St. Nicks Stocking

Sonia really enjoyed her filled stocking. She was really curious when I showed her that one of the Christmas stockings on the mantle was full. Then, when I took it down and gave it to her, she dug right in. She managed to pull all the pieces of the Little People Christmas train out and has had fun with them ever since... definitely a fun holiday moment (even though we were both sick that day with Strep throat, a sinus infection for me, and a possible ear infection for Sonia). Luckily, we both recovered quickly and are feeling well now!!

Anyway, here's some "action" pictures of the fun

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Cute pictures are harder than they seem...

I tried to capture some cute pictures of Sonia in her holiday dress by the Christmas tree. She is so mobile these days that she "ran" out of most of the pictures or turned her head or frowned. After trying for a while, I was definitely ready to leave the picture taking to the professionals. We had an appointment Monday for holiday photos - they turned out well and MUCH better than my attempts!

Anyway, here's a glimpse of my holiday girl!

Thanksgiving!

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Sonia and my parents. I am definitely so THANKFUL for the blessing of being Sonia's Mom.

Mom outdid herself (as always) with the meal. The one change was that we ate together in the kitchen so that I could relax with Sonia eating on the tile floor instead of carpeted dining room!

It was fun and Sonia enjoyed some of her favorite foods... especially the butternut squash and potatoes!

Sonia's cute little Thanksgiving plate -

Rich and Peggy Visit...

Sonia got to meet her Uncle Rich, Auntie Peggy, and cousin Michael in person the other weekend. She couldn't have had a better time playing and showing off for them. It was a great weekend as well because she started walking longer distances and "talking" (babbling what seems like words and sentences) too.

Here's a few cute pictures from the visit :o)

Halloween

Sonia had fun dressing up for Halloween.

She was my "Little Monster" on Halloween. She wasn't terribly fond of the full fuzzy outfit at first. But, she loved it when we went out Trick-or-Treating to visit the neighbors. She walked part of the way and carried her little Pumpkin bag proudly! (She sends Thanks to Uncle Rich and Aunt Peggy for the bag!) She loved it when people put candy in the bag and my friend's kids Ashley and her boyfriend Jordon liked the candy! The bag then became a great "in and out" toy to play with blocks for the rest of the evening.

For daycare, I didn't want her to have to spend the day in her hot fuzzy monster costume, so she went as a ladybug. She was a cute ladybug too :o)

Daycare...

Tonight was the "fall festival" at Sonia's Daycare. This means that parents can come at 4:30pm and hang out with their child in the daycare with their teachers and other parents. There was also a "Chili dump" to contribute to for supper. We had fun! It was nice to see Sonia interact with the toys and other kids and to have a little relaxed time to talk to her teachers. Everyone seems to think that Sonia is settling in very well and she seems to know all the teachers across all the age groups from baby to pre-K. It definitely helped to make me comfortable with my choice to see her happy there!

Here's a few pictures...

Sonia playing in the "sensory table" which is filled with sunflower seeds, gourds, and cups.

Sonia with her teacher Miss Sandy ...

Sonia with Miss Barbara (our favorite teacher but Sonia was ready to go home so we'll have to try another time for a happier picture) ...

And, finally, Sonia's latest "art" project...

Eating update...

Sonia's eating at daycare has been improving dramatically (as has her overall state and experience)! The last 3 days she's had either "ate fair" or "ate well" on her meals and snack. But, I realized over the weekend that this may be, in part, because she's making strides in feeding herself! She now holds the spoon and, if I put food on it, can get it into her mouth easily. I realized when taking a chance tonight on what mess she'd make, that she's also getting a bit proficient at scooping the food. She can't resist sticking her other hand in to grab some food too ... and she becomes a bit of a mess... But, she managed to eat her little bowl of my chili "all by herself". She also scooped out and ate her yougart by herself (although I didn't let her hold the little container out of fear for flying yougart).

What a girl :o) Mommy is so thrilled with each new "skill"...

Here's some pictures...

Ready for winter...

Sonia's boots arrived yesterday. She was pretty interested in them sitting on the floor. But, she clearly felt like Bigfoot with them on. Just wait until she has the full snowsuit, hat, and mittens to go with it :o)

Mobility is on it's way ...

Sonia started taking a few steps the last few days. We've been practicing in the one room I have with carpeting...

She turns so she's leaning her back against the couch, puts her arms out, and then walks and throws herself into my arms. From there, I turn her around and she trots back to the couch. Repeat and repeat and repeat.

She's not able to take more than 4-5 steps without falling but it's a start.

Her excitement is so contagious! I can't help but giggle along with her!

I've found it hard to catch her and get a picture too. So, here's what I have so far which is pictures of her racing toward me. I had to record the date ... first steps on 10/13. I'll work on some more pictures and video once she's a bit more stable and/or when I have visitors to do the photographing!

Here she is...

Enjoying the fall season...

Sonia had fun playing in the leaves. She's still not sure that she likes touching the grass but walking in it is fine. She's getting pretty proficient with her walking toys and likes to climb off and on the lion scooter.

2 Months since Sonia Day ...

I see from my banner that it's been 2 months since the day I met Sonia. It so hard to believe!! But, I'm not sure if it's hard to believe that we've only known each other for 2 months (it seems like we've been together forever) or if it's hard to believe that 2 months has already flown by (could it really be that long?). I feel amazed by both but over the moon blessed to have the chance to be Sonia's Mom! Happy 2 month Anniversary, Sweetie :o)

"School" Art ...

Sonia made her first project at Daycare to celebrate the Fall season. It's apples in a basket. I've been waiting so many years to have these fun little projects hanging around my house... it warms my heart! :o)

Sonia isn't walking but ...

Sonia (and I) survived her first week of Daycare. I wouldn't say it was great (her "teacher" rated it as FAIR) but also said that it got a little better every day. Thursday, she still didn't eat much of anything there and had some tears during the day (and lots when I dropped her off) but they said that there were also some smiles and giggles during the day. She's eating a LOT in the evenings and I'm feeding her breakfast before she goes so no big worries yet on the food side. Hopefully in another week or few it will be happy days. We'll give it a bit of time...

The good news is that I had today off work and also Monday and part of Tuesday so we'll have 4.5 days together. Today we had a doctor's appointment but otherwise just played. It was beautiful outside (70s) so we went to the park and took a long walk in the stroller too.

So, the progress on walking...

Sonia isn't walking alone yet. She is creeping along anything she can grab onto (walls, furniture, toys, people) and getting stronger at walking holding onto just one of my fingers. Last night, she started standing up by herself without holding anything. She moves from sitting, to kneeling, to squatting, and then slowly straightens her back to standing. She stands there and claps for a moment and then either grabs onto something or sits back down.

Her latest crazy act was tonight. We were watching her 20 minutes of Elmo video that she gets every couple days. She was creeping around the coffee table as usual and I was relaxing on the couch. She pulled a pillow off the couch and was stepping up on it while holding the coffee table. Ok, nice fun. The next moment she'd lifted a leg and pulled herself to kneeling on the coffee table. She was clapping away so proud of herself. I had my camera close so I snapped a picture before grabbing her off the table and moving all pillows away from the area! What a brave girl :o)

Anything can be a toy :o)

Everyone always talks about how the wrapping paper and boxes are as fun as the toy, right. This fits with that theme... I gave Sonia a diet coke bottle I'd finished. She has had countless hours of fun with it. She knew from watching me that the top should come off... and she worked and worked at it until she was able to twist it with her little fingers and get it off. Then, the question became, how to get it back on again. This is a much bigger challenge. She figured out that she needed to have the concave part against the bottle to make it "fit". But, she hasn't mastered holding the bottle with it on and twisting the right way to put it on. She does love to have me hold the bottle and put the cap in place and then have me twist the bottle to attach the cap.

Many hours of fun with a piece of junk fit for the recycling bin...

Sonia Feeding herself...

Based on our pediatrician's advice, I've started letting Sonia feed herself more often. It's always an adventure!

Breakfast - Sonia loves organic Os (Cheerios) with a little milk. She's good at holding the spoon but seldom gets any cereal to her mouth in the spoon. After a few tries, she typically resorts to holding the spoon in one hand and with the other hand digging cereal out of the bowl and into her mouth. It's pretty funny to see how proud she is of eating it herself (albeit without the spoon). I can sometimes get her to put stickier stuff (like squash or mashed potatoes) into her mouth if I fill the spoon and put it in her hand.

Snack - Sonia loves fresh pear pieces. Since this is a fine motor exercise, she's good at it. Yay!

And, speaking of butternut squash, here's the result of a bit of "self feeding". It makes for a great picture but takes a bit of cleanup!

I guess we need to keep practicing! :o)

One Month Home...

Today marks one month since we arrived home (plus 11 days since Sonia day in case you're counting). It's amazing how in one moment in can both feel like I've known her forever and yet feel so brand new. I'm trying hard to enjoy every moment and soak it all in as I know time passes so quickly!

Since it's been a little bit since my last post, here are some updates...

On 9/11, we celebrated "Grandparent's Day" with my parents. Sonia made them a cute card with her hand prints on it. (Thanks to my friend Lacretia for her help with our craft project!) She was very happy to celebrate with Grandma and Grandpa!

Sonia continues to play and laugh more and more each day. Our neighbor across the street gave Sonia several toys and many outfits to enjoy that her daughter has grown out of. One of her favorites is a bouncing zebra toy that she can now get on and off of herself and bounce and laugh like crazy. She also loves her "Little People" zoo and farm sets. We imitate the animal noises which again brings huge laughter!

Sonia is getting more and more mobile. She isn't yet brave enough to take steps alone but she is becoming more and more confident walking with just one hand as security. She is also becoming more confident taking steps backwards and sideways. I'm guessing that one of these days she's going to take off... but, for now, this is a great stage as I can explore right along with her (and also keep close tabs on what she's going after!).

Thursday, Sonia had her pediatrician appointment. The good news is that all the blood, urine, and stool tests came back great. She also gained 2 inches in height and 1 pound since 8/26. She's now in the 74th percentile for height... maybe she'll be a tall girl like I always wished to be. Her weight is still in the 11th percentile but she's definitely feeling stronger and more solid. The bad news is that she had to get four shots and also a TB test. She ran a 101 degree temperature the next day and was quite miserable only wanting to be held and walked with. I felt so sorry for her. But, she bounced back and was in great form on Saturday.

Saturday, Sonia got a haircut and we had pictures taken. She wasn't a big fan of either but is a trooper and made the best of both.

The park with a 1 year old...

I decided to take Sonia to the park today. I was hoping we'd get the chance to see some other kids since Sonia loves to watch kids... but, since school is in session there were only a couple kids at the park.

Sonia really enjoyed the swing - at least for about 3 minutes. She also liked the small slide - but 3 times was enough. We tried the swing again which maybe pushed us to 10 minutes total at the park.

I guess it's great to know that we can squeeze a trip to the park into our schedule most any time we want since it doesn't take long :o)

Here's a couple quick pictures of our park play experience...

Grandma and Grandpa

My parents visited for a few days last week so that I could join a few necessary meetings at work. I was a bit worried about how Sonia would do with me leaving her for the first time since we met. But, she did great overall! I think it may have been harder for me to separate than her! But, we definitely both are enjoying having our days together again since!

She really loves spending time with her Grandma and Grandpa (and I think the feeling is quite mutual - everyone is full of smiles)! I so love seeing them together. Sonia tries to reach into the phone or computer to get to them when they call or Skype... she's disappointed when she can't get the hug in person but it's so cute to see her try!

She learned a few new tricks during their visit - "So Big" with arms stretched up and a stronger "throwing kiss", "Hi" and "Mama". I'm waiting for some more words but so far the rest sounds like babble to me.

Yes, We're still alive...

It has been a while since I posted. (Thanks everyone for checking on us - yes, we're doing fine just staying busy and catching up on sleep whenever we can.)

A quick update...

Sleep is much improved! Sonia is now sleeping at night and awake during the day. It's amazing how wonderful this truly is for us! She is now sleeping from something like 8-10pm until 6-7am and then taking a couple hours of naps during the day. Her doctor has said she should be still getting a bit more sleep but at least we're in the ballpark. This is something to celebrate!

Sonia is on the move! Sonia is now creeping along furniture and cabinets everywhere. Nothing is safe! But, it is lots of fun to watch her explore. She is also "walking" (with me holding her hands for balance) all over the house.

Sonia is also now a fan of the bath. She has started enjoying playing with her bath toys and splashing away. It's lots of fun now!

Overall, we're doing great!