Nonsequitors

Today, I picked Maia up at 6:45. We drove Matthew to Boy Scouts and then had to go to the grocery store since we've been out of town and had NOTHING in the house which was edible. Maia and I had a pleasant evening together with stimulating conversation. It went something like this:

6:45 pm
Me: Hi Maia! How are you sweetie?

Maia: Mommy, go back to work! I want to stay and play with my friends! (Then she ran away and thought she was the funniest thing on earth.)

Me: Come on sweetie, we gotta go! Matthew has boy scouts and we've got to be there in 15 minutes!

Maia: but why? why does he have boy scouts? is there girl scouts? i don't want a snack. i'm not hungry. i don't want to sit in my car seat. mommy, why don't you have a car seat? where are all the cars going? are they all going to boy scouts? are they going to the gym mommy? are they going home? why? mommy- it's light out. is it morning? why is it light? why isn't it dark? it's not night time. mommy it's not night time.

Me: Bye Matthew! We'll be at the grocery store - see you later!

Maia: but why? i don't want to go to the grocery store. i don't want food. i'm hungry and thirsty. mommy, i want water, and milk and chocolate and macaroni and cheese. i don't want to go to the store. i want mickeldonald's. no i not being naughty. i tired. i hungry mommy. i thirsty and tired too. i want water. i want water. i want water.

Me: We have to go to the store first, and then we'll go home and eat.

Maia: but why? why mom? why? i hungry. i want to get a bag too. mom, put the fruit in my bag, ok? next time you get fruit, use my bag. (as she pulls three bags off and opens all of them with great fanfare.) i want apples. i want bananas. i want strawberries. use my bag mommy. i want CHEESE! i want orange cheese. no orange! i want yogurt. i want milk. i thirsty. A cart! mommy, I push this one. (A little cart for those her size. - She only ran in to a few dozen people...) Mommy, put food in my cart. Mommy, why did you put those eggs in YOUR cart? I want them in my cart. Hi - what's your name. but why? is that you daughter? (asked to a little boy in the cart...) i don't have a daughter. i have a baby when i turn five. right mommy? then you be a grandma. ask me my name. i'm diego. lol. lol. lol. i want this barbie doll mommy. (No.) but why? i want these socks. (No.) but why? Hi - what's your name? but why?

Me: OK, time to check out Maia.

Maia: but why? i hungry. i thirsty. Hi - what's your name? i diego. mommy, do you want gum? why not? do you like gum? you chew gum. but why? why do you like gum? why? mommy, can I have gum. (No.) but why? what did you just buy? (Tic tacs - they are mints). Oh. but why? Can i have one? (Maybe.) I love mints. I want a mint. Hi - what's your name? i diego.

Me: Let's go to the car - be careful - hold my hand.

Maia: but why? so i can be safe. i no want to hold your hand. i want to hold your shirt. choo-choo. choo-choo. choo-choo. mommy - it's getting dark. is it nighttime? why isn't it morning? is it going to rain? why is it windy? is matthew at boy scouts? but why? i hungry. are we going to go this way? (No, we are going to turn left.) but why? mommy, is this the way home. this isn't right. this is the wrong way. why are we going this way? i want to go home. i hungry. i thirsty. is this the right way? mommy, this is the wrong way. why are we on this road mommy? are we going home? but why? i hungry. why are you putting that up? (the garage door.) why don't you just leave it closed? why you open it?

Me: OK sweetie - we're here.

Maia: but why? i hungry.

Me: ok - let's eat! (it's 8:30 p.m.) we'll have eggs for dinner.

Maia: but why? i hungry. i thirsty.

she stopped talking while we ate...

Maia: i tired mommy. my eyes are watering. i tired.

Me: ok, let's go to bed.

Maia: but why? i not tired. i tired. night night mommy. i love you.

Me: i love you too, maia! more than you can even imagine...
9:22 p.m.

Maia jumps off the diving board! July 4, 2010

A Trip to the Library

About six months ago, I took Maia, for what turned out to be the last time for a while, to the library. She was a holy terror and I just couldn't take her there and leave with ANY dignity, so I chose to wait about six months and try again.

That time came this past Monday. This was the night! I waited until a night I could take Matthew with us so I had extra hands. He was going to watch her while I chose a few books, and then I would be with her while he had free time to look for whatever he wanted.

About 10 seconds in... I got worried. I asked Matthew to take Maia to the kids section and either let her read, or read to her, or let her play with the toys, etc. Instead, she ran of, shrieking, as if to say, HA, catch me if you can Matthew. She then threw a fit of sorts that she was wearing a coat. As she stripped it off, she said, No coat, no coat, no coat. I picked up the coat, and told her she didn't have to wear it, and that she should go look at books she would like.

She did run away from me, and Matthew followed. I assumed they were headed to the kids section. About two minutes later, I hear her, in the back of the library, screaming, No books, No books, No books. I kinda groaned to myself and tried to hurry up to find what I was looking for. Then I hear all out shrieking. I decided I'd better head to the back to hush her up. By the time I get back there, she is still running away from poor Matthew, and she is screaming, Where is my mommy? Where is my mommy? At this point, people are looking at her - certainly thinking she is separated from her Mommy. They see me headed for her, but I have no idea if they think I'm her Mommy or not. (We look so much alike, you know.)

So, she ronuds the corner calling out for Mommy and sees me - and says Mommy! So I tell her she has to quiet down and stop running. I tell her we are here to look at books and that she needs to behave. The teenagers at the nearby tables 'studying' are getting quite a kick out of this little production we have going on here. The are most amused. I'm glad somebody was...

She and Matthew headed back to the kids books and I head back to look for something I want to checkout. When I have what I want a couple minutes later, I head to the kid section. She was being pretty good, until she saw me. I told Matthew he could go do whatever, and he said he didn't want to. So, I said, OK, let's go then. Watch her while I go checkout and we'll leave. I go get in line and I start hearing the screaming and shrieking again. Of course, there are issues with my card... so I need assistance. What next?

The screaming gets worse and Matthew gets her to come to me... I ask her what is wrong and finally realize she is saying, I want a lollipop! I want a lollipop!

I explain that this isn't a bank, or a doctor's office... this is a library. You don't get lollipop's here, you get BOOKS! She wasn't buying it. She wanted a lollipop... that was that. She continued with the pleading until I announce I'm ready to roll.

Finally, I'm checked out, and we can go! Yahoo. Guess who doesn't want to leave? Yeah. Her. So, Matthew picked her up while she is calling out, as loud as possible I think, I no go! I no go! I no go! I'm sure people thought we were kidnapping her.

It was fun. Really. It was. I plan to do it again in October after she turns 4. We'll see if it's as much fun then as this experience was! Let's hope NOT.

Also - Maia fits in to our family well. She is definitely my child. No one can question this - ever! She wants to control the situation. No matter what it is it seems. I said in the last post that she picked up on Matthew's "Three more minutes". Well, yesterday, she was in the swing (Matthew was once again pushing her while I was cleaning out my car on the first nice weather in MONTHS!) He said, One more minute Maia. When that minute was up, she said, One more minute? (Her voice goes up in inflection at the end, to octaves I just can't reach.) So he said, ok, ONE more minute. When that one was over, she said it again. He said, No Maia, that WAS your one more minute. Now you've had two one more minutes. She said, I want 10 one more minutes, OK Matthew? (With the inflection going high again the end.) Too funny! I shouldn't laugh at as much as I do, but the girl is trying so hard to get it her way!

At bedtime even though she is totally ready for bed, and doesn't mind sleeping at all, she always has to ask one last time, Maia go night night, later? I now just say, No, Maia go night night now. And that's that. She goes right to bed, but she always has to ask that one last time, just in case I say YES!

One last story. When I asked her what she did in Sunday School she said, "We sang Jesus." (Jesus loves me) I have no idea if they really did - she says that every time, and it's a song we sing every night, so she might just say that?? But, then I said, "Oh that's great! You sang Jesus loves me! What else did you sing?" She thought for a minute and said "Wonder Pets!" Matthew and I had a good belly laugh over that one! Although I'm not sure whether or not they sang Jesus Loves Me this week in Sunday school, I AM certain they did NOT sing the theme to the Wonder Pets... Maybe she sang a solo??

Rainy Saturday - Spring?

Reasons it must be spring now, despite the cool, dreary day.

1. We didn't get two feet of snow today. We got two inches of rain.

2. The time changes tonight - more nighttime hours! Yeah!

3. I did some spring cleaning today - including putting my heavy/winter sweaters away. (Of course, it is still March in Washington, so I had to keep some of the lighter cotton ones out.)

4. Maia and Matthew went outside to play. Maia came in COVERED in mud. A month ago, if she played in the yard, she was buried in snow.

Matthew was supposed to go camping this weekend with the Scouts but it got cancelled due to the rain.

Maia is growing up so much! I can understand 99.9% of what she says now. It's so much easier that way! She is doing well with potty training. Not 99.9%, but doing well. That will make life easier too! Right now the hardest part is being out and about and being able to take her somewhere. One, we don't always get there fast enough - but more importantly, she won't sit on a 'big' potty without a converter seat (for little kid heineys). So, that is hard! I don't always want to put her in a pullup when we go out - but what else am I supposed to do if she won't go potty at a store, for example? She calls her Underwear/panties/underpants = Wear wear. I want to wear my wear wear Mommy.

There are some things I don't let her do/eat. No popcorn. No gum. I tell her when she gets bigger, she can have popcorn. We recently added gum to that list. Sometimes, out of the blue, she just says, "When I get bigger, I have Popcorn. Gum." She must think about it all the time - she says it a lot!

She is really in to books these days! Such a change from when I met her. Her attention span is so improved and she can read and read and read.

She loves to play outside. She loves to play in water, in the sink. She is terrified of FUZZ. So, when she takes a bath, and little sock fuzz (or whatever) is floating in the water, she just goes berzerk! Bathtime isn't always fun anymore - that's for sure. I just thought of an idea though, since the other day when I washed her hair (and the bubbles went in the water) - she then forgot about the fuzz. SO, we're going to have bubble baths going forward so that we forget about the fuzz before the bath even starts!

Whenever she wants to put on make-up (Because she sees mine or sees me putting it on), or do her hair, or wear a dress, she says she wants to be a Princess. She always want to be a Princess!

She sings all the time now. She'll just break out in a song and after a few bars, I'll recognize it. She is QUITE proud when I name the song- the grin on her face is priceless. Very proud of herself for singing something I understand. When I start to 'sing', Maia says, "No Mommy, I sing by myself (or I sing self.)"

Maia likes to play hide and seek. One time she played when we didn't even realize it. It took us a while to find her - she was hiding in her dark room, in the dark closet - waiting for us to find her! Makes me laugh!

The other night I asked Matthew to do something. He replied, three more minutes. Wouldn't you know, a few minutes later, I asked Maia to do something. You want to take ONE guess at her reply? Yup, three more minutes Mommy. I do it in three minutes.

My baby is THREE today!

Happy Birthday Sweet Maia! It is truly amazing that you are three years old today. I met you 20 months ago today... and even that is hard to believe!

You have grown up into a beautiful little girl now - no longer a 'baby' or even a toddler. I see big differences in you in the past month or less - and you are a little lady now! Mommy is sad in some ways that her precious little baby girl is growing up so fast - but at the same time - I love that you are such a beautiful and special little girl! I love you Maia Caroline!!

We celebrated your birthday yesterday at home with Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Bobby visiting us. It was a great day and you got lots of nice toys and things that you loved. It was really neat to watch you know what to do with the presents, and after each one you were actually excited and wanted each one opened right then so you could play with it. I'm not sure there is a clear cut favorite yet, you really liked everything!! One of your favorites is definitely the Dora couch you got from Grandma and Grandpa which folds out to a little bed with a blanket zipped into it, so it's like a built in sleeping bag. You love it! You also love your Disney 'boom box' with little CD's you can change out to hear different songs. You love your Princess Back-Pack from Grandma B. You loved the pink bathrobe I gave you - and when you put it on over your party dress, and then laid on the new Dora couch... you looked like royalty in your plush robe, kicked back, relaxing... Quite cute!!

We had yummy cake and ice cream for dessert - you really liked the ice cream the best. You didn't really want the cake on your plate, but prefered to dig your hand into a piece that was left in the cake pan instead...

We also celebrated your Grandma's 65th birthday and your Grandpa's 67th birthday. They let you get most (read... *ALL*) of the attention, but we tried to fix them a dinner they would enjoy, rather than serving Mac'roni and Cheese, as you would have preferred. :) Your Aunt Regan has her birthday tomorrow, and we are sorry we couldn't celebrate all together with her too!

You are still a petite little thing... just now going in to any 2T clothing, some of which is still too large! Your shoes are a size 7 (and you love your shoes - and many hand me down pairs from Kake (as you call her... this is your cousin Kate...)).

You love to be a helper and are actually becoming helpful in some things! It used to be that you would unfold things I had just folded, or take things out of drawers that I had just put away. But now, you carry things to your room or throw things in the trash when I ask you too, and you do a great job!!

You bring joy to our lives and laughter to our days. You awake with energy and happiness I only dream of at that hour of the day! You are a good girl even when I keep you up too late, and you behave so well in stores and restaurants (almost always!). This past week, we went to dinner with some friends of mine and as they dimmed the lights right before we were leaving... you exclaimed with much anxiousness in your voice, in a very high pitch for all to hear... "OH NO MOMMY!! It's gark. Oh no! Mommy! It's gark! Night night Mommy, it's gark!! Oh no... " as you looked upwards towards the lights trying to determine what happened to them!! It was simply precious and has brought a smile to my face MANY times the past 4 days.

You love to watch Dora the Explorer and Go Diege Go. You like the movies the Jungle Book, Finding Nemo, and Toy Story. You like to eat Macaroni and Cheese, and that's about all. (*Not really, but that is by FAR your favorite and something I can get you to eat, without doubt, no matter how many times you've eaten it that day, or week, or month.) You love your school and are busy learning your numbers and colors and shapes. You are learning them more and more each day.

I love you Maia, and I am so lucky to be your Mommy!! You are a special little girl and God blessed me for sure when He let me be your Mommy! Thanks for being such a wonderful daughter to me and sister to Matthew! We love you!

Maia enjoying her day as royalty... plush robe, kicked back on her new love seat...

Mommy and her precious Maia!

I love this picture - she doesn't even see the cake and candles yet, and yet the excited on her face is priceless!

I'm not quite sure what she was doing here... but she had gotten so excited - it's like, talk to the hand, I can't catch my breath I'm laughing so hard!

I can NOT wait for you to give me my plate with ice cream... I'm just going to take a taste from here...

Dig in! Two fisted!!


Looks like she's sipping soup! Nice a lady like...

Now I'll use my fork...




I think it might just be easier to use my fingers...

Full fisted - like Winnie the Pooh!

Even that took too long - maybe just put it straight in my mouth!!

I may eat like a puppy dog... but aren't I am ANGEL mom??? :)

I'm pretty cute too, aren't I Mom? (except if he were actually asking, it would be more like, yo, mmmfffgh, hhhffff, gggghhh, huh?) Lots of mumbling at this age, but I still love him! :)

I think the sugar is kicking in!! Or maybe it's because it's 9:30 at night??? We started to get a LITTLE silly now!

Once Upon a Time

Alright everyone, it's story time!

My mom and dad have taken both kids for the week to their beach house. (I am home alone, but that's a different story...)

I was just talking to them on the phone and they relayed the following stories that I must share.

Maia is a girl. Maia is potty training. We buy Maia girl pull-ups. They are pink and have princesses on them. Maia doesn't want these. She wants the Cars pull-ups. These are blue. They are for boys. My mom was nice enough to buy the last case at Costco - so we had MANY princess pull-ups to use up before we got to buy another case for her. I felt guilty going and buying the boy ones since my mom had so nicely bought the girl ones for Maia... so I decided we were just going to use them. (This could take a while since her school provides the pull-ups for us, and she really doesn't wet them, so we don't use that many a day. A case could take a while.)

Anyway, my mom tells me tonight on the phone that they bought her Car pull-ups at the store yesterday and now she won't use anything else! (I could have told you THAT!! I wonder why I felt guilty about going to buy more now??) BUT, to make the story more funny - she took her Cabbage Patch Doll down there to play with and now insists that Baby Richard ALSO wears a car pull-up like Maia is. AND, she is putting Baby Richard ON THE TOILET so he can go potty too. I'm not sure how they get a tiny little Cabbage Patch to stay on the toilet seat, but apparently they did. I can just picture this!

**UPDATE: I forgot the best part of the Baby Richard story! Remember, Baby Richard is not a doll with a hole in his body to go potty. My puts Richard on the potty and waits for a few seconds, and then raises her arms over her head, like a touchdown signal, shakes them, and says, "WOO-HOO!!" This, of course, is what I said to her when she was first learning to go on the potty. Too funny that she is saying it about her Baby Richard now!! Also, when she was first learning how to go potty on the potty, she would sit there and do nothing, and raise her arms and ask in a timid voice "Woo-hoo?" I would just laugh and say, no woo-hoo sweetie, you didn't do anything. I love that she is playing this way with her baby doll. Too cute!

Now, on to a different topic, but still a Maia story. Since Maia was adopted, I wanted her to feel comfortable with me and know me as well as if I had given birth to her. So, as we bonded, and she explored a little, she would snuggle on me and sometimes rub my arm, sometimes, rub my face, sometimes rub my 'chest'. This was fine with me for a while as we bonded, and, as I said, she got to know me. Once I knew the bonding thing had happened 100%, I was a little more aware as she got older how much or WHEN she might be doing this. So, at some point, as she pulled open my shirt and poked my chest, I simply started closing my shirt a bit and saying, "No, no sweetie, that's Private." Then she'd go to the other side and we'd play a game, back and forth, with her learning that both, were indeed, private.

As days progressed, she would simply leave my shirt in place, poke one, and say Private. I would agree and she'd go to the other one and say, "Private". She had pretty much learned and it was a game she played, but it lessened as weeks went by.

Tonight, she was getting out of the shower at my mom's house, and Maia was in a towel. Maia dropped her towel and made a B line for one of my mom's bras that she could see. Maia started to put it on. She turned to my mom and said, "I'm putting on my Private." I still can't stop laughing about that one!! The funny thing is, my mom said she new exactly what it was, where it went and how to put it on!! Interesting! I would say I am always dressed before Maia gets up, so I am shocked she has this all figured out already. :)

A story from earlier in the summer. Maia is in the habit of pointing to a part on her body and saying "It hurts". She'll point to her cheek and say, It hurts. She'll point to her elbow and say, My hell-bow, it hurts.

No matter what part is hurting, after I show some concern for her hurting 'part', she'll say, "Matthew did it."

Her eye socket has hurt. Her nose has hurt. Her elbow has hurt. Her tummy has hurt. Her toe has hurt. Her cheek has hurt. You get the idea. And Matthew has done them all.... even when he's no where around - or out of town, or whatever. It is always his fault.

That is, until we went to the beach for the 4th with my sister and her 4 kids. On the ride home, July 6th, Maia was pointing out various aches and pains and I showed some sympathy as I was driving. Then she said, "Eh-shaw did it." I almost drove off the road. "Eh-shaw is my 18 month old nephew, Ezra. Ever since then, poor Eh-shaw has been blamed for everything! Every ache and pain. Every mess Maia has made - everything! It's all Eh-shaw's fault!! Poor Ezra!

As I said, Matthew and Maia left on Friday for a week at my parents house. So far, it has all gone well - hurray!! I've been a little lost, not knowing exactly how to fill all my time. Don't get me wrong - I have PLENTY to do, and to catch up on, but trying to figure out the best use of time to not only accomplish things, but also do things I can't do when they are here - it's a juggling act.

I did enjoy coffee without interruption. I read books without interruption. I went to the bathroom without interruption. I ate when I wanted without worrying about whether the kids would eat it or not. I stayed up later because I knew I wouldn't be woken up in the morning. I went to stores not appropriate for little hands. I went to the Post Office without having to chase Maia around. I changed my sheets without 'help'. (Maia always says, "I helper".) I sorted stacks of old papers without anyone walking through the piles before I was done and messing them up. I watched three movies without Matthew asking when they'd be over. I went to bed without having to get up and check on them just 'one more time' before I fall asleep. I cleaned the kitchen and it stayed clean until I messed it up again!! There are no dirty socks in every room. There aren't shoes in every walkway to trip over. There isn't dirty laundry from 'potty' accidents to do daily (although it's not always daily.)

On the other hand - they aren't here!! I miss them. I miss seeing Maia in action and living her stories first hand! I miss Matthew's stories and trivia. I miss Matthew's hugs!! I miss snuggling with both of them. I just miss it all!!

There are days I need a break - but I'm not sure I need 8 days alone all at one time. :) I know this is making memories for my kids though. I still fondly remember weeks spent with my grandparents in the summer and wouldn't trade those times for anything in the world. I hope this time my kids are spending with my parents are equally special for all! I'll survive, and hopefully I'll be a better Mom when they return. In the meantime - hopefully I'll hear more Maia stories over the phone and make it through the week without too much trouble. I do have a few evenings planned this week, so that'll certainly help fill the evenings.

Stay tuned for the never-ending Maia stories everyone! :) Hopefully I'll find my camera and will have more pictures to post before too long.

How do they learn this?

Maia found many, many, many ponytail holders that I had in a baggie in her room. I was busy on the phone and although I knew it would make a mess, was relieved that she found something to do that wouldn't hurt her, interrupt me, or ruin a piece of furniture. So, I talked as I watched her dump these many, many, many ponytail holders into a rubbermaid container in her room, and then climb in and play with them. (The container needed to be put in a closet, but I hadn't done that yet... and she loves to climb in it, so I had left it out...)

Anyhow, I eventually got off the phone and went in my room to do some chores. Change the sheets, that kind of thing. She dragged that container full of ponytail holders (among a few other toys she had thrown in there) down the hall to my room. She played in it while I cleaned.

I went out to the living room to sit in 'my chair' and take a load off for a few mintues. Wouldn't you know, she dragged that big 'ole container down the hall. to the living room so she could play with it in there.

Fast forward to later in the day, after she had dumped the contents of the large container on the living room floor, and then taken a nap. I went and got her out of the crib from her nap and took her to the living room to snuggle... After a couple of minutes of snuggling, she pushed up from me and looked around. This is the conversation that ensued.

(Maia): It's a mess.

(ME): It IS a mess! Who made the mess?

(Maia): Maia's mess.

(ME): You're right! It IS Maia's mess. Will you go pick up your mess?

(Maia): .... Matthew's mess.

[Mind you Matthew wasn't even home this day!!]

(ME): No, it's not Matthew's mess. It's Maia's mess.

(Maia): .... Mommy's mess.

At this point in the conversation, I am basically laughing so hard, I couldn't carry the conversation much further. I kinda gave up and just said, Maia's mess.

The next morning, the mess was still there (of course!!), and we had a similar conversation. however, this time when she said Mess the first time, and I asked whose mess it was, she immediately said Matthew's mess this time. In the end, she said it was Maia's mess and cleaned up [some] of her ponytail holders. This still makes me laugh and it's been 3 days! How/where/when/why do they LEARN these blame tactics? Truly amazing!

It's really neat being able to have conversations with her these days. She is still learning new words, but the bigger 'story' is the conversations we have. It's so much fun!

Her other big news is that she is doing so well with potty training! Yesterday was a totally dry day AND during dinner she told me she had to go poop (yeah, right! how many times has she cried wolf before?) but I took her anyway. Wouldn't you know, she actually DID go on the potty! What a great night that was! Perfect end to a perfect day (in potty training land!)

She is growing up so much, so fast! It's incredible when I look at her now, although still a little peanut, how much she's grown and how TALL she looks compared to a year ago. I really hadn't noticed a difference until recently and then it was like, all of a sudden - she's 'tall' (for Maia!) But she is still wearing mostly 18 month clothes and she is almost 32 months old! If I buy something new at this point, I buy 24 month or 2T but some of them are simply too big on her.

Matthew will finish school on the 18th this month. That means the end of 8th grade, which means the start of HIGH SCHOOL in the fall. I won't ask, how is it possible... (But how is it possible?????)

HOME SWEET HOME

Well, one last 'this marks one year' post. Today marks the day Maia, Mom and I came home from Kazakhstan, one year ago! What an incredible, fabulous year it has been!! Mom and I had spent 8 weeks and 1 day in Kazakhstan. Most of the time there was wonderful, overall ... :)

Today was extra special a year ago because Maia got to meet her big brother, Matthew. She also got to meet her wonderful grandpa and she got to meet her aunt Regan, and her cousins, Marie, Caleb, Kate and Ezra. Everyone greeted us at the airport (after they waited hours for us to land, deboard, and get through customs, immigration, luggage claim... ) It was a wonderful reception and so great to see our family after so long away, and to have Maia finally meet a lot of the family on that day. (She got to meet her uncle Bobby that weekend and her other uncle, Joel later that summer.) Getting home was rough - a long couple of flights, with a baby who wanted to walk and not sleep and a mommy who DID want to sleep (and a grandma on the other side of the plane). Landing at Dulles made me want to CRY - for 1,000 reasons. She was now a citizen of the U.S., we were HOME, we were SAFE, and the trip was OVER (both good and bad). The whole 8 weeks was part of my story of how Maia came in to my life, and I wouldn't change a thing, as that's what makes it my story... :) Let's just say, I got what I went for and that's all that matters. She is home with us now and we are a forever family!

Maia is such a wonderful little girl and the most special daughter I could have ever gotten! I'm sure I'm repeating myself, but... it bears repeating. Maia is happy, silly, funny, energetic (to say the LEAST!) loving, caring, snuggly, independent, dependent, *(yes, I know what I just said), she loves to tease, she loves to sing, she loves to climb and jump, she love to run, she loves to swing, she plays with dolls, she reads, she likes to watch Winnie the Pooh and The Jungle Book, she loves milk, she is learning how to use the potty (I go potty too) she says everytime someone says the word Potty... she loves bars (Nutri-grain bars), she loves her vitamins and doesn't understand why I'll only let her have one a day, she LOVES lipstick (chapstick), she loves powder in her diaper and/or on her belly, she loves to tickle and laugh, she loves shoes and boots (she calls them boops), she loves to take clothes OUT of her dresser, she likes to look at dogs, but if you get within 10 feet, she'll scream and climb UP you if you don't pick her up fast enough, she likes to wear other peoples shoes (grown ups), she likes to go on walks in the woods near our house, she likes to take a bath, she likes to say hello, to anyone and everyone, she likes to give hugs and kisses, she likes to say I Love You (which I LOVE!), she likes to brush her hair, she likes to brush my hair (which I don't love...), she likes to change her clothes, she likes snacks, she likes whatever anyone else is eating or drinking, she loves when Grandma and Grandpa visit, and I'm SURE I could go on and on, but basically, just about anything makes her happy.

Let me think about what she doesn't really like. She doesn't like to be told No. (Who does?) Wow, that's really all I can think of, at least at the moment. She is truly a wonderful kid who just brings such joy to all of us, all the time!

I'm not saying it was easy 100% of the time and I've never had a bad moment or day with her, but surely that was as much about ME as it was about HER. I hate to see her growing 'older' already, and yet it has made some things easier to deal with and handle. Admittedly, I was more tired this time around (and a good bit older!) since I did this with Matthew. Thank God Maia sleeps so well through the night - I've only had to get up during the night with her MAYBE three times in the past year. Not bad! LOL. She is so active and in to EVERYTHING that the first 6 months wore me out just TRYING to stay one step ahead of her. Luckily, I could recoup while she slept. Now, although still active, it's easier to keep up with her and she is still sleeping well. In the beginning, I was lucky if Maia would sit still for 10 seconds to listen to a book... or a sentence. It was CONSTANT from morning until night. As I said, she is still a VERY ACTIVE little girl, but we get some stretches where she'll sit for even 30 minutes sometimes to watch a movie. The times that were hard were especially when I was tired, or dare I say, moody! And/or when she was especially testing me to see what she could get away with. We have a pretty good understanding now, so she doesn't test as much, or as often anymore.

She is strong willed and determined, to be sure! But that makes Maia, Maia, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Matthew had a meeting tonight for scouts, so I had to kill an hour with her, around bedtime. I decided to take her to Baskin Robins to 'celebrate' our one year home. I got her a cute little kids cup of some colorful (gross) looking ice cream, but she loved it! When she saw the pictures of the cakes on the walls, etc, she started singing "Hap birthday, to you!" SO CUTE!! They sang that one day in day care and she's been singing it ever since. Adorable.

As I'm sitting here wondering what else I can think of to write about Maia... I glanced over at my night stand table... top drawer open... my chapstick inside that i use before bed, cap OFF laying in the drawer. HHMMMM, I wonder what SHE was doing while I was in the restroom for 30 seconds?????? Oh, Maia! I wonder how much of THIS one she ATE?

Thank you to all you wonderful readers, family and friends who have followed us on the whole journey! It's great to have you along for the ride!!

One year and one day...

Today marks the one year (and one day) mark since I was able to take Maia in my arms forever!! What special memories that I will cherish forever!! It has been a wonderful, special year.

Maia is such a joy. She is full of laughter, and happiness which makes everyone around her smile! Her laughter is contagious. She is incredibly smart, and great at problem solving. If she doesn't know the word for something, believe me, she is able to let us know what she wants... She likes to play and tease, she likes to be chased and will go outside at every chance she gets. She is potty training now and doing so well! I didn't even start her on that, she started herself. :) I'm not sure I'm ready for it yet. She's growing up FAST. :)

She may not know or be able to say all the words to a song, but she's able to carry the tune to the point where I know what she is singing. She can give a one (or so) word answer when I ask her what she wants to sing and chimes in along the way. It is so cute!

I am just so happy Maia is my daughter (for a year now!) and thankful she is part of my wonderful family. There is no doubt she is one of us and meant to be with us. It is so cool. She fits right in. I think she even looks like me a little... dark hair, dark eyes, petite.... we're practically twins! (if you aren't already aware... think davito/schwarzenegger here). but, that makes no difference at all, she is meant to be here, and totally completes us! it's awesome. :)

i thank God for my wonderful daughter and bringing her to me to share life with me and Matthew. I am truly blessed!

Happy Gotcha Day (plus one) Maia!! I LOVE YOU!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Today marks one year since I boarded a jet plane to Kazakhstan! I can NOT believe it's been a year. It's been a day for reflection, that's for sure. I'm certain over the next two months I'll be remembering each day I spent with Maia and what we did 'first' and 'second'. So many great memories started today, one year ago. The weather here in Northern Virginia even took a bitter turn today to mark the occassion. Made me feel right at home in Kazakhstan! :) Tonight's wind chill is below zero, definitely not typical for No.Va.

My mom (who traveled with me) marked the occassion by traveling to Florida today. A far cry from the length of trip or weather in Kazakhstan, but a flight to mark the occassion, nonetheless.

This might be weird, but today reminded me of the way I get around Matthew's birthday. I remember the day before his birthday and when the labor started, and when I called the doctor and when we left for the hospital, etc.

Well today was kind of like that for Maia. Her birthday came and went in October with little for me to 'remember'. It was more a day of building memories than remembering anything. But today was like my first labor pain. The first memory I have of finally leaving to go get her! It's an awesome memory - and as I said, only the first of many, I'm sure, over the next two months until the day that marks our coming home date, April 2.

I am SO glad I could remember this today and celebrate without having to leave again though - or say goodbye to Matthew again for an indefinite amount of time. That was NOT a good memory last year - saying goodbye to my 'baby' and leaving for who knows how long. Today was much nicer giving him a kiss as I dropped him at school, and saying, "See you later!" That made today all the better - as leaving was the hardest part a year ago - and yet, also the most exciting.

Catching Up!!

Where does the time go? I'll try to bridge the gap of the last month - but I'm sure I'll only hit some of the points, as I likely forgot events of a month ago! I know I missed the anniversary of the call I got last January telling me it was time to GO!! I can not believe it's been a year since that call - time has truly flown by!!

I'm making up for some lost time, so here are a good number of pictures showing a couple of Christmas celebrations and ending with some every day life...

We all made it to my parents house one weekend before Christmas to celebrate together. Here is my nephew, Caleb, being oh so patient!!!...

Then we started opening presents, so here is a sampling of everyone enjoying time together and our presents!

When we were home - we made some cookies! Here are pictures of Maia making her first cut-outs... but she had me believing she was actually going to make cookies for a minute before she shoved in a wad of dough in her mouth!!

The we frosted the cookies... this time the frosting knife went straight in to her mouth! (It wasn't the same day, I had to give her time to digest the dough...)

Now some photos from Christmas Eve and Christmas morning....

My brother got me this t-shirt, isn't it great?

Ruby slippers like she had in Kazakhstan, but remember those, they were at least 2 sizes too small for her!! That was so sad.

Glasses from Mr. Potato Head.

Lastly - a few events from the last week or so....

What do you suppose happens when I answer a phone call and talk for 25 minutes? Mind you, I had Maia in my sights at all times, BUT what I saw was the top of her head, knowing she hadn't gone into a forbidden cabinet, or room.... little did I know what she HAD found.... Any guesses? No. Come on, this takes skill to think like Maia! :) She found a brand new, 5 pound bag of flour.... got it off my pantry shelves, AND was able to rip it open... I don't know WHY I am surprised!! I'm definitely thinking like a blogger now though, because instead of cleaning it up right away, I went and got the camera... Here is one of her walking away from the scene of the crime...

And here's one where I made her 'clean it up'...

Lastly, it has been so cold here (at least for here!) that everything I store in the garage has frozen. I don't know why this surprises me either, we were in the single digits folks, but I was surprised, nonetheless.

Here are my dad's diet Root Beers, not faring so well in the garage.

What DOES surprise was tonight when we went in to the refridgerator in my garage - this is what we found:

This is untouched (except for bringing it inside). That is what the end of the can looked like - it was rather amazing. This is what the inside of the fridge looked like:

Lastly, as the diet Root Beer got cleaned up, this was what was formed... it was really kinda cool....

Maia is talking a lot more recently, but that update will have to be for next time - these pictures took forever and I have to get to bed! (And catch up on everyone else's blog! I'm SO far behind...)