Update on Kate

I had a comment wondering about Kate. Here's the latest...

We still don't have an LID. Still. We were DTC 12/14 and we are still waiting to hear about it! I'm becoming a little worried, I'm going to have to say! Hopefully we'll hear something soon so we aren't wondering if our dossier even got there!

I am so ready for our referral. We honestly have absolutely no idea when it should come, or when to expect it. Right now we can only hope for sometime this year. We've been on the IF list since September, now.

So that's about it for Kate updates... there's not really much going on in her adoption. I'll let you know as soon as we hear something!

Also, while I'm posting I just wanted to mention how absolutely sweet my little mei mei is. I know I say that a lot, but today she was at Chickfila, got pushed, reopened a booboo she has on her chin, and sobbed. But Mom said she didn't think AC was crying out of pain, but more out of hurt feelings that someone would push her. She was playing on the play thing when Mom heard her start crying and when she finally got down, she pointed to an older boy and said, "Pushu!" She is so loving, caring, kind, and just SWEET that I think this just really hurt her that someone would push her. Poor baby. She wouldn't slide after that. =[. I know kids push, it's just a fact, but that did remind me of how loving, sweet, and tender-hearted my sweetie is. I'm not saying she's perfect, but she's about the sweetest thing in the world. (But I could be a little biased!)

Oh and today she was telling Mom everyone that loved her, "Mommy, Daddy, Sissy, Will, Drew, Jason, Jesus!" Jason is Drew's friend. Isn't that just too cute?

And then, she was talking on the phone (which she is the cutest talking on the phone) to Drew. Normally when she gets on the phone, she informs whoever it is that, "We took Christmas DOWN!" (even though that was weeks ago!) But today, she holds the phone and goes, "Hi Drew! No potty!" Yep... she WILL NOT sit on the potty now... oh well, when she's totally ready, we will be, too.

She had the cutest new little tulip outfit on today, but I forgot to snap a picture... next time!

Guess who...

...went potty in her potty THREE times today and kept her big girl panties dry all afternoon?!?!

She did it!

and she was definitely really proud of herself as she called everyone over to see, wiped, washed her hands, and ate chocolate kissys!

Chicken Pox!

Well Miss AnnaClaire has something we know as the... chicken pox. She did get the vaccine, yet she has them. Luckily, she has a very mild case of them and isn't in too much uncomfort. They are mostly on her tummy and back, and a few on her legs. There are none on her arms, face, or scalp, so that's good. You probably can't even tell in the pictures, because her case is so mild. In fact, they are starting to go away and I don't think they are even contagious anymore. Nevertheless, she has them and has been saying "Itchy right THERE!" the past few days. She had a cold in China and a cold last February and other than that she has not been sick. So she has stayed extremely healthy until her pox!

On another note today she had just gotten a fresh diaper on and she started walking funny and ran over to the potty saying, "POTTTTTTY!" we hurried to get her there, but I think we were too late because her diaper was wet and although she sat there for like 15 minutes, no more came out. However, it was a good try!

13 months, 2 weeks

Today is a sort of special day in that it marks the day that we have had AnnaClaire as long as we haven't. On December 11, 2006, our little Bu Bear was placed in our arms... at 13 months and 2 weeks (to the day) old. Today marks 13 months and 2 weeks after gotcha day which means we have officially had her as long as we haven't. Sadly, I went straight from school to a swim meet and got home just after AC went to bed, I have no pictures. Here's one from Wednesday though! I absolutely love that picture. I just love my mei mei! She is the sweetest thing ever!

My Precious Mei Mei,
Today is a special day! You became part of our family when you were 13 months and 2 weeks old. That same amount of time has passed since you became part of our family! That means you have been AnnaClaire the same amountt of time that you lived in China! That is very special... I love you so much! Never forget that. You will always be my precious gift and I will love you forever. I cannot believe you have been in our family this long already. The same amount of time has passed since you were placed in Mommy's arms that had passed since you were born... You have grown so much in these 13 months and 2 weeks! I love you Bu Bear!
Love, Sissy

My sweetie

I just love my little AnnaClaire so much. I really can't quite explain how much she means to me.

She is so cute. Everything she does makes me think, "What would I do without her... she is just so cute."

Tonight at our table, at each place setting she sat a "Little People" person in the chair and put a bowl on the table. Is that not adorable?

I was at the ortho the other day getting new retainers, and let me tell you, AC is just the star there. She run around and everyone stops what they are doing and caters to her every whim. She experienced going up and down in the patient chair about 3 times. She loved every minute of it, too!

Ohhh! She used the potty on Thursday! It was her first time since like the end of August, the day she got the potty! She always says, "NOOOOOOOO!" everytime we ask if she wants to go on it. But that time she told Mommy she did and she went in the bathroom and shut the door. Mom said she heard her getting toilet paper but thought she was playing and so suspected nothing when she came out a few minutes later. Then it dawned on Mom and she said, "Did you go potty?" AnnaClaire answered yet and sure enough Mom looked in and her potty was filled with toilet paper! She got chocolate kissys (her favorite.. and absolutely adorable when she says it) and got to wear her PANTIES! She happily told me about her accomplishment when she got home from school. It had been 2 hours and her panties were still dry. However, I asked if she needed to go again and she responded firmly, "NO!" and 5 minutes later she had wet panties... Oh well, she still did great!

Patty Cake!

AnnaClaire absolutely loves doing Patty Cake. She is so cute doing it! She has the sweetest voice ever. I took quite a few videos of her doing it. This ones my favorite. She forgot the roll it part, which is the cutest because she rolls her hands so cutely. (and also the oven part... but she always leaves that part out.) But this one really did turn out the cutest... so yes. There was another one that made me laugh because half way through it, she goes "Eat rice upstairs?" She heard Mom and Dad talking about our Chinese food. It was so funny. Then she was saying bye to the camera and goes "bye bye camera, see you next year!" She always says that when she says bye... she still remembers from when we made the Chatty Girls Reunion video!

So anyway enjoy the video. I'm going to try to take more videos and post them, because then you can actually see her live and hear her adorableeeeee voice! So enjoy!

More snow! (pictures out of order)

We got a little more snow the other day, not enough to even stick, but we still had fun playing while it fell. Afterwards, Dad, AC, and I went to Starbucks and Miss AnnaClaire enjoyed some hot cocoa! That was definitely a hit! (Oh and by the way, she did not drink all that hot chocolate! They ran out of kids cups, so they had to put it in a big one.)

Half an inch of snow is enough for me!

So it snowed. Finally. However, it was about half an inch... not even enough to call off school. We did have an hour delay (Yes, you Northerners will make fun of us!), so I was able to take a few pictures of the Bu in the snow before we left. Half an inch was enough for her to get in all her new snow gear (Yes it rarely snows and she has a full snow outfit... we got everything used and cheap!) Remember last year our one snow, she was wearing a romper and a fleece jacket? So anyway... she was really cute in the snow. I wish I could've been home longer to watch her! She was so interested in it. I hope it comes again... and more! We did have quite a few snowball fights at school, which was fun. But, by the time school was out, all the snow was gone... So we enjoyed half a day of half an inch of snow... but snow nonetheless!

Blogging with a Purpose

I was very excited when I saw two comments telling me I had been awarded the Blogging with a Purpose award... from two of my favorite blogs! The things that both of these women had to say left me feeling very honored to recieve the award. I pretty much do this blog as a journal, but am glad that while it serves me it also serves others. Sure, sometimes I get rude comments that make me want to stop blogging, but it's things like this that make me keep going...

Delivered from Heaven said this: This blog is amazing! It's written by a 14 year old sister of a beautiful China doll named Anna Claire. Her family is now waiting to bring home yet another little one from China. Our Lord uses children in so many ways, and Emily is no exception. She is a shining example of a big sister, but what most moves me most is her true and genuine love for Jesus. She is open about her faith and her love for beautiful family, something that we do not often see from teenagers in our society now a days. Thank you, Emily!

Buckeyes in China said this: I love reading this teenagers view of adopting her little sister over a year ago and now waiting to adopt another. It's not very often you see a 14 year old who is so unselfish.

So thank you so much for those sweet comments about my blog. They really do mean a lot =]]

Now I am supposed to nominate 5 people for the award, people who haven't yet received it.

1.) Staci of When Love Takes You In and Journey 2 Sarah: Staci is one of the sweetest people I have met. We had the pleasure of traveling to China for our mei meis together back in '06. Since then we have kept in touch. AnnaClaire and Sarah Lu are good little friends, and are both getting a sister from China! Staci and her family recently excepted the referral of little Chayah Elizabeth and they will be bringing her home sometime this year! Staci is a faithful poster and takes the most beautiful pictures of little Sarah. You can tell her love for her sister, and I just love reading her blog for those reasons.

2.) Maggie's Mommy from Maggie's Red Thread: We have also had the pleasure of meeting this family and AnnaClaire and Maggie are just adorable together. I love Maggie's mommy's posts because she isn't afraid to be truthful. Little Maggie is too cute and her Mom is so sweet, too. They are also returning to China for a mei mei for Maggie, which is so exciting!

3.) Ana Claire's Mommy from Young Party of Five: This is another one of my favorite blogs. Ana Claire's mom takes gorgeous pictures and posts a lot! I can tell that she is really sweet, and a great mom, too. Her blog is just great and very interesting and uplifting and I just love it =].

4.) Holly of Holly's Mei Mei: Holly's blog is another one of my favorites. She is also a faithful poster and has tons of cute pictures to share of her precious mei mei, Grace. Being about the same age with same age sisters, I feel like I can relate to a lot of what she says. She posts beautifully and her blog is always a fun one to visit.

5.) Keara of Princess and the Pea: I love Keara's blog. They are another family we had the amazing experience of meeting in May. AnnaClaire's "twin", Maura is so sweet as is her family. Keara posts beautifully and although she doesn't have a ton of time to now, when she does they are long and full of pictures. She pours her heart into her posts. She also takes beautiful pictures of Miss Maura.

Winter Formal

The friends we did dinner with

The girls (probably laughing at all the cameras going off)

A bunch of the girls at the dance
AnnaClaire loves Bunny!

... and her wooden hot cocoa

Our dance was on Saturday and it was very fun. I went over to one of my friend's houses before to get ready, which was fun. We got all ready and took some pictures at her house before going over to another friend's house for dinner and pictures. For the most part, we just went as a big group of friends, but a couple of people did have dates. We had a delicious dinner of steak and got some good pictures before going to the dance. It was really fun, too. We had a really good time. The best part of the whole thing was just getting all dressed up and taking pictures, but the dance was fun too. Afterwards, about 10 of us went midnight bowling which was amazing. It was really fun. We got home very late and had a sleepover. It was a really great night. I've posted 3 pictures from that. There are also 2 of AnnaClaire before I left for the dance. She does love her hot cocoa and Bunny- two of her favorite things!

Fun Playing!

These are from yesterday... Oh and by the way, I had decided to stop with the monthly gotcha posts and such when we reached a year, but I did want to mention quick that today marks 13 months!!

Oh and a cute story from today that I just have to mention... Mom brought my lunch to school today and my 4th period class (right before lunch) is like in the main hall place. So, when Mom and AnnaClaire brought my lunch, everyone in my room saw Miss AnnaClaire. It wasn't long before she was in the room running around and saying hi to everyone. She was so happy seeing everyone and being doted all over! She loves coming to school. It was too cute when she ran in the class... and right over to Sissy =]!

She sings, she prays...

So it's been a couple of days since my last post... I have no new pictures to share, but did want to post a little. Oh, but here's a picture I didn't post. I took it the same day as the last one (Sat) while we were playing ring-a-round the rosy. She was singing in this picture. She is the cutest singer ever. She knows Ring-a-Round the Rosy, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph, Happy Birthday, and I think that's it. She knows a little of Jesus Loves Me, too. She is the cutest singer I have ever seen. Not only does she sing, she is the funniest dancer. Today on the way to youth group, we were listening to music and she had her head bopping, and her arms going up and down! It was the cutest thing. She also starts singing to the songs, like this one song that goes "la la la", she joins in on that part. Miss Sweetness herself! She is also learning to pray. For the past year we have had the same prayer, "Dear God thank you for my food, Amen." She is now starting to say it and if you ask her to pray, she bows her head and folds her hands and says, "God, thank you food. AMEN!" It's so adorable. She is the cutest thing ever. She is always so happy, too. No matter where she is or what she's doing, she's happy. I mean she is two, and she does have her share of whining, but the happy moments far outweigh the whiney ones, that's for sure! She is so smart and points everyone out in pictures, even old pictures! Everything she sees, she points to and explains what it is. She is just a smart little thing! She really is so sweet. Yesterday she was trying on a dress and Mom said, "AnnaClaire would you like to try this dress on?" Although she was playing with trains, she put them down and ran over saying, "Yes, Mommy!" She's so good =]. So basically, no my girl isn't perfect... but she is about the sweetest thing ever! I'll take some pictures and add them soon...

We have a school dance on Saturday which has been exciting getting ready for. School's been good, too.

I guess that's really all I have to say... Have a great night!

I am the luckiest person alive

Look at my beautiful sister. My sister. Do you know how amazing it is to say that? I am completely convinced that I am the luckiest person alive. For the past almost 13 months, I have watched my beautiful girl grow up. When I was looking through pictures for the New Year's post, I was reminded what a far way she has come in this year. Everything about her. She is growing up so fast... too fast for her sissy's liking! Last year at this time, she was that sweet little baby, standing on the bench, all bundled up, smiling. She has come so far. Each and every day I find myself more and more in love with my precious Bu Bear. She really is just a joy. A joy to be with, a joy to be the sister of, a joy to think about, a joy to look at pictures of. Her smile lights up my life. Her big, cheesy, eye-squinty, smile. Her loving attitude... She cares so much about other people. She is the absolute sweetest thing. She has the most tender heart for a 2 year old. She is busy, busy... doesn't want anyone to have a break! She is a princess and she definitely knows it! I love how she gets your attention. She walks over and asks to hold hands (which of course I can never resist) she then brings you over to something and tells you to sit... sooner or later you are playing something with her and she is just laughing away as she enjoys the presence of whoever she's with. She's an absolute HAM, too. I just love her. Today we were getting out of the car and Mom and AC went to get the mail. I just watched as AnnaClaire ran down the driveway with Mom and looked up at Mom as she grabbed the mail, just chattering away. She sure loves to talk! She says anything and everything now. She doesn't miss a beat, either. We will be listening to music, and she will start saying what the song says! It's so funny when all of a sudden you hear her start singing along. Speaking of which, she LOVES to sing. I'm surprised how many songs she knows, too! She has the cutest little singing voice ever! I just can't believe how BLESSED I am to have AnnaClaire in my life... not just that, but to be her sister. Not many 14 year olds get the privilege of having a 2 year old sister! I am so blessed. I am so thankful for AnnaClaire and all she has given me. She truly has changed my life... for the better, and there is no doubt in my mind that I am the luckiest person alive.

Looking back on 2007

January: 1 month home (first drs appt)

February: first snow!

March: first haircut

April: first Easter

May: meeting Maura, Keara, and Mrs. S in Williamsburg

June: flower girl in cousin, Matthew's wedding
July: First 4th of July at the Botanical Gardens
August: First beach trip!

September: festival on Labor Day (got to go on a fire truck!!)

October: 2nd birthday!!

November: first Thanksgiving and meeting the Chatty Girls in FL

December: Merry Christmas and Happy 1 year together!