check out the slide show

Abstract random selection of photos from this past weekend

This weekend, we will go to the Chinese New Year party sponsored by our agency. The group of families and children has grown so large that it is held in a local hotel/conference center. Should be fun to see how all the girls have grown and progressed in the 5 months that we have been home!

Mary's aunties, cousins and grandparents sent these Valentine's Day gifties!

Aunt Lori, Uncle Mike, Kaitlyn and Megan gave Mary a cute unicorn, Aunt Sharon gave Mary a little puppy dog with some candy attached to his neck, Aunt Susan gave Mary a very cute doll with red hair and pink shoes and Grammie and PopPop gave Mary a cute white bear and a lovely bouquet of red and pink carnations and one pink rose!

First Play Date

Mary and Claudia's

play date:


Since they are both still in the advanced babbling stage, the conversation must have been incredibly witty to them, but the Moms need a class in babble!

The little girls had fun, baby sized berry pastry, and juice, and the big girls had assam tea and milanos.

Couple of photos from China, circa 1994, and naturally more of the often photographed Miss M.

These are photos that Tony took in 1994, when he and Janet went on a Pacific Princess cruise to China. Not sure if they went elsewhere, like Hong Kong. So these are almost vintage photos, but the street conditions etc . look much the same as when we were there last September.

Baby, it's cold outside!

See Mary laugh, wear a bowl on her head, read Webster's Dictionary, and show off her mod girl look!




Wickedly cold last week and this. We only ventured out a few times, when ab. necessary. I feel the need for a Nordie Rack run.
I took Mary to a Gymboree class a few weeks ago. I didn't feel like it the 'instructor' or facilitator did enough. It was mostly independent play, that is with the Moms guiding their child on the equipment, and just 10 minutes of actual guided activity.

Will try another local place, that has intro to tumbling, as much as you can do with a 12 to 24 mos old. Local ymca has stuff too, but for 2 yr olds and above.

Since we have been staying in, this month I have taken lots of photos and videos.

Mary sporting purple glasses!

Since Mary is always trying to grab my glasses when they are perched atop my head, I thought she should try them on for style!

More photos about buildings and food !

Here are some pix of Mary in Lowes, picking out the new bathroom fixtures for HER bathroom, and also Mary demonstrating the art of eating spaghetti (#9) !

I am amazed at how well Mary is doing!

Mary is really progressing, with fine motor skills (she has watched Napoleon Dynamite, and his fav phrase is "you have to have skills." He sounds like is is quoting his guidance counselor).

Anyway, Mary has been feeding herself bite size foods for quite some time now. She can pick up individual cheerios, which is indicative of good fine motor SKILLS, and more than that, she appears to be understanding what we say. She will clap her hands upon request (without modeling), has responded to her name, brings specific objects over when asked, turns pages in books, and lots of other little things that I see, and I say , that is really something!

ok, enough bragging...

talking blond Paula Zahn (yes, that rhymes with moron)!

Over on www.chinaadopttalk.com, the big buzz has been about paula zahn, resident CNN talking blond, and the segment she did on the new CCAA regulations, with a segue to some midwest radio show host calling adoptive parents of children from China 'racist'. Well, the negative feedback from the international adoption community, specifically the bloggers (you know, the people who publish on the web while in their pajamas ) was so overwhelming that cnn and zahn hastily put together a follow up segment several days later.

Representing the china adoption community were the pres. of the New
York chapter of Families with
Children
from China and Ms. Gong, pres. of the organization of Chinese Americans.

Here is the link to info about the follow up show (aka the c.y.a. episode)
http://chinaadopttalk.com/2007/01/page/2/

So many families emailed not only CNN, but the advertisers that sponsored the original show, that it had a huge impact ! I read about it after the fact, but would have emailed also, had I been aware of it in a timely manner!!!!!!!

to quote Don Henley (ok, he's a liberal, but his music is cool),
"...bubble headed bleach blond comes on at 5, she can tell you about the plane crash with a gleam in her eye"

Still more photos

At our 6 mos post "Mary is officially in the house" visit, we have to
provide 15 photos of Mary to the social worker who did our home study.
This will not be a problem!

Christmas 2006

digital images = 100,000 words!

Not So Chance Encounter with Santa

Wow, such a reaction ! That's my little drama queen in action.

Glimpses of Personality and Individualism!!!

Here are a few expressions I captured that need to be seen !! Judging by the 'Look' in her eyes in this one, no pushover is she...