Oh Boy! The Things She Says!

Well, this has definitely been an interesting week for us. Erin has gotten even more sassy than ever. I don't even know how to explain that but she is. Then there are the things that she says.

My last posting told the story "Little Girls Don't Like This." My coworkers were laughing like crazy when I told them.

Well, yesterday had Erin her 4 year dental checkup & well-visit checkup. In the morning as we were getting ready she asked me if there was a potty in the dentist's office. Now what kind of question was that one!? With a straight face, I said of course there would be a potty at his office but why did she want to know. Erin looked at me like I had 3 heads & said "I might need to go potty momma!"

Then we went to her 4 year checkup with the wonderful Dr. Liang. Erin really likes her pediatrician which makes things easy for us. When Dr. Liang walked into the examining room, Erin said "Hi Dr. Liang! You look like "W." I started to laugh so hard! We watch Good Eats on the Food Network with Alton Brown. There is a character on the show by the name of "W." Well, W is Asian. I had to explain to Dr. Liang that Erin is finally starting to notice Asian people. Thankfully, the doctor has a great sense of humor & laughed with us.

I can't wait to hear what tomorrow brings us!

Little Girls Don't Like That

I know that the title here is "Little Girls Don't Like That," but these pictures just remind me of how happy Erin really is. Last night for dinner David & I ordered in pizza & wings. Erin asked me what I was eating so I explained that they were chicken wings. She asked me if she could try one, & of course, since she's such a picky eater I got excited & said yes. I gave her the wing, she smelled it, put it by her mouth & then put it back on the platter. With a very serious look on her face, she said "Momma, little girls don't like that." David & I just started to laugh. It seems that there's a lot little girls don't like - vegetables, chicken wings, red meat, bedtime, rules, etc.

Erin has really been enjoying craft time in school & camp so this past weekend I told Erin we could have craft time at home. I purchased a set of ceramic magnets that Erin could paint. She was just as happy as could be painting them & really enjoyed seeing them up on our fridge. This is really the first time she's wanted to do anything other than play-doh. Normally, Erin likes to use her color wonder markers & books, play with her remote control car or even sit in her room & jam on her drums.

Just a few weeks ago, my friends Lisa & Scott took Erin (& me) out for a belated birthday celebration. We went to Chuck E Cheese where she started to have one of her meltdowns since she can't take loud noises. We worked through it, & she ended up having a great time with her buddy Robbie (Lisa & Scott's son).

Getting Ready for Pre-K

Tonight I had to get Erin ready for her first day of pre-K. There was a lot to do.

First & foremost, I had to get Erin to try on clothing - something she absolutely hates to do. It seemed to have taken forever, but we got it done. Tons of jeans & other things that we have to give away - most of it never worn due to her petite size. Let's face it, Erin is really petite. I still have a few shorts left that are 18 months or 2T. Her length is ready for 4T but her waist is still in the 2T/3T zone. Living in Florida & being able to wear shorts 90% of the time has a whole new meaning of ease to it!

After I finished getting her backpack almost ready to go, David & I sat down to do our homework for pre-K. We have to send Erin in this week with 3 pictures - a baby picture, a recent picture & a family picture. Wow! That was hard. We haven't had a family photo done since Erin came into our lives. Thankfully, my MIL had insisted on a huge family photo 2 years ago after Rosh HaShanah dinner. David scanned the photo & edited out the rest of the family. I have a perfect recent picture from her 3rd Forever Family Day about a month ago.

When it came time to find a baby picture, I broke down. I sat at my computer & just cried so hard. Poor David didn't know what happened. When I calmed down enough to tell him what was wrong, he just sat there & listened. Needing to send in a baby picture of Erin reminded me that we missed the first 10 months of her life & all of the milestones that entailed. Most of the time I don't think about it, but this was one of the times that it hit really hard. David suggested we send in one of Erin's referral pictures as her baby picture. I explained to him that while we love those pictures, I feel that they are Erin's & are private. I do have some pictures from when she was in the orphanage, but I really feel as if they are not ours to share with her teachers & classmates. I believe that is Erin's story, & she will need to make the decision to share that time in her life or not.

A Daddy & His Daughter

As you look at this picture you can see how much David hates having his picture taken. However, you can also see just how much Erin loves being in her daddy's arms. At the end of a long day, watching them together gives me an amazing feeling of peace.

The last few weeks have been hard on David & Erin. We had given her permission to stop napping during the day at camp. Erin is such an active child, that at the end of the day, she was totally zonked. David picks her up from school & camp since he gets off earlier than I do. Each day he picked her up, she would start out by screaming at him & passing out on the way home. She would sleep until I got home from work when it was time for dinner. Dinner was not an enjoyable time for our family. Erin has never been the best of eaters - unless a snack was involved - & it got worse once we stopped naptime. By the time bedtime came around, Erin wanted nothing to do with David & would even scream at him to go away. David & I had a talk this past week & decided that Erin was going back to napping during the day. Well, the change in her personality made us positive the decision was the best thing for us. Since she started napping during the day again, Erin has returned to being the loving daughter we have known. She looks forward to doing things with Daddy again - even playing her drums.

I have to admit that I absolutely adore watching David be a daddy. He is such a warm & loving father! David is an avid astronomer. Whenever he takes out one of his telescopes, as long as Erin is still awake, they go out together to look at the sparklies & fuzzies (a/k/a stars & clouds). They both get super excited about their time together. David even bought Erin a new blanket that has the planets & stars on it. This has become her favorite blanket.

He's already planning on scaring off all of Erin's future boyfriends. You should hear all of the mean things he's planning on doing! And, of course, I'm right there with him!

It's So Hard to Be 4

This was such a great weekend for Erin. Friday night we celebrated Erin's 4th birthday with our friends Art & Susan whose youngest daughter, Juliana, was adopted at the same time as Erin. The girls are from the same SWI (Yangchun), & we try to get together a few times a year - their birthdays being one of those times. We went out for dinner with Art & Susan & their family down here in S FL & had a great time.

Saturday morning Erin & I went to the adoption workshop that Susan held. A few other adoptive moms came with their children. It was so cool to watch all the babies play together. Erin really loves babies & had a blast with the girls. Afterwards, Erin & I went home & hung out with Daddy David. I love watching Erin & David together. He's such a super father & totally in love with fatherhood - even on the most trying of days. They spent part of their time together playing on Erin's new drum set. This child is amazing. She has the rock & roll genes for sure.

Sunday was our shopping day, & Erin was such a trooper. After dragging her all over town, all she wanted to do when we got home was ride her new scooter. She had a great time scooting up & down our street on her pretty pink scooter. David & I let her stay up a bit later so he could put together her new vanity. Uncle Seth, Aunt Annie & Cousin Sean thought a young lady of 4 just has to have a vanity - especially a pink one! She's having the time of her life sitting at her new vanity putting on makeup (pretend!) & coming her hair.

Yup! It was a nice weekend all in all.

My Girl is 4!!

Erin turned 4 this past Sunday, & life has changed. She woke up around 4:30 am & came into bed with me for a good snuggle. I quietly whispered "Happy Birthday Punkie!" My sweet girl said "Thank you momma! I a big girl now not a baby." Ouch! Did you hear my heart rip in 2?

This has been a year of change for our family. When we received our baby in China, we had no idea that she was terrified of water. Bath time for the last 2 1/2 years has been a time of horror with her screaming as if we were torturing her. About 6 months ago, Erin's attitude started to change. Of course, David & I have to thank our friend Deborah & her sweet son Jonathan - Erin's best buddy. We have all worked to make bath time easier on her, & it's paying off. Even the lifeguards at camp mentioned the difference from last year to this year. Last year, she was very resistant to the pool. The director of the swim program evaluated Erin & told us that she was not ready for lessons which was hard to hear since we live in S FL. This year, the lifeguards, who are devoting some extra time to Erin, said that she's excited about swim time & gets in without hassles. Who know? Maybe by this time next year, she'll even lay back in the tub to rinse her hair off. Right now she still stands & covers her eyes. Progress takes time. We're getting there.