Football Sunday

Obviously, I need more toys...

...and stuffed animals.

Having a post-Lions victory, pre-park snack.

Taking over Momma's sudoko. (Note matching pink bows on shirt and child.)

WHEW is all I can say. In the past 7 weeks, we have had 2 trips to Chicago, 4 weekend family visits, 1 all weekend long ski patrol refresher and parent-teacher conferences. This weekend, we had...nothing. And it was good.

We went on a gorgeous hike at Empire Bluff, a short hike that ends on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. Marie slept beautifully and her parents watched U of M beat try to lose to Illinois. Today, we biked around the peninsula a few times and Marie and Jim watched the Lions win. I sat on the back deck and read. It was heavenly.

Marie is doing wonderful. She is in love with markers and coloring. We have to hide the markers but she knows where to look. Gotta get smarter...

In a Groove

We have settled into the school year. Marie knows when it is a weekend and when it is a "school day." She l-o-v-e-s weekends. Daddy is there all day long...naptimes are uninterrupted...all the attention...no rushing...relax and play! She gets excited when she realizes in the morning that we are both there; that doesn't happen during the week very often. Although on Thursdays Jim goes into work a little late so we can have "family breakfast." Wednesday nights he has judo so we don't eat dinner together; we decided to make up the time on Thursday mornings. It is a wonderful tradition. Marie is just tickled when she gets to start her day with both of us. But weekends...ahhh...that is another thing. She gets a lot of one-on-one Daddy time. Oddly enough, she seems to like watching football with Jim. Probably because he has had so many opportunities to cheer the past few weeks. Marie roots for whoever is winning - U of M, Chicago Bears, Philly Eagles...and said, "UH OH!" when the Lions quarterback got sacked. She is obviously getting it!

Her words so far are "UH OH," "Dad-ddduuh" ( for Daddy), and "Buh-Bye!" Still no Mama...

Picnic with other Adoptive Families

We were privileged this weekend to enjoy a picnic dinner with many other families who adopted children from China or South Korea. The picnic was in Lake Ann, west of Traverse City and the families all had used the same agency as we did. There were about 12 families with kids of ages 16 months to 5 or 6 year olds. It was wonderful to make connections and talk with those who had "been there and done that" even when their experiences differed...they understood our story. We could compare notes and share memories of China; it was really a great experience. Marie was one of the youngest and tiniest. She doesn't know it but she met some good friends; we got some phone numbers and plan on playdates together. Here I am taking Marie back to the diaper bag for warmer clothing for her. Her t-shirt says, "Everyone loves a brown-eyed girl." We picked that over her U of M jersey!

Twenty-One Months Old

Then

Now

The top is a picture taken in China, one of the first times Jim held Marie. The bottom is this weekend at Elberta Beach. Things have changed!

Tonight when I put Marie to bed, I cried. Tomorrow school starts, so this weekend is the last bit of our baby summer together. Next time it is summer, she will be a true toddler. We will never have a summer together with her as a baby. Crying now too, of course!

But it was a lovely weekend. Thursday night we went to the high school football game. Marie loved the drums, the airplanes and drinking water by the capful as she couldn't manage sipping from the bottle. She went to bed late that night. Friday we went swimming in the lake and had family over for dinner and a boat ride. Very fun to have some dinner guests. Discovered our deck is much much smaller than at our last house, only complaint so far. She went to bed late that night too. Saturday we went to the beach and attended a very nice dinner with some family and ski patrol friends. She went to bed really late that night. Sunday, we made it through mass with one tired baby and got ready for a visit from Rob and Sandra. They spent the day here today and Marie definately went to bed on time tonight!

Marie is indeed 1 and 3/4's today. Almost two. Those of you who warned us that it goes so fast were not accurate. It goes really really fast. Ouch.

Still Haven't Unpacked the Camera

Errrr...sorry about that. So here are some oldies but goodies, hoping to keep you happy in the mean time.

Marie has started to talk a little bit. Whenever she does, we cheer and whoop up a storm. Her eyes light up and she laughs. 'B' words are very big with her. Baby, bye-bye, boat, yeah and daddy are her words. There is an occasional 'mama' which thrills me, of course.

She has adjusted amazingly to her new surroundings. It doesn't hurt that she has a better play space, both inside and out. She has figured out where the toys are in the basement and outside. She knows which direction the park is and also understands if we ask her if she wants to go to the lake. Those comments get squeals out of her. Marie has also figured out that the dishwasher here, like at her old house, will hold magnets. She takes them off the fridge, places them on the dishwasher, walks around for a while and moves it back to the fridge - same spot she took it from. She is in love with the washer and dryer. At the former house, she could never get to them. Since these are frontloaders, all the buttons and lights are within toddler reach. Fortunately, there is a way to lock out the buttons so she can press them to her hearts content. She likes to shut the door to the laundry room with the overhead lights out and watch the washer/dryer lights. Easily entertained?

I canned peaches the past few days. The cans are sitting on the counter, waiting for a spot in the basement to open up. As she eats, she points to the peaches and asks, in her way, if she can eat them. I am getting tired of saying no. Guess maybe I should move them out of her view.

Hopefully the camera will reveal itself in a few days. If it doesn't show up before school starts, it could be awhile.

No pix, just update

We had a dusty, dirty weekend. Friday night wasn't so bad. After dinner it was humid. So we piled in the car and ran down to the bay for a quick swim and to enjoy the breeze. Marie chased the sea gulls and ran along the water's edge and we saw a cormorant swimming! And then, the packing began in earnest. Jim spent Saturday digging out and packing up the garage. Before Jim dove into the garage, he took her to the Farmer's Market and they fed the ducks in the river. Marie spent the rest of the day with me and Grama Tina. Marie babbles non-stop but still doesn't have many words. I know that one day she will be yelling at me and I will miss this time but I can't wait to hear her say something. She has a certain phrase she uses while pointing at Jim and she definately sings songs. Tonight we took her to mass and was that an eye-opening time! She is no longer a little baby who sits quietly in our arms. She was running around up the aisle, crawling under the pew, coloring everything she could find...we had to re-group and have a little parent meeting after church to figure out what we will do for next week. It won't be pretty.

More on the Boat

Scott and his ladies at breakfast.

"They are probably going to go fast and wreck my hair!"

We snuck away from the boxes and moving fun and went to Jim's mother's cabin this weekend. We had a 4 yr old with us and were joined by another family with their daughter. The girls went swimming, boating and tubing...notice I did not say they slept! The moment you pull in to the drive, you feel relaxed. Marie loved to play in the lake but she is not sure about the boat. She likes it at first and then hides her head in my chest while we go fast. It has become a bit of a tradition for our families to spend a weekend there every summer and we love it! Jim's only wish was to pull someone behind the boat and Scott complied by tubing. A good weekend all around!

A Year Ago...

"Uhh..it's a little colder here than in Jiangxi Province!"

Having fun inside!

American Girl!

A year ago today, Jim picked up the phone shortly after 7am (after I cried myself to sleep because we hadn't heard yet) to hear, "You're a Dad!" He was so excited that he got her name, birthdate, and what province she was from but never asked the gender. Can't tell from the Chinese name! He hung up the phone without the information!!! We called back but she was busy with other calls so it was a long 15 minutes until we found out that Marie Kathleen Yi Whall was a girl! We celebrated all day long by telling all of you and had a few nice surprises! We went to the Bethany Christian Service office to get our 3 precious pictures and all the details they had about our little girl. We learned that she was in foster care and in good health. I was able to show those pictures with my cousin Becky shortly afterwards. Our good friends Kerry and Kate came over with an outfit for Marie, that she wore Thanksgiving weekend. I came home to find that my house had been decorated by Becky with balloons (that I still have, by the way!) Can't believe it has been a year since we first saw her cute face. Here are a few pictures of the past year to see how much she has changed!

A true, exhausted Asian-American girl with her sippy cup, baby doll, watching some Baby Einstein videos after a long day at play.

Chubby cheeks vacationing on Waikiki beach at the New Year.

Enjoying some noodles at the Chinese Restaurant for Chinese New Year.

A Day at Elk Lake

We weren't really going that fast...it just looks like it

Playing with rocks on shore.

Mama and Marie eating some cheerios.

Today after nap we took the boat up to Elk Lake. It is a large lake that connects to Lake Michigan. We stayed inland though! It was very rough, especially for the little boat. But we just went slow and stayed safe. Captain Jim certainly knows what he is doing. We then played at the beach for a few hours. I couldn't resist the big waves so I had a great swim while Jim and Marie played with rocks. Jim taught her how to hold rocks in between her toes which she thought was just fantastic. Until she tried a rock that was a few inches wide; then we shrieked in frustration. It was the first swim and first boat ride for me this summer. Marie's first time on the boat ever (although there was the ferry in Hong Kong and some nice pontoon rides this summer). And...I backed the boat trailer up to the launch on the first try. While summer is slipping by too quickly, today was a fantastic day!

Summer Fun

Reading books with Aunt Abigail.

Chillin on the beach

Making sure all the rocks end up back in East Bay.

"Aren't I a cutie pie?"

(Photos courtesy of Aunt Abigail)

It is summer!!! Long hot days. We try to go to the beach as often as possible but, darn it, the kid takes a nap in the middle of the day! For over 2 hours!!! Seriously cramping Mama's beach style! The pictures are all from the Monday in June when Aunt Abigail spent the day with us. We did make it to the beach (after nap, of course) and it was gorgeous. Marie enjoys throwing rocks and handfuls of sand back into the lake. She plays in the shallows and toddles around. She loves to watch dogs and other kids. Then, she sits on her chair and eats whatever snack I have provided. When Jim is with her, he whooshes her through the water, skimming her across the surface. This, by far, is her favorite activity.

We are back to sleeping through the night with little protest (KNOCK ON WOOD). With the ear infection, we had some accidental parenting and perhaps a little too much soothing. So for a few nights we sat in her room near the crib after we lay her down. She stood at the side of the crib and screamed at us and eventually fell asleep. Then, we moved just outside the door for a few nights and the screaming/crying phase was getting shorter and shorter each night. For a few times, she would just give a brief cry and roll over. Now, she points to the crib if we take too long to get her to bed. So, we are back to normal, for the time being.

Marie's current favorite toys are the rings on a pole - where you stack them and dump them. And music. Music is her favorite to shake her head to and dance to. She is pretty funny. She has quite the moves, I must say. Hopefully, I can get some video up of that soon.

The First Fourth

With cousin Annie on Aunt Becky's lap, having a drink in Harbor Springs. Dress by Mrs. Sue Long.
Same spot later in the day, enjoying a great birthday cake for Aunt Pam! Thanks, Aunt Becky!!! Daddy there to pick up any crumbs and finish off the extra.
Enjoying a cook out on Daddy's lap with cousins Nicole and Kait, Shelby, Uncle Scott, Luke and Sydney at Uncle Tom's.
"See that potty over there??? I just pooped and peed in it!!!"

Mare had a wonderful and exhausting Fourth. On the day, we traveled up to Harbor Springs (which is just south of the Northern tip of the Lower Peninsula) where my Uncle Larry and Aunt Pam are currently living. We missed the parade but arrived in time to play with cousins. Marie's "cousins" that are closest in age to her were there. Annie is 11 months younger and Abby is 2 months younger. Technically they are the daughters of MY cousins but we figure we won't sweat the details. The girls played near one another and occasionally interacted while we planned future playdates! It was fun to swap stories and hear about someone else's tantrums!

Thursday, her Chicago cousins arrived...and there went sleep. The big girls of almost-6 and almost-9 had a great time on the boat and swimming. Little Luke and Marie tried to keep up but got a little overstimulated...no one slept much. They all truly loved being together and played amazingly well together. We love having our cousins over!!! Highlights were swimming off the pontoon at Uncle Tom's, Sydney's first kayak experience, playing at the beach with cousins Henry and George (actually, Marie mostly sat under the umbrella and snacked) and reading lots of stories together. We miss them already!

Yesterday, yes, a miracle of timing occurred...all planets were perfectly aligned and furniture feng shuayed as Marie looked at me with "that face of concentration" and I knew to get her on the potty. She performed a double! Sydney and Shelby cheered her on with great gusto! Now if it happened daily, I could get excited but it's a start to the end of diapers!

Today, after the cousins left we attempted a nap in the crib. Not well received. So I rocked her to sleep while singing a thousand verses of "Jingle Bells." Tonight...again, the crib was not a fond place to be. Tomorrow we need to get back in our good sleep habits!

And so it begins...

No pictures today...just words.

She has hit That Age.

Today, I was peed on - twice. The first time is when I took her diaper off after her nap. I pulled her out of the crib a little earlier than she wanted. The second time was when I lifted her off the potty as she indicated she wanted down. Grrr...

Today, she decided that it was no longer amusing and cool to use her spoon. So she put her hand in the applesauce and LICKED it off her fingers. She also lifted her bowl to her mouth to "drink" her cheerios. Grrrrrr.....

Today, she decided it was time to shake-up her predictable nap schedule. After singing in the crib for an hour at her usual nap time, I got her out and gave her lunch (see above note on applesauce). After that, tried to put her back down as she was exhausted. Forget the crib - that wasn't going to happen, Momma. I already did that time today. She finally fell asleep in my arms and I almost have feeling back in them. Grrrrrr..

Tonight, thankfully, there is a pint of ice cream in the freezer (This is unusual here. Ice cream has a shelf-life of under a half hour in this house and so we rarely buy it.) In fact, half of it is still there. But I emptied the salsa with the help of some crackers and cream cheese.

Someone better sleep through the night.

Father's Day

Jim awoke to a full, manly breakfast this special day...we wanted photo evidence that the man was treated well...
He was given cards and gifts. The gifts were a fan for his car and a football to play at the beach with. We tried it out today and it does indeed work well. Another football to add to the vast collection.
Marie playing in her water table. She loves it so much. This is before her last hair cut. Now it is short short and we refer to her as the "shorn sheep." But she isn't sweating as much as she used to...it can grow long in the winter.
post haircut...After a long, hard day, you just got to watch a little Baby Einstein and relax in your chair...

daddy

Oh daddy...I do love him. He takes me to the park, pushes me on the swing and takes me to the beach. We go swimming together and he doesn't mind if I splash him. I barely recall the days when I wouldn't let him hold me...what was I thinking??
Plus...look closely at my little finger....see how I have him wrapped around it?

Bathing Beaut

Every night Marie has the same routine...bath, bottle, books, prayers, song, bed. We usually start at 7ish and lights out within a half hour. Last night we went for a walk around the sub at 6. Jim and I were having a heated discussion about what to do if she should wake up in the middle of the night. Being a strict type-A person, I had to really chew on this and "make a plan." (I know I won't keep the plan...I realize this. I will go in and get involved when I hear her screech and second guess him...he knows it too but theoretically, we have a plan). Anwyays, as we wrapped it up, Jim notices that Marie has fallen asleep, sitting up, holding her sippy cup, while we were planning. We wake her when we get back home and then begin "the routine." Her she is enjoying her bath.

Oranges are Awesome!

This is a little out of order but still pretty cute! This is Marie enjoying an orange on the weekend of Mother's Day. (You can hear my mom in the background). Our weekend was very nice. We were going to take advantage of the free babysitting but Jim had stained the deck all day and was a little tired. We watched a Globetrekker video of China so Mom could see what the different parts of the country were like. For about one minute, they showed a statue that we saw in Nanchang, it was commenmorating the beginning of the People's Liberation Army. Did we tour it? Take photos by it? Noooo...we drove by it on our way to Wal-Mart...it was just down the block! Anyways, on Sunday we went over to my cousin Becky's house and had a great dinner. Always awesome to have a cook-out with the family.
So there are 4 days left of school...then 2 days where I work for the intermediate school district. Add in one week at a workshop and that is my work schedule this summer! Can't wait to be home with Marie!

For John...

Little Miss Yogurt Head

Beach Babe

These are from Memorial Day weekend. We had wonderful company with our friends Jacqui (my friend from wayyyy back) and her John. We spent morning at our house, drinking coffee and watching Marie. Ventured out for afternoons. We hit the beach one day, went for a hike another and Jacqui and John babysat Marie one day so Jim and I could go to the symphony. It was pretty awesome to sit and do nothing but listen to music for an hour or so. Thank you, you two!!!
Anyways, we did make it to the beach. I work very hard to go in the water when I am convinced it is just too cold; I usually end up having so much fun - after the body is numb. This weekend, though, nah-uh. It was cold...really cold. North Atlantic cold. So Daddy took her in and played with her along the shore. She has a blast with her shovel, pail and watering can. Jim and I became adults again when we had to make her come sit down and warm up...remember when your parents did that to you? (You were having a great time in the water and they, for no good reason, make you come in and sit down out of the water.) I had a hat on her, suntan lotion and made her sit under the umbrella; then I realized it was 4pm and she was likely fine. But its good to start thinking about those things!
We also had dinner at a friend's house. Marie swung in the hammock with her buddy Hannah. Hannah was very sweet, taking her hand and swinging with her. We look forward to babysitting her this summer for a few days!!

Brighton Visit

Marie has discovered the joy of desserts! Her first true dessert love was a malt that she shared with Jim. Then she moved on to popsicles. This one, while its technically fruit, was a joy for her! She shared it with her daddy on her Uncle Rob and Aunt Sandra's porch when we went downstate for Jim's Uncle Nino's funeral. She takes such small, ladylike bites, doesn't she? On that same porch is Marie with her cousins Jake and Jimmy. Marie was fascinated with 10 year old Jimmy. She wanted to hold his hand and sit in his lap. He was not so fond of these overtures from her.
Last, I just had to post a picture of this belly. She is truly a thin child, we really struggle to get calories into her but this picture just is spectacular.

Spring Fun!

I just know there were more cookies!!!!

Marie is trying on her new jewelry in anticipation of summer. This necklace goes with everthing. PJ'. Cookies. Everything.

Marie loves sharing the flowers with Mama.

I'm taking a swing at the blog, it may be rough at first, but I'll get better over time. :-)

Now that the warmer weather is here, we are getting out more. Marie loves to play in her new car that she got from her Chicago cousins. Half the fun is opening and closing door. I'll find a picture of that to add later.

Marie is also getting us plenty of exercise. She loves to walk up and down the driveway. Often she will take one of Juleen's fingers in one hand, and one of mine in the other so we can all walk together.

Spring Break

While my best friends were in Europe, Marie and I spent a great week at home during Spring Break (the week before Easter). Needless to say, we stayed in most days. Jim and I had big plans to go out for dinner one night. These got cancelled due to the storm; the babysitter couldn't get through with the roads being so bad...

New Trick

Daddy is so proud. Look what he taught Marie.

Quick Easter Pix

Here are some photos from Easter. We went to Sunday night mass, which works out well for naps. we have more recent photos too but just wanted to get some up. Anyways, Marie is walking nonstop. All she wants to do is climb on furniture, walk and scramble up the stairs. She is a busy girl who is on the move. She doesn't want to take time to eat . The best way to get her to eat right now is to put the food on my plate and eat it; then it is irresistable to her.