Playing Outside

After a few 60 degree days, we are back to cold! Just in time for Spring Break too. Marie has enjoyed the warm weather and being outside though. So she still goes out. Here she is today with Jim going up and down our driveway.

Walking Around on a Saturday Afternoon

Marie treated us to some short walks today around the living room. Nana Whall visited us for lunch with her friend John. Marie sat in her high chair and played with Nana making faces over lunch at each other. Afterwards, she did some short walks of 3 or 4 steps around the living room. They had a great visit together. Today she was all Daddy's girl. She would walk into Jim's outstretched arms and plant a big kiss on his lips. For me, nada. Oh well, I have the entire week with her for Spring Break. Perhaps I will get a few too.

It's a Date

I forgot to post these earlier. On Valentine's Day, I had book club. Now don't fear for my marriage as I preferred going out with 9 women that night and discussing another man (we had read Barack Obama's autobio); things are fine! Bookclub is always the 2nd Wednesday which was Feb 14th this year. So, before I left for the nicest restaurant in TC, I made dinner for Daddy and Baby Girl and left them to enjoy it together. I don't think Jim minded the replacement date at all!

Happy Year of the Golden Pig

We went to China Fair on Sunday to celebrate CNY. Marie wore one of the outfits we had made for her in Nanchang. We love how she just leaves the hat on! She very much enjoyed the noodles. In fact, we haven't seen her eat anything with such enthusiasm for a while. It was like she was saying, "THIS is how it is supposed to taste!" She also liked the soup, dumplings and asparagus...oh, and cheesecake. I don't think that is original to China although we tried some from the hotel buffet when we were there. But, like most American food we tried in China, it looked right but didn't taste right at all.

Marie was fascinated with the owner and the waitress - they were both Chinese. They wanted to know where she was from and they politely corrected our pronunciation. Marie's eyes didn't leave the waitress whenever she was around. Jim noticed that there were a few other families there with their daughters too. I am sure we will meet people when we get more involved with the adoptive community up here.

Happy New Year!

Wintertime

Our neighbors took pity on us when we put Marie in a laundry basket and hauled her around the driveway and they lent us their baby sled for the winter. She loves it, especially when we run (which of course, is easy to do in snowboots). Grandparents, we always check her hands and feet when we go back in and they have never felt cold yet!

She is changing so quickly right now. Pulling herself up and cruising furniture, crawling all the way up the stairs and then sliding down, using a spoon and sippy cup regularly. She also can say mama, dada and kittycat - or her version of it. She can sign more, all done, milk and bear. Jim says that the other night she was yelling at him as she kept signing milk to him over and over as he got her in her PJ's.

Daycare is going better and tomorrow starts our regular back-to-work schedule. ugh

About 75 school days till summer!

First Flowers and First Hair Cut

Daddy sent Mommy and Marie flowers today. Marie liked the big bow; Mommy cried. Then she had to hide the roses in the bathroom as it was time to leave for the haircut and Thumbs was trying to eat them.
Before. During. After.

Early Chinese New Year

We celebrated this year when it was convenient. We were quite lucky that Aunt Abigail was with us and we put her to work! She assembled 50 dumplings and helped to decorate. Decorations consisted of lanterns, an ancestor table and lots of red and coins for good luck. I can get into a holiday that goes on for 15 days! We made a great beef soup, pork dumplings and chicken satay with peanut sauce. We sent out for spring rolls and pad thai (yes, I know, but it's good) - thank you Labontes. Chopsticks were the utensil of choice and chinese good luck characters decorated the entryway. Madame Kelly made almond cookies that were fantastic - even after the 10th one. Marie had her first cold from her day care visit the previous day and didn't enjoy it too much. You can see that Hannah and Hailey did have fun though! We had sparklers planned for the girls but when it is zero degrees out you kind-of dismiss those extras!

Chinese New Year is actually next weekend but with Momma going back to work the following week, we thought we'd celebrate it early.

odds and ends

Marie, helping herself to Cheerios...she is so shy when it comes to food.

Pleased with herself for using a spoon.

And playing with Thomas the Train....she crawls after it.

She is getting big!

Meet Thumbs

Jim likes pets - a lot. Who else would have kept a blind, diabetic, bullet-ridden, carpet-peeing trash-seeking dog who howled around as long as he did?

So I took Marie to the humane society because I thought it would be fun to look at the animals. I left my wallet in the car-heck, I wasn't shopping. Well, this little cat had been there since Jim's birthday in April and I just felt she needed a home. They were so happy we were taking her they gave us everything for her for free- toys, litter, pillows, food, etc. So now she is running around the house, not believing she isn't in a cage. She just started to eat again and purrs constantly.

Oh and she is called Thumbs as she has an extra digit on each front paw.

Marie finds her fascinating when she is over 3 ft away. Anytime they get closer than that, she immediately scoots over to me to shield her from the 7 lb cat.

Jim is quite happy to have a pet again.

Playing at Home

These are pix from last week. I wanted to show you Marie in her chair. I remember sitting in that chair as a little girl and I loved that chair. Marie does too. Specifically, she loves climbing in and out of it (and standing on it). She can do this for 10 minutes or so. I also wanted to show you pictures of her pulling herself up and standing. Today, she pulled herself up on my sideboard and started flinging napkins out of it. She loves this toy, the ball popper, that she is standing next to. It blows air through a tube and small plastic balls zoom out of it. She likes to stand over it and have the air blow into her face. Ah...good times.

Even More

First is Daddy and Marie at Waikiki beach...Diamond Head is blocked by Jim's tiny shoulders. Then some pictures from the retirement party. You can see from Marie's eyes how overwhelming it was. Last is Daddy holding Marie on Grampa's balcony...again, Diamond Head is just peeking from behind. As I write this, it is negative 1 degrees out...fantastic snow but just too cold to ski! Seems like these pictures were taken a long long time ago right now.

More Hawaii Pics

oh wait...the last one is back in Michigan!

Hawaiian Babe

Marie did well in Hawai'i. She loved the beach but we were very careful with her! Hats, suntan lotion, shade...For the first time, Mommy spent the day in the shade at the beach. Fortunately, Grampa Chuck's house is within walking distance to Waikiki beach so we made 3 or 4 quick trips there with Marie. She was, hands down, the hit of the retirement party! It was a great party on the 30th floor of the bank building - a quick ride up the glass elevators to a completely glass-walled room. The view was great, the food was great and it was a fun night.
The first photo is at a store with a walk-thru aquarium...Marie was enthralled with the fish. The beach shots are at Waikiki beach and the last is with the newly retired Grampa Chuck. Marie tried lots of new food: Teddy Grahams were the hit of the week, thanks to Auntie Debbie! She also finally met Electronic Warfare Specialist Steve Sucher, aka Jim's best buddy, who has since been deployed on the destroyer USS Paul Hamilton. The flight home was uneventful, thankfully. We had a layover in Chicago and had two great visits in the airport. First, we visited with a family that was obviously on their way home from China with their new baby! Second, we met with Juleen's good friend, Mary Jo Sleder who was also catching a flight back to TC. She met Marie for the first time and we got caught up.

The first week home was an adjustment: the time change is 5 hours which was rough on all of us. And Marie had to learn to eat a meal without 4 or 5 relatives cheering at her every bite. But we all did it and are so happy we made the trip! It was a great family time!

Language Lesson

At Marie's first birthday party, Frau Labonte and Madame Kelly give her some lessons. Meanwhile, most of Marie's cousins, along with these ladies two little girls, were outside sledding.

Happy Girl Video

Just in case you needed a laugh... (still working on the video thing)

Unflattering Photos

Marie decided one night to rip off her socks and chew on them. Who were we to argue? Perhaps they tasted good???
She also decided to smear her prunes around a little bit. A facial mask???
Lastly, Marie says she doesn't share noodles.

Baptism

Marie Kathleen Yi was baptized on Saturday, December 9th at St. Francis Church here in town. Her godparents are Uncle Scott and Aunt Julie. She loved the water and enjoyed waving at the entire family in the pews. Daddy tells her that there should be no more crying, now that she is filled with the Holy Spirit.