Surprise!

This morning just before 9 am the phone rang. It was a number that I didn't recognize and the caller i.d. only said "out of area" so I almost didn't pick it up. Marie was just getting out of the shower so when it was Brian from our agency on the phone I figured he wanted to talk to her about some of the paperwork stuff that I know nothing about so I immediately started walking the phone back to the bedroom. As a courtesy I asked how he was doing and he said, "Great. Really great in fact, I'm looking at a picture of a thirteen month old girl who is just perfect for you."
This was our referral call. It happened WAY before either of us thought it would. Marie picked up the other line (she still in her towel) and Brian described little Zheng Yan Miao to us.
She is adorably cute as you can see from the photos and we think a nice little bookend with Molly. They truly look like sisters. She is from way up north in China. Inner Mongolia actually. She was born January of '08 and her 'special need' was minor and has already been addressed in China so, no need to follow up, no lasting effects and no outward signs of anything abnormal at all. It's the best case scenario.
We are still looking at about 6 months before we travel. It will be agony waiting that long when we know who she is and where she is. The good news is that she is with a foster family so she is getting good one-on-one care and that we will be there soon.
This all happened so fast! Way faster than with Molly. She is thrilled with her new sister by the way and says she wants to go get her. We can only hope that the transition is as smooth as it was with Molly.
We are a family of four now. It is a different experience this time around but no less exciting. We had the option to say no to any child they matched us with and we kept talking all along about how difficult that would have been but with Zheng Yan Miao - our little Gracie - there was no question. This is our little girl, Molly's sister and the icing on the cake of our family.
More info will come fairly soon and we hope updated pictures. The ones below are from last August so she is surely a very different little one since then.
We are happy, happy, happy and still a little shocked that it has all gone so quick and smooth. Welcome Gracie! We can't wait to hold you and say welcome to the family!

It's a brand new world

Well, overall the switch to a big girl bed has gone really well! However, it is an exciting new world where Molly can get out of bed on her own and explore. I went in her room the other day when she was supposed to be napping to find her on the floor with a dozen books spread open in front of her. She is also distracted by her jewelry box, looking out the window and even going potty. We only missed two naps this week, not bad and when she does nap she still naps a hard 3 hours. There have been a few times in the morning that she has scared us all (including Maybel) by just appearing quietly by our bedside. Other mornings she has still called me to her room just like when she was in her crib. She has told me over and over how much she likes her room. Here are some photos of Molly filling what should be nap time . . .




A little dress-up and dancing.
I was so sick this day but Molly put her princess dress on all by her self and looked at me and said "dance with me". How could I refuse!

Then a little painting . . .





I think Molly's favorite part about being in a big girl bed is that Maybel can now get in bed with her.

25 random things about molly

I was recently asked by someone on facebook to list 25 random things about myself (if you are on facebook you have probably been asked the same question). This inspired me to do this list about Molly and share with you all a little bit of our girl's growing personality.

1. She will not stand for a tag on anything. Not her clothing, a blanket, stuffed animal or a toy.
2. When asking for something like dessert or more play time it is usually followed by a cute smile, tilt of the head and her thumb and index finger together close to cheek and her saying "just a little bit". SO darn cute that she usually gets what she asks for. After she asks for "just a little bit" she is happy with just a little bit.
3. When reading books at night before bed she always pushes for just one more by asking "last time". This sometimes happens for her favorite tv shows during the day too. When she gets her last time she is happy with that and doesn't ask again.
4. Her favorite food is Eel and has been known to ask to go out for sushi when she has already had it twice that week. Her other favorite foods are crab and shrimp and cheese (loves brie).
5. She has a real sweet tooth and LOVES chocolate but she will actually leave dessert on her plate if she is full.
6 She can ride a tricycle
7. She calls villains in books and movies "boo-bad"
8. Her favorite stuffed animal is "baby bear" and was the first stuffed animal I bought for her and is from Ikea. Her favorite blanket is the chenille one that Nana Dawn made for her and she doesn't like to sleep without either of them.
9. Her favorite show is Mickey Mouse Club House
10.Dad's two main requests from his girl when he gets home from work are "dance with me" and "read to me".
11.Her favorite song right now is Good Morning from Singin' in the Rain.
12. Her favorite movie right now is Singin' In The Rain.
13.She loves bugs but they need to be outside not in her house
14.She still takes a 3 hour nap
15. Her catch phrase is "That's Crazy"
16. She is 36" tall and can go on some of the big rides at Disneyland now!
17. The fact that she can go on the big rides at Disneyland makes her very proud and she tells me several times a day "Molly tall,I go on the big rides at Disneyland".
18. She loves princesses and tinkerbell and plays dress-up (her princess dress is her favorite).
19. She likes being in and taking photos and loves to look at photos and videos. Her favorite videos are the ones of her in China when we became a family.
20. She will only wear dresses and leggings and all her dresses must be cotton knit and flare out when she spins. Flower prints are best!
21. She dislikes buttons as much as she dislikes tags.
22. She is 31 months old and has been to Disneyland 8 times!
23. She loves movies and has been able to sit through one beginning to end since before her second birthday. Even the black and white ones that her Dad loves to show her.
24.She loves to paint and can be trusted to paint on her own and only gets paint on the paper.
25.She knows her sister's name is Gracie and that she is in China. Mom and Dad have tried other names for Gracie but Molly won't have it.

Molly moves to a big girl bed!

Molly has been telling us for weeks that she wants a big girl bed. She mostly asks for a princess bed because she has really hit the princess phase but I got her to agree to princess sheets. After weeks of trying to find a toddler bed on craigslist I finally found one that someone didn't beat me to. We scored big time, the Pottery Barn Kids toddler bed and mattress that had never been used!


As you can see from the photos Molly was very excited! She kept jumping up and down giggling and saying I am excited and I am happy. We were a little worried about how this new big girl bed would effect nap time and bed time but Molly was a true big girl and went right down for a 3 hour nap and right to sleep at night only requesting Maybel by her bedside. At nap time we even heard the toilet flush about 5 minutes after we left her room to find that she had just gone potty all by herself. She is growing up way too fast and we just want to freeze time.





We packed up the crib and told Molly that Gracie will use the crib when she gets here. A few times Molly has mentioned that the crib is now Gracie's and Molly is a big girl.

Mirror fun

Portraits of Molly

Inspired by this site from a Dad who is a way better photographer than I am (he is a professional and quite a photoshop whiz) I wanted to get back to taking some pictures of Molly that were more formal. I'm experimenting with lighting but have very few options around the house, especially at night. I like the way a few came out though. That one above looks so serious, which Molly can be from time to time.
She is holding her "baby bear" which has become her stuffed animal of choice, especially for sleeping. It is the cheapest one we ever got for her with no special sentimental value - but not anymore. This will be the one that gets put away in a box when she gets older and that she will discover 20 years from now and the feelings will all flood back in a wave of nostalgia. Aunt Gretchen has her Owl and now Molly has baby bear.
In other news: potty training is 100% complete. She even woke up last night at 2 am and announced she had to go pee. No accidents in more than 2 weeks, she tells us every time and she likes to do her #2's in private with a dramatic "Go away!" if we try to help.
And continuing my quest to have her appreciate classic cinema her new favorite movie is Singin' In The Rain. She LOVES the songs. We have to watch 'Good Morning' first thing whe she comes in to jump on me and wake me up. She loves the title track and she is really into 'Moses Supposes' this week. And 'Make Em' Laugh' is always a hit. It is really gratifying to me that Wizard of Oz (1939) and Singin' In The Rain (1951) are right up there with Pixar movies in her heart. Next up - Little Rascals!