. I have been trying to let her tell me when she has to go when we are at home so she was trying to make it on her own. She had 2 accidents yesterday - one as she escaped the house to the backyard and one in the bathroom while playing in the water. Today, however we had a turning point. David said she went pee pee all by herself while I was at the girls school turning in their picture order AND tonight just before bath time I knew she was in the bathroom because I heard her shut the bathroom door. I waited a few minutes and went to check on her and she was on the potty going poo poo!!! Yea!!! I am so proud of her!

Potty training, speech and occupational therapy

Well, life here has certainly been busy and I wanted to update a few of the things going on here. We had a wonderful Easter holiday and now the girls are on spring break.

First, we have begun potty training Sophia. She has almost exclusively gone on the potty to poo poo since we got her. When I picked her up from school on Wednesday afternoon I put her in panties as soon as we got home. She had an accident late Thursday evening, one late Friday evening, none on Saturday, Sunday, Monday or Tuesday and only one today. So far, so good. I know it is too soon to say she is trained but we are working hard on it.

Second, Sophia is still doing speech. She had her 6 month review and although she is above where she should be she is still qualifying because the articulation is not where it should be. She is picking out the vowels and saying them but leaving out the consonants. She has been dropped down to every other week instead of once a week.

Third, her speech therapist suggested she be evaluated by an occupational therapist so she could maybe give us some suggestions on how we can use some OT to increase the brain activity so speech will improve. She did give us some ideas and while the ST wanted that she also thinks Sophia will benefit from having a few OT sessions. She had her first one today and it went well. I think next weeks speech is going to be a double session of speech and occupational therapies.

For your viewing pleasure

Here are some pictures from Easter for your viewing pleasure. I curled Olivia's hair with the foam rollers and she loved it!

Here she is with the rollers in
The back after taking the rollers out

The baskets

Sophia looking cute!

Olivia in her Easter finest!

The infamous bunny cake that my sweet MIL makes every year because it just wouldn't be Easter dinner without the bunny cake!

Wonderful weather

Until this past Tuesday we have had wonderful weather! We even broke out the shorts. Now we are wearing coats and even had some snow flurries! Brrrrr!!!!!!

Riding bikes in the driveway.......

Looking for Bugga buggas.....

Checking the "mail" at the treehouse....

Egg hunts.....

Saturday we went to our FCC egg hunt and the girls had a ball. They each had 12 eggs and then we had a picnic lunch with some friends. On Sunday afternoon our church had an egg hunt and both girls got a ton of eggs - Sophia had Daddy helping her and Olivia had one of the teens with her. Each kid in attendance got a door prize. I sensed a conspiracy when I see two ladies laughing when they give Sophia sidewalk chalk and Olivia play dough. DH is such a neat freak when it comes to these 2 things! They also found the grand prize eggs. This is an exciting time in the life of our church. We are a church of a year old (we split from our previous church) and have called our first pastor. I am excited to get to know their family and see our church grow. My girls just love our church family and Sophia is especially attached to one boy. (Hi M!) She will see a group of kids, stop, look for him and take off running right to him. Before the FCC hunt......Sophia wanted to hold my hand so I didn't get any photos of them hunting eggs there.

Olivia turns 4

We had a great weekend (the last one) and a big one planned for this weekend. We had Olivia's travel group (the ones that could attend) in town and had our annual photo shoot. All the girls are turning 4 and what a difference a year makes. This is the 3rd time we've had photos taken and I treasure every one of them. (I would post them but since I am unsure how some of the parents would feel about that I can't.) We went to have the photos taken on Saturday, played at an indoor playground, went swimming, then had a birthday party at our house that evening. We went back to the hotel and my girls and another couples (they were in both our travel groups) girls played in the hall until a little after midnight. Sunday, we swam for a while and sadly said goodbye. Sophia fell asleep before we checked out of the hotel, slept at the grocery and then took an almost 2 hour nap once we got home. She still went to sleep at her normal time.

On Wednesday Olivia turned 4. She had a relatively uneventful day. I took her to the doctor for her 4 yr checkup. She weighs 26.5 pounds and is 36.5 inches tall. She is only in the 3rd to 5th percentile. Her doc says she has a curve going and is just a petite girl. She is still a meat eater. She is having a family dinner tomorrow and a party with her friends on Sunday. I am tired already! Here are 2 of her pictures from the photo shoot.

Chinese New Year with Great Friends!

We had a great evening with great friends. We went to P.F. Chang's for dinner and to one couple's house for dessert, a craft, a dragon dance and red envelopes. It was snowing but a perfect night - well mostly as my hubby was a little under the weather.

Celebrating our 3rd Family Day with Olivia

February 3, 2004 was one of the happiest days in our lives. We were given final approval to adopt Olivia. It was a day filled with joy for not only us but our travel group - 14 babies all from the same orphanage. We were scheduled to get them on the morning of February 3rd but as with most agencies warn plans can (and sometimes do) change. We toured the Jade market, had lunch at the Friendship Store and then toured The Great Wall that morning. It was so cold on the Wall that we took a few pictures and climbed back down. After we left The Great Wall, we went to the airport. Once we separated from some of our group (they were all SN adoptions and went to other Provinces), our wonderful guide Peter said he had some news and he could be bribed for some ice cream. (Fortunately, there was a Haagendas stand near by) I looked at him and said "We're getting our babies tonight, aren't we?". He looked at me and said yes! Of course, I was excited and nervous and had never wanted to get on a plane so bad. So at 9:30 pm we were handed our children and from that moment she has been everything we could have asked for and more.

Finally, we have.......SNOW!!!

Well, we finally had some snow last night, only about an inch but the girls loved going out in it for a little bit this morning. Sophia was so upset to have to come in.

Christmas Eve

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve. We started our day by going to the in-laws house for breakfast and gifts. Both girls got clothes and money. After we opened gifts, we went to church as a family. It was a great service. For some reason, this is the only photo I have of that morning. We had to wake her up and she is so not a morning person plus she went to bed a little later than normal as we had company the night before. Also, no this is not what she wore to church - I just didn't want her to get anything on her Christmas dress.

After church we came home, had lunch and waited for my family to get here. We had a great time as my niece (whom we only get for Christmas every other year) was here and she is such a character. Olivia got her beloved guitar and Sophia got drums among other things. They are spoiled but so loved by all that meets them.

Baking Christmas cookies

This year was a first and hopefully a new tradition at my in-laws. We were invited there the Sunday before last to make and decorate cookies. We had my in-laws, my sister-in-law, brother-in-law and his girlfriend. We had all just found out the week before that they are expecting a baby and he is very nervous about it since he NEVER wanted to have children. They found out a few days after making cookies that the baby is a boy (of course that is what the in-laws wanted so they have someone to "carry-on the family name") so I will have 2 new nephews next year - the first within the next month. Here are a few pics of the cookie making.

So behind.....

Our family had photos taken earlier this month in addition to Sophia's 2 year photos. We had so many good pictures to choose from. Sophia had her 2 yr checkup the day before so I was really surprised she did so well especially since she had 4 shots given to her. She weighs 28 pounds and is 33.5 inches tall - the 50th pecentile on both. Here are a few that we have.

My baby is TWO today!!!!

Sophia on her birthday!!!

Well, it finally happened - my baby turned two years old. Man, time sure flies around here. It seems like it was just yesterday that she was 10.5 months old and just placed in my arms but it is now just over a year later and all paperwork is completed with her adoption and we can just chill and enjoy her. Her birthday party was yesterday and a good time was had by all. She goes to the doctor Friday for her 2 year check up. I can't wait to see what she weighs and how tall she is now.

Look at that look she's giving me!