Halloween With A Ladybug And A Daisy

Happy Halloween!

The little ladybug and I started our day with breakfast at the diner with Dad Dad, Mary Beth, and Don. Lily loved being dressed up and was a complete ham!

After breakfast we headed up to Tony's office for a visit. Lily had a great time and was thrilled with all the treats she got in her pumpkin (aka bump). After our visit Tony, Lily, and I headed over to the mall for lunch. Lily got lots of attention and ate up every minute of it!

Lily and I came home for her nap and a costume change. For some reason I had it in my head that Lily needed a homemade costume. Mary Beth was going to make a flower costume for Lily but her sewing machine died last week and it is still in the shop being repaired. I don't own a sewing machine...nor do I want to! Anyway, I don't have a creative bone in my body. I think it was removed when I had the competitive-ectomy. However, I still felt compelled to try and "make" a flower costume for Lily.

A few weeks ago my friend, Christine, gave me a bag filled with hand-me-downs. As I was going through the bag I found a white sun hat. When I looked at the hat it struck me...I could dye this hat yellow, make a few cuts, glue on some petals, and I'd have a flower hat. The costume is very obviously homemade but I still love it...and so did Lily! She wore that hat with all those petals glued to it for hours...and I do mean hours! The little girl who will rip a hair bow out of her hair in 3 seconds flat wore that flower hat without batting an eye. I think it was because she knew she looked so darn cute!

Lily received quite a few nice treats for her first Halloween. Friends, family, and neighbors were all very thoughtful and we are so very thankful!

Suzy, Sheila, and Dad joined us for dinner tonight and to watch Lily do a little trick-or-treating. Today was such a fun day and a perfect first Halloween for Little Miss Lily!

6 Month Follow-Up

Last night our Social Worker, Rick, came over for our 6 month post placement visit. Everything went extremely well. Rick was totally impressed with Lily and used the phrase "I'm blown away with _______ " more than once. You can fill in the blank with: how verbal Lily is, to see Lily signing, how happy Lily appears, how well adjusted, etc. Rick also mentioned how pleased he was to see the way Lily interacts with me and Tony.

It's strange. When Rick came for our 1 month post placement visit Tony and I swore that Lily knew he was here to check in on her. We felt the same way last night. It was absolutely the Lily Entertainment Hour....let me tell you our Little Miss was definitely on!

At one point during last night's visit Rick asked Tony and I how many words Lily has in her vocabulary. Neither of us had any idea (bad parents!) so I guessed 15 - 20. A little later I was sitting on the floor with my back against the sofa. Lily walked up to me put her hand on my back and said "Excuse me." Rick stopped in mid-sentence and said, "Did she just say 'excuse me'?" Okay, it comes out a little more like "sme me"...but in context you definitely know what she is saying. Anyway, Rick said he had been keeping a straw count in his head of the words Lily had used since he arrived and we had way underestimated her total vocabulary. Turns out he was right. After Rick left Tony and I sat down and actually wrote a list. Wow, we really do have a chatty little girl...just like her mommy!!

We wont see Rick again for another 6 months for what will be our third and final post placement visit.

Surprisingly, I didn't take any pictures last night during Rick's visit ;-). However, I did take some pictures today at the playground. (Yes, Patti, I took Lily to the playground again!) In case you are wondering...Lily is wearing the same outfit that she wore to the Pumpkin Carving Party. You know there are only so many days out of the year that you can wear a jack-o-latern shirt and a candy corn hair bow!

Completely off topic but I just wanted to share...today at the playground Lily noticed her shadow for the first time. It was hilarious. She had this look on her face like - what on earth is this thing that is following me everywhere!

Pumpkin Carving Party

Yesterday was Mary Beth and Ed's annual Pumpkin Carving Party. As with everything they host it was wonderful. I know I've written about this before but if you ever get an invitation to Mary Beth and Ed's take it! They always host the most wonderful parties. You can count on lots of delicious food, plenty to drink, and a relaxed and fun atmosphere. Yesterday was no exception. Over 100 people enjoyed the fun and festivities and in the process a bunch of really creative, spooky, and silly pumpkins were carved.

Happy Birthday Dad Dad!

The Birthday Boy!

Today is my Dad's 73rd birthday. Happy Birthday, Dad! Dad, I know you wont read this post...since you never touch a computer...so I guess I'll go ahead and post all the sorted truth about you. Here goes...the truth is my dad is a wonderful father and grandfather!

Dad was also a wonderful husband to my mother. I believe one of the best gifts he ever gave his children was to love our mother...even when times were hard. My mother was sick for several years and required a lot of care. My father never once complained. Never. His philosophy is "Why complain? It doesn't change anything." Naturally, Dad did not want Mom to suffer the way that she did. But, since he couldn't change it he accepted the situation and tried to make the best of it...not only for Mom but for all of us.

Dad loves his family and has always put our needs above his own. Dad does not have a lot of expensive gadgets and a ton of different hobbies. What he does have is 4 children and their families and that is where he loves to spend his time and energy. While he could have decided to pursue golfing, boating, hunting, etc. what he chose to do instead is be on the sidelines or at the finish line watching and cheering on his grandchildren. Dad is always ready and willing to help in any way. With Dad you don't have to ask for his help. He offers. When I told Dad recently that I was going to a huge children's sale and if I found any big ticket items I might want to borrow his truck he said, "Why don't I just come with you?" He did and we had a great day together...and it is a good thing we had the truck along, too!

I'm Dad Dad's 10th and favorite grandchild! Shhh...don't tell my cousins!!

My father is the type of person who stops to help a stranger change a tire in the rain. He does it because he hopes someone would help one of his kids or grandkids if we were ever stranded and also because it is simply the right thing to do.

My father has a wonderful sense of humor and sometimes laughs harder at his own jokes than anyone! Dad is the master of the one-liner. He will notice something and lean over and drop a little bomb on you when you are least able to laugh. Say, for example, when you are in church!

Now, I don't want you to get the wrong idea. Dad is not a saint. There are definitely little devil horns holding up his halo! That's part of what makes him so fun to be around!

Can you see my halo from this angle?

Recently, Dad had a serious health scare that had us all really worried (including Dad). Thank God Dad is now doing great and will be around to celebrate many more birthdays with us!

We love you Dad!

Mommy Moments

There are so many times each day when I'm reminded of just how lucky I am to be Lily's mother. Lily is such a precious little girl...and just when I think I couldn't possibly love her any more...somehow...I do!

Poor Miss Joan gets more than she bargains for when she tells me to kick!

2020 Olympics....here I come!

One of my favorite things about being Lily's mother are those special "Mommy Moments" that happen every day. Lily will say or do something and I find myself close to tears. Here are a few examples:

• When Tony comes home from work Lily runs up to him and gives him a great big hug.
• When Lily pushes mine and Tony's face together so she can try and kiss us both at the same time.
• After Lily wakes up from her nap and she is so warm and so, so snuggley.
• When Tony reads to Lily at night she sits on my lap in the rocking chair and Tony sits on the floor beside us. While Tony is reading Lily reaches down and plays with his hair so gently.
• When you take Lily's shoes and socks off she kisses each of her feet with a loud "Mmmwaa" like she is seeing long lost friends.
• When Lily wakes up in the morning it looks like a family of squirrels have made a nest in her hair. Honestly, there are literally no two strands headed in the same direction. So cute!
• Watching Lily share kisses and hugs with her extended family.
• Every day Lily is learning new words and signs. In the last several days she has started to sign "love"...major goosebumps!

There are countless other examples that happen every day...it's part of what makes being Lily's Mommy so much fun!

Mommy's old high school sent me this cute bib!

Excuse me, I have to take this important call on the jelly phone.

Block Party

On Sunday afternoon our neighborhood had a block party. We went and Lily had a great time. There are a lot of kids Lily's age in our neighborhood so she had a blast. They closed the street and had a balloon bounce, pumpkin painting, and lots of fun games.

The weather was perfect for the block party. When we were at the pumpkin patch earlier in the day the air was crisp and felt like autumn. By late afternoon the weather had warmed up and was perfect for sitting around catching up with neighbors before we all go inside and hibernate for the winter.

Speaking of neighbors, Lily has a love/ignore relationship with our neighbor, Rich. Some days Lily will flirt with Rich shamelessly. She will wave, blow him kisses, and chatter to him incessantly. Other days Lily acts as if Rich isn't there. It is really kind of funny and Rich has a great time playing along and figuring out where he stands on any given day. Lily hasn't consented yet to letting Rich pick her up....but I think it's only a matter of time. Rich is about to become a father for the first time. Something tells me the second Lily sees Mr. Rich holding a little baby she will be clamoring for him to pick her up!

The Pumpkin Patch

On Sunday we took our little pumpkin to the pumpkin patch. We had a great time. We went on a hayride and then scouted out the perfect pumpkins. Lily really enjoyed the hayride and liked looking at all the "balls" in the pumpkin patch. When I told Lily they were called pumpkins she stopped calling them "balls" and instead called them "bumps"!

The WetBirds Go To Washington

During our long wait to bring Lily home Tony and I attended countless Waiting Parents meetings. At one of the meetings I overheard a woman saying, "The Rumor Queen says...", "The Rumor Queen thinks...". I just had to ask...who was this Rumor Queen? The woman was kind enough to give me the web address for the Rumor Queen's site and I was instantly addicted.

The Rumor Queen site has forums set up exclusively for each Log In Date month. The October 2005 forum was an incredible source of support for me while we waited to bring Lily home. I know I've mentioned before that prior to beginning the adoption process I spent very little time online, had never been in a chat room, and thought only people who spent way too much time indoors ever formed online friendships. However, before I knew it I found myself talking to Tony and saying things like, "Well, Kimber doesn't have fingerprints either...and Elo went to an FCC waiting family event today." Tony would look at me like I was crazy and ask me who on earth were Kimber and Elo. What I realized is that without ever meeting these people face to face I had established a real relationship with them. Our common goal of bringing our children home from China had brought us together and through this journey we had become friends.

After everyone in the October 2005 LID room had received referrals for our children we all made plans to have a Rumor Queen reunion in Washington, DC. Not unlike the promises you make to stay in touch when you graduate from high school and college somehow real life takes over and before you know it you've drifted apart. The reunion was not as big as we had hoped but fortunately we were able to get together with Kimber's family.

Kim, Dave, Will, Harry, and Kate met us yesterday in Washington, DC and we had a great time! Kim's family is absolutely wonderful. Kim and Dave are as nice as can be and their boys are polite, funny, handsome young gentlemen. Kate is such a sweetie and seeing she and Lily together gave me many "Mom moments". You know what I mean...suddenly you have tears in your eyes and you aren't even sure why.

We met Kim and her family at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. We walked through the gardens, toured the museum and then went to Rosa Mexicano for a yummy lunch. After lunch we spent a little time walking around downtown. It was so fun to watch the kids interacting. Lily and Kate were precious together and held hands, kissed, and hugged several times. Will and Harry were great with Lily, too. As a matter of fact, I think little Miss Lily was quite sweet on Harry. You should have seen the way she looked at him. Harry even mentioned to his mom that he thinks he might be Lily's first boyfriend. Priceless!

Meeting Kim face to face for the first time felt like bumping into an old friend I had known forever. We talked and talked and when we parted company I still felt like I had so much to say.

Kim, it was great to finally meet you. I knew you would be as sweet in real life as you are in 'cyber life'. Dave, I felt like I already knew you from all the wonderful things Kim has shared about you. Thanks for spending your Saturday with us and thanks for lunch, too! Will and Harry, thanks for being so patient and letting me and your mom talk...and talk...and talk. Thank you for being such good sports and playing with Lily, too. You guys are such nice boys and awesome big brothers! Kate, I could eat you with a spoon! You are such a cutie and it made my heart so happy to see you and my sweet Lily together. I hope we all can get together again soon!

Kim has some great pictures from our day together posted on her blog. Stop by and check them out by clicking here.

Log In Date

Two years ago today our dossier (a big stack of adoption related paperwork) was logged in at the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA). Think of a Log In Date (LID) like the number you take at the deli counter. This is the number you are assigned when your paperwork is received and is the order in which your adoption is processed.

For quite a long time "LID 10.18.05" held a great deal of meaning for us. Whenever we spoke to another waiting family one of the first questions that was asked was, "What's your LID?". Each month when CCAA would announce referrals we would anxiously look to see what LIDs had made the cutoff and try to predict how much longer we had to wait. In March of this year the cutoff of 10.24.05 was announced and we knew we had finally made it!

Our dossier was actually sent to China in September 2005 and our agency assumed we would receive a September LID. When we did not receive an LID immediately our agency thought it was strange but had no way of knowing this was the harbinger of big wait time increases. At the time our dossier was submitted our agency told us that the wait to bring Lily home would be approximately 6 months. As we all know the wait was quite a bit longer than that. Our agency did not try to mislead us. In fact, the increased wait times impacted all agencies in all countries. Prior to October 2005, the wait times from LID to receiving your baby's referral were averaging approximately 5 - 6 months...and then something changed. What changed? Good question. I don't think we'll ever know the real answer.

Today, the wait time continues to increase exponentially. Since we received Lily's referral on March 9th of this year the CCAA has only referred dossiers with Log In Dates through November 30, 2005. That means it has taken over 6 months to go through only 6 weeks of LIDs. At this rate the wait from LID to referral will climb to well over 3 + years. There is currently an estimated backlog of 30,000 dossiers waiting to receive referrals. That means there are over 30,000 families currently waiting to meet the children they have only dreamed of...and many more than 30,000 children in orphanages and foster care waiting to meet their forever families. My heart breaks when I think of this.

We'd wait all over again!

6 Months Ago Today...

we woke up (not that we had slept!) in a hotel room half way around the world and prepared to meet our sweet Lily for the first time. This morning when we woke up that very same sweet girl was sleeping in our house...in her home...here...with us...where she was meant to be! Tony and I still can't believe it!

The past 6 months have passed so quickly - like one big wonderful dream. Lily is happy, healthy, and the love of our lives. I still get choked up from time to time when I think about the miracle that is our family.

Here is a quick look back over the last 6 amazing months:

A Day At The Races

We think it's never too early to teach your children to bet on the ponies so yesterday we took Lily to the track. I tell you that little girl has a gift for picking winners! Truth be told Tony did place one bet...and lost. Oh well, there is always next year.

Yesterday was the Maryland Million and through Tony's work we were invited to attend. It was an absolutely beautiful Fall day and we had a great time. Lily loved seeing the horses and *barked* at each one. Lily was shocked and I think a little disappointed when they did not bark back! Several of the jockeys were kind enough to stop right in front of us so Lily could get a good look. Lily got the biggest kick out of waving to the horses and the jockeys, too.

Look Daddy...here they come!

Daddy why isn't he barking?

There was also a 4 piece brass band playing and Lily really enjoyed them(as long as they weren't looking at her). She danced her little shoes off and was definitely their biggest fan!

Wait....I'm not finished dancing!

2020 Olympics

In preparation for the 2020 Summer Olympics we've enrolled Lily at My Gym and at the Y for swimming lessons. Lily shows a real aptitude for the butterfly and backstroke and if we can just keep her focused we're sure she'll make the Olympic Team for the 2020 Summer Games.

Of course, I'm joking and if you know me at all you know I'm the least competitive person on Earth! At some point I must of had a competitive-ectomy. I hate for someone to win means someone else has to lose. Yes, I get it's all part of life and I'm sure there is some valuable lesson to be learned but I still hate it. I'm not saying I think every game has to end in a tie and a group hug...I just really dislike what competition does to some (a lot of) people.

I've played team sports in the past. For me it's always been an excuse to get together with friends and have fun and...okay...I'll admit it...drink a little beer afterwards! I think in many instances the "fun" aspect is completely lost. I have always dreaded when a pick-up softball game happens at a family or company function because invariably I see a side of people I would just as soon never see. You know what I mean...Great Uncle Fred or the guy from Marketing who want you to hit the ball to right field because an 8 year old is playing that position. Anyway, I digress....

Lily and I are going to My Gym and the Y each week and we're really having a great time. It's nice to get out of the house, meet other kids and other moms, and to just have fun!

We have met another adoptive family through a mutual friend. They belong to My Gym and the Y, too. I think it's great for Lily to see other families that look like ours and what makes it even better is that they are a lot of fun to be around, too!


Chip and Christine thanks for sharing your pictures!

Cousins Play Date

Yesterday we had a "Cousins Play Date". Roxanne, my cousin John's wife, and their daughter Quinn came over to play. Roxanne is changing jobs and took a week off before starting at the new place so they were able to come up and visit for a little while. We're so glad they did!

We had a great time and it was so fun to see our girls play together...okay more like play side-by-side...but you get the idea. Suffice it to say that at this stage sharing is not Lily's strength! Quinn was a trooper and didn't seem the least bit phased by the fact that Lily thought she should be more than content to play with only the carpet!

Thanks for coming over Rox and thanks for sharing your pictures with me! It was great to see you and Quinn and to have a little time to catch up. Is it me...or do you feel like we had about 15 separate conversations that we never finished? I guess we'll have to get together again so we can finish them! Good luck with the new job on Monday.

Daddy's Home

Well, truth be told Tony has been home since late Wednesday night I just haven't had time to post!

Lily was so happy to see Tony Thursday morning! We were a little worried that she might give Tony the cold shoulder...but not to worry. It was really great to hear the familiar sounds of the two of them carrying on during tubby time last night.

Yippee! My Daddy is home!

Today, Lily and I met Tony at the mall for lunch. As we were walking across the food court Lily spotted Tony. It is so sweet to see how happy Lily gets when she sees her Daddy!

Come on Mom...let's go! Daddy's waiting for us!

Hi Daddy! It's Me Again.

Dear Daddy,

Mommy and I had a great day today. Of course, part of what made it great was getting the cards in the mail from you! I loved getting mail addressed to me. Mommy didn't have the camera handy (strange, I know) so we didn't get any pictures of me opening it...but trust me I loved it.

It was really hot again today so Mommy and I went to My Gym to play. Maybe sometime when you're home you can come to My Gym with us. Here are a few pictures of me playing:

Hi Daddy! Don't I look like I could use a Daddy smooch?

While you're away I'm learning to juggle!

What do you mean this isn't an apple?

Please be safe, have fun, and hurry home. We're just not the 3 Musketeers without you!

I love you so much,

Your baby girl - Lily

Hurry Home Daddy!

Hi Daddy!

Thank you so much for my card this morning. It was such a nice surprise. Mommy liked her card, too!



Mommy and I had a good day today and I'm taking good care of her just like you asked me to. We went to My Gym this morning and to lunch with Miss Kathy and JX. JX was very nice and shared his firetruck with me. He didn't like it when I called him "baby" all the time and Mommy said that's because he's older than me.

I really don't want to hurt Mommy's feelings but she doesn't do tubby time as good as you do...but at least she's trying.


Mommy told me you're in Florida working for a few days and that it's really hot where you are. Well...it's hot here, too...so...maybe you could just come home and work. What do you think?

I love you and miss you and can't wait until Thursday!

Lily

Grandmom Waters

I know I've posted about my Granny before and I may be repeating myself. Please bear with me.

My Grandmother Waters (Katie) was an amazing woman. Granny immigrated to the United States when she was in her early 20's and met and married my grandfather (also an Irish immigrant) here in Maryland. My grandfather died young leaving my grandmother a young widow and a mother to 3 sons (my dad was the youngest).

My grandmother faced incredible hardships in her life. However, you would never have guessed this if you had met her. My grandmother NEVER complained. My grandmother was happy, proud, and strong. She had butter soft skin and beautiful blue eyes. She had a razor sharp wit and a tongue to match. She wasn't a cookie baking - knitting type of grandmother. She drank beer and sometimes cussed. She smelled of Listerine, Jean Nate, and baby powder. It might sound like a strange combination to you...but to me it's what I think heaven will smell like.

She loved her children and grandchildren and was happiest when her house was bursting at the seams with family. We visited Granny every Friday night and often had Sunday dinners with her, too. Going to Granny's was not one of those..."You're going to your grandmother's and you're going to have a good time..." kind of ordeals. We wanted to go. Truly. Not because she had toys for us to play with or things at her house for us to do. Quite the opposite was true. We would all sit around her dining room table and talk. We would take turns listening to and telling stories. That was enough...it was more than enough.

We learned about the importance of family from my Granny. My grandmother truly loved us. Not with a Hallmark Card sentimental kind of love. With a deep, fierce, no nonsense kind of love. She listened when we talked and never made us feel like anything other than the most important thing in her life. Even as teenagers we would beg to spend the night at her house. Granny never had a driver's license and couldn't take us out on fun excursions. It didn't matter. We would ride the bus with her or walk to the store, the bank, or to church. She would hold your hand with her vice like grip when you crossed the street even when you were 16. We never complained. We were just happy to be with her.

Granny was without a doubt the matriarch of our family and never hesitated to let us know it. As kids we loved to watch my Granny tell our dad what to do or give him a piece of her mind. She would say things to him like, "Now, damn it Donald, I didn't raise you to be such a jackass." We would all start to laugh and before long Dad couldn't help but join in.

I could write for hours about my grandmother. She was such a colorful character. She is still who I most want to be when I grow up. So, why am I writing about her now when she's been gone for almost 25 years? It's just that I've often wished that Granny and Lily could have met...and now sometimes I think maybe they have. When I picture my Granny I can see her walking with her ramrod straight posture and her hands clasped at the small of her back. Recently I've noticed that Lily often walks exactly the same way. Coincidence? Maybe. But...I believe it's something more.

They didn't name me Lily Katherine Yin...for nothing!

Tell Me A Story

Since we've been home from China every night I read to Lily before she goes to sleep. Lily and I snuggle up on the rocking chair and Tony sits on the floor close by.

Starting two nights ago Lily handed her Daddy the books to read instead of me. You should have seen the look on Tony's face....absolutely beautiful! I think I might be out of a job!!

From the first moment we met I've loved my Daddy...

...and every day I love him more!

Fun At The Playground

Lily and I have been spending a lot of time at the playground. There are quite a few really nice playgrounds near our house and with the weather being so beautiful it's hard not to be outside!

Tony has been coming to join us on his way home from work. Tony and Lily stay at the playground for a little Daddy and Lily time and I head home and get dinner started.

I absolutely love this time of year and really hate to see how short the days are becoming!

On a different note...as you can see from the pictures Lily is letting me put bows in her hair! For a long time anything I put in her hair Lily promptly pulled out and handed to me. Lily finally let me put those little plastic clips in her hair and I've been using those for some time and am really not crazy about them. I'm not much of a "girly girl" but I really do like to see Lily's hair pulled back with a bow so you can see her beautiful face!

October Already!?!

I can't believe it's already October 1st! Where did September go? During the wait to bring Lily home every day felt like a year...now every day feels like a minute!

I sort of failed to mention a few important happenings in September...so, I'm going to try and catch up now.

We had quite a few birthdays to celebrate in our family. On September 5th my nephew, Charlie, turned 11. On the 14th my niece, Maggie, turned 14 and on the 29th my nephew, Jamie, turned 20! Happy Birthday and lots of love to the 3 of you!

We had a joint birthday celebration at Mary Beth's house. As you can see from the picture there was a little mishap bringing the cakes into the house. Not to worry. We decided we liked pre-chewed cake better and will be serving all cakes like this in the future!

Charlie, are you sure you want to blow that candle out? The cake might fall apart even more!!

Three other very important men in my life celebrated birthdays in September. My Godsons Sam, Adam, and Ben turned 14 on September 7th. Happy birthday, guys!

I think that's all the birthdays...but I also wanted to mention that Lily's Godparents (and one of my favorite couples), Laura and Rich, celebrated their 21st wedding anniversary on the 27th. Congratulations you two! You make it look so easy!