What a Journey

A Brand New Blog

2011-03-29T13:46:00.000-04:00

Come visit us here for more of the same and a whole lot of new.

October

2009-11-01T00:17:00.014-04:00

We spent the first two weeks of October recovering from Maya's tonsillectomy. We tried to stay close to home because I just could not imagine her getting sick on top of a throat stripped of it's tonsils. The flu, swine and others, have been running rampant around here. She was out of school for a week and I think we may have left the house once. Fisher was thrilled to have us here with him all week.

She spent (and is still spending) lots of time drawing and coloring. Here is a family portrait by Maya.

And here is her holiday drawing with a bat, bunny, her name and "ear microphones", hee hee.

We busted out the ol lava lamp for Maya. After being home for a while we were really searching for entertainment.

Finally feeling nearly 100% we were able to get outside and enjoy some of the beautiful fall days. Playing and working!

Then came Halloween! Maya's very most favorite of all holidays! Our first Halloween activity was a pumpkin hunt at church. To bad it was rained out but they still got to pick a pumpkin and paint it and they did get outside to "hunt" their treat bags.

Next was our local library Halloween party. She had a great time with all of the games and crafts and of course, the candy. The only thing that freaked her out was "feeling the creepy fings(things)".

This is Maya with her friend Amy. Amy does the Books n' More story time at the library. Maya loves Amy. She does a great job with stories and activities for the preschoolers.

Next was the Halloween party and parade at school. I love to go into Maya's class just to watch the kids interact. They were even more fun in their costumes.

Then yesterday we carved our pumpkin. It was a beautiful day. It was 80 degrees and, for the most part, sunny.

Tonight finally brought an end to the Halloween festivities. Instead of having trick or treat on one of the past two beautiful nights, we get tonight. Cold and damp. So, we went to 4 houses and then came back home. I think Maya had as much fun giving out treats as getting them.

Our beautiful princess Belle!

September

2009-10-31T22:01:00.011-04:00

Oh, I am so far behind! Now that those words are out of the way I am going to try to catch up.
Let me see if I can remember all the way back to the beginning of September. It seems like forever ago. As I look at these pics with green trees and grass and us wearing summery clothes it just doesn't seem possible that it was just two short months ago.
We started September with a new adventure...preschool! Maya went right in the first day and hardly looked back. Not a tear shed...at least by her.

She is in class with one of her BFFs, Klaire. What a couple of cuties these girls were on their first day of school! (as if they aren't every other day, ha!) Klaire's momma and I really have enjoyed the girls being able to be in class together. We especially enjoy the time that we get to spend together while they are there! Nothing like a little Momma time at the gym and shopping. According to someone behind us on the treadmill, our hands move quicker than our feet.

We went to see Grandma and Grandpa in Tennessee. That is always a great trip so we decided to extend it a little this time. It was a much more relaxed trip by adding on a couple of days. Maya was able to see her great grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Here she is waiting for everyone to arrive. Once everyone was there I guess I forgot how to use my camera.

As an added and so, so welcomed bonus the Lazars came to Tennessee to visit too! Every time we get together with them the girls take right off where they left off. As if they've never been apart.

Then we came home and Maya got sick. Maybe freezing in the pool had something to do with it. Thank goodness it was a quick sickness because she was scheduled to get her tonsils about a week later. This girl loves her nebulizer and will ask to "do a dragon" when she's sick and not breathing well. She knows what works.

The tonsils are gone and this is why. Those things were nearly touching back there. We have always had problems with Maya eating. She would only take tiny bites, one kernel of corn, one noodle, one piece of cereal etc. I had to cut everything into little pieces. It wasn't just her being picky. She simply wouldn't eat if it wasn't something small or soft. The girl weighed 26.5 lbs on the day of her surgery. She is almost 37 in. tall. Then came the obstructive sleep apnea. Do you know how scary it is to listen to your child suffocating while she sleeps? It was particularly bad in her car seat. The two weeks before her surgery were very, very bad.
She did great with the surgery. It was outpatient and she came right home and ate 2 cans of chicken noodle soup, never required anything more for pain than Tylen0l and recovered like a champ. We don't even hear her breathing now and she's taking big, mouthful bites.

She's been on a big drawing spree again lately. She has gotten really good at coloring and staying in the lines and has been particularly creative and imaginative. Here she is posing with her unicorn.

Check out more drawings in October.

August

2009-09-14T22:08:00.004-04:00

August is always bitter-sweet to me. It is the last truly summer month and we love some summer around here.
Teresa and Molly stopped back by on their way home. We were so happy that we got to spend a little extra time with them. It was an extra special treat for both girls when Molly got to join Maya in dance class. Little girls in tutus has to be one of he cutest things ever.

Luckily they came on laundry day and Maya was able to share one of her favorite princess nightgowns with Molly. These two gowns have sure had a work out this summer.

Maya loves her new princess dress from Molly!

We got Maya this little tree swing a few weeks ago and it has been amazing watching her figure out how to hold on and how to get off of the swing when she's finished. She is doing great!

We took Maya on her first camping trip. We had a blast. She loved it and asks to go again every couple of days. We went up to Spruce Knob Lake campground. It is one of our long time favorites and we were as pleased as always. Spruce knob is the highest point in WV and it is beautiful!

This was our home away from home for the weekend.

As is always the case, the food was great. Everything always tastes better when it's cooked over (or in) the campfire.

The view from the top of Spruce Knob. Mountains everywhere! It is awesome up there.

"Enough with the pictures!"

I'm pretty sure sparklers are illegal in a National Forest.

Ahhhh mornings around the campfire with a princess nightgown on.

We had to stop to play in the creek when we came down off of the mountain. It was a super fun weekend. Maya was a real trooper for her first time camping. She's such an adaptable little girl. I never doubted that she would have a great time.

August brought the final piece of our adoption paperwork. Maya's WV birth certificate!

July

2009-08-09T21:47:00.006-04:00

OK, I've tried and tried to move these pictures around. Aside from starting over, I'm not sure what else to do. I can't seem to rearrange and of course, I didn't upload them in order because I've never had a problem moving them around after loading them. So, in an effort to get this July post up before the end of August I'm leaving them the way they are. Sorry for the complete disorganization. I'll do better next time.
After finding and eating all the raspberries, Maya had to love on Fisher since he didn't get to eat any raspberries. I guess she was feeling sorry for him.

We were so happy that Teresa and Molly (and Korinne) came to visit for a couple of days. Maya still asks when Molly is coming back to her house.

The girls were eager to help make french toast for breakfast.

They enjoyed a little snuggle under Molly's soft butterfly blanket.

Maya started telling me how to spell her name about a month ago. Then about a week later she wrote it on the driveway with chalk, completely unprompted, and totally on her own. Needless to say, I was amazed. Now she practices every chance she gets. We are so proud of our big girl!

We managed to pull off a surprise birthday party for my Mom. She was truly surprised and loved every minute of it. Here she is with her great grand kids and Maya who is a "great" grand kid but just a granddaughter. And don't forget Buddy the dog.

These next 4 pics were taken when Maya and I went to check on our grapes and found raspberries as well!

A delicious bite!

This is what I found when I looked in to the grapes. Few green grapes and many raspberries.

This is the grape pile. We have cut these grapes back several times and then never do anything else with them. We would like to build a little arbor but have many, many more things on our list of things to do that are more important. The grapes don't usually amount to much anyway. It seems like they are green then they are gone. I think the critters get to enjoy them more than we do.

We made it to the Kanawha State Forest for a picnic and playing in the creek.

We had a great time in Pigeon Forge at the Cirque de Chine's Adopted Chinese Children Reunion. They had lots of traditional Chinese games and activities. Most of them were a little too old for Maya to participate in but she still had a blast. The show was good and the food was EXCELLENT!!

Posing with Dad in Tennessee.

This is the original name on the driveway. I am still astounded. I was messing around in the yard and Maya says, "Mommy! I wrote my name!" She sure did.

June

2009-06-30T21:54:00.007-04:00

We have thoroughly enjoyed our June. I hate to see it go. I wish the summer months would slow down.
We started the month off in North Carolina...Ahhhh Sunset Beach!! We spent Friday visiting Mike's college room mate. On the way down this VW Squareback blew past us. Of course I had to grab my camera because this is identical to my very first car. I haven't seen one on the road around here for years. I loved that car. Even if we did have to scrape the ice off of the inside of the windshield in the winter, while driving.

The hotel we stayed in on Friday had a great park behind it. Maya surprised us when she just took off on her tricycle, peddling and steering like a pro. We have a small flat concrete parking pad that Maya had been trying to ride her trike on but wasn't having much success. Everywhere else around us is grass or gravel and hilly. Not the greatest for learning to ride a tricycle. After riding around in places where there's lots of flat open space she has become a champion tricycle rider.

We had a great time at the beach this year. Maya loved spending time with Chloe and Caitlin. It's so nice to go on vacation.

We have spent a lot of time in the pool. If it were up to Maya we'd be in there all day everyday.

And I've been spending a lot of time in my laundry room! Every quilt, towel, rug etc. has been washed. Not to mention several loads of clothes. I love my new toys!

This was one of Maya's gifts to her daddy for father's day. I can't remember where I saw this idea. It was in some magazine but I can't remember which one. It sure did turn out cute though.

A birthday party with a jumpy house! I could hardly get her to come out even for cake.

She did come out for a group shot in the Spiderman masks.

Maya attended her first VBS last week. She had a blast! We don't go to church so this was all pretty new to Maya. She loved learning the songs. And she did a great job when they did the program for the church. She was in heaven the day they brought animals that they could feed and pet. It was hard to get her away from these bunnies.

The theme of the VBS was Rome. It was a lot of fun for the kids and everyone that participated. This was the 3 & 4 year old class playing a game. There were so many kids there.

Looking beautiful for her singing debut on Sunday morning.

So Maya's month goes out on a not so happy note. She had to have blood drawn today in an attempt to find out why she has hives. She had a back full of scratch tests on Friday. She has been a trooper through it all. As soon as we got back to the car after having her blood drawn she asked what kind of band aid that was. I told her it was just a white one and then I made a smiley face on it. She laughed when she looked at it and then immediately put on the pity face. "I need to show my Daddy", she said in the most pouty voice ever so gently touching the band aid. So Daddy, this one's for you.

May

2009-06-17T00:11:00.006-04:00

May was mostly cool and wet. We had some sunny days too and it is certainly getting green with all of the rain we've had.
This was my third Mother's day. I love being a mother! I love my girl!

The azaleas were particularly full and beautiful this year. But it only took one good rain to knock all of the blooms off. But they sure were nice while they lasted.

Maya has gotten a lot of use out of her Ariel umbrella and the kitty rain boots that her cousin Lilli gave her. She loves those boots!

Still loves Little Critter. New favorites are Olivia and Arthur. We spend a lot of time at the library.

Also still loves to paint. When she gets to paint at her easel she says she is painting a Jackson Pollock paintin'.

She finished up her gymnastics class. These were the only 4 girls left by the end of the class that started in October. They had such a great time and it was so much fun watching all of these little girls grow up.

Memorial Day

The sewing bug bit. Monnie's flowers were a perfect backdrop for Maya in her Momma-made outfit.
This was the longest Maya's hair had been in a while. I thought I might let it grow for the summer so she could have some pony tails. These were the only pony tails she got. It's short again now and looks so much better. The tails are super cute but they will not stay in her silky mane.

April

2009-05-05T23:49:00.014-04:00

April was full of fun, friends and family. Oh, and don't forget BIRTHDAYS!!

We started the month in a cabin in the woods (by the window a little man stood...la la) with our great friends the Lazars. We were so happy that they made the trip to WV and that we got to get together with them again so soon after spending our 2 year family day anniversary just a few weeks ago.
It was quite a few days with my truck thermometer reading 80 degrees when we got there on Saturday. Then leaving on Monday with at least 3 inches of snow on the ground. I did not take even one pic of the girls in the snow. I am SO over the cold!! And as I type this tonight, I am even more SO over the rain that has nearly washed us away this week.
Both little and big people alike had a great time. We celebrated birthdays one day and Easter then next. Ella and Maya had cupcakes that they made and tiaras to wear for their birthday party. Then they had Easter bonnets and baskets to hunt eggs. They spent a little time in the hot tub with Evan. And they ran and played and stirred and ran and played some more. The stirring was all Maya's idea as she has some crazy obsession with stirring. We put some of Maya's panties on Ella and she's been potty training ever since. What are friends for?!
The boys, including Fisher took a little hike out to Long Point to get a great view of the New River Gorge and the bridge. Laura and I never left the cabin. We enjoyed a relaxing time just being together.
We are so thankful for the friendships that we likely would have never made if not for the blessing of our girls. Cosmic alignment, the hand of God, fate, luck...call it what you will. It's truly amazing how much happiness these little girls can bring into your life and not just with their presence but with everything the whole process encompasses.

Maya got some new cute birdy bedding. I don't know who loves it more. She and I both are wild about it.

Then we went to see the Easter bunny. Oh what fun! Maya was thrilled as evidenced by the enormous grin on her face. Show her a big ol' furry bunny or some random giant circus character and she's all smiles but if it has a human face (think Santa) forget it.

Then the bunny came to see Maya. Once again, the girl was ecstatic.

I thought I'd try some sponge curlers for a fancy Easter do for Maya. She sat very still and let me put the curlers in. She never tried to take them out while her hair was drying. And she was excited when it was time to take them out.

It looked really cute after I fixed it! But this picture was before I fixed it. She wouldn't hardly let me take a pic after I took the curlers out. I laughed while I was taking them down and Dad was taking pics. I laughed because it was so cute and so curly. But I hurt her feelings and I felt like a dog! She HATED it. She almost cried and so did I. She didn't want to go to my sisters. She didn't want pictures. She didn't want us to look at her. It was awful! She said "Fix it mommy. Make it back to Maya's hair! I don't want to go to Aunt Robin's!"

So after taking the flat iron to it and much explanation as to why I laughed and many apologies she was ready to go have Easter dinner with the family. I had to call and warn everyone not to mention her hair. It was still pretty fluffy but not curly and that was ok with Maya. I should have known better. Our girl is super sensitive but puts up a strong front. Sometimes I forget how fragile she truly is.

All was well once we got there and she got to play with her Brycie.

One of her latest face drawings. She asked for a pic of it as her Aunt Judy and Racheal looked on.

Here's the conversation:
me: "Let's put on your earth day shirt."
Maya: "Today's my birthday?!"
me: "No, not today. But it will be soon. Today is earth day not your birthday."
Maya: "Mom! Those are rhyming words!"
Smarty pants.

I almost missed the spring wild flower pics at our neighbors this year. It's been a wet and cold spring. While we were walking by her house one day Maya said she wanted her picture in Monnie's flowers. So we went right home and got the camera.

This is one of the last ones I took. Her expressions says it all. Enough mom. I just want to smell the flowers now.

Then we finished off the month with a birthday trip to the Outer Banks. We had a great time and great weather.

3! Yes, 3. My sweet tiny baby is still sweet but she has become such a big girl. Wow! Does anyone know how to slow down time?

Happy Birthday, angel! So. Much. Love.!

March

2009-04-16T23:48:00.006-04:00

March is one of those months when the weather can go from 70's and sunny to 20's and snowing in the course of a day. But the snowy, cold days are soon to be gone and it can't come soon enough. We are taking advantage of the warm days to get some outside play time. We've sure missed that.
We spent one afternoon with Julianna and Jaclyn. The girls had a great time taking a little hike, building fairy houses, swinging and sliding.

All of the fairy house building has brought out the fairy in our girl. She can't wear just the wings though. She has to have a "beautiful princess dress" too. And of course, a flash light or two are always part of the costume.

I've put her to work doing dishes...not really! She does love to play in the sink. Maybe I should give her that job, LOL!

"Mom, take a picture! I'm sittin on Fisher!" Thank goodness he's a good boy. And thank goodness she doesn't weigh much. You can tell by the look on his face that he's really enjoying his rider. We often have a talk about not sitting on Fisher. Or not pulling Fisher's tail. Or not chasing Fisher with the stroller. I know she loves him but she sure does hassle him. But then in the next minute she's gently patting his head or laying her head on him and giving him kisses. (Sorry to anyone who is not a dog person but we always kiss our dog. He is our furry child and we love him) She has started calling him Ben Ben. Don't know where that came from.

This one was, "Mom, take a picture of Ben Ben and Maya and Baby Hippo". I'm just so amazed that she's asking to have her picture taken these days. My, my how they change!

Back to the sand table and she loves it as much this year as she did the last. I can't wait till it's warm enough to put water in it instead of sand. The sand and our new wood floors aren't getting along very well. I looked out and this is what I saw. I asked Maya what she was doing. She never even turned around and said, "Being lazy."

Happy Birthday to Daddy!!

Dad's best present!!

February

2009-03-18T23:57:00.007-04:00

Until two years ago, February was my least favorite month. Then two years ago on February 25 we finally wrapped our arms around the sweet girl that we had already wrapped our hearts around and now I feel a little differently about February. Still, it is cold and dark and I am SO tired of the cold and dark. But just thinking of our great fortune to be blessed with Maya does warm me and she is for sure, the light shining through any darkness!
I Love Maya in motion in this pic. She was dancing in circles.

I never thought I would see the day when this girl would actually ask to have her picture taken. She asked for this picture with her giraffe and her critters.

I have had Maya's picture taken at a studio one time. It was in May 07. We got a few good pics but over all it wasn't all that. I thought I would give it another try. Mom made Maya this super cute little dress and I wanted her pics in it. So I made an appointment and we talked about it for days before going. She looked so beautiful in that cute little dress and her cute little curly hair. See this picture that I took? That's all we have. The portrait studio was a complete failure and a serious aggravation! I'll just say I left there steaming. Maya still has some of her favorite things taken away because of this little incident.

She does love some spaghetti.

Does anyone else's refrigerator look like that?

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day again!

Where's Maya?

Why, she's playing with my Ipod, of course. But not anymore. At least until I get a good picture...

Maggie was really interested in Maya's block tower until it fell over.

We do a Mom and Me gymnastics class. They have blast!

Maya's first attempt at the big rope swing.

Our ice skating rink has "Totcicles" skating on Friday mornings. We've been trying to get to that when we can. It's great because they don't have to wear skates unless they want to. They keep the ice rough so it's not slippery at all.

Klaire went with us a few weeks ago.

I have been consumed by vampire books these days. I'm almost finished with the last vampire book so hopefully I won't be so late getting my March post up.

2 Year Reunion

2009-03-18T22:43:00.011-04:00

As previously mentioned, February 25 was our 2 year family day. We were so happy to get to spend the weekend with 2 other families from our travel group. We have been getting together with the Lazars a couple of times a year since our time in China. This time we got to see the Mulligans too! How exciting!! We had not seen them since getting off of our flight in LA leaving China.
We spent the weekend in Nashville and the girls had such a great time. Each morning Maya would ask, "Where are my friends?" And any time throughout the day that we weren't together she wanted nothing but to play with her friends...and her flashlight.

We took advantage of the Managers reception each evening. Little girls enjoyed popcorn and Shirley Temples. Big girls and boys enjoyed something a little stronger! We all enjoyed the company and the music.

We spent the day on Saturday at the Monkeys Tree House. Super cool play place for the kiddos.

Maya and Ella playing some My Little Pony.

Maya, Ella and Molly playing dress-up. Thanks to Evan for being the quick change master behind the curtain. Maya didn't care much for any of the costumes but did wear the hat.

We had Chinese food for lunch...imagine that. And of course, the ladies working there were very interested in the 3 Chinese beauties at our table.

Cuties

Next was Brushfire Pottery. The girls picked out their pieces and painted away. They did a great job. We just got ours in the mail last week.

Concentrating hard on her cupcake.

Maya loved riding in the elevator.

Running the halls wondering where Molly was.

Laura with a lap full of sweetness!

We ordered pizza for dinner and just let the girls run wild. And did they ever! They played ring-around-the-rosie until they couldn't spin anymore.

Together again!

I love this pic! How cute are they?!!

There was a purple couch at our hotel. We had great plans to recreate the red couch pictures from the White Swan. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate and we were kind of scurrying around trying to get out of town before a snow storm. Oh well, maybe next time!
We had such a great time! Although, we wish Paul could have been there...ha!

January 2009

2009-02-07T21:34:00.007-05:00

January was a cold and snowy month. We spent most days just hanging out here. Some days because that's what we wanted to do and then other days because we didn't have any choice because of the snow. We missed 2 weeks of gymnastics. That's a true bummer. Most of the time if you ask Maya what she wants to do she'll say, "I wanna stay here." She is definitely a homebody.
We did venture out to our local groups Chinese New Year dinner. Our girly looked just like a princess.

Maya and Emma

All the kiddos that made it to the dinner. The weather made it difficult for many families to make it this year. We usually have twice as many kids.

Maya loves to make snow angles. We made them all the way across our yard.

Such a shame to be so sad...

We do a lot of painting around here these days. We paint pictures and our fingernails and toenails.

The tent will be up for days at a time and then I just can't stand it anymore and have to put it away for a few days. Maya asks about everyday that it's down to put it back up. She will play in it for hours. The static is out of control!

"You take a picture of me, Mommy and I take a picture of you!"

We did get to spend one morning with the cutest red headed boy I know, Carson!

Halloween created a monster out of Maya. A candy monster. Before trick or treat Maya never asked for candy. She would only eat those tiny M&Ms. And not very many of them. Well those are days of the past. Candy, candy, candy! She asks for it 10 times a day, at least! This is Maya's first candy necklace.

Ice cream is another favorite. But really now, who doesn't love ice cream?

Just because she's so darn cute..

It's been a while since I've taken a picture of one of Maya's drawings . This Tinkerbell dry erase board has been a favorite lately. "It's a clown!" Maya says as she circles and circles to make the nose. The last thing drawn on the picture. "Hey Mom, I make a clown!"

December

2009-01-13T21:28:00.010-05:00

The last month of 2008 blew in and out just as every other month has. Time could not go faster...could it? Please...no!
We started most mornings the same as we always do except Maya started many of these December days with her reindeer antlers on. And as always, Fisher is never far.

We don't get much playing outside time these days. It isn't always too cold. But it's usually muddy and sloppy. We do take advantage of those few and far between days when we can get outside.

We made a new discovery this month. I've always wanted to try these baby bananas. Don't know why I waited so long. They are delicious. Maya loves them too and will eat 2-3 of them.

We baked cookies.

Then we were sick for weeks.
We did a family pic with the McFees while visiting for Christmas. Notice how Maya is a limp noodle. We were all surprised that Maya was still awake when the photographer was finished.

The grandkids.

Maya asked for a doll house for Christmas. And specifically "I want a Goodbee doll house, momma" is what she would say. Well Grandma and Grandpa came through with the doll house. She was (and still is) so excited! She walked around and around the box rubbing her hands on it saying, "It's just what I wanted! It's just what I wanted!" She only stopped playing to eat and go to the potty all day. And I mean, all day.

This is our Christmas angel! My favorite Christmas present again this year!!

Don't think that Fisher is not going to be right in the middle of Christmas morning.

Hey! How cute am I with my new markers all over my face?!!

We brought in the new year at Pawley's Island. It was a good time. Being on the edge of the earth is always good times for me.

All the girls.

I'll leave you with a few of this years Christmas pics.

Happy New Year!!

November

2008-12-08T21:40:00.004-05:00

Mike said to me today, "You need to start taking more pictures". He's right. I've been seriously slacking on the picture taking lately.
We were busy in November with getting new hardwood floor upstairs and painting. We are still busy in December with it all. But it's so worth it. Our new floors are beautiful! And so is this gorgeous girly sitting so nicely on the new floor to show it off.

Maya has moved on from the cheese face for pictures to the sad face. Pretty sad, huh?

If there is something sitting around that is Maya size, you can bet she's gonna be in it.

Even if it's almost not Maya size. Little squirt...who fits in a stew pot?! (another good shot of my pretty new floor!)

We had a few warm days early in the month. Mike and Maya spent those warm evenings burning up what was left of our sparklers. Most nights Maya still asks to play with them.

I love surprise pictures that I find when I download pics from my memory card. Mike and Maya one of those warm days. Guess I was working. Wish I could get her to smile like that.

Another little treasure. Such a big girl!

"Look Momma! She has flowers in her hair!"

October

2008-11-12T22:57:00.006-05:00

Well, October came and went and not much went on around here after our trip to the OBX except for raking leaves and Halloween. We have two big trees in our front yard that give us plenty of leaves to rake into big ol' piles for Maya to jump in and kick and slide into.

Our little skeleton posing by the mailbox flag.

We of course had to carve another pumpkin after we got home since we had to leave the witch pumpkin in NC. We decided to try the traditional carving route instead of the stencil. Maya thought it was pretty fun to dig the guts out of the pumpkin.

She also enjoyed drawing on one with a marker. I don't know why I gave her a dry-erase marker. It was much more of a mess than any other type of writing utensil would have been.

But she sure didn't care. She was just glad to be coloring on the pumpkin.

She wanted a happy pumpkin.

The temperature was in the 50s on trick or treat night. I was so happy that I had found this little Minnie Mouse costume. It was warm and fuzzy and it had a full hood. Maya would never tell me what she wanted to be for Halloween. She would only say what she didn't want to be. "I don't wanna be a ghost. I don't wanna be a witch. I don't wanna be..." I think Minnie Mouse was a fine choice.

Me and my Minnie.

Maya and her friend Ellie.

The popcorn ball was by far Maya's favorite treat.

We took some sparklers to the OBX and Maya has asked her Dad every night since we've been home to "play with sparklers, Dad!" Don't think for one minute that he's gonna tell her no.

Meet the newest member of our family. He was born the first week of November but I can't wait till the end of the month to post his sweet face. This is Maya's cousin, Carson. Oh! I could just pinch this tiny red headed man!! Welcome to our world precious boy!

OBX 2008

2008-10-31T00:15:00.010-04:00

Maya's first trip to the Outer Banks was nearly perfect. Mike and I have been going to the Outer Banks about twice a year for several years now. Last year we didn't go at all. We've really been missing it. We love going because it's just such a beautiful and peaceful place and because we love taking Fisher. He has a blast. We have been staying in Avon the past few times that we've gone and so decided that we'd do the same this time. So far it hasn't disappointed!
We stop and spend the night at Aunt Judy and Uncle Chauncey's house in Chesapeake on the way down and it really makes the trip so much better. We can get up an leave at a leisurely pace and still get there with plenty of day to spare. Judy gave Maya a princess pumpkin carving kit so we had to stop at a produce market and get a pumpkin to carve.

I loved seeing this tiny strip of land surrounded by water on the Garmin.

We stopped at Bodie Island Lighthouse and had a little picnic lunch. We weren't the only ones eating...

Notice the big ol' red welt on Maya's cheek? It's a mosquito bite. The first of many this week!

How cute are those ears flappin' in the wind?

Maya doesn't like her syrup on her waffles. She prefers to dip. Nice dipping bowl, huh?

We had beautiful weather until Thursday evening. We spent a couple of days on the beach but not in the ocean. Fisher doesn't care much for the waves. But he could spend all day in the sound. Maya could dig and dig...she could dig a hole to China, LOL!

We took her tricycle instead of her wagon. Big mistake. It squeaked this horrible squealing noise. So we parked it and bought yet another stroller. That makes 4 now.

Momma and Maya carving the pumpkin.

Of all the stencils, Maya chose the witch from Snow White. By far the most detailed of them all. I had never used one of these kits. They are awesome!! I love the scooper and the saw. I thought she turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself.

We had a great day for flying a kite or an umbrella. Shortly after the pic of Fisher setting under the umbrella, it blew out of the sand and rolled and rolled until it was totally out of site. I tried running after it. I ditched my flip flops (but not my mimosa) and ran as fast as I could but could not even come close.

Our house was way too big for just the 3 of us and we tried to swindle some friends into coming down with us but as usual, no go. It was a beautiful house and the pool was great. It was plenty warm even in October.

There was a playground...

and painting...

and naked foosball for players under 3.

Our boy. Doing one of his favorite things. I thought I was going to have to go in after him for a minute. He couldn't find the stick I threw and would not come back to the shore. I finally had to throw another.

My two loves on the ferry to Ocracoke.

The mosquitoes were bad in Avon but they were ferocious on Ocracoke. Driving around with the windows down, Maya got about 4 bites on her including one under her other eye in the exact same spot as the one in the pic at the lighthouse. Here are Mike and Fisher running for their lives back to the truck.

We are having computer issues. Sorry for keeping everyone hanging.

September

2008-10-14T14:09:00.009-04:00

As summer came to an end we got busy trying to make the most of every last minute of warmth and sunshine. Now here it is the middle of October and it's still warm and sunshiny. We are certainly not complaining. It just makes for a little harder decision on what to wear.
Maya loves bubbles. I could blow them until I passed out and she'd still be asking for more. But how could I ever say no?!

September brought Maya's first shiner. Here it is the day it happened. I never took another pic of her while it was healing but it was just a little blue under her eye. The scrape healed quickly and we're putting Mederma on it now. You can hardly tell it was even there. Her cousin Bryce was showing her a new dance move and he bumped her a little too hard. Dancin'...it's risky business!

I have been slacking on the wildflower pics this year so we decided to have a photo shoot while taking care of Shadow and Sir Galahad late in the month. It has never been very easy to get good photos of our beauty. I know it doesn't seem that way from this blog but I have to take many, many horrible ones to get one good one. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Thank goodness for the digital camera!! Lately Maya has been almost refusing to look at the camera. I try every ploy to get her to look and not much of anything works. I just happen to get lucky sometimes. It starts the minute I pull the camera out. She will not look at me no matter what. Here's what I got from our only wildflower shoot this year. I bought this little dress while we were waiting for Maya. She's never worn it and it's getting too short so I had to try it for the pics.

Bobble-head Maya.

We went to Tennessee for a visit on the way to Atlanta for the Autumn Moon Festival with the Lazars. We finally visited the Knoxville Zoo. Maya loved it and still talks about the animals. She sat right up there beside of this gorilla. She was very slow moving and seemingly sweet behind the glass. Pardon the flash.

Maya and Grandpa riding the lion.

It rained at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Something we have seen very little of around here. There was this great little puddle in their yard. It was very deep and clean. If it had been in our yard, one step in it and it would have become a mud hole. Maya jumped and splashed around in it for a long time and it never got muddy.

Then we were off to Atlanta. We had another great time with the Lazars and thank them so much for hosting us in their beautiful home. This adoption has blessed us in so many ways. First and foremost of course is being given this fantastic child that makes us smile and has created so much more love in our lives than we ever thought possible. Second is the forever friendships that we have made with our travel group and in particular the Lazars. We love this family!!
Maya and Ella got along just fine. Like they have been buds forever! I was pretty lame with the camera but here are a few shots from our weekend.
The girls playing a little beauty shop.

And being the smiley, happy, beautiful girls that they are.

The whole gang (minus Evan as he's behind the camera) on top of Stone Mountain.

Dad, on top of the world...in more ways than one!

Maya and Momma in front of that giant rock sticking out of the ground.

After dark with their glowsticks.

We just got back from the Outer Banks this past weekend. I will try to get a post up for that trip soon.

First Haircut

2008-09-07T15:34:00.004-04:00

I finally gave in and got Maya's hair cut. It had gotten really long and it's so thin that it just looked scraggly when it was down. During the summer she and I both have a ponytail all the time. But now that it's becoming fall I'll be leaving it down more and I thought it was time. This picture was just taken a few days ago and you can see how long and thin her ponytail was.

We cooked out at my sisters house yesterday. I called my niece and asked her to bring her clippers home from work so she could cut Mikes hair while we were there. I decided it would be as good of a time as any to cut Maya's too. She'll be going to see her Grandma and Grandpa and the Lazars next week with a new do. Here is the before shot.

And during, being such a good girl for her Aunt Sarah. Mosquito bites and all.

How cute is the back of that little sweet head?!!

A big cheese from two new haircuts.
Just for the record, Maya does wear pants contrary to most of her pics lately. She had a little accident and I forgot to bring a backup outfit for her.

August

2008-09-05T00:28:00.008-04:00

Well, I sure am glad that this month is over! I usually cling to August like Linus to his blanket because it is the last month of summer. And I LOVE SUMMER!! But this August was a bummer for the most part. There were some good parts so I'll share those with you.
We saw two fantastic Mountain Stage shows. The second one featured bass player extraordinaire Mike Gordon and Mike had his brush with fame. He couldn't have been happier.

Our good friends Jonathan and Mindy got hitched. At their reception Kelli and I showed up in the same dress totally unintentionally. Neither of us were surprised. It's just so typical of us. We said we were the bridesmaids.

And now, without further ado...Little Miss Trouble.

We gathered up a little hand me down playhouse from our neighbor (Thank you Jaylee!). Maya loves it. Mike swore we would never have any of those "damn plastic toys" after helping move some once. That was obviously before he had a little sweetie that may like one of those big ol' plastic toys.

She loves the doggie door and wants Fisher to go in and out of it. He prefers the front door and uses it. He actually couldn't fit through the doggie door if he scooted on his belly. So Maya just uses it herself.

We've been having a terrible time with mosquito bites. This evening I thought Maya's eye was so swollen from the bite on her right eyebrow and the one on the bridge of her nose right between her eyes. Not to mention the three on her cheek one on her chest her shoulder and two on her arm.
Then we got up the next morning...Her poor little eye was almost swollen shut. How pitiful is this pic?!

Just looking too cute in the setting sun!

How bout a "piggy ride"?

Or a swim.

Or an evening on the playground.

It's all fun and games until the big kids show up.

Mom, Maya and I went to visit my sister in VA last week and I never even took my camera out of the bag but that was a good moment in a not so good month too. We are really looking forward to getting together with the Lazars for the Atlanta FCC Autumn Moon Festival next weekend in Stone Mountain, GA. And a quick visit with Grandma and Grandpa in TN. We may even try to visit the zoo while we're there. See you next month!

In the Sweet Bye and Bye

2008-08-21T00:26:00.004-04:00

Last night we lost my dear, sweet Momaw Malla. It's never easy to say goodbye but unfortunately it's an inevitable fact of life...damn it!
Love you so much, Momaw.

July

2008-08-03T21:57:00.012-04:00

We are deep in the heat of summer around here and loving every minute of it. Maya proudly sports her Hello Kitty sunglasses and her new Jack's Big Music Show shirt. And nothing else but a her panties (yes, panties...we've been potty training around here too. She does great for me but doesn't always tell anyone else when she needs to go, like if she's home with her daddy or staying with momaw) and those damned Ariel shoes. You'll see them on her in nearly every picture. She looks for them first thing in the morning and will put them on herself. Sometimes on the right foot but she always says "wrong foot" when she puts them on.

"Ol' big horse" (AKA Fisher) and Maya.

I picked up this Power Wheels VW beetle at a consignment sell this weekend. It's too cute! Maya would rather just get in and out of it than drive it.

She doesn't like to push the pedal to make it go so she just sits in it and says "I'm driving! I'm driving!" and looks cute.

Since I'm only doing these posts once a month now I thought I could at least indulge you in a little video time. Maya loves "dunkins" (dumplings) and so does Ho Ho from Ni Hao Kai Lan, a show that Maya watches occasionally on Nickelodeon.

We have not had much rain this summer that has not been accompanied by lots of lightening and thunder and Maya always wants to go out and get wet when it's raining. So, last week we awoke two days in a row to nice summer showers with no threatening lightening. Out we went before even eating breakfast. It was a blast. Maya likes to hold her golf clubs up like this and says the club is her "ba-ella" (umbrella).

Believe me when I say that anywhere we are, Fisher is always close by. Usually right under our feet.

Splashing in the (nearly non-existent) puddles!

We went to Darya's birthday party this month. Maya had a great time and due to the safari theme left there with a fabulous blow up giraffe that has been one of her favorite things since then.

Just in case you've ever wondered what a giraffe says...

Maya's first ride on the lawn tractor. She thought she was big stuff on there.

Here are some of Maya's recent magnadoodle drawings.

"It's a dinosaur, Mommy!" Wow!! it really is a dinosaurs!

This has been my favorite face so far. I love the hair!

Once a month?

2008-07-09T12:01:00.010-04:00

I honestly haven't intentionally been posting only once a month. But it seems like that is the way it's going. I have actually considered hanging it up entirely. But I know that our family and friends would be so very disappointed :( So, bear with me as I figure out what I'm going to do about this blog. And please, give us some feedback on what you all think. But, while I'm deciding what to do here are some pics from the past month.
This little beauty was taken just yesterday. I love this giraffe dress that Maya's grandma bought her at Christmas time. I can't believe how well it fits now. I think it was nearly dragging the ground when she got it. I also love this expression on Maya's face.

We spent a weekend in Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge last month to celebrate the marriage of my niece. Maya was all about riding the merry-go-round until she got on it and then she would have nothing but a ride on our laps. Almost every day she says, "She ride marry-go-round. She ride zebra." There was a zebra and that was what she wanted to ride on but when we sat her on it she didn't want anything to do with it. And yes, she often refers to herself as "she".

A rare decent shot of the three of us. I am usually behind the camera not in front of it. As you can see here, I couldn't even get mine down quick enough for my sister to get this pic.

Our beauty on the porch at the cutest, tiniest wedding chapel I've ever seen.

Maya and her cousin Lilli.

Maya loves her some Aunt (cousin) Sarah. Maya is pretty slow to warm up to people. Even our family that she sees very often. But not Sarah. She will usually go right to Sarah and will seek her out when we are all together. Granted, there are a bunch of us. I have 5 brothers and sisters and their significant others, 9 nieces and nephews and their counterparts, a great niece and a great nephew (and another one on the way). So when we are all together, it's a crowed for sure. And usually when we get together, we are almost all there as most everyone lives close.

The beautiful bride and groom Samantha and Randy.

She takes my breath away.

BFFs

It's not easy to get a 2 year old and a giant dog to both pose for a pic but this one turned out pretty good except for the big smudge on my lens...hmmm, wonder who's tiny fingerprint created that??

One of Maya's favorite things to do is play in her jewelry box. She will put it all on then take it all off and then do it all over again. Usually if she is being too quiet in her room that is what she's doing...usually.

May

2008-06-02T13:44:00.007-04:00

Could it really be that May has already come and gone??
Where does the time go these days? I find that a week or more has gone by and I haven't been online at all. Part of the problem is that I have a Wii addiction and the biggest part of the problem is that I have a 2 year old. I can't find a spare minute in the day between tending to a toddler and then playing Mario Galaxy after sweet thing is in bed. The Mario problem is about solved though. I've beat it already but still have a few stars to complete. Now it's not nearly as fun. I am expecting to get Wii Fit soon and hopefully I'll be as interested in fitness (heaven knows I NEED to be interested) as I am in intergalactic battles with Bowser & co.
Let me go back a few weeks. My second mother's day was great! I received this new super sweet, fat daddy-o Canon EOS Rebel XSi. If only I knew how to work it in something other than the idiot setting. I'm learning though so keep looking for some really good pics soon.

Maya loves Fisher and I think the feeling is mutual. He is very tolerant considering he was our one and only for 7 years before our girly came along. He still doesn't understand why we give food to the little person when she asks but when he begs he gets in trouble.

Big changes have come to Maya's bedroom. It's no longer a nursery (sniff, sniff), it's a big girl's room! Maya loves her big girl bed!! I think she sleeps better too, at least at night. Nap time is another story. The first night we got the bed, she got up about 15 minutes after laying her down. I gathered her up and put her back to bed. She hasn't gotten up through the night even one more time...yes, I knock on wood every time I tell this story. Naps have been getting shorter and shorter over the past few months. I don't think that the bed has much to do with it.
Maya has always been a good sleeper as long as she is in her own bed. Which means that, for the most part, I get sleep too. I don't know how mothers function when they don't get any sleep. Thank goodness (for all of us) I haven't had to find out either.
We put the bed on the floor for now so it will be easy for Maya to get in and out of the bed herself. She never tried to climb in or out of her crib. In fact, I could leave the side rail down and she wouldn't even try to escape. I didn't ever do this intentionally but it did happen a time or two accidentally.

I had to take this picture because I was just in awe when Maya brought her Magnadoodle to me and said "It's a monkey face, Mommy!" Then a little while later I asked her if she could draw a monkey's face and sure enough, one big circle with two little circles and a dot for a nose or mouth. She will draw it just about every time you ask. I think that's pretty darn cool!

That catches us up until last week. Last week we were at Sunset Beach, NC with all of the family accounted for this year. It was a great time. We drive most of the way on Friday and spend the night about 2 hours from the beach. Maya is a great traveler. She really is our perfect girl. Here she is with her Dad kicked back eating some "bubba"(butter).

Finally, we made it to the edge of the earth. We have been talking about the beach for about two months now. Maya was so excited when we got there. We were walking across the boardwalk from our house to the beach and I said "Maya can you hear the ocean?" She jumped up and down and said "Hear it. Can't see beach. Momma hold you!" When I picked her up she actually jumped up on my side and squealed "Beach!! Wanna swim it!" Instead, she just enjoyed standing at the edge of the water and looking out at the sea with her daddy.

This was Maya's salute to Memorial day suit. Pretty cute in her red, white and blue, huh?

More cuteness than you can stand. Prepare yourselves.

Maya drug us all up and down this beach. Chloe and Aunt Debby were good sports and walked and swung Maya until they were all ready for a minute in the shade.
We had great tide pools at low tide right in front of our house. The ocean was still rather cool but the pools were shallow and warmed quickly in the hot sun.

The wagon was so handy again this year. It was all Maya could do to keep her eyes open for the ride home.
We have to shoot the family portrait every year. We waited until Friday night this year and the light was terrible. My camera has a setting that will take multiple pics on the timer setting. We didn't know that would happen so we made the best of it.

Good bye Sunset Beach. See you next time.

Our Girl Turns 2

2008-05-06T21:14:00.009-04:00

One of the first things that Maya says to me every morning is "Monnie's home?". Monnie is our neighbor that has the beautiful flowers. I have used her flowers for many pictures including some of the pics that follow. Maya loves Monnie and "Monnie's kitties". Monnie is kind and gracious enough to humor my daughter and take her to see the kitties very often. We help take care of the cats when they go out of town so Maya feels right at home at Monnie's.
You can see the sheer excitement with which Maya greets Shadow each and every time she gets to see him and Sir Galahad. It never gets old for Maya. The cats tolerate her which is more than I can say for our own cat, most of the time.
Shadow is sleek and talkative just like you would expect of a black cat. He likes to hide from us when we are taking care of them.

Sir is a big ol' softy. We can find him in two spots. This is the most likely, right up on the bed. The other spot is in a cat seat in the window. But 9 times out of 10 he is piled up in the sack.

Monnie's tulips were so gorgeous this year! I had to get Maya in them for some spring time pics. Pretty grape hyacinths and flox too.

We tried getting on the other side of the fence and it made a big shadow across Maya's face but I love her expression in this pic.

I tried to get some better pics the next day. The sun was shining right in Maya's face but I bribed her with the "kitties". She was actually cooperative after that bargain was made.

Could she possibly be any more beautiful? My goodness she melts my heart!!

And then all of the sudden, this girly is 2!! 2?? How in the world did my sweet, tiny baby girl become a 2 year old? And is she ever!! Rowdy, loud, in constant motion, never - stops - talking!! Her speech has gotten so clear...at least to me. She says big sentences like "Why you do dat, Mommy?" and "Wake up Daddy. It's time to eat noodles". And she fully expects an answer or a response of some kind. She says "I can do dit" and it's feudal to fight about it. She really can "do dit" most of the time. Oh I love this girl!

She loved helping make her birthday cake. And even more so loved licking the batter off of the beaters. I know, I know...she's gonna get worms! LOL! That's a load of crap...everybody loves cake batter...raw eggs and all!!

We had her party on Sunday so it wasn't actually her birthday but we really celebrated all week long. She loves that "bear in a bee suit". It was a present from last years birthday.

"Got Chocolate Icing?"

I would recommend this tricycle to any parent who doesn't want a broken back from pushing. You can even steer it with this handle. Maya has a hard time deciding on a tricycle ride or a wagon ride. So far she has gotten a Radio Flyer of some kind for each of her birthdays. The wagon last year and the trike this year. Wonder what's next?

Today Maya received this cutest little chair but we don't know who sent it. Come on...somebody fess up so we can thank you!!

We do have to send out a big thanks to everyone for all of the great gifts! We love you all!!

When Maya Paints Her Masterpiece

2008-04-11T12:42:00.011-04:00

Maya stayed with her Aunt Becky and cousin Lilli just a couple of weeks ago and when we got there Lilli was painting. Maya has been wanting to "paint Mommy!" ever since then. Each time we see paints anywhere while shopping Maya gets very excited. So I decided, what the heck. They are washable right?
I don't know what I was worried about anyway. Maya is very neat with the water colors. So far, it's been pretty much mess free. You see, I haven't busted out the finger paint yet. Here is a (piss poor quality) video so you can see and hear just how excited she is about the painting.

She is so proud of herself and her paintings. I love her little toe pointing in this pic. Wonder if we have a future ballerina as well as artist on our hands?

It was a sad day last week when we took the exersaucer apart and put it away. Maya had to take one last spin. She has loved this thing since day one. But big girl toys are taking over and we really don't have the space for a tiny baby toy. Unless of course, we had a tiny baby to play with it. (Notice, I said put it away, not get rid of it.)

Then it was outside to play in the tent. We had beautiful weather this past week. Shortly after taking this picture, we had to take off Maya's pants and shoes. It ended up being in the 80s with blazing sun. Ahhhh, just what we've been waiting for.

The very next day (yesterday) was even warmer. Actually, it was hot. The car thermometer read 87. I put this little tank onesie on Maya and she rubbed her hands over her chest and belly and said, "Wanna go beach! Go Ocean! Swimmin!" I said "I wanna go to the beach too, babe!" I think she thought the onesie was a bathing suit. But I'm not real sure how she made the beach connection. Must just run in her blood just like her Momma's. She is, after all a coastal girl. Even if it is the South China Sea coast. All day today she has said, "Wanna go beach. Mommy go beach too!" I love this kid!!!

She loves her pony tails. But notice she still has to have a bow. Thank goodness she likes a bow because that hair would drive us both crazy hanging in her face. Her hair is getting really long and she loves to run her hands through it and say, "so wong". She doesn't miss a thing.

This is Maya's best stuffed bud (no pun intended;) Flower, snuggled up close with it's hand on her face. She's also holding on to her lovie. When I checked in on her before going to bed this was the scene. So I had to get the camera. Isn't that the cutest thing? That's Duckie lying at her head. He runs a close second. She has many of these Ty beanie pluffies and she loves them all.
Good night!

What Color are Your Eggs?

2008-03-23T21:59:00.015-04:00

Lellow, boo, geen, ohzoh or peek?

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T21:59:00.011-04:00

Or "E-stew-a" according to Maya.
We haven't been to church since last Easter. But, this morning we braved it again. Maya had her Easter frock on so we had to go somewhere. She sure looked beautiful!! She was a very good girl at church.

It was cold but very sunny this morning. Then the day turned cloudy and it was sprinkling by evening. This sweet sugar warmed my heart all day long.

Bock bock...Tanks E-stew-a bunny!

We colored eggs Friday night. I was looking forward to and frightened at the same time about letting Maya near the dye. It all turned out fine. Very little mess because she was more interested in putting the sticker faces on the eggs.

My two favorites!

Bye bye bottle. This is the last bottle for our big girl. Tomorrow will be one week without her nightly bottle. Just as I suspected she could give a rat's @**. I'm sure I miss it more than Maya.

Maya's great aunt and great uncle came in to visit from Louisiana. She was her usual cheesy self for all the pics. L-R great aunt Bessie, Maya, great Grandma, great uncle LuDell.

Dad's best birthday present!!

Playing Catch Up

2008-03-03T22:27:00.013-05:00

Holy Cow!! Where does the time go? So sorry to keep all of our faithful viewers/readers waiting when so much has been going on. Hope everyone hasn't given up on us. I haven't been near the computer for more than a week. We have all been sick and out of town for the past two weekends. I'll try to catch you all up quickly.

First and most importantly, we celebrated our 1 year Family Day on 2/25. We met the Lazars in Charlotte, NC for a (too short) weekend of reminiscing and good times. We feel so fortunate to have gained not only our forever family with our beautiful Maya but a forever friendship with the Lazars. Maya and Ella shared a room at the House of Grace and we have every intentions of keeping these girls connected. Shouldn't be too hard since we have such a great time together. We love those guys!
We visited a kid's library called Imaginon and a kid's museum called Discovery Place in Charlotte. We all had a great time and are already looking forward to our next get together.
I can't believe it has already been a year. But in the very next thought I can't believe it has only been a year. So much has changed in the past year. Maya has grown and flourished into such a peaceful soul. We are so blessed with our sweet girl. So, so blessed!!
We didn't do anything out of the ordinary for Family Day except drive back home from Charlotte. Every day is a celebration with Maya.

Our girl is a multi-tasker. She can color and give herself a neb treatment at the same time. Poor girly was so congested. Thank goodness she didn't run the 104 fever that I did. Man, a fever sure makes you feel like crap! She loved the dragon mask on the nebulizer. We would say "let's do a dragon" and she was ready. She really didn't mind the treatments but would rather do it herself than have me or Mike help her. What a big girl. The treatments worked like a charm. So far, she's all better.

We're still enjoying our Clay Center membership. We really have a good time when Klaire and Emma come. Unfortunately, we missed our Family Day celebration day with them. They all went to see Nemo on Ice but we had to skip it because of the crud we all had.

Mike was kinda cat napping on the couch and Maya was playing around behind it where her kitchen is. I had to leave to get my hair cut. So, I woke Mike up and gave kisses all around. Mike says this is the next thing he saw. Yes, that's dirt from the ficus tree all over the floor and Maya and everything else in the general vicinity. I'm still sweeping dirt up off the floor. She doesn't look guilty or anything, huh?

Last week we decided to try playing in the snow again. I don't think Maya hated it as much as she did the first time but still didn't care much for it. The sleigh ride was not fun. Fisher barked and barked and the snow blew up into Maya's face. All she really had to say about it was "DONE!"

Then today it was 75 degrees! We were nothing but happy!! And tomorrow we will probably be sick again.

And lastly, a big ol' THANK YOU for all of the bows we received doing the bow exchange. We love them and Maya can't wait to wear them all.

The Year of the Rat

2008-02-10T09:08:00.000-05:00

A few days late of course but a happy Chinese New Year to everyone out there. A few days late for Chinese New Year is still okay since they celebrate this holiday for 15 days in China.
On Thursday, we had a quiet New Years Day dinner at home with take out from Bamboo Garden. Maya still loves Chinese food and so do we. It's on the menu about once a week.

I never knew just how fast a 21 month old child could climb up into a chair. This is where we find Maya most anytime we turn our back on her and we are in the kitchen. And it's never to sit in the chair, oh no. Only standing will do.

Then on Saturday we got Maya all gussied up in one of her cute little dresses that we bought in China. I can't believe it still fits and actually has a little room to grow.

We went outside to try to get some good pics but there is nothing pretty about brown and muddy. (Or a deck with a ladder sitting on it). But our girly just looked so pretty in her dress that the background didn't matter.

We got together with our local China adoption group for our annual Chinese New Year celebration. Last year we were leaving for China the week following the party. It is hard to imagine just how much things have changed in a year. We went to 2 CNY parties with our group before we had Maya. It was so much different being there as a parent than as a waiting family.

Maya could not have had a better time at the party. She ate like a champ and then ran and played with all of the other kids. She can be a little shy sometimes but not today. She was the life of the party.

I thought this picture was so cute. I love the little blondie in the sea of dark hair. And our girl is smack in the middle of it all!

Maya and Darrah.

Maya loves dragons. I thought we might have to buy this one and take it home with us. It was just the perfect size for a kiss from the princess.

It's all fun and games until someone falls into the drum.

Blaaahh

2008-02-03T22:30:00.000-05:00

We hate this time of they year. It's cold and wet. It's usually a big 'ol mud puddle outside. So not much has been going on around here except for waiting for it to get warm again. Maya is still in LOVE with Snoopy

Still loves the kitchen. She took my hand today and lead me downstairs so she could play in her kitchen.

Don't be confused and think that someone is supposed to sit on the stool.

You never know what (or who) you might find in the fridge.

If it's blueberries, Maya will help herself.

We did get a little bit of sun today. It only lasted for a minute.

We wish if felt like this outside.

I am very excited for the bow exchange! As you can see in the pictures, Maya has to have a bow in her hair all of the time lately. She will ask for a bow before she gets out of bed in the mornings.

Bow Swap

2008-01-20T21:44:00.000-05:00

Nancy at Waiting to Asennd has come up with this great idea. The following is from her blog.

I have come up with an idea for a swap as I have been walking around at the Mall lately. I think it would be fun to do a bow swap. I think it would be nice to trade names with 2 or 3 other people and send a couple little bows totalling no more than $10. I don't think the postage would be much either.

If you would like to participate, or if you would like to let others who read your blog know about it, please send me an e-mail at npoellot24@yahoo.com.

My goal is to get names out and try to get this going be early Febuary.

I am also thinking about doing a swimsuit swap for the summer.

I can't wait to get in on this little swap! Maya gets a hair clasp in her hair every morning before she even gets out of the bed. We could always use more bows.

Caught in the Act

2008-01-20T11:16:00.000-05:00

These are the little monkey bowling pins I mentioned in my last post. I am still finding them and the Little People critters setting neatly around. The monkeys were all sitting around the rim of Maya's potty just a few days ago. Needless to say they all had to get a bath! LOL!!
Here is Maya caught in the act of setting up the monkeys all in a neat little row. Must have been the Tide commercial with the Charlie Brown song on the TV that distracted her from getting the last two monkeys set up. Our girl is obsessed with the Peanuts characters and shows. She LOVES Snoopy.

This is what we were left with.

Life is good!

(You can barely see two monkeys setting at Mike's foot. Maya set those up there too. They are always facing the same way.)

Enjoying our Christmas Present

2008-01-14T23:05:00.000-05:00

Mike gave Maya and I a Clay Center membership for Chirstmas and we didn't waste any time using it. We were happy that Klaire and her Mommy could join us last week.

Maya in the fish bowl.

Klaire too.

We were very suprised when we were joined by two more girls from our local China adoption group (and a cute little 13 month old boy who just loved all of the girls, and crayons). The girls all enjoyed The Stray Dog and coloring their own dogs after the story. We are looking forward to a new story and craft at the next Wee Wednesday.

This has nothing to do with the Clay Center but I just had to throw it in. I have been finding a lot of things like this around our house lately. Little things all in a row. Usually it's her Little People toys but she has some monkey bowling pins that get set up in a row too. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come and all of the toys will be placed neatly instead of scattered all over the place!

This is January??

2008-01-09T23:53:00.000-05:00

On Monday and Tuesday, the weather was plain ol' crazy. It was nearly 70 degrees both days. Even the dandelions don't know it's winter.

It was very windy on Tuesday but that didn't deter us from playing outside for most of the day.

If anyone had any doubt that this girl belongs to us, here is all the proof anyone who knows us well needs. She is a true tree hugger just like her Momma!

And don't forget the kiss.

Maya played at this tree forever. She hugged and kissed it. She did ring around the rosie around it. She picked the bark off of it. She hit it with sticks and threw rocks at it. And she said "tee" six thousand times. But when it came time to go inside all she could say was "NO"! (or maybe it's "Nah")

One Year Ago...

2008-01-07T00:11:00.000-05:00

One year ago (on 1/4/06 I'm a few days late) we received the call that would forever change our lives. At the end of that conversation we got the first glimpse of this tiny angel...Our daughter Yangchun Hua Zheng. An 8 month old beauty waiting for us to come and bring her home to her family. About 7 long, long weeks later (as if the past 16 months hadn't been long enough) we traveled to Guangdong province, PR China and were handed this treasure that we had only seen pictures of, our Maya HuaMei. We are the luckiest people on the face of this planet!!

One year later we are still reeling from the evolution of our existence. Each morning we are awakened by (most of the time) the sweet sound of her contented voice talking to the critters in her bed. Then a little louder comes "Momma, Dadda?" And then a glorious smile when she sees one of us peek into her room.
It has been a long and bumpy road. This has not been an easy journey. But we are finally getting to a place where we are all feeling pretty normal, tightly bonded, securely attached and very, very loved.
If all of this has occurred in a little less than a year, I can only imagine what the next year will bring. She is an amazing, resilient, independent soul. She is the love of our lives. She is everything we could have ever hoped for and more. She is our Maya HuaMei.

Happy New Year!!

2008-01-02T01:06:00.000-05:00

Christmas Catch Up

2007-12-30T13:42:00.000-05:00

We went to Tennessee the weekend before Christmas and had a great time and wonderful visit with our family there. Maya really enjoyed her big girl cousins, Caitlin and Chloe. We had not seen them since June.

We went to my sisters on Christmas Eve and I didn't take one single picture (what was I thinking???) Then we came home and opened our presents. Santa made his big appearance Christmas morning and Maya was thrilled with her new play area with her "chichin" (kitchen) and other toys on the spongey alphabet floor. We went to my Mom's and my brother's on Christmas day and once again, no pics. We had a great holiday and are actually still trying to see everyone while they are in town. We are getting ready to make two more holiday stops today. Maybe I'll bust out the camera. Maybe.

Merry Christmas!!

2007-12-25T21:44:00.000-05:00

This has been the best Christmas that we have had in years! All we needed was this precious angel to remind us how much fun Christmas can be. Maya has had a blast counting down the days until Christmas and reminding us that "Sa Sauze" would be coming at anyone's mention of Christmas.

I had to post this picture! I just can't stop laughing when I look at it. I left it big so you can click on it and get a really good look at just how close Maya was to getting a big ol' kiss.

It doesn't get much closer than this.

And, I'm just wondering if anyone can tell me why in the world do tights have such a high waist?

Today also marks the day that we have had Maya for as long as she was in China without us. 10 months ago today, we were given the greatest gift. This Christmas we are so thankful that we have our sweet, sweet girl. We couldn't ask for anything more...Except for a sister...maybe.

The Christmas Card Revealed

2007-12-10T23:30:00.000-05:00

Just couldn't wait any longer. This is the picture of our beautiful angel that we chose for our Christmas card this year. We love her more each day and she truely is the "Best Present Ever"!!

SNOW!

2007-12-09T22:51:00.000-05:00

This is our summertime girl. You can tell by the look on her face what she really thinks about the snow. Or maybe it's just the snowsuit.

And then I pulled out the sled! We have a little hill in our back yard so we took a few trips down on the sled. But that only changed her attitude while we were sledding then right back to the grouchy face. I have to agree. Snow is only fun when your sliding on it (and not in your car!).

Fisher on the other hand, thought it was the best. He had to rub and rub and run and jump and bark and... well, you get the picture.

Christmas Card

2007-12-04T14:46:00.000-05:00

I sent out our Christmas cards this weekend. We have been waiting for so long to be able to send a picture card featuring our child. I love getting cards from friends each year with their kids pictures and seeing how they change and grow from year to year.
We've been trying different outfits over the course of a few days and finally picked the winner (which I will post in a few days. I don't want to spoil the surprise for anyone who hasn't received their card yet.) Here are some of the contenders.
This outfit was a gift last year from Trisha, a friend at work. I am so glad that it still fits this year. We were on our way out to our local China adoption group's holiday get together.

I am a little disappointed that the winner doesn't have Fisher in the picture. After all, he is our first child. Oh well, maybe next year.

I'll offer this clue, this was the photo session that the winner was chosen from.

Little Miss Clause with her hat pulled down way too far according to Dad.

Taking all these pictures wears everyone out. Pardon the toys scattered everywhere. I tried to crop as many of them out as I could.

Just some cuteness in case you didn't get enough.

I hear "da bee, da bee, bzzzz, bzzzz" from the monitor. That means Maya is awake from her nap and she's playing with her bear, Flower. Flower has a butterfly on her head and Maya thinks any flying insect is a bee. Better go get my sweet sugar.
If you don't receive a card and think you should or would like to maybe I don't have your address. Send me an email and I'll hook you up. jm_nicurn@yahoo.com

The Little People Nativity

2007-11-26T14:26:00.000-05:00

Maya loves her Fisher Price Little People toys. She has the farm and the circus. We saw some holiday Little People sets on Toys R Us while shopping for Christms gifts and they are all so cute. We ordered a set that was a Christmas town and didn't like it very well so I took it back and then ordered the nativity set. OH MY! This little set is too, too cute! We wrapped it and put it under the tree (it was the only thing under there) and let her open it. She goes to it first thing in the morning to play. We have a little Christmas nativity pop up book that she has been reading for about a month. Now she has a nativity set that she can play with while we read the book. I see this being a great toy for many Christmas' to come.

Christmas Crafts

2007-11-26T13:35:00.000-05:00

Julie (Tess's Mommy) posted the beautiful "O Holy Night" pictures that she created for the holidays. What a great idea! In the fun tradition of a "challenge", she asked for other folks to post their crafty Christmas decoration creations. So here is mine.
A few years ago a ordered a book of Christmas recipes/decorations/gifts etc. My favorite idea in the book was these ornaments. They are made of a ball of foil with paper mache over it to make the shape of the face. I never dreamed that they would turn out they way they did since I'm not all that crafty and am certainly not a painter. I made more than 20 and gave them out as gifts. These are a few of the ones that I kept.
This is my favorite Santa in action (if you call hanging on a tree "action" LOL)

Just When You Thought it Couldn't Get Worse

2007-11-24T22:43:00.000-05:00

Poor pitiful Fisher! He had to get his ear stitched up again after the vet took the stitches out from the hematoma surgery. The incision wasn't healing and it was nasty! He'll have these stitches in for 3 weeks. Only one more week to go.

The girl loves a straw. Maya is a camel. She doesn't drink much at all throughout the day. She drinks a 7-8 oz cup of milk in the morning and I still give her an 8 oz bottle at night. But, if I give her a drink in a cup with a straw, she will drink at least some of it. If I put something in a sippy cup, forget it.

And now you see why I keep a hair clasp or a pony tail in her hair.

Yet another cup with a straw...and Maya's BFF Jennifer. She loves this doll. She reads her books. She sits with her to watch Sesame Street. She sits Jennifer on her lap on the potty and enjoys a ride to visit Grandma and Grandad with her side by side.

Maya loved the pool at the hotel. It was pretty cold but that didn't stop us from swimming. I don't know what would keep our little fish out of the water.

Grandma warmed Maya up after our swim.

She had to give equal lap time to Grandad. She did enjoy holding Grandad's hand while walking around the hotel and after dinner. She has been on a big hand holding kick lately. She reaches out her little hand and says "han". But she wants to hold yours not for you to hold hers. There's that hair in her face again.

The shirt says it all!

Veterans Day

2007-11-12T23:11:00.000-05:00

I'll just say this. Thank you to our veterans and those currently serving in our countries armed forces. I am a lover not a fighter but this is the day to remember those who are/were fighters for our country and I do appreciate that.
Maya and I took fall flowers to the cemetery last week for my Dad and Grandparents. This old faded flag was lying at my Grandmother and Grandfathers plots and she thought it was a great toy.

We went to the Shrine Circus on Sunday with the Rasberrys. Maya had a great time and was a very good girl especially considering how long it was. She had a good time with Lauren and ate lots of popcorn.

Who knew that Maya would enjoy wearing this cheetah mask. Well, she does and she will put it on then pull it up and wear it as a hat. Cute huh? Even under the mask.

2007-11-08T22:38:00.000-05:00

Just had to get some pics of our beauty with the fall display on the front patio before everything was wilted and dead. I almost waited too long.

This was the first time we have been outside with a hat on since our first few days home from China. Maya was saying "hat" and pulling the top off of the jack-o-lantern.

This is our neighbor, Monnie. She is the girl with the green thumb. Monnie has the beautiful yard with the flowers that we use for our wildflower pics in the spring and summer. Maya loves Monnie and will take her hand and walk right over to her house without even looking back. This may not sound like a big deal but if you know Maya, you know that it's a very big deal.

Maya is a helper. Ok, maybe that's an understatement. She has to get her little hands in to anything we are doing. It doesn't matter what. She says "help" and will just grab whatever so she can "help" with it. Here, she is "helping" her Daddy with a manicure. His nails have never looked better.

Oh! How we love this beautiful angel!!

Halloween Revisited

2007-11-08T22:06:00.000-05:00

Sickness has been abounding around here since Halloween day thus the lack of posts. So, I thought I would go back a week or so and catch you all up.
On Monday night (last week) we carved our big pumpkin and Maya helped color a face on a couple of small ones. Tuesday was the big Trick or Treat night. We packed Maya up in the wagon and pulled her around the neighborhood. She was a trooper and we're still eating her candy.

Our weekly visit to Busy Boppers brought much joy to Maya because her friend Emma came for the first time. The girls had a great time even though it was only the two of them.

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T23:24:00.000-04:00

It was cold last night for trick or treat and the ladybug was a warmer choice. Thank you all for your votes. Today Maya has a runny nose and has been sneezing like crazy. Mike has been really sick with a cold for the past two days so I don't know if I should blame the cold weather last night or blame Dad. Oh well, we'll survive.

A Poll. Please Vote!

2007-10-27T16:49:00.000-04:00

We have 2 options for a Halloween costume and they are both so darn cute that we can't decide which one to use for Trick or Treat night. Please post your vote in the comments section and help us make up our minds.
This is option #1, the cat (yes, cat. I know it looks like a mouse but she's supposed to be a cat) in action. Maya likes the cat but I'll have to admit, she's just a little biased.

Option #2 is this ladybug. We did Trick or Treat at our local farmers market on Thursday as the bug. It's a small market so I thought it would be a good first run. Maya loved it! She pointed and Ohhed at all of the little dressed up people. We have been practicing saying "Trick or Treat" for weeks now. She only said it once but did say "thank you" a couple of times. She carried her little candy bag over her arm and would hold it right out for people to put her candy in. It only took one time for her to get the hang of that move.

Ladybug in action.

Maya has become quite a nurturer. She loves to take care of her dolls and stuffed animals. She feeds and bathes them. She hugs and kisses them and has them give each other kisses too. Maya still loves to ride in her Baby Bjorn. She will bring it too me to put her in sometimes. She brought me the bear and was wearing the bjorn herself a few days ago. I had to make it fit so that bear could get a ride. She wore that thing for nearly a half an hour.

Check out the vintage Oshkosh bibs. These were my nieces when she was a tiny girl. That was more than 20 years ago. They nearly got too small before I got a chance to put them on Maya. As usual she looked just darlin' in them.

Have you ever seen anything as pitiful as this? Fisher had a hematoma on his left ear and had to have surgery to drain it on Wednesday. He was really playing the pathetic card when he got home.

The bandage stayed on for nearly 24 hours and then he became a beautiful flower. Heee Heee Heee! He was freaking out after the bandage came off and wouldn't stop scratching and shaking. So he got to wear this new version of the Elizabethan collar. This one was much easier on our shins and door facings than the old cone collars...and much more stylish, LOL.

Don't forget to let us know...ladybug or cat!! Thanks.

A Bowl...with a Straw!

2007-10-21T13:16:00.000-04:00

Maya has been doing a great job with feeding herself. She does best with these spoons with the big bowl-like scooper part if the food is liquid like soup or cold cereal (both of which she LOVES). I got a couple of these bowls with the straw attached. She thinks they are a blast to eat and drink out of. Each time I put her in her highchair and go to get out a bowl she says "staw! bowl!". She wants these silly bowls with the straw. She will eat every drop usually. She will give the spoon a rest sometime during the meal because it's just so much more fun and messy to eat with her hands.

I taught her to put the noodle-Os on her fingers...Maybe not the best idea but it sure is fun

I am getting better with the pony tails. This time I put them up while her hair was still wet from the shower. She likes to look at herself in the mirror and shake her head so the pony tails shake.

I remember my Mom telling me to get my hair out of my eyes when I was younger. I never knew why it bothered her until now. I am constantly pushing Maya's hair out of her face. I refuse to cut bangs though so we'll just have to keep using the little clipies.

Maya loves to scoot up under this big ottoman that we have and wait for us to say "where did Maya go?" Then she scoots out laughing her head off.

Last week we had another little friend at Busy Boppers. Gretel came to play. Gretel will be 1 year old in just a couple of days and she is a tinsy tiny little beauty. She had a great time playing with the big girls and we hope that she'll come back and play often.

Maya said her first sentence of sorts last week. My Mom asked Maya about a scratch on her hand (you can see it in the bowl pictures above). Maya pointed at the scratch and said "MeMe (Maggie our cat) mean!". It was too cute and now she says it every time she notices the scratch, which is nearly gone. She is also telling me "mean" when I tell her no. Oh boy, that defiant streak just gets bigger and bigger! I love toddler hood!!

Papaw :}

2007-10-17T23:02:00.006-04:00

I lost my Dad on February 29, 2000. He would have LOVED Maya without a doubt. But, who couldn't. All of the grandkids in my family have called Dad Pops. For some reason while going through our routine of naming every person in the photos on the wall in our hallway, I called Dad Papaw to Maya one day. She has been saying "Papaw" a lot lately and I can feel my heart in my throat each time I hear Maya's sweet voice speaking to the Papaw that she'll never know in person. She always goes through her list of people she is talking to on the telephone. Usually it's "Hello? Lella? (Ella Lazar, Maya's roommate and best bud from Yangchun City CWI), DaDa?" and that's the list. Well, yesterday she added Momaw and Papaw. Oh, how I wish she could speak to her Papaw on the phone or face to face. Maybe she does...

Turn up your volume. You don't want to miss this sweet voice!

I'm working on better pony tails. It is very hard to draw a strait line on a moving melon!

Dora Birthday Party etc...

2007-10-15T13:39:00.000-04:00

Maya and I went to Lauren's Birthday party this weekend. Lauren was a very sick little baby that I took care of in the NICU. She is now a perfectly healthy 3 year old beauty. I love my job. Dora was at the party. Maya has never been around a dressed up character before and we were anxious to see how she would react. When I told Maya that Dora was going to be at the party she was very excited and was also very cooperative about getting ready to go as we were running late and had to be quick about it. We don't watch Dora but we have a few Dora dolls (thanks to our secret pals) and Maya loves Dora. She can pick her out in a store when I don't even see her. She shouts "Dora!" and I have to look all around to see where Dora is.
I carried Maya in to the party and pointed Dora out as we walked over to where she and all of the other kids were. She smiled and started kicking her legs but had a pretty tight grip on my shoulder. Then I sat her down and she walked right up to Dora then immediately ran reaching to me. I picked her up and we talked about Dora and her eyes (as that was what Maya was talking about). Than she wiggled back down and was fine the rest of the time. She even took a little wagon ride with Lauren as Dora pulled them around.

Just had to add in these cute pics. She loved her pocket.

Who's That Girl?

2007-10-10T22:29:00.000-04:00

Well, it's Maya and her Mama with a brand new haircut.

This was me yesterday before going to work. This is how I wear my hair almost everyday in the summer. Occasionally, I will french braid it. Late this spring I was watching the Today Show and there were people all over the country cutting off their hair and sending it to Locks of Love. I decided that day that I would chop mine off at the end of the summer. I've had long hair since high school except for a few months about 4 years ago. I got it cut not as short as it is now and let it grow out again from that very moment.

I really like my new do. I wondered what Maya would think when she woke this morning and found her Mama without a ponytail or scrappy hair hanging all over the place. I didn't think she really even noticed until tonight. I was cooking and Mike was holding Maya behind me and she reached out and ran her fingers through the back of my hair. She has just recently started trying to pull her fingers through my hair but it's always such a ratty mess that they just get tangled up in it. It's all silky now and she can pull her fingers all the way through it. And, it stands up to a piggy back ride.

Bye-bye hair. I hope it will be as good to someone else as it has been to me.

And, just a sneak peak of a potential Halloween costume for Miss Girl. I wondered if Maya would keep this cat headband on. She loved it and wore it for quite a while last night. Then she found it again tonight and wore it some more.

Still Hot

2007-10-09T13:01:00.000-04:00

It has still been hot as an oven here in good ol' WV. Certainly not a typical October with temps in the 90s all last week. We have started going to a little Mom and me class on Tuesdays and it's been a lot of fun. Klaire and her Mommy have been going with us. There are not many kids in the class but I'm hoping that when the cool weather arrives more people will come. Last week Klaire and her Mommy and Jackson, Bodie and their Mommy went with us. Jackson is 3 and Bodie is 15 months. Check out what a big boy Bodie is standing next to Maya. We missed today because I worked last night and just was not up for the 40 mile drive to get to Busy Boppers. Maya gets very excited when we talk about going and says "boppa,boppa"!!

She still loves pictures. Pictures of anyone really but especially of herself. Can't say I don't agree!

All this heat (and butter by the looks of her shiny face) can make a girl very tired. This night she couldn't even make it through her dinner.

What ever happened to that little girl who wouldn't put anything in her mouth? I have to really keep a close eye on her outside because she loves to pick grass and leaves and put them in her mouth. We planted some new grass around the house and the hay has been so much fun for Maya.

Our neighbors got a new puppy. This is Sadie. Maya loves her because she is much more her size than Fisher. Maya doesn't always understand though that she has to be a little more gentle with Sadie than she is with Fisher. Sadie doesn't mind a bit.

Fisher, on the other hand is not so sure about the tiny little thing always sniffing and licking his face. But he takes it like he always does. He's such a good boy. We have noticed that Fisher is losing his hearing. We have always battled ear infections with him. I think that is taking it's toll on him:(

We have been cleaning out our garage to try to fit both of our vehicles in it. Contrary to the way Maya looks in this picture, she is certainly not a girly girl. She is totally filthy. We are so glad that she doesn't mind getting dirty.

Look at those hands!

Dirty bird or not she's still the prettiest girl on the block!

On to another dirty subject...Maya is a picker. Here she is concentrating ever so hard on scratching off a little scabby place on her leg...Gross!!!

Whew, that was tough work. Now I need a drink.

We just had to buy Maya a slide since sliding is about her favorite thing to do lately. She has had a blast with her new toy and will run straight to it when we go outside.

Just had to add this pic. This little guy was hanging out beside of our front door a few nights ago when I took Fisher out. How cute is he? That's my finger below him as a frame of reference as to just how tiny he is. Disregard the hangnails :)

"I Love You"..Be Still my Heart

2007-09-28T22:32:00.000-04:00

I always thought that I knew the power of these three tiny words until I heard them come from my own daughters mouth. She said it to Mike two nights ago before bed. She really said it...just as plain as day..."I love you"! Now, I am sure it was just one of those things like you have seen on the funniest videos shows where a tiny baby babbles something that sounds like I love you, but none the less, she said it and I know she meant every word. I was getting ready to put Maya to bed for the night and Mike was getting his nite-nite sugars. He got his kisses, was getting a hug and pat and he said, "I love you Maya" and she said it right back. We both were struck speechless as we stared at each other with our mouths hanging open and tears welling up in our eyes. Maya was still hugging and patting and "awwwing" on Mikes shoulder and had no idea that our hearts were about to burst. Our girl is so amazing. We love her beyond measure!!
Here is something else that Maya loves. Climbing and sliding, oy! We took her to the park today so she could get her fill.

Then we took a little walk along the river. It was a beautiful day today. It's finally starting to feel like fall.

Just Found Her Way Home...

2007-09-22T23:14:00.000-04:00

That is what this super cute little tee shirt says. This tee shirt was a shower gift almost a year ago. It's so hard to believe that it has almost been a year since our shower for Maya. My how the time flies!

Carrie posted pics of her sweet Audrey in her nightgown just a few days ago. Great minds really do think alike. I had put this soft and cozy nightgown (This little nightgown was my niece Sarah's when she was a little girly. It's more than 20 years old...love the hand-me-downs!) on Maya the very same night with the exact same results. I thought about putting pants on under it before I put her to bed because I knew it would be up around her belly just minutes after she started the ol' kick and roll in bed. Sure enough she had cool legs when we got up the next morning. I guess it didn't bother her enough to wake her though.

Try walking a mile in Dada's shoes!

Or maybe even backwards in Mama's.

Maya gives the new 4 Runner two thumbs up and so do Mom and Dad!!

Maya wants Maggie to be her friend so badly. She gets very excited when Maggie comes around. Too bad that most of these encounters end in a swat or scratch to Maya's arm or hand.

Where Does the Time Go?

2007-09-14T22:18:00.000-04:00

And then all of the sudden it has been 2 weeks since I've posted pics of this beautiful girly of ours!
Well, here she is. I hope you're sitting down because her cuteness will make your knees weak;)

We are doing great. The changes we have noticed in Maya lately have been incredible. I felt her hand on the back of my neck for the first time ever. She has always pushed on my chest when I'm holding her, and still does most of the time. But just recently she has been holding on around my shoulder to my back or even around my neck. She almost always pats me on the back when I'm holding her on my hip. We have gotten genuine hugs. Even with a little "awwww" as she hugs. She loves Fisher and he is such a good boy with her.

She has been all about her shadow. I catch her in the kitchen watching her shadow while she dances. Here, she is waving to her shadow.

Yesterday was our 10 year anniversary. These are my beautiful flowers and my beautiful daughter.

In the course of 2 weeks we have had temperatures from 100 to 45 degrees. It was chilly in the house when we woke after the 45 degree night. Maya had to try out her new slippers.

Any mirror in our house that is Maya height, has lip prints all over it. She knows something cute when she sees it and will always give those cute things a kiss...including herself! Here she is kissing herself in the truck bumper.

According to my car thermometer, it was 100 degrees out on this day. We had already retired the pool so we played in the water hose. She loves to drink out of the hose. I think she likes it so much because Fisher drinks out of the hose too.

Maya got to experience her first parade a couple of weeks ago. She had a good time. She loved the music. This is Maya and her Dad waiting for the parade to start.

Maya's nickname for the past couple of weeks has been "Skeeter". Notice the giant mosquito bite on her forehead. Well, it is nothing compared to the mountain of a welt she had on her forearm a few days later.

6 Months of Maya

2007-09-01T15:06:00.000-04:00

The half year mark of being a family of three has come and gone. I thought it would be a momentous occasion but, alas, it was just another wonderful day in the life of the McFee 3. I actually didn't even think about it until days later when I saw someones blog that had celebrated their anniversary of I can't remember how many months. Each day with Maya is a celebration. Some days a joyful celebration and some days not so much, but, none the less, a day that Mike and I have dreamed of for many years...a family day. Some say that it seems like their children have been with them forever and that they don't even remember life without them. I have to say that is not the case for us. I vividly remember life without Maya, the good and the bad. And I would not have it any other way. This sweet girl has made our lives so much richer and full of love that we didn't know we had in us. She brings a smile to every face who is lucky enough to see her. She is not always willing to give those smiles back but she will in her time. She is Maya. A radiant beauty learning to love the family who loves her and has become her very own. And we are ever so thankful, with our whole heart and soul, for her.
Now on with the show!

Maya & Ella, Together Again

2007-08-23T15:11:00.000-04:00

We had a wonderful visit/vacation this past weekend with the Lazars in the "Myrtle Beach of the mountains" (according to Mike) Pigeon Forge, TN. It was awesome to get to spend some time with them again. The weekend went by too fast and we are already looking forward to getting together again.

Laura and I bought these dresses in China and said then that we hoped that we could get the girls pictures in them together. Our wish came true in more ways than one.

There was entirely too much cuteness going on in these dresses. It was all I could do to restrain myself from just pinching both of these beauties!

Evan brought his friend Jordan along. They had the "man cave" with their own bedroom and bathroom downstairs in the cabin. There was a pool table, dart board and an air hockey table. The girls loved going up and down the stairs and the boys really didn't mind tending to them while they did it. Ella is pretty much self sufficient on the stairs. They have taught her to slide down on her belly. We have taught Maya to scoot down on her butt. Maya likes to stand up sometimes and will often tumble in those instances. The boys liked to put them at the bottom and watch them race up.

Jordan brought his guitar and Maya was very taken by the music and liked to bang on the body of the guitar while Jordan played...thanks to Evan for showing her how.

It doesn't get much cuter than this.

Arms full of girls. Heart full of love!!

Not Much to Say

2007-08-14T01:22:00.000-04:00

But I haven't stopped taking pictures! So here are a few for you viewing pleasure. These are from the latest wildflower photo shoot in our neighbors yard.

Fisher had to get in on the action.
Klaire came over and we had to do a little session with her too!

These are from our trip last weekend to Columbus, OH for the CCAI Midwest reunion. We finally got to meet the Bennetts after speeking via phone and email for over 2 years. Can't wait to get together with them again.

Maya got this Monkey and she loves to wear him like this. She is still wearing him a week later.

This is Agnes and the other Maya from our travel group. How great to see them again!!

Us with Josh and Lily, the founders of CCAI, our wonderful agency.

Check out the pony tails in the mirror!

The End

We're Still Here

2007-07-19T13:21:00.000-04:00

There has not really been much going on around here these days. Just trying to survive the heat and watching the changes in our beautiful daughter day by day...some for the good and some not so much. Maya is now having some serious separation anxiety. She has not even been tolerating her Dad. This has gotten so bad that I was not able to go to work last night. My Mom was supposed to keep Maya until Mike got home from work. Maya and I went to Mom's house early yesterday. I thought if we spent most of the day there that my leaving wouldn't be too bad...wrong. Throughout the day I would try to sneak away or tell Maya I was going to the kitchen and I would be right back but to no avail. She would fall to pieces as soon as she noticed I was gone or as soon as I turned my back and would not settle down or accept comfort from my Mom or my sister. Neither of these people are strangers to her. She will not let anyone else hold her. I just didn't feel comfortable leaving her for 8 hours not knowing how things would work out. So we'll try it some day when I can go away for just a little while and can come back as needed. Sorry NICU.
On the happier side, Maya still loves her bath.

and brushing her teeth.

Thank goodness since she also loves corn on the cob. She hasn't really eaten this much of this corn. Mike or I will eat our corn and leave her a few rows to gnaw on. She loves it and says mmmmm while gnawing.

We pulled out the sidewalk chalk for the first time. She wasn't too into it but enjoyed watching me draw and always enjoys being outside in the buff as long as she has her "bip bops" on.

We had a wonderful and much needed visit with our local friends who were in China while we were. Both Emma (left) and Klaire (center) are just gorgeous and getting so big. They look like little girls now instead of the little babies that we brought home just 4 1/2 months ago. All three of our girl's birthdays are within a week of each other.

Emma is a beauty with such a calm demeanor. She was the Buddha baby but now is just a solid little girl. Emma sat in her swing and just took it all in while Maya and Klaire let it be known that they were none too happy about the swings.

Klaire was the life of the party when we arrived. Her Daddy sat her on the slide and said, "one, two.." and Klaire said, "Tee!" and slid right down with a look of total terror on her face until she hit the bottom where she smiled her gorgeous 4 tooth grin and laughed out loud.

Usually it's the child who puts the shoes on the wrong foot but I have to take the blame this time. Now that's pathetic but kinda cute huh? I'm just glad that I noticed it before we got out in public.

I'll leave you with this last picture and only say this...I love this girl!!!

Snip, Snip

2007-07-03T21:31:00.000-04:00

The deed is done...Thank goodness! Maya's tongue is no longer tied. The procedure took all of about 5 minutes and she is just fine now. Her mouth was numb for an hour or so afterwards but after that wore off she was just the same as ever. Granted, I kept her dosed up with Tylenol but she's really been the same ol' babbley girl. She has actually eaten better today than a lot of days. I think the worst part was being away from Mom and Dad and being swaddled up tight. I haven't seen in her mouth well enough to tell how much different it looks under her tongue but can already tell she is moving her tongue around more. She fell asleep while taking her bottle before bed tonight and I could see her moving her tongue around in there when she was finished. It was much more flat and not all balled up like it used to be. I think she was able to get more suction on her bottle too. She used to bite the nipple a lot but there was no biting tonight and she kept a good tight seal around the nipple throughout the entire feeding. I'll have to check it out but didn't want to bother it or draw her attention to it today. The nurse said it would probably feel like a pizza burn or a canker sore under there for a day or two. She didn't get any stitches.

How funny are these 4x4 pajamas?!! Pajamas are one of the only things that Maya is in need of...well, not anymore. Since it's July and time to put out the Christmas trees and winter coats (ggrrr), Walmart (Paul!) had some of their summer pj's on clearance. I refuse to pay full price for summer pj's that she'll only wear for a couple of months. There was not one single pair of girls pj's on the rack. So Maya ended up with these camo boys pj's. Notice the bow in her hair just in case there was any doubt.

Maya's Purse

2007-07-01T22:16:00.001-04:00

This Bitty Betsy Vera purse has been hanging on Maya's closet door since October of last year. A week or so ago she pulled it off and handed it to me. I put a few things in it and she laid it down and never looked at it again until yesterday. Well, she has almost not been without it since. I put some old used up gift cards, my old cell phone which still works but will not make a call, her sunglasses and a watermelon lipgloss in it today. She thinks she is hot stuff carrying around that purse. When we left the house today she had to take her purse with her just like her Mom. How funny! Until today she has not showed much attachment to "things" except her lovie which she doesn't have a problem leaving but likes to have it when she takes a bottle and a nap.

Maya has just learned how to zip and unzip bags. Now nothing is safe. I discovered this when I went to check on a quiet girl in my bathroom and my makeup was scattered all over the floor with Miss Chickie zipping and unzipping the bag. Maybe that is part of the fascination with this little purse.

Honestly, I haven't been keeping Maya's hair in pony tails but was inspired by Carrie when I saw how stinking cute Audrey looked with her "pixie tails" so I tried two instead of one. I couldn't get them straight so I went back to one lonely tail. But here is a pic of the crooked tails.

What's Going on with Maya?

2007-06-29T10:54:00.000-04:00

Well, she's just growing and growing...particularly her hair. Today, I was able to get this cutest pony tail in the top. She actually left it alone and it was in all day long. Even after I took it down last night, her hair stuck straight up. It was very funny. She loves to share her food. Fisher is her favorite sharing partner. Yes, we took the sucker away after she let fisher lick it.

This is the pitiful sight I get when return from downstairs. Both of my babies waiting patiently for Mom to come back. If I take too long, I get a yell.

Each afternoon Maya finds this pacifier that we bought in China and will suck and chew on it for about an hour. I usually don't even know where it is but she can find it. I think she hides it when she's finished so she can get it the next day. She has never showed much interest in a pacifier (thank goodness). There are a few lying around in her toy boxes and different places. I'm not real sure what's up with the afternoon paci fix but I hope that it doesn't amount to much more than that. I hate nothing more than listening to a child talk around a pacifier. Maya is a constant talker. But is quiet when the paci is in her mouth. It actually gives my ears a rest! LOL She does say many words but more so babbles. We have an appointment on Tuesday to have her tongue clipped. (OUCH!!) She is very tongue tied. The surgeon says that she shouldn't have speech issues and already doesn't have many feeding issues. She does say light ("dight") and lid ("did") now but hopefully she'll learn quickly how to lift that tongue up after it's clipped.

Still loves the water. She's happiest when she's wet!

Loves the sprinkler and the pool and a bath. Any time we go outside she has to have her "flops" on. It's actually a good thing she loves them because it is so dry here that our grass is crispy and it hurts to walk on it barefooted.

We went to Tennessee last weekend to visit Maya's Grandma and Grandad. She was teething and ran a fever most of the weekend. She was pretty much a bear. We did go to Steve Kaufman's Acoustic Kamp again this year. She loved the live music even through a fever and swollen gums. Just another confirmation that this treasure truly is our daughter.

Latest Photo Shoot

2007-06-29T10:47:00.001-04:00

Sorry about the lack of pics lately. Our "sweet" girl is being such a turkey about pics. I did manage to get a couple of cute ones but in the midst of a million bad ones. She runs at the camera and when you catch her sitting....

This is usually what you get. Or hands in the mouth or rubbing eyes or a nice motion shot of the back of her head. Little booger, but damn she's cute!!

Good Dog and Better Internet

2007-06-20T15:01:00.000-04:00

I know that you've all been wondering about Fisher and how he is doing with Maya. Well, he is very jealous but loves the extra attention that he gets from her. He will usually block me from her when she cries or come and squeeze in between us if she's getting some lovin'. He knocks her down and whacks her with his tail just like he does the rest of us. She squeezes her eyes closed and braces herself when he comes around. But he would never ever hurt her intentionally. She loves to watch him eat and if we don't watch her every second, she will put her hands in his bowl and try to give him a bite and sometimes helps herself to some of his food. Yeah, I know, nasty. Believe me, we don't let it happen if we can help it. We are trying to teach her to give him some space when he's eating. She will lay across his belly when he is lying down and pats him hard on the chest just like I do. She loves to touch his nose. She puts her feet in his fur. She tries to pat Maggie the same way as she does Fisher and she has the scratches to prove it. Maggie doesn't like anyone and feels the same about Maya.
We are trying out some Cingular (AT&T) wireless internet. Today is the first day that it has worked. I had to take the laptop to the store and they worked for more than an hour trying to figure out what was up and we finally left with working internet. So far it seems to work well. This pic uploaded quickly and without any fuss (much unlike our previous dial-up). I haven't spent much time trying it out other than this.
I have been tagged by Carrie and Kim for 8 things about me and I will play but it may be a minute.

Goodbye Sunset Beach and Good Internet

2007-06-08T21:52:00.000-04:00

Today Maya was so tired that she fell asleep with her flip flops on. I thought about taking them off of her but opted to not disturb the nap. When she awoke, she was so confused about having her shoes on.

I'm not real sure but I think that sleeping in flip flops causes sever bed head. Check out that hair. It's all over the place!

She had a great time in the ocean again today. She loved being deep in the water and popping up when the waves came. She would suck her little belly in when the waves would hit.

Maya and Dad saying goodbye to the beach.

Another sedating wagon ride.

We take some family pictures every year. We are missing almost half of our clan this year. Maya is watching Sponge Bob.

I love this picture. As soon as we put Maya down in the floor she was dancing and smiling at Sponge Bob. Are we cruel to get such a kick out of this.

We say goodbye to this awesome beach for another year. We can't wait to come again. Maybe next year we'll all be together again.

Ever Feel Like You're Under a Microscope?

2007-06-07T08:13:00.000-04:00

Another beautiful day at Sunset Beach (yesterday...I passed out early last night and didn't get updated). Maya's day started with a showing of Sesame Street on the enormous TV (which by the way, doesn't look as big as it is really is in the pic with Mike due to some funky depth of field issues). She was mesmerized. She doesn't watch much TV at home and the TV is on here ALL day long. She really doesn't pay much attention to it. But when we got a chance to turn the channel to PBS, she watched. She loves her some Sesame Street.

How's that sand taste?? You all know how this girl likes to put her hands in her mouth. Well, we can't even keep them out on the beach. She just grinds the sand between her teeth. She loves to put her hands in the ocean water and then put them in her mouth. I guess she's not too put out by the salty even though she's so sweet.

She loved the water today. She laughed and splashed and jumped. She just kept going deeper and deeper in the water. This beach is great for kids because of many reasons. Just a few of my favorites are that the beach is really wide and not crowded and the water stays shallow for a long way out at low tide. There are also lots of tide pools that are really fun to play in.

The wagon was another favorite today. She pushed it up and down and up and down. I think she could have done that all afternoon.

Notice the one lonely piece of shrimp on her tray? Yeah, shrimp. Loved it. There is only one piece there because she would shovel it in as soon as I would lay it down. I couldn't get the camera picked up quick enough.

2 Thumbs Up for the Wagon

2007-06-05T22:49:00.000-04:00

We tried the wagon out today. And it worked great to haul all of our stuff to the beach including Maya. It also worked great to put her to sleep on the way back from the beach. Our house is all of maybe 200 yards from the beach. I guess she was exhausted. We had another good day of wave jumping and sand digging with our little beach bunny.

Here is our girl modeling for all of you keeping an eye on her duds. Yes Kim, Old Navy!! We love that place. She finally is getting to wear her squeaky sandals from China. Only one of the squeakers worked when she first put them on. I messed around with them and got them both to work. Then we went down to the beach and now neither work. I think the squeakers got sand in them. It was very windy.

Maya with Mom at Sunset Beach. This is a much more typical face from Maya when we try to take a picture. She is certainly uncooperative when we pull out the camera these days.

Maya loves her Daddy so much. She leans in for kisses from him and even chose Dad over Mom to pick her up today. She pats him very gently and lays her head down on his chest when she's sleepy. It melts my heart.

This is what happens when Dad picks her up. No wonder she chooses him over me. She gets thrown into the air and giggles and then has a super scared face for a split second. It is very funny.

Just so everyone doesn't think it's easy to get a pic of Maya smiling. We get many more like this than of the sweet smiling girl I usually post. Thank goodness for digital cameras. I so remember the days of developing film to find only a couple of good pics. Ahhh, those were the days...

We went out to dinner tonight and I gave Maya a bite of lemon. Everyone has seen the lemon faces on babies so you can imagine how hysterical it was. She shook from her head to her toes and then laughed big ol' belly laughs after she recoverd from the sour. Then she wanted more. She did it time and time again. She was really putting on a show for us and particularly her Grandad. She would laugh a silly laugh when he would laugh at her. She has been such a good girl on our vacation. She is having a great time and doesn't mind being out of her normal routine and surroundings. We are trying to keep pretty much to her schedule and that's working well. She has been staying up a little late some nights but hey, we're on vacation.

Until tomorrow...

Here Comes the Sun...Finally

2007-06-04T21:52:00.000-04:00

The day started like this...

And continued like this. Maya makes a run for the water when ever she sees it. She wasn't as happy to be in the water today as she was yesterday but she still loved it.

You are right Nugget. She is smokin' hot stuff in this bathing suit that you got for her. She was the cutest baby on the beach. Ok, maybe I'm a little biased.

I love this picture!!

We didn't know how well Maya would like the ocean so we got a little pool for her birthday to bring with us. We blew it up and put water in it today. She had just as much fun in the pool as she did in the ocean. Now we have water for her to play in right on our side porch.

One last shot of Miss hot stuff.

Rainy Day #2

2007-06-03T21:33:00.001-04:00

We were able to make a quick trip down to the beach today in between rain showers. Maya wouldn't have minded if it was raining. She LOVES the ocean!! I took her flip flops off and stood her in the sand. She only hesitated for a second before walking quickly towards the water cackling and screeching all the way. She loved the waves and didn't mind the splashing. We really had no intentions of getting in the water when we went down to the beach. It was only in the low 70s and we didn't know what Maya would think of the water. She was totally soaked in minutes and the water is actually pretty warm. We gonna have to keep a very close eye on her down there. She is fearless.

Pushing forward to get the the edge of the earth.

Look at that crazy crooked smile. I always think that she has something in her mouth when she smiles like that because I can see that big ol' molar back there. I think she is working on the one to match on the other side of her mouth. Silly girl.

We are looking for better weather tomorrow. This girl needs to spend a lot longer than a few minutes on the beach.

Sunset Beach 07

2007-06-03T00:02:00.000-04:00

We made it here today. We are staying at our usual digs. This place feels like home after 10 years of staying in this same house. Each year we are greeted with something new. One year new furniture and mattresses. Another, new appliances in the kitchen...you get the picture. Well, this year the owners of this place have made Mike's vacation. He gets to watch the French Open in HD on this new plasma TV. (We can see the score Mike Page...very clearly)

We arrived to a complete wash out. It has been raining non-stop and right now it's very, very windy. It is supposed to rain again tomorrow. I don't think we have seen it rain this hard in the 21 years we have been coming here.
Maya traveled like a champ. We drove about 7 hours yesterday and 2 today. She was an angel most of the time. Only a few fussy moments and those usually lead to a nap. What a good girl. She likes the house and is sleeping soundly in her crib as I type. She is having a good time with her grandparents and we know she'll love the beach. After this weekend, the weather is supposed to get better. We can't wait!

Here are Mike and Maya with the truck packed to the gills for our first trip as a family of three. Sunset Beach here we come!!

Check out Alfalfa Munster. Maya usually looks like Eddie Munster with the vampire hair but this morning she had both the Eddie and the Alfalfa going on.

Our house also has good Internet this year (woohoo!!). I'll try to get some good beach pics for you all.

Pages...We miss you!!!

Maya's First Night Gown

2007-05-27T19:42:00.000-04:00

I got Maya her first night gown just the other day. I put it on her last night since she is mostly walking now and won't get tangled up in it trying to crawl around. And since it's 90 degrees and she won't freeze. She thought that she was a princess wearing that gown ( I have to admit, I did to). She had to put on her flip flops and go outside to parade around with her Dad and her new nightie. How cute is that!?

Getcha Ear a Corn Haw Haw

2007-05-27T11:37:00.000-04:00

Sorry about the title of this post. There's just a few people who "get it" but it's a long, long standing saying among some of our oldest friends. I actually don't even remember the story surrounding it anymore.

Anyway, Maya had her first taste of corn on the cob yesterday at the Vandalia Gathering. She mostly just licked the butter and salt off of the corn. Vandalia is a local bluegrass festival/pickin' contest of sorts that goes on every year at the state capitol in Charleston, WV during the Memorial Day weekend. It has been many years since we've gone. We are usually on our way to the beach this weekend. Instead, we'll be on our way next weekend. We can't wait to get this girly to the coast. We thought she would get to go for the past 2 years and finally, we get to take our sweet girl to the beach with us in more than just our hearts.

Our WILDflower

2007-05-14T09:49:00.000-04:00

I wish I could claim the beautiful flowers that our most beautiful flower is sitting in but they actually are growing in our neighbor Monnie's yard. She has the green thumb that I always wish that I had. Her yard is gorgeous with tons of flowers growing everywhere. We took Maya over and had a little photo shoot in the flowers. She was not too cooperative. But not totally uncooperative either. It was very sunny and the white shirt was a little bright. We're still trying to learn the camera.

We had a great first Mother's Day. I am so happy to be able to celebrate this day as Maya's Mommy. I've said it before and I'll say it again...I am the lucky one!!

She is walking now in giant strides of 10-20 steps at a time. Still prefers crawling as it's a sure way to get where she wants to go. She just started the big walking yesterday. She can stand herself up in the middle of the floor with nothing to pull up on and just takes off walking.

Most of you know she was lactose intolerant. Well that has a fallen to the wayside as well as all baby food. She is on full strength Enfamil Lipil Next Step. We gradually switched her over from Lactofree with no problems. Our Ped had recommended giving her whole milk at 1 year but I wanted to use the Next Step for a few months just to give her the extra nutrients in the formula since she was a little deprived early in her life. Our Ped agreed. She also loves grilled cheese sandwiches and yogurt and ice cream. Good thing that the lactose isn't an issue for her anymore.

Well, I'm not having the good dial-up luck today. I was trying to get another of the flower shots up but no luck. I'll try again later.

Holy Dial-up Batman!!

2007-05-10T13:32:00.000-04:00

For whatever reason, I'm able to get pictures uploaded today without much fuss. So I'll share a few.

Check out this great ladybug raincoat. It was a birthday gift from Kelli. She also got rain boots to match.

My sleeping beauties!

Maya's Daddy got her this really cool sandbox for her birthday. It's a ton of fun for her. She is not feeling very well today so this pic of her smiling just goes to show how much she likes the sandbox. What you can't see in the picture is the lamb chop hanging out of Maya's nose. Poor little girly. She hasn't been sick since we got home from China. I really think this is just allergies. We go to the Ped next week for our second round of shots. Hopefully she'll be over it by then. But if not, I guess we'll find out if it's allergies or not.

Update...the lamb chop was gone within just a few hours of this pic. Must have been allergies, whew!!

Well, that's all the luck that I'm having today. Actually, I'm quite impressed that I was able to get this many pics uploaded. Now I'll cross my fingers and hope that this posts!

We Love Our Crocs

2007-05-10T13:23:00.000-04:00

I have ben looking high and low for a pair of Crocs for Maya. Mike and I have had ours for about 4 years now. We were given them for Christmas before they were "all the rage". I haven't been able to find a tiny pair for our little gator.
Maya was given the honor of becoming the Future Girl Scout 2007 for her friend Bailey's Girl Scout troup and they showered her with gifts. One of those gifts was this tiny pair of pink Crocs. How cute is that?!!

Happy Birthday to Our Sweet Sweet Girl!!

2007-04-28T21:03:00.000-04:00

Our beauty turned one year old today. She did it in style just like any one year old should...with cake all over the place.
We wonder everyday how in the world we managed to get out of China with this treasure. We really are the lucky ones.
We took her to Bamboo Garden (a local Chinese restaurant) last night for the first time. She loved, I mean LOVED the food. She ate like we have never seen. She is still iffy on solid food and will usually spit it out a few times before reluctantly mashing and swallowing it. She took dumplings and chicken in without a second thought and was signing "more" before swallowing what was in her mouth. It was hysterical. So, tonight I made her some noodles and she shoveled them in one after another and was signing "more" with grubby hands full of what was left on her highchair tray. That's our girl! Our one year old girl!
Happy Birthday our one and only! Good heavens do we ever love you!!

Speechless

2007-04-19T12:20:00.000-04:00

There is really nothing to say except that this angel takes my breath away!!

And...She's...Off!!

2007-04-17T12:03:00.000-04:00

Our big girl is now on the move. She crawls using the bottom of her feet. She wants to walk so badly she'll do it sitting. It will not be long before she is brave enough to walk on her own. She will walk holding only one of our fingers now.
She is very happy and is starting to give some lovin' back occasionally. She still loves books and also loves pictures. We go through all of them in her room when she wakes in the morning and from naps. Her favorite books are photo albums, The Foot Book, Goodnight Moon and Millie Moo. She loves the big barn doors at the end of Millie Moo. She truly is a bundle of joy. We love this sweet angel. We don't know how we got so lucky.

Racheal's Collage

2007-04-09T20:40:00.000-04:00

This collage is from my niece Racheal. She is the other beauty in the pics besides Maya. Racheal and her Mom and Dad are in to visit for Easter. We are so happy to have them here.

Happy Easter

2007-04-09T20:34:00.000-04:00

Maya got all dressed up yesterday morning and we went to my sister-in-law's church for Easter. She was beautiful in her light green dress. This one may be just as, if not more frilly than her red couch dress. She sure does frilly well, doesn't she?

Maya

2007-04-04T12:29:00.000-04:00

This is the girl that we get to see most of the time these days. For the past 2 mornings I have gone into Maya's room to find her sitting up in her bed. She started crawling just a tiny bit yesterday and I'm guessing by next week she will be totally mobile (which, by the way, scares me to death and makes me so proud of our super girl). Still, her favorite way to get from one place to another is by taking my fingers and running there. She grunts and points to things. She says "Hi" and waves hello and goodbye. She doesn't wait until the persons she is waving to is gone now.
Progress, progress... we see something new everyday in our sweet Maya. She is something else!!

Long Time Coming

2007-03-29T22:18:00.000-04:00

It's been a long time since I've had a minute to sit at this computer. We are all doing just fine and adjusting better and better everyday. Maya is a joy and such a smarty pants. Our daughter is amazing. What a change we have seen in her over the course of a month. She loves it here at her home. She is the life of the party. She is so easy-going and love to get into anything and everything she can. She eats just about anything, sleeps all night long in her own crib, wakes happy and smiling, naps for an hour or two each day and is not grumpy if she just gets a cat nap in the car seat instead of a good long nap in her bed. She loves to be outside, loves the pool, loves it when her Daddy comes home from work and loves, loves, loves to walk holding your fingers. She sat herself up all by herself tonight for the first time. She has learned to patty-cake this week and play peek-a-boo. She waves bye-bye but usually after who ever she is waving at is gone.
She is a princess and we love her to pieces!!

There's No Place Like Home!!!

2007-03-14T10:29:00.000-04:00

Our home is the best place ever!!! We have seen a bigger outpouring of thoughtfulness and love for us and our daughter than we could have ever imagined! We have the absolute best family and friends. We just have to say...
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
We're back in the land of super slow internet. Today is the first day I've sat down to the computer. Maya is napping. I'm gonna have to go elsewhere to load some pictures. I miss the fast internet service at the White Swan...
Maya is adjusting wonderfully so far. The time change has us all a little wacky but she's still sleeping through the night. She gets up pretty early but then will take a nap in the late morning. She is happy most of the time and loves her room and her crib. She is eating well. She gives us big belly laughs often. She is so smart!
I do believe that she knew that she was home when we got here. She settled right in and seems to feel very comfortable in her house. She was a little apprehensive around Maggie and Fisher at first but now she love to watch them and she likes to touch fishers floppy lips. He sits and waits for her to drop crumbs. Fisher seems a little sad that he is not the one and only anymore.
I will try to get some pictures up soon. You wouldn't believe that Maya could get any more beautiful but, it's true, she can. We love this tiny girl. We are so happy to have her home!

Goodbye China

2007-03-08T08:53:00.000-05:00

This is what we've been waiting for. Maya's visa to travel to the good 'ol USA! Today we got it along with her passport. Many of you have asked if she will have dual citizenship and the answer is yes. We didn't know that until today. The swearing in was rather anticlimactic but it's done and now we can come home.

Maya was all smiles today. It was almost as if she was waiting for this day also. Testing us to make sure we were gonna take all that she could dish out and today she got the answer she was looking for. She sat and looked out the window of the bus on the way to the American consulate as if she were taking in the sights of her birth country and making peace with saying goodbye. We sure hope that peace was made in her smart little mind and soul. We are taking her from her homeland to a place of love and opportunity. We hope she will be a happy and healthy, well adjusted person that will always know love. We want to afford her the things that she may not have otherwise known. We are so happy she is ours! She is so beautiful and lights up the place when she is happy.

Finally happy in her Daddy's arms. Mike and Maya played on the bed today while I took a shower. She has let him pick her up and carry her today. He also changed her diaper without too much fuss from either of them. We are seeing progress. Now if we can just get through the jet lag that we'll all be feeling for the next couple of weeks.

The girl loves some garlic toast. She gnawed on this piece for quite sometime today. It was nice and crusty and it felt good on her teething gums.
We are so happy to say that we will be leaving tomorrow. We don't have any idea how our flight will go but we know that we will be among friends. We say goodbye to China with mixed feelings. We are so excited to get back to our own familiar surrounding. To our family and our friends. To our soft bed. To ice in our freezer door. To water we can drink straight from the faucet. To familiar sounds and smells. But we will miss the atmosphere here and especially the weather (even though it has been cold the past couple of days). I will miss the sound of people speaking Chinese. I will miss the look on Maya's face when someone speaks to her in Chinese. I will miss our friends the Lazars and the others in our travel group who have been such a wonderful source of support. We will miss Kathy and Jocelyn.
We are ready to move on to the next act of the "Maya Show". We thank all of you who sent us love and support from the other side of the globe. It really did mean the world to us. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! We were so excited each morning to get up and read your words from afar. We will continue to update this blog as it is such a great way to keep everyone updated.
So, we say for the last time...Goodbye from Guangzhou!!
Love,
Jill, Mike and Maya

Red Couch

2007-03-07T09:58:00.000-05:00

Today we did the famous red couch pictures here at the White Swan. This is Maya getting ready to go to get her picture taken. This is probably as frilly as anyone will ever see her so take a good look. Aimee, one outfit was about all we could do. We may try tomorrow to get her in your outfit.

This is the family shot. It really didn't turn out too bad???

These are our guides Jocelyn and Kathy. What wonderful ladies these two are. They have been our strength and held our hands through some though times. Jocelyn gave Maya a little talking to in Cantonese and she hasn't been the same since. That is a good thing. We could not have done this without these two fine people!

These are all of the Yangchun girls in our group. I don't think I've ever seen a prettier bunch of tiny girls. L-R Mia, Elizabeth, Maya, Ella and Kaytee Beth.

Me and Maya and Laura and Ella. Our bestest buds on this trip. Also great hand holders and supporters during some trying times. We will miss the Lazars so much after this trip and we see many visits to Atlanta in our future. We hope they see some visits to West Virginia for them too.

This is all of the 10 families in our travel groups. A great bunch of folks all with beautiful new daughters. Missing from this picture is Nieve, Jemma and Martin.

All of the new girls except Nieve. She's got a bit of a cold and was sleeping. Every one of these girls are going to loving homes with exceptional parents. We are all so lucky...girls and families!
It's no easy task getting 10 little girls to cooperate for a picture. This is the best of about 10 pics that Mike took.
Good night from Guangzhou...only 1 more night after tonight. We've already started packing!