(not so) Funny Friday

Contained...and not get into mischief...at least for the 3 seconds it took to take the photo!

Well.......we certainly had an interesting day here! The morning was fine--a run to Target and a playdate with a good friend from high school and her daughter at a local rec center. The "fun" began when it was time to come home and go down for a nap. The C.N. was quite busy in her crib talking to herself and playing with the blankets. I generally go in ever so often to cover her back up and remind her that it is time to sleep. Each time I went in, she'd sign "all done". I firmly told her "no way" and would put her back down. It finally got quiet in there and I thought "good, at last she is down". I walked out into the hall to peer into her room and who do I see standing OUTSIDE the crib?!?! That's right, Houdini herself. Don't know how she did it, but somehow she managed it. The afternoon went downhill from there. She didn't end up sleeping, so after an hour and a half, I got her up and boy was she in rare form. The list includes, in no particular order: eating what seemed to be half a can of playdoh while I was trying to set up doctor appointments for her on the phone, spitting out her snack in a slow-motion "puke" manner, pulling out half a box of tissues, turning the vaccuum on and off as I tried to express my frustrations to J, banging various vaccuum cleaner accessories as loud as she could on the hard wood floor, licking the soap off her body as she was having her bath (yuck!!), taking big gulps of bath water (double yuck) and all the while, saying at the top of her lungs "No No No"!

As I sit and re-read this, the special ed teacher in me realizes that all of these were attention seeking behaviors. Thankfully she doesn't usually act like this because by the time J. came home from work, I was exhausted! These were the types of behaviors that I left behind...for greener pastures, or so I thought!

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful that the Chinese Noodle is happy watching (and participating in) Daddy getting ready in the morning. Yes, that's shaving cream on her!

Road Trip: Destination? Indy

J.E. and the C.N. hangin' out
Drying off after the "group" bath
Busy at the library
Arts-n-crafts time...making cards for the Daddies
I'm all 2 and all boy...this is my mean face
All 3 playing together
This past weekend, the C.N. and I took a road trip to visit my best friend from college, who lives in Indy. I was a bit nervous about making such a long drive by myself, but the C.N. did great!!! We did stop to eat lunch (usually I'm a fan of packing lunches and powering through) which extended the trip a bit, but it was certainly worth it for her sake. There was not one tear, squeal, fuss or whine the entire way there and back. What a blessing!

We had such a good time, hanging out with J and her 2 kiddos--J.E. and C. Her husband was out of town for part of the visit, so it was "more girls and 1 boy" as J.E. so finely put it. We hung out, laughed and visited the library for winter-themed movies (The Snowy Day, The Bear Snored On and Chicken Soup with Rice). It saddens me that we live so far away and that it is not easy to get together, but it makes the times that we do connect, even more special. The kids did a great job playing together too. J.E. is the oldest, at 4, C is 2.5 and of course the C.N. is just 2. There were a few squeals but all in all things went so smoothly. Thanks J for a great visit. Can't wait to see you later in the Spring!!

Happy Chinese New Year 2009!

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy Chinese New Year--the year of the Ox. This afternoon we went to a celebration that was put on by the FCC group (Families with Children from China) at a local Chinese restaurant downtown. It was wonderful to see all the beautiful girls (and one little boy) who were all decked out in their finest attire. At one point in time, during the dragon parade, I got all choked up (those who know me, know I do this periodically), just thinking about how different these little kiddos lives could have been... It certainly didn't last long though, because it was such a happy atmosphere! The buffet was filled with all kinds of yummy dishes--traditional potstickers, sweet and sour talapia, shrimp and pork dumplings, pork and tofu rolls, Chinese vegetables with bean curd, pork lo mein, vegetables and noodles, egg drop soup and baked chicken. The meal was finished off with of course, fortune cookies. Delicious! After the meal, the girls had a fun time running around and laughing. When it was time to go, a certain Chinese Noodle was by no means ready. There were a few tears (especially because she had missed her nap), but we were able to convince her everything was o.k. so she waved good-bye and agreed to go with us.

Fun Friday--Bouncin' off the walls!

The scene that greeted us
I've finally gotten my hands on a ball
Let's play Daddy
Enjoying the parachute
Taking a break to do some arts and crafts
Tonight the 3 of us went to an event sponsored by our local early childhood PTA group that was held at one of the elementary schools. They call it Bouncin' Off The Walls. I can't think of a more appropriate name! There was a parachute, tunnel to crawl through, music for dancing, balls to kick and throw and in the cafeteria, snacks and arts/crafts. When we walked in, there were kids running and laughing all over the gym, burning off the energy that's been bottled up all winter. The Chinese Noodle had fun running around, was able to get her hands on a few of the balls, crawled through the tunnel and even manage to grab a seat on the parachute as it slid by. Amazingly enough, we didn't witness any collisions the entire time we were there. When we put her down for bed, she was out in no time fast! Sweet dreams!!

Thankful Thursday

I have been reflecting these past few days on how truly thankful I am that the Chinese Noodle is part of our family. While we were going through "The Wait", I knew God had the perfect child picked out for us...I just didn't know how perfect she would be and how perfectly she would fit into our family. I am humbled and in awe of how God places children with the right families. There is no other way to describe it, but as miraculous.

So today, I am thankful that...
--the Chinese Noodle claps her hands when she knows she made a good choice and wants us to join her(i.e. eating her meal without throwing any food onto the floor) because it means she is highly motivated by positive reinforcement/rewards/attention more so than negative
--when we are in church, she will sing along with us because it means she feels moved to praise as well
--she hides her eyes when she knows she's done something wrong because it means she is learning right from wrong
--she loves to sit in our laps and be read to because it means she is developing a love for reading
--she readily and unconditionally shows affection to us because it means that she feels safe and loved
--her favorite game is pretend (acting out activities that we do around the house) because it means she understands what is going on around her and feels comfortable here
--when she sees the consequence for something naughty that she did, even if days have gone by, she will point and say "no no" because this means she understands the consequences of her actions(i.e. marking up the wall)
--when we pray, she will say "shhhhh" at the start and is beginning to close her eyes, say Amen at the end, and then ask for "more" so we can do it all over again
--when she removes her clothes, even if she is suppose to be napping, it is because she is flexing her independent muscles
--she understands everything we say to her because it means that her receptive language is strong
--she continues to increase her sign vocabulary, vocalizations and gestures because it means that she desires to communicate her thoughts to us
--that God chose us to be her parents

Odds-n-Ends around the house

This past weekend was pretty low-key at our house. A little cleaning, a little baking, and a whole lot of lovin' and laughin'! J had to lead the annual meeting at church on Sunday so he was busy preparing for that. The C.N. and I kept busy with some of my old toys that we found at Lolly and Papa's house. She is really interested in playing make believe with her stuffed animals and dolls. Friday I rooted around the attic (in single digit temperatures) and located the stove top, some play food, my old china tea set and various other pots, pans, bowls, etc. as well as some well loved books, a doll stroller and Lolly's doll cradle with which I had also played. Saturday I got out the sewing machine and stitched up some new doll blankets, a doll pillow and a mattress for the cradle. J is going to lovingly restore it since it is a bit shaky due to old joints, etc. We'll have to post pictures of the cradle once it is finished. Gotta run...I hear the C.N. stirring in her crib.

Funny Friday

So many shoes...so little time

What's a girl to do? So many shoes and oh so little time! A recap of the fall and early winter with the C.N. and her interest in shoes.

A weekend of firsts

Faster Daddy faster!!!!!!!!!
Boy, it is really hard to move in all this snow!
I love trying to catch snowflakes
Winter wonderland
You can just take this cape off me RIGHT now, because I am not liking this hair-cutting thing!!!
Are we done yet?!?! (Don't look at my roots!)
Doesn't my new do look nice? All those long pieces around my neck and ears are gone! Thanks Ms. Diane.
This weekend was a series of firsts for the Chinese Noodle. While we had had some snow, we got a whopping 8 inches over Friday and Saturday. As soon as the C.N. looked outside, she started signing "snow" and kept pointing to go out. We all put on the layers and J got out an old sled to pull her around the yard and up and down the sidewalk. She LOVED every minute of it, but wasn't so sure about actually standing in the snow. I think because it was so deep, she didn't like the feeling of being immobile.

Later on that day we went to have her first haircut. She was NOT impressed and wanted absolutely nothing to do with getting her hair trimmed! Poor thing, she cried and screamed like she does when she is at the doctor. I wonder if she is having flashbacks to her time in the orphanage when they would cut her hair so short...by the time she had her coat on and she and J were walking out the door, she was back to her smiley-self again. The whole ordeal took approximately 10 minutes. I'm sure she'll learn to love going to the hairdresser--all in good time.

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful that I can stay at home and play outside in the snow with the Chinese Noodle!

Wordless Wednesday

Clothes are soooo overrated

Playing so nicely with my Raggedy Ann doll. Don't I look cuddly and warm?
Perhaps I'll just take off my socks and slippers and unzip my jacket...
Why don't I just take off my jacket? It's not that cold in here.
Pants? I don't need my pants!
Hee Hee...I'm free!
The Chinese Noodle, like every good toddler, has discovered the fun (and power) in being able undress, and with some assistance, dress, herself. Usually this happens at appropriate times, like getting ready for a bath, or when it is time to take off her p.j.s, etc. Other times, however, we'll walk in on her and voila! Partially clad 2-year old. It really does make you laugh! Some mornings when we get her up out of bed, she'll have unzipped part of her p.j.s and her shoulders will be sticking out. J calls her a "lounge lizard". Ha Ha. If she could have undone the snaps on her onesie, I'm sure she would have removed that too!

Goodbye 2008, hello 2009!

The Chinese Noodle and Uncle S...getting all wound up!
All dressed up for New Year's Eve
Uncle S and Auntie C
This new UglyDoll is almost as big as me!
A Chinese Noodle sandwich
Goodnight Lollie
Happy 2009 to everyone! We've been busy celebrating with my brother and sister-in-law who have been here for a week. We were sorry that they had to leave today, but hope to plan a visit out to see them this late winter or early spring. S and C, we'll keep you posted.

What a fun time we had with family, ringing in 2009. On New Year's Eve Lollie, Papa, Uncle S, Auntie C, the Chinese Noodle, J and I went out to a great little Italian restaurant for dinner. It was a tasty meal that was paced just right...sometimes you can feel so rushed, especially on a night like New Year's. After that, the whole crew came back to our house to chat and laugh. Unfortunately the C.N. missed it--no staying up until midnight for her (or us, for that matter--we only lasted until 11:15).

On New Year's day, everyone including J's folks (Grandma and Grandpa) came back over for dinner. We completely ate ourselves silly with white cheddar cheese, 5 English cheese and Cotswald cheese and crackers for an appetizer, pork tenderloin stuffed with brown rice, oranges, golden raisins and cashews, steamed green beans with dill, garlic mashed potatoes, spinach salad and sauerkraut for the main meal and Christmas cookies and gingerbread with lemon glaze for dessert. Oh, how could I forget the best part of all--the champagne!! Yum-O.

On a more serious note, as I reflect over 2008, it has certainly been a year that I won't soon forget. Of course the highlight was the referral and addition of the C.N. into our family. Being on the other side of "The Wait" makes it easier to understand that God was indeed working, even though I couldn't always see how. While I was recovering from my unexpected surgery this past spring so many verses spoke to me, but one that was especially meaningful was one from Isaiah: "Don't you yet understand? Don't you know by now that the everlasting God, the creator of the farthest parts of the Earth never grows faint or weary? No one can fathom the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the tired and worn out and strength to the weak. Even the youth shall be exhausted and the young men will give up. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint--Isaiah 40:28-30".

May we all continue to put our hope, faith and trust in the Lord this 2009.