Jetta's got Bling!

After we left the Botanical Gardens, we headed over to Fairview to meet friends for dinner. We had a few hours to kill, so we ran some errands and got Jetta some bling. I had been wanting to get her ears pierced since we got home, but wanted Shannon to be able to be there when we got it done. So, we decided on Saturday to stop by the mall and have it done. She did very well. There were two girls at the piercing place and so figured it would make the whole experience easier. Well, it kind of did....one of the girls forgot to move Jetta's hair out of the way and when they went to pierce her ears, the one side got stuck and caused a little bit of extra pain. Jetta handled it well. She only cried for a minute....I think it helped that daddy was standing by with a pretzel to give her a bite. That seemed to cure all the pain. As of now, she has not bothered them at all and hasn't fussed at all when we have cleaned them or turned them. We have six weeks of turning and cleaning, but really love the way they look. As of now, we only have a couple pics, but you'll be able to see the bling. We have already bought her a couple pair of earrings....one in China, which are pink ladybugs and her second pair is a pair of diamonds that we bought right before we left for China. I can't wait until we can put them in, both the diamonds and the ladybugs. The chair she is sitting in, is a little rocking chair that my friend Dawn's mom bought for her. I'm still trying to decide if I want to stain or paint it. She loves it, she goes to it all the time and just rocks it.....thanks Laurie for the gift.

Chinese Cultural Days

This past Saturday was Jetta's first Chinese Cultural Days at the Botanical Gardens. We have gone before, but it was much more special being able to take her. We made it in time for the opening parade and Jetta seemed to really enjoy it. We then watched the Shanghai Circus, which included the amazing Thunder Drummers (a group of young girls who were suppose to perform at the Olympics, but were just beaten out). I will include a couple pics of them. They were great. There were also some acrobats and a few other featured performances. We then walked thru the Children's Garden and Jetta went on the slide with my friend Tammy and her daughter Paige. She seemed to enjoy it. After that, we opted to head out, as the day was very warm and Jetta was getting very tired. We had a great time and was glad we got to spend the day with our friends, Tammy, Paige and Tammy's mom Granny Fran.

Jetta's 1st Photo Shoot....

This morning we took Jetta to Portrait Innovations and got her first professional pictures taken. She was great. We were a little worried that she wouldn't cooperate, but she was awesome. She sat very well, was full of smiles and of course full of cuteness. Seeing the pictures brought tears to my eyes. It is so hard to believe that we are taking our daughter to get her pictures. Something I have wanted to do for 3 years. Then for her to cooperate so well and for them to turn out so great, made it such a great experience. So, here are a few of the pictures that were taken today. Hopefully you enjoy them as much as we do. Don't worry grandma's and grandpa's, you'll have your very own in the mail next week. Also, thanks to my friend Terry for the gift certificate, it was a great gift and helped out. Also, in the two pics that you can see my leg and/or arm, don't worry those aren't like that in the ones we got...these are the ones off the disc, unedited at all, but wanted to share them nonetheless.

Jetta's 1st Easter....

Yesterday was our first holiday with Jetta and her first Easter. It was great and we had a very nice day. We spent the day with my friend Tiffany and her family. Tiffany and I have been friends for several years and have gotten to know her family over that time. They were very nice to invite us to spend the holiday with them and they made us feel as if we were family. The Easter bunny was very good to Jetta and so was Nana. Nana, is Tiffany's mom and has been anxiously waiting for Jetta just like the rest of us. Ethan, thanks for sharing your Nana with Jetta.

As you can see Jetta is actually wearing a dress....her first dress...unless you consider her traditional Chinese dress a dress. I kind of felt like yesterday was her first day in a dress and it was very cute to see her in one. Also, she got to see her first real Easter bunny. Tiff's uncle had several baby bunnies that he let all the kids enjoy and we took pictures with them and Jetta. As you can see she was very curious and really liked them. I'm sure she would have liked if we would have brought one home, but I highly doubt Sam, Takai and Peanut would have. Well, maybe they would have, but don't think the bunny would have made it to long.

Also, Jetta is using her Easter basket from her Aunt Dawn. This was a shower gift from my very good friend Dawn. We have been friends for years and she gave Jetta this very special gift and one that we will always treasure. Prior to the bunnies filling the basket, she has eggs and candy in it. Don't worry Dawn, the basket never went outside and never hit the ground....ha, ha! Thanks again for the very special present.

After a long day and great food, we headed home and Jetta was worn out. Everyone made such a fuss over her, she was worn out from being so darn cute. It was a very nice day and am glad we got to spend our first holiday with her and finally to see her enjoy it so much as well.

Tomorrow will be a big day for us, as we're headed to Peabody and will visit all my former co-workers. I owe them a visit, as they have all been so supportive during this process and have continued to follow along even after I left. So, I'm sure tomorrow will be a great day.

Last week we visited Ralcorp and all my co-workers got to see her. It was great and she was as cute as always. It was nice to be able to share her with them, because they have all been very supportive during my short time there....I'm so greatful to have such great people in my lives. Thanks everyone for all the support and love you have shown me. I'm glad I have had the opportunity to share her with you and will be able to continue to do so. No more waiting.

Well, I best get going, she is all over the house. I just wanted to post some pics from yesterday and to just give you a brief upate. Not much else has been going on, we are just busy running errands and enjoying our time together. I'll post more soon. As always, thanks for following along.

Updates

Just thought I would post to give you all a few updates on how things are going. Jetta is doing great. She is for the most part adjusted to the time change and is sleeping through the night. We typically put her down around 8:00 - 8:30 and she sleeps until 5:00 - 5:30 and then we change her diaper, give her a bottle and she goes back down for another hour or two. It only took her about a week to get adjusted. I was happy that it happened that quick and she seems to be adjusting well.

We had her first doctors visit last Friday. The took her measurements, both height and weight. She weighed 14 lbs 15.5 ozs. A bit on the small side, but the doctor didn't seem to concerned, as over all she is healthy. She is 28 1/2 long. Both of the measurements put her is the 25th percentile. Overall the doctor believes she is doing well, as she is very strong, pulling herself up, standing along for 10 - 20 seconds, sitting up alone, etc. For now we will continue to leave her on the formula she's on and continue to slowly introduce her to other foods.

When we got her, she had no idea how to eat...per say. They claimed that she liked sweet things, ate congee (a soupy rice cereal type of dish) and a few other things. However, that didn't seem to be true, as she wouldn't eat anything or even try anything, until two days before we left. I finally got her take some chicken dumpling type broth and mashed potatoes off of my finger. She would gag a bit, as she wasn't sure what to do. However, since she has been home, she has been trying alot of other things. We have discovered she likes mommy's cheesey noodles, pumpkin bread, cheese from pizza and ranch dressing. She is also eating fruits from Gerber and seems to really like them. She is curious and wants to try stuff, as she has been watching us eat and I think that is helping her want to try things as she loves to imitate.

Yesterday we took Grandma Peters to the airport, as she had been here visiting us for a week. She and Jetta seemed to really bond. Grandma spoiled her to death and I don't think Jetta minded at all. Hopefully Grandma will be able to come back and visit again soon, or we can make a trip to see her. We are planning to start using Skype, which will allow us to talk over the computer and have video with it. Letting Grandma and others see Jetta on the screen, hopefully making being apart a bit easier.

So, now it's just Jetta and I. Yesterday after we dropped Grandma off, we went to visit daddy at work. That went really well, she was as cute as always and stole all of their hearts. Then we headed to the doctor for mommy and got me some medicine for my ongoing cold. She wasn't sure she wanted the doctor to hold her, but who could blame her after all she's been through in the last week. Then we headed to Archivers so I can begin making pages for her scrapbook. All the ladies oohed and ahhed over her. She was great the whole time we were out.

She is doing so good in the carseat, no crying at all. I think she finally realized that it isn't a bad thing and that it is actually a pretty comfy place to be. She manages to fall asleep everytime she's in it. She wakes up when we stop, but seems to be adjusting to that pretty well too.

Overall things are going very well. She is adjusting very well and is such a happy baby. China definitely picked the right baby for me and she has been such a joy, I can only imagine what the future holds. I best get going, as it is time to wake her up from her morning nap. As always, thanks for following along.