I felt the need to take a trip down memory lane today since we are nearing our 8 month anniversary of Gotcha day.  Our little munchkin has changed so much, don't you think?

Reese found her Dora shoes this week as I was cleaning out her closet.  She carried them around and finally sat down in front of me, saying, "nyah, nyah, nyah."  Nyah-nyah is Reese-speak for "I want ________."  She is usually pointing at whatever she wants at that time.  This time she wanted her Dora shoes ON HER FEET!  She has started grunting whenever I put on her shoes, as if they're very tight and must be forced on.  She does this grunting even when the shoes are very loose.  She grunts at everything...when I try to open a jar, when I pick her up, or basically do anything that takes any effort.  So, we put her Dora shoes on and she has worn them constantly around the house for four solid days.  It's not a great thing for her now since she runs EVERYWHERE she goes and they are a bit slippery on the hardwoods.  Every time she rounds a corner, she bites the dust.  Arms and legs flailing everywhere and her head hits the nearest object.  She never cries, just hops up and proceeds with her running.  Dad and I have put these Dora shoes on her countless times.  She's about to grow out of them so, if you're reading this Grandma, she'll need a new pair in size 7 or up!  It's like looking at a puppy with those huge feet and knowing it's going to be a really big dog.  Reese is going to be our really big dog.  How interesting will it be to look up at our Chinese daughter in a few years?  She'll be wearing my size 3 shoes in no time!

Reese's new trick of the weekend is drinking water from her "big girl" cup.  She brought one of her stacking cups from the toy box on Saturday and tried to reach the water dispenser on the refrigerator door.  When she couldn't reach it, she started saying "sees, sees, sees" over and over again.  ("Sees" is Reese talk for "please.")  I give her a tiny little amount into the cup, she carries it around the kitchen laughing and giggling before she starts drinking.  She then "drinks" the water.  I use that term loosely, as she usually gets more on her chest and the floor than she gets in her tummy.  She is in her diaper in this picture because she had already soaked her Winnie the Pooh pajamas and they were in the dryer (again) as this picture was taken.  As she's drinking the water, she keeps saying, "Mmmmm, mmmmmm, mmmmm" like it's just the best thing she's ever had.  Once the water is gone, and I've wiped it all up off the kitchen floor and off her chest, she starts the routine all over again.  "Seees, sees, seees,..."

As of this weekend, Reese is able to walk in a circle, something she finds very humorous.  She recognizes so many words now...yesterday she went and got her ladybug book, her ball, her balloon, and her sippy cup when I asked for them.  She obviously understands the word bottle, because she sticks her tongue out and pants when I say the word!

She is very helpful these days.  She brings her toys to us, helps empty out the dishwasher, empty the dryer, and bring me the laundry that needs to be folded.  She has found her voice in the past few weeks, so she spends a lot of her walking time screaming and jabbering loudly.

She loves to climb onto her rocking chair & onto the fireplace.  Yesterday afternoon she fell face-first off the fireplace.  A little while later, she climbed into her rocking chair and I taught her how to scoot to the edge to get back down.  She quickly applied this to the fireplace and was scooting to the edge and standing by nighttime.  This required lots of clapping each time she did it.  She is a little daredevil and can't be left alone on the couch or she'll climb right off the edge.  She also learned yesterday how to climb onto her tricycle and push herself forward a few feet, just awhile before she taught herself to stand on the seat!

Professional Pottier

What a big girl!

Who switched out my baby for a toddler?

Wow, Reese is a different child than the quiet little baby we adopted in January. During our China trip, she could barely sit up on her own and was attempting to crawl. Today, she is walking and running, climbing the stairs, going in the potty, and basically wearing us out.

She loves to mimic us, including the way I smack my fist in my hand when she throws food in the floor. She loves mamaw and papaw, who spoil her and give her anything she wants. She always learns some new tricks while they're around, because they are so patient and attentive. She makes leaps and bounds with them. If only I had my Dad's energy and patience...she'd probably be doing algebra by now.

She is giving kisses now. She usually licks Eddie on the cheek and kisses me right on the mouth. I used to hate seeing kids kiss people on the mouth, now it's such a wonderful part of my day! During our grocery trip last week, I glanced down at her in the buggy & she was puckering up and leaning toward me. I got lots of kisses during that grocery trip.

Reese tries to always catch the eye of any stranger around us. As they go by, she smiles and smiles, then seems somewhat disappointed if they didn't look her way. A couple in Walmart kept meeting up with us in the aisle and she smiled at them everytime. I could hear them laughing at her and playing silly games every time we saw them. She is such a ham.

She loves dogs and squeals whenever she sees one on TV or in the park. Every time she sees Sloan out the back door, she squeals and waves...a result of me saying "Hi doggy" everytime we see her.

Eddie's favorite thing (besides the cuddles and kisses) is the way she says "AHHHHHHHH" after she takes a big drink of water, or even when she sees us drinking. She also likes to drink her tub water and always gives the big "AHHH" then, too. Speaking of the tub, she absolutely loves the bath and stays in til she's pruney and the water's cold. She always throws a fit when I take her out, so that's probably my least favorite part of the day.

Reese loves new foods, so I'm constantly looking for something new and exciting to feed her. She'll try anything once, which I think is great. During our trip to Nashville to see Aunt Jen, she ate turnip greens, pintos, mashed potatoes, mac n cheese, and anything else Mamaw offered her on a fork. I couldn't believe it.

As for me, I am dealing with jumping into toddler land the best I know how. It has been a big transition for me, the obsessive-compulsive housekeeper. Some days I walk into my house and don't even recognize it. I keep reminding myself, though, that someday the house will be clean and quiet and I'll miss Reese and these baby days like crazy.

We are waiting to hear if Eddie will be changing jobs soon. For now, he is the interim plant manager at his current plant, but we don't know if he'll be offered that position permanently or if we'll be moved somewhere else. It would be so hard to keep the house ready for lookers right now with toys thrown all over the house, not to mention the horrible construction mess we have at the front of the neighborhood. On the other hand, I have a feeling that the only way I'll be able to get this place cleaned up anytime soon is to take everything out of it! We've been in this house for over three years now, and that's the longest we've stayed in any place. We're used to moving at least every 2 years, which gives us the opportunity to get rid of things and de-clutter. I'm almost looking forward to a move at this point, although I'd hate to hear we were moving to NY where my parents couldn't get to us easily.

This past weekend, a good friend of the family lost their fifteen year old son. He was born with a heart defect and was told he would never make it past his toddler years. He became an active, energetic kid, then teenager. He died playing paintball Saturday. What a gift to have him longer than expected and what a horrible loss to lose a child. I couldn't get his mom off my mind all weekend and thought of her and prayed for her every time I held Reese in my arms. I gave Reese lots of extra hugs and still do...I can't imagine what his mother is going through and can't imagine the thought that I would never touch or hold my daughter ever again. What heartache.

It's almost time to wake the sleeping monster. Reese and I are going to the mall today. I'm out to do some serious shopping and just hope she is up for it! I'm looking for footie pajamas for her...she's in 18 month clothes almost exclusively now and it is hard to find footie pj's past 9 months. I'm also in the market for a new quilt or comforter set for our master bedroom. For Eddie's sake, hopefully I'll find some good deals! We are meeting a mommy/baby group from the Lilburn area. Hopefully I'll make some good new friends who we can pass the summer months with!

mamaw & papaw visit

Mamaw and Papaw visited this week, Saturday through Wednesday.  Now we know exactly how much time it takes to spoil Reese completely rotten.  She is also walking much better, thanks to all the extra attention.  She knows Papaw is the sucker, who will take her anywhere she wants to go.  She only needs to point or lead him in that direction.

Naked Girl

I couldn't help but take these pre-bath pictures.  Reese gets so excited when I start the bath water that she stands and waits for the tub to get full of water.  Of course, she has to reach for toys while we wait for the water to get just right.  This is that picture she'll kill me over when I show her boyfriends someday.

Planning for Reese...

Hi! We thought we might share our adoption story and journey with you, our family and friends. It all began on November 22, 2003. The two of us attended a workshop for Great Wall China Adoptions in Lawrenceville, Georgia. We had lots of questions about the Chinese adoption process until Megan arrived. Megan had just arrived to GA from China with her new forever-family. She was one year old, clumsily walking around the room with a fistful of Cheerios. We fell instantly in love with her and immediately began making plans for our trip to China. We knew our daughter was waiting there for us. As Eddie said, "No matter what else happens, we have to go to China to get our daughter." We completed our application that night. We found out Thanksgiving week that we had been accepted by the agency. After the holidays, we began the home study process and the "paper chase." Our home study was completed in February 2004, but not after our dog Sloan had thoroughtly inspected our case manager in a quite embarassing scene on the back deck! In March, we were fingerprinted by the INS and then began waiting for our approval to adopt an international orphan. That approval came in late April. Our dossier was complete in May and sent to China on May 14, 2004. Now the real wait begins! In the meantine, we are getting Reese's room ready for her. Excited grandparents are buying toys, books, clothes, bibs, you name it for their granddaughter. We have set up a beautiful crib in her room and are ready to start shopping for the rest of her furniture. Shawna is child-proofing the house, one room at at a time, as well as working lots of hours at the hospital to get ready for the big trip!

There are rumors out that our referral could come as early as October. That means we'll finally be matched with our daughter and have her picture in our hands. We will likely travel 4-6 weeks after that. We are planning for a January referral and hope to be pleasantly surprised much earlier than that!

We will be posting pictures of the nursery progress and anything else you might find interesting.

Please email Shawna at NurseShawna@yahoo.com if you are interested in adopting from China or learning more about our story!