Reconnecing with old friends....

This past weekend we traveled to Peoria and Jetta got to meet many new people, as well as reconnect with old friends. On Sunday, we headed over the Humbles and visited for a bit. We let the girls play together and am not sure if they actually recognized each other or if they just realized there was another baby to play with. However, Abby says Bing is not very thrilled when other babies are around and she didn't seem to mind Jetta (to much). They seemed to enjoy each other and played for quite awhile. The one thing neither of them liked much was when either Abby or I held the other one. I have not really ever seen that side of Jetta, but did see it yesterday. It was great to see Bing, as she has changed so much since China. Abby has successfully fattened her up and she looks so darn cute. When we were in China she was sick for a good part of the trip, so it was nice to see her happy, moving around and smiling. She even made her way over to me and let me hold her for a bit. It is amazing how just a few pounds makes a difference, as I think Abby said she is weighing about 20 or so pounds and Jetta is just 16 pounds at her last check. The one thing I did notice was Jetta seems to have grown a bit, because Bing was every bit of 2 or 3 inches taller than Jetta in China and when they were standing side by side Jetta was nearly as tall as Bing. I am so glad that we were able to spend some time with them and hope we are able to do it more often, as I would love the girls to remain friends, as they were supposedly crib mates while they were in the orphanage. I'm hopeful that next year we'll be able to plan a reunion with all the families and will get to see all the progress made with all the girls. I'm gonna post some pictures of our visit with Abby and Bing. I love how happy they both look and am just glad to know they both have loving forever families.

Brushing our teeth...

Yep, that's right, Jetta brushes her teeth. Well, mommy brushes Jetta's teeth. However, she seems to enjoy it and now I can ask her if she wants to brush her teeth and she'll make her way to the bathroom. I tried to accomplish this in China, but she wanted no part of it. So, once we got home, I started doing it everyday and now it's just part of the daily routine. She is also starting to show interest in actually doing it herself (not that she's very successful). So, I let her have the toothbrush and she just chews on it and manages to drool alot, but at least she tries. I just love that she lets me do it and figure since we got started early, she'll be able to do it all on her own once she has more teeth and it truly needs to be done. I'm gonna post a couple pictures of us brushing her teeth, as I just think she looks so sweet.

First Mother's Day....

I finally am able to post, so I will probably be posting several different things, so I can try to get caught up. First order of business however is posting about my first Mother's Day. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it turned out better than I could have ever expected. First, I got to sleep in, which as any new parent knows, that is pretty rare. So, just that alone made the day great. However, waking up and seeing my beautiful daughter's face made me realize what it's all about. It was strange to know that I finally got to celebrate Mother's Day, as it had been a long time coming. Once I got up, Shannon and Jetta brought me out a card. Shannon signed it, but let Jetta give it to me. He sat her down next to me and she handed it to me. My heart just swelled up, just seeing her sitting there and being able to realize this long awaited dream. I opened the card and it was very nice. Then Shannon came over to me and took a couple of red pouches from his pants pocket. I wasn't sure what were in them, but knew they were from China. So, once he handed them to me, I opened them. The first one was for me and it was a necklace that had the Chinese character for mother on it and the second was a necklace for Jetta that had the Chinese character for daughter. By this time, I was crying. I was so happy with the gift, as it was something he and Jetta went shopping for while we were in China and he had held onto it for the two months since we'd been home (which for him is huge, as he always just gives me gifts and then on the day I don't get anything). I gave both him and Jetta a huge hug and was so thankful for the thoughtfulness of the gift and the gift of my daughter. While I thought of her birth mother and hoped that she was not to sad on this day, but was also grateful for her gracious gift and her willingness to let her beautiful daughter go and allow her to have a better life than what she could provide. I will forever be grateful to her and in my heart thank her with more than words can say for the beautiful gift she has given me. I know this is the first of many Mother's Day's to come, but I will remember this one forever. Not to mention, I think it will be really hard for Shannon to outdo himself, as him thinking of me while we were in China and giving me something so special, will be hard to top. However, he still will need to try....lol! I'll post a picture of the card and the necklaces. I wear mine everyday, but unfortunately Jetta can't wear hers yet, as it's a bit to big. I'm so excited for the day when we both can wear them and know that they were special gifts from China.

Just a quick update....

I haven't posted much lately, as our computer crashed on us a little over a week ago and haven't had an opportunity to post. Hopefully we'll get it up and running soon and then I can post about my first Mother's Day and the awesome gift I got, as well as Jetta's progress. Quickly, she is doing great and is changing every day. We are planning a trip to Peoria this weekend and she will get to see her Grandma & Grandpa Vaughn, some of the other family she hasn't met and also see Bing (Abby Humbles baby girl), who Jetta was crib mates with in China. I am looking forward to them seeing each other again, as it has been two months and see if they remember each other. I will have pictures to post then. Hope to be back online soon and able to post more and share new pictures with you.

Swing batter, swing.....

Jetta attended her first professional baseball game Tuesday night. It was Ralcorp night at the ballpark. That means, my company reserved the Coca-Cola patio and invited all employees to attend the game. I was one of the fortunate people who was able to obtain an extra ticket. That was perfect for us, because I really wanted Shannon and Jetta to attend. Since Shannon was home that day, it made it much easier to work out the details and for him to bring her down. We were out shopping on Sunday and was able to find a Cardinals jersey for her (and I'm sure we'll be purchasing a Cubs jersey very soon). It's a bit big, but decided to buy it that way, so she can wear it for awhile (and as tiny as she is, she may be 5 when she outgrows it!). Not only was I excited for them to come to the game, but also to get downtown since that was my first day back to work. Shannon had her all dressed in her jersey and ball cap. She looked adorable. Once we got to the game, she was a hit. Many of my co-workers stopped by to see her. Most of them had already met her at the office, but was glad to see her again. She managed to eat nearly two ballpark hot dogs and seemed to love them. Once we were all done eating, we held her so she could see the game. It seemed as if she was really enjoying it. We had a perfect night for baseball. Our next game will be a Cubs/Cards game on the 21st of this month, which I'm sure will be interesting since daddy is a Cubs fan and mommy a Cards fan....we'll definitely post pictures from that day. Speaking of pictures, I will include some of this trip to the ballpark and if I do say so myself, she looks very good in red!

Heading back to work....

Well, my time off is coming to an end. Today is officially my last day before I head back to work. I am so grateful to have had this time, I think it was good for both Jetta and I. Jetta continues to change everyday (I'm going to include a picture from Gotcha Day and a recent picture - just to see how much she has changed in such a short time) and has adjusted very well. While she definitely has become a mamma's girl, I think she will do very well with Aunt Lori and Carrie and Elise (thanks to both of you for agreeing to take care of my precious gem and making this much easier). Last week she spent a few hours with Aunt Lori while I went into St. Louis and she did very well. I'm not looking forward to going back and only getting to see her a few hours a day, but am also ready to get back into a normal routine. The time off is more of a fairytale, but it one that I have enjoyed very much and know I will continue to enjoy it, just in a different way. The one thing I know for sure, I will be looking forward to Friday's now more than ever!

Just a recap since we got her.....she attached to both Shannon and I very well in China, she has gotten two more teeth and lets us brush her teeth, she had her 1st birthday, got her 1 year pictures taken, her ears pierced, her hair trimmed, is starting to walk very well, is eating on her own (thank you Dora!!!), has gained a little more than a pound (since she seems to be an endless pit - the girl can eat), can say....ba ba, ma, ma (which was one of her very first words), oh, oh, bye, bye, hi and makes many other sounds, started going to the Little Gym, spent time with her grandparents and of course gotten spoiled rotten. I'm sure there are many other things that have happened, but those are some of the really big things. She has mainly facial expressions, you never know what one she'll give you and plenty of sounds. I think once she starts to talk, she will be very animated and have plenty to say. She has been an amazing addition to my life and can't even imagine life without her. The 3 year wait was definitely worth it (not that I have forgotten about it) and am glad that China picked her for us.

Tomorrow she will spend the whole day with daddy and will get to attend her first Cardinals game. I can't wait....we got her a jersey and she looks adorable. It is Ralcorp night at the ballpark and I was lucky enough to win an extra ticketl. So, Shannon will watch Jetta all day and then they will join me at the game. Wednesday will be her first day away from both of us and will be with Carrie and Elise. I am already looking forward to getting home to her Wednesday night.

I may not post as often since I'm heading back tow ork, but will still post when time permits. As always, thanks to all of you for following along and your continued support. I look forward to sharing more of her milestones with you.

Little Miss America

It's official, last week I finally received Jetta's Certificate of Citizenship, officially making her an American citizen. While, technically she became a citizen when she arrived in the U.S., we needed this certificate in order to get her a social security number. We visited the SSA office last week and got that taken care of. Hopefully in the next week or so we'll get her official card. I had to take a picture of her in a little red, white & blue outfit. I have her hair in a single piggy with a red,white & blue hair clip (a lady gave it to us in China, her school makes them and wanted her to bring them and share them with other adoptive parents in China). However, Jetta wasn't very cooperative when we were trying to take these pictures, so you won't really be able to see it. I'm glad she was more cooperative when we took her for pictures. So, I hope you enjoy the photo of MY little Miss America!

A day on the lake.....

This weekend daddy went fishing at Carlyle lake and we went out to see him yesterday. My friend Jen and I rode out so Jetta could meet our friend Kathy and also to see her daddy. Once we got there daddy wanted to take her on a boat ride. Al had a life jacket small enough for her to wear to we put it on her and we took her for a spin. We just putted around, but she didn't seem to mind. I'm gonna post a few pics from her ride and then a picture with Great Grandpa Jack. He had her giggling and he had a big smile on his face too. I'm glad she got to spend some time with him and got to go on her first boat ride. She even steered the boat for a bit (thank goodness the lake is so big).

Jetta's first steps.....

While she has been trying to walk since we got her, I think she officially is walking. Talk about a great moment. While we are ready for her to walk, we're not, cuz that means before long she'll be running and so will we. When we got her in China, she was pulling herself up and walking around the furniture, etc. But, now as you'll see in the video, is just a balancing act. What a big day.....I hope you enjoy the video as much as we did watching her do it.