Happy!

Merry Christmas!!!

A few pictures of our first Christmas together.... Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Christmas Eve - in my pretty dress!
I had lots of fun in the "cry" room at church...kids and toys
and book and snacks, what's not to like about church?

"Hey..are any of these for me???"

Feeding my new baby doll

Opening presents on Christmas morning!
I sure do love ripping off the paper!

Playing "ball" with Grandma and Grandpa

Checking out my new stroller for my baby dolls!

Doodling on my DoodlePro - I even have an audience!

Catching up...

Ok...all of you moms out there who laughed hysterically when I talked about all of the things that I thought I'd be able to get done once Maya was home can stop laughing now!

Sheesh...this is hard work! But I'm loving (almost) every minute of it. And Maya is just thriving!

Here are some catch up photos from the last week or so...

Breakfast with Santa - Maya is paying NO attention to the
man in the red suit behind her!

Trying on mom's sunglasses - before I broke them!

Practicing the sign for cookies - I'm getting the hang of this sign language thing!

Hangin' with cousin Sam!

Checking out Grandma and Grandpa's Christmas tree

Modeling my new Christmas PJs

All bundled up for Wild Lights at the St. Louis Zoo - that was FUN!

(these frogs actually sang Jingle Bells!)

That's all for now....stay tuned for pictures of my first Christmas!!!!

Yogurt...what's not to love?

Why use a spoon when you can use your hands?

Why eat it when you can play with it?

Breakthrough with Grandpa!

For those who have been following along the Grandpa and Maya saga...here she is with Grandpa at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. The beauty of this picture is that they were there ALL BY THEMSELVES! I had some business to tend to, so Grandpa took Maya out for the morning..she cried for a few minutes (I think just to make me feel bad as I was leaving!) and then she was a perfectly happy little girl - hangin' with her Grandpa!

Yay for Maya and Grandpa!!!

random acts of cuteness....

She's all about the cuteness these days....

Peek-a-boo!

Hanging with Grandma!

Wrestling with my friend Alexis!

Rocking with baby!

"Writing" at my desk!
Check out the way she holds her pencil - this girl's got some great fine motor skills!

I'm a big girl now!

On Tuesday, December 5,2006 - Maya decided to start traveling solo! Go Maya Go!

Sorry there is no sound...I don't have a video recorder, so the above was taken with my digital camera. I do enjoy getting the little snipets of video though...perhaps I'll need to think about a digital video-recorder!

Moving!

We are busy packing up boxes for our big move. Yep..it's a rough move...according to Mapquest, the old and the new are all of 1.37 miles apart. I've moved quite a few times in my adult life...but never with a toddler thrown into the mix!

In other news...

Maya is doing GREAT! She keeps me on my toes with all of her new tricks! Her latest is the ability to get from a sitting position to standing - without assistance! Go Maya! I do believe that I will have a very independent toddler on my hands in just a few weeks. There's no stopping her now!

She has done really well the few times that I've left her with a sitter. I do believe she is getting the hang of mom leaving her for a bit. The smile that I receive from Maya upon returning makes is almost okay to leave!

Maya is a very loving little girl. She loves to give me kisses and has decided that all "ouchies" require a kiss, too! One afternoon, we accidently pinched her finger just a tiny bit when getting into the carseat. Ever since then...whenever she hears that click of the harness..she holds her fingers out for a kiss. This girl just won't let it go!!

That's about it for now...once we get settled into the new house (and get our Christmas tree up!) I'll be sure to update the blog with some new pictures!

a little something on your nose...

I couldn't resist...this is a photo that Aunt Leslie took of Maya on Thanksgiving..enjoying some pie with Uncle Mark!
sorry it's sideways...it wasn't turned this way on the original...blogger must've done it!

One month...

One month ago today, Maya was placed in my arms, where we became a forever family. What a month it has been! We continue to learn more and more about each other with each new day.
Here are some random thoughts...

I love Maya's smile! When Maya smiles, her whole face participates! I love the way that she crinkles up her nose and squints up her eyes.

Her belly laugh and occasional snort are quite contageous! When you really get her going....she will snort through her laughter...which makes mama laugh harder...which makes Maya laugh harder...and on and on...

I love the way that Maya dances. When we are in the car...I can see her waving her hands in the air to the beat of the music. If we are at home...she will do the toddler bob...just bouncing up and down on her little tiny legs.

Maya's resilience is unmatched! When she has an idea...and you don't care to go along with her idea, she will let you know it!

She is also very loving. Maya loves to give mama kisses. She's been known to dole them out to other family members, too!

Maya has learned alot these past 30 days....

~ sign language: more, up, all done, cracker, help, milk & bye-bye
~ language: mama, cracker, bubbles
~ her walking is getting better and better each day. She has taken approx 20 steps on her own as long as I walk in front of her, coaxing her along
~ she can feed herself with a fork and a spoon - although the fork is a bit harder to navigate
~ she can turn the lights off when I ask her to
~ whenever we walk in the front door, she always wants to help me by placing the keys on the shelf just inside the door (right where they belong!)


Maya is getting more and more comfortable with family and friends

Oh...and she loves to eat! Her favorite foods right now are cheese, graham crackers, grapes, yogurt and applesauce

I cannot WAIT to see what the next 30 days bring!

Happy Thanksgiving!

There's not much to say that is not coveyed in the brief conversation that I overheard my 3 yr old niece say to her mom...."I'm thankful for Maya"

Me too, sweet girl, me too!

a little pre-meal swing-time with our friends Zoe and Laney

I like to smile right after the flash!

playing in the kitchen with cousin Charlotte
Charlotte is 5 months younger than Maya, but they
are about the same size...aren't they CUTE?!?!

this is where I will be sitting next year - Grandpa held my place for me
this year while I sat at the grown-up table with Mom.
Thanks, Grandpa!

YUM...mashed potatoes!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our friends and family!

The Green Gingham Couch Photo

You may remember a post from my travel blog about the "red couch photo". This is our version of that photo back home with 2 of Maya's friends. Carla and Jerusha gave each of the girls a matching pink butterfly outfit and so we decided to put 'em on and capture the moment. Here you go...the photo shoot

From left to right: Alexis (2) Maya (18 mo.) and Jerusha (5)

Doesn't Maya look thrilled to be a part of this?

Ta-da!

Progress with a capital P!

Maya has allowed someone other than me to hold her. The lucky recipient of all this lovin' goodness is.....

Aunt Stephanie!

Aunt Steph and the girls were over for a playdate on Friday morning. Maya was wandering around and came upon Aunt Stephanie reading a book to Julia. She decided she wanted in on the action and did not protest when Steph lifted her onto her lap. Yay for Maya and Aunt Stephanie!

Proof...

We've been "accused" of liking purple a little too much....not so...not so!

Look Ma - No Hands!

Many people told me that Maya would probably be walking on her own within weeks of me bringing her home...I think they were right...see for yourself!

First - I have to steady myself


Then - I take a few steps

Then - I give mom a great big "Aren't you proud of me!" smile....

And yes...Mom is VERY proud of her baby girl!

Everything's just "ducky"

Isn't this the cutest little butt? Here's Maya modeling her new PJ's...


We've made it through our first full week together. I think we've both learned alot about each other. I have learned that....

Maya LOVES to eat..and when she is hungry..she wants to eat NOW!

She snorts! Yes...she snorts when you get her laughing really hard!

She enjoys spoons full of peanut-butter for an afternoon snack - she needs the fat for brain growth, right?

She is beginning to feed herself - slowly and quite messy - but here she is with some double-fisted dining

She definitely has an opinion - and isn't afraid to tell you about it, either! It's too bad that we are not speaking the same language yet. Is there a toddler-adult conversion dictionary out there?

She enjoys "walking" around the house - she will use anything in her path to help her get from point A to B

She has discovered two new options for getting to her destination - roll and scoot on her butt, backwards

She enjoys going to the park - and even lets me push her on the baby swings - the first was taken last Friday (11/10) and the second one was taken today... I was "chasing" her around a playground structure
That's all for now....stay tuned!

I'm a dork...

I JUST realized that I had set this blog to moderate comments...meaning that I had to approve all comments before they can be posted to the blog. The thing is...I didn't realize that I had marked that setting and I just thought that nobody wanted to comment!

Sorry about that! I just read through a ton of comments from referral on...thanks!

And so it begins...

Maya had her first pediatrician appointment yesterday. If you've read my China Trip blog..you know that she was not very fond of the medical exam in China..this was no different. Dr. O'Neil, however, is a very kind and patient man. He wasn't fazed in the least..of course, he does this everyday so I'm sure he's used to it. Maya screamed. She screamed very LOUD! She was terrified and pissed off...and I don't blame her one bit. But by the end of the ordeal, she was proclaimed one healthy little girl. Dr. O'Neil did a full check-up and found nothing out of the ordinary. I do have to provide some "samples" for him on Thursday and they will check her TB test. She didn't like that, either...but can you blame her? He has ordered some blood work which I will take her to get on Friday. Ugh...that is NOT going to be fun!

So...for those of you keeping track at home, Maya is 20 lb. 13oz (15-20th percentile on weight) and 30 inches long (45th percentile on height). She appears healthy and he is not concerned about her nutrition. Her hair, nails, skin all look as though she has been properly fed. He checked out her mobility and that looks ok, too. He suggested that perhaps she was not encouraged to walk all that much, and I would have to agree with him. She'll be taking off in no time and I'll be wondering where my little cuddle-bug went!

Here are a few pictures from yesterday...

Got yogurt?

Don't I look precious in my new hat?

For real..don't you think we've had enough
airplanes for one week?

Home

We are home!

I am switching back to this blog for updates on our progress as we begin our life together back in the United States. It is SO good to be home!

For anyone just tuning in...I journaled our trip to China. You can click here or find the China Trip link on the right side of this page.

Stay tuned!

For real?!?!?!

It is Monday morning...the week that I leave for China. We will be leaving at an ungodly early hour on Friday morning...and arriving in Beijing, China a mere 18 hours later!

Here's a quick run-down of my itinerary and then a link to a new site where you can follow along if you wish!

Oct 20: leave St. Louis at 6:45am - arrive in Beijing at 2:30pm Oct 21
Oct 21 - 23: tour Beijing
Oct 24: MAYA DAY!
Oct 24-26: Hang out in ZhengZhou for a few days getting to know my daughter!
Oct 27-31: We'll be in Luoyang, the city where Maya has been living
Oct 31-Nov 4: Guangzhou with a gajillion other adoptive parents and their new kiddos
Nov 4: Return home!

There you have it! Maya will be in my arms in just 7 days. It's so hard to believe that after all this time, my dream is coming true!

I'm hoping to be able to post to our travel blog each day, but I'm not sure that I'll be able to. If you'd like to follow along, click on the link below and you'll be taken to our new travel blog.

The journey begins...

Michelle (and Maya!)

2 weeks.....

In just two weeks, I will be doing this..........


The picture above is my good friend Robin and her baby girl Lauren. Their "Gotcha" Day was just 12 (or so) hours ago. Congratulations, Robin, Rob, Mikayla, Nicholas and Lauren!!!

One VERY happy baby! A picture of Lauren just 4 days with her forever family. What a sweet baby girl she is...and what a gorgeous smile!