I Have Issues

From the title of this post I guess you've surmised that this is either going to be an extremely long post...or just the first in a multi-part series!

Here is one of my latest issues...Lily's "babyness" is slipping away and I'm having a tough time seeing it go! Since she will be two in a few short weeks I know it makes sense...but...

Over the Memorial Day Weekend we packed away Lily's highchair. Being the emotionally stable person that I am I cried in the shower!! It's true Lily hadn't been sitting in her highchair very much anymore...but to actually put it away...ouch!

Since the weather has been so beautiful we've been eating most of our meals out on the patio and we hadn't been dragging the highchair out there. So, when we do eat inside Lily doesn't want to sit in the highchair she wants her "brewster" seat. So, bye bye highchair.

Sitting in a big girl chair!

Further proof that I have issues (as if you needed any) is that the other day I walked through the Living Room and saw Lily's little clogs sitting there. For reasons I can't explain it actually choked me up...and, no, it's not because they weren't put away!! They just looked so big and I couldn't believe they actually fit my little girl!

When I'm 13 Mom will cry because I leave my shoes on the Living Room floor...but right now she thinks it's cute!

Lily is also starting to use more and more cohesive sentences. It is so much fun to have 2 sided conversations with her...but at the same time... I. Can't. Believe. I. Am. Having. 2-Sided. Conversations. With. Lily!!!!

Lily's speech is very clear and she often uses a string of words...if not necessarily a real sentence...to get her point across. Several weeks ago Tony asked during dinner what we did during the day...I think he was expecting me to answer! However, our little cutie answered by saying, "Store. Foot. Measure. New. Sandal." Sure enough...we had gone to Stride Rite to buy Lily some sandals that morning. Of course, then my little sweetie ratted me out and said, "Mall. Lunch. PIZZA! YUMMY!!"

Need any help gardening?

As much as I am enjoying Loquacious Lily I miss the way she used to say certain words. Like Me-Mom-Me, for instance. Now, I'm just plain Mommy...Mama...or sometimes even TJ! Sadie used to be Sassy...not anymore....well, at least Lily doesn't call her that anymore! Often I don't even realize Lily is no longer pronouncing a word with her own special flair until it hits me some time later. For instance, please don't tell Aunt Pappy but Lily is starting to actually say Patti more often then Pappy. While you're at it don't tell Aunt Baba that Lily is starting to call her Mara Bess. It's not quite Mary Beth...but it's darn close!

Lily has also become so expressive. This girl is the master of facial expressions!! I'm telling you she can make some seriously funny, serious, and silly faces! It is fun to watch Lily try these different expressions on. She will make a face for emphasis when she is talking to you and then try and gauge your response to it. The best part is often the word and the facial expression happen separately. For instance, Lily will be talking about the blisters her new sandals gave her and when she is finished she will make a sad face. By the way, she talks about this quite frequently even though I've never put the sandals on her feet again!

Lily also likes to use different tones of voice. Lily loves to use a deep voice for certain special words like...Dad Dad, huge, chunk, and hungry. Couple her deep voice with her serious face and she has me and Tony rolling on the floor laughing!

There are still a few words that Lily pronounces using her own special "Lily-ese". I'm sure it wont be long before these go by the wayside, too. Since I don't want to forget them I'll include a little excerpt from the current Lily-ese to English dictionary:

Yo Yo - Yogurt
Bam Up - Stand Up
Nare Na Bread- Panera Bread
Babinet - Cabinet
Bobbles - Goggles (for swimming)
Dune Nin - What are you doing?
May Gog - Make up

Hey Daddy, watcha dune nin?

Before I know it Lily will be getting her driver's license and then graduating from college (2 milestones my sister's are experiencing with their kids) and these days will be a distant memory...and I'll have a whole new host of issues to contend with!!!

For now, I am loving each new stage and development in Lily's little life...and I'm seriously trying to savor every minute!

Where's She From?

The other day Lily and I were paying for something and the cashier said, "Oh, she's so cute. Where's she from?" Before I had a chance to respond Lily chimes in and says, "China!". I just about fell over! The cashier was completely shocked and started to laugh and so did the older white man behind us in line.

The cashier then told Lily she was born in Greece. Lily nodded her head like this made perfect sense and then said, "Greece." Lily then turned to the man behind us in line and said, "China?" The man said, "No honey, I was born in America." Again, Lily nodded her head and then said, "Mare Ka." The cashier and the man couldn't believe Lily wasn't two, yet, and was already so chatty! If they only knew the half of it!!

We read age appropriate books about China and adoption with Lily and we also get asked the "Where's she from?" question in front of her fairly often. I realize Lily doesn't know what "being from/born in" China, Greece, or America means exactly...but her response sure was a powerful reminder to me that she doesn't miss a thing!

I was born in China and Mommy and Daddy were born in Mare Ka.

Giddy Up Horsey

Today we visited a horse farm. It was a 'field trip' organized by one of the moms in my stay at home parent's group. Lily loved every second of it and I did, too!

Lily *LOVES* horses and gets so excited when we drive by the horse farm near our house. Well, today she almost spontaneously combusted when I actually pulled into the farm!

The farm runs a therapeutic riding program for adults and children with disabilities and offers field trips to groups like ours. The instructors were absolutely awesome. Miss Tina gave us a tour of the horse barn, talked to us about the horses, and then allowed each child to pet and ride the horses. The program was perfectly age appropriate. They even had a little craft to do while the kids were waiting for their turn to ride on a horse.

It was quite windy today so the children rode the horses in an indoor arena. Miss Tina said something about the wind making the horses "goosey". Don't know what that means...don't think I want to find out!

It's amazing. Our little sweetie who is still totally skiddish around cats and all but a few select dogs has ridden a camel and a horse in the last week! Lily absolutely loved riding the horse. She smiled from ear to ear the entire time and laughed the best belly laugh!

The instructor who led Lily around the ring said she was a "natural rider"...beautiful posture, confidence, etc. Ut oh...could there be horseback riding lessons in our future?

Some of the pictures didn't turn out that great. The lighting in the horse arena was a little tricky...pretty dark but with open windows and doors allowing in sunlight. I still think you will be able to see the pure joy on Lily's face! By the way, don't worry...Lily isn't sitting up on that huge horse all by herself. If you look closely at the horse's hindquarters you will see the legs of the instructor who bent down so she wouldn't be in the picture!

Parrotts At The Zoo

On Saturday we took Lily to The Maryland Zoo for the first time...it was also Tony's first time! I have been to the zoo countless times over the years and had no idea Tony had never been. We all had a great time!

Kris, Tony's friend, has volunteered at the zoo for 10 years. Kris met us after she got off work, ate lunch with us, and then gave us a special guided tour with lots of fun facts about the animals (their names, how they were acquired, etc.). It was great to get the "star treatment". Thanks Kris!

Lily loved all the animals...especially the babies. There was a baby elephant, camel, and several baby chimpanzees...not to mention the young giraffe. It was also a big day at the zoo for Daisy, the rhino. It was her 40th birthday. Lily has been singing, "Happy You, You, Daisy!" since Saturday. Honestly, she hasn't stopped talking about our trip to the zoo!

Oh, by the way, I guess I should mention Lily rode on a camel. So, instead of Lawrence of Arabia we had Lily of Arabia! She loved it and laughed the entire time!

All in all it was a wonderful day and Lily fell fast asleep before we were even out of the zoo parking lot!

Earthquake Relief

Undoubtedly by now you are all aware of the devastating 7.9 earthquake that hit Sichuan Province and Chongqing in China on May 12th.

Tony and I did not visit Sichuan while we were in China. Sichuan is the neighbor to the west of Hubei, the province where Lily was born. I imagine Sichuan is much the same as Hubei. To a large extent populated by poor working people who under normal circumstances live under conditions most of us would find impossible. Add to that the devastation caused by the earthquake that hit almost 10 days ago and I cannot bear to think about their suffering.

While it is true China is experiencing an economic boom I think it is safe to say a very large portion of the population would be surprised to hear that. When I think of the roads we travelled to get to the orphanage where Lily spent her days I can't imagine any type of emergency equipment being able to navigate them to come to the aid of people in crisis. For that matter, I can't even picture where there would be emergency equipment within miles and miles and miles of the orphanage.

CNN is reporting that the death toll is expected to reach over 50,000. That is a number I simply cannot wrap my brain around. Not only are thousands of children orphaned as a result of this tragedy, thousands of parents have also lost their only child.

In the adoption world there are families here in the US and throughout the world who have received referrals for children from Sichuan Province that are waiting to hear word that their children are safe. I cannot imagine their anguish as they wait.

With the economy being what it is...gas costing $4.00 a gallon...and all the other expenses of daily living I know it is hard to find money to give. However, if you are able, please consider donating to Half The Sky. Half The Sky is an amazing organization that is providing emergency and long-term relief for China's children affected by this tragedy.

Young Love And The Other Woman

Last week Tony, Lily, and I met my friend, Kathy, and her son, JX, for dinner. Lily and JX have been together on numerous occasions over the last year and have gotten along just fine. However, there must have been something in the air the other night....

Don't you just love dining alfresco?

How about a butterfly kiss?

Neither Kathy, Tony, or I did anything to encourage this...it was absolutely spontaneous and positively precious. The two of them were so cute together and had absolutely no idea I brought out the camera...they only had eyes for each other!

Speaking of love...from the very beginning Lily has been completely smitten with our neighbor, Rich. Rich is a sweetheart and is really terrific with Lily.

About 6 months ago a new woman entered Rich's life...his daughter, Jessie. Lily didn't know quite what to make of Jessie at first but I think is she starting to really like the other woman in Mr. Rich's life.

Hi there short stuff!

Just remember Jessie...I was here first!

Congratulations Ryan!

There are just some moments that make you so proud you simply can't find the right words...this is one of those moments. Yesterday, my nephew Ryan graduated from college! Just typing that sentence brings tears to my eyes.

Ryan, we are so incredibly proud of you and hope that you are even more proud of yourself!! We know if was a day filled with very mixed emotions. Take some time to savor the fact that...YOU DID IT!!! All your hard work really paid off! We love you!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

It is hard for me to believe that yesterday I celebrated my second Mother's Day...but...it is true...and I enjoyed every minute.

Tony and Lily let me sleep in while they were hard at work in the kitchen cooking up Mexican omelets and sausages (soy-sages) for me. Yummy!

After breakfast we headed to a nearby park. The weather was pretty cold and damp so we had the place to ourselves...hey, a little grey sky and chill in the air doesn't stop us! We had so much fun. Tony, Lily, and I played on the playground and had fun having sliding board "races".

In the evening we went out to dinner with Nai Nai. The food was delicious and Lily was her usual precious, social little self. The waitress and the people at the tables near us enjoyed her thoroughly...as did her Grandmom, Mom, and Dad!

On the way home we stopped by Mary Beth and Ed's to congratulate Ryan on graduating from college (I'll do a separate post about that terrific event!) and then headed home exhausted after a wonderful day!

I love being a mother. In every way it is so much better then I imagined! Granted there are parts of motherhood that are challenging but I would not trade a single second. Here are a few things I love about being Lily's mother:

• I love when we read books together and she backs up to plop down into my lap.
• I love when Lily first wakes up from her nap and she is all warm and snugly and smells like sleep.
• I love that Lily thinks I am magic because I can hop on one foot.
• I love to see Lily's face light up when she sees her daddy.
• I love to see other people's face light up when they see Lily.
• I love her sweet little personality and easy going manner.
• I love that Lily will remind us if we forget to say a blessing before a meal.

I could go on and on but the simple truth is that I just absolutely love that I am Lily's mother!

Speaking of mothers...I guess it is obvious that Mother's Day is one of those days during the year that makes me miss my mom even more. Yesterday, when I was at the cemetery it really struck me how many other people miss their mom, too. If you're mom is still living appreciate every minute of your time with her...even if she's not perfect...because neither are you!

Finally, on Mother's Day I hope that Lily's First Mother and Foster Mother know in their hearts that I will always remember them in mine.

A Springtime Photo Shoot With Aunt Pappyrazzi

Mommy absolutely LOVES this picture!

Last year Patti invited us to her house about two weeks after we came home from China for Sadie's belated birthday party. The dogwoods in her yard were in bloom and Patti took some beautiful pictures. I thought it would be fun to take some shots again this year and see what a difference a year makes!

Then

Now

Here are a few more pictures...some taken this year...some taken last year. Patti, thanks so much for taking these pictures...and please mark your calendar now for next year's photo shoot!

Lily's New Babysitter

Christina ~ A self portrait

Would you trust your child in the hands of this crazy kid? We did!

Saturday night Tony and I went to dinner with our friend, Janis, and Christina watched Lily. Even though Christina isn't as old as you might expect a babysitter to be (she'll be 9 in July), she did a fabulous job. Lily absolutely loves spending time with Christina and Christina is always so good with Lily!!

By the way, since Patti didn't have anything else to do Saturday night she decided to give Christina a hand watching Lily ;-).

Christina and I sharing a snack.

For the first time since we've been home from China Lily went out without either me or Tony...and didn't miss us a bit! Aunt Patti and Christina took Lily to dinner at Chef P's. Lily loves it there and from what I understand put a major dent in Patti's dinner!

Tony and I had a great time with Janis. As much as I love our little sweetie it was so nice to be able to have some "grown-up" time. It feels like it's been forever since I was able to attend to a conversation with an adult from start to finish!

Lily had a great time with her cousin and aunt. Lily did get a little antsy toward the end of the evening but overall the evening was a major success!

We'll be adding these two to the top of our "Favorite Babysitters" list!