February Play Date

Year of the Dog

Olivia’s Ginny (my Mom) flew in from TN to attend the Chinese New Year celebration. It’s a big deal here…there were over 100 families there and everybody dressed up….the girls in their traditional Chinese dresses. I wore a dress that I had made in China and Livie wore a red dress I found at a local Chinese store (I had an outfit made for her in China…the same fabric as my dress….but it totally swallows her…I think she’ll be 4 years old before she can wear it). We all had a great time…so fun to have her with us this year! Notes about the pictures.... Livie's doll joined us at the party; clapping during the entertainment; practicing her walking; wearing a bracelet her Ginny bought her for the occasion; yes, that's Livie's little white bow in Daddy's hair; hanging out with our China travel buddies -- Rina & Annalisa.

New Pictures...

Kisses from Daddy & Putter Livie discovers ice... Busted!... The "lip-smacking" face...

First day back to work

Today was Livie's 4th day at daycare (the first truly full day) and Mom's first day back to work. It went really well. It was great to be back at work and back in the swing of things. And Livie had a great report card today...she was happy all day and played a lot...totally different baby than Monday. The teachers said she has adjusted really fast. The downside...we got home at 6:00, pulled something together for dinner in about 20 minutes, gave her a bath and only had a few minutes to play before she crashed. She was fighting to stay away until 7:00. I LOVE my job and I absolutely believe that daycare will be so great for her socially & developmentally....but this will definitely be an adjustment. We'll now live for the weekend!

Daycare -- First day

UGH!!! The short version... Livie cried & cried & cried…her face was blood red and hair was wet with sweat. I slipped out of the room and watched on the monitors in the lobby….she finally calmed down and put her head on the teacher’s shoulder….I think she was just exhausted. We called to check on her a couple of hours later and she had made a new friend and they were playing with blocks. Steve came home from work early and took me to the beach for lunch...the first time we've had lunch without Livie. It was a beautiful day and nice distraction to help pass the hours. We picked her up at 3:00... she was fine and we all survived.

Daycare orientation and 12-month checkup

Big Day! Steve & I went to Livie's daycare today for orientation...she starts on Monday. We went through an orientation last summer wehn we first reserved a spot for her but needed a fresher not that she's ready to start. We're excited for her to start...it'll definitely be tough but I really think it will be so great for her. Olivia also had her 12-month check up today (yes, she's actually 13 months old now). Everything went well and she did great. Dr. Kim seemed to be impressed with Livie's progress and how quickly she's adjusted & bonded with us. She's totally off formula/bottle....she eats some babyfood but mostly table food and she drinks from a sippy cup. This baby LOVES TO EAT! We've found nothing she doesn't like...and she never says she's had enough. We just have to stop her from eating when we know she's had enough. Since her first appt on 11/28, she's gained 6 oz and grown 1 inch. We really thought she'd gained a bit more than that since she eats so well...but she's obviously burning it off. She's a healthy baby...but she's tiny! She's in the 5th percentile for weight and the 50th percentile for length. The doctor has no concerns about her weight...she's just little. The worst part of the day...Olivia got 4 shots today. Yes, she screamed...but she was over it almost as soon as the nurse left the room. She had a Bugs Bunny bandaid on each arm and each leg...attached are a couple of pics...

Olivia's first play date

Today we attended our first official play date with 3 other China dolls who have come home in the last year....Annalisa (our travel buddy), Casey & Kimberly (Jade was planning to be there but both Mommy & baby were a bit under the weather. It was so great to see all the girls together. We new parents all went through the "waiting" together and dreamed of the day.... We had dinner with Jade (and her parents, Alan & Lisa!) last weekend...so I've attached a few of those pics also. Side note about these pics...yes, Livie is wearing pajamas. We were at Lisa & Alan's house, and in the middle of dinner our precious angel had a major BLOWOUT! We had to strip her down and give her a bath. Thankfully we had the wisdom to put a change of clothes in the diaper bag!

Florida in January!

Picnics, sunshine & trips to the beach!!....

Christmas Day

We all went to church with Steve’s parents so everyone there could meet her. Again, everyone was so happy to see her and thought she was precious. It’s really great to have so much support and excitement about her finally being home with us. It was a wonderful Christmas!!! We left Missouri at 6:00 Christmas night...stopped in Jackson, TN to pick up a few things we left at my Mom's...then drove through the night to get home. The drive was a bit tough on us but it was so much better for Livie. She pretty much slept the entire way home....about 14 hours. We were so ready to be home when we finally pulled in the driveway...we were exhausted and she was wide awake! The new story of our life... :-)

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve Open House….a “meet & greet” for friends in Jackson TN to meet Olivia and welcome her to the family. It was freezing cold and rainy but we had a really big turnout….so wonderful that everyone wanted to share in our experience and were so excited to see her. She was wearing the cutest little Christmas outfit (gift from Uncle Steve) and really turned on the charm….love at first site for everyone who met her!

Home for Christmas

First flight with Livie since the long flights home from China….must say I was a bit nervous. I flew to TN by myself with her…Steve was scared for me (he still has nightmares of those flights home). My thought is that if we could survive those flights with a screaming baby, I can survive a 1 hour flight by myself….even if she screams the entire time! She did great! She started to get a bit fussy a few times but the Cheerios were a perfect distraction. We had dinner with my step-sisters and their families on Thursday night (12/22). Olivia went nuts over her new cousin, Matthew (3 yrs old). She gave him a bear-hug every time he came near. Attached is a pic of him trying to escape…

Birthday girl...

Olivia’s 1st birthday!!! We had a party and lots of friends joined us to celebrate (Rina & Annalisa came...China travel buddies). Livie was so proper with her cake….never would dive in and get her hands too messy. She started crawling today! We really thought she would go straight to walking (she’s soooo close) but surprised us today with crawling. It’s so cute to see her scooting across the floor. Attached are a few pics from the party.

A born shopper!

December 1-15 Lots of visits with friends…getting on a schedule….exploring the house, toys, malls, etc. Olivia has done great adjusting to her new home….eating & sleeping very well. We had lots of Christmas shopping to finish so she & Mommy hit the malls often. Livie was a trooper every time we went out (almost daily!!)…so content in her stroller, grabbing lunch, in & out of the car seat, bouncing from store to store…..I think she’s a born shopper!!

Finally home!

November 18-25... It is so great to finally be home! Olivia was welcomed home by lots of friends & family…and spent the first week at home with her grandparents and uncle. Our family is just goo-goo over this baby!!!! Livie & Mommy were both sick the first week after getting home. I had the worst sinus infection of my life…UGH….and Livie had a cold she couldn’t shake. She visited the pediatrician for a quick check and we both started antibiotics…..we were healthy within a few days.

Dreaming of home

Only a few more hours in China...anxious to be home...wish we could just click our heels. But kinda sad this is Livie's last night in her native country...at least for a while...she'll be back for a visit when she's older....maybe when we come get baby sister! :-) We'll touch down in Detroit at 1:20 on Friday afternoon...Livie will be a US citizen at that moment. What an amazing journey!...what an amazing blessing! Maybe I'll stop crying and be able to pull myself together by the time we get to Jacksonville...home at last around 5:15!! (6:00 a.m. on our body clock!) Pray for safe travels and a happy baby during the long flights!