Princess In a Pouch

Well, the weight limit is 40 lbs., and we're not there yet. I keep saying jokingly, that my "baby" is going to be in her pouch until she won't fit anymore. But maybe that's not a joke. Georgea still wants to be pouched. The frequency comes and goes. We can go weeks without pulling out the pouch, and then there are other times where she's jumping in a couple of times a week. She tells me "pouch-pouch", and sometimes she even gets it out of the cupboard herself! She always wants to be in the front and makes this very clear, but there are times when a Mama just needs to be able to get a few things accomplished. Here we are on Friday night while I was preparing dinner. I love having her close to me and when she needs this close contact I'll stop whatever else is going on to accommodate this need.

Ergo says 40 lbs. is their "recommended" weight limit, but that they have tested the carrier successfully up to 90 lbs. Stay tuned...

Happy Camper

Georgea had her first camping experience earlier this month. Mama, Dada and baby girl headed out to Tucson with my Dad for a weekend of "roughing it." Lucky for us, my Dad's trailer is pretty well equipped including a microwave, flat screen TV, surround sound and all the other necessities. So, we didn't have it very rough after all. It was a lazy weekend of taking it easy and a little exploring. We visited the "Sonora Desert Museum" which is where we saw all the creatures pictured, as well as some amazing scenery. We survived the close quarters, even with a fussy first night for Georgea, and are hoping to do it again some time soon!

Georgea is very interested in and loves playing with stones, which is a beautiful thing living here in the desert.

Mountain Lions!

"Rattle-rattle" Mr. Diamondback

Bobcats. We also see these in our backyard sometimes.

Cracker Barrel for breakfast was a big hit for our pancake and bacon loving girl.

Georgea went up and down the trailer steps a hundred times. She found them very amusing.

Lounging in the bed with her best friends (who go everywhere with us).

When I see photos that show the change in Georgea's hands or feet, I'm still amazed that her surgery is behind us. Amazed and thankful.

Pretty happy!

Cast & Converse

Here's my baby girl, waking up from her nap time on a Sunday afternoon. Georgea still takes her post-nap and her morning milk from a "Nubby" sippy cup. This is part of the waking up slow ritual that she so enjoys. Georgea is not a morning girl and she loves lounging in bed when she first comes to in the morning as well as from her afternoon nap. I took these photos two days prior to the removal of her "BIG cast." We survived three weeks with a dry, not too dirty arm covering and zero complaining from our sweet, go-with-the-flow girl.

I've been waiting and waiting to get a pair of Converse high tops on Georgea, or any other "normal" pair of shoes that isn't extra wide or stretchy-soft, for that matter. Looking at her in these shoes is very symbolic to me. This is one of my reminders that things have changed around here, that we have overcome one of our big life hurdles as a family. Georgea's surgery is behind us. The shoes are cute, and I love watching her run around in them, but having the worrisome surgery and post-surgery recovery in our rear view mirror is what those shoes are all about for this thankful Mama.

Cutie with a cast, but not for long!

Getting Out There

Our baby girl is now 2 & 3/4 years old. She's been home with an AuPair for over 5 months, and she's ready to have some regular social interaction. She needs it. We wanted to enroll her in preschool, but with speech therapy being a priority, finding an activity for Saturday mornings seemed like a better fit for our family right now. Preschool can wait. I'm learning that everything being perfectly timed may not be our reality and more importantly I'm learning that "perfect" isn't necessary in general. So, we headed off to "The Little Gym" for our first Saturday session with the 3-5 year olds. It was fun! James went in with Georgea so she could get comfortable the first go-around. I was really proud of her. Although she stuck with her Daddy for the most part, she did engage and participate. I think she's going to love this outing, and so will we!

Tentative.

How cute!

Taking photos through the glass so as not to disturb the group.

G went up the steps and right for the balance beam! Can't wait to see how she's doing in a few weeks, once she really gets comfortable.

WE GOT SNOW!!

Living in sunny Arizona, at least our part of sunny Arizona, snow is not something we usually get to see, even during the winter months. We might get a nice chill, some good sweater weather, but even that doesn't last long when the mid-day sun comes shining through. But on 2/27 (the 2 year anniversary of the referral of our precious Georgea) we woke up to a beautiful white blanket of snow, right here in our backyard- wow! Georgea has never seen snow, so when I proclaimed "Georgea, look at that white stuff on the ground, that is SNOW!" Her response was: "SNOW WHITE!" Ha! Snow White is the only snow my girl knows.

By late morning, the sun was out, the skies were blue, blue, Arizona blue and the snow in the lowlands was just a memory. Still, seeing our mountains covered, even if only for a few more hours was truly an amazing sight to behold.

DTC!!!!

Our Dossier was sent To China on March 2! That was really fast! It took us so long to get our paperwork completed and submitted this go-around, but the last few steps (USCIS fingerprinting, approval and then DTC) have happened so quickly. We are going through the special needs process again this time and I just have a feeling in my gut that we will match quickly. I kind of just cringed that I typed those words....like maybe I would "jinx" us by putting that thought process in writing. But I'm not superstitious, and it's a feeling I've had for a while now. Maybe I'm right and maybe I'm wrong. We're feeling ready, but we also know that timing is everything....and it's not our timing. I am so looking forward to meeting the baby girl that we are preparing our hearts and home for. I believe she is here, on this earth....waiting....somewhere in China.....she is ours and we are hers. Prayers for protection, peace, safety, nourishment, warmth, shelter, good health, good care, love, attention, human touch. We love you already sweet baby girl.

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Our FCC Arizona group had an awesome Chinese New Year celebration last week. This was my first CNY as a member of the board of directors and it really gave me perspective on the amount of work that has gone into the events that my family and I have enjoyed over the past few years. I have such appreciation for the dedicated group that has worked so hard the last many years to keep our FCC group alive and active. While this year was a lot of work, I felt privileged to be a part of the "behind the scenes" planning and prep as well as the "day of" excitement!

My Dad joined us again this year. He jumped right in there with me running to the FCC storage unit, loading and unloading his car (a multitude of times) and helping me run my specific area during the event. I appreciated his support and so did my peers.

Cutie and her Dada.

Sue with "the Chief" and Alexa. Our AZ besties!

Province parade!

The Guangxi girls (plus 2)! Why my princess decided to plunk down on the stage, I have absolutely no idea? :-)

Georgea, plus Haba's hand, plus an organic peanut butter cracker = happiness!

Rockin' the pink cast for 1 more week.

Face painting. Kind of can't believe she sat still for this. She's growing up.

The finished product....a dalmatian, just like Vida! Barbara joined us to celebrate Georgea's special day.

Beautiful Maya!

Daddy and his girl cake walkin' (we won two!).

Georgea and Lexie are only a few months apart. Love seeing them together.

So cute playing with their lanterns.

The CHUSA (Chinese Undergraduate Student Association) volunteers are a huge support at this and other FCC events every year. And, they are an awfully sweet bunch of kiddos.