Happy Half Birthday Malia!!

Well since Malia has a Christmas birthday, I decided to celebrate her half birthday with friends. We had a blast at Build a Bear. It was really cute because they had each kid put a heart in Malia's kitty. They also had a bear that all the kids (well the parents) signed for Malia. It is a great memory of her first birthday celebration as a family.

Then we came back for hot dogs and Elmo cupcakes. Malia loves Elmo now (Backyardigans is taking a back burner to Sesame Street). She had fun opening the presents and seeing the new toys, books, and art stuff. After nap she took everything out of the boxes and had to try each item out.

Sunday we tried to go to Wall-E with her cousin Garrett but after such a busy Saturday it only worked for an hour. If she had more popcorn she might have lasted longer. We went home for a quick nap and then off to the splash pad to have fun in the water with some of the girls. Finally dinner out at Wagners Drive In. What a weekend!

Today marks 3 months together for me and Malia. I can't believe how well she is adjusting to being here. It is like she has always been part of the family and she is really starting to talk up a storm. She is into a shy mode and gets really quiet at first when with new people or at new places. I think she is just processing so much new stuff but she takes it all in stride. She is a fantastic little girl (even when she is whining). I love being her mom and I look forward to the years and years ahead.

Happy Birthday Grandma and Uncle Jeff

We got to celebrate Grandma and Uncle Jeff's birthday this past weekend by going to the MN Zoo to see the new grizzly bears. Malia liked the bears and would put her hands and say "roar" when we said bear. She also loved seeing the otters swimming around. Then it was to Garrett's house (well Amy and Jeff's) for nuggets and cake. Garrett and Malia had a blast chasing each other around. We headed home for a nap and off to Once Upon a Child in search of some cheap daycare clothes. I was looking around and Malia spotted a ride on toy just like what they have at daycare and she was so excited. It was pretty cheap so I got it and she rode on it for an hour straight when we got home. Sunday we had some fun at the outlet mall with Grandma, Grandpa, and Great Grandma. Malia is obsessed with Elmo right now and they had a ride with Elmo there that she went on. She giggled the whole time it was going. This weekend is Malia's half birthday party at Build a Bear. Since I missed her first two birthdays and her third is on Christmas Day, I wanted to do something special for her half birthday. However, this should be interesting with 10 kids making bears.

I hope everyone has a great week. It has been emotional lately with two co-workers losing their children in car accidents. It puts life in perspective and I am trying to enjoy every moment I can with Malia. Give you kid a hug and kiss tonight and every night!!!

Finally, I would like to say congratulations to Cristina H. on winning "Master of Dance" on TLC. Cris is a college friend of my sister and I am so excited to see her win last night! Great job!

Busy, busy...

We have been so busy this month. First we had my god daughters (and cousin) graduation party. Malia had a blast putting on lei's and playing basketball. Last weekend we had Malia's baptism with her cousin, Aislinn. She did really well considering this was after church service. She also kept her white dress clean during church and even at the party afterwards. She was in good spirits even after I had to fix her dislocated elbow (again...). Thanks to all of the relatives for coming.

This weekend we enjoyed the nice weather and spent time with Grandma and Grandpa. Today we went to my god daughters dance recital. She is a graduating senior and it was kind of sad to see her last recital. We all joked that Malia will have to start dance now so we can continue the tradition. Malia loved the dance recital and even sat for the whole first half. She bobbed and nodded to the music and waved goodbye to the dancers at the end of each dance.

Here are some pictures (mostly from the baptism).

Getting ready in the morning

Blessing with the oil

Now the water

With her god mothers
Group photo

The two girls
Getting tired of photos

The whole family

Two months together already

I love dollies

Mom, do you want to take a picture of dolly? What?
Sandbox is fun
Why can't I wear the winter hat outside?
Fudge popsicle is cold...

I can hardly believe that Malia and I have been together for two months already. When we first saw each other on March 31st it took a little time of checking each other out. Now we are getting into a routine and know more about each others personality and style. Malia is doing fantastic and I could not have asked for more with an easy transition. Here are some updates on Malia.

- Words: Speaks over 35 English words pretty well. Favorites are: no, outside, bubbles, grammie, mommie, baby
- Favorite Songs: Itsy Bitsy Spider and Old Mac Donald (well the EIEIO part)
- Favorite CD: Childrens Songs by Little People
- Clothes: Up to a size 3T to 4T in tops and pants are still a guess (24 months for length but 2T for waist). She is my daughter since I need to hem her pants and mine:)
- Potty Training: We are getting back to this after the dreaded "auto toilet flusher" episode. Tip for other parents that I learned from Joan - bring post it notes and put one over the sensor. Now she tells me. Oh well, Malia has used the potty chair 4 times in the past week... YEA!!!
- Other accomplishments: taking off her own shoes (most of the time), helping put Rosie's food in her dish in the morning, pushing the buttons to open doors and for the elevator, and putting stuff in her pocket (yes, this makes doing laundry even longer).

Happy Memorial Day and Week Two Down

So I have been back to work for two weeks and Malia is loving school (aka daycare). She was only upset when I had to pick her up late the one night otherwise she is having a great time at school. We have been using this long weekend to get the house under control after two weeks of working and being out of town last weekend. We also had some great play time together. We went to a China Moms play date on Saturday. The girls all had a wonderful time playing together and Malia got to meet more of the kids. Then Sunday we relaxed some and caught up with laundry and dishes. Finally today we went to the MN Zoo and met up with my brother, his wife, and their two kids. Garrett (their 2 year old) and Malia just sat in their strollers yelling back and forth at each other (happily) and shared goldfish crackers. We had a special weekend even though the weather didn't fully cooperate. Summer can come any time now! I hope everyone had a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend.

Malia's Photo Shoot

Here is a slide show created from Malia's photo shoot. Thank you to Grace Park Photography for the wonderful pictures.

Daycare, Work, and a Baptism

Not happy about having her picture taken before school

Playing with Elizabeth and Taylan

Great Grandma and Garrett - trying to get into Jude's Bumpy chair

The Godparents (me and my brother with Jude) Group Photo (brother in law, Jude, my brother, my sister, and me)
So we survived the first week back to work, starting daycare, and a road trip to Chicago for my nephew, Jude's, baptism. It has been crazy and I am so fortunate that Malia is a wonderful little girl. She is starting to really like daycare (or school as we call it). There were some tears the first couple days but Friday and today there were no tears when I left. She even walked in saying "yea, yea, school" today when we got to the parking ramp at work. I love having the daycare right there. I was able to spy on her via cameras in the room the first couple days at lunch to see how she was doing. The teacher said she is acting like she has always been here. I tried to get a picture of her ready for her first day but she wasn't in the mood.

Then on top of adjusting to being back to work and starting daycare, we did a road trip to Chicago this weekend with most of my immediate family. Me, Malia, my parents, my grandma, and my brother's family (with the two kids) all headed to Chicago on Saturday and returned on Monday. Luckily the kids were really good considering naps we missed and that much time in the car will drive an adult crazy. The baptism went well and the kids basically behaved during it. It was fun to see how Garrett and Malia got along, except for fighting over the baby. We even squeezed in Malia's first trip to American Girl, downtown Chicago.

Mother's Day Pictures

Today was wonderful. The girls did the Walk for the Cure since our best present happened (it wasn't raining). It was a little windy but the sky was so blue. It was way more crowded than I thought it would be and it was nice to see so many people that support the cause. We had a great day with family and prepared for work and daycare since tomorrow we are back to reality.






Finally, I also want to call out that my prayers are with Kirsten and her family as her mom has surgery for breast cancer tomorrow. I pray that we will hear good news from her.

Happy Mothers Day!!!

Happy Mothers Day to all of those with their children, all those waiting, and for the birthmothers in China that have to live without their little girls. It is strange to think that tomorrow is my first mother's day with my daughter here with me and it is wonderful at the same time. Tomorrow we are most likely going to do the Race for the Cure. I feel fortunate that my mom is cancer free for almost two years now and doing really well. I will add a group photo later tomorrow.

So I bought myself a mothers day gift and went a little nuts. I was just hoping to find a better camera to take fast shots (since Malia is always on the move) and I ended up buying a digital SLR camera. It is so much fun to use and I think I might catch more of Malia's faces now once I get fully used to the camera. Here are some photos while I was testing it out. Next is to get back into scrapbooking. Thanks to Julie I plan to get back into to this to really capture this time with Malia.

More firsts

I keep forgetting how much is new to Malia. She continues to surprise me at how she adapts and enjoys so many things. We went to the Festival of Nations with some other single moms (and to be) and their kids. Malia also got a sandbox and Cozy Coupe from Grandma and Grandpa (supposedly as a belated 1st birthday gift). She loves both but I think the Cozy Coupe is a hands down favorite. You can't tell by the photos but she can really get that thing going and then whip around in a circle. Today was the professional photos. I really hope some turn out but she is 2 so most may be a blur. Tomorrow she has 4 more shots to get before she starts daycare. I really hope she does OK. Finally, she already has her first medication due to her first ear infection since being home. P.S. She likes to copy cousin Garrett and he had one so she thought she should get one also.

Together one month

Garrett's 2nd Birthday (OK, a little late)

Malia's First Cake

Ready to visit school/work

Meeting Raggedy Ann

And... the rides

I can't believe that it has already been one month that Malia and I have been together. It has been amazing (hard at times but so worth it). She understands so much English even if she is not speaking it yet. Her English words seem to increase almost every day. The big ones for the week so far are "outside" and "ready?". Malia and Rosie are getting closer every day and Malia has even let Rosie sit on her bed the last two nights when we read books before bed.

I can't believe that I go back to work in 1 1/2 weeks but we visited the daycare on Monday and she seemed like she would be OK. The teachers were nice and the kids all rushed up to say hi to the new kid. We also walked around work and she meet a lot of people I work with. They loved the squeaky shoes and of course Malia. She had fun playing catch with them in the hall. Tuesday we went to the Mall of America for the Toddler Tuesday. The theme was Raggedy Ann so Malia got to meet her. I think however her favorite part of the day was the unlimited 3 hour ride wristband. She is a little daredevil and loved the roller coasters. She yelled out "yea" as we could go around turns and now does the same in the car when I take cloverleafs on the freeway. Another trick was taking her hands off the bar on the carousel. I guess that ride is getting too boring now that she went on some wilder rides. We also finally had a party for my nephew Garrett to celebrate his second birthday (due to timing with the China trip). I think that is most of it for now.

One last call out to my friends still waiting to be matched to their children. Keep believing... it does happen!