Finally... Mia

Hanging In

2012-02-19T23:00:00.000-05:00

Work has been crazy busy the last couple of weeks. Mia has so many new teeth, including molars, coming in ....I've lost count.

Needless to say... I've got nothing left at the end of the day. So the blog is suffering. Hopefully, life will calm down here for us soon.

In the meantime, here are some videos of my big girl and all the walking she's been doing lately.

And unfortunately, a lot of stumbling and falling down, too.

And lots and lots of babbling. This girl is gonna be a non-stop talker some day.

Oh and if you notice there's a lack of furniture in our living room. We had to make room for the new stuff to be delivered. Mia is loving the wide open space. Momma, however, is tired of sitting on the floor for the last week.

New Signs

2012-02-02T20:57:00.003-05:00

Mia surprised me several times tonight by whipping out signs I didn't even know she knew.

First, we'd stopped at a restaurant for dinner. She had an eye doctor appt this afternoon and by the time we got finished it was past dinnertime. Plus I didn't feel like cooking. LOL!

As we sat at the table eating mac and cheese, she was gazing out the window at traffic. I asked if she was watching the cars go by.

Out of the blue she signed "cars". That's something she totally picked up from her DVD's. It's not a sign I use consistently at all. I was quite surprised.

There's a big fish tank at the doctor's office that captivates Mia. So as we're looking at it, I start showing her the sign for "fish". I remembered it from the Baby Signing Times DVD.

But before I did, she'd been doing this thing with both of her hands together. I didn't get what it was cuz the sign for fish is just using one hand. Or so I thought.

Later during her bath, after we got the important washing stuff done I asked if she wanted to swim like a fish. She started doing the same two handed sign she'd done at the doctor's office when she saw the fish tank.

And I realized....... I hadn't shown her the sign for fish. She already knew it and was showing me. Well, her two handed version anyway. My smart girl!

And speaking of bath time, once we got home I told her she was going to take a bath. So she started signing "bath". But that one she's known for awhile.

I casually said "we need to wash your hair" cuz I'm constantly just chattering away at her. She then whipped out "wash hands". That one she'd never done before unless she was repeating it back to me after I'd done it first. I didn't realize she'd remembered the sign and knew how to use it in the context of a conversation.

I'm so proud of her. Every day she amazes me with how much she absorbs. Such a little sponge thirsty for knowledge. LOL!

And obviously these photos have nothing to do with this post. I took her to the park on Tuesday because it was almost 60 degrees out and sunny. In Ohio on the last day of January! Unbelievable.

At least it was when the plan was hatched. But by the time we got to swinging the wind started whipping ferociously and the temp dropped so we didn't stay long. Mia didn't seem to care. That girl loves to swing!

Chinese New Year 2012

2012-01-29T15:57:00.000-05:00

We had a pretty low key Chinese New Year this year. Mostly because Mia is so young. Next year I'll put more effort into it.

We met my sister's family at a restaurant for dinner on the first day of CNY. The girls wore the dresses we bought them in China. The bigger boys were there, too, but avoid the camera these days.

This picture cracks me up. Teagan's fake smile looks quite creepy.

And another outtake ...this time it was Tess.

This was a dress Mia wore in China that was actually too big for her at the time. That was June. But now it doesn't cover her bottom. So it became a shirt.

Look at the difference 7 months makes!

Here's another. This was taken with my phone so not a great photo. But can you believe this is the same girl?

Yesterday we went to our local FCC celebration. Mia has a bad cold so it wasn't a great day. She had refused to nap so we got there an hour late. I was disappointed because we missed a lot. But we still got to see some friends and have dinner.

In spite of her earlier cranky mood, she perked up and had a good time. But momma got only a few photos.

Next year, we'll do better.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Piggie Tails

2012-01-21T22:59:00.000-05:00

It snowed last night. Not much. But it iced over making the roads not so great.

So Mia and I decided to stay in today. Just hanging out.

I decided to experiment with her hair. Since it's getting longer and more unruly by the day.

It took bribery with Cheez-its to get her to hold halfway still.

But in the end...we got her first piggie tails.

And this is what I got when I cut off the Cheeze-its.

We spent the rest of the afternoon playing.

Or pulling out every toy

until my living room looked like a tornado had blown through.

Which I think is Mia's definition of playing.

I know that face looks so sweet and innocent... she's not.

I look at these photos and compare them to the video below.

And I'm still shocked at the changes in her.

Her hair is so much longer.

She's grown up so much.

She's tall enough now to reach the top of the dining room table.

She's hard to photograph.

Because she's always on the go.

Constantly moving, moving, moving.

It's rare that she's sitting still.

Which is why most of my photos turn out like this.

A fuzzy blur of arms and legs.

An Oldie...

2012-01-20T22:55:00.000-05:00

Mia and I have been busy living life. Which means I've neglected the blog.

So for all my family and friends who are jonesing for a baby fix, I dug up an old video.

This was taken about 10 days or so after we came home from China. Mia was just learning to sit up unassisted.

It's only 7 mths later... but I can't believe how little she was then.

229 Days

2012-01-07T21:51:00.000-05:00

After Mia was born, she spent 228 days in China without me. Tomorrow will mark 229 days since the moment she was placed in my arms.

This is a big milestone within the adoption community.

We're officially on the other side of our life together.
As mother and daughter

Communication

2012-01-05T21:07:00.001-05:00

There's been a big language explosion here just within the last week or so. Not just verbally but with her signs. Mia surprises me all the time by whipping out a sign I wasn't even aware she knew.

Her comprehension and the ability I have to communicate with her is amazing. I can't believe how much she understands.

Recently, she said "nigh-nigh" and signed "milk" (we still do a bottle at bedtime) about a half hour before bedtime. I just stood there with my mouth hanging open. My 14 mth old was telling me she was tired and ready to go to sleep!

It was the first time that she initiated a conversation with me completely unprovoked. She had a thought, a need she wanted to express and she had the tools to do it. It still fascinates me that we're to that point.

There was a box of Wheat Thins on the counter the other day and suddenly she signed "cracker". I'd been doing it for about a week not thinking she was really getting it. But there it was.

And don't even get me started on "banana". She actually signs it and says "nana". It's her very favorite food in the whole world right now. She thinks she should eat one at every meal and snack. I can't tell you how many times a day she asks for a "nana". I have to hide them. If she sees one, it's on.

Her sitter makes sure to keep them in stock so she can have one at breakfast every day. So now she associates the two together. I tell her we're going to see Miss Anita and she starts saying "nana". We pull into her driveway, she looks around, realizes where we are and starts saying "nana" as I'm getting her out of the car seat. It's too funny.

One Saturday I stuck her in her high chair and asked what she wanted for breakfast. I was simply just talking to her like I always do. I certainly didn't expect a response.

But she signed "cereal". I was shocked. Because we do eat cereal for breakfast quite a bit. I mean, she could have signed anything. Cheese, cracker... anything.

But she knew it was morning. She knew it was breakfast time. And she knew to associate breakfast with cereal. She truly amazes me like that all the time... and of course, she also wanted a "nana". LOL!

Our dog barks when he wants to be let in. So we have this game where I ask her what a doggie says and she nods her head forward as she says "arf arf". Except it comes out more like "ah ah".

During a meal time last week, the dog was outside as I was feeding her. Apparently, I had tuned out his barking. But Mia heard him and suddenly did the "arf arf" thing. I thanked her for reminding me to let the dog in. Adorable...

She's also learned to shake her head "no". And is pretty consistently using it properly. Usually when I ask her if she wants another bite of whatever, or if she wants a drink, or something else she doesn't want to do.

When she's being sassy and mommy means business... like when she's eating the dog food, or touching Christmas ornaments, or playing in the toilet, or any number of testing her limits kind of things she's been doing lately... I'll point my index finger at her and wag it as I sternly say "No No No" or "Mommy said No No No".

Guess who repeats me, wagging pointy finger and all? I have to try to get that on tape. It's hard not to laugh.

She'll be 15 months old in 4 days. And just so I can keep track and look back on this some day...

She knows and is consistently using the signs for:
banana
milk
more
all done
cheese
cracker
cereal
eat
drink
bath
hat
baby

We've been learning shoes, socks, wash hands, please, thank you, sorry, car and several others in the Baby Signing Times Vol 2 DVD. I've seen glimpses of those. But she's not actually using them yet.

As far as verbal language, she can say:
momma
moh-moh-moh (while she signs more)
mi-mi-mi (while she signs milk)
nana (while signing banana)
nigh nigh (she leaves off the "t" sound but means sleep/ time for bed)
ah-ah (translated to arf arf)
hi
bye bye

She also sings the "la la la la la" part of this song when we're in the car and it comes on the radio. It's the cutest funniest thing ever. Gawd I just love her!

And She's Walking...

2012-01-02T20:55:00.000-05:00

She's still wobbly and unsteady but she's getting there.

Happy 2012!

2011-12-31T20:52:00.000-05:00

2011 was the best year of my life. I can't wait to see what awaits us in 2012.

Our First Christmas

2011-12-30T19:56:00.000-05:00

Mia is only 14 mths old. So she doesn't really "get" the whole Christmas, Santa, presents thing just yet. This year was all for mommy.

I tried not to go overboard because I knew she had gifts coming from several people. I didn't want to overwhelm her our first go at this.

Can you tell which gift is the one mommy remembered was not wrapped and hidden under Mia's crib at about midnight? LOL! It actually worked out better this way. She had something to play with while I wrestled the other gifts out of their packaging.

It took her about 5 seconds to get the hang of ripping the paper off.

In addition to the farm, Santa brought her stuff for the kitchen. More play food and cookware. And the fridge phonics thing from Leapfrog.

Mia's not an "official walker" but she's been practicing a lot. And she'd rather stand than sit these days. Show off.

The pots and pans were a huge hit. Although perhaps I ..err, I mean Santa.... should have thought more about how much noise stainless steel pots make when beaten together.

It was a great, relaxing first Christmas morning spent just the two of us. We opened her presents and then had a breakfast casserole I'd made the night before. And spent the rest of the morning in our pj's playing with toys and then taking a late nap.

It was absolutely surreal to finally share this day with my daughter. Now Christmas morning will never again be just another morning...

I don't want to wish my time away but I'm really looking forward to the next several Christmases as she discovers the magic of it. I can't wait to see how excited she is about leaving cookies out for Santa, the elf on the shelf, and all the other fun things about this holiday.

Later that evening, we went to my sister's for our family celebration. Mia was more interested in playing with my brother-in-law's lunchbox than the presents.

I think it's hysterical that my kid is in her Christmas best but my sister's kids are still in their jammies. Except Tess who is wearing some dress up thing. I guess it's pretty obvious I'm the new mom here. LOL!

Wrapping paper chaos.

There was a point I thought Mia and Tess were gonna get all WWE smackdown over that Baby Alive. It was pretty funny.

And this is a rare sighting of the teenager who spends most of his time staring at a computer screen. So the shirt is most appropriate.

I didn't take as many photos as I thought I did cuz I was busy chasing the child.

All in all it was a wonderful day. Certainly my best Christmas ever. Everything I dreamed of and more. And I expect every year it will continue to get better.

But I already got the best gift ever. I don't need anything else. My life is complete.

Penguin Pajama Pic 2011

2011-12-29T21:33:00.000-05:00

For the last 7 years or so I've bought penguin pajamas for my nieces and nephews at Christmas time. Then we all pose for a photo together.

We finally were able to add Mia into the annual penguin pajama pic this year!

It was nearly impossible to get everyone to sit still for a photo. As you can see the oldest refused to even participate.

And I was spending a small fortune on all these pajamas. So the tradition may be over. We'll see. But at least Mia made it into a shot.

I really like it in black and white. But below is the full color version.

And just for fun I threw in some of the older ones so you can see how much the kids have grown.

2010
We used the same pajamas cuz I'd bought a matching pair for Mia last year.

2008
Look at little baby Tess! And this was before Braeden (my brother's) started joining us.

2007
No Tess yet... and another year of recycled pj's.

2005
Teagan was just a wee one then. And boy was I skinny!

We'll just have to wait and see what 2012 will hold for the fate of the Penguin PJ Pic.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T13:26:00.002-05:00

2011-12-24T20:34:00.015-05:00

It's Christmas time again and now you're home....

I've posted this song every year at Christmas time since 2006. But this year, that last verse is finally my truth.

Mia is home.

I watched the video again and shed some tears of sadness for all those years of heartache. I haven't forgotten that pain. But those tears quickly turned to happy ones as I thought of my daughter.

She's not a dream anymore. She's real. She has a face, a beautiful smile, a personality all her own. And she is home, upstairs in her room, in her crib, wearing her penguin Christmas pajamas and sleeping peacefully.

I rocked her to sleep tonight and told her about all the Christmases I waited for her. After she dozed off I just kept rocking, listening to the sound of her breathing, feeling the warmth of her skin and the weight of her chubby little body against my chest..... and I said some prayers of gratitude.

Those years of waiting, of spending the holidays without a child, were so very hard. But I'm grateful that at the end of that... came this amazing little girl. Not just any little girl. This one.

She has made my life complete. She has filled my heart to overflowing. She has given me the greatest gift... motherhood.

Tonight I'm thankful. I am blessed.

Cousin Love

2011-12-22T22:48:00.000-05:00

Mia worships her cousins. I don't think any one is her favorite. Although I think the three youngest T's get more of a reaction from her.

Just cuz the almost 15 yr old has no interest in anything except what's on his computer screen. And the other...well, what almost 12 yr old boy cares about babies?

But Teagan?

All he has to do is look at Mia and she's cracking up.

He thinks she's pretty cool, too.

And to think he wasn't even 1 yr old when I started my journey to her.

My sister posted these on her blog but they were too cute not to share. So I swiped them.

I found these other pics of Tatum and Mia while I was downloading the others. I'd forgotten I'd taken them a month ago.

I'd brought Tatum home with me on Thanksgiving night. It was the first sleepover we've had post-Mia.

I figured she could entertain Mia while I power shopped online during the Black Friday sales.

What started as one night turned into the entire four day weekend cuz these two were having so much fun together.

My nieces and nephews are a huge part of my life. I was a little worried what their reaction would be once I brought Mia home. Cuz they've had 100% of my attention all these years.

Now I'm not just their super-awesome-coolest-most-fun-aunt-on-the-planet. I'm also somebody else's mom.

But there's been no jealousy. Just excitement at the addition of this little blessing of mine. I love seeing Mia with her cousins. And I'm so happy they love her so much.

Christmas Cookie Day 2011

2011-12-21T18:45:00.003-05:00

For those of you who migrated over here from my other blog, you know that every year around Christmas time my sister and I supervise a mass sugar cookie bake with all my nieces and nephews. This year was no exception.

The kids love rolling out the dough, cutting their cookies and then icing them. My sister and I let them go at it and just try to keep the catastrophes to a minimum.

This year I finally got to add Mia into the crazy chaos.

We started the cookies after our attempt at taking the annual Penguin Pajama Pics. Which is why everyone has on matching clothes. Not sure how the pics will turn out though. Still editing and hoping for one good shot cuz it didn't seem to go very well.

The oldest nephew is missing from both the cookie making fun and the pajama pics. He's almost 15. Unfortunately, we are no longer cool. LOL!

Mia didn't quite know what to make of everything. She was mostly just an observer.

Because every time cookie dough was placed in front of her ...she ate it.

So I gave her a rolling pin to play with. And the little pieces of dough stuck to it...

Well... she ate those, too.

Epic Santa Fail

2011-12-11T22:08:00.000-05:00

Mia experienced a rite of passage today.

Her very first

horrifying

visit with Santa.

Until momma stepped in as the Santa buffer...

and all was right in her world again.

Oh what a beautiful sight

2011-12-07T20:25:00.000-05:00

I've waited a long time to look into this crib and see a sweet baby girl sleeping peacefully in her Christmas penguin pajamas. The sight of her nearly took my breath away. Even a little more than 6 months later, I'm still amazed that she's mine. This is gonna be the best Christmas I've ever had!

The Penguin Tree

2011-12-01T20:42:00.000-05:00

Penguins are my thing. I don't know why. They just are. I've been collecting all sorts of penguin stuff since I was in the 6th grade.

Some folks don't believe me when I speak of my Christmas tree completely covered with penguin ornaments.

But here it is.

Click on any photo to make it bigger.

And the one that started it all....

So now that you know about the penguin tree
along with the annual penguin pajama picture with the nieces and nephews,

our annual Christmas Cookie Party in our matching penguin aprons,

the Halloween costume I bought for Mia 6 months before I knew who she was,

the penguins sprinkled throughout Mia'sNursery,

the penguin tattoo on my ankle,

and the gazillion other penguin artifacts I have in my life

maybe you'll better understand the significance and sheer goosebump worthy kismet of being matched with the only baby I've ever seen with penguins in the background of her referral photo.

It was meant to be....

6 Months Later

2011-11-28T21:48:00.000-05:00

Mia's cousin, Tatum, spent a few days with us over the holiday weekend. I've said it before but Mia adores her cousins and they her. She was in an especially happy, silly mood all weekend just because Tatum was here. It didn't take much for these two to get going being goofy as you can see.

I found this video from back in June just after we'd gotten home from China. It reminded me that my girl has always been in a pretty good mood. I can't believe how much she's changed in just 6 short months. This chubby, Buddha belly girl has stretched 2 inches in height and lost some of those rolls. My baby looks more like a toddler every day....

Thankful

2011-11-24T09:27:00.001-05:00

Today is my first Thanksgiving as a mom. Of course, that is the thing I'm most thankful for.

My daughter.

I'm thankful that she's healthy, happy, smart, strong and beautiful.

I'm thankful that she was so young when I met her. Because of that I get to witness so many of her milestones. Rolling over, sitting up, standing, learning to talk, walking. I got to celebrate her first birthday. I'm so so so thankful for these things.

I'm thankful that our attachment is going so well. Again a blessing that she was so young. I recognize that makes it a little easier for us.

I'm thankful that she loves to sleep almost more than she loves to eat.

I'm thankful that I start every day walking into her room to be greeted by her mega watt smile. And I end every day with her soft, warm little body snuggled into my chest.

I'm thankful that the universe guided China's hand to choose her file to be matched with mine.

I'm thankful to her birthmother for carrying her for 9 months and bringing her into this world.

I'm thankful to her foster family for caring for her, feeding her and loving her for the first 7 months of her life.

I'm thankful not only that I get to be a mom. But that I get to be a mom to THIS girl.

I'm forever grateful for my
Mia Renee Ying

Favorite Photo Friday

2011-11-18T08:50:00.000-05:00

This was taken by Mia's uncle over the summer. The beautiful dress was a gift from one of the nicest bloggers I've never met, Lisa, at "The Long Road to China.. and back". But someday we'll share a cocktail together. I'm sure of it. :)

Happy Weekend!

Rough...

2011-11-14T20:48:00.000-05:00

The last 2 weeks have been rough. Sick, sick and more sick is what's been going on here. Mia had a little cold on Halloween that got worse after being out in the chill. So we fought the runny nose and mild cough all week.

On Fri the 4th she had her 12 month check up and got 2 immunizations. She did great during the shots. Not even one tear. Although I think she balled up her fist with the intention of knocking the nurse out. LOL!

That weekend was spent housebound hanging out in our sweats. Not sure if it was the vaccinations, a new tooth trying to pop through, or the resurgence of her cold but it was a bad weekend. Let's just say we had major diaper issues that even required the crib to be stripped one day. And yes... her beautiful bedding washed up just fine.

By the first of the week she had an awful diaper rash. Absolutely horrible. I had to pull out the Lotrimin. As soon as that cleared up, she got an eye infection that lasted until the next weekend.

And then on Friday she started running a fever that again kept us housebound all weekend. Both Saturday and Sunday we alternated Tylenol and Motrin all day just to keep her fever in check.

Saturday night momma got 3 hrs sleep as Mia tossed and turned, coughed and fevered. I ran a humidifier in her room Sunday night. I'm not sure if that did it. But very early Monday morning... like 3:30am early... her fever finally broke.

And she woke up seemingly as good as new. No real coughing Sunday overnight. No snotty nose to greet me when I went to get her that morning. So ...knock on wood... hopefully that's behind us.

In spite of all of her illnesses the last couple weeks, her mood never really changed much. She had moments of being tired and cranky. But in the midst of fevers, bad diaper rashes, tummy troubles and congestion... she still laughed and played like normal most of the time.

Oh and at her check up she weighed 24 lbs. Which is exactly the same as what she weighed in July. So no weight gain in 4 months. But she's stretched out and has gone from 28 to 30 inches tall. She went from the 99th percentile in weight and 65th percentile in height on the American growth charts to 85th and 68th. Obviously, the doc isn't concerned about the no weight gain since she's actually the size of most 18 mth olds already. LOL!

In fact, just in the last week her 18 mth shirts are starting to get a little snug. So I think we're gonna be moving up to 18-24 mth size shirts soon. She fits the 18 mths pant still but could probably safely go to 24 mth soon there, too. The problem is that they're too long though.

Cross your fingers that this week we stay healthy. Mia has professional pics scheduled for Friday that we've already re-scheduled once because of the sickness. I really want us to make this appointment. We're taking pics for the Christmas card!!

Itsy Bitsy Spider and Signing

2011-11-04T09:44:00.000-04:00

Mia's favorite favorite favorite song of all that we sing is Itsy Bitsy Spider. She's even learned the hand motions. Well, her own interpretation anyway. I took some video this morning while we were eating breakfast. Forgive my off key singing voice. LOL!

She's also gotten really consistent with her signs. Again she's interpreted them in her own fashion. But I know what they are.

Her "more" is to clap her hands together. Her "eat" is to tap her index finger to her mouth. "Drink" is banging her fist against her mouth. Normally. But you'll see in the video she confuses her "eat" when she's actually asking for a drink. At the end you'll hear me ask if she's "all done". Her sign for that is to twist her hand back and forth.

My girl is so smart! I can't tell you how much I love the signing. I know it helps cut down her frustration when she can communicate her needs to me.

We're learning new ones all the time and I expect her vocabulary to continue to grow now that she's finally getting that control over her hands that she'd been lacking up until the last month or so.

If you're thinking of trying sign with your baby... I say do it!! And start immediately. I started with Mia in China when she was 7 1/2 mths old. However, she didn't start using them really consistently and accurately until about 4 months later. So stick with it. They'll eventually come.

Mia's First Halloween

2011-11-01T23:02:00.000-04:00

For those that used to read my old blog, you might remember last year when I bought this penguin costume at an after Halloween clearance sale. At the time, I knew there would be a Mia before the next Halloween. But I had no idea how old she would be so I totally guessed on the size.

Luckily, I guessed right.

This is our motley cousin crew of trick-or-treaters. The 3 youngest T's and Braeden. The oldest 2 T's are way too cool to go out with us. Choosing their friends instead.

Tess is a princess ballerina who refused to wear her tiara. Teagan is Ironman's sidekick (have no idea his name) but forgot his mask. Tatum is a vampire. And Braeden is Darth Maul.

Mia's trick-or-treat pumpkin bag is almost as big as she is. But she didn't seem to mind.

For years, we've gone out in my sister's neighborhood. But last year, the pickin's were slim. Just not many people participating. So this year, we all got in our cars and ventured out to someplace new. It was a pretty good choice.

So about this Darth Maul costume. The very top is a rubber cap type thing. But my sister-in-law actually painted the face on my nephew. It was pretty awesome.

At one point in our travels, another group was walking towards us on the sidewalk and Braeden actually gasped a little and said in a hushed tone "There's Darth Vader." I guess that's an enemy of Darth Maul. Let me just tell you... it was funny.

Since Mia isn't walking yet, she got an assist from Tatum in the candy gathering. She didn't get much. Most houses had steps and other obstacles that were not stroller friendly so she was more of an active observer. Which is good since I would have just eaten all of her candy anyway. LOL!

About halfway through the night, I had to recline my sleepy penguin cuz she started nodding off.

That 7 o'clock bedtime did her in. She was so worn out I got her all the way upstairs and she didn't even move.

After five Halloweens spent wishing, waiting, hoping and imagining... I finally have my own little trick-or-treater. I can't even describe how surreal it was. And a little overwhelming.

My heart goes out to all those still waiting and wishing. Hang in there. This is the proof that if you're strong and very patient.... dreams really do come true. Eventually.

Fall Farm Festval 2011

2011-10-24T21:24:00.000-04:00

On Saturday my sister and I took our kids (our kids.... I just love saying that) to a local farm. We've gone to this festival for years and I've always dreamed of the day I could take Mia.

Of course, you have to get the traditional "kid in the pumpkin patch" shots.

Mia and her cousin, Teagan.

It was an absolutely gorgeous perfect fall weather kind of day.

Mia and cousin Tess got to take it easy riding in the wagon.

Mia adores her cousins. And the feeling is mutual.

It's funny to watch Tatum try to cart Mia around. She's such a skinny beanpole and Mia is such a chunk.

From front to back: Teagan, Travis, some random kids, Tess and Tatum's friend, Emma, Tatum and Mia.

Checking out the bunnies.

The kids insisted on taking turns pulling the wagon. It was fine with me if they wanted to do the manual labor. LOL!

Tess squeezed her eyes closed going down the slide. She wasn't so sure about it.

I love this photo of my happy girl.

Should I eat this? She tried...

The tongue cracks me up.

Finally... my baby's face joins our annual photo.

From the left: Teagan, Mia, Tess, Travis, and Tatum.

Tanner took the photo. So all my sister's T's were accounted for. LOL! But seeing as he's a teenager who was forced to accompany his family to someplace that he said was "totally boring" he managed to avoid the camera all day.

We had a really great time. It was an amazing day. One I'd looked forward to for a very long time. Finally taking my girl did not disappoint. And she loved it as much as her momma does.

Favorite Photo Friday

2011-10-21T21:39:00.000-04:00

To participate in Favorite Photo Friday click on the link.

A Few Firsts

2011-10-17T22:31:00.001-04:00

Mia is teething. On Saturday morning I found a new little bottom tooth had broken through. Unfortunately, neither one of us has gotten much sleep all weekend because of it.

So this is gonna be quick cuz mommy's exhausted. But I just wanted to get a few things down so when I look back some day... I'll know when they happened.

In spite of the lack of sleep, Mia was a trooper and held it together during my hair appt Saturday morning. I can't get over how much older she looks in this photo.

She had a few straggly hairs that hung in her eyes so my hairdresser, Jessica, evened out her bangs as she napped in her stroller. Technically, I guess that makes this Mia's first hair cut...even though it was only maybe 4 little hairs. LOL!

After we got home Saturday afternoon, we hung out on the floor of the living room while we played. Three different times Mia stood herself completely up from the floor without assistance. I couldn't believe it. She didn't stay up for long. But it's progress. The few other times she's stood on her own it was from simply letting go of whatever she was using to steady herself.

Of course, I wasn't fast enough to get photos. These are from earlier in the week. Mia's wooden blocks are in that basket on the bookcase. She's figured out how to reach in and grab them.

She's also suddenly gotten tall enough to reach the top of the dining room table and kitchen counter... if she really stretches and gets on her tippy toes. Now I have to be careful to push everything away from the edge or it'll come crashing to the floor.

A few other things:

Mia loves to sing and dance. Her favorite song is "Itsy Bitsy Spider". I'm not ashamed to admit that I sing it a lot. It's always guaranteed to grab her attention. And sometimes... like when she's thrashing around refusing to let me change her diaper... I need the distraction. She's now doing some hand motions (her own interpretation of the spider climbing the spout, of course) and literally "singing" along. Her voice is so precious. I'll have to try to get it on video.

She ate her first piece of pizza Friday night. To say she loved it would be an understatement. She demolished it! After polishing off an entire adult sized piece (shredded very small by mommy), she kept signing "more". I only gave her a few more bites for fear she'd make herself sick.

Every time she or I drop something, knock something over, or any other general boo boo type thing I always do the typical baby sing song version of "Uh oh". This weekend she started repeating it. Except her version is a sing song "Uh uh oh". Yeah... she doubles it up for some reason.

She has mastered the sippy cup. Although we're still doing bottles for naps and bedtime. We're also slowly transitioning from formula to real milk. So far no complaints from my little garbage disposal.

She's using signs more consistently. But I have to be really vigilant and pay attention or sometimes I'll miss them. Because most of them are her own version of the correct sign. But she's doing "more", "eat", "all done", sometimes I think she's doing "drink" and tonight when I asked if she was ready for her bath and signed "bath"... she also did.

That's it for now. I must sleep. And soon...

Birthday Party Re-cap

2011-10-11T07:32:00.001-04:00

* Click on any photo to enlarge it. *

The food table

Note the penguin shaped pineapple juice ice cubes.

I was told they were a little over the top... but I didn't care. LOL!

Cupcakes!

My brother took the penguin hat photo about a month ago with the plan to somehow incorporate it into the party.

Mia's hot pink and black with white polka dots penguin birthday ensemble to go along with our theme.

We took the presents to the deck since it was a beautiful, sunshiney 75 degree day.

I love how cousin Tess has her arm around Mia. These two are so cute together.

Griffey had to get in on the action, too.

Aunt Carla and Mia

I couldn't help myself. There was also an adorable headband to match but Mia is going through a "I won't wear anything in my hair" phase. So it was tossed to the floor within .02 seconds of being put on her head.

One of my besties, Lisa, and her daughter, Peyton

Livi who came with her mom, Kendra

My other bestie, Dominique, slaving away in the kitchen

Most of the boys thought they'd have a better vantage point from a 2nd floor window.

In case I'd have to literally hose her down, we took the cake outside, too.

The girls assisted with blowing out the candles.

Mia eyeballing the cake and formulating a plan of attack.

And immediately dove in as soon as it was placed in front of her.

Notice the look of concentration..

Once she got a little taste...

things got crazy!

It was a great day spent with family and friends.

In spite of a slightly hectic, behind schedule start and a birthday girl who refused her afternoon nap, everything turned out beautifully. I was once again reminded how much the little village I've built means to me and my daughter.

Thanks to everyone who helped pull it together and pitched in to clean up after. I was so thankful to be able to relax after putting Mia to bed. And miraculously, she slept really good even with the sugar overload.

Although Mia likely won't remember this, it'll be a wonderful memory for me and one that I'll tell her all about some day. Thanks to all those who came to celebrate with us. It meant a lot.

I'll always be eternally grateful that I got to experience this first birthday with Mia. But I still can't believe my baby is 1 year old already! Time really does fly on the other side of The Wait.

Mia's 1st Birthday!

2011-10-09T08:07:00.004-04:00

I'm so blessed and so incredibly thankful to celebrate my daughter's 1st birthday with her.

Mia Renee Ying
You are my sunshine.
You are the best thing that's ever happened to me.
You make me happy every day.
Even on those days when you drive me a little crazy.
You are my everything.
I love you to the moon and back and
more than all the stars in the sky.
Forever and ever and always.
Happy Birthday Baby!
Love Mommy

2011-10-08T22:15:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is Mia's first birthday. But this evening as I was putting her to bed it occurred to me that it's already tomorrow in China. That gave me a lot to think about.

For years I've read other blogs and saw how birthdays always seem to make adoptive parents very introspective. I never really got that... until tonight.

I sat and rocked my baby girl in the quiet of her room. For a good long while we just gazed into each others eyes. And it made me wonder if someone else in the world has those same eyes.

I couldn't help but think about Mia's birthmother and whether she's remembering this day 1 year ago. And I said a little prayer for her.

I have so many questions. I know they'll never be answered. But I can't help but be curious about my daughter's circumstance. There's another woman, another family on the other side of the world that she belongs to.

I wish I was able to know why they couldn't keep her. Or if they even wanted to. Or why they did for 3 days.

I wish I could tell them how amazing she is. How smart and beautiful. I wish I could somehow let them know that she's healthy and happy and very much loved.

But most of all I wish that I could thank them. Thank her birthmother. Thank someone.

Those choices, whether they were good or bad, difficult or easy to make, heart wrenching or indifferent, willingly made or forced upon them .... those choices gave me the greatest gift. The biggest joy of my life.

There have been some tears shed tonight as all of these things swirl around in my head.

Tears for all that Mia has lost. All that she'll never know. Those missing pieces of herself.

Tears for the woman who carried her for 9 months, felt physical pain as she brought her into this world. And very possibly still aches for that missing piece of herself, too. I'll just never know.

I can't help but feel a connection to Mia's birthmother. Because of her... I'm a mother. And I'm infinitely grateful for the blessing of this little girl who lights up my whole world and has brought me more happiness than I've ever known.

How do you even say thank you for that? Especially knowing that my happiness is at the expense of someone's loss. Including my daughters.

Ironic, right?

2011-10-06T21:38:00.000-04:00

2011-10-03T22:15:00.000-04:00

My baby will be 1 year old in less than a week. It's hard to believe it's only been just over 4 months since I met her. It really does feel like so much longer.

She's changed so much since the roly poly little pudge I met in China. Every day she looks older.

Her face has thinned out. Her body seems leaner. Her little Buddha belly is gone.

I'm convinced Mia's head was shaved in China because her hair has grown at least 2 inches already.

Right now she's standing and cruising the furniture. Just last week she stood unassisted while banging 2 toys together. She stayed up for a few seconds until she realized it, panicked and sat down on her behind.

She takes steps if you hold her hands and help her. She's also moving very confidently from one piece of furniture to the next. Even when it's behind her.

I think she'll be walking in another month or so. Maybe sooner.

She's starting to repeat words and sounds. Most of it's just random. She may repeat something with no real concept of the meaning and then not say the word again.

She's doing that thing where you stop in wonderment and think "did she really just say fill-in-the-blank or am I imagining it cuz I want to believe she did"?

I've heard "baby" and "dog" recently. But her dog comes out "gog".

She loves one of the little boys at the sitter's. Oh who am I kidding? She loves ALL the kids at the sitter's.

When I picked her up one day recently someone was talking to him and said his name. So did Mia. The sitter and I both heard it, looked at each other and said "Did she just say Matt?"

When I take her out of the bath I do this sing song thing when I dry her off. I don't know why. Just one of those goofy things you do when you have a baby.

She's started repeating it. So when mommy sings "dry dry dry"... Mia does too. Although hers comes out "die die die". Maybe that's actually what she means though... cuz she hates the drying process. LOL!

She's also starting to consistently use some signs. Right now it's just "more" and "eat". But we work on them every day.

She clear as a bell said "momma" one morning at breakfast. But then wouldn't say it again even though I must have repeated it 500 times.

She does use it on occasion. Always when she wants something from me. Either to come get her out of her crib, or pick her up, or when she's whiny.

I have no idea if she gets that it's ME. Or if she just knows she gets a response when she says it. But until that morning it was always just jumbled up repeating syllables of "ma ma ma".

Then suddenly I got a solid "Momma". Yes... I teared up a little.

Mia loves loves loves music. And she's found her rhythm. She dances to music on the radio, TV commercials, her musical toys.

Again momma does this goofy sing song whispery "dance dance dance" whenever she would start dancing. Now not only does she repeat it but if I say it... she'll start shaking her groove thing.

She's eating a lot more real food now. She loves cottage cheese, any kind of pasta, yogurt, bread. Just about anything really.

There's nothing she's completely refused. She doesn't care for green beans but she'll still tolerate about half the package before she turns her nose up at it.

Her personality seems to show itself more and more every day. She's a really happy, playful baby. And funny! This kid cracks me up. She has quite the sense of humor.

But my mild mannered, complacent baby has left the building. Now I have a little firecracker. She certainly has a spicy side and is not afraid to show it.

Mia has become opinionated, impatient, stubborn and very demanding. Not unlike her mother. LOL!

Yep. I've definitely met my match.

The Diaper Dance

2011-09-27T21:21:00.001-04:00

Mia has always loved music. Her referral paperwork even mentions it. Although most adopters seem to have the standard "responds to music" type info in their referral packet. But for Mia it appears to be true.

When we were in China and would find a music video channel on TV, Mia would stop whatever she was doing and sit mesmerized. No other channel had that affect on her. Her favorite was Chinese rap. I know. And yes Chinese rap is the same as here... baggy pants, hats turned to the side, mad dance moves... just Chinese guys doing it. Pretty funny. But I digress.

Just in the last couple of weeks, Mia has discovered a love of dancing. She shakes her groove thing and bops her head whenever she hears anything with some rhythm. Commercials, the car radio, me singing, her musical toys. Anything.

On Sunday she was watching her Baby Signing Times video. There's a section called the "Diaper Dance" which teaches the signs for diaper, potty, etc. I caught this on video.

If you're familiar with the signs or the video you'll see how she mimics the movements and tries doing the sign for diaper. Which is to do a pinching motion at your waistline.

See how crazy active this girl is? That's why momma is exhausted most of the time. LOL! She has no fear.

All that hanging on the table guard thing. Oh my lord... That was meant to keep her from smashing her face. Remember how unsteady she was back in these videos? Not anymore.

See how the coffee table is now just pushed against the couch with all the stuff on it in the far corner out of her reach. That's what I've had to resort to in an effort to keep her out of trouble. Somewhat out of trouble anyway. I'm not always successful.

Daycare Update

2011-09-24T23:16:00.002-04:00

Mia is thriving in daycare. She loves her sitter, Anita. And she loves Anita's daughter's, Olivia (15) and Maddie (11).

When I first met Anita, she told me Olivia used to bug her about adopting a baby from China. So this was a good fit.

They got the Chinese baby they always wanted with no hassle, no waiting, no paperwork, and no hefty fees. And we got a fabulous sitter. LOL!

They're thrilled to have Mia there every day. And I'm thrilled that they're thrilled. It gives me such peace of mind to know that I can go to work and not worry about my girl. I know she's happy and loved at Anita's house, too.

Most mornings Maddie plays with Mia before heading off to school. We usually either just miss Olivia or she's on the way out the door when I drop Mia off. Mia has started looking for Maddie. It's so cute.

I walk through the garage into what is probably meant to be the family room. But Anita has made that the kid room. There's a small hallway off that to the rest of the house. Mia will now start straining her neck and leaning towards that doorway to see if Maddie's coming. And her face lights up when she sees her Maddie.

She's the first drop off of the day. I really like that it turned out that way. I think it's helped a lot with the transition. That one on one in the morning for a short time before other kids start arriving has made Mia very comfortable with Anita.

My plan originally was for her to be cared for in our own house. But now that I know her, I realize being around other kids is what's best for her. She's such an outgoing, social baby.

And I feel like she's developing real relationships with Anita and the girls... that could last her whole life even. There can never be too many people to love my daughter.

So I'm really happy that things worked out the way they did. Maybe everything really does happen for a reason.

Mia is truly blossoming. I've watched her confidence grow so much in the last few months. I'm constantly amazed at how far she's come.

In the beginning, she wouldn't even allow my two closest friends to hold her. They had to work at it for quite awhile. Now she happily goes to both of them. I really think the socialization she gets in daycare has helped with that.

Today at a birthday party, she even allowed both of my male partners to hold her and play with her. This is such a huge thing.

She used to be really apprehensive about going to strangers. She just flat wouldn't go.

But today... with some encouragement from me she did fine. She kept turning to me as if to check in. I felt like she was thinking "if mom is okay with this... then I'm safe." Like she was seeking reassurance.

And the fact that both of them were men was a big deal, too. She's been a little unsure with men. Maybe because that's not what she's used to. There's no dad here, after all.

I know that being around the other kids has also made her more active. I think she's gaining strength, balance and coordination just trying to keep up with everyone else.

Some of it is definitely the right milestones for her age. But I do think being the youngest in a room full of walking and talking little ones is giving her some incentive to get there, too.

So all in all....things are going well. Very well. And I constantly thank my lucky stars that I stumbled upon such a great place for Mia to grow up.

These pictures have nothing to do with the post. They were taken on Labor Day at my sister's house.

Favorite Photo Friday

2011-09-23T10:16:00.000-04:00

Blog Slacker

2011-09-18T22:28:00.001-04:00

Why haven't I had as much time or energy to blog lately? You're looking at the reason. A certain very mobile 11 mth old is keeping her momma busy.

Mia has discovered her independent streak. She's gotten very brave and very curious. Which spells trouble for me.

She's no longer afraid to venture into other rooms of the house alone. In fact, she prefers it. So she can cause as much destruction as she can before I stop her.

For example, mommy's laptop is off limits. And you see how hard she laughed when I told her no?

One of her favorite spots is the landing at the bottom of the stairs. She loves talking to the baby in the mirror.

And when she thinks I'm not looking... going for the stairs.

She's figured out how to get down from the landing. She crawls to the edge and dives off. I told you she was brave. Don't worry. She catches herself with her hands and lands on her belly. She's gotten really good at it.

In one of her explorations, she got into a tight squeeze. And then couldn't figure out how to get back out.

Maybe she thought Griffey would help her. But mommy had to come to the rescue.

See the vent in the floor under that table? I'm dreading the day she discovers how much fun it is to drop things down in it. That day is coming. I have no doubt.

Mia has plenty of toys to keep her entertained. But she'd much rather pull DVD's off the shelf. And see how the pretty decorative boxes are all askew? Yep... she can now reach the second shelf as well.

Don't let this pretty face fool ya. She's as ornery as they come. And I'm pretty sure it's gonna get worse before it gets better. Wait til this Tasmanian Devil starts walking. I'm exhausted just imagining it!

By the way, the first two photos (in the pink polo dress) were taken exactly a month ago. Look how much the shape of her face has changed and how much longer her hair is. I can't believe how fast she's growing.

Noodles

2011-09-15T21:32:00.000-04:00

Favorite Photo Friday

2011-09-09T22:21:00.000-04:00

This is a horrible, blurry photo because I forgot to change my camera setting to action. But I love it anyway. Because it shows the pure joy on my daughter's face as her 6 yr old cousin pushes her high in the swing.

And it reminds me... that sometimes it's just the simple things that make us the happiest.

Click the box to participate in Favorite Photo Friday

What a Difference

2011-09-07T17:16:00.000-04:00

Then

Now

It's amazing to me how much she's changed in only a little over 3 months.

Stay tuned for an update soon. It's just really hard to find time to blog these days.

Saturday Morning

2011-08-29T21:16:00.000-04:00

And she was still fascinated with her new word.

Yep. That's an exersaucer in the bathroom. How else is a single mom supposed to take a shower and keep the baby outta trouble? LOL!

Mia's First Words

2011-08-28T21:26:00.000-04:00

When I'd pick Mia up after work all the other kids and the sitter would stand there waving and saying "bye bye" just hoping for some reciprocation. But all they would get was a blank stare. Until last week.

Finally she decided to wave back. Several of them had been blowing kisses at her, too. And all of a sudden she's picked that up as well. Sort of. It's her own variation. Most of the time, we get the back of the hand instead of the palm. But still... she's blowing kisses. And mommy loves it. It's the little things, right?

I took these videos on my I-Phone while we were at the park on Friday. I guess that's why they're so narrow. The only way I could get them to not be sideways was to upload them to U-tube. So they're not the best quality but I wanted to share this milestone moment.

Mia's first word is officially "bye-bye". But her second word surprised me. It's "duck".

One of our favorite books is about farm animals and the sounds they make. One of the animals in the book is a duck. So she'd heard me say it many times before. As we walked around the lake, I kept pointing out the ducks to her and she started repeating me.

Clear as a bell. She'd say "duck". You can hear it a couple times in the video if you listen hard...but of course, as soon as the camera came out she didn't want to say it anymore.

But Saturday morning it's all I heard. Duck. Duck. Duck. All morning long....

Our Friday

2011-08-26T22:28:00.000-04:00

During the week I feel a little like I'm running on a hamster wheel. Just living the same day over and over a la Groundhog Day.

Get up, shower, get dressed, wake Mia, dress her, get her to the sitter's, go to work, go pick her up from sitter's, play a little, dinner, bath, baby bed time, chores, mommy time. That's my day. Just rinse and repeat.

I live for the weekends. I did before I became a Working Single Mom. But now those 2 glorious days mean so much more. I get to spend them with my favorite girl.

I've decided Friday evenings are just for mommy and Mia. No chores. No laundry. No have to do anything... other than spend time together. Tonight we went to the park.

It was a beautiful, sunny, not too hot afternoon. Perfect for a walk around the lake where we encountered this... uh, crane? Heron? Big bird? Whatever he was... he was pretty. And apparently not scared of us at all.

Then we stopped to chat with the ducks and the geese for awhile.

Mia enjoyed a little dining al fresco by the water.

We topped off the night with one of Mia's most favorite things ever.

Swinging.

As you can see by the look on her face.

It was a great way to ease into the weekend.

And for me and my girl to relax and reconnect a little after our busy week.

Happy Weekend, y'all!

On a sidenote, anyone know why this blog always cuts off my pics? I changed my blog template thinking maybe that was it. But no. Or why the pics look beautiful and sharp on my computer but get all fuzzy and grainy once I upload them to the blog? But when you click on them to enlarge ...they look fine? I don't get it.

The Real World...

2011-08-17T20:48:00.000-04:00

has knocked me on my ass. Last week was spent trying to enjoy as much of my last little bit of maternity leave as possible. Mia and I also did some "practicing" with the sitter. I wanted to ease her into the transition since she hadn't been away from me since the day we met.

So we spent several hours together just hanging out at the sitter's, getting to know her and the other kids, getting Mia used to the house. Then we progressed up to me leaving her for a couple hours, then four hours another day and finally on Thursday and Friday we did full days.

I'm a total overplanner. So I wanted to make sure I could do the morning routine. You know, actually take a shower, get dressed, full hair and make up and get the baby up, dressed and functional, too. And I needed to reassure myself that I could do that at the actual time I was supposed to. So my last 2 weekday mornings of maternity leave my alarm clock went off at 5am. Majorly sucked.

But I'm so glad I did it. I found a few things that needed to be tweaked to make things run more smoothly. And it gave me the confidence I needed to start my first Monday back to work with much less stress. I felt prepared. So now I'm a Working Mom. Today was day three of our new routine. So far it's going okay. Mommy is just really tired. Actually, we both are.

Mia loves the sitter. And the sitter loves her. Which gives me such peace of mind. She runs an in home daycare and has several other kids she cares for. Mia's very social. She really enjoys her new little friends. And as the youngest, she's getting a lot of attention. She's adjusting really well.

The first 3 days she went right to the sitter. I kissed her, told her bye-bye and walked out with no fussing. From her. Mommy may have cried a few times though. But the last 2 days she's fussed a little when I left and leaned back towards me. I think that shows our attachment is going really well. I hope it does anyway.

She's always excited when I come to pick her up. The first or second day... I can't remember now... she was so happy to see me she bulldozed right over top of another kid laying on the floor. That made my heart happy, too.

I miss her so much during the day. I know she's in good hands. I know she's well cared for. I know she'll do well there. I know she's happy. But boy... do I miss her when I'm working.

I'm pretty exhausted. I'm hoping once I get used to this new routine it'll get a little better. I think it will. Although I know as a single mom I'll always feel some level of exhaustion. But right now I'm nodding off at 7pm when I rock my girl to sleep. That's not good. And tonight... I'm planning on a 9pm bedtime for me to catch up a little on sleep.

Oh and the pics have nothing to do with the post. I just knew my far away family is probably itching for new ones. These were taken a week or so ago when we were just playing at home. I thought I'd put legwarmers on her to keep her from tearing up her knees crawling. But uh... well, her thighs were just too big and they kept rolling down to her ankles. LOL!

Proof!

2011-08-06T21:00:00.000-04:00

For all the people in my life who I've recently subjected to endless amounts of waving at my kid in the hopes she'll offer a wave and a "bye bye" back... but were met instead by a dumbfounded look on her face.

I told you she could do it!!

Just apparently not when mommy wants her to perform. LOL!

Black & White Wednesday

2011-08-03T21:24:00.020-04:00

What do you do

when it's 95 degrees

and you don't have

a swimming pool?

How about filling

a couple big bowls

with water

and grabbing some

kitchen utensils,

my stacking cups,

and getting wet?

And if mommy

gives me

a soapy fauxhawk

that counts

as a bath

right?

**Click on any photo to see it larger.**

She's Going Too Fast

2011-08-01T20:50:00.003-04:00

Mia has taken off.... quite literally. Last week she figured out the crawl on your knees thing. She'll still drop to a belly crawl when she's in a hurry to get somewhere. It seems that way is faster for her right now.

She's pulling up on everything. She'd much rather stand than sit. Today I walked around the corner from the kitchen and caught her STANDING in the pink chair holding on to the brick of the fireplace. I have no idea how she accomplished that... and in only about 30 seconds time. I swear she's aging me at about 10 times the speed I should be. LOL!

She's definitely keeping me on my toes. I have to watch her with an eagle eye. Cuz she's fast and very determined. It's like the first 7 months of her life she had no freedom to move...and now she can't stop! The child rarely sits still and she may just give me a heart attack before it's all over. She's learned how to pull herself up on the coffee table. The first few times she did it was pretty funny. She'd dig her nails in like she was hanging off the edge of a cliff and little by little she'd pull off her knees to her feet. Now I'm just terrified waiting for her to bust her face. I've been thinking about maybe even putting the table in the basement for awhile. But how long would that last? Years?

Usually when we're home just hanging out we play on the floor in the living room or dining room. I don't think I've actually sat on my couch in 2 months. Not while Mia is awake anyway. I noticed in most of our videos she's only wearing a diaper on the bottom. She does own pants. But I take them off so she can move around easier. LOL! I think all the floor time has helped her strengthen her legs, arms and core and given her the opportunity to figure it all out. I think that was what she was lacking in China. Not the ability to accomplish these things...but the opportunity.

I'm really excited about how far she's come. And I'm so proud of my brave, resilient, strong willed little girl. But part of me is sad, too. It's all happening so fast. I don't want her to grow up. Not just yet. I thought I'd have more time. More time for her to be a baby. But it seems she's done with that and ready to move onto toddlerhood as fast as she possibly can. Mommy isn't so thrilled with the idea however.

Everyone Loved My Brown Eyed Girl

2011-07-29T21:55:00.001-04:00

Mia had her appointment this morning with the opthamologist. I was concerned about her eyes and anxious to get a true diagnosis. I'd noticed her eyes seemed to turn in from time to time. It was most noticeable in photos.

When others started to mention it, I realized I wasn't just imagining it. You can really see it in the photo below.

The news was good.
Mia has Pseudostrabismus.
Which basically means "fake eye crossing".

It's very common in Asian infants because they tend to have a wide, flat area instead of a true bridge of the nose between the eyes. It causes the eyes to sometimes appear crossed or like one is a lazy eye.

There's no treatment... which I was happy to hear. I was worried we might be patching or having a surgery. The eye doctor said she will most likely grow out of it eventually as her face ages and changes shape.

Mia was an absolute trooper for her exam. I was so proud of her. Apparently, dark brown eyes are hard to read so they had to dilate them twice with a long stretch of time in between. And even then they were still only half dilated. Not a tear was shed even though they held her down and forced the drops in. Luckily, they're used to it and get it done super quick.

We were there almost two hours and started creeping into morning nap time. But my girl did fabulously. She was so well behaved and only started to lose it a bit towards the end when she was getting tired and cranky. But I don't blame her. I wouldn't want some strange guy poking around my eyeball either. Even if I was in the best of moods.

And of course, everyone at the doctor's office fell in love with her. No one yet has been able to resist her dimpled smile. And check out those adorable little teeth.

On a side note.. thanks to my cousin "Sarah in MT" who sent us the funny "I just want to pee alone" magnet. Cute. And oh so true....

Oh Boy...

2011-07-23T10:11:00.000-04:00

This morning she decided that pulling up on furniture just to her knees wasn't satisfying enough. So she stood up. I wish someone would tell this overachiever to slow down a little bit and let mommy enjoy having a "baby" just awhile longer. LOL!

8 Weeks Later

2011-07-20T22:26:00.011-04:00

8 weeks doesn't seem like very long, does it? And yet it feels like forever. It's funny how our lives just wrap around these changes and we become accustomed to the new normal. I feel like I've known her my whole life. We fit together perfectly. She is without a doubt my favorite person on the planet.

And she's accomplished a lot since I met her in Nanchang just 8 weeks ago today.

She's eating solids like a champ. We're still just exploring the baby food world right now as I make sure she doesn't have allergic reactions to things. So far I haven't found anything she's just flat out refused. But I have figured out which things she likes more than others. Green beans and apples are just okay. But I can't shovel in the pears and any orange veggie fast enough. Squash, sweet potatoes, carrots. Loves 'em all. She's doing so well that as soon as we finish up our supply of Stage One foods, we're moving straight to Stage Two.

She's also been practicing with water from a sippy cup. And actually swallows about 5% of what ends up in her mouth. The rest just runs right out as she lets her mouth hang open. Not quite getting the concept. LOL! Mommy still holds her bottles. But she's been trying to figure that out, too.

In addition to her two upper and two lower teeth, she now has another one on the top right poking through. I think I can see the top left about to explode soon also. I gave her a carrot stick to gnaw on thinking it was too hard for her to actually bite through. I was wrong. She nibbled a little piece off. Sadly for her... no more carrot sticks as teethers.

She's still commando crawling. But she gets up on all fours and rocks. Occasionally, she'll propel herself forward by dragging both knees together. Sometimes she just "takes a step" with one. But she hasn't figured out what to do after that and will drop back to her belly to get where she's going. Which she's gotten super fast at by the way. She can almost beat me across the kitchen as she goes for the dog's water bowl.

Last week, she learned how to get herself into a sitting position from being flat on her belly. She also gets back down. She's trying to pull herself up on furniture but so far only gets to her knees. But suddenly, she's decided she wants to get on her feet and has started her own "downward dog" position.

Today we were reading a baby signs book and came across a page for "dog". She turned her head completely to the side and looked directly at our dog. I swear I didn't imagine it. She knew exactly what it meant.

Unfortunately, we've gotten nowhere on our actual signing. I keep doing it and adding new words. But she's completely stopped doing her "more" interpretation. Instead when I ask if she wants more...she'll arch her back and bang her head backwards on her high chair..almost like she's saying "yes". It's strange. But somehow we seem to get each other.

At her pediatrician appt last week, she'd gained a pound from our June visit. She's now a whopping 24 solid pounds! And 28 inches long. That's the 65th percentile for height on the American charts and 99th for weight! That theory that Chinese babies are smaller...is not necessarily true. I've moved to buying only 18 mth pants. It was too hit or miss with the 12 mth sizes. Some fit. Some wouldn't budge over her healthy thighs. So I gave up and went bigger. She's also in a size 4 diaper now, too.

We've gotten a referral to see an opthamologist. I've noticed her eyes seem to turn in on occasion. She may have a little strabismus. We'll see what the doctor says. Our appointment is at the end of the month. Otherwise, she's quite healthy. And her pediatrician thinks she's right on target developmentally for her age. Which is all such a blessing.

Her babbling is constant. She repeats syllables over and over. I've heard "ma", "da", "guh" and "buh" most often. She also has learned to do a "th" sound which makes her smile. It starts as a quiet "th" as she puts her tongue to her top teeth and ends up being a full blown, spit flying raspberry by the time she's through. That cracks her up. We've been working on "bye bye". Sometimes she gets a sort of wave going and starts the "buh buh buh". Kinda sounds like bye bye. She also loves to whisper. That's something she just started recently. Another game that makes her smile. I'll get right in her ear and whisper back which starts up the giggles.

She's getting better with controlling her hands. She practices the "pincer grasp" with the dissolving puff treats. Griffey has learned to stand under the highchair when he hears that can come out of the cupboard. Because 30% or more end up on the floor. But she's getting better. She learned to clap her hands last weekend. She thinks she's hot stuff with that one and is constantly applauding herself now. Little diva.

She hates laying still for a diaper change. That one we battle over. But she'll help me get her shirts on and off. I start working her arms in or out of the sleeve while saying "arm in" or "arm out". She'll either pull her arm out or push it through the sleeve. Which makes it much easier for mommy. She did it at the doctors office when I had to undress her for the scale. The nurse was surprised and said "Did she really just pull her arm out when you asked her to?". She seemed impressed with that. Maybe that's not normal for a 9 mth old? I have no idea. Mia is definitely a smart girl.

I've been researching childcare. The arrangement I'd planned is no longer an option. So I've been scrambling to figure that out. I go back to work August 15th. I get tears in my eyes every time I think about it. We have a few good possibilities. I should have a plan in place soon. I think once we get through the initial transition phase, which I expect to be rough since we've not been apart at all for 8 weeks, she'll do very well in either of the places that are my two front runners. Both of them are private in home daycare. One person I already knew and the other came highly recommended from a friend who sent her children there for many years. But I'm dreading this. Leaving her breaks my heart. I knew the day would come though... and it's fast approaching.

Her sleeping is still going great. Down around 7:30-ish. Up once for a diaper change, small bottle and some rocking between 1-3am. But now I've got that routine down like a Nascar pit crew. I can have her back asleep in 15-20 minutes. She actually never fully wakes up. I finally figured that out ...which is why I have to move fast before she does. Every morning she wakes with a smile. Even when she gets grumpy later ... she still starts her days happy.

She still takes at least two naps a day. Morning and afternoon. Sometimes she takes another short cat nap late afternoon if she didn't nap long enough during the other two. Which is what you see below. Just ran out of steam and trapped me on the couch until she woke up. LOL! The afternoon nap is in her crib. Morning nap varies. If mommy wants to nap or just snuggle I put her in my bed. My days of having that luxury are ending soon with my return to work. So I've been reluctant to give it up just yet.

We made a lot of progress this last week. There have been some breakthroughs in addition to all the other new things Mia is tackling. She's started to let other people hold her. That didn't happen prior to last week except for a few select people. She would always turn back to me and start that pathetic whimper. That seems to have stopped. She's getting more confident and social. But we've only tested the theory with me close and with her knowing she can come back when she decides. That still should help as she transitions to daycare. I'm hoping anyway.

All in all everything is going very well. Much better than I ever expected it to. And I'm grateful for that. I think she attached to me pretty quickly but I can definitely see the difference in that bond now 8 weeks later versus those early day. As time passes, I can also feel myself getting more comfortable and confident in this new mommy role. It's becoming much more natural and instinctive instead of so clinical and textbook. I love watching this beautiful girl blossom and grow. She continues to amaze me every single day. I'm really excited to see what our future together holds.

My Little Fish

2011-07-19T22:20:00.000-04:00

A couple weeks ago, Mia and I hung out with a friend who has a swimming pool in their backyard. I was curious to see how my girl would react to the water.

She absolutely loved it!

About 5 minutes after she got in the floatie thing, she was laid back lounging totally relaxed.

Traci has a 5 yr old daughter, Jaden, who was also born in Jiangxi like Mia.

She was fascinated. Jaden had her cracking up.

Mia got very brave and figured out if you lean forward in the floatie, water would rush over the mesh part.

She had a blast kicking her feet and splashing. At one point, she put her face down in the water when she leaned too far forward. Her curiosity got the best of her and she did it a couple more times.

I decided to let her figure it out herself and she did...after swallowing just a bit of water. LOL! But next thing we knew, she was putting her mouth in the water and blowing bubbles! I couldn't believe it.

We went to the busy public pool on Saturday. We weren't allowed to bring the floatie so I held her in the pool. The kid has no fear. Just kept kicking and splashing. After awhile, she started to get tired. I laid her back and she got so relaxed I almost had her floating on her own. Completely in the water on her back from her head to her feet. In that moment, I was just so amazed at how much she trusted me. It filled my heart.

Mia's a natural swimmer. No doubts there. So I guess I'll be looking into swimming lessons sooner rather than later.

Hysterical Baby

2011-07-17T09:10:00.000-04:00

This is what we do for fun around here very early on a Saturday morning.

And We're Eating Now....

2011-07-14T20:37:00.000-04:00

Mia started solid foods about 3 weeks ago. She's doing smashingly. I haven't found anything she refuses. Quite like her mother that way. LOL!

We're just exploring the world of Stage One baby food. But she's been doing so well and eating so much that I'll be moving her to Stage Two as soon as our supply runs out.

Notice how much she does her interpretation of the "more" sign? Yeah...not so much these days. Not sure why. I keep signing to her but she's not been feeling it so it's rarely getting used. Eventually she will. So mommy will keep trying.

Cross Off Another Milestone

2011-07-12T21:11:00.000-04:00

Mia figured out how to pull herself up to a sitting position today. Forgive all the melodrama... she was trying to remind me that it was 7:30pm. Which in her world equals bottle and bedtime. She's very nearly graduated from the commando belly crawl to a real one, too.

And just 7 short weeks ago she couldn't even roll over on her own.

She is one strong, determined little girl and I'm one very proud mommy.

More Fourth

2011-07-11T20:50:00.002-04:00

In spite of my sister, my brother-in-law, their 14 year old, my mom and me not being present in any of the photos...we actually WERE there. I just didn't have my camera out as much as I thought I did.

My sister hosted the family at her house for a Fourth of July cookout. Since it was so hot, they pulled out the slip-n-slide. Teagan (my sister's) and Braeden (my brother's) are only 6 mths apart in age. They have a good time together.

Tess and Teagan

I love this up in the air action shot.

Tatum and Braeden slipping and sliding.

Then the 11 yr old, Travis, got in on the action. Another hysterical shot of Braeden off the ground. It just cracks me up.

Mia had on the dress (that turned into a shirt because of her healthy size) made by my mom that she wore to her consulate appointment when we were in China. She looked very patriotic. At the rate she's growing this will surely be the last time she wears it.

Tess will be 3 in August. She and Mia seem to have something special going on together being the two youngest cousins.

Getting to know Uncle Travis. My sister's 11 yr old was named after his uncle.

These photos are so funny. I can just see Mia's thought process as she sets Tatum up.

"First...I'll distract her with my cuteness."

"Then I'll innocently reach over like I'm being affectionate but really it's just a ploy ..."

"...to yank the crap outta her hair! Mwah ha haha!"

Fireworks! Mia wasn't afraid at all. I thought she would be. But nope. I held her on my lap, buried one ear in my chest and covered the other with my hand. For the loud ones or the really bright ones, she'd bury her face in my chest and then come up laughing. This kid is fearless.

That's Aunt Kristy, my brother's wife.

I always love spending time with my nieces and nephews. They're so much fun. I can't wait to see how they mesh as Mia grows up with them.

Happy 9 Month Birthday

2011-07-09T22:15:00.000-04:00

To The Love Of My Life!

Splashing Around

2011-07-05T23:07:00.001-04:00

The family spent the 4th at my sister's house. Mia and cousin Tess had a blast playing in the water together. Although neither one really got the concept of "slip and slide". LOL!

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T09:36:00.000-04:00

Mia Day Videos

2011-06-30T23:32:00.000-04:00

Tonight I was looking at the videos from the day Mia officially became my daughter. What memories they bring back. I still get overwhelmed with all the emotions of that crazy, magical day.

It was the day that all my dreams came true. Five difficult years worth of waiting ended that day. That day... wow. Seems so far away now. Was it really just 36 days ago?

This is the moment she was handed to me. There's not much because my sister was trying to video and photograph at the same time. They literally handed Mia to me and rushed us into the next room to start the paperwork to complete the adoption. It wasn't exactly how I expected it to go. And really... more video would have just shown Mia crying, screaming and thrashing around in my arms for another hour anyway.

Luckily, she settled down after we finally figured out how to get the bottle just right. My girl was not only stressed but was starving, too. To see the progression of how that happened you can see the photos on the Mia Day post.

This video was taken as soon as I turned her around after that bottle was gone. She was an entirely different baby. Now after knowing her for 5 weeks I can say this is her true personality. Only one hour after meeting me and she showed me who she was.

And she hasn't looked back. This last video was taken just a couple hours later at the civil affairs office as we were waiting to complete more paperwork.

I have no idea how or why she's handled the transition so well. Other than to say she's a remarkably amazing little girl. She's resilient, strong, smart and so full of happiness. I'm truly blessed beyond measure.

I've loved her since the day I signed the paperwork with the adoption agency back in February of 2006. But now I know HER and I love HER. This child. And I couldn't imagine my life without her. She makes me happier than I could've ever imagined.

An Update

2011-06-28T22:43:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow marks 5 weeks that I've been Mia's mom. I'm amazed at how much she's changed in such a short time. I'm also amazed at how fast it started to feel like she's always been here. We've found a pretty good groove us two.

Mia sleeps well in her crib. She goes to bed anytime between 7-8:30pm... depending on how tired she is. I shoot for 7:30pm but she sometimes has other plans. LOL! She's basically sleeping through the night. I have a 4-5 oz bottle ready to be made every night if she wakes and doesn't settle with some pats on the back or rocking. That seems to do the trick.

Every now and then we have a bad night where she cries and refuses to go to sleep. Those nights we struggle. But I really can't complain. I expected the sleep deprivation to be the worst of it. But so far I'm doing okay. Ask me again in mid-August after I've gone back to work though and it may be a different story. LOL!

She wakes between 7-8:30am every morning. Generally closer to 7am unless her bad mommy has kept her out too late. She's gotten to where she'll play and talk to herself in her crib for awhile. I watch her on the video monitor. Sometimes she'll peek her little head over the side of her crib looking for me then lay back down and talk to her feet some more. We've made a game of it now. I usually peek my head in the door and wait for her to see me. Which cracks her up. I love starting my mornings with her thousand watt smile. :)

Like clockwork she gets fussy at the 2 hours awake mark. That's when a morning nap happens. We haven't quite gotten that routine down yet. Sometimes she sleeps in bed with me if I want to nap, too. I like the snuggles. I think she does, too. Sometimes I just rock her a little but lay her on the living room floor or the couch. There's no telling how long she'll sleep. Sometimes only a half hour. Sometimes almost 2.

We've started the afternoon nap with going into her crib. Those naps last longer. At least an hour but usually more. I may start trying to get her to do the morning nap in her crib as well. But I'm hesitant to give up spooning her. Those moments won't last forever. :(

While in China, I was told Mia was only on a formula-rice porridge mixture in her bottle. So I chose not to give her any solids with the intention of starting all of that once we got home. We just started solids this week. So far she's only had peas. I'm giving it a few days to make sure there's no reaction. But she loved them.

She mastered rolling over on day three in China. Now she's sitting up strong, jumping in her Jenny-Jump-Up, and army crawling all over the place. She still can't sit herself up from a laying down position. But my girl is strong and determined. I have no doubt she'll accomplish anything she sets her mind to. I think she's gonna be an athlete. Just a guess. We'll see.

Our bonding is going great. She absolutely knows who mommy is. She looks for me when she hears my voice. She doesn't like having me out of her sight when we're out someplace. She's gotten a little more comfortable just in the last week and will play independently for short periods of time while I leave the room. Sometimes.. but not always. And only if it's just her and I alone at home where's she's familiar.

She knows her name and will look when you speak to her. She knows her doggie's name and will look for him if I ask where he is. They're getting along well. He still wants more of my attention and I try the best I can to divide it between them both.

Mia is completely in 12 mth clothes and even some smaller cut 18 mth sizes. She looks to me like her weight is distributing itself differently. She doesn't have as many neck rolls as she did in China. I have to keep those creases clean so I know I'm not imagining it. Her face looks different to me, too. I can't describe how. She just looks a little older to me. Not as roly poly and chubby cheeked as when we first met.

She has 2 teeth up top right in the middle and the same two on the bottom have now also poked through. She babbles incessantly when we're at home. But I talk to her all the time, too. So that's probably part of it. I read somewhere once that babies are faster to talk if they're talked to. Right now she only says ma ma ma ma. Sometimes it comes out as mama. As much as I'd like to believe that she's referring to me... I think it's just her favorite syllable.

All in all...she's doing fabulously. She's got a very laid back, easy going personality. She just rolls with everything. As long as she's with me, I've found we can do just about anything. She's been with me to a hair appointment that lasted 2 hours. She sat and played in her stroller, charmed the stylists, had a bottle and then a nap. She shops like a champ just hanging out in the cart checking everything out.

We've taken walks in her stroller around the neighborhood.

She even sat on my lap while I had a pedicure. She got a little squirmy towards the end when she started getting bored but she was absolutely amazing. I couldn't believe it. Of course, one of my besties was there as back up. I wasn't brave enough to try that alone.

I love being a mom. But it's hard work. Some days I'm just happy to have her go to sleep so I can have some down time. But then by morning I miss her terribly. I know this sounds crazy because I really do love my sleep... but sometimes I even secretly hope she wakes in the middle of the night for some rocking. I love sitting in her room in the dark and feeling her just melt into me. It's so peaceful. It's everything I dreamed of. And I know those moments will be gone all too soon.

Watch Out World...

2011-06-25T22:39:00.002-04:00

It's official. She's gone mobile. It gets blurry when I zoomed in but you get the general idea. And she couldn't even roll over just 4 weeks ago!

Oh and those large wrought iron candlesticks you see in the corner in the opening wide shot.. were a great motivator for learning how to semi-crawl. They're now gone.

More?

2011-06-23T22:15:00.000-04:00

I need some opinions. Today was the fourth morning in a row where Mia has done this thing with her hands in response to me asking and signing "more" to her.

So am I reading too much into this? Is she trying to sign "more"? What do y'all think?

And for those that don't know the sign for "more" ... a demonstration.

Blessed Sleep - Part Two

2011-06-21T00:29:00.000-04:00

Tonight marks 9 nights in a row of sleeping in her crib in her room. I think it's safe to say that's how things are gonna roll at our house. Her foster mother didn't co-sleep with her. Mia slept by herself during her time with the foster family. She also preferred to sleep that way while we were in China together.

We tried co-sleeping when we first got home but just because that was easier for me. We were both so jet lagged and exhausted, sleeping at odd times. It was easier to just lay down together in mommy's bed. I also think it helped her during that first week as we transitioned to yet another new place for her. I was her familiar something. The only familiar something really. So it worked for us.

After she fell asleep on the living room floor after a hard day of playing, I decided to see what would happen if I put her in her crib. And we haven't looked back. We still do naps downstairs on the couch or the floor. Sometimes if I'm gonna nap with her we'll end up in my bed just cuz I can't resist snuggling with her.

Like this particular day. We were all cozy and Griffey decided he wanted a little snuggle time, too. I'm so glad I had my I-Phone laying on the night stand so I didn't miss this moment. He's finally starting to accept her into our pack. Total cuteness.

But at bedtime, she's in her crib 100% of the time. We have a bottle, read a few books, snuggle in the upholstered rocker in her room and then rock until she falls asleep. Her foster mother also rocked her at night... but in a cradle... not in her arms. Mia had two foster sisters. One a month older and one a month younger. So her foster mother did the best she could while basically juggling triplets.

I hope that someday we'll get to a point where I can kiss her goodnight, put her in her crib and she'll drift off to sleep on her own. But we're not there yet. Probably not for a long while.

She generally goes to bed anytime between 7:30 and 9pm. We shoot for 7:30 cuz that's what she seems to need. But not every night is easy. Sometimes it takes her until 9 to fall asleep. She doesn't always want to give in to sleep. Even though her body says otherwise. Her eyes will be rolling back in her head... but she'll fight to stay awake. And this child is stubborn! She'll fuss, sometimes just flat out cry, pull her hair, kick her legs, move her arms. Just anything to keep her body moving. Because once she's still... that's all she wrote.

I never let her cry it out in her crib. Never. I stay with her until she falls asleep. No matter what. And most of the time, I'm rocking her. There have been nights where it exhausts me. My back and arms ache. But I never leave her alone to cry it out. It's way too soon for that. Right now the most important thing is for her to know that I'm here. I need her to learn to trust that. It's a work in progress.

I've heard the fighting sleep thing is common for kids. Especially adopted children transitioning into their new life. I don't know why she does it. Is she just too nosy? Afraid she'll miss something? Or is there anxiety somewhere under the surface?

She's a fabulous sleeper.... about 95% of the time. She'll stay asleep until sometime between 7-8:30am. She may whimper a couple times throughout the night. But it just takes me popping her pacifier back in and rubbing her back and she's back out within a minute or two.

I really can't complain about the sleep thing AT ALL. I've heard friends talk about how they struggle with sleep issues. I was prepared for that. But so far... I've been so blessed. Knock on wood. LOL!

Once she's out... she sleeps really well. I watch her on the video monitor. Usually she sleeps like a rock, barely moving. Which makes me believe it's not so much anxiety or stress keeping her awake. I'd think her sleep would be restless with a lot of waking up if that were the case. But I don't really know.

I just know I say little thank you prayers to the sleep gods for blessing me with such a good sleeper. Even when I'm in my second hour of struggling to get her asleep, exhausted, hot, and ready to cry myself... I know once she gives in I'll usually have 8-12 hours of peace. So I hang in there. That is So Much More than I ever imagined was possible. I'm sure we'll have our moments with rough nights here and there. But right now... I couldn't be happier with how well she's doing.

Mia and her T's

2011-06-17T22:46:00.000-04:00

Those of you who migrated over from the other blog have heard me speak of the T's many times over the years. But for those who don't know... these are my sister's 5 kids. All of their names begin with the letter T.... hence the nickname of "the T's". They range in age from 14 to almost 3.

It's crazy to think we waited for Mia for more than half Tatum's life. Teagan for most of his since he's only 6. And Tess... wasn't even thought of when the wait for Mia began. They're all very excited about the addition of their new cousin.

Mia and I went over to hang out with them yesterday. The kids are thrilled just to be near her. They all want to hold her and love on her. I had to remind them several times to go slow and not overwhelm her. But I can see Mia's gonna love them as much as they already love her.

The video is of the three youngest T's mentioned above who insisted Mia should check out their swing set.

Sitting Up

2011-06-15T12:41:00.001-04:00

My prediction was spot on. I knew it'd just be a matter of days before she'd decide to sit up on her own. She started ..a little shaky... on Monday.

By Wednesday... she's a pro.

Yes.. mommy does have an obsession with penguins. I bought this for her years ago. It was so much fun to put it together this morning and play with it. Finally.

Blessed Sleep

2011-06-13T14:35:00.000-04:00

Look who slept in her own bed last night! She took a late afternoon nap yesterday and was still going strong at 7pm. Even after her bedtime bottle and jammies. So I let her hang out and play. At exactly 8pm her head dropped to the carpet and she zonked out. Since she was already asleep, I thought it'd be a good time to try transitioning her to the crib.

Of course, she woke up as soon as she hit the mattress. Then showed me her spicy side as I tried to get her back to sleep. Even though she was so exhausted her eyes were rolling back in her head, she fought hard... for 2 solid hours! My girl is almost as stubborn as her momma. In the end, momma won.

She was asleep by 10pm and didn't make a peep until 8:45am. I couldn't believe it. Momma even got to take a shower, put on make up and do her hair! I keep an eye on her at night through a video monitor but I still woke up at 4:30am shocked I hadn't heard from her. So I got up and checked her. She must've just really worn herself out arguing with me cuz she slept like a rock. She didn't hold it against me though and woke up her normal sunshiney self.

After a fresh diaper we headed downstairs for the morning bottle.

She sits in her high chair while I make it.

I think she's giving me a look like "why are you taking my picture and not making my breakfast, woman?!"

And in case I didn't get the message, she decided to tell me a little louder. LOL!

When her belly is full she likes to play.

Mia loves her seat. She gets bored laying on her back or belly all the time and likes to sit up and see the world. She still topples easily so for now she gets a little help. And yes... those chunky thighs are stuffed in like little sausages but she doesn't mind.

The many faces of my silly happy snotty nose girl.

Clean Baby

2011-06-12T18:39:00.000-04:00

Since Mia is only about 85% to sitting without assistance it's just easier for momma to give her a bath in the kitchen sink.

Look at that Buddha belly.

And all those delicious rolls of chub.

However I predict she'll be sitting up on her own within the next 3 days.

And if you come to dinner at my house, I'll just apologize ahead of time. But don't worry. I'll scour the sink my daughter's dirty butt sat in before I wash the plates I'll serve you on. LOL!

Found The Right Time Zone

2011-06-11T10:29:00.002-04:00

I think it's safe to say we've gotten our days and nights straightened out. We've had two very successful nights in a row.

Thursday night Mia was in bed from 9pm until 7am the next morning. Now she did have a middle of the night party that lasted about 2 hours. We had to do the diaper change, rock a little and then just some basic laying in bed goofing off instead of closing the eyes. But we both still got 8 hours of sleep... just in two shifts. I'll take it though.

Last night she started melting down at 7pm so I threw in the towel and put her to bed without her last bottle of the day. I figured we'd just get to it during the night sometime. She was awake from 10p-12a. But the bottle, diaper change, rocking then letting her lay there and babble seemed to work and she slept through until 7am!!

Hallelujah! My good sleeper is coming back around.

Right now we're co-sleeping in my bed. Because that's what works to get both of us good sleep. And that's the most important thing right now during our first week home and all these adjustments. We'll see where this ends up. But for now... I'm sticking with what works.

She's still pretty tired though. I don't think we've worked out all the kinks yet. Maybe some lingering jet lag. And we definitely haven't mastered naps either. The last 2 days in a row she's taken self imposed 9am naps. She just konks out on her own while playing.

My sunshine girl gets all grumpy right before the konk out. So mommy has finally figured out that means she's ready for the nap. I'm still learning, you know. But in the last 2 days she's taught me that she's good for about 2 hours in the morning...then needs a nap break.

I've yet to figure out the afternoon routine cuz we've been on the run the last 3 days in a row. We had to go turn in some paperwork for mommy's leave from work on Wednesday. There she charmed my co-workers with her giant personality and dimpled grin. We had her first doctor's appointment Thursday where she passed with flying colors. Then Friday we had lunch with my cousin and an appointment with the HR dept to get her insurance worked out. It's been nice to get out of the house for a few hours each day.

Mommy is doing really good with handling that. Much better than I thought I would. It's a little intimidating trying to figure out what to do to get ready, the order of doing that to be the most effective in being on time and not have the baby flipping out before you're even out the door, packing the diaper bag and not forgetting essentials, etc etc.

I had a lot of help from my sister in China with all that stuff. Now I'm on my own. And I'm really proud of myself. I'm handling it like a pro and it's not been as hard as I expected. Of course, I haven't figured out how to get my hair done yet. The ball hat has become my new BFF. But I'm managing showers and make up. It's all a learning process but that's pretty good, right? LOL! My girl, on the other hand, always looks fabulous. :)

Speaking of her pediatrician, the appointment went well. Mia's in the 99th percentile for weight on the American size charts and 84% for height. I've been carrying her around for 2 weeks so I already knew that. LOL!

The doc thinks she looks great and isn't concerned at all about her developmental stuff. We both think she'll catch up quickly. She wanted to hold off on the blood draw until next month. Just too much transition right now and didn't want to stress her any more than she already is. We're also gonna wait on starting solid foods. She certainly doesn't need the extra nutrition. LOL!

And it's just another new thing. We both think we should give her an opportunity to adjust to the other major life changes before throwing even more new stuff at her. I really like her pediatrician. She definitely listens and encourages me to parent from my instincts instead of what society preaches is the "right way".

So far so good. We're slowly but surely finding our groove. I expect things to continue to improve as we both figure out our new life together. And I can tell you one thing... this new life is a lot harder and a lot more work but a lot happier. This little girl has rocked my world .... and I'm loving every second of it.

Struggling With Sleep

2011-06-08T23:43:00.000-04:00

We're still trying to adjust to the time zone difference and struggling with sleep issues. Well, mommy's not. I have no problem sleeping. But Mia is all over the place with sleeping. Some days she sleeps too much. Others not enough. I'm trying to get her days and nights straightened out because right now my really good sleeper that I met in China... has left the building.

Today I decided to wake her up at 8:30am and force her into a routine. It basically worked except the last couple hours of the day were rough. She wanted to zonk out at 6pm. I had to fight hard to keep her awake. We did some serious playing. Her favorite game is to knock over the stacking cups. I keep moving them a little out of her reach and making her find a way to get to them. She'll be crawling soon. She's already starting to scoot a little and has learned that rolling will move her from place to place.

Excuse the drool. She's teething. You can see the top two coming in when she smiles real big. She also has a couple popping through on the bottom.

Aunt Carla came for a visit about 7pm and brought Tatum and Teagan. They helped keep her awake that last hour. The kids already adore her and I can see the feeling will be mutual. She has a 5 person entertainment committee at the T's house. She's not sitting up on her own yet so I got her a Bumbo seat the other day. She gets frustrated with always laying on the floor to play so this helps break up the routine a little. She loves it.

She was comatose by jammie time and couldn't even finish her bottle completely before falling asleep. Unfortunately, as soon as I put her in the crib she starts this waking up every 10-15 minutes or so routine. Most times she's not even fully awake...just bellyaching. I'll give her a minute or so to see if she settles on her own. If not, I go in, pat her back, pop her binky back in her mouth. If she's really thrashing around I'll rock her a bit more.

She slept wonderfully in the cribs in China. I'm hoping to continue that. I've put her in bed with me a few times if that's what was needed for momma and Mia to both get more sleep. I'll continue to try the crib though. It's still early. We've only been home a few days. Everything is an adjustment. If she does just fine with the crib, she'll stay there. If we get to a point where I don't think it's working, we'll co-sleep. I'm not completely stuck on either way.

She's been in bed since 8pm. I've rocked her back to sleep twice and had to go in and pat her or replace the binky twice, too. We'll see how she does tonight... but I'm hoping for good things. I want my good sleeper back.

It's Good To Be Home...

2011-06-06T10:56:00.000-04:00

We said good-bye to our guides, Martin and Grace, at 830am Saturday morning at the China Hotel and headed to the Guangzhou Airport for our 11am flight home.

We got ourselves checked in and made it through our first connection to Beijing with no problems. Mia slept nearly the entire 3 hour flight since we timed her mid-morning bottle to be had right at take-off.

She charmed the flight attendants on our Beijing to Chicago leg so much they gave her a set of wings to pin on her Ergo. That one lasted just over 12 hours. She again slept for 80% of it. Momma however got very little sleep since my 23 lb baby was too big for the bassinet. That means me or Aunt Carla had to hold her the entire flight. Not very comfortable but I was willing to do whatever it took to keep her quiet. She did so well that as we were leaving one of the first class flight attendants said she didn't even realize there was a baby on board. Proud momma.

For 5 years I've been stressed over that long flight home with a baby ...but my girl surprised me. Mia was such a trooper. She traveled like a dream. Not a peep from her as I marched her in the Ergo through airports. Even when we were both sweating our butts off. Did just fine through every security check when I had to take her out and hand her to an officer to be patted down. Charmed the Chicago customs officer with her smile which got us escorted to the shorter, faster "diplomat" line. Still had a big cheesy happy grin as we were about to board our last flight home nearly 24 hours after we started our day.

Mia hated the pacifier when we were in China. But I tried it again on the flight in the hopes it would help with the pressure in her ears. She's decided it's her new best friend. Now I have a binky baby. But I don't mind.

Finally! Finally... landed at our home airport and walking out to see the family. Momma a little worse for wear, very exhausted and a little stinky. But so very happy to be done with the flying.

Meanwhile, the star of the show was taking another nap.

Our welcoming party. I was so happy to see this! And so relieved to be home.

My sunshine girl did just fine in her car seat. I swear this girl just rolls with it as long as momma is near.

And now sheer devastation in my living room as we try to recover from the jet lag and the time difference.

But she makes it all worth it. I love her so much it takes my breath away.

Coming Home

2011-06-03T19:52:00.000-04:00

I love China with all my heart and soul. I've enjoyed my time here more than I ever could have imagined I would. China gave me the most precious gift and I'll be forever grateful. But I'm ready to bring my baby girl home. I'm ready to introduce her to all the friends and family who also waited five years for her.

At 11am Saturday morning China time (11pm Friday night Ohio time) we're boarding the first of three flights which will eventually bring us home. We fly to Beijing then to Chicago (where Mia officially becomes an American citizen) and then we land at Dayton International Airport.

We'll be on United Airlines Flight 3355 landing at 8:53pm Saturday night.

We basically travel back in time 12 hours because of the time difference. But to our bodies who will still be programmed to China time it'll be 8:53am the next day. So it'll feel like 24 solid hours of traveling. Because we leave for the airport at 8:30am Saturday morning. Ugh! I've been dreading this day. I'm sure that in addition to feeling like crap...we'll look and smell like it, too.

I'm so happy to see my friends and family. We've missed you all so much. But I'm so worried about how Mia will do on the airplanes. Say some prayers that we get home safely with no meltdowns for Mia... or the grown ups for that matter. LOL! Okay...maybe that's asking too much. How about we hope for just minor quickly and easily reversed meltdowns? I'll be happy with that. Say some prayers our luggage follows us all the way home and with everything in one piece.

We invite anyone who wants to welcome us home to come out to the airport. We'll run the gauntlet of well wishers, give hugs, say hello's, introduce you to the star.... but then we're heading home. I'm sure we'll be massively exhausted and in dire need of showers. So no partying that night.

For those that do come out to welcome us home, please take photos for Mia's memory book. My sister will be too busy hugging her kids to have the camera in her hand.

Thanks for all the support while we've been here. Reading all the comments helped keep us connected to everyone back home. We'll see you soon. We can't wait to finally bring Mia home!

Our Last Day

2011-06-03T11:47:00.004-04:00

Today was our last full day in China. Tomorrow we catch a plane to come home. Our travel group left this afternoon. They fly into LAX but I didn't want to take that route so we had to book our own flight. This morning we had free time which Carla and I used to just chill out a little. Then we met the group for our last lunch together.

My life is now connected with all of these people. Our daughters all come from the same place. We shared an amazing adventure together and I'll never forget them or the time we spent here.

I'll miss the food. It' some of the best I've ever had. And I can say I finally mastered how to eat with chopsticks. Not only did I succeed with feeding myself but most times I did so with a baby either strapped to me in an Ergo or sitting on my lap. I only dropped a noodle on Mia's head one time. LOL!

Mia has decided the high chair isn't so bad after all. It only took until 2 days before we were due to leave China that she agreed to sit in one.

I know you only come here for the cute baby shots... so here's another.

And another. This is Robert and Robin's daughter, Eliza.

Our suite with the "lived in" look.

This is Mia's Uncle Norman. He's my facilitator and played a big role in bringing my daughter and I together. I'll forever be grateful to him for all he's done to make my dream come true.

Robin and I saying good-bye.

The crew boarding the bus to the airport.

Norman giving us stern warnings NOT to open the brown envelope. Apparently, you have to return to Guangzhou and reapply for your child's visa if the package has been tampered with. Only the immigration officer at your US port of entry can open it.

After the group left, Carla and I were on our own with time to kill so we headed over to Shamian Island. We snuck into the White Swan Hotel and took our photo by the famous waterfall.

Then walked the island for a bit.

Did a little shopping. Okay.. a lot. Did a whole lot of shopping.

Then headed to Lucy's for dinner. Lucy's has reached legendary status amongst China adopters so, of course, we had to eat there.

Our somewhat all American meal. Roast beef and a grilled cheese with fries.The food? Eh, just okay.

We were going to try to do the "put your kid in traditional Chinese dress on the famous red couch" photo... but by the time we got back over to the White Swan it was late and my little one had had enough. So this was the best we could do.

Tomorrow.... home!

Consulate Appointment

2011-06-03T11:21:00.001-04:00

My daughter has decided that sleeping on her belly is pretty comfy.

Is that not just precious? I swear I could kiss those cheeks until my lips fell off.

Thursday was our consulate appointment. Since no cameras are allowed we just snapped a few photos in the room beforehand. My mom made Mia this patriotic dress especially for this day. Well, it was supposed to be a dress. But since Mia is a little plus sized (like her momma) it's actually now a shirt. LOL!

Later that afternoon we went shopping with Ann. I sent Mia's care package through her business Red Thread China. She was so funny. She said when they gave her the updated measurements for her she made the orphanage double check because she thought that was too big for a 6 mth old baby. But after Ann held her ...she believed it.

That evening was our agency's farewell party. All the little girls wore their traditional Chinese dresses. This is Bethany, Mimi and Grace. The three musketeers.

All the mothers in our travel group.

The four Tonggu sisters. Maya, Eliza, Mia, and Mei Lin.
They're all within 3 weeks of age.

But one grumpy girl decided she was in no mood to party.

So momma had one toast of Chinese rice wine and took her baby to bed. She'd had a long, overstimulating day and the party was just putting her over the top. So we went back to our quiet room for some down time.

But a really early bedtime for an overly tired baby may mean she sleeps completely through the night without waking for her 3am bottle and diaper change. Which is good. Unless she decides the day should begin at 5:30am when her momma wants to stay asleep.

One Week Later

2011-06-02T10:30:00.002-04:00

I've been Mia's momma for a little over a week now. She's changed so much already. I'm amazed at the progress she's made. So to help me remember it all I need to write it down... so this post might be a little boring for the rest of you. LOL! But I included some cute baby videos if you just want to skip to those.

On the first day her grasp wasn't the greatest. If I placed something directly into the palm of her hand she'd curl her fingers around it. But she'd quickly drop it. She didn't have the hand strength to hold a rattle over her face while laying on her back. She'd bonk herself in the head constantly. Within a couple days she could hold things. Then another couple days and she was actually picking things up herself and holding them, putting them in her mouth.

She couldn't roll over when we first met. She lacked the core strength to get herself over. I watched her figure it out over the course of several days. Plus we started working to strengthen her core. At first, she only got to her side and would get stuck. Then she progressed to getting onto her belly but couldn't figure out how to get her arm out from under her. Within 3 days she was completely rolling over like a champ. Last night she rolled over for the first time while sleeping and slept on her belly for quite awhile. Before that she'd only slept sprawled out on her back.

She can't sit up unassisted but I don't think it'll be too much longer before she will. The first day she would topple over immediately. Now 8 days later she's sitting up but either doubled over laying on (or playing with) her feet or she's doing the tripod where she puts her arms in front to support herself. She still topples easily.... but she'll be sitting soon.

As I said, she's also discovered her feet. I don't think she could get her chubby legs in the air to check them out like most babies do. Plus she probably wasn't given the opportunity to. She still can't get them up to her face when she's on her back. But she lifts them in the air. She loves to lift them and bang them back down. She loves for me to kiss her feet. She'll lay on her back and hold her foot up when I do. Then she'll curl her toes around my lips. It's adorable. She's also a little ticklish on the soles of her feet.

On day one, her skin was really dry and rough but we've been putting lotion on. Now it's so much softer. She's really hairy, too. I call her my little gorilla sometimes cuz her peach fuzz is thick and jet black. It's on her arms, legs, shoulders, upper back and she has sideburns on her face.

Her hair was also really dull and coarse. I thought that was just her hair type. But after a week of shampoo it's soft, shiny, thick and jet black. I think she's gonna have beautiful hair as she gets older. It's seems like it's already grown out some in just 8 days. She definitely has more hair than she did in her updated photos taken on April 11th.

Last night she reached out to explore my face for the first time. I didn't even realize she hadn't been doing that (like all babies do) until it happened. Before this her arms either just lay at her side or her hands pulled on her clothes, rubbed her eyes, scratched her head or pulled her ears when I rocked her. It's really sweet how she pats my cheek. I just could eat her up.

We had a breakthrough yesterday. All week she would play independently on the bed with her toys for very brief periods of time. Like no more than 5 minutes before she'd start what I call her "just bellyaching noises" in order to get someone to engage with her and pay attention to her. But yesterday she was content to play for quite awhile on the bed by herself.

She loves her stacking cups. We stack them high next to her and then she reaches out to knock them over. She cracks herself up with that one. She also likes a little Eric Carlisle board book that's on a ring. It's small and only has about 5 pages of animals. Each illustration has texture. She chews on the book and loves to flip the pages. Christine, you were right. It's one of her favorite toys. She also likes the stuffed penguin I brought her. She chews on him. Sometimes she gets really excited and hugs him tight cuz she likes to smash him. She just yesterday discovered the tag hanging off his butt and will occupy herself for quite awhile trying to grab or chew the tag. Oh...that's the other favorite. A hot pink taggie blanket I had made for her with her name embroidered on it. She loves to play with the ribbons and chew them.

She's not afraid of texture or noise. She's just as happy crinkling paper. She played with an empty M&M wrapper for days until we forgot to hide it one day and the hotel maid threw it away. LOL! She also insists on holding the bag of baby wipes during diaper changes so she can crinkle it.

Every time she needs to sleep I rock her. If she's fighting sleep or worse... throwing a big fit, arching her back, wriggling away... the only thing that will work is a tight football hold, standing up, and twisting back and forth. If she's sleepy and compliant ...then just a snuggly rocking back and forth will do the trick. I can't wait to get home to my upholstered glider. Mia will be very happy with that.

Another breakthrough came yesterday when she put herself to sleep. It was right after that long stretch of her playing contently on the king size bed by herself. I had to go fill out some adoption paperwork while Aunt Carla babysat. The next thing she knew... she glanced over to the bed and Mia's eyes were closed. She napped like that the whole time I was gone. It was killing me to be away from her for the 2 whole hours of paperwork. And she slept through the whole thing not even aware I was gone. LOL!

Last night after I rocked her at bedtime, I put her in the crib. Usually I have to wait until she's deep in the REM sleep to put her down. But since she'd gone to sleep on her own earlier for Aunt Carla I wanted to test her. So I put her down still not completely asleep. She did the kick her legs and bang them down thing off and on for several minutes with a few whimpers but no crying. So I let her be. I usually would reach over and pat her butt or just totally pick her up and rock her some more. But this time I didn't. And within a few minutes she was totally asleep.

Mia loves the Ergo. I carry her in it everywhere. Even in this heat. I'm a hot sweaty mess and so is she ...but she still tolerates it. I can tell she gets overwhelmed with lots of chaos around her. The loud street noises, traffic, people loudly speaking Chinese all around, just the sheer number of people walking around you...it's sometimes too much for her. But she feels comfortable in the Ergo, safe, protected.

She wakes up every morning with a smile on her face. As long as you let her wake up in her own time. It takes her awhile to fully wake and get coherent. I love seeing how happy she is and how her face lights up as soon as I peek over the crib and tell her "good morning". She'll break out that 100 watt grin and start kicking her feet and flailing her arms excitedly. Love it love it love it! How can you wake up in a bad mood with that kind of sunshine brightening your day?

Like I've said before... she's just a really happy baby for the most part. Very easygoing and laid back. She tolerates a lot. But she's also been showing me more and more of her spicy temper. We've had a few meltdowns. Partly because of teething. Partly because of being overstimulated and over tired. I'll be glad to get her home and on a real schedule instead of so go go go all the time. Partly also she may be grieving all the changes in her life. Even though she's so happy... she's still been through a lot this last week. Everything's different for her. I would certainly expect some reaction to that.

This video shows just how goofy an adult will act to make a baby laugh. Apparently...very goofy. I've been doing a lot of that this week. But I absolutely love it!

Medical Exam

2011-06-02T01:00:00.000-04:00

Let me just start off by saying ...anyone looking for a place to stay in Guangzhou I highly recommend the China Hotel. In spite of the bed mix up, they're absolutely wonderful. We've stayed in "5 star hotels" in 3 different cities in China now and so far the others don't hold a candle to this one.

The beds are so incredibly comfortable. In Beijing they were rock hard. Literally. When you put your knee on the bed, you expect it to give. You know..sink down in it some. Nope. It was like putting your knee on a park bench. Horrible.

The breakfast buffet here is outstanding. A big variety of both western and Chinese foods. The fresh pineapple this morning was to die for. Plus there's a McDonald's across the driveway, a Starbucks inside the hotel and a 7-11 out the side door.

A lot of people make a big deal about staying "on the island". But really...it's no big deal. There's a taxi stand right outside the lobby with taxis continuously arriving. A quick 10 minute ride and $17 yuan (less than $3 USD) and you're on the island. Super easy.

Yesterday we left early for Shamian Island to have our medical exams and take the babies visa photos. My supermodel baby took a gorgeous pic. I'll have to post it when we get her visa.

Over the last 5 years of waiting, I've seen so many other people with these same photos in this same building. It was surreal to be standing there myself. It was like an oven inside. The temps have been 95 degrees during the day. And the humidity...whew! I thought Florida was humid. This is way way way worse.

Mia was talking to her big sister Eliza and her mommy, Robin. I say "big" because Eliza's a few weeks older than Mia. But look at that size difference. LOL!

Mia likes to suck her thumb and since she's teething she's been really gnawing on anything she can get in her mouth..including her hand.

She was in a happy mood to start the day but that quickly changed once she got a look at the Chinese nurses in their white lab coats and surgical masks. Her bottom lip started to quiver, big crocodile tears formed and the wailing started. She was terrified.

I should've listened to those measurements when I got my update after the referral. I found it so hard to believe that a 7 month old baby could be 22 lbs. I was wrong. In fact, she's actually 10.26 kg now. Which is almost 23 lbs!! Our guide said the nurses kept saying "That's a HUGE baby." LOL!

When reading through her journal book, I found her foster mother overfed her. Which I appreciate considering the opposite could've happened. Especially considering she had 2 other babies the same age in the household, too. But she was giving her 4 ten ounce bottles of formula AND rice a day. Which explains her Buddha belly and chunky thighs. Needless to say, I'll be pulling her 18 mth clothes out when I get home.

Part of why she was so pissed off was because the exam happened during bottle time. She's very scheduled and will let you know (loudly) that she expects to be fed every 4 hours. Like clockwork.

After the exam, we walked around the island and did a little bit of shopping. These two are Mimi and Bethany. They're 2 years apart in age but it doesn't seem to matter. The third BFF is Grace but she wasn't with us this morning.

This bronze statue represents the evolution of the Chinese woman.

The island is beautiful. Looks a lot like New Orleans or Savannah, Georgia.

That evening we took a dinner cruise on the Pearl River.

I can't even begin to describe how much I love this girl.

Flight to Guangzhou

2011-06-01T11:46:00.001-04:00

The morning of May 31st was spent packing as we prepared to leave Nanchang for Guangzhou. We lost internet connection early that afternoon because our guides had arranged a later check out but there was some mix up and we were locked out of our room. We managed to flag down a housekeeper and get the door open but no luck with the internet.

We left for the airport about 4:30. I don't know what came over me but I got a little emotional on the bus ride. Just the reality of leaving Mia's province coupled with the fact that I'm still in awe that China gave me a baby. I know it's a whole lot more complicated than that. They didn't just "give" me a baby. I worked pretty dang hard to get her. But there are moments when it still feels so surreal. Then there are other moments when I feel like I've known her my whole life.

Our guide, Sissi, sang us some Chinese songs on the drive. She has a beautiful voice. I think that's also part of what got me so emotional. All these thoughts of China up against the background music of Sissi's haunting voice. We had to leave her at the airport. She lives in Nanchang and didn't accompany us to Guangzhou like Grace did.

Sissi is a part of my daughter's history and took such good care of us during our 6 days in Nanchang. She'll always have a special place in my heart. Thank you, Sissi!

I was a little nervous about how Mia would do on the flight. Thank goodness it was just a short test run of only about 90 minutes. She did pretty good. Only one meltdown when she gave all the sleepy signals but refused to succumb to the rocking that usually puts her to sleep. Instead she showed the front half of the plane her spicy Jiangxi temper. It wasn't pretty. We finally gave up. As soon as we sat her upright the little demon instantly stopped crying and broke out in a smile. I think she was smirking about winning that battle. Boy... am I gonna be in trouble with this girl.

We got to the hotel very late. It was well after 9pm. We were all pretty fried. The exhaustion is starting to set in and it didn't help that we got off the plane to 89 degree humidity. When we got to the hotel, our room was wrong. I'd requested two beds when the reservations were made. The first night we spent in Guangzhou last Monday they'd given us a king. We told them it was wrong but agreed to let it slide since we were only staying the two nights and then going to Nanchang.

Carla just put a pillow in the middle of the bed as the boundary line and we stayed on our own sides. We didn't want to wake up in the middle of the night and find ourselves spooning each other. LOL! But when we checked out, we reminded them of our request for when we returned. They assured us it would be corrected. I'm sure you know where this is going, right?

It wasn't. And there were no rooms available in the entire freaking hotel with 2 beds. I was already grumpy then add in sweating and tired with a crying baby strapped to my chest. Now it was almost 10pm at night since it was taking so long to check in our group. Let's just say I didn't show my best self.

But ... we ended up in a suite. So even though we still have to share a bed at least we're doing so in a much bigger, nicer room. LOL!