Fun with Maddie!

Sophia and Maddie have really begun to play with each other and it's really cool to see. Sophia has been with us for almost 6 months now and I'd say in the last 2 months we are truly starting to see how much trouble the two of them can get in! LOL. Friday night we had plans to go to a school fair but IT RAINED all day long and it was cold so we opted for a night of rough housing, dress up, art, pizza and fun!After running into the tent, tackling each other, giggling and throwing stuffed animals these two were caught in the act - check out their hair, the amount of screaming and giggling literally sent my sister and I into uncontrollable laughter. Wrestling with Uncle Chris - well okay Maddie is obvioiusly winning, check out that drop kick!
Ahhhhh, priceless moment after some fights over "sharing" of books and the ball pit

Artists at work, they were having a blast and the crowd favorite was erasing the board. Fun times - hahaPlaying with uncle justinPlaying dress up!!! Chillin with uncle chrisElliot chilling and eating through all of this madness :)Falling asleep while mommy gave me a bottle when I took her to her crib to lay her down she would not let go of the bottle, it was like a death grip. Needless to say we slept with the bottle.

Name Change!

My name has officially changed from MAMA to MOMMY this weekend and it is the cutest thing I have ever heard - puts a smile on my face everytime I hear it - it's often drawn out when she says it which makes it even funnier. I don't know why or how she decided to do this but it's been mommy ever since. We spent the weekend at friend's house in New Jersey and she woke up at 5:30 AM in the pack and play and started crying so not wanting to wake up the rest of the house we put her in bed with us for teh first time = she fell right back to sleep but woke up around 7:00 and she is right on top of me saying "mommy" mooooommmmmmyyyyy" it was hilarious.

Okay so what's a mommy to do when the digital camera breaks right before a big trip and hasn't had one since? Post some of the pics left on the camera!

Here's what we've up to:

I visited Daddy's fav golf course and ate my first meal at the Caddy Shack!
I got a new slide and LOVED it...this never gets old to the little lady even after 50x up and down.
I played with my brand new water and washed all of my little people, I have never stayed with one toy for more than 30 minutes - 3 HOURS outside with new toy!
I went to a gym in Hershey with my "peeps" and had a blast on bounce castleWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Havin fun - even mommy was getting a workout at this playdate!

Grammy and Pop Pop bought me a new Easel and I love it and draw on it everynight.
Daddy fed me cheerios from his bowl. Do you think I liked it?
Posin - just random cuteness
Mommy and Sophia
I love my daddy!!

Fabulous "5"

November 24, 2007 - 12 months April 18, 2008 17 months

This weekend marked 5 months since Sophia joined our family. I didn't think I would be as emotional over this milestone as I am. I think the reason for this is over the past 4 weeks Sophia has changed so much!

She is losing her baby looks and becoming such a little girl. Her hair is growing, her eyes are different and she has got 3 new teeth (8 total). She talks all the time. She repeats everything you say or if you ask her to say something she will try. She knows her little friends at daycare by name and calls them by name. She knows and recognizes her family - grandparents, aunts, uncles and all of our friends. She's running all around the house and follows commands. She says please in sign language and actually says thank you and uses it in in it's context.

She loves being outside, playing kitchen (which she wanted nothing to do with even last month), dress up and is obsessed with shoes and usually it is the first thing she notices when she meets people. She know all of her body parts. She also knows all her animals and the sounds they make. She dances every morning and night in the car and knows all the motions to twinkle twinkle, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Row Row Row your Boat and many others. She can also "raise the roof" when she's dancing and she can shake her rump shaker like no little girl I have ever met!

She sleeps for 11 hours everynight and naps at least two hours every afternoon. Two weeks ago we only use bottles at night and we are now on sippy cups full time (YEAH!) We have started eating fruit (this was a big struggle since the beginning) and we only use our blankie at night now and don't even request it until it's time for sleep (unless she sees it) She's not into TV now that we can be outside - she loves water and bath time and climbs all over everything!

Playing "kitchen" is one of her favorite activities now so we think that purchase may be in our future sooner than later. We take wagon rides everynight and she sits in one seat and puts her feet up on the other seat while eating her snack and drinking her juice - maxin and relaxin if you will. She even did this on her buggy ride at school yesterday - too funny! She gives hugs and kisses and blows kisses. She kisses Winston now and calls him by name.Her personality is amazing. She is always smiling, rarely fussy and loves eating out at restuarants as long as you're feeding her!!! She weighs 20 lbs and is 30 inches long. She's still in 6 - 12 and some 12 - 18 which is wonderful considering all the clothes I bought for 16 months last year this time thinking we'd be traveling in July so she can wear it all now. So all you waiting moms - buy the clothes!!!! You'll be happy you did!

It is amazing, it truly is. We had a GOTCHA day I will never forget but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared but this little lady has changed our life. She is so much farther along than i ever imagined and it is such a joy to wake up in the morning and Chris and I go in her room together to wake her everymorning - she's already awake and talking to herself, throwing stuff out of her crib and ready to start her day. Laughing and saying "up up up"

We have sent in our 4 month check in to SLC, started the readoption process and are preparing for our 6 month Taiwan check in with the social worker next month. Still a lot going on here!!

Five months as a family, WOW but it truly feels like she has been here forever. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. She's gone through a lot in her little life and we are so glad she is now a part of ours....

ps this blog supplements her baby book and I'm trying to document all of her milestones!

Guess whose 17 months old?

And dressing well beyond our years :)
Next post - - 5 MONTHS AS A FAMILY - can you believe it???
It feels like she's been her forever...we cannot image our life without her!

It's a ZOO out there!

We had weekend guests!!! Our friends Matt and Tara and their little guy Robert joined us for a weekend of fun!

The kids got a long GREAT and played really well together. Robert is 2 months older than Sophia and I could not believe how well behaved they were. The weather was fabulous on Friday so we hit Zoo America at Hershey. The kids were well, I think in awe of some of the animals they saw however let me preface this - it's not your philly or chicago zoo here folks this is a tiny one. The largest attraction are the beers and bison. There were tons of birds that the kids could've cared less about, but it was fun. It was great to be outside in this awesome weather and have something different for the kids to see and do. We then hit a restaurant somewhat scared for what was in store...not a problem the kids were angels.

It was great to see them, catch up and get the kids together - we're looking forward to getting together again soon. Thanks Matt, Tara and Robert for a super weekend!!!

Turtle!!!!!!!!!Cuties in their hot rods - LOLBudding artists at work!Check out those baby blues!!Hello spring!! It's nice outside - yeah! Let's get OUT THERE PEOPLE!I swear I didn't do it - it was her!OFF my chair, pretty please? Okay you're not movin...why don't I give ya a little push? Sophia didin't mind sharing anything really except her chair, yeah we'll need to work on that one.Until our paths meet again... hehe

We're the Doodlebops, We're the doodlebops O YEAH!

Didi-Maddie
Didi-Sophie
Didi- Lily

EATING! EATING! EATING!
Aunt Lo and Lily Trying to get the girls to sit still for a second...we were on the floor laughing at Sophia's face. Do you think this is her "cheese" face?
Didi- Lo - she's going to kill me for posting this but I was laughing hysterically at this one going through the pics.

Thanks to Lo and Lil for inviting us to attend the Doodlebops with you! It worked out great since my sister Keri and her hubby were settling on their new house this afternoon and I had the girls so she only had to take baby elliot with her so it was great Lo had tix to this great show. The kids loved it! I have a new appreciation for mother's of twins, I truly do. I have never broke a sweat at a kiddie performance before but they both had blowouts back to back, they each wanted to show me things, play on the steps, fight over food, etc. The kids were awesome and behaved so well so I can only image how it is with twins throwing fits - whew!!! Good times and sugar rushes had by all!

Craziness, $45 dollars for cotton candy with wigs - fun had by all...priceless!!!

Meeting Olivia...

One of my best friends Missy had her second child, a girl Oliva Ann - - the first girl of the family! We traveled with Fel and Seth to visit in Philly and got to meet her! We had a great time, the kids played great and is she not the cutest little lady you've ever seen??