This Blog Has Moved

All the photos! All the fun! Only the address has changed!

In the interests of achieving a greater level of privacy, I have set up a new blog address and will be sending the address to family members and friends.
If you don't receive an email from me but know me well enough to have my email address, please send me an email and I'll send you the link in return.

Graduation Day

Today was graduation day at preschool. Though Mia's class wasn't really graduating, they performed at the ceremony. They were dressed up in cute t-shirts and "duck" caps. Mia's cap was nowhere to be seen, I assume because she refused to wear it. (We have a drawer full of sunhats at home - acquired before I realized our gal's distaste for headwear.) They sang If You're Happy and You Know It. Mia wasn't exactly keeping up with the hand motions - after all, she is the youngest in her class by 6 to 11 months. Still, I thought she was so adorable, it brought me to tears. (At events like that, it doesn't take much to bring me to tears.) The highlight of the ceremony was the graduating students processing into the room in white caps and gowns, to the tune of Pomp and Circumstance. I'm guessing there weren't too many dry eyes in the room. I myself was fumbling through my pocketbook for more tissues. They closed with a blessing, thanking God for the school and teachers and most of all the children. It was one of those moments when all was right with the world and the future was full of promise.


A few days ago, a babysitter found Dr. Suess's The Places You'll Go on our bookshelf, among several other hand-me-down books that have yet to be opened. While I was familiar with the title, I don't think I'd ever actually read the book, even in my own childhood. I overheard the babysitter reading it to Mia and was really touched by the message. While Mia's latest go-to book is Green Eggs & Ham, I plan to work The Places You'll Go into the rotation.


Note to Mia - On this day, I am full of love for you and I'm imagining all the places you'll go. School, college, France, China... The world is a wonderful place to explore and I can't wait to explore it anew, through your eyes.

Grammy's Here!

Mia's paternal grandmother arrived yesterday and Mia is more than ecstatic about it. Grammy arrived during Mia's nap, and when Mia awakened, Grammy was right there. Jeff reports that Mia jumped up and tried to kiss Grammy right through the walls of her crib tent. You'd never guess Mia hadn't seen her Grammy since Christmas.
Mia is wild about her Grammy. She was bouncing off the walls last night, and why not? With Grammy in the mix, Mia has 3 adults watching her every move, reading to her, and generally doing her bidding. Another go-round of "Ring Aroung the Rosie"? No problem!
An incident this morning reminded me that I can learn something from Grammy, who parented three children and grandparented four more before Mia showed up. We had spent some time at a nearby shopping mall. As we headed back to the car after lunch, Mia wasn't being too cooperative. First, she demanded that I carry her the rest of the way, which wasn't too feasible given the sheer size of the mail. Barring that, she wanted to walk on her own, no hand-holding allowed. If you could call it walking. Mia ran zig-zag down the corridor, touching the plants in a planter one minute, zipping away to climb on a bench the next. Just as I'd catch up to her, she'd be off to her next conquest. (We'd astutely taken the elevator down to the lowest level of the mall, so at least I didn't have to worry about her jumping over any railings.) I finally stopped Mia and sat down on the floor, winding up to give her a talking-to about running in the mall. That's when Grammy had a bright idea. She asked Mia to help her carry the diaper bag. Grammy could hold one handle, Mia the other. It worked quite well, really. Maybe I'll patent it. "Hand-holding, twice removed." As we slowly made our way to the exit, I was reminded that my parenting book suggests that redirection is more effective than confrontation. Obviously, Grammy learned this lesson long ago.
We love having you here, Grammy!

Celebrating a New Life

Today we are sharing in the joy of a wonderful event. Mia's playmate and her family are in Guangzhou to adopt a new big sister. The new big sister (by all of 6 months) looks wonderful in the photos and the two girls look adorable together. By the end of the month, our Saturday play date will be a threesome!
Seeing pictures of their Gotcha Day brings back so many happy memories of the day they first put Mia in our arms. We wish our friends every happiness as they learn to become a family.

Independence Day

Oh, Mia, you are growing up so fast.
It started on the playground a couple of weeks ago. Your Daddy offered his hand as you walked across the 'mushrooms', those elevated stepping stones that up until now have been a bit too far apart for you to navigate comfortably. "Wanna do it myself!" you said as you pulled your hand away from Daddy's.
Your desire to be independent is spreading faster than a melting ice cube. You say "Do it myself!" a lot now. Last night before bed, we were rocking in the green chair and you requested your current favorite book, The Napping House. But then when I started to read it, you said, "Mom can't say it." I didn't mind, because then you took the book from me and read it to me. When I tried to do "Round and round the garden" on your foot, you said you wanted to do it. My favorite moment of all was when I asked you (as I do most nights) if you wanted to hear the story about when you were born in China. You said yes, but then for the very first time you started telling the story, in your own words.
We're proud of your fierce desire to be independent. You aren't our baby anymore, you are our little girl. An amazing little girl.

The Big Girl Bed

You may recall that her crib has a tent-like cover to keep her inside-- otherwise we would have been forced to move her to a big girl bed a long time ago. Mia is getting so big now (37 inches, 35.6 lbs) that I have trouble getting her in and out of her crib if she doesn't want to cooperate. Which is a significant percentage of the time. We tried out the big girl bed for a couple of days. Mia liked it a lot, as you can see in the photo, but the problem is that she will not stay in it. The side rails aren't enough to restrain her, no way. So after 2-3 days of playing, "Get back in bed, honey, or you will have to sleep in the crib", we went back to the crib. Maybe in a couple of months we can try again.

Parenting Lessons

I'm beginning to think that learning to parent is like learning to ski. You can take lessons to get some of the basics, but at a certain point the instructor says, "No more lessons for now -- you need to put on some mileage." Meaning you can't learn to ski only by taking lessons, you have to actually get out there on the slopes with all the snowboarders whizzing by you. Sure, you can start small on a bunny hill and get your confidence up. I stayed on the bunny hill a lot longer than I needed to, because I like skiing to be easy and fun, not fast and terrifying. (And then there was the day I accidentally got on a black diamond trail...) Is there a bunny hill for parenting?
Being a stay-at-home mom for the moment, I'm getting a lot more time with Mia, and I can see my parenting skills really improving. I spend about 15 minutes per night in a "lesson", i.e., reading my new favorite parenting book, Becoming The Parent You Want To Be. It has taken a while, but I'm getting the hang of parenting in the way the authors suggest. Mia still has her episodes, but I find I am better able to stay calm and problem-solve in the moment. Jeff has noticed the difference and wants to read the book.

Mothers Day at School

Yesterday they had "Parent's Day" at school. The children had made muffins and fruit and little gifts for Mothers Day and Fathers Day. The teachers gave each of us a personalized "yearbook" containing facts and photos about our child's school year. Thanks to the teachers, I now know that:
Mia is 37 inches tall (I've been meaning to measure her).
They describe her as "Energetic, curious, and helpful." (The first two I knew about. Helpful I wouldn't have guessed, but the teachers assure me she is really helpful at school, e.g., running to get a clean diaper when a child needs to be changed.)
Her favorite indoor activities are kitchen (yup) and dress-up (really?)
Her favorite outdoor activities are swings (yup) and playhouse (No surprise there - I have to practically drag her out of there when I pick her up each afternoon)

They also included some of Mia's artwork. What do you think of Mia's family portrait?

The Carousel

Mia's dentist has the coolest antique carousel. Said carousel resides on a covered patio next to the dental office, and the hygiene room (which has half a dozen child-size dental chairs in it) has windows so the children can see it while getting their teeth cleaned. The carousel lies still 363 days a year. Twice a year, the entire office staff comes out on a Saturday morning and all the patients are invited to come for a ride, parents in tow. It is quite a festive occasion, with balloons and a face-painting clown. (As always, we kept Mia a safe distance from the clown.) The ride itself lasts about 5 minutes and when you are done, you can get back in the very short line and ride again if you like. The staff tells us the idea is to provide the children with pleasant associations about going to the dentist.

This was the second time we've taken Mia to the carousel, and she was considerably more comfortable this time around (no pun intended). After we rode the carousel a few times, we took Mia into the office and let her sit in the brightly-colored hygiene chairs.

Be Prepared

We are delighted that Mia's paternal grandmother is coming for a visit in a few weeks. This has me reflecting on how to prepare her. I've been making mental lists, which at some point I'll write down and share with her. Here is one of my lists.

THINGS YOU WILL HEAR US SAY MANY TIMES A DAY
"Mia, we can't play the hippopotamus song in the car, we don't have it on CD."
"Mia, we can't play the Goldfish song in the car, we don't have it on CD."
"If you are a good listener while we're out, we can play those songs when we get home."
"Where are your listening ears?"
"I'm sorry, you didn't eat your meal, so no fruit."
"I'm sorry, no TV now. Maybe we can watch Alex and Leah (Signing Time) later."
"Do you remember how you get what you want?" (Answer: Stop grunting and say "Please can I have...")
"Please do not climb on that. You could get hurt. It's my job to keep you safe."
"Do you remember what happened last time you hung from that towel bar?"
"Can you please stay on the potty, please?"
"If you go potty in the toilet next time instead of in your diaper, you can have M&M's."
"When you go in the potty every time, you can wear panties like the big girls."
"That's right, everyone poops."
"Use your words, please."
"We don't say that word outside of the bathroom. It makes people uncomfortable."

"Okay, I'll tell you the story of The Napping House again."

"Wow, you are really working hard on that. Good for you."

"I love you love you love you love you."

Lunch Mommy

Mia now stays at preschool for lunch, and that poses a challenge for me. I've never liked bag lunches myself. I remember rejoicing when my Mom said she was done making bag lunches and we would have hot lunch at school every day. I was the only kid in my crowd who didn't complain about the school cafeteria on a regular basis.
Hence, I feel this need to give Mia delicious food with great variety. I have yet to come up with a winning formula. Already, the teacher has had to take me aside to ask me to stop sending foods that required a fork - I'd been putting pasta dishes in the lunch box because Mia loves pasta. She LOVES soups, too, but I knew better than to put soup in her lunch box. Now that I'm limited to finger food I'm feeling, well, limited. Rather than confront this challenge every single morning, I decided to make a list of possible lunchbox foods. I hope my readers who have had to make lunches will offer additional suggestions. Here is what I've come up with so far.

Main courses:
Sandwiches (on bread or wraps). Fillings: turkey, chicken, cheese, peanut butter. Not sure if Mia likes PB&J or tuna - will check that out.
Chicken nuggets (the homemade relatively health version)
Leftover chicken or meat, cut up
Hard-cooked eggs (no yolk)
Cheese and crackers

Sides:
String cheese. Grapes, strawberries, banana, fruit cups, celery, carrots, broccoli or cauliflower(steamed), green beans (canned), french fries (homemade, baked not fried). (Our girl is a veggie-lover - too bad corn and peas aren't finger foods.) Popcorn, crackers.

Mia really likes pizza and pasta, so I'm looking for ways to make those lunch-box friendly.

I will add that the steamed broccoli has already proven a winner. Yesterday on the drive home from school Mia wanted her lunchbox. I let her have it, thinking she could amuse herself by zipping and unzipping it all the way home. Instead, she demanded I open the insulated container so she could eat her leftover broccoli. As we arrived home she said, "More broccoli." I was happy to comply.

Back to School

We survived Easter break and Mia is back in preschool. We've had a pretty good week. Mia is now staying at preschool until 2 p.m., which is great for my productivity, but it has been really difficult (read: tantrums) to get her to leave. Since she used to nap at about 1 p.m., I suspect she is getting cranky by 2. We'll re-evaluate this in a week or two.
Mia had swimming lessons on Monday and Wednesday nights, and she is getting a bit more comfortable getting her face and head wet. (A side benefit is that she doesn't mind washing her hair as much as she used to.) Last night she actually blew bubbles in the water. One thing Mia is really good at is getting out of the pool. The drill goes like this: Mia hangs from the side of the pull, with her Mom holding her loosely around her waist for security. Instructor Miss Whitney yells, "Elbow, elbow, tummy, knee, knee." Mia pulls herself up and is out of the pool in about 3 seconds. She is so darn strong. So far, she has declined to jump back into the pool without making me hold her hands.
Another interesting phenomenon is that while Mia loves to kick on dry land, which results in a fair percentage of her time-outs, she doesn't yet get the bit about kicking in the water. And here I thought swimming would be a great outlet for her kicking habit.
Last night Miss Whitney commented on the fact that Daddy comes to watch every time. (Hmmm, maybe we should make him get in the water for a lesson or two....) She asked, "Is this your only child?" When we said yes, she said, "Oh, that explains it." As if to suggest that fathers of two or more children don't enjoy watching their children's swimming lessons.

Swimming in the Clouds

Mia's got a thing about swimming now. I guess it is the convergence of the swimming lessons and the cruise. She "swims" Alex the stuffed dolphin through the air, and last night she came in from playing outside with Daddy announcing that they'd been swimming in the grass. My favorite, though, is this morning on the way to church she pointed and said, "Look, bird. Swimming in the clouds."

The Napping House

Goodnight, Moon has met its match. In Mia's eyes, at least. A couple of weeks ago, Sarah took Mia to the library and brought home The Napping House. I had never heard of it before, but boy was it a hit with Mia. She made me read it again and again and again. The style is called a "cumulative rhyme", and it is really soothing. It starts with a "snoring granny on a cozy bed", then a "dreaming child" climbs into bed, then a "dozing dog", etc. etc. Mia made me read it at least 5-6 times a day. Right before we went on vacation, I had to return the book to the library. Knowing that Mia was likely to declare World War III when she found out the book was gone, I went out and purchased a copy. During our cruise, I read it to Mia so many times, I now have it memorized.
If you haven't ever read it, I highly recommend it. A wonderful tale for winding down before a nap.

The Cruise

We just got back from a 4-day cruise (with me being unemployed, vacations are much easier to schedule!), and boy was that an experience. Neither Jeff nor I had been on a cruise before, but people assured us it was a fine thing to do with a toddler. Unfortunately, Mia behaved quite badly. Sometime between the time we booked the cruise and our actual departure date, Miss Mia entered the "terrible two" stage with a vengeance. I felt bad for the people who lived in the staterooms on either side of us. Fortunately, I came face-to-face with them only once. (Not the warmest greeting I've ever received.)
I don't blame the poor girl for being bored. Soon after we boarded the ship, we discovered there was no kiddie pool, and swim diapers were not permitted in the main pools. (Oops, I guess they forgot to mention that. ) We'd been told there was a children's play area, but we discovered only 1 hour per day was set aside for "toddler time." (Oops again.) Jeff took Mia there every day to give me some downtime, and on one occasion she was expelled by the staff (very tactfully, Jeff assures me) because she wouldn't sit down and engage in the activity - she preferred running around the room. (I wasn't there, but I can picture her running helter-skelter, arms flailing, giggling hysterically with her best "I bet you can't catch me" devilish smile.)

And then there was the lifeboat drill. A long, drawn out affair where we were required to put on the most bulky orange life vests I've ever seen, then walk to the casino where we had to wait and wait in a hot stuffy room full of flashing lights with a similarly orange-clad mob for an eternity until we were instructed to walk down to the lifeboat area to stand for another eternity while someone explained the evacuation procedures over a loudspeaker whose sound quality rivaled a drive-through window. This all happened at about 4 in the afternoon, and Mia had been up since 5:30 a.m. to catch the flight to Miami. She hadn't eaten her lunch or napped. (The phrase "recipe for disaster" comes to mind, doesn't it?) About 5 minutes into the drill, Mia had the meltdown to end all meltdowns. We've never seen anything like it. We tried everything we could think of to calm her down, including taking off her life vest, then ours, so we could hold her in our arms. I spent much of the time sitting on the deck with Mia, cuddling her and trying to reassure her, to no avail. The people around us kindly tried to pretend nothing unusual was happening. (Except for one couple in their 20's, who kept looking at us incredulously. If they were on their honeymoon, I suspect they might be thinking twice about starting a family.) If that wasn't the longest half hour of my life, I don't know what was.

Despite its challenges, it was a nice getaway. In Cozumel, Mia went in the ocean for the first time. Mia delighted in seeing dolphins swimming in the ship's wake, right below our stateroom balcony. I purchased a stuffed dolphin for her at the airport, and she enjoys making it swim through the air. Jeff reports that she walked right up to an intimidating-looking man at the airport to show him her new dolphin. Though he was the kind of guy most of us would avoid, he was very friendly, asking Mia what the dolphin's name was. Mia surprised Jeff by announcing, "Alex." It was surprising because up to this point, Mia has referred to her dolls as "Baby Doll" and "Big Baby" and her stuffed animals as "Lambie" and "Blue Bear" and "Brown Bear." This is the first time she has given one of her toys a human name. (Alex happens to be the name of the boy on the Signing Time videos, and we've suspected she had a crush on him.) We had lots of play time together in our stateroom and out on our balcony. I read the story of "The Napping House" so many times I now have it memorized. We also taught Mia to respond to the questions, "What is your name?" and "How old are you?" Somehow we hadn't got around to that before, and a TSA agent had given us a hard time when we were going through security in Atlanta.

TSA (looking at Mia's passport): Does she speak?

Me (puzzled): Do you mean, does she speak English?

TSA: Does she speak?

Me: Yes, she can talk.

TSA (to Mia): What is your name?

Mia: Silence.

TSA: What is your name?

Mia: silence.

TSA: I thought you said she spoke.

Me: She DOES.

TSA: Then why can't she tell me her name?

Me: She doesn't know how to answer that question. (I prepare to pull out the family photos that show the 3 of us together, assuming TSA's concern is that I might be kidnapping.)

TSA (grudgingly): OK, you can go.

I have to admit I still don't understand why he had to ask. Was her passport photo really that bad? Anyway, Mia can now say her first and last name, though I doubt she'd give it up willingly for a TSA agent.

Spring Break

Mia's preschool is on spring break this week. With no nanny, I am suddenly very aware of the challenges of keeping one's child amused during school breaks. I hadn't planned many activities. We had a swimming lesson Monday night. The Wednesday night lesson was cancelled minutes before we entered the pool, when a child in the class right before Mia's class threw up (yes, in the pool). I bet the people at the Country Inn & Suites weren't counting on that when they agreed to host the swim classes.
Mia has been begging me to play the song, "I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas" all week. Sarah had it on her iPod and frequently played it for Mia in the car. I've been trying to explain to Mia that I don't have that song, but Mia has been unforgiving. Yesterday I broke down and bought it on iTunes. When Mia got up from her nap, I told her I had a big surprise for her. I played the song on my computer, and she asked me to play it again. And again. I eventually set it up to repeat and I am not kidding when I say she made me play it for 90 minutes straight. I might still be playing it if we hadn't received a package in the mail from Mia's paternal grandparents. Contents: One Hallmark Easter egg that plays "The Chicken Dance." We played that about 10 times. I didn't mind, especially since I got a little exercise by dancing along, to Mia's amusement. I could have used an instructional video, since I've never actually danced the chicken dance at anyone's wedding. Hop around, flap your wings... How hard can it be?
Fortunately, the weather was warm so we could play outside today. And if we get bored, there is always the bounce house. Tomorrow, we have a play date with Quincy. Yay, I could use some girlfriend time myself.

Life Changes

We've had some big changes at our house. I have joined the ranks of the unemployed, if you can call caring for a 2-year-old while looking for a new job "unemployed." My company had a restructuring and lots of jobs were eliminated. I was giving the option of reducing my hours or taking a severance package. After doing the math, it was clear that after 13 years, it was time to move on. Mia is now attending preschool four days a week instead of two, to give me time to look for a job. We were sorry to lose Sarah, but as it turns out her boyfriend has been transferred to Colorado Springs and she will be moving there in May.
Mia has been demonstrating classic "terrible two" behavior for the past month. (Remind me to tell you the one about the evacuation drill during our recent cruise vacation.) Time-outs haven't been working - Mia turns them into a game of "Ha ha, I'm not going to sit on this chair and you can't make me! If you pick me up and put me back on the chair, I like the extra attention!" (Thankfully, Mia's teachers tell me she is quite well-behaved at preschool.) I've been studying my child development books, which help me understand some of the likely root causes for the behavior, but don't offer much in the way of tips for handling the situation. Finally I decided to consult my sister Paula, whose children are remarkably well behaved. I mean that literally. People walk up to her in public places and remark on how nicely her children handle themselves. Paula gave me some suggestions that are challenging for me to implement but they do seem effective. My friend Linda has been a sympathetic ear as well. When I tell her about some of the things my little darling has been doing, she helps me regain my sense of humor about it.
But, let's get back to the positives. Mia and I are spending much more time together and we're getting closer. We're making progress on toilet training. Mia constantly amazes me with how quickly she is learning new words and concepts. Bottom-line, we have a healthy little girl who is really talented at testing limits. Maybe she'll become a lawyer, or a test pilot.

Jump

For months, Mia has been jumping on (or off) everything in sight. Furniture, stairs, parents, you name it. After playing in a friend's "bounce house" we decided it might be a good investment, i.e., save on furniture. Mia spends a few minutes in it every evening and, if I'm not mistaken, I'm seeing a lot less jumping during the day. Can't wait to have a play date.

In the Swim of Things

We took Mia for her first swimming lesson. She is in the "Minnows" class for 18- to 36-month old children. As it turned out, there are only 2 children in the class. We did simple things like blowing bubbles in the water. (Well, actually, I did it. Mia isn't so sure that is a good idea yet.) Mia was pretty apprehensive at first, clinging to me tighter than Velcro. But instructor Whitney made it fun with songs like ABC and Ring Around the Rosie and The Wheels on the Bus. It wasn't long before Mia was yelling, "More, more!"

On the Hunt

Our church held its annual Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday 3/29. Yes, it seems a bit early, doesn't it? Our gal wasn't particularly into hunting for the eggs. She wanted to swing on the swings. We let her do that for a few minutes, because I was perfectly happy to have her collect less than her fair share of candy-filled eggs.

Play Date

On Saturday, Mia and I went to visit Quincy and her mom. We met them through our China adoptee playgroup last summer. Quincy and Mia were born in the same province, just a week apart. I personally find it a little mind-boggling that they ended up living just 15 minutes apart, half a world away. We met Quincy's dad and her two golden retrievers. After taking a few minutes to get comfortable, Mia was quite captivated with the dogs, calling them "really big dogs" as her eyes widened. She even petted them. After some indoor playtime in Quincy's really cool bouncy house, we headed to the park. The girls tried out the swings and the teeter-totter before pausing for some private giggles.

Daddy's Home

One of the highlights of Mia's day is when Daddy comes home from work. Sometimes she hears his car before I do. They often share a snack in the kitchen before heading to the playroom.

The Morning Paper

While we cooked Mia's breakfast to order, she read the morning paper. OK, it was really one of those Scholastic newletters they give them at preschool. Mia's going to be really bummed out when she gets older and finds out there used to be morning newspapers, in the days before the Internet took over.

Dressing Up

The other girls in Mia's preschool class are total girlie girl types-- six of eight dressed up as princesses on Halloween. On the assumption that Mia will enter this stage soon, I purchased several used princess costumes at a consignment sale. At $2 or $3 apiece, I thought they were a bargain, but so far Mia isn't showing a strong affinity for princesses. (I kind of like that about her, to tell you the truth.) Sarah had to provide a lot of encouragement to get Mia to put this dress on.

Off to School

After days of rain, the weather forecast said it would be 70 degrees and sunny today. Mia was ready for it. Can this be the same little girl we met in the Civil Affairs office in Nanchang?

Pillow Talk

Mia's favorite demand lately is ,"Under covers and read!" Usually this happens when I get home from work in the evening. Mia wants to head up to the master bedroom for some snuggling & reading time. Not a bad way to wind down from a busy day. This morning I overhead Mia telling Sarah, "Under covers and read!" as they headed for the playroom. Looks like she got her wish.

Now, You Try It!

Sarah is a great observer of child development milestones. One day she noticed Mia was holding her crayon in a very un-toddler-like way, as if it were a pen.

Or maybe as if she was showing Sarah how it's done.

The Queen of Hearts

Mia is learning how to sort things. Sarah cut out lots of hearts in pink and purple and had Mia sort them into separate bowls. Mia was quite intent on her task.

Love at First Bite

Mia's paternal grandparents sent her the cuddliest panda bear ever for Valentine's Day. A chocolate chip cookie and your very own panda bear. What could be better?

My Funny Valentine

Mia was supposed to wear something red or pink to preschool on Valentine's Day. Sarah found this coral (close enough) jumper. A hand-me-down, I have to admit it hadn't been worn yet. From the amount of leg that is showing, it looks like we got to it just in time.

The Stuffed Menagerie

Mia has always had a favorite plush animal that she took to bed with her. At first it was little "blue bear", then later "lambie". (We aren't very creative with names in our house.) She also has a Pooh bear and a big brown bear (whom we call - what else - "brown bear") and a panda that hang out in her crib, though neither has the sacred status of lambie or blue bear. (It could happen for the panda one day.) More recently, she has wanted her baby doll with her at night.
Now, Mia has gotten quite particular about having ALL of her favorites in bed with her. And when we take her out of her crib in the morning, she often tries to scoop them all up in her arms so that they can join her on the changing table. I think it is pretty adorable, but then I'm her mother.
Last night, I put her to bed with lambie, blue bear, and the other lesser bears. As I left the room, I heard her little voice say, "baby doll." I realized the preferred baby doll was downstairs but, a-ha, her other slightly larger baby doll was in her room. Tired of tramping the stairs, I decided to put baby doll #2 into the crib. After all, Mia was just barely awake, she surely wouldn't notice.
As soon as I put #2 in the crib, I heard Mia's tiny voice saying, "LITTLE baby doll" in that plaintive tone that tells you a tantrum is on the way if you don't get her what she wants, and fast. She might as well have said, "Busted!"

Goodnight, Moon

It finally happened. Mia has fallen in love with one of my all-time favorite children's books, Goodnight, Moon. She wants to read it every day, many many times. First thing in the morning, when I get home from work, last thing at night... She knows it so well now, I only have to say the first couple words on each page, then she fills in the rest. I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing her say, "Cow jumpit ore da MOON" (she is still working on pronouncing that line) or "Goodnight nobody, goodnight mush" (which she pronounces perfectly). The more times we read it, the more new details we both see. She points to the bunny's slippers next to the bed and says, "Crocs." One night I explained that mush is the bunny's oatmeal. Ever since then, she proudly points to the bowl and shouts, "Bunny's" when we get to that page. She has this thing about the young mouse. For a while she would point to it and say, "hurt mouse" for some reason that makes sense in her toddler worldview. I, of course, would respond by petting the mouse and saying, "We don't hurt the mouse, we pet it gently." Mia responded by ASL signing "pet." I just hope she doesn't run into a real mouse in the house one day.
And here is another interesting pattern we've gotten into. When I get home from work at night, Mia greets me with her command, "Under covers and read!" That means she wants me to march upstairs to the master bedroom, get in bed with her, and read her some books. It is actually a lovely way to wind down from a hectic day at the office. Once in a while I'll be really hungry and need a snack before I go upstairs, which is not popular with Miss Mia. Even if I share my snack.
On weekend mornings, the three of us often read in bed together. Periodically, Jeff and I look at each other in something like amazement, as if to say, "Did you ever, in your wildest dreams, imagine this?"

A Different Kind of Romance

We had a lovely Valentine's Day dinner. Nothing fancy, just a good Italian restaurant. Still, we were elated because Jeff found this day care center that has drop-in babysitting EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT!!!!!!! No more being at the mercy of teenagers who have to be booked 6 weeks in advance, then call you on Wednesday to say:

Babysitter: "Mrs. N, I'm so sorry but my Mom put my swim meet on the wrong date on the family calendar so I thought it was next Saturday but it is really this Saturday so I'm not free this Saturday night after all. "

Me: Oh, all right. Then can you babysit next Saturday night?

ex-Babysitter: Ummmm .... No...... I'm sorry........Ummmm.....I'm not free.

This drop-in place is the same price per hour as a babysitter, and they have lots of cool stuff to climb on. We dropped Mia off at 5, then hung around for a few minutes to make sure she'd be all right. She started playing and didn't even care when we said good-bye. When we returned at 8 p.m., Mia was off in a big room with about 15 other kids, listening attentively to a storyteller. Of course, when she saw us she started to cry as if cruelly abandoned, just like she does when we pick her up at the church nursery. The ladies reassured us she'd had a good time, which I don't doubt.

Expanding Vocabulary

Mia is turning into quite a talker. Nonstop. Most of it pretty intelligible, if one is sensitive to the context. I haven't counted, but I'm quite certain her vocabulary is over 500 words now, maybe closer to 1000. We've been really surprised at how she now strings 4-5 words together. A few hundred of her words she accompanies with ASL signs. She is really partial to the signs for animals and feelings.
Her favorite toy is without a doubt her magnetic letters and board. Followed by her Leapfrog spelling and phonics toys. She talks about letters all day long. She knows the name of every letter, and she is starting to learn the sounds they make. She asks us to spell words for her with her magnetic letters. Yesterday, she instructed me to spell "Barney" but I couldn't find the B or R. I said, "I'm sorry, I can't spell Barney. The B and R must be upstairs." To which she replied, "Find the letters upstairs." Maybe this isn't astonishing to you, dear reader, but as a relatively new parent I'm often stunned to see how Mia will struggle with a new skill, then have a big breakthrough followed by rapid learning.
We keep one of those magna-doodle tablets in the car, and to amuse Mia I'll ask take the stylus and ask her what she wants me to draw. She used to ask for shapes; now she also asks me to "Spell Mia. Spell Mama. Spell Daddy." Today for some reason she asked me to spell Tail. Or was that Tale? This is when I realize how indefensible the English language is.

A Loss

A lovely woman named Ms. Hu was the Vice Director of Mia's orphanage, Ji'An Social Welfare Institute. We met with her the day after we got Mia, and she answered many questions about Mia's time there. Among other things, she explained that she had chosen Mia's Chinese name, Xing, because it meant "active and smart." Tonight I learned through another family of a Ji'An adoptee that Ms. Hu has died suddenly of what their Chinese interpreter termed "a broken pipe in her brain."
We can surmise from how well Mia was developing that she received excellent care at Ji'An. As you can see from the photo, Mia was clearly very fond of Ms. Hu and vice versa. We intend to take Mia back to Ji'An one day, and had looked forward to re-introducing her to Ms. Hu. It is sad that she will not be able to meet the woman who was our link to Mia's infancy.

In the Doghouse

Last week, Mia discovered she can crawl into the dog's kennel. Since our dog is a toy poodle, this is a tight squeeze. A really tight fit. She thinks it is fun, but I fear she will sneak away to do it sometime when I am not close by, get stuck, and be so traumatized that she will never be able to go in an elevator, subway, or airplane again. I tried to coax her out, but you can see by her face how successful I was at getting her to come out of there. It didn't happen until she was good and ready.

She did it again a couple of days later, this time on Jeff's watch. He tried to coax her out of the kennel by reasoning with her, "It's dirty in there. The dog goes in there." He had no more luck than I did. She did eventually get stuck and needed help getting out. Still, I don't think either one of us thinks this is the last time she'll attempt that stunt at home. Jeff asked me, "This thing comes apart, doesn't it?" I assured him it did, based on my vague recollection that when I purchased it 14 years ago it came in 2 pieces. It did evoke an image something like the Jaws of Life, so I decided that until Mia gets too big to fit in it, we'll just keep the kennel door locked.

All Smiles

While Mia smiles and giggles a lot, it can be hard to capture it in megapixels. Something about having the camera pointed at her by her mother tends to make her freeze up. So, today we celebrate a few of those smiles we didn't miss.

Couch Potatoes

Aren't they cute together?

Evidence of Bribery

Mia is a daredevil. She loves pushing her toys up and down the driveway as fast as she can. I cringe the whole time. Now that she is learning to ride a trike, we decided we really need to get her in the habit of wearing a helmet. We thought maybe the lavender helmet with the flashing lights would appeal to her adventurous yet feminine side, but she rejected it with a vengeance. Then Jeff had a brilliant idea. He told her he'd give her a popsicle if she'd wear the helmet. I didn't know this little negotiation had taken place, so when he called me outside, I assumed Mia had injured herself. You see, the only time Mia gets popsicles is when she has bumped her head. She has a tendency to cry loud and long for even a minor injury, so it is hard to tell when a visit to the ER is in order. We give her a popsicle and if she stops crying immediately (as she does 99.5% of the time), we know it is not too serious.
Now to figure out how to get her to wear her helmet without the popsicle bribe.

In Her Shoes, Part III

Mia loves these patent leather Mary Janes sent by her cousin Kira. They look so grown up.

Welcome to My Kitchen

For 5 weeks, we ate off paper plates. (Actually, we still are, because our lovely new dishwasher does not work and the only factory-authorized servicer in town can't make it until Thursday.) Over the weekend, we moved into our new kitchen.

Shopgirl

Mia likes her new cafe playhouse. Daddy is teaching her how to use the cash register and make change. I had the honor of putting the structure together - about 100 pieces. Fortunately I have a husband who is a bit better with spatial relationships than I am. (In my defense, the diagrams in the instructions were pretty misleading!) Otherwise they would be playing with a bunch of metal bars and an incomprehensible piece of printed fabric.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Yesterday was the first day in the year of the Ox.

Mia celebrated Chinese New Year by going to a party with her playgroup friends. Picture 15-20 Chinese girls and 5 Chinese boys ranging in age from 2 to 8, running around our hosts' home, eating Chinese food, and doing crafts. For the finale, they went outside and jumped on bubble wrap to make fireworks sounds. With all the flashing of cameras, it looked like fireworks, too. Mia wore the purple outfit we had made for her by the tailor in Nanchang. I don't suspect it will fit her next year, so maybe the next person to wear it will be Mia's daughter. Isn't that a lovely thought?

Interview with Mia

Last year, we did a year-end "interview with Mia." This year, Jeff encouraged me to do another, but I've been busy managing our kitchen remodel. (Watch for photos in 2 weeks.) I guess he got tired of waiting for me, since he went ahead and conducted the "interview" himself. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Jeff: What was the best thing about your holiday visit to your relatives in Minnesota?

Mia: lots of practice with my sign language for the word “cold”
playing with my cousins
unwrapping presents and playing with the wrapping paper and box (not always the gift)
sleeping in a “big girl” bed

Jeff: You seem to use the word “Boppa” for Grandma and Grandpa—Why?
Mia: Efficiency I guess. I say Boppa and they all come running to pay attention to me. I tried the word Nana for Grandma but would rather use Nana to ask for a Banana.

Jeff: You recently turned two. What is the best thing about turning two?
Mia: I am talking more every day. I can put on my own pants, socks and shoes. I am spending a lot of time improving my ability to jump (walking was hard; jumping is cool!)

Jeff: Who are your best friends?
Mia: My absolutely best friend is, of course, my nanny Sarah. She and I have a lot of fun. We read books, learn letters, numbers and sign language, play with toys and make lotsa crafts (and doesn’t mind if I make a mess). She gives me lots of hugs which feel great. My best friends at school are Lilla, Emma and Kate. Emma and Kate are twins and I will be attending their birthday party next week.

Jeff: Any thoughts on life plans or career at this point?
Mia: When I was one, I played my Daddy’s drum set so I was thinking of a career in music. I have been told that girls from my region of China tend to be tall so I have also thought about playing basketball or volley ball. My Auntie Paula got me a doctor kit for Christmas, which has me pondering a career in medicine. I admire Sarah so much I may want to be a nanny or teacher.