We had a FABULOUS Christmas. Mari-Grace had a blast. She wouldn't open her own gifts, she made me do it for her ... LOL. She kept yelling "OKEN MORE MAMA"!!!! She got a haul ! Santa delivered a new doll house with furniture. She got a Fisher Price Zoo, a dump truck, a shopping cart, blocks, a Leapfrog LeapPad, clothes, a Jingle the Dog + Jingle book from Hallmark, new books, new clothes, stickers, and I'm sure more that I am forgetting.
She played so hard all afternoon. Her doll house is by far the favorite toy of the season. Matter of fact, I found a Mom and toddler doll with brown hair to go with it. They are actually hispanic, but close counts. The asian dolls I found on e-bay range anywhere from $17 on up, and I couldnt find a caucasian doll with dark hair. So I found the Hispanic Loving family dolls on the Fisher Price website. Mari-Grace was thrilled to get them. She opened the little girl and hollered ... WOOK ... ME !!!!
MaMa did pretty well too. I got some much needed dress clothes, a snow baby, and my favorite .. a KUERIG COFFEE POT !!!!! I also finally got to order my print copies of this blog, and also my baby jelly beans blog. SO EXCITED to get these print copies !!!! They will be treasured for a VERY long time.
We actually had Christmas at my house this year. It was nice. Everyone was in a good mood ... Hannah came down with a cold, but we were all healthy. We had our biscuits, gravy, sausage, bacon, eggs, and ham. We were all very stuffed and very happy !!!!!
We are so incredibly blessed !
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Christmas 2011
Santa has arrived ... doll house fully assembled ... Leap Pad charged and ready !Omaw and Poppy's packages delivered.
Uncle Greg and Aunt Kelley's packages delivered.
WOW !!!
Wook MaMa ... WOOK !!!!
Best cousin ever ... what 22 year old guy plays doll house with a 3 yr old ??
Poppy and Omaw opening presents.
"oken MaMa ...more ..." Translation ... OPEN MORE MAMA !
Oh Yeah !!! This is fun !!!!!
Car ... Car ... Car MaMa ... CAR !!! (Mari-Grace found this car at Walmart and cried to bring it home. I told her to tell Santa. Well, Santa got the message to Aunt Kelley, and MG got that car ... it just happens to go with her new doll house !
Look MaMa ... M&M's out my nose !!!!
All this playing and opening presents wore those boys out !!!!!
Look MaMa ... M&M's out my nose !!!!
All this playing and opening presents wore those boys out !!!!! Saturday, December 24, 2011
Happy Christmas Eve!
We have had a fantastic day today! We had 23 people at our house for Christmas Eve breakfast. MG has already received LOTS of gifts today. I just know that our friends have found MG such unique things. We had a great time this morning. MG was completely overwhelmed by all of the friends and family, but as they started leaving, MG started warming up to everyone.
Oh what fun she had! We got a toy called a stomp and launch. You step ok this rubber thing, and it shoots styrofoam balls across the room. We laughed till we hurt. MG got lots of stickers, and paper, and a strawberry shortcakes remote control car.
Tonite, we had my sister and her family over. My nephew's girlfriend and her grandma joined us. We ate sausage balls, pigs in a blanket, popcorn, and watched Mr. Popper's Penguins. I am not a Jim Carrey fan, but this was a cute movie. MG played until she literally couldn't play anymore. She crashed about 9:15 pm.
I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family. I appreciate each and every one!!!
NORAD says that Santa is working in north America. Somewhere in Canada right now. I am heading to bed myself.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
Sent from my iPhone
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Winter has arrived !!
Goodness ... has winter ever made an entrance in Arkansas!! Tuesday night, we went to bed, cold here ... woke up Wednesday morning with SNOW !!! Yes, it is early in the winter for snow in Arkansas. Luckily, it was warm enough that the snow melted VERY quickly.
I wondered if Mari-Grace would recognize what snow is. We only got a little last year. So, I took her to the door and let her look out. She got so excited, and started hollering SNOW MAMA ... SNOW !!!
I have had a sinus infection, and so has Mari-Grace, so when she asked if she could go outside and play, I had to say no. The little stinker never misses a beat. I got into the shower, and I heard her take off in a dead run down the hallway. I figured she had gotten into the nail polish in the bathroom. I hollered for her to come back in the bathroom and let me see what she was into. She had gone into her bedroom, pulled out her winter hat with the pom pom on the top, and her gloves. She had her hat, gloves, and boots on. She smiled really big and said, "Snow ... outside ... play !!" I laughed to myself.
We had lunch at the adoption agency that same day. Somehow, in an hour's time, we managed to loose that hat with the pom pom. I pulled if off, laid it on the table, and it grew legs and hid !!!We searched that office over, and couldn't find that darn hat. We had to make a trip to Kohls to find a new hat because Miss MG was upset !!!
Miss MG found one of the Chinese umbrella's we have pulled out of storage for Lunar New Year planning. I don't usually let MG play with the umbrella, but I made an exception. She was being very, very careful not to tear it up, and she just looked so darn cute. She made me think of China. In China, everywhere you look, there were women carrying umbrellas. They were more of a fashion statement than a rain blocker.
MG's speech is coming along. She is talking all of the time now. Still can't understand a lot of what she says, but she jabbers constantly. She loves to sing. She sings, sings, sings and plays. We are still having a lot of trouble with /P/ and /B/ sounds. Her speech therapist is concerned that her palate may not be functioning properly enough. She is concerned that MG might need another palate surgery to lengthen the palate a little bit so that she gets airflow directed properly. We go for follow-up with our surgeon in February. They will do a new speech evaluation with the cleft team then. In the meantime, we are working really hard on blowing bubbles, blowing balloons, and focusing her airflow the right way.
MG had to make another trip to the dentist this week. She has poor teeth, most likely due to poor nutrition early in life. Her teeth have some de-calcification issues, so her enamel is weak. My mom noticed a dark place on her tooth about two weeks ago. Turned out, it was a cavity. We are having to really limit her sugar intake. That means no soft drinks, no fruit juice, no chocolate milk. Honestly, she doesn't drink a whole lot of really sugary stuff. She does like her sprite ... but it takes her 2 or 3 days to drink a 12 ounce can. She prefers milk ... most often white milk. We are working on drinking more water. We will see how that goes.
Christmas is coming quickly. MG is loving the Christmas lights and decorations. We have an Elf, named Ellie, that moves around every day. She is having a blast looking for Ellie everyday. We have an a candy advent calendar and a calendar on the wall in the shape of a Christmas tree. She is having fun eating her candy and putting a new ornament on the tree everyday. The other day, she even got an e-mail from Sant himself. It is a video, where Santa is talking to her. Mari-Grace is having a blast watching and re-watching that video.
For the time being, that is about all there is to report. There will be more fun things to report as we get closer to Christmas, I'm sure.
I wondered if Mari-Grace would recognize what snow is. We only got a little last year. So, I took her to the door and let her look out. She got so excited, and started hollering SNOW MAMA ... SNOW !!!
I have had a sinus infection, and so has Mari-Grace, so when she asked if she could go outside and play, I had to say no. The little stinker never misses a beat. I got into the shower, and I heard her take off in a dead run down the hallway. I figured she had gotten into the nail polish in the bathroom. I hollered for her to come back in the bathroom and let me see what she was into. She had gone into her bedroom, pulled out her winter hat with the pom pom on the top, and her gloves. She had her hat, gloves, and boots on. She smiled really big and said, "Snow ... outside ... play !!" I laughed to myself.
We had lunch at the adoption agency that same day. Somehow, in an hour's time, we managed to loose that hat with the pom pom. I pulled if off, laid it on the table, and it grew legs and hid !!!We searched that office over, and couldn't find that darn hat. We had to make a trip to Kohls to find a new hat because Miss MG was upset !!!
Miss MG found one of the Chinese umbrella's we have pulled out of storage for Lunar New Year planning. I don't usually let MG play with the umbrella, but I made an exception. She was being very, very careful not to tear it up, and she just looked so darn cute. She made me think of China. In China, everywhere you look, there were women carrying umbrellas. They were more of a fashion statement than a rain blocker.
MG's speech is coming along. She is talking all of the time now. Still can't understand a lot of what she says, but she jabbers constantly. She loves to sing. She sings, sings, sings and plays. We are still having a lot of trouble with /P/ and /B/ sounds. Her speech therapist is concerned that her palate may not be functioning properly enough. She is concerned that MG might need another palate surgery to lengthen the palate a little bit so that she gets airflow directed properly. We go for follow-up with our surgeon in February. They will do a new speech evaluation with the cleft team then. In the meantime, we are working really hard on blowing bubbles, blowing balloons, and focusing her airflow the right way.
MG had to make another trip to the dentist this week. She has poor teeth, most likely due to poor nutrition early in life. Her teeth have some de-calcification issues, so her enamel is weak. My mom noticed a dark place on her tooth about two weeks ago. Turned out, it was a cavity. We are having to really limit her sugar intake. That means no soft drinks, no fruit juice, no chocolate milk. Honestly, she doesn't drink a whole lot of really sugary stuff. She does like her sprite ... but it takes her 2 or 3 days to drink a 12 ounce can. She prefers milk ... most often white milk. We are working on drinking more water. We will see how that goes.
Christmas is coming quickly. MG is loving the Christmas lights and decorations. We have an Elf, named Ellie, that moves around every day. She is having a blast looking for Ellie everyday. We have an a candy advent calendar and a calendar on the wall in the shape of a Christmas tree. She is having fun eating her candy and putting a new ornament on the tree everyday. The other day, she even got an e-mail from Sant himself. It is a video, where Santa is talking to her. Mari-Grace is having a blast watching and re-watching that video.
For the time being, that is about all there is to report. There will be more fun things to report as we get closer to Christmas, I'm sure.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Referrals
Guess what. China has now placed children with families who have a log in date of 8-7-2006.
It is amazing to think that if I had elected to stay in the Non-Special Needs line ... I still would be waiting for my little angel. As things are going now ... I could have expected a referral in Feb 2012.
God knows how to work miracles. I'm living proof. In Feb 2009, I was moved by a beautiful bilateral cleft baby on the Starfish foster home site. Her name was "Tina". I watched her grow, and I was ready to move heaven and eart to get to her. It wasn't meant for Tina to be my daughter. This child, on a blog, 1000 miles away, was put there to open my eyes and my heart to the Special Needs adoption program in China. As a result, I switched to the Special Needs program and 9 months later ... Wha-La ... God brought another miracle into my life. A beautiful little bilateral cleft girl who was created to be my daughter.
I don't have a clue why her biological parents elected not to raise her. It could have been because of her deformity. It could be because she was a second ... or third daughter. Maybe they didn't have enough money to feed her and clothe her. I don't know and will never know why Dang Yun Mian wasn't allowed to be a part of her biological family's life. BUT ... They chose to give her life which is a miracle. The made the choice to leave her where she could be found and taken to a safe place ... the orphanage. She was blessed with a foster mother who took really good care of her. And the biggest miracle of all .... God directed the Chinese powers that be to place her with me.
So do I regret NOT staying int he NSN program .... NOT A MINUTE !!!!
I have the child that was meant to be my daughter. I could never have a biological child more like me. She is amazing. She is perfect. She is MY DAUGHTER !!!!!
I can't imagine my life without her in it. She makes my days brighter, my smiles wider, and my heart grow 10 sizes every day.
Thank you God for unanswered prayers and prayers that are answered with wait. I waited, for this Child I prayed, and my prayers were not denied.
It is amazing to think that if I had elected to stay in the Non-Special Needs line ... I still would be waiting for my little angel. As things are going now ... I could have expected a referral in Feb 2012.
God knows how to work miracles. I'm living proof. In Feb 2009, I was moved by a beautiful bilateral cleft baby on the Starfish foster home site. Her name was "Tina". I watched her grow, and I was ready to move heaven and eart to get to her. It wasn't meant for Tina to be my daughter. This child, on a blog, 1000 miles away, was put there to open my eyes and my heart to the Special Needs adoption program in China. As a result, I switched to the Special Needs program and 9 months later ... Wha-La ... God brought another miracle into my life. A beautiful little bilateral cleft girl who was created to be my daughter.
I don't have a clue why her biological parents elected not to raise her. It could have been because of her deformity. It could be because she was a second ... or third daughter. Maybe they didn't have enough money to feed her and clothe her. I don't know and will never know why Dang Yun Mian wasn't allowed to be a part of her biological family's life. BUT ... They chose to give her life which is a miracle. The made the choice to leave her where she could be found and taken to a safe place ... the orphanage. She was blessed with a foster mother who took really good care of her. And the biggest miracle of all .... God directed the Chinese powers that be to place her with me.
So do I regret NOT staying int he NSN program .... NOT A MINUTE !!!!
I have the child that was meant to be my daughter. I could never have a biological child more like me. She is amazing. She is perfect. She is MY DAUGHTER !!!!!
I can't imagine my life without her in it. She makes my days brighter, my smiles wider, and my heart grow 10 sizes every day.
Thank you God for unanswered prayers and prayers that are answered with wait. I waited, for this Child I prayed, and my prayers were not denied.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
The Living Room and the Play Room Christmas Decorations
It just isn't Christmas without a Nativity Scene. This one is Fisher-Price Little People. Mari-Grace is loving the playset. She can rearrange and move things around, and not get in trouble for playing with it. She loves to push the angel on the Manger and listen to "Away in the Manager."
This is our fireplace.Note to self: I've gotta remember to go and dig out the candles
to put on the candle holders.
In the picture, all you can see is the lights. We have red beads, and about 400 ornaments.
This is Mari-Grace's tree in the Playroom. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas !!!
Well .. Thanksgiving is over. The turkey is gone. The leftovers have been finished.
It was a nice holiday. For the first time, we actually had Thanksgiving Dinner at my house. I had a total of 9 people. It was small, but nice. Mari-Grace pitched a fit to sit in a big girl chair at the table. She usually sits in her high chair, no tray, pulled up to the table ... but NO ... she had to sit in a regular chair. Of course , she is the only child, so finding a spot at the grownup table was no big deal.
Little miss independent is a HOOT !! She can freely suck from a straw now. What's the big deal you ask??? Well remember ... she is a late repair cleft kiddo. Up until a year ago ... she couldn't suck at all. She'd never learned how. She didn't have the lips or palate needed to suck. Guess what ??? SHE'S GOT IT DOWN PAT !!!
We are working on blowing now. I have her close her mouth and force air out her nose ... to blow snot out mainly. We are working on blowing kleenex around the room. Blowing out candles. Blowing bubbles. Blowing cereal down the table. Learning how to force air out her mouth, and directing the air flow, will help her be able to articulate sounds like /B/ and /p/.
She's getting better. However, she gets to laughing so hard sometimes when we are blowing the kleenex that she literally falls over laughing.
So Christmas is the next holiday to conquer. The "Elf on the Shelf" has made her appearance. Mari-Grace named the Elf ... Ellie. She looks every day to see where Ellie is sitting ... and promptly yells ... "MOVED".
Mari-Grace gets excited when she sees Christmas lights. She is quick to show you both of our trees. I have the monster tree in the living room. It is 7.5 ft tall and 5ft around at the bottom. It looks pretty ... even though it is leaning a bit. In her playroom, we put up a 4 ft tree with ornaments that she can move around at will. She's 3. years old ... and she doesn't bother the ornaments. She has a few musical/animated ornaments. MG will come and get me and point to them for me to turn them on and make them go.
We have had an exciting potty week. NO ACCIDENTS ... NONE ... ZIP .... ZERO ... NADDA !!!!
She has started running to the potty by herself when she needs to go. WHOO HOO !!!
She stays dry all night, but we still wear a pull up at bedtime ... just in case.
We took dinner tonite, to some friends who have been home a week with their new daughter. They have Newies ... big huge black dogs. The dogs are beautiful, very gentle ... but MG was not impressed. They were a little intimidating to her. She didn't cry, but she made me hold her. The little girl, Natalie, wanted to hold MG's hand ... and MG wasn't gonna have it. Natalie is 22 months old. When MG wouldn't let her hold hands, Natalie would just pat MG on the back. When we left, MG did tell her bye bye and throw kisses.
I'd post more pictures of her, but the little stinker won't stay still long enough for me to take pictures. She can hear the camera being picked up and she stops doing whatever it was that I wanted a picture of. GRRR.
Well, that's all for tonite.
It was a nice holiday. For the first time, we actually had Thanksgiving Dinner at my house. I had a total of 9 people. It was small, but nice. Mari-Grace pitched a fit to sit in a big girl chair at the table. She usually sits in her high chair, no tray, pulled up to the table ... but NO ... she had to sit in a regular chair. Of course , she is the only child, so finding a spot at the grownup table was no big deal.
Little miss independent is a HOOT !! She can freely suck from a straw now. What's the big deal you ask??? Well remember ... she is a late repair cleft kiddo. Up until a year ago ... she couldn't suck at all. She'd never learned how. She didn't have the lips or palate needed to suck. Guess what ??? SHE'S GOT IT DOWN PAT !!!
We are working on blowing now. I have her close her mouth and force air out her nose ... to blow snot out mainly. We are working on blowing kleenex around the room. Blowing out candles. Blowing bubbles. Blowing cereal down the table. Learning how to force air out her mouth, and directing the air flow, will help her be able to articulate sounds like /B/ and /p/.
She's getting better. However, she gets to laughing so hard sometimes when we are blowing the kleenex that she literally falls over laughing.
So Christmas is the next holiday to conquer. The "Elf on the Shelf" has made her appearance. Mari-Grace named the Elf ... Ellie. She looks every day to see where Ellie is sitting ... and promptly yells ... "MOVED".
Mari-Grace gets excited when she sees Christmas lights. She is quick to show you both of our trees. I have the monster tree in the living room. It is 7.5 ft tall and 5ft around at the bottom. It looks pretty ... even though it is leaning a bit. In her playroom, we put up a 4 ft tree with ornaments that she can move around at will. She's 3. years old ... and she doesn't bother the ornaments. She has a few musical/animated ornaments. MG will come and get me and point to them for me to turn them on and make them go.
We have had an exciting potty week. NO ACCIDENTS ... NONE ... ZIP .... ZERO ... NADDA !!!!
She has started running to the potty by herself when she needs to go. WHOO HOO !!!
She stays dry all night, but we still wear a pull up at bedtime ... just in case.
We took dinner tonite, to some friends who have been home a week with their new daughter. They have Newies ... big huge black dogs. The dogs are beautiful, very gentle ... but MG was not impressed. They were a little intimidating to her. She didn't cry, but she made me hold her. The little girl, Natalie, wanted to hold MG's hand ... and MG wasn't gonna have it. Natalie is 22 months old. When MG wouldn't let her hold hands, Natalie would just pat MG on the back. When we left, MG did tell her bye bye and throw kisses.
I'd post more pictures of her, but the little stinker won't stay still long enough for me to take pictures. She can hear the camera being picked up and she stops doing whatever it was that I wanted a picture of. GRRR.
Well, that's all for tonite.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
Thankful!!
You know, it is November. Most of us take this time, as the holidays begin, to reflect on the things in life that make us thankful.
I've tried to create a facebook post every day .. and I find myself being very thankful for the little things in life.
My post tonite on the blog is kind of a sad one.
I have a good friend, who is facing a bone marrow transplant. She is married, and has a 6 year old daughter. I have a family member who is 27 and has breast cancer. Today, she had a radical mastectomy with reconstruction. She is married and has a 4 year old daughter.
I am very thankful tonite for my good health. I am also thankful that I have taken the time to create this blog. With 2 people, who are close to me, facing potentially terminal health conditions, I am contemplating mortality more and more. If something were to happen to me, I wonder what Mari-Grace would have to hold on to remember me by ????
In my opinion, it is important to leave more than just things behind. I have pictures, which I need to get labeled and into photo albums. I also have this blog ... which I will be getting in print form soon. I hope that Mari-Grace will be able to read my posts, and know how much I adore her.
I hope that she will see the pictures of the beach, and our trips to the Pumpkin Patch, and the zoo ... and she'll remember what good times we have together. I hope that she can read the words, and see that I loved her, even before I met her. I hope that it is creating something she will treasure in the future.
As I said in the last post, it doesn't matter how clean the house is or how many things we have ... what matters is the time we spend together reading ... snuggling ... playing ... laughing ... making hand print art ... singing ... being silly ... sharing hugs and kisses We aren't busy keeping up the Jones' ... we are perfectly content being together making memories !!!
And as long as I can ... I want to record those memories !!!!
I've tried to create a facebook post every day .. and I find myself being very thankful for the little things in life.
My post tonite on the blog is kind of a sad one.
I have a good friend, who is facing a bone marrow transplant. She is married, and has a 6 year old daughter. I have a family member who is 27 and has breast cancer. Today, she had a radical mastectomy with reconstruction. She is married and has a 4 year old daughter.
I am very thankful tonite for my good health. I am also thankful that I have taken the time to create this blog. With 2 people, who are close to me, facing potentially terminal health conditions, I am contemplating mortality more and more. If something were to happen to me, I wonder what Mari-Grace would have to hold on to remember me by ????
In my opinion, it is important to leave more than just things behind. I have pictures, which I need to get labeled and into photo albums. I also have this blog ... which I will be getting in print form soon. I hope that Mari-Grace will be able to read my posts, and know how much I adore her.
I hope that she will see the pictures of the beach, and our trips to the Pumpkin Patch, and the zoo ... and she'll remember what good times we have together. I hope that she can read the words, and see that I loved her, even before I met her. I hope that it is creating something she will treasure in the future.
As I said in the last post, it doesn't matter how clean the house is or how many things we have ... what matters is the time we spend together reading ... snuggling ... playing ... laughing ... making hand print art ... singing ... being silly ... sharing hugs and kisses We aren't busy keeping up the Jones' ... we are perfectly content being together making memories !!!
And as long as I can ... I want to record those memories !!!!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Making Memories
As I was laying in bed with Mari-Grace tonite, a bit of a tear came to my eye. Suddenly, I found myself wondering what will she remember from the times we spend together?
Will she remember the time at the beach with her playing in the sand and me nearby? Will she remember blowing raspberries on my leg as we run down the hall laughing? Will she remember snuggling next to me at bedtime, with her little hand on my face and her smiling at me? Will she remember sitting in the recliner reading book after book? Will she remember hollering "tickles" and then squealing with laughter?
The house may be a wreck ... and trust me ... it is. I have clothes to fold, clothes to wash, clothes to hang up. I have enough dust on the furniture to start sprouting small vegetation. But you know what ... in 20 years ... I won't care that the house was a wreck. I won't remember the toys strewn across the floor and the laundry that needs to be put away.
We are making memories ! I'll remember playing doll house. I'll remember the stories and the tickles and the silly faces. I'll remember the laughter and her chasing me down the hallway to blow raspberries on my leg. I'll remember how her eyes dance when she laughs, and how that little sponge of a brain soaks up everything.
We are making memories ... and that is ALL that matters !!!
Take time to make good memories with your loved ones. Whether it be a walk in the park or snuggling reading a book. Time is the most important investment you can give another person.
Will she remember the time at the beach with her playing in the sand and me nearby? Will she remember blowing raspberries on my leg as we run down the hall laughing? Will she remember snuggling next to me at bedtime, with her little hand on my face and her smiling at me? Will she remember sitting in the recliner reading book after book? Will she remember hollering "tickles" and then squealing with laughter?
The house may be a wreck ... and trust me ... it is. I have clothes to fold, clothes to wash, clothes to hang up. I have enough dust on the furniture to start sprouting small vegetation. But you know what ... in 20 years ... I won't care that the house was a wreck. I won't remember the toys strewn across the floor and the laundry that needs to be put away.
We are making memories ! I'll remember playing doll house. I'll remember the stories and the tickles and the silly faces. I'll remember the laughter and her chasing me down the hallway to blow raspberries on my leg. I'll remember how her eyes dance when she laughs, and how that little sponge of a brain soaks up everything.
We are making memories ... and that is ALL that matters !!!
Take time to make good memories with your loved ones. Whether it be a walk in the park or snuggling reading a book. Time is the most important investment you can give another person.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Mari-Grace's Very First School Picture !!
Not too bad for a kid that hates to have her picture taken. Of course, who could blame her, after all, she's had a camera stuck in her face since day one. The photographer that went to the preschool is one of my customers at the pharmacy. He told me that he picked at her until he got a little grin. At least she wasn't screaming. 
Sunday, October 30, 2011
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