Hair!

It's quite a change from the girl we were handed that day in Nanning with the short wiry hair!  She's had a few little trims to shape it, but it's not really been cut.  A bit of clowning around left her hair fanned out on the carpet, and it was time to grab the camera.

Growing Up So Fast

We say it a lot, and I'm sure we will say it more in the future -- "She's growing up so fast!" 

Yesterday we learned that flu shots were available, including the H1N1 at the local family home care clinic.  As Kim could not get away from school, I took a long lunch hour to take her for the shots.  Kim was there when I picked her up at daycare, and it was all good and go!  The shots went very well, no tears at all, and Miaya didn't cry either!  We celebrated with some plain doughnuts on the way back, and she munched right through hers.  I was dreading the return to the daycare, but Miaya surprised me by marching right in the door and taking her coat off.  We proceeded on to the classroom and had a happy parting. 

Miaya surprises us a lot, from zipping her own coat to (sometimes) picking up her stuff with minimal prompting to - well - a lot of things.  Not quite 2 1/2, but we find ourselves in wonderment at the things she does and says.  New words appear almost daily, and they are getting clearer all the time.  She walks more now, it's not always a frantic dash everywhere she goes.  To think of the things she has learned and accomplished it just that 2 1/2 years, from zero to the self possessed little girl she is now. 

Sometimes We Need To Be Reminded

We see her everyday, and, we also see the pictures on the wall, and we remember.  But, sometimes we need a reminder on how far Miaya (and we as parents) have come in the months we have had her as our daughter.  The other evening we were looking at some of the raw video footage from China, and ran across a seven minute clip of Miaya with Kim shortly after we returned to the hotel on Gotcha Day.

We were still reeling from the experience, and the enormity of the situation was truly beginning to sink in.  Suddenly we were parents!  Everything Miaya did was cause for marveling and trying to assess her abilities and look for possible issues.  A few little smiles, some giggles at our antics, playing peekaboo, and showing off her skill at "The Dropping Game"! We were in new parent heaven and loving every minute of it.

She was so TINY then! Well, in relation to the other girls in our group about the same, or maybe a little bigger, but looking back now she looks so small, and she has grown about six inches.  We were suddenly very aware of the size of the girl we see every day, and how far she has come in her growth and development.  Though she had only been our Miaya for a few short hours, she had already captured our hearts and she was the daughter we had so longed for.  She showed her playful side, and a lot of curiosity about her surroundings. That curiosity is still with her, "Mommy, Daddy what's that?" is heard dozens of times per day in our house.

We see the girl in the above picture everyday, but sometimes forget just how much she has changed in the past fifteen months.  Miaya has been our daughter for over half her life, and that is a long time to her.  Watching her grow and learn is a wonderful experience, one that we could not fully appreciate until we had lived it. 

The Orioles t-shirt she is wearing came in a gift swap we participated in during the seemingly endless wait.  Thanks again to the Waldo family for the shirt and other goodies.  They have also returned with their own daughter of China.

What's Outside Our Window

SNOW!!!!!!!!

It snowed nearly all morning, but was all gone by the time it quit snowing.

The flowers looked pretty sad but survived this time as the temperatures were mild enough.

Miaya in the snow.

She wanted to play for a while, but it wasn't that warm.