The Itsy Bitsy Spider Effect

From Day One, Mia has disliked having her diaper changed. She cries and squirms and frequently succeeds in flipping herself over while I'm still fumbling with those darn tape tabs. Are all kids like this? I babysat a heck of a lot of kids when I was a teenager, and I don't remember this. Yes, we use a wipes warmer and we've tried various distraction toys and techniques. Sometimes we find something that works, but after a few weeks we're back where we started. The boneyard of formerly useful distraction toys now includes: a cellphone, a toy with 3 buttons that activate red flashing eyes and/or a buzzer and/or classical music (we call it Chuckie because those eyes are pretty sinister looking), a more real-looking cellphone, and a chenille duck that makes a convincing "quack quack". Chuckie,which the package said was "designed by a pediatrician" for this very purpose, holds the record for longevity-- we've had to change the AAA batteries 2 or 3 times.
At the moment, the only thing that is working is singing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider." We've been doing that for 2 weeks, and it is already beginning to lose its luster. To extend its useful life, I now sing it in various musical styles, including opera, country western, jazz, and even rap. A few funny faces makes it even more entertaining.
The other day, Jeff walked by Mia's room during a singing diaper change and commented, "I see I'm going to have to up my game."
No photos for this post. After all, Mia will probably want to read this someday.

Easing the Transitions

A friend showed us a magnetic board she uses to explain their bedtime routine to her daughter. Apparently, toddlers cooperate better if they know what is coming next. This kind of thing (which technically is called an "augmentive and assistive communication device") also helps with language development, and we're all for that!

We couldn't find such a board online, but I made one from a small magnetic white board, clipart from Microsoft Clips Online, and some nifty paper called "magnetic sheets" from Avery Dennison.
If you look carefully, you will see that Mia is expected to brush but gets a pass on flossing for now.

Our Happy Family

We needed a family photo for our upcoming post-placement visit, so we pressed Sarah into service. Mia was wearing a rather sour expression, which really isn't the picture we want to portray for the China Center of Adoption Affairs, is it? Sarah solved the problem by holding up a toy and made funny noises, all while focusing the camera.

Let It Snow (Again!)

Snow is a rare occurrence here, so imagine everyone's surprise that we had two snowstorms in one week. We bundled Mia up in her snowsuit and boots (thank goodness for hand-me-downs from northern relatives!) and took her out for a stroll around her yard. At one point, Mia flopped down on the ground on her back, but she didn't show much interest in learning how to make a snow angel.

As much as I complained about winters in the north, I have to admit I was pretty excited about today's snow. I can't quite put my finger on why. Maybe it is the associations with my childhood, which was a happy time. Maybe it is just the novelty of it. Either way, I am so glad Mia is here to experience this with us.

Book Lover

Mia now selects books from her shelf and brings them to us so that we will read to her. Jeff reads several books to her every morning before work. She particularly likes Peek-a-Boo Farm and the giant board book version of The Very Hungry Caterpiller. I was working in my home office this morning, and overheard Mia and Sarah reading one book after another. I couldn't resist sneaking a peek.

Let It Snow

We are experiencing our first snowstorm since moving here two years ago. (Actually, being from the North, I can say it is a bit of an overstatement to call it a storm.) It started right before I left the office, and reports said it would be turning to sleet. Given how steep our driveway is, I was regretting I hadn't put a big piece of cardboard in my trunk in case I had to park the car on the street and slide down the driveway on my bottom. Fortunately, by the time I got home it was still just a light dusting. Mia and Sarah greeted me with rosy cheeks. They'd been out on the deck enjoying the big fluffy white clumps of snow that were gently falling. I think the best reason to have a child is that it gives you license to be a kid again. Unfortunately, I don't think we can hope for enough accumulation to be able to make snow angels tomorrow.

First Day of Preschool

Tuesday was Mia's first day at the preschool program run by our church. Sarah and I dropped her off together and took a few photos to commemorate the day. After our visit to the school last week, I knew Mia would do just fine, so I wasn't worried. Still, the day felt very significant to me. Our little girl was taking her first step out into the wider world without us. I thought ahead to the many times we will relive this scene. Next fall she will go to a different preschool a bit farther from home, then there will be kindergarten and primary school... and someday she will get married...

It was one of those times when I said to myself, "I really am someone's mother now." Who knew this dream could come true?

What a Difference

In a few weeks, we have to meet with our social worker for the first post-placement report. We have to provide some "recent" photos, so I got the camera out. Mia was having a great time with her stacking blocks.

After uploading the new photos to Snapfish, I looked back at some of the photos from our first week as a family, back in mid-September. Look how much she has grown up!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

The very best surprise I received on my birthday was the card from Mia. I came down to the kitchen to join Jeff and Mia for breakfast, and there it was.

Off to School We Go

There was an unexpected opening in our church's preschool program this week. As soon as I heard about the opening, I rushed over to get a tour. Sarah is a former pre-K teacher, so she met me there and asked lots of questions. As we talked to the Director and the teachers in Mia's room, our little gal made herself right at home, playing with the other kids and their toys. She will be the youngest child in the room by 2 months, but after observing her with the others, Sarah and I concluded she'll probably do fine. She will be attending 2 preschool 2 mornings a week.
Yet another sign our baby is growing up.

Red is Your Color!

Mia takes her art quite seriously. Nanny Sarah was supervising some fingerpainting the other day. Lots of red paint was involved.

Mia's Vital Statistics

At Mia's checkup last week, we found that she is now in the 90th percentile for height and 75th to 90th percentile for weight. Two months ago, she was in the 97th percentile for height and 50th for weight. She is now 31.5 inches tall and weighs 24.2 lbs. Her doctor says she is right on track, gaining a good amount of weight. We're waiting to find out where her blood lead level is.

At 24.2 lbs, we are really glad she is getting around mostly on her own two feet. On Saturday, I even took her into the Carter's children's clothing store without a stroller. I have to say I regretted that decision, as she wanted to run from rack to rack checking out the clothes. Add "fashionista" to the list of things she just might be when she grows up. (That list is getting long. Basketball player, gymnast, architect, figure skater, drummer...)

Mia is walking a lot and really fast. She hasn't perfected her balance yet, so she has been bumping her head an awful lot.

What else is new with Mia? She has decided it is fun to brush her feet with her toothbrush. She loves opening and closing things. She understands a lot more words but still isn't talking much. I think she might have said "hot" tonight, but I can't be sure. She is suddenly demonstrating a strong preference for Daddy over Mommy.
We have found a local play group for young Chinese children. We're going to check it out later this week.