Merry Christmas!!

Miss Mas, everyone! (That's how Emily pronounces "Merry Christmas". ("Lis Na" is "Feliz Navidad".) We had a great Christmas and hope y'all did, too. The morning started with Emily shouting "DADDEEE, MISS MAS!!" into her monitor (with Mommy's coaching), which woke Daddy right up with a big, happy smile on his face. We gathered around the Christmas tree as a family, and had a great time. Later, we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa Lee's house for a second celebration.

Grami Frani is visiting from Pennsylvania, and she can't believe how much Emily has changed since September. Emily loves everything about Christmas--the good cheer, the colors, the lights, the gift giving, the friends, the family gatherings, and more. We watched Wiggles Christmas videos way too many times. She "helped" Mommy make biscotti for friends and family, although a lot of the batter ended up on the floor and the cookies in her mouth! We introduced Grami to "A Christmas Story", and now Grami is hooked, too!

Emily enjoyed distributing gifts, and then opening hers and everyone else's. Here's a slideshow of her having a ball at home, and at Grandma and Grandpa Lee's house.

We bought her Wiggles light up sneakers and a Wiggles nightie, which she pretty much wore most of the day! Now Emily refers to every day as a "Wee Wee party". Here are photos:

Emily made Daddy an especially nice gift, on account of he's such a great daddy. Here's the poem:



Thanks especially to the Besko Family, Uncle Johnnie Gardocki, The Siglar Family, the Mecca Family, Brent and Margo Baldwin, Jack and Susi Ruland, and the Zelinski Family for their kind gifts.

Special Greetings

In the midst of all the merriment, we'd like to say a special hi and send our love to Uncle Bobby, Grandma Lee's only brother. Uncle Bobby suffered a stroke and is struggling with that and Parkinsons Disease, while in a nursing home. He's never met Emily, but knows all about her. Grandma Lee is having a hard time with her brother's illness, and we want her to know we love her and are here for her.

Love also to Aunt Fran (Wagner), who's spending the holidays recuperating from a broken leg and facing more surgery. She has a great attitude, and a lot of patience. She needed it, 'cause Emily visited her in the rehab facility and nearly knocked a life size Santa doll over, pulled packages out from under Christmas trees, bounced ornaments off the floor, and tried to push Aunt Fran's wheelchair out of the room (with Aunt Fran in it), all while being chased by Mommy and Grandma Lee!

Update on Madeleine

Not much, sorry. Our wait time is currently estimated at 14-16 months from the time our paperwork landed in China on 9/12/06. We're 3.5 months into a loooong wait for "mei mei" (little sister). But we're happy, healthy, and a family, so we're good with that. Madeleine will be the icing on an already delicious cake. :)

Take care everyone,

Caroline

I Elfed Myself!!

This website is just great for the kids! Click here!

Here's my cousin Elizabeth

Here's my friend Summer

Also, this is just hilarious:

Eating Tips

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.
   
   
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-aholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!
   
   
3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
   
   
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
   
   
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?
   
   
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
   
   
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.
   
   
8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
   
   
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards. Remember this motto to live by: "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, CHAMPAGE in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO, what a ride!"

Happy Holidays!! : )

More Holiday Stuff

Hi all,

We've been really busy this holiday! I really like looking at the Christmas decorations in our neighborhood, so Mommy and Daddy walk Mia and me around each night. Can't beat those blowup Santas.

Speaking of Santa--I think he's cool! Mommy and her friend Kathy planned this year's Families with Asian Children holiday party, and we had FUN!! Santa came and gave us gifts, I hogged the microphone during Kiddie Karaoke, and we all made Santa hats. Take a look...

Mommy says to tell you, she was in the kitchen when I grabbed the karaoke mike. She heard a toddler trying to sing and thought, "hmmm, that sounds like Emily". Parents pulled her out of the kitchen to see me, and she yelled excitedly, "That's MY DAUGHTER!!!" to the crowd. The audience cracked up. And then, well, I wouldn't share the mike, so Daddy gently pulled me off stage while I yelled and fought for my mike. And that was my 2 minutes of fame.

Ok, so here are pictures of my Scranton family at Thanksgiving. It's a really big event at Grami Frani's house, with dozens of people. We missed it this year, 'cause we have to pay for my baby sister, instead.

Other Neat Stuff

So let's see, we're donating money to my orphanage for Christmas. We sent a Christmas card to my orphanage in China, and to The Wiggles in Australia! I thanked the Wiggles for being so great and made a crayon drawing for them, using all 4 Wiggles colors (red, blue, yellow and purple).

I got weighed at the post office by Miss Vicki the postmistress--I'm 24 1/2 pounds! I drove Mommy crazy by running everywhere. People actually help her through doors now because I wiggle like crazy! And hey, I peed on the potty!!! Mommy jumped up and down and yelled, then called Daddy at work and he yelled, then Mommy emailed everyone and they yelled, and you'd think it was my birthday or something! Look for the picture of me with my two stickers on my cheeks. It was a fun night.

So just when Mommy and Daddy thought potty trained would be easy...in the middle of the night I took off my clothes and diaper...and it was bye bye mattress, and thanks to Uncle Dave for delivering us a new one right away! (Buy your bedding at Beds Beds Beds in Melbourne. Uncle Dave is crazy but honest. He didn't ask us to tell you.)

That's all that's new. Mommy's on a roll with pictures, so let's hope she updates again, soon!

Love,

Emily

Too Funny Christmas Stuff

Here's the Christmas train at the local library, followed by some funny Christmas stuff! Enjoy.

Xmas Carols for the Disturbed:

1. Schizophrenia -- Do You Hear What I Hear?

2. Multiple Personality Disorder -- We Three Kings Disoriented Are.

3. Dementia -- I Think I'll Be Home for Christmas

4. Narcissistic -- Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me

5. Manic -- Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores and Office and Town and Cars and Buses and Trucks and Trees and...

6. Paranoid -- Santa Claus is Coming to Town to Get Me

7. Borderline Personality Disorder --Thoughts of Roasting on an Open Fire

8. Personality Disorder --You Better Watch Out, I'm Gonna Cry, I'm Gonna Pout, Maybe I'll Tell You Why

9. Attention Deficit Disorder -- Silent Night, Holy oooh look at the Froggy-can I have a chocolate? Why is France so far away?

10. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder -- Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells......

And here's one for the kids:

1. Click here

2. Type in your name

3. Be patient and wait for a second

November Update

Fun at Thanksgiving

Here's Emily playing with Papa and Rea. Papa tried to steal her ice cream, and Emily held her palm up and said, "no, Papa". Then she faked sleeping so Papa would leave her alone. Too funny! There's also a shot of an incredibly delicious, sinfully rich pumpkin cheesecake. Kevin couldn't finish his slice, which means it was REALLY rich!

Sad Note About the Wiggles

Sad, but true, Greg, the Yellow Wiggle, had to retire from The Wiggles at age 34. He was passing out while performing. His heart doesn't pump blood properly, poor guy. We'll miss him! :(

Life and Good Friends

Emily's speech therapy is going great!! She now says 2-word sentences regularly, and will try and read books to us, or tell us stories about her day. It takes careful listening, but we can usually make out what she's trying to say. One night she tried to sing "Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star" to me, and couldn't remember some of the words, so she'd stop and giggle as if she was embarassed, then she'd try again. It was just adorable.

Emily is just getting interested in her Asian doll, so we call it "Maddie" (for Madeleine), and she does "Row Row Row Your Boat" with her and puts her in time out in the laundry room.

Here's a tribute to Emily and her buddy, Summer! The girls loved playing in Summer's toddler bed. They also enjoyed their first trip together to a wildlife refuge. They've been to see Elmo in Sesame Street Live, danced together at music in the park, attend storytime at the library together, and more. They're just having a ball!

Ok, and here's Emily doing one of her favorite things...sticking Play Doh over her nose. Dunno why, but hey, she's a toddler. Must be some kind of inside toddler joke!

Take care,

Caroline

The Wiggles in Miami!!

The long awaited day finally arrived...Emily's beloved Wiggles in concert in Miami. Off we went on a four-hour drive, to see the kids group Emily has watched non-stop over since we brought her home 15 months ago. Can you believe it's been that long??

The photos are blurry from all the excitement, sorry. Just before the concert Emily sat in her seat, alternately gazing at the stage, bouncing up and down yelling "WEE WEE!!", and pointing at any kids wearing Wiggles shirts and exclaiming "Wee Wee!" At this point she still thought she was going to see a video!

Finally, the Wiggley dancers opened the show. When the Big Red Car rolled onto the stage with the Wiggles singing "Toot Toot Chugga Chugga Big Red Car", Emily alternated between singing, dancing and staring open mouthed at her idols.

The Wiggles put on a great show. The guys joked with each other, caught hats on their heads from across the stage, and ran through the audience waving at the kids. At one point, they turned the lights off, instructed parents to open their cell phones and hold them up. They then softly sang "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" while the blue light from hundreds of cell phones created a soft glow of tiny stars. Emily sang along with them.

The next day we visited Butterfly World in Pompano Beach. What a gorgeous collection of butterflies and birds. Take a look.

Next time, a few Thanksgiving photos...

Take care,

Caroline

Happy Halloween and Then Some

Hi everyone!

We missed posting for Halloween since Emily was sick for 10 days with a fever and a bad cold. She was invited to 5 Halloween parties and made it to only one, sigh! What a bummer. Sounds hectic, but it was so exciting to have so many invitations at the first Halloween she could really enjoy. Here she is at the library with her friends.

Next, we prepared to travel to Orlando for a reunion of 150 adoptive families from our adoption agency! Three of the eight families in our travel group flew in for the reunion. Friends and adoptive parents Linda and CJ Vocu and their daughter, Lia, visited us just before the reunion. Here's a slideshow from their visit to the house, and a re-celebration of Halloween just for the girls.

It was great to see them again, and then see the other two families! The girls got along great. The reunion itself was amazing, seeing so many Chinese children in one place. A 5-year old Chinese girl ran up to us in the hotel lobby, staring and Emily and Lia and exclaiming, "hey, they look like me!"

Take a look at the slideshows, a mix of photos from the Sheraton Safari resort and Disney World. All the Chinese girls in the photos are from our travel group.

Take care, everyone,

Caroline

October Update

Hi all! I'm trying something new, thanks to Terri Wagner. See what you think of Emily's slideshow.

Sorry we've been too busy to post lately. This month is going to be crazy while we get Emily's costume ready, get the house ready for Halloween, and get ready for visitors! CJ, Linda, and Lia Vocu, our friends from the travel group to China, will be staying with us in a few weeks as we attend a major reunion! Our adoption agency is throwing a big reunion party at Disney in Orlando for all its adoptive families Half of the families in our travel group will be there!

Other News on the Homefront

Let's see, Emily's still in gymnastics and enjoying it. Actually, she enjoys jumping up and down and saying "boing, boing!" more than anything. She loves to do somersaults. We're taking a break from storytime since she doesn't seem interested right now. But Mommy misses the other mommies! She still loves Cousin Mick's ukelele, and carries it everywhere, strumming the strings and singing "eeee, bah bah". Here she does her Sound of Music imitation.

Our local Families with Asian Children (FAC) group held its Chinese Moon Festival, which celebrates the importance of family and the Autumn harvest in China. The kids made paper lanters with glow sticks inside. We activated the glow sticks, turned the lights off, and had a light parade. It was great fun!

Every Thursday Emily goes to a local church for Mom's Day Out, where local volunteer moms watch the kids so Mommies like me can run errands and actually do yard work! It's great for Emily since she knows many of the kids from the library and our local play group. Emily has a hard time when I leave her, but then she has a great time. Last week was the hardest, though. I pulled into the parking lot and turned to look at her. She was sitting silently in her carseat, sniffing, looking at the church with huge tears running down her face. THUNK! went my heart, and I almost drove home. But, we persevered, and once the wailing started, I knew she'd be ok. Why does motherhood hurt so much sometimes? Emily was fine within a few minutes of me leaving, although the volunteer mom had to peel her off of me. When I returned a few hours later, she didn't even notice me!

Emily's Speech Therapy

Emily began speech therapy a few months ago. We had her evaluated by specialists and she was 6 months behind kids her age. Basically, she rarely said anything. Well, since speech therapy started, she's now only 3 months behind and a chatter box!

She's now starting to say 2-word sentences ("bye bye, dada", "emmy happy"), and picks up new words quickly ("squash", "pumpkin"). Daddy is teaching her the alphabet (she repeats it after him), and she can count to 13 by herself. She knows her letters and numbers by sight. We're working on sentences, and "I love you".

This is a big relief, since we wanted to make sure Emily has a good transition into school in a few years. It may seem like overkill, but this little girl had a rough start, and deserves every opportunity that we can give her to blossom. And she's taking it! Smiles are more frequent (although not for the camera), the house is filled with giggles and laughter (everyone's), and we're looking forward to the holiday season with great excitement. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chinese New Year, it's all going to be even more fun this year as she understands and enjoys more. Oh, and we got tickets to see THE WIGGLES in November!!! Stay tuned...parenthood IS GREAT!!!! :D

Take care everyone,

Caroline

Two Birthdays and a Wedding

Cousin Elizabeth (serious Wiggles fan) turned 2 years old, hurray! Cousin Kellie (violinist extraordinaire) turned 14, woo hoo!! Here we are with cousins Kellie and Kasey. We didn't get too many photos of the birthday party (which included Grammi Bonnie's addictive taco dip, Grammi Frani's Irish Coffee, and a toddler chicken fight) because you put 4 young girls and lots of family together, and all you get is mayhem!!

Couch potatoes, toddler style.

Toddler chicken fight with Uncle Johnnie and Daddy. Unfortunately, it ended when Emily bonked noggins with Daddy (Daddy's head hurt worse).

Dorothy the Dinosaur and Emily enjoy Elizabeth's rocking chair. This chair was Aunt Tracey's when she was a little girl, and Daddy's rocker will be on its way to Florida shortly for Emily to enjoy!

Kevvie and his "sissie".

I Do--a Wedding

Last, it was off to the Poconos for Dave and Beata's beautiful wedding. The wedding was held outside in a gorgeous resort in the Pocono mountains near my old university. Beata is from Poland, and we heard that 20 family members/friends flew in from Poland just for the wedding. Kevin was the best man, and our Emily was a flower girl.

Emily was just hilarious--she was a flower girl along with Dave's 4-year old niece, Alyssa. Alyssa would scatter rose petals up and down the aisle while Emily followed behind her, picking up the petals and placing them in her basket! Wedding guests were in hysterics. I spent the entire service balancing on tip toe since my heels were sinking in the grass, chasing Emily, who refused to sit down (remember, she's 2).

Meanwhile, the bride and groom said their wedding vows in Polish. They lit candles in memory of deceased family members, and then passed candles on to every guest for lighting while a string trio of women played "Sunrise, Sunset". The haunting sound of those strings lifting that gorgeous song high into the trees was an amazing experience. Of course, the entire time I was bent double, on tip toe, sinking slowly, and preventing Emily from running up to the violinist (she wanted the woman's bow), running up the aisle, or from ripping up plugs of grass and sod from the ground to put in her basket.

At the reception, just as the wedding party was to be introduced, Emily had a nasty pooey diaper that almost asphyxiated the bride and groom! We raced to the bathroom to change her (standing up, mind you), and missed Kevin's toast to the bride and groom. Emily then spent the entire reception on the dance floor! She had a blast dancing, and would totter over to me in her tiny heels, grab a bite of food or a sip of apple cider in a champagne flute, and rapidly totter back onto the dance floor, picking her arbitrary partners like a good party girl. The photographers loved her. I never laughed so hard, it was SOOO adorable!! Kevin just stood nearby, silently watching her, with a lovely smile on his face.

A Few More Wedding Photos

What a gorgeous gown!!!

Dave, Rick, Bob, and Kevin, friends since childhood. (Bob is a new daddy.)

Our prince!

Emily on the dance floor.

Update on Madeleine

All of our paperwork is in China, and we're currently waiting to find out the exact day the Chinese goverment logged in the paperwork--that's our Log In Date (LID). This date is critical, since it begins the countdown to Madeleine, which unfortunately will take over a year (it took only 6 months for Emily). Our paperwork arrived in China on 8/20/06, so we expect the LID to be somewhere within a few days of the 20th. This is going to be a hard wait, although Emily keeps us so busy we should be able to make it through. :)

Trip to Pennsylvania

Hi all,

We're up in Pennsylvania for the wedding of friends Dave and Beata. It's been a wild trip, trying to visit family and friends in different PA cities. The trip started on a somber note, with the passing of Caroline's beloved Uncle "Moose". Uncle Moose was a hilarious, kind man, a former soldier in WWII, father to 4 equally hilarious boys with great families of their own, and husband to my dad's sister, Aunt Mary, who managed the crazy household with dignity and a straight face.

The wake was held in Delaware, so that was our first trip. We said farewell to a wonderful man, and Emily was able to meet most of her cousins from Papa Lee's side of the family...the Wettengels, the Coughlins, the Magyars, and the Rooksbys. It was great to see so much family again, in spite of the sad occasion.

Adventures in Philly

Next, it was off the Philadelphia, to spend a few hours with Dave Mecca, Kevin's best friend who is about to be married! Wife-to-be Beata was visiting Melbourne, Florida (ironic, isn't it?), so we'll see her on Sunday, their big day.

Dave met us at the Please Touch museum, a wonderful place just for kids. The museum had a water play area, an outdoor garden, barnyard, mock city bus, supermarket with mini carts and food, and more. Emily had a ball!

Here, dressed as a playing card, Emily takes tea with the March Hare and the Mad Hatter.

Playing in the barnyard area, which also had a mock cornfield with plastic ears of corn for the kids to pick.

Aren't I cute in my Elmo outfit?

Back at Dave's house, playing his mandolin.

With the Koullias Clan

Next we travelled to Reading, PA, to visit the Koullias Clan (my sister Cindy) and celebrate Uncle Ico's birthday (I got the balloons). Here I am with my crazy cousin Tony, who's 17.

Cousin Stephen, only 15 years old, is 6 feet tall and still growing!!

Playing around with Tony and Aunt Cindy.

Cousin Cassie and I were stuck together like glue throughout our entire visit.

Quiet time with Mommy.

Adventures in Scranton

In Cousin Elizabeth's swing. Cousin Elizabeth turns 2 this weekend, and Cousin Kellie will be 14. This is the next chapter in our vacation, so stay tuned!

Love,

Caroline