Jada's Journey

Mutual of Omaha's Wild Jada

2009-06-01T12:48:00.008-05:00

It's been a while since we've posted any pics of Daughter Nature, so let's start with this one from her trip to the zoo Saturday.

Next up is the aftermath of Jada's first "turkey hunt." You can't see it in the photo, but her back pockets read "Peace" and "Love."

For the record, everyone that assured Daddy that turkeys are attracted to the sound of a four-year-old's endless questions were full of it.

She's recently discovered the garage, too.

Here's the little felon on her work release program: helping Daddy plant a tree.

Please don't feed the inmates.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T15:04:00.002-05:00

Happy Easter from our family to yours!

Chinese New Year

2009-02-01T19:00:00.003-06:00

We attending the local FCC Chinese New Year Celebration yesterday and had a great time. It is so nice to see how everyone changes. All of those kids grow up so fast!

Lily, Auntie Dee, and Uncle Brett and my mom joined us this year to celebrate. Below are some pictures of Jada and Lily from the event.

They act just like sisters, for good and bad. ;^)

They even were chatting under the table. They hardly stopped talking the whole time they were together.

Jada made her Ox hat at daycare earlier this week.

Lily loved the Lion dance and the drums. While Lily was dancing, Jada was on her dad's lap.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-26T04:55:00.005-06:00

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

We had a nice day. Below are a couple of pictures from the morning. I will post more in the next week.

Jada enjoying her first umbrella. She has been asking for one for over a year. She finally asked Santa for one this year. He brought it. ;^)

Jada posing in front of her other gift from Santa. She has been asking for a cash register for more than six months. She played with it much of the day, often scanning the other toys she got for Christmas. The joys of being 3 1/2 years old...

Jada and Santa

2008-12-22T09:46:00.002-06:00

We got the official picture of Jada and Santa on Friday. This is from her visit about 10 days ago. The letter she dictated is detailed in this post. Things to note from this picture. Jada refused to sit on his lap. She did, however, trust him with her lovey, Baby Bear. This is the first year that her parents, or at least one, didn't have to be in the picture with her.

Art Gone Mad

2008-12-20T14:09:00.004-06:00

Jada likes to do "projects," as she calls them. Most people would think of them as arts and craft projects. I try to do something along those lines with her two to three times a week.

Yesterday, I decided to do something seasonal that we could share with family and friends. I pictured a project involving her hand print as a tree with her thumb print as a trunk and perhaps we could glue some beads on for ornaments. I felt a smug sense of pride in a rare creative idea.

As with most times when I feel parenting smugness, things did not go according to plan. I am too type A to be good at anything artistic. Jada is not.

With much pressure on my end, this is what we did. Jada did it but you could tell she was not satisfied with it.

I had the 'glue box' out because the stars where in it. The glue box is what I call the items that she can glue on to her art work on her own. She saw the buttons and wanted to glue those on, directing me to give her more big buttons. Bossy, that one...

When I was digging for the beads, she saw what really interested her, googly eyes. She wanted to do a tree with eyes on it. I tried to talk her out of it and it just didn't work. So, we ended up with Christmas art gone mad. *shiver*

I couldn't handle another one like that. So, I gave her another option from the glue box. She did it, but asked to use eyes for the rest. I told her it was time for bed. No, really, it was. ;^)

So, that's how a simple holiday craft project gets out of control and bothers this non-creative thinker. May your holiday art be less creative. ;^)

Album Cover

2008-12-14T15:55:00.005-06:00

Our little fashion plate modeled this charming ensemble for me this morning. "Take a picture," she ordered.

I realize now that she just wanted front and back covers for her first CD, due out summer 2023.

Our Delicate Little Flower

2008-12-14T15:14:00.005-06:00

An apple lollipop made Jada's tongue turn green. But don't take my word for it; play the video!

First Letter to Santa

2008-12-11T19:50:00.004-06:00

Jada's first letter to Santa, as dictated to me (Mom) after seeing him today.

Dear Santa,

It was nice to see you and meet you. Santa, I love you.

Please bring me a cash register and an umbrella. Thank you for the stop watch, candy cane, and cookie today.

Your friend,
Jada

Jada has been told that Santa brings two gifts at most. Until today, her top choices were a cash register and a sleeping bag.

Jada & Lily

2008-12-11T07:56:00.003-06:00

Sorry about the lack of posts. A hard drive crash and a month long illness made November tougher than usual. I am sure December will make up for the lack of November posts. ;^)

After a very long absence, Jada and Lily got together on Sunday. I swear, they talk in their own language when they are together. The adults had just as much fun as the kids. If you want to see how much the girls have changed, look at this post of their first stateside play date or this one of their two year pictures or this one of their last play date in June.

Tonight, Jada visits Santa, so I am sure there will be another post soon.

Go Big Huskers!

2008-10-31T09:13:00.002-05:00

Happy Halloween!

Jada was excited to be able to wear her costume to preschool/day care today. She insisted on being a Husker cheerleader. I took her to many costume aisles at various stores and she would look at me an huff "I STILL want to be a cheerleader." Okay, then, a cheerleader you will be.

This picture was taken this morning moments before we headed out the door. Note the awesome pom poms. Auntie Marlo made those for her. Jada loves them.

Jada got a bit confused on the proper cheer this morning and she said "Go Big Huskers!" She loves to watch football ever since Uncle Mike introduced it to her on her first Thanksgiving in Nebraska.

We hope that you and your family have a safe and fun Halloween!

Jada Funny

2008-10-29T08:08:00.001-05:00

Jada has a cold and is home with Dad today. I received the following email from him:

Jada lays out a shirt. "This will look cute on me."

Dad: "Yeah."

"Then I can't wear this." Puts it back in the basket.

More Pumpkin Patch Pictures

2008-10-19T14:32:00.003-05:00

I thought I would share a few more pictures from our pumpkin patch adventure on Friday.

Memorable moments included:

Riding a school bus to and from the pumpkin patch. Jada still loves buses.
Eating the yummy homemade apple cider donuts. They are so very good!
Jada's very vocal refusal to use the porta-potty.
Jada spent more time begging other people for their lunch items than eating her own.
Jada's laughter...She spent a lot of the day running around with her friends and laughing. It is such a nice sound!

This one! After I rejected Jada's first choice (it was half smashing & decomposing) she found this one. She declared it "Jada sized."

Hurry, Hurry.... Jada spent more time running than actually playing.

I'm just a flower...

Jada really enjoyed the Candy Land area. She completely ignored it last year, but enjoyed running & jumping through all the Candy Land areas this year.

That's My Girl!

2008-10-19T12:58:00.003-05:00

Jada had this conversation with her Grandma C at lunch today.

Grandma: What would you like for Christmas, Jada?

Jada: Everything!

It could be an interesting Christmas morning. ;^)

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-17T15:58:00.003-05:00

We just got back from going to the pumpkin patch with Jada's daycare. She is holding the pumpkin she picked this year. Happy Fall!

And We Wonder Why She Doesn't Sleep Well

2008-10-08T20:24:00.004-05:00

I will follow others & do a wordless Wednesday. These pictures speak for themselves (at least that's what I will claim).

What does a 3 1/2 year look like?

2008-10-02T21:12:00.004-05:00

Jada turned 3 1/2 year old on Tuesday. She shares this special day with her Grandma C, who had a birthday on September 30th. This is a special connection in my family as my brother's half birthday is on my dad's birthday. Neat, huh?

Jada has changed a ton since I have posted a fun fact post. I hope to have another one up soon, but in the meantime, this should give you a better look at Jada right now.

Jada relaxing in car seat on the way home from day care on 9/30/08. She was flipping through a toy catalog we just got in the mail & announcing what she wants for Christmas.

We have reorganized Jada's room recently. She now has an arts and crafts area that she spends a great deal of time in. Today, she surprised me with this drawing. Do you see the person? I asked her what it was and she said a picture of Daddy. It does look like her daddy! Let's take a closer look...

In the middle of the paper that was cluttered with practicing writing letters and drawing various lines, you see this little gem. Do you see it? It's a person. It is better that I draw. ;^) I think it does look like Marty.

I asked her who this was. She paused. She didn't look at me as she said "Mommy." I am convinced it's the guilt talking and that she doesn't really see me as a blob. She did drop the subject as she asked to put her picture up on daddy's wall. We let her select where we put it up in our room. We had to do something to celebrate her first drawing of something you can actually identify.

First Day of Preschool

2008-08-25T20:04:00.002-05:00

Today was Jada's first day at preschool. Jada moved to a "preschool" room at day care. She was very excited to spend time with her new teacher, Pam, and her new friends. She is always so social.

Posing for her mommy.

Showing off her new backpack.

Olympics

2008-08-11T19:35:00.003-05:00

One of Jada's gold medal grandmas, Grandma C, came over on Friday to celebrate the Olympics with us. We ate some Chinese food and watched the Opening Ceremony. It was a great night. Thanks, Grandma!

Anime Jada

2008-08-11T19:21:00.003-05:00

There is just something about her eyes and expression in this photograph that reminds me of anime.

Edited: The comment was correct about this image being better in black & white. That image is below. (added 8/12 4:00 p.m.)

New Portraits of Jada

2008-07-30T16:48:00.004-05:00

Tiffany Love (see Infinity Images website) took Jada's picture Saturday. I just love these outdoor pictures of Jada! I think Tiffany really captured her well.

For an odd bit of trivia, the area with the benches is where Marty asked me to marry him. ;^)

More pictures to come...

My First Movie: Kung Fu Panda

2008-07-30T16:36:00.002-05:00

On Thursday, July 17th (yep, I'm behind), Jada saw a movie in the theater for the first time. Grandma C joined us to see Kung Fu Panda. I left my camera at home, so I don't have any pictures to show you.

Jada got to have movie theater popcorn and soda for the occasion and she seemed more excited about that than the movie overall. However, she did like the movie. When asked to name her favorite part, she says "foonka panda." I think she's trying to let us know that she liked the panda character named Po.

Next on the list Wall-E!

My First Tattoo

2008-07-19T15:50:00.002-05:00

Jada Winehouse showing off her new tat.

Short Cut

2008-07-16T18:10:00.003-05:00

Jada got her hair cut today by Cousin Katie, hence the title "Short Cut." Jada was so excited on the way home I decided to attempt some photos right outside our front door. I ended up with several good ones, but this is the one I like the best. I think it's the best because it's so different from the pictures I usually get of Jada.

Katie, thanks for doing such a great job! You make getting your haircut fun. Jada loves to visit your salon.

Daycare Parade

2008-07-04T13:30:00.004-05:00

Every year, in honor of the 4th of July, Jada's daycare hosts a parade. This parade is one of my favorite events that they do. There is something about the kids marching around the block, the floats, and the people cheering them on that makes for a fun event.

This year, Jada's grandparents and Great Aunt Cindy came to watch the parade. We are so thankful that you could join us!

The one snag this year is that Jada had me join the parade this year during the second lap around the block. It was odd seeing it from that angle.

Enjoy this slide show of pictures from the event. It think you will see why I like it so much. Click on the slide show if you want to see the pictures individually.

Play Date with Lily

2008-06-01T18:25:00.004-05:00

Lily, Auntie Dee, and Uncle Brett came over for a play date today. We hadn't gotten together since Chinese New Year and were very excited to spend time together. The girls had a great time and spent most of the timing running from one area of the house to the other.

This is my favorite picture of them both, even if it wasn't composed well. Lily is on the left and Jada is on the right.

The girls decided to use blankets as capes and become super villains. Yep, that's right...and Jada decided that Super Man was a super villain. I never knew! Lily is on the left and Jada is on the right.

Apparently a super villain needs a mascot. Jada's is Baby Bear, her lovely panda.

Jada and Lily had a blast putting stickers on each other's legs. It was hilarious, in their mind, and they giggled the whole time.

Mimicking silly faces was one of my favorite parts of the day. Jada couldn't keep a straight face. Next time you see her, ask her to scowl for you.

I think this video says it all...

2008-05-26T14:58:00.004-05:00

Enjoy this video of Jada. She did this on her own yesterday right after I pulled out her dress up things. This microphone was on top and she started to preform.

Please excuse the mess in the background. I was folding clothes when she started this.

Remembering the Hours Before We Met Jada

2008-05-08T08:39:00.013-05:00

Today is the two year anniversary of Jada's Metcha Day. It's the day we became a family. It is also the same day that we legally adopted Jada.

I have been talking to Jada about her adoption and her time in China more frequently lately. I finally created a storybook version of a lifebook for her to have a starting point for discussions. It is not clear how much of it she understands, but when she "reads" the story to us, I am floored by the words she uses to describe her babyhood.

Yesterday, I spoke to Jada about some of the details of her Metcha Day, particularly what Marty and I were doing. I hadn't discussed that much before. I got very reflective and decided to look at some of the pictures of that day.

Looking back at what we wrote while in China, we didn't go into much detail on certain topics. I can think of a variety of reasons for this, including fatigue, nerves, and not wanting to bore our readers. I will be writing a bit more this monumental day for our family over the next few days.

Our guides took us to a nearby park the hours right before we met Jada. I discussed it briefly in this post, but that morning was surreal to me and the details have not left me.

We walked to the park with our guides, Tom and Jim. It was a pleasant walk. It started to lightly sprinkle soon after we reached the park. This is typical for early May in Nanchang. We saw groups of people doing various exercises and dancing including tai chi, fan dancing, and samba. The samba was a big surprise to me. There was one fan dancer who was practicing on her own at the water's edge. I never did get a perfect picture of her graceful movements.

Soon sprinkles turned into rain and that turned into a downpour. We left the hotel without our umbrellas. I think our minds were focused on something else. ;^) Tom and Jim guided us to a beautiful shelter. Marty helped me up the stone steps as they were beautiful but very slick in the rain. Retired men and women were gathered there and treated us as honored guests, offering us their seats and insisting we sit. As soon as we were seated, a man started playing a traditional instrument and we got an impromptu performance.

After he played a while, a woman started singing and then a friend took over the singing. She had an amazing voice. Below, is the short video I took with my camera that morning.

I regret that you cannot hear the singer well over the music. It was very moving.

While I was enjoying the musical performance, Marty was playing peek-a-boo with an 18 month old and receiving giggles from her and her grandmother.

It is hard to believe this baby is just a few months older than Jada and is three years old now.

Shortly after this was taken, it was time for us to leave and head back to the hotel. It was still raining so our guides, who were prepared, found a taxi for us to take the short distance to the hotel.

We had enough time to grab our bags and board a bus (even though there were only two families, including us). It was in this building

that we met our daughter and we moved from being a couple to a family.

Guess Who's Three?

2008-03-30T20:26:00.007-05:00

Jada turned three today. It's hard to believe she is no longer a baby and is now officially a preschooler.

Jada after blowing out her candle. I dropped a cupcake with a lit candle right before this. Everyone but me found it to be very funny. Jada did tell me that it's okay and to "try again."

Dora head to toe. Tomorrow will be day three of this outfit. That's a new phase I was hoping to avoid.

Jada celebrated with her family on two separate occasions and with friends on Saturday at the local children's museum. She choose a safari theme, to my surprise. Marlo made some beautiful and yummy lion cupcakes that were a bit hit.

Jada at her safari themed kids party on Saturday.

Safari Chic Daddy (taken by Cal C.)

Jada had a great weekend and was spoiled. She will soon realize that the rest of this year will not be nearly as fun and exciting as the past two days. ;^D

An updated fun facts will be posted soon. I am still working on Easter weekend pictures. ;^)

Saturday Before Easter

2008-03-26T16:09:00.004-05:00

We were thrilled to be invited to Marty's cousin's Easter festivities on Saturday. Jada had a great time, as you can see by the pictures. She also liked seeing the animals, such as baby ducks & lambs, but I didn't get a good picture. Thank you, Jackie, Sean, Raegan, & Hannah for including us!

Jada with her post-hunt glow

Showing off her last find.

Jada and her cousin Zach. She loves both of her cousins very much & talks about them all the time.

Jada & cousin Abbey on a slide train.

Scary Face

2008-03-25T10:18:00.003-05:00

Not Easter pictures, but I took these last night and found them amusing. Ah...the joys of youth.

Easter Preview

2008-03-24T08:30:00.003-05:00

So many Easter related pictures, so little time to edit & post.... Easter pictures will be posted bit by bit throughout the week.

An Almost Three Year Old's Every Day Life

2008-03-21T14:29:00.004-05:00

Jada in a new costume.

Jada checking out her fairy wings.

Jada reading in the "fort" she made with her blanket.

Jada. This picture shows Jada just as we see her everyday.

Easter Celebration at Grandpa C's

2008-03-21T13:51:00.003-05:00

On Sunday, we celebrated Easter where Grandpa C lives. Jada had a great time and even got to meet the Easter Bunny.

Grandpa & Grandma C with Jada

The family with the Easter Bunny.

Circus

2008-03-14T15:50:00.003-05:00

Jada's daycare went to the Shrine Circus this afternoon. It was Jada's first time at the circus. I joined Jada there.

After the circus was over two hours later, I asked Jada what her favorite part of the circus was. She replied "the elephants" the first time and "her friends" the second time I asked. Personally, I think it's the cotton candy that she went from having a "little bit" to eating most of a bag. I think she would have ingested it all, but she decided she really wanted daddy to try it. She is convinced that he would like it and say "Thank you, Jada" after he tried it. She paid more attention to the cotton candy than any of the three rings.

As a side note, I have to agree with a friend that posted recently that the circus is very different than it was when I was a kid. I am not sure if it's the actual content of the circus or seeing the circus through adult eyes, but it was boring.

Kung Fu Panda - Daily Fortune

2008-03-13T16:05:00.001-05:00

My First Mosh Pit

2008-02-24T13:27:00.004-06:00

Jada had her first mosh pit and groupie experience yesterday. I didn't get any good pictures and certainly none from the mosh pit, but it's still a moment for the baby book.

Yesterday, Jada, me (the mom), and Grandma C went to see The String Beans live. Jada and I are big fans. We own all their CDs and listen to them all the time. Yes, it was a big moment for our family to see them live. I even let Jada give up her best nap time hour for the experience.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but it certainly wasn't a packed house and a bunch of kids screaming with excitement. Apparently, The Sting Beans band has many groupies. It was a multimedia show that I would recommend you take your kids to, if you get the chance. Kids went wild for it and Jada was dancing nearly the whole time near our seats. And then, a key moment happened in her development. She asked to be allowed to dance in the mosh pit by the stage. I couldn't dissuade this act of independence, so I let her. She loved it.

Dancing at the beginning of the show.

She wouldn't take her eyes off the performance. It's like me at The Police concert. ;^)

I Like A Bunny...Hop, Hop

2008-02-21T20:22:00.003-06:00

A week ago tomorrow, Marty was off with friends and Jada and I had a Girls Night In. Since this was our first official Girls Night In, I wanted to make it special. I decided we should watch a movie, eat popcorn, and most important of all, wear 'soft pants.' What are soft pants? According to Jada, soft pants include PJ bottoms, fleece, velvor, or any pants that she thinks are soft to the touch. She doesn't consider soft pants suitable for day care or outings.

Perhaps it was laziness, but the first priority to me was to change to soft pants as soon as we got home. Jada liked it in theory, but had more fun putting her pants on her head and saying "I like a bunny. Hop, Hop, Hop..." while hopping through the house. I probably should have corrected her grammar, but I was too busy laughing.

Who am I to judge? As a mom, I was required to take her picture so that I can show this to the person she is dating at sixteen.

The first joys of figuring out her soft pants make great bunny ears.

Making the rounds with her hopping. Don't mind the toddler crack. It's actually her underwear showing, which is technically a better option.

On her bed, laughing.

Cross-Examining From the Potty Chair

2008-02-21T19:49:00.003-06:00

Jada has started to challenge us more and more. Sometimes, it is in jest (see below) and sometimes she is very serious about it.

The other day, Jada asked to be taped. She was delaying going to bed, but I thought the results were funny. I think we have a future lawyer. For the record, Marty and I had not been fighting before this was recorded. ;^D

Team U.S.A.

2008-01-14T19:23:00.000-06:00

It appears that Jada is ready to cheer Team U.S.A. at the Olympics this summer. Grandma C gave her a couple of costumes for her dress up box for Christmas. Jada tried them on for the first time this weekend. The hat goes to a different costume. Can you guess what it is? ;^D

Christmas Eve

2008-01-06T14:10:00.000-06:00

We spent most of Christmas Eve with Marty's family. We had a great time. Jada really enjoys spending time with her cousins, Zach and Abbey.

Family picture.

Jada, Abbey, and Zach

Jada being a goof ball.

The worn out rock star on the way home.

P.S. I think I am caught up now. If not, I declare myself caught up and will not be posting anything before January. ;^D

Christmas Day

2008-01-06T13:40:00.001-06:00

Grandma C and Uncle Todd joined us to Christmas morning this year. Grandpa C joined us later for brunch.

Jada asked for some interesting things from Santa this year. One of the top ones was tacos. Yep, Jada wanted Santa to bring her tacos. Did he? Perhaps some Christmas morning pictures will tell you more.

He did bring Jada tacos, sorta! He brought taco shells and a note telling her to share them with her parents, Grandma C, and Uncle Todd. Santa also brought taco fixings in our fridge. Woohoo! So, Christmas dinner was...you guessed it...tacos!

Jada enjoying another gift from Santa, a flower hooded towel.

Jada playing "gonna getcha" with one of the toys Grandma & Grandpa C got her.

Jada and Uncle Todd. Not the best picture of the bunch, technically, by my personal favorite none the less.

Santa Day Pictures

2008-01-02T18:43:00.000-06:00

Now that I have spent more time looking at the Santa Day pictures, I must say that I like the outtakes more and more. I think between my camera overexposing pictures that day (I have no idea what I did wrong) and Jada's less than enthusiastic response, I didn't get any goodpictures. So.....below the two that are the best of the bunch. Christmas Day pictures will be posted soon.

Christmas Morning

2007-12-28T14:14:00.000-06:00

If Santa's presents are any indication, Jada was very good this year! Hope you and yours had a very Merry Christmas!

Jada in front of the tree and sack of Santa presents.

I will share more pictures and stories about Christmas this weekend. I am attempting to get some housework done today. ;^D

Santa

2007-12-19T17:53:00.000-06:00

We got the pictures today from Jada's Santa visit. The picture, above, is the best of the bunch. She was not impressed by Santa. I will post about the outing tomorrow. I am trying to get Christmas cards done tonight.

Santa Day Outtakes

2007-12-13T21:29:00.000-06:00

Jada saw Santa today. I have plenty to say about that tomorrow, but wanted to start with the outtakes first. These were all taken at home.

This is how Jada responded to my request that she stand in front of the tree for a picture. She wasn't laughing, she had an attitude. Two going on fifteen?

I have no idea what she was thinking here. *sigh*

Jada's response to my 'smile big' request.

That's my girl.

This week in pictures

2007-12-09T11:08:00.000-06:00

We only took a few pictures this week (by that I mean 50) but thought I would share some of our favorites. Jada asks us to take her picture all the time. She is currently saying she wants a camera from Santa. We will see what she actually asks for when she sees him on Thursday.

Cute picture, huh? She is begging for food. She just finished her dinner. Dinner takes her up to an hour to eat. The girl enjoys meal times.

Daddy and Jada hanging out.

Jada put this headband in. She asked us to take a picture. She will not let me put her hair up at all. I try several times a week.

This photo is from this morning. She was helping exercise the dogs. She would not look at me and smile. She was taking her job too seriously. She can put all these layers on by herself, which amazes me. I never thought a 2 1/2 year could do that.

Pour Some Sugar in Me

2007-12-02T10:40:00.000-06:00

I had fun this morning! My mommy and daddy jokes that it must be a sugar rush. Funny, I don't remember eating sugar for breakfast.

Being silly. I do that a lot.

After running around.

Mommy & Me being silly.

I asked Mommy to sit on my lap. We both got a good laugh out of that.

The funniest thing that happened this morning is that I put one of my plastic chairs on my head and ran around. None of the pictures of that turned out well. I pretended I was on T.V. at one point.

Note from Mommy: Jada was so silly this morning! We had some great family fun. I asked Jada what she wanted from Santa and she said "Bananas!" Not sure Santa will have any under the tree this year as our Santa-meter (an ornament that tells you if you have been naughty or nice) keeps coming up with naughty for Jada all day. She claims she has been nice. I tend to believe her. ;^D It has been coming up nice for me today and Jada said Santa was going to bring me a bike and a Christmas tree.

The Underpants Dance

2007-11-21T17:27:00.000-06:00

Jada has officially switched to underwear with diapers only for bed times.

Overall, she is doing well. Yesterday was a big accident day in the afternoon at day care, but we also had a weather change and it got really cold them.

I was hoping to get a picture of Jada in underpants, but she is usually too busy dancing around and moving to the next activity to stop for a good picture.

Elmo is about to call her about her latest milestone! Hopefully this time, she doesn't ask why one of her day care friends didn't call her instead. ;^D

Happy Thanksgiving!

Potty Breakthrough, I mean it this time

2007-11-18T19:00:00.000-06:00

Added at 7:50 p.m.: Jada is in bed now. By the time we reached bedtime, she had put potty in TEN times! Darn we hope?!

I know you have heard this from me before, but we had a potty breakthrough today. Jada has put potty in EIGHT times so far today with one accident this morning. Apparently, the key(we are guessing anyway) for Jada is to let her select her own reward. Her top reward seems to be marshmallows. I'm not a fan of food rewards, but it has been a tough year and I am willing to try something different at this point.

Let's hope this really is the beginning of potty paradise!

Chopsticks

2007-11-12T19:35:00.001-06:00

Do you ever have one of those "why didn't we do this sooner?" moments? We had one at dinner today.

My China Sprout order arrived today. The order contained a set of chopsticks for kids called Zoo Sticks. I thought it would be a fun way for Jada to learn to use chopsticks. She had loads of fun deciding which pair she would use and, of course, which ones we would use.

Then, we put food in front of her, her chopsticks, and a fork. What we didn't expect is that she would use them correctly immediately and start tucking in her food before we even started ours. Jada had it down. She knew exactly what to do and looked at us with a 'my parents are so slow' look. I am sure we will know that look well by her teenage years.

Jada posing with her monkey sticks. It wasn't until the middle of the meal that I thought to take pictures.

She used proper form earlier, but she was rather confident at this point.

"See, I can do it. Silly parents!"

Halloween

2007-11-04T08:43:00.000-06:00

Jada wasn't her usual sparkling self on Halloween, but I think she had fun overall. She is fighting a cold and was clingy. I took the day off work and we visited various friends and family all over town.

Jada was a drummer in a rock band called Throwing Bananas. In the picture, she is wearing the concert t-shirt. As you will see by the close up of the shirt graphic, it was a family band. Jada wouldn't let us punk up her hair or put pretend tattoos on her (a mixed blessing) so we spent a lot of time explaining her costume.

She did provide autographs and posed for her admiring public. This was taken at Daddy's office.

We only went trick or treating to a few places this year. Jada had a blast at Aunt Cindy's! She was definitely treated like a rock star.

The family band.

Jada posing with Grandma C and Uncle Todd.

A HUGE thank you to Kylee who did the graphic for us. It was based on my Police concert t-shirt that I wear more than I should.

Butterfly

2007-10-21T20:46:00.000-05:00

As a mom, I have been forced to learn to go with the flow more than I am inclined to do naturally. Tonight was another of those moments where I was rewarded for this.

We bathed Jada and put her in her PJs even though we had about 30 minutes of hair drying time before bed. She wants to wear only her Dora flannel PJs these days.

I had been going through clothes and saw a favorite dress from last year. I decided to see if it still fit her by putting it over her PJs. Jada ran to the mirror and said "Butterfly!" The first thing out of my mouth was "Do you want wings?" That led to a priceless moment of Jada running around in this outfit that only a two year old could get away with...

Look how happy something so simple makes her? Daddy is holding her here, but is blocked by the "butterfly."

I guess the lesson is to be in the moment every once in a while and let go.

Pumpkin Time

2007-10-16T22:11:00.001-05:00

I will admit that I have taken so many pictures lately that I am overwhelmed. So, I will follow a Creative Memories rule and start with my most recent pictures and work my way back. I will mark the jumps in time so you don't get too confused. ;^D

Over the weekend, I bought Jada a bag of a dozen mini-pumpkins to put by her pumpkin patch find (yes, there will be a post about that next). She loves those pumpkins and talks about them all the time. She likes to play with them and move them around. So, I decided to capture the moment today.

I wish I could post 50 pictures so you could see the sequence step-by-step because it made me LOL, but these will have to do.

Getting the pumpkins out of her wheelbarrow and lining them up in a row and count them.

Inspecting one before putting it back in the wheelbarrow. I wonder what this picture tells me about her future career path?

Displaying a "big little pumpkin" for me to see before placing it in her second display.

Jada enjoying the fruits of her labor. Pun intended. :^D

This weekend, we are visiting another pumpkin patch with Grandma and Grandpa S, Auntie M and Uncle Mike, and her cousins, Zach and Abbey. I know she will have a blast. I know I will have loads of pictures after that. She is still talking about last week's pumpkin adventure.

Potty Time, Part 12?

2007-10-09T19:39:00.000-05:00

It's potty time, again, at Jada's house!

As you know from this post about potty training videos, and this post about a surprise potty adventure, and this post about the initial potty call, we have been working with Jada on using the potty for about a year now. That's right, it's been nearly one full year. One year and we haven't reach potty paradise yet.

Tonight, I waited a bit longer than usual to change Jada's pants after daycare. We were shocked when Jada took off her much loved Dora shirt from Grandma. This is the same shirt that we haven't been able to get off her for the past 24 hours. I asked her what she was doing and she just looked at me as she started taking off her jeans.

"Jada, what are you doing?" I asked in alarm. "Leave your jeans on..."

"I potty," Jada declared as she stripped off her pants, "Elmo underwear." She grabbed a pair of Elmo underwear and ran to the potty.

I did nothing but follow her and hope she didn't take off her diaper before she reached the bathroom. She got to the bathroom, ripped off her diaper, and sat on her potty. We waited and waited and played games and built towers and read books and then played with the toys dropped off from Daddy in an emergency rescue. Then, we got bored. I left to go get yet another round of toys and when I was almost back, I heard "Yay, Jada!" I ran to the bathroom and Jada told me she went potty in the toilet. Good job!

Then, the panic settles in that she expects an Elmo stamp on her tummy and I have no idea where the rubber Elmo stamps and ink pad are. Daddy comes in and they continue the celebration as I search the house for the items I thought we would never actually need. I finally found it (after throwing the contents of her closest on her bedroom floor) and brought it to the bathroom for the culmination of the potty time celebration, the stamping of Elmo.

Time for dinner? Not quite. Jada reminded me that I promised her that Elmo would call if she started using the potty again. *groan* So, I ordered the Elmo Potty Celebration call for 7:00 p.m. tonight and ate my dinner with an organized mother smugness I don't normally feel.

Dinner is over. Jada decides she wants to potty again. I go with her to the bathroom for another marathon session. Nothing happens. Elmo calls and she listens while she is on the potty. She didn't want Elmo to call but her friend "E" from daycare. Meltdown occurs while on she is still on the potty. Elmo chatters blithely on. Daddy suggests we leave the bathroom because that's when Jada tinkled last time. I snicker but do it. A minute later, we hear Jada completing her potty time adventure. Another celebration occurs and now it is time for Jada to go to bed. All wound up, of course.

Basically, I spent the whole evening in the bathroom, but it is worth it to see Jada's joy in her accomplishment. May this be the start of Potty Paradise!

Jada and Lily Play Date....The Teaser Post

2007-09-30T21:04:00.000-05:00

We had a great time visiting Miss Lily, Auntie Dee, and Uncle Brett on Saturday. Mommy took over 350 pictures and needs to sort through them, but here is a peek at our fun day.

Lily, Mommy, Daddy, & Me, right after we got there

Lily and Me. "Did you say homemade apple pie with ice cream?!"

Lily and her Mommy swinging

A close up of Lily

Brett, Lily, and Dee outside their new house.

Family Walk

2007-09-27T20:26:00.000-05:00

Yesterday after dinner, we took a family walk around the neighborhood. Since my camera fits in my pocket now (yippy!), I took some pictures of Marty and Jada at the end of the walk. Jada hammed it up a bit and pointed out locations that suited her mood.

She insisted on this pose on her own.

With Daddy in front of a neighbor's house. I liked that this showed you her size now.

I asked her to hug a tree. Uncle Todd will be glad Jada is not a tree hugger, but I was a bit disappointed not to get my picture. I wonder what she saw up there in the tree.

Guess what we found out Jada can do? You guessed it, open the gate to the backyard. We will have to be extra careful that neither Jada nor the dogs get out of the yard without our notice. We should have figured she could do it since she mastered those child safety door knob covers a bit ago.

I hope to have some Lily and Jada pictures after the weekend. Can't wait to get them together again!

Feed Those Little People!

2007-09-27T20:14:00.000-05:00

I find it amusing the way Jada plays with her Little People. It also makes me think I can see inside her head a bit.

The first thing she does is put as many Little People as she can fit around the table and tells them to eat.

Note how they are placed in conversational groups. [I wonder what the king and farmer are discussing].

Then, she immediately puts them all to sleep in as many beds she can find (we only have three, so some sleep on the floor).

Then, she puts them in her airplane or on the bus.

I wonder if she will work in the travel industry later one. Perhaps as a cruise director?

As an aside, after I took this picture, she told her Little People to look at Mommy and then turned three of them around so they faced the camera. See, that just enforces my cruise director theory. :^D

LID

2007-09-26T11:28:00.000-05:00

To our shock, Eva's dossier has been logged in already. The official LID (logged in date) is yesterday. We think it's pretty cool that it was logged in on the date of the Chinese Moon Festival!

Eva's site will be updated once I know more about time lines and such. Keep an eye out for information on Eva's 100 Good Wishes Quilt, which we will be gathering fabric and wishes for soon.

DTC!

2007-09-24T13:01:00.000-05:00

We just received word today that we are DTC (dossier to China)! I will be updating Eva's site once we have a logged in date (LID).

As a reminder, we are anticipating a much longer wait for Eva than we experienced for Jada. I will let you know what we hear from the agency.

Fridays are for....

2007-09-21T21:15:00.001-05:00

...going to the dentist. [She did very well there this morning].

...slurging. [Check out that Buddha Belly! I guess it was back for a one night show].

...making your daddy pull you around the yard in a wagon. [She had the best time when Marty was running and pulling her].

...hanging out with Mommy!

Rain, Rain...

2007-09-21T21:04:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week, we have a rainy day. It was one of those days when it was raining when you got up and it was still raining when you went to sleep. I learned two things about Jada that day. First, she is convinced that if it is raining, it must be cold outside (see the picture below for how she insisted on being bundled). Secondly, I learned that she is fascinated by rain and could stare at it a very long time without getting bored. I also learned that the "rain, rain, go away..." song annoys me when sung more than twice in a row. :^D

Jada bundled up.

Two year olds are funny creatures. One minute they tell you they don't like something (say Elmo slippers you bought them) and the next minute, they cannot take their eyes off them and they want to wear them to bed. Not that I know any two year olds like this. :^D

Jada is happiest when we are both hanging out with her. Being upside down is an added bonus.

As a side note, I took Jada to the doctor earlier this week to get her ears checked. She weighed 31 lbs (with clothes on) and was 36.5" tall. That puts her at around 75% for weight and around 66% for height.

Does she always smile?

2007-09-17T20:54:00.000-05:00

Jada is generally a pretty happy child. There's a reason why in most of the pictures I post she is smiling. There are times, like yesterday, when I am lucky to see a smile like this:

[Check out the shoes. They belong to Daddy.]

and I am more likely to see this....

or this

However, Jada when she is pouting can be pretty funny. The picture below shows how she misunderstood Daddy's "eat one piece" and thought he said "eat some peas." tee hee

Life with a two year old is never dull!

New Camera Means New Pictures

2007-09-16T15:04:00.000-05:00

I got a new camera at the end of last week so I have been trying to learn it quickly. Thankfully, it is the same brand as my last one so the basic menus are similar. My models are more than a bit tired of posing for me, but I think I got a couple of good ones.

Jada loves being upside down and what you cannot really see is that she is laughing very hard.

We have to keep track of these two stuffed friends. They are named Baby and Baby Bear. They go with Jada about everywhere these days. Baby Bear is a necessity. Baby spends most of her time naked, as pictured.

Jada showing you her belly button. She thinks it's pretty cool.

One of our dogs, Brownie. Most patient for pictures and not anything else.

Jada having fun playing one of the Elmo games online. I think she was playing the Peek-a-Boo game, but she also likes the Elmo's Potty Time game. Mommy's patience was wearing thin by the end of this gaming session as both games annoy me after a few minutes.

I don't have a picture of this but Jada has recently developed a fondness for the song "Hokey Pokey." I have already sung it several times today. :^D

As a side note, I hope to attempt video on the blog soon. I need to do some minor edits to some I shot on my last camera last week.

It's been a while...an update in pictures

2007-09-10T20:36:00.001-05:00

I realized that I have been committing a blogger sin. I have been harassing people to update their blogs when I have been ignoring Jada's. Ooops. So, here is a brief update of Jada's life in pictures.

Jada came home from daycare on August 23rd with very blue feet. Even after soaking in the tub, there was still a bit of blue on them the next day.

Jada's first shiner. This was the first day we saw it. She woke up with it. We think she hit her head on the railing of her bed. When asked about it, she said that one of her little friends at day care gave it to her. Yeah, right.

Jada was invited to her first Chuck E Cheese birthday party. Thanks, Ethan, for including us! Jada had a blast.

By the end of her Chuck E Cheese experience, she knew to ask for a token, click herself in the ride, put a token in the slot, and press the button to start the ride. This Bob the Builder ride was her second favorite. She liked the balloon one best, but I didn't get any good pictures of her on that one.

What's happening here? Jada saw Chuck E live for the first time.

Dossier News

2007-09-05T20:06:00.000-05:00

I know this is Jada's blog, but I wanted to update everyone on the progress for Eva, Jada's little sister. Our dossier arrived at the agency this afternoon and should be in China in about two weeks or less. To follow the paper work journey, Eva's blog is http://evasjourney.blogspot.com.

Daddy and Jada

2007-08-19T16:45:00.000-05:00

Another picture from today....

Play Date with Lily

2007-08-19T16:29:00.000-05:00

Lily and her parents hung out at our place today. The girls had such a good time together. I think they spent most of their time chasing each other. They would end their run by jumping into Jada's bed. We continue to be shocked with how much they look alike to us (of course, it doesn't show in any of these pictures).

I should have taken a picture of Lily's hair from the back. Her hair is gorgeous! It is even longer than Jada's.

Jada (left) and Lily on Jada's bed.

Lily (left) and Jada posing on the couch. Lily is smiling so big she closed her eyes.

Lily, Jada, and Baby Bear. How on earth do you get two kids to smile at the same time?

Jada is laughing, for the record. She was very excited to have Lily at her house. She was a bit bossy, actually.

Jada and Lily in the tunnel. If you have a two year old and don't have one of these, buy one now! Seriously, Jada loves hers.

End of July Random Pictures

2007-08-01T13:19:00.001-05:00

Thought I would share some random pictures we took last Saturday. She really shows off for the camera these days.

Playing with a pair of sunglasses she found. Note that they are upside down. That's her favorite way to put on sunglasses,

Hanging out with Grandma is really tiring.

Music with Molly Showcase

2007-08-01T13:03:00.000-05:00

When we first saw Jada's picture, we thought, that girl is going to be a rock star! Okay, maybe not, but we did think her wild hair was like a rock star's and that was enough to feed our dream of her becoming one. Hey, all parents have dreams for their children. ;^D

Since Jada loves music and we don't have the necessary skills to help her in this area (have you heard me sing?), we outsourced this parenting task to Music with Molly.

A week ago today, we had her first Music with Molly showcase. Unfortunately, the video camera was not working (user error by Mommy) so there will be no DVD. To those who pre-ordered, we are not offering refunds at this time. An exclusive podcast will be sent to you at a later date.

Jada was shy about showing off her new skills and insisted on being near her daddy at all times.

Jada's turn at the lollipop drum. Kids really love this thing!

Jada got really into the eggshakers. I didn't think she wanted to let them go. Here she is setting some aside for Daddy. Good job at sharing, Jada! Of course, she went back and got herself some right after this.

The one smile she gave during the program. She was focusing really hard the rest of the time.

Cheesy look. My girl knows how to have fun.

Jada's Baptism

2007-07-22T21:54:00.000-05:00

Jada was baptized today. The actual baptism went well. She didn't cry or flip out, which I feared could happen. Aunt Michelle held her and was kind enough to present her to the church too.

Jada with her Godparents (from the left): Aaron, Marlo, Mommy, Daddy, Jada, Michelle, and Mike. Thanks so much for being a part of this special day!

Our family with Pastor Dan

Jada and Marlo with her cake. Check out that cheesy grin.

Thanks to everyone who could celebrate with us! We have a pretty amazing group of family and friends.

Presenting...Baby Bear!

2007-07-21T10:10:00.000-05:00

I know the suspense was just *killing* everyone, but I finally have pictures of Jada's lovey of choice, Baby Bear. Why she named this panda bear "Baby Bear", we don't quite know but it is the first object she has named on her own.

Jada with Baby Bear. The outfit was selected by Daddy. Those are his legs in the background.

Close up with Baby Bear. She did want me to position her for a better picture. Oh, we didn't tell you. Jada's Baby Bear is a girl. We asked Jada for a week and that was how she replied all but once.

Tomorrow, we are getting Jada baptized. Pictures will be posted soon.

Big Girl Bed

2007-07-04T15:07:00.000-05:00

Happy 4th of July! We hope your family is having an enjoyable holiday.

We have reached another milestone today. While Jada and I were building and playing in a fort (I loved building forts as a kid), Daddy was assembling Jada's toddler bed. Yes, Jada has her first big girl bed!

Jada hanging out in her new bed, complete with Elmo bedding. Check out her hair. She has the girl hair flip down.

Jada's first nap in the bed didn't exactly go perfectly, but it went better than expected. Yes, she is the wrong way in her bed. I hope bed time goes just as well.

Sunday Fun

2007-07-02T17:37:00.000-05:00

We have a weekend of family fun! On Sunday, we went to a friend's cabin. We had a great time. Thanks for inviting us!

Jada clung to Daddy even more than usual, but was soon running around. Considering how often Daddy was holding her, pictures of them together didn't turn out all that great. I guess I have only myself, as photographer, to blame.

Mommy and Jada outside the cabin.

Miss Jada running.

Jada didn't want to look at the camera. I thought I would end up deleting all the picture I took of her up close, but I really like this one.

I normally don't like picture of me (any pictures of me, actually), but Miss Kylee took this picture, and insisted on the flowers. I think she did a great job. I think we have a young photographer in the making!

I just love the wildflowers at the acreage. This is one of many that I took. Haven't looked too closely at the rest of the pictures yet.

As an added bonus, Marty and Jada got to see the Space Shuttle piggyback on a 747 and land nearby. Once I got outside, it was further away and my camera was inside.

Children's Museum

2007-06-30T20:21:00.000-05:00

We took Jada to our local children's museum today for the first time. She was a bit overwhelmed most of the time with the amount of things to do. We recently became members, so this was an introductory visit. It was like she didn't want to look at the camera for fear what she was looking at would go away.

Toddler sized Fire Engine
Real Firefighters were there helping a woman who was injured. I thought it was great that they said to all the children who were around them that they were welcome to come to their station to see the real thing.

"What should I do next?" This was the expression she had most of the visit.

Just Plane Fun: Jada has been interested in planes of all sorts since she could talk. One of her first words was "plane."

Daddy showing her the controls.

Jada did not want to leave. Once she got comfortable there, I thought we were going to have a meltdown getting her to leave. I think lunch time finally won out.

4th of July Parade

2007-06-29T21:32:00.000-05:00

Jada's day care has an annual 4th of July Parade. It's a hoot!

The kids all have something they made for the parade with them, like a hat or a fan, and they walk around the block a couple of times.

I wish I could share the pictures of the other kids with you as they were all so cute, but I don't think it's right to post pictures of other people's kids without permission. You will just have to trust me on the cuteness issue. :^)

Here, I will distract you with Jada in her 4th of July gear. Imagine a hundred Jada's and you will have some idea what I am talking about. Yes, she wasn't wearing the hat she made. Only about half her class actually kept theirs on.

First Train Ride - Zoo Outing Post 2

2007-06-25T12:44:00.001-05:00

Part of our zoo adventure on Saturday was Jada's first train ride. She loved it! Unfortunately, we were the last ones to board and I didn't have time to take a good picture of Jada on the train. Must remember to cut in line next time. Just kidding.

Jada liked her train ride so much that it was all she talked about for two days. It took us a bit to figure out that's what she was talking about as her "choo choo train" ride sounded an awful lot like "tooth decay." :^D

Daddy and Jada on the train. Her hand was patting where she wanted me to sit.

Jada getting into the ride.

Finally, she smiled and laughed!

...and then the tunnel came. I thought her 'scream' seemed very real.

Zoo Outing

2007-06-25T12:41:00.000-05:00

We have a family outing to the local zoo on Saturday morning. The weather was beautiful and it was nice to take advantage of it before it gets too hot.

The town we live in has a children's zoo. What does that mean? To me, it means you can see all of the zoo in a couple of hours and still stop and play.

Jada seemed to enjoy the zoo until we mentioned the train ride and then she didn't want to look at anything else. I guess I learned not to mention what comes next. :^D

Jada making a silly face.

Our family! (Note: yes, we are power dorks and both wore our Police concert shirts at the same time).

A llama and mama (pun intended, see power dork comment above)

Daddy and Jada just hanging out.

Father's Day

2007-06-22T12:54:00.000-05:00

Father's Day was...ummmm....interesting. I am breaking this into two posts. I will explain about Jada's health scare this weekend.

Welcome to the happy post about Father's Day!

Jada woke Daddy up and gave him his cards and gifts. She was really shy about waking him up, so that was pretty darn cute. Then, we got ready to go to brunch. We had brunch with some of Marty's family and had a great time. It was great to see you, Uncle Pete, Aunt Cindy, and Debbie!

Daddy, Jada, and Mommy outside the restaurant. It was both too bright and windy, so outdoor pictures probably weren't the best idea. This was the only picture we took of Marty and Jada that day. Life doesn't always go according to plan, huh?

Jada said "Cheese!" as soon as I put the dress on her. She was smiling so hard that her eyes are closed or nearly closed in all the other pictures. Excuse the toy mess.

I hope everyone had a great Father's Day!

June 16th: Special Date

2007-06-22T12:45:00.000-05:00

Why was June 16th so important?! It's the date that Jada has officially known us half her life. To put it in perspective, Jada spent the first 404 days of her life in an orphanage.

What did we do to celebrate? We got her sprinkler toy out and ran around in the water. Thanks, Aunt Michelle! You probably forgot you gave it to her for her birthday. ;^D It was loads of fun. In fact, we have decided to buy another sprinkler for her. Any suggestions?

Another Police Fan

2007-06-22T12:35:00.001-05:00

Jada did very well at Grandma and Grandpa's house while we were in Denver. She has such a good time that she keeps asking to see them and call them. Thanks!

We bought Jada two presents while we were away. A stuffed panda, that is the lovey of choice (you will see pictures of it soon) and a concert t-shirt. How else do you raise a life-long The Police fan?

Update coming soon

2007-06-17T20:44:00.001-05:00

We have several thing to update you on. I hope to have time to actually update Jada's blog this week.

Poor Marty did not have a very good Father's Day. After a nice brunch with family (easily the highlight of our day), Jada ended up with a very high fever (so high that you likely would not guess it on your own) which led to us being at the doctor's office/hospital with her for more than three hours. Poor girl! She seems to be okay now. It is a very long story that I will write about first.

Congratulations to Carrie, Jeff, & Maizie!

2007-06-08T20:03:00.000-05:00

Proud parents Carrie and Jeff were just referred a boy. Hewas a waiting child though A Helping Hand Adoption Agency. He is just under a year old! Unfortunately, they have to complete the usual paperwork before they can hold him for the first time, which will take at least several months. :^{

Maizie, we are thrilled that you are a big sister!

We cannot wait to know what you name your precious son.

Please take a moment to visit Maizie's blog and congratulate them!

My first night away from Jada

2007-06-08T17:22:00.000-05:00

Tonight marks a milestone for me (Jada's Mommy). It will be the first night away from Jada. I have a feeling I will worry about her all night even though I know she is in good hands.

Tomorrow will be the first night that Jada has been away from both of us. That could be an interesting night! Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa S. for taking care of Jada so that Marty and I can have a weekend away.

For those of you who don't know, we are going to see The Police in Denver. We are very excited.

Jada's First Road Trip

2007-06-04T12:50:00.000-05:00

Jada has experienced yet another first. Yes, she has been on her first official road trip. She has been to Grandma and Grandpa's house about an hour and a half away and to see Lily, which is a little over an hour away. What made this trip different is that we stayed overnight some place else and our primary purpose was being tourists. We did meet up with Grandma and Aunt Sue, but that doesn't take away from the road trip status.

We had a good time! Most of the time it was just me and Jada in the car. We drove 500 miles in three days. Jada got to see a bit too much of Elmo's World, especially the final day when she asked for it every time she was in the car. ;^D

I didn't take very many pictures, but here is the best of the bunch:

After going to John Wayne's birthplace (no joke), we had a bit of an...ummm...adventure and saw this random tower in a park. I can't really get into why it was an adventure as I drove Marty's vehicle but let's say I used the 4-wheel drive. ;^D

We saw covered bridges. Three of them to be exact. Jada wasn't impressed. After seeing this bridge, we stopped at a bookstore that was going out of business and everything was at least half off! The bookstore owner was very nice, but shopping was difficult as we were already running into Jada's nap time.

Mommy and Jada at the top of the tower. Neither one of us slept well the night before since she screamed for a very long time instead of trying to sleep. My bed brought back memories of the first two places we stayed at in China. It wasn't quite as bad as those, but it was too hard for my tastes.

Grandma and Jada in front of a Danish windmill. I cropped out the windmill so that you could actually see them. It was raining and Jada was crabby. She also wanted to walk around a bunch of breakables without holding my hand. She did select her first souvenir there. She chose a ship in a bottle.

Jada spent a lot of time in this car seat. Overall, she was so patient!

On a random cuteness note: Jada "read" me Goodnight Moon last night. It almost brought tears to my eyes. Then, I realized how predictable I was when she said "Night Night, Mommy" after she was done and kissed me. I usually end the book with "Night Night, Jada" and then kiss her. Hmmmm....

Play Date

2007-06-02T10:10:00.001-05:00

Jada and Lily on Memorial Day

Sorry about the lack of updates. We have been working on Eva's paperwork and preparing for a trip. I will post more about the adventures Jada and I had this week hopefully over nap time today.

In the meantime, on our way to see Grandma, we stopped and saw Lily (& her parents) on Memorial Day. The girls had a great time seeing each other! Unfortunately, this is the only picture that turned out of both girls. They didn't want to have their picture taken.

Jada is "helping" me with this post, so I will need to cut this short.

On side note, Marty found Jada completely naked in her crib this morning. It is not unusual for us to find her without her shirt on, but this is the first time she went so far as to take off her pants and diaper. Yes, there was a wet spot in the crib. Potty training is going very slowly.

More later today.....with any luck anyway.

A Year In Review

2007-05-15T21:09:00.000-05:00

How do you even begin to describe what happened during such a life changing year? I don’t even know where to start and how to write this without rambling. (I guess that's fair warning that this will be a long post).

Taken the first week Jada was home with us.

The most obvious changes Jada has undergone begin with physical growth. At her first appointment after we were back in the country, Jada weighed 22 lbs 3 oz. and was 30 inches tall and was 13 ½ months old. At 24 months, Jada weighed 29 ½ lbs and was 34 inches tall. At one point, she was almost 31 pounds and, as of Metcha Anniversary Day, she weighed 29 lbs even. She had eight teeth when we met her and now has 16 and is working on her four two year molars now.

Taken in April of this year.

As you can see by the pictures, she is looking less and less like a baby and more like a little girl every day. It floors me how much she has changed physically this past year.

If you think the physical changes are amazing, you should think about how she has changed developmentally. When we met her, she wasn’t walking or talking. Now, she is making sentences, running, walking backwards, dancing, singing, and even teasing us with her silly jokes. Wow!

Superhero Jada. Taken in December of 2006. Yes, that is underwear outside of her pants. ;^D

Her personality has changed too, but the more I look back at pictures and videos, I think it was always there. Jada smiles all the time. She laughs and jokes. She was even doing that a bit in China, though. I will never forget when I first earned big giggles from her. Even with the recent increase in tantrums, I still consider her an even tempered girl, just like my initial assessment.

4th of July.

From the beginning, she has loved books. Her interested in dolls and stuffed friends is more recent. She wanted nothing to do with the stuffed turtle we brought to China. Now, her crib is filled with stuffed friends (although she still ignores the turtle). She spends most of her time with pretend play right now, like playing in her kitchen and taking care of her "babies." She is also addicted to Elmo. She had no idea who he was until she started day care. They have an Elmo puppet that comes out when the kids are sad. In fact, I was shocked that one of her first words was Elmo.

Her lovey of choice is still her classic Pooh flannel blankets. She likes to have several with her when she is tired or fussy. She had a binky for about 6 months, starting right after she gave up the bottle at night. I still have to be careful not to show her any pictures of her with her binky or she asks for it again.

Taken in December of 2006.

Jada remembers so much. It shocks me how much she recalls. You can do something for her once and she will mimic you doing it or ask you to do it again. It means you have to be a bit more careful than before with the choices you make. ;-)

This got a bit long. Yikes! I will talk about our Metcha Day in a later message. I noticed when I went through the blog that we never filled in the details.

Thanks so much for your love and support throughout this year. I know there are several of you that I call or email with odd parenting questions. I greatly appreciate your advice. Thank you!

Mother's Day Pictures

2007-05-14T20:45:00.000-05:00

Jada & Mommy during the post-nap photo shoot.

Check out Jada's "cheese" smile!

Jada & Daddy.

Thank you, Jada!

2007-05-14T12:55:00.000-05:00

Dear Jada,

Thank you for a wonderful Mother's Day.

Thank you for the adorable way you said "Happy Mama Day" throughout the day, sometimes saying it all but more frequently leaving out either the happy or mama.

Thank you for way you laugh with your whole body when we tickle you.

Thank you for your kisses, hugs, and just the pleasure of snuggling with you.

Thank you for your smiling face, which you bless us with every day. You are such a happy child!

Thank you for the way you add a "t" sound to the end of "bird" and "books."

Thank you for pointing out birds, moons, and babies to Daddy and I. We are amazed by your vision.

Thank you for your singing.

Thank you for keeping us entertained with "Mama, Mama, Dada [pause] BOO!"

Thank you for being such a little helper around the house.

Thank you for letting us see the world through your innocent eyes.

Thank you for the joy you bring to our lives just by being in it.

Thank you for a wonderful year of being your mommy. I cannot wait to see what you do next year.

Love,
Mommy

Happy Mother's Day!

2007-05-13T13:40:00.000-05:00

Jada would like to wish a "Happy Mama's Day" to all mothers and mothers-to-be out there. Big hug to all those waiting to meet their babies.

As you can see by the picture, it is very windy here today and our family outdoor pictures didn't turn out due to wind and toddler pre-lunch pre-nap meltdowns. We will try again later.

Happy Mother's Day to all!

Metcha Day Anniversary

2007-05-08T19:13:00.000-05:00

A year ago today, our lives changed in a way I can only describe as amazing. Today was the date that we became a family. I have so many memories of that special day. I want to do justice to the occasion, but Miss Jada is ill today and needs attention. Our anniversary date went from a visit to the zoo to a visit to the doctor instead. We have been spending more time that I will ever care to admit watching Elmo's World on DVD.

So, a retrospective post, along with pictures, will be here soon. In the meantime, if you would like to get your fill of cuteness and a better understanding of what we were going through check out this post on Almost Metcha Moment or this first post after we met Jada or this one later that day or this one Marty wrote after Jada was asleep (the post right after that one has the pictures, go to the archives if you are interested.

I may just have some never before seen pictures in the next post. ;^D

Pigtails

2007-05-07T07:47:00.000-05:00

Jada hates having her hair done. Last weekend, she let me put her hair up in pigtails while she watched in front of her mirror. Should have bought that mirror ages ago as the idea of watching me do something (like pulling her hair) seems to be fun. Hmmmm....

Pictures from tomorrow will be up soon. I am trying to do some editing and it is not coming along as quickly as I would have hoped.

She really IS two!

2007-04-30T20:40:00.000-05:00

When do you know your child is two? I mean real age and not just want the calendar says? Is it when she put together phrases? No. Is it when she makes sentences? No. It is when she whines for the first time? No! Silly people. It's when she has a complete melt down over the littlest thing.

Let me set the stage for you. Jada was a very happy child all day. She even got to watch Elmo for a while before bed. She told me she was hungry so I gave her a small snack. She barely touched it, though, because Elmo was on and nothing else matters when Elmo is on. Move forward ten minutes. It is time to get ready for bed and she is still holding on to the snack cup. I take it away and the two year old demon comes out and she drops to the floor.

We do what any proud parent does. First, we give her space. Then, we realize that this one is going to last for a while. Reading material is not handy, but a camera is, so we take a few snapshots.

Phase 1: Hit the floor and wiggle around wildly showing your displeasure.

Phase 2: "You made me do this."

Phase 3: I may be off the floor, but I am still very unhappy.

Phase 4: Direct eye contact with one of the evil parental units who is responsible for this.

Phase 5: I smile when you say cheese. Do I get a jelly bean? (The answer to that is No!)

Happy 60th Birthday, Grandpa!

2007-04-29T15:44:00.000-05:00

Happy 60th Birthday, Grandpa!

Jada had a great time having lunch with Grandpa and Grandma today. They even played ball right after lunch.

More pictures from today will be up later this week. We did a pigtail photo shoot.

Jada at 2: Fun Facts

2007-04-24T20:47:00.000-05:00

I still am having a hard time remembering that Jada is actually two years old and not almost two, which she has been in my mind since she turned 19 months. Time flies!

It has been a while (since the 17 month fun fact post) since I have done a fun facts post on Jada. Since we have reached this milestone, it seemed time to do another one.

Her personality is coming out more and more. She has definite opinions and she is not shy about letting you know them.

As of April 4th, she weighs 29.5 lbs (she actually lost weight), which the doctor says is the 80%. Her height is 34", which is about 55%. So, she continues to be a healthy girl.

A few of her favorite things: Elmo, her trike, the moon, books, birds, airplanes, music, pretend play (such as kitchen and dress up), the color yellow, her daddy

Food: Jada's favorite foods are bananas, apple sauce, and crackers. She asks for crackers at every meal. The one two word phrase she will say consistently is "more crackers." Her favorite beverage is apple juice but she enjoys milk too.

General Cuteness:

"Mama! Mama! Yay!": That's how she either praises me for something or lets me know that she deserves praise. She does this for Daddy too.
"Mama Down": That means I should be sitting down. She is pretty bossy about that.
She praises us, in detail, when we go to the bathroom. Creepy, but she is two and potty obsessed.
Yesterday, she took one of the dog towels and wiped the dogs' paws, just like we do. Unfortunately, it wasn't a day that required wiped paws and they were trying to drink water.
She uses her post-dinner hand wipe to clean her tray and the table next to her.
As you can see in the picture, we put up a mirror behind her door. She likes to pose in front of it and does a little special dance. Her word for mirror is "me." Fitting, I think.
The other day, she played "night night" with me (her idea) and directed me to sleep on the floor. She even lent me her blanket and special stuffed friends.

Toys: She enjoys a variety of toys and she can have a long attention span. She feds us play food from her kitchen. She loves all things Elmo, puzzles, balls, Little People, pretend play in general, just to name a few.

Books: She continued to love books. I cannot think of a book she doesn't like.

Odds and Ends:

Jada is easily bribed with one jelly bean or a sticker (it had better be Elmo). We're not proud of it, as we swore we would never bribe our children, but well...
She is considered the class clown at daycare.
Overall, she is a very joyful, happy child. She lights up our days.

If there is anything else you are curious about, just let us know. We are finishing up our home study for Eva, so have been pretty busy. At the very least, we will update the blog on a very special anniversary that is coming up.

Portraits of Lily & Jada

2007-04-14T19:16:00.000-05:00

Jada and Lily, one of many taken this morning

Today we met Lily and her parents in a nearby town to get Lily and Jada's pictures taken together. DeAnna had been wanting to have this done for a while, but we just have had a hard time getting it scheduled.

Lily was so into the session! She posed and was so cute. Jada didn't want to have anything to do with the camera today until Daddy got into the picture with her. We had only planned on getting pictures of the girls but ended up doing the whole group and our family in addition to some other great shots. There is an awesome shot of DeAnna and Lily, but I will let her share that with her family first. We don't get our pictures back for a while but have our CDs now. It was a pretty fun morning!

Our family! Not bad considering Marty and I weren't planning on being in pictures.

The whole gang (from the back to front: me (Amy), DeAnna, Marty, Brett, Jada, and Lily).

Moral of the story: Get your child's picture taken with her friends. You could end up with some priceless photographs that they will love when they are older.

Easter Pictures

2007-04-13T13:00:00.000-05:00

It's been busy around our house (hey, we have a two year old, you know), but I finally am getting a couple more pictures up.

Jada was fascinated by the plastic grass in her Easter baskets. It is times like these that I wish I knew what she was thinking.

It was cold out, very cold. So, Jada had to put a winter coat on over her pretty white sleeveless dress. She had a great time looking for eggs at her Grandma and Grandpa's house. Thanks to her cousins' generous nature, she had many to find. Thanks, Zach and Abbey, for letting her find so many!

As a side note, things are starting to more forward for Eva's adoption paperwork. Eva's blog is currently the most boring in the world so if you have any ideas for making it more exciting, you let me know. It is hard to make a blog on filling out paperwork a good read.

Birthday Party Pictures

2007-04-13T12:53:00.000-05:00

Yes, I did promise more pictures from her March 31st birthday party a very long time ago. A bit late....

Carrie, Maizie (see link to her blog on the right), me (Jada's mommy), and Jada. Jada had serious envy of Maizie's Elmo shirt. ;-)

Lily (she's grown, huh?), DeAnna, Me, and Jada. Lily's birthday is the day before Jada's.

Jada and Lily, both had a death grip on my hand that I had a hard time shaking

Happy Easter!

2007-04-08T21:45:00.000-05:00

We had a great Easter! I will be sharing more birthday and Easter pictures later this week, but wanted to share this one of Jada and her daddy.

Bike (According to Jada, Anyway)

2007-04-02T14:22:00.000-05:00

Jada rode her "bike" for the first time yesterday! She keep telling me "go! go!" whenever I stopped. I had steering issues when I locked the front wheel so I let her steer. She thought that was about as fun as the world gets! Yes, it even has a bell.

Jada on her trike!

Jada after a particularly "Evil Knievel" moment with her steering.

P.S. Pictures from the second birthday party will be posted later this week. I want to show some of the kids and I want to talk to the parents and make sure that is okay before I post.