Monday, August 25, 2008

Happy 1st Birthday Princess



























Today is our baby girl's 1st birthday. How unbelievable is that? She's one and we got to celebrate her first birthday with her. She's amazing and doing incredibly well. Things we got to witness in the last three months:
  • Rolling over
  • Sitting up on her own
  • Finding her asleep on her belly (she hated being on her belly when we first got her in China)
  • Going from a laying position to a sitting position
  • Rocking on all fours
  • Crawling
  • Pulling herself up on furniture
  • Finding her standing in her crib
  • Cruising around furniture
  • Her first true word "baby" which sounds like "bebee!" (she says this whenever she sees a baby)
  • Getting to see four of her seven teeth grow in
  • Pinching (and it hurts too!)
  • Drinking out of a sippy cup
  • Finger grasping finger foods
  • Eating table food
  • Falling down and hitting her head
  • Her first boo boo (happened at mommom's house!)
  • Hugging us and saying "aww awwwwwh"
  • Giving us kisses
  • Standing on her own without holding onto anything
  • Getting walking shoes this past weekend
  • Celebrating her first birthday!
  • Watching her bald head getting hair (LOL!)
We are so thrilled that we get to see so many of her firsts. I'm sure there are many more that I can't seem to think about right now. She amazes each day with something new.

We celebrated her first birthday on Saturday at a local park and we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. The weather was cooperative and the pavilion we were located at shaded us perfectly from the sun. The wind was a little bit of a challenge, but I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. Family and friends joined in on the celebration. We had pizza, veggies, fruit, chips and of course a huge cake from The Dutch Oven Bakery! The cake was beautiful with flowers and ladybugs and it was delicious too. I need to get rid of it or I will keep eating it till it's gone!

I left Rachel at our house with Mommom so she could nap while Dave took Jake to get football pictures done and Andrea and I went and picked up balloons and headed to the park to decorate the pavilion. Rachel made her grand appearance around 3:00 as guests were arriving. Rachel had on the cutest little pink and brown polka dot party dress with little white with pink trim ruffled socks and her new black maryjane shoes (I know, they should have been brown!). Mommom bought her a princess party hat which she sported adorably! After about 15 minutes, she had enough of the hat though! Rachel got to meet some of our family and friends for the first time on Saturday.

When we all sang Happy Birthday to Rachel she looked at us like we were crazy white people! LOL. I don't think she knew what to make of it all. She actually looked a little frightened, but that didn't stop her from digging her hands into her cake. When Rachel dug her hands into the cake she decided to put her hands on her head. There was cake all over her! That's okay, the cake went well with her outfit!

Afterwards we opened lots of gifts. Jake did a great job helping his sister open all her presents. Rachel got so many adorable outfits and fun toys. Some of Rachel's favorites were the ladybug that was educational and played music, a toy cellphone, a stuffed ladybug that opens it mouth where you put a stuffed cupcake into it, a fisher price pink bus that plays music and has little people, a pink telephone, an educational storybook, a toy pelican with balls that go in its mouth, and a baby doll. Some of my favorites that Rachel can't quite appreciate yet are a ceramic panda bear bank, a beautiful gold bracelet (which hasn't come off of her since we put it on her. It looks beautiful on her wrist), all the adorable outfits including a really pretty red ladybug dress, a baby album, and her own bowls, plate, spoon and fork set. We truly appreciate all the wonderful gifts and we thank you for your thoughtfulness and generosity. It was a great day for her birthday celebration. Unfortunately we were competing with vacations and other parties which took up half our our guest list, but it was a great celebration.

Today is Rachel's actual birthday. Dave, Jake and I couldn't wait till she woke up so we could rush into her room with lots of kisses and hugs. We finally heard her around 6:45 where she yelled "uh ohhhhh"! It was so cute. The three of us went into her room singing Happy Birthday, and again, she looked at us like we were crazy! I think the weekend tapped her out because she was so tired and acted very subdued this morning. Mom ended up putting her back to bed around 8:45 AM and she didn't protest at all. Normally she will cry for a minute or so, but not this morning.

I feel so joyous today to be able to celebrate Rachel's first birthday but I also have sadness in my heart. I know that somewhere in China, there is a birth mother and maybe a birth father, grieving over the loss of their little girl. I cried for them this morning on my way into work. I wish there was some way for them to know that their little girl is okay and that she is being loved beyond words. I want to thank them for placing Rachel in a place where she could be found. I want to thank them for giving birth to the most amazing and beautiful little girl. I want to thank them for choosing life! I wish they could know how happy, well loved, well cared for, our little girl is. I prayed this morning to God and asked him to give them peace and comfort in their hearts. I prayed that God would give them a sign of some kind to let them know that she is with a family who loves her so very much. This day will always be a memory for Rachel's birth family and I pray that it won't always make them sad. I pray that they find God so they can have peace in their heart and soul. If you pray or even if you don't pray, please pray today, for Rachel's birth parent's.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET GIRL! You have no idea how happy you make us! Your mommy, daddy and big brother love you so very much! I hope you always will remember that.
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Monday, August 4, 2008

This and that...

























Monday, August 4th, 2008

Baby girl isn't feeling well today. She just isn't quite herself. Her nose has been running for a little over a week now which I think is due to her teething. But today she just kind of laid around off and on and she wasn't her vocal self. We called the doctor, but he said to give it another day or so and see how she is. If she isn't better, we should bring her in. Teething can cause some ear pain and a runny nose. I gave her some tylenol before putting her to bed tonight. I hope it doesn't turn into anything more serious.

Rachel is definitely a stubborn little thing. She has gotten into this habit of pinching me on my chest right below my neck. She seems to know how to grab that little piece of skin with her thumb and forefinger. OMG, does it hurt! I ended up tapping her fingers today after telling her no four times and removing her hands! Her feelings were hurt, but didn't that little bugger try and pinch me again! She is truly testing me! Any suggestions on how to stop this little habit?


Jake had his second football practice tonight and he seemed to really enjoy it. The coaches were impressed with his kicking capability. He has a lot to learn since he's never played football before, but he seems to be up for the challenge.

We had quite a fun day yesterday. We had brunch with friends of ours from church who had a baby in December. They have the same family dynamics as us with a 10 year old son and a 8 month old little boy. Jake and their 10 year old, Clay, went to kindergarten together at Chesterbrook Academy. We really enjoyed our visit with them. Their little guy, Reed, is a big boy! HOLY MOLY! He's so chunky and I love his cheeks. He looks just like his older brother too.

Last night we were invited to dinner at another friend's house. Jake and their son, Jake (all Jake's friends are named Jake - LOL!), go to school together. It was so nice hanging out with them, especially since we haven't done so in quite some time. Funny thing, Dave and I were both stung by bees at their house! It really hurt too! I haven't been stung in years. My finger, hand, and wrist are still throbbing and itching like crazy. Dave got stung on the inner part of his forearm. Other than that, it was great catching up with our friends.

I had my balance test done today at the Ears, Nose and Throat doctor. It was quite uncomfortable for an hour and half. The first part of the test they hooked me up to electrodes and put ear phones in my ears and played different sounds which were loud and obnoxious. She then put saline in my ears and repeated the same sounds. That was a weird feeling. The second part of the test she had me sit in front of this bar thing where I had to follow a red ball with my eyes. The third part of the test which made me extremely dizzy and nauseous is she blew cold and warm air into my ears for about a minute each. I thought I was going to pass out right there or vomit all over the place. It was awful. I was so glad when it was all over. I have a follow up appointment on Friday to go over all the tests I had done since seeing them. Hopefully they can tell me why I do have dizzy spells and why I still have these weird pains and sensations in my head.

Wednesday, August 6th, 2008

We spent the day at Mommom's yesterday to get Rachel used to being there since I'm going back to work next week. Rachel did very well. I put her down for a nap at 2:00 PM and she fell asleep within 20 minutes. I think she would have fallen asleep sooner if she Jake hadn't come into the room. Anyway, she slept for 2 hours. I was thrilled with that. I stayed in the room until she fell asleep. Today, I will try and sneak out a little sooner so she doesn't get used to me being in the room.

Rachel seems to be feeling better. Thank God. She still has a little cough which sounds a little congested. If it worsens, we will go to the doctor. Hopefully it's just the teething.

Rachel realized that she can now push her spit out of her mouth. I truly believe this little girl is testing me. She looks right at me and will let her spit come out of her mouth. She even did this with her cereal this morning. I put a spoon full of cereal in her mouth and she spit it right out. I think I'm in big trouble! LOL!

I went to Babies R Us last night with Rachel and my mother in-law while Jake and Dave were at football practice. I can't tell you how excited I am because we found the cutest ladybug princess costume. I just love it! We tried it on Rachel in the store because they only had a 36 month and I was afraid it might be too big. Rachel was meant to be a ladybug princess because it fit with a little room to spare. By Halloween it will fit her perfectly with some black tights and black patten leather shoes. OMG, I can't wait to post pictures at Halloween. LOL!

While I was at Babies R Us, I asked about returning a stroller that my dear friend, Andrea, bought for Rachel. When we purchased the stroller, we must have spent an hour or more in the stroller isle testing strollers. Anyway, we decided on this stroller and I absolutely can't stand using it now. There is no walking room in the back of the stroller. When I push the stroller, my feet hit the wheels and the handle bars are actually too high. I thought I would like this, but they really are too high. Well, Babies R Us said that I could return it even without the packaging, as long as we have the receipt. Thank God Andrea held onto the receipt. I feel bad returning it after we spent so much time, but it really is not comfortable to push. We're going to go Thursday and look for a new one.

Thursday, August 7th, 2008

I decided to take Rachel to the doctor today because her cough is becoming more persistent. We got a 10:00 AM appointment with Dr. Solomon. Our pediatrician office is great for getting us in quickly when we have a sick child. Anyway, as soon as the nurse stuck the thermometer in her ear to take her temp, she screamed bloody murder and didn't stop until we left the doctor's office. I'm not kidding, you would have thought someone was torturing the poor thing the way she was screaming. I think the nurse was a little harsh when putting the thermometer in her ear, but she even screamed the entire time the doctor tried to listen to her chest and she was in my arms. And she was just getting started, because when the doctor asked me to lay her down so he could continue examining her, a whole other scream came out of her. I'm sure she associates the doctors office with with needles and pain. We have never gone where she wasn't having blood drawn or shots. Dr. Solomon said that her age does have some memory at this point. Great, just what I needed to hear! Well, everything was clear and no infections. Basically nasal passages are congested and her one nostril is swollen. They want me to give her benadryl at night to help her breathe a little better which will help alleviate her cough. Our big girl weighed 23 lbs and 4 oz! Growing is not an issue for sure. LOL!

I found Rachel standing in her crib this morning. She was so proud of herself. I ran and grabbed my camera and she totally posed for me! Gosh, this girl is so cute. She really makes me laugh.

We went and visited Living Hope Adoption Agency today. I just love the people there. They are so genuinely happy for us and they love seeing the children and family's they help build. The girl's work so hard to get us through the adoption process, so it must be so gratifying to them to see the end result of their hard work when the children visit them in the office. If it weren't for them, we wouldn't have our little blessing in our lives. We thank God for all of them!

Rachel did very well at mommom's today. Mommom fed her a bottle and put her down for her nap. She even left her while she was still awake and she only fussed for a little bit. Rachel did start to cry after a bit, so mommom checked on her and thought she was probably cold and needed to be recovered. That must of been it, because we didn't hear another peep out of her for two hours. Tomorrow I'm going to leave her for most of the day. I hate to do that since I only have 3 more days before going back to work! Oh how I'm dreading it!

Sunday, August 10th, 2oo8

Tomorrow is going to be a sad day for me! Can you hear the sorrow in my words? I am so dreading going back to work. I'm going to miss Rachel and Jake terribly. It has been wonderful being home most of the summer with them. I'll tell you though, it flew by! It is comforting knowing that Rachel will be at my mother in-law's and not in a daycare right away. We had a very good week at mommom's house. I left her on Friday to see how she would do and I don't think she missed me much at all. Having all the kids there really keeps her busy and preoccupied. I do think my mother in-law will have her hands full. Mom even watched Jake and Rachel so that Dave and I could go to dinner and a movie Friday night. It was nice to get out and focus on us.

Rachel is still suffering from her cough. She wakes up between 3:00 and 5:00 AM with a coughing attack which lasts about 5 minutes or so. But then she's awake for a little while before falling back to asleep. We all are awake at that point because she can be pretty loud when she's talking to herself. LOL!

I found a new fruit that Rachel loves! Blueberries. OMG, she could not get enough of them yesterday when I fed them to her for lunch with some vanilla yogurt. This morning I made blueberry pancakes and they were delicious! Jake and Dave don't know what they are missing. I usually am not a fan of blueberries, but the ones I bought from Trader Joe's are sweet and delicious. Apparently, it's blueberry season. Hmm, I guess that explains it.

Oh well, keep me in your prayers this week as I head back to work. I know each day will get easier. I really enjoyed my time off and now we are heading back to reality.
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