Santa 2009

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Our Little Rocker

Immediately after Lotus watched an 8 yr old Japanese guitar player on the Ellen Show she wanted to play on the guitars. She said it over and over and over again until Kevin agreed to take her down stairs to play. She specifically wanted to play on the Hello Kitty guitar. Here are a few photos from her first jam. Wondering should have we signed her up for guitar lessons and not dance? Hmmmmm

Hey Mommy, You're 40?

Last Friday I quietly turned 40! Ok, so maybe not so quietly. My dear husband threw a 40th birthday party in my honor. Originally he tried to make it a surprise, however, a week prior he confessed that a party was planned. The date was getting close and I was trying to make dinner plans etc, so he figured to let the proverbial cat out of the bag. We had originally discussed not having a party and go on vacation instead (my idea, not his), yet, my husband said there was no way your 40th can come along and not celebrate.

The day started out with Kevin and I dropping Lotus off at school and then stopping for a quick breakfast at the Amish Market (yummy). Then off for some shopping and preparations for the evening. Around 4 o'clock I left for a pedicure (which never happened), before picking Lotus up from school. It started to POUR (whenever we have a outdoor party at the house it will rain) and it continued to RAIN. I ditched the pedicure and decided to pick up Lotus. We were making our way back home in the Monsoon and she was not liking the rain at all, so we started to sing "Rain Rain Go Away", she got a kick out of the song and was content. When we reached home, we ran inside and waited as the guests arrived to the party. Luckily by the time everyone arrived the MONSOON had stopped and the sun made an appearance. It was a great party to say the least, it was a wonderful time to be surrounded by family and friends to celebrate my 40th! It definitely made turning 40 more exciting and fun. I will save my thoughts on turning 40 for another post.

Thank you Kevin for making my day very special, it was a great party!

PS There are no photos of the party since I am the one who takes most of the pics! I think my sister-in-law has one of the Happy Birthday blowing out the candles. Once I find it and it passes my approval, I will post it.

PPS During the party my daugher (who is almost 3 yrs old) turns to me, points to the banner, and says, "Mommy you turned 40?"

Playing Around with the Camera

Preview for Fun Fall Activities

It will be a very exciting fall this year in our household. Our little princess will be 3 years old and can sign up for organized activities. In September, Lotus will be starting weekly dance (ballet and tap) class and playing fall soccer. I figure this will not be too much for Lotus since soccer is only for 6 weeks and will be a nice change to our schedules on Saturday mornings, shake it up a bit. Since she is joining two activities in the same month, plus her birthday is in September, I figured we would get her soccer gear this month and her dance attire next month. This way, in September, after our vacation we wouldn't be rushing around trying to get everything. Today we went to pick up her cleats, shin guards, and ball for soccer. She was so cute at D*ck's Sporting Goods, trying to play ladder ball in the aisle . After we tried one pair of cleats, she didn't want to take them off. Good thing the first pair fit. She insisted on wearing them home. After dinner she played in the back yard with her cleats and soccer shorts, she couldn't wait to have them back on, she might have slept with them if I didn't make her take them off. I hope she keeps this excitement going. Of course I have photos to share. Enjoy........

Seems Like Just Yesterday......

that we received the CALL! The CALL we all wait for, the CALL you expect when on vacation. So you give your agency your email address, cell phone number, your husband's cell phone, even your mail carrier cell phone number (OK maybe not their number) so just in case the file of your daughter appears on their desk. We went on vacation and no CALL was received, referrals were being made and no CALL. We came home from vacation and still no CALL for us. My hopes were dashed, there would be no CALL for us this month. Or so I thought..........

Back to work I went on Monday, July 2nd, you know how it is after returning from vacation.......... I settled in with my coffee and went to a process map meeting. A little voice inside me said "Take your pager". During the meeting I was paged "URGENT CALL HOME 911" total panic came over me, my thoughts were not about the CALL. I thought something horrible happened. I ran to my desk and called home, Kevin answered right away (whew, he was safe) and told me, "You won't believe what happened, I came upstairs and the cats caught the kitchen on fire!" WHAT????!!!!! "How did that happen??" And then Kevin said "WE GOT THE CALL! She is 10 months old, Pam is sending over her file to you." I think I screamed and kept saying Oh My and started fanning myself because I couldn't breath. I told Kevin I would forward the email to him so we could see her photo at the same time. It took forever for him to receive the email. And then we opened the email and scrolled down and this was the very first photo we saw of our daughter Lotus...................



and then this



and lastly this one



There was no question, she was our daughter. After speaking with the international adoption department at our local children's hospital, we immediately made our CALL to our agency and accepted our referral for our daughter. We would have accepted right then and there, however, we wanted to have all the facts. In my heart, no matter what the international adoption department said, we would have accepted her with all our heart.

Flash forward two years later..............to our almost 3 yr old ball of fire! Isn't she a cutie?



This is a day I will never forget, along with a few other momentous events in my life. I am forever grateful to have the privilege to be called MOM. It is not always easy, however, the rewards are endless.

I'm NOT a DIVA! I'm a PRINCESS!

Today was a BIG day for our little sweetie. In the morning we went to Kiddie Cuts and had her very first hair cut. The place was very cool it had a Princess station along with other car stations. In the end, Lotus choose to sit on Mommy's lap and not in the REALLY cool pink princess jeep. Lotus did very well, she even let the hairdresser blow dry her hair. She looks so different now with an actual style! I thought Kevin might cry when the hairdresser cut of about an inch and a half.

Afterwards we went to lunch at the Amish market and then home for a refresher (she hates to call them naps). Funny, even though she hates naps, she slept for almost 3 hours. Go Figure.

Once we were awake from our refresher it was off to the local mall to get our ears pierced. We were going to wait to have her ears pierced, however, since she did so well with her last blood draw, we thought she would handle it well. We have been talking about it to Lotus and she kept saying she wanted earrings. We explained it would be a pinch and a loud noise. She insisted she wanted earrings like Mommy. She talked about it alot so we decided to go ahead. When we got there someone else was getting their ears pierced so we went and looked at all the Princess stuff to reward her with afterwards. Lotus picked out a few goodies and soon it was her turn. She jumped up int he chair and was hugging the black bear. We asked her if she wanted to sit on mommy's lap and she fully agreed. She received the dots on her ears to make sure they were even. Lotus was very patience and was not fussy at all. Then came the piercing guns, both at the same time, you could tell she started to get a bit worried. And then BAM and then HIGH PITCHED SCREAM. She was not happy at all. (And I felt horrible.....not to mention so many people stopped to watch, what's the deal with that?). We quickly went to the back to pick up our goodies from earlier and "change the subject" so to speak. Within 10 minutes, Lotus was back to normal and all was good in the world once again. You could tell she was proud of her new flower earrings, because every time we passed a mirror she had to look and model. The cleaning and turning of the earrings will be tough the first few days, I feel it will be a challenge but with everything she will get use to it and it will become routine.

So what's with the title of the post? On the way to the mall I called her a DIVA since she having her nails paints, hair cut, and now earrings. She quickly corrected me," I'm not a DIVA! I am a PRINCESS MOMMY!" I guess she told me. My baby is growing up so quickly, I cannot believe she will be 3 years old in the next few months. WOW!

Lotus, Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you, today you were such a BIG GIRL!

Enjoy the photos of our DIVA, I mean PRINCESS day.

Unexpected & Exciting News

I absolutely adore this photo of Lotus that was taken at her cousin Tara's communion. I love how I was able to capture her at that moment. She is always moving so quickly, so some shots do not always turn out so well. Now for the unexpected and exciting news............

I was going to wait to post this story but I can go no longer, I need to share. About a month ago, my darling husband had uploaded this photo onto Parents.com in their baby name section. Of course, there was a disclaimer that the photo you are uploading may be used on the website or in their magazine. He didn't give it a second thought, what are the chances??

A few days ago the Assitant Editor emails Kevin;

"We love the photo you sent into Parents of Lotus—it’s absolutely adorable! (It’s the one where she’s wearing a sun dress with stained-glass windows in the background.) To publish it in our October issue’s Caught on Camera section, we need to get a short quote from you, and your name and city/state. If you could answer these quick questions (and include your full name and city/state), we'd really appreciate it"

I was very surprised to say the least! I cannot believe Lotus' photo will be in a magazine (not like it will be a huge photo mind you, still exciting none the less) and one of my photos too! You know who will be buying alot of copies of the October issue of Parents magazine.

Enjoy your weekend!

Deb

Such a Brave Girl

Mommy and Daddy are very proud of their brave girl. Lotus deserves great big kudos! Yesterday she was amazing during her bi-annual blood draw. No tears, no hysterics, no tantrums. Even when the nurse had to switch arms, she didn't shed a tear. It was not until after the band-aids were on and we were leaving did the tears start to flow, see Lotus wanted to keep the yellow band the nurse tied around her arm. She considered it a toy. We told her it was not a toy but we would gladly go next store to the dollar store and pick out a few toys. It took some convincing but once she walked into the dollar store she was thrilled to see all the toys she could choose as her prize! Or shall we say prizes..... Lotus made out like a bandit, she has a pair of fairy wings and wand, set of Belle cheerleader pom-poms, and a bunch of new noodles for the swimming pool. Way to go Lotus.

My Thoughts Exactly

The weekend is almost over...................

Random Outside Play Photos

Outside Playing One Night, Running Around Being Goofy

Playing with Hailey and Allissa

Hanging Outside and Playing

She is actually focusing on a rock.

Newest Photo of Lotus

May 9, 2009 at Tara's Communion. This is one of my current favorites.

Big Belly???

LoLo big belly??? What??? Last night, Lotus was on the potty and looked down and said "LoLo Big Belly" I said No No honey, no big belly, your belly is just fine. Then she pointed to my belly and said big belly, mommy big belly (one out of two, lol, I couldn't argue that one, lol). Oh no, body image issues already?

Did you know........

Some studies suggest that body image ideas begin in children as young as 3. But parents—particularly moms—can have a positive impact on their daughters’ body image when they model healthy attitudes toward their own bodies.

TV shows, movies, and music showcasing rail-thin models, actresses, and singers—promote underweight women, which can affect what girls think about their own bodies. Even though most fashion models weigh 23 percent less than the average female, many young girls idealize this very thin body type. In one study, most girls (70 percent) reported that the appearance of models in magazines influences their image of a perfect female body, and 47 percent wanted to lose weight because of the magazine pictures.

For entire article: http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Girls_Body_Image/


You are wondering where in the world would a 2 1/2 year old hear she has a big belly??? I would have wondered too, if I had not heard my mother say to Lotus, " Look at you, LoLo, you are getting such a big belly. You can tell all you do is eat all day" I almost blew a gasket. I said oh so calmly, "Don't say that to her!" Later that night, I was telling Kevin about the big belly comment and how annoyed I was by the situation.

I wonder if she really understood what my mother said, she is only 2 1/2 yrs old. Apparently she processed and remembered what my mother said to her the other day. Does she fully understand? Probably not? Maybe? Not sure? All I can do is re-affirm she is perfectly fine and she does not have a big belly.

I definitely will need to have a talk with grandmom, maybe share the article. Of course, after I am not so annoyed at the situation.

Two Months and No Updates!

I cannot believe it has been two months, actually over two months since my last post. It has been crazy busy here, there has been something going on every weekend since my last post. Lots of photos to share all the way from December till today. Hopefully over the next few weeks I can post and share what we have been doing for the past several months. Lotus is growing at warp speed and she is so busy. I joke she has a busier social life then her mommy. Then I stop and think and she really does have more going on then me. Oh to be a kid again!

Since Lotus has hit the 2 1/2 yr old mark she has become very independent. Everything is "I do, I do!" and if I do not let her, she has a fit! And then has to do it all over again without my help. She does not want her booster seat at the table anymore, she wants the big girl chair and sit on knees. She does not like the front of the cart, it is in the back or walk! And she will tell me before we even get in the parking spot, she will say "Lo Lo walk, walk mommy!"
She wants to pick out her clothes and has decided she likes dresses over pants. If I dare give her pants, she says"No pants!" This goes for PJ's too. She prefers night gowns over the two piece PJ's. She wants to do make-up and she takes care of her baby. She will give me updates on her baby (who she named Dolly), she will tell me if she is Happy or crying or sad. From the back seat I will always hear, "Baby crying , Dolly sad" Or "Baby Happy!" This baby or Dolly goes every where and she knows exactly where she leaves her in the house. She has become very Bossy and demanding. I cannot imagine when she turns 13!

Here is a little tease of some current photos of Lo Lo aka Lotus.



Easter


February


April


March


Easter


Easter

I'm A Big Girl Now!

I am very excited to share that Lotus has been using Pull-Ups since last week on a consisent basis. She loves to wear them, if I dare try to put on a diaper, she screams PULLLLL-UPPPPP! They are the encouragement she needed, esepecially since candy and stickers did not really work. She understands these are big girl pants ans she is to go on the potty, not in her Pull-Up. If she does go in her Pull-Up, she then needs to switch back to her diaper for a period of time. It seems to be working for the most part except when she gets really wrapped up in playing or when I sometimes forget and then we have a wet Pull-Up. We try to keep her in them all day except for nap and bedtime and she has been doing quite well. She definitely is interested now. Some of it might have to do with school. Her teacher is working with her classmates and her on a regular basis on Potty How To's. Not to mention, one classmate is wearing underwear! This week her teacher is going to work with Lotus and her Pull-Ups during school days too. Hopefully we will be out of diapers soon! Check out the Potty Dance e-card below, it is too cute.

http://www.americangreetings.com/ecards/view.pd?i=485872275&m=8517&source=ag992

My First Flash Back Friday

Finally! It has been 15 months since we have returned from China, therefore over a years worth of photos! So here it is, my first Flash Back Friday post. The photo on the left is from Jan 2008 and the photo on the right is from Jan 2009.

I was so surprised when I pulled up the photo from over a year ago. I cannot believe how fast she is growing up, sigh. No matter how big she gets, she will always be my little girl.

Enjoy your weekend!

Chh Chh Chhh Changes.........

Many, many changes have ben happening with our Big Girl Lotus. She is growing by leaps and bounds, I cannot believe she is the little one I held in my arms just yesterday. Ok well maybe not yesterday. But it seems like it. Lotus is between being a big girl and asserting herself and wanting to still be a little toddler. She definitely has her opinions of what she wants to wear, eat, and do (and how quickly she wants to do it). We have our attempts of potty training, there are good days and bad days, along with days of no interest. I know we will get there soon, I am hopeful. Every day I am amazed at the things that she does, whether it is a new word or playing in her kitchen making mommy carrot soup, drawing a complete circle for the first time, to being cute and charming to melt her daddy's heart (and give her anything she wants), to learning her shapes and colors and also a few past presidents I might add (yes I am bragging, I am proud), and seeing her be "mommy" to her babies. I could go on and on, but I will give everyone what they have been waiting for..........some updated photos of Lotus! Be in touch soon!