Monday, April 16, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
yep - my girls rocked it at the dentist's office
It was a first for both the girls - a trip to the dentist's office. I wasn't sure how this one was going to go, but had a feeling it wouldn't be pretty. Sure enough, Cora started to whimper as soon as we walked through the door, "No doctor..." so I explained that this wasn't the doctor, this was the dentist, and it was way better. Didn't really convince her.
Olivia took the chair first, and though she was a bit timid, she was willing to cooperate.
She did awesome.
Cora wanted nothing to do any of it until she saw Olivia having all the fun, and then all of a sudden, she "wan do dat, too."
Don't believe me?
Check it out - even with a pick in her mouth - she's not screaming!
I was so proud of them. Complete cleanings and exams for both! What a sweet surprise for me!
Olivia took the chair first, and though she was a bit timid, she was willing to cooperate.
She did awesome.
Cora wanted nothing to do any of it until she saw Olivia having all the fun, and then all of a sudden, she "wan do dat, too."
Don't believe me?
Check it out - even with a pick in her mouth - she's not screaming!
I was so proud of them. Complete cleanings and exams for both! What a sweet surprise for me!
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Happy Easter!
HAPPY EASTER!!!
(This kid exudes joy, don't you think?)
It's been a busy day with barely enough time (or space on the card reader) for a photo shoot, but we've had a wonderful time together as a family. The girls woke up to Easter baskets and breakfast (nothing special - just cereal.) Next, we headed off to church, followed by lunch (which was a little more special) at Gramma's and Papa's house. The girls got to play with their cousins and enjoyed a laid-back egg hunt. (Full baskets today!) We headed home and everyone got a nap! Leftovers for dinner and then a lazy evening.
And those dresses? Grandma followed tradition and made them for the girls again this year! (Wish I would have gotten better pictures to show the detail...) For Olivia's dress, I found a dress that I loved, we could not find a pattern for it, so Grandma "made do" and quite frankly, she nailed it. Thank you, Mom! I hope you'll agree - suits them perfectly!
(This kid exudes joy, don't you think?)
It's been a busy day with barely enough time (or space on the card reader) for a photo shoot, but we've had a wonderful time together as a family. The girls woke up to Easter baskets and breakfast (nothing special - just cereal.) Next, we headed off to church, followed by lunch (which was a little more special) at Gramma's and Papa's house. The girls got to play with their cousins and enjoyed a laid-back egg hunt. (Full baskets today!) We headed home and everyone got a nap! Leftovers for dinner and then a lazy evening.
And those dresses? Grandma followed tradition and made them for the girls again this year! (Wish I would have gotten better pictures to show the detail...) For Olivia's dress, I found a dress that I loved, we could not find a pattern for it, so Grandma "made do" and quite frankly, she nailed it. Thank you, Mom! I hope you'll agree - suits them perfectly!
Saturday, April 7, 2012
the hunt
It's that time of year again! It's spring and the grass is green and the leaves on the trees are growing and the flowers are blooming. And it's EASTER! We went to 2 egg hunts this year. Last week we went to one at a local church. They did a really nice job and had games and activities for the kids, and the girls had so much fun! They have been begging to go back. And since it was cold and rainy and not at all spring-like last Saturday, today we took the girls to the hunt we went to last year at the local fairgrounds. And today it was sunny and beautiful and perfect outside, but my girls did not have fun.
Here's how our day started.
Me: "Hey Cora, do you want to see the Easter Bunny, today?"
Cora: "No. He get me."
Olivia: "I wanna dance wif da Easter Egg Bunny. That make me so happy."
So we headed out to the fairgrounds, waited in line, and as we passed through the gates, Olivia started to whimper. We had passed the Easter Egg Bunny. We promised we would see him later and rushed over to where the eggs were hidden for our girls' age group, the 3-5 year old. (Cora is only 2 1/2, but we wanted to all be together. We figured she was scrappy enough and could hold her own!)
The girls stood ready to go as we stood behind the barricades. (No parents allowed with the 3-5 year olds!) They understood what to do. "Keen uh da Easter eggs." (clean up the Easter eggs.) We were ready!
And then the Easter Bunny showed up. As soon as I heard Brendan say, "Uh oh, look who's here." I heard shrieking from my youngest as she ran for cover. The whistle then blew and there was a flurry of kids running as fast as they could toward the eggs, while my youngest was running as fast as she could away from them.
And my other daughter?
Clueless.
Bless this man who helped point out an egg to Olivia.
It would be the only one she would pick up.
And Cora? Yep - still screaming.
So we walked away with two girls and one egg. Success.
Fortunately for us, Culver's was there handing out tokens for free frozen custard. They took pity on Cora - no eggs in her basket - and gave her a handful of tokens. So I'd say we made out pretty well. And as you can see, so would she.
But poor Olivia never got to dance with the bunny. Maybe next year.
Here's how our day started.
Me: "Hey Cora, do you want to see the Easter Bunny, today?"
Cora: "No. He get me."
Olivia: "I wanna dance wif da Easter Egg Bunny. That make me so happy."
So we headed out to the fairgrounds, waited in line, and as we passed through the gates, Olivia started to whimper. We had passed the Easter Egg Bunny. We promised we would see him later and rushed over to where the eggs were hidden for our girls' age group, the 3-5 year old. (Cora is only 2 1/2, but we wanted to all be together. We figured she was scrappy enough and could hold her own!)
The girls stood ready to go as we stood behind the barricades. (No parents allowed with the 3-5 year olds!) They understood what to do. "Keen uh da Easter eggs." (clean up the Easter eggs.) We were ready!
And then the Easter Bunny showed up. As soon as I heard Brendan say, "Uh oh, look who's here." I heard shrieking from my youngest as she ran for cover. The whistle then blew and there was a flurry of kids running as fast as they could toward the eggs, while my youngest was running as fast as she could away from them.
And my other daughter?
Clueless.
Bless this man who helped point out an egg to Olivia.
It would be the only one she would pick up.
And Cora? Yep - still screaming.
So we walked away with two girls and one egg. Success.
Fortunately for us, Culver's was there handing out tokens for free frozen custard. They took pity on Cora - no eggs in her basket - and gave her a handful of tokens. So I'd say we made out pretty well. And as you can see, so would she.
But poor Olivia never got to dance with the bunny. Maybe next year.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
gotcha!
It's been one year - ONE YEAR - since we first met our baby girl. Haven't we had her forever? And weren't we just in China?
She has gone from this:
to this:
One year ago... Meeting her was surreal. We were not allowed any updates of her since receiving her referral, nor were we given any new pictures. The only photos we had of her were already a year old by the time we first held her, and I didn't even know she was mine when I first saw her in the hallway. They handed her to me and that was that. She, of course, cried, although Brendan was able to make her laugh while playing on the slide. I went through a list of questions about her with the orphanage director while she sat confused on my lap.
I remember returning to the hotel and sitting on the bed with her. She would hand me her stacking cups, saying, "Da da! Da da!" She was my "velcro baby" from that point on. She was so much a baby. She was happy to eat her congee, and if she started to cry, I would take her to the window to look outside, since we were told she loved to be outside. (It seemed to be true!) We gave her a bath that night and she hated it. She did not like her sister, but her sister adored her.
One year ago, I barely knew this little girl. One year later...
She still loves to play on the slide.
And she still loves to be outside.
She's a climber. She has no fear.
She is curious. She gets into everything. And she has to touch everything, too. (Especially if it has buttons)
She is smart. She is talking more and more. Most of what she says starts with, "I want" or "I need" but I also hear a lot of:
"Hope me" (help me)
"Wie me" (wipe me)
"Hold jew" (hold you, which actually means hold me)
"shu shu shelly" (peanut butter and jelly)
"uh you doin, ma?" (What are you doing, Mom? This one's popular.)
If you ask her her name, she'll tell you! ("Tora Bare-it")
She loves "eye-keam" (ice cream) and chicken nuggets. (And yes, she can point out McDonalds from a distance.) She won't eat leftovers.
She loves to shop. The grocery store, Wal-Mart, Target, you name it. (And yes, she can point out a Target from quite a distance, too. That-a-girl!)
She loves to play "Where my Cora go?"
She thinks she's the boss.
And she always lets us know when she's not happy.
But this day is not just about Cora. This is about our family. And I am so glad that Olivia was with when we met our newest member. She really is the best big sister a girl could ask for.
She loves Cora, and she is always looking out for her.
She is her best friend (even if she might occasionally steal a toy...)
And I am so proud of her.
And I am proud of how far this little one has come. Oh yes, we still have our moments, but I am amazed at how she adjusted to the extreme changes in her young life. I am so thankful she trusts us and loves us. And we are thankful for her. Happy Gotcha Day, Cora Abigail Jin Meiyan Barrette!
She has gone from this:
to this:
One year ago... Meeting her was surreal. We were not allowed any updates of her since receiving her referral, nor were we given any new pictures. The only photos we had of her were already a year old by the time we first held her, and I didn't even know she was mine when I first saw her in the hallway. They handed her to me and that was that. She, of course, cried, although Brendan was able to make her laugh while playing on the slide. I went through a list of questions about her with the orphanage director while she sat confused on my lap.
I remember returning to the hotel and sitting on the bed with her. She would hand me her stacking cups, saying, "Da da! Da da!" She was my "velcro baby" from that point on. She was so much a baby. She was happy to eat her congee, and if she started to cry, I would take her to the window to look outside, since we were told she loved to be outside. (It seemed to be true!) We gave her a bath that night and she hated it. She did not like her sister, but her sister adored her.
One year ago, I barely knew this little girl. One year later...
She still loves to play on the slide.
And she still loves to be outside.
She's a climber. She has no fear.
She is curious. She gets into everything. And she has to touch everything, too. (Especially if it has buttons)
She is smart. She is talking more and more. Most of what she says starts with, "I want" or "I need" but I also hear a lot of:
"Hope me" (help me)
"Wie me" (wipe me)
"Hold jew" (hold you, which actually means hold me)
"shu shu shelly" (peanut butter and jelly)
"uh you doin, ma?" (What are you doing, Mom? This one's popular.)
If you ask her her name, she'll tell you! ("Tora Bare-it")
She loves "eye-keam" (ice cream) and chicken nuggets. (And yes, she can point out McDonalds from a distance.) She won't eat leftovers.
She loves to shop. The grocery store, Wal-Mart, Target, you name it. (And yes, she can point out a Target from quite a distance, too. That-a-girl!)
She loves to play "Where my Cora go?"
She thinks she's the boss.
And she always lets us know when she's not happy.
But this day is not just about Cora. This is about our family. And I am so glad that Olivia was with when we met our newest member. She really is the best big sister a girl could ask for.
She loves Cora, and she is always looking out for her.
She is her best friend (even if she might occasionally steal a toy...)
And I am so proud of her.
And I am proud of how far this little one has come. Oh yes, we still have our moments, but I am amazed at how she adjusted to the extreme changes in her young life. I am so thankful she trusts us and loves us. And we are thankful for her. Happy Gotcha Day, Cora Abigail Jin Meiyan Barrette!
Thursday, March 15, 2012
chicago part 2!
So we met up with my parents and sister during our 2nd day in Chicago. My oldest sweet had an upcoming birthday, so we took advantage of our time together to celebrate! Olivia was so excited to finally celebrate her birthday! (We had been to many parties recently, and she had (sadly) not walked away with a present. It's tough being two-almost-three.)
We started the day at Giordanos. Deep dish yummy pizza (with garlic.) So stinkin' good. And then we opened presents...
princess underwear... sweet!
And then we were off to the zoo! I really wanted to take Olivia to the zoo for her special day (It's one of her favorite places!) but our local zoo does not open for another month, so I figured that option was out of the question. BUT the Lincoln Park Zoo is open already. So we went!
Doesn't she look excited?
Someone was not in a very good mood that day. (tired and a little sick)
But another little someone was.
(hangin' with her auntie Weesha)
Oh wait. There's a smile.
And here's another. (She knew cake was coming.)
Birthday Party #1 - Done. And we had fun.
We started the day at Giordanos. Deep dish yummy pizza (with garlic.) So stinkin' good. And then we opened presents...
princess underwear... sweet!
And then we were off to the zoo! I really wanted to take Olivia to the zoo for her special day (It's one of her favorite places!) but our local zoo does not open for another month, so I figured that option was out of the question. BUT the Lincoln Park Zoo is open already. So we went!
Doesn't she look excited?
Someone was not in a very good mood that day. (tired and a little sick)
But another little someone was.
(hangin' with her auntie Weesha)
Oh wait. There's a smile.
And here's another. (She knew cake was coming.)
Birthday Party #1 - Done. And we had fun.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
chicago!
We spent this past weekend in Chicago. (I love that city!) Good friends of ours are having a baby, so since we were attending their baby shower, we decided to make a weekend out of our trip. Good food and lots of gifts for the new baby boy or girl, and I finally got some new pictures of the girls. (Yes, I realize it has been awhile since I've posted any new updates...)
Someone very smart set up a play area for the kids at the shower, and my girls had a great time.
And here is Cora with her bff. (Really, it is one of her daddy's bff's, but don't tell her that.)
And here we are with the momma-to-be... Cannot wait to meet you, little one!
Someone very smart set up a play area for the kids at the shower, and my girls had a great time.
And here is Cora with her bff. (Really, it is one of her daddy's bff's, but don't tell her that.)
And here we are with the momma-to-be... Cannot wait to meet you, little one!
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