Easter

First Family Day

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart)
i am never without it (anywhere i go you go, my dear;
and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet)
i want no world(for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart) ee cummings

Valentines Present

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.

- Eleanor Roosevelt


It was one year again today when I boarded a plane heading towards a dream. What I remember thinking about most that night was 1) why I was leaving in a terrible ice storm (premonition of the weather to come?) and 2) was anyone going to be there when I landed? I honestly had no idea where I was going to stay, who was going to be at the airport and how was I going to manage once I got there. Well, fast forward one year and all those questions are just memories~ part of a bigger story. I can't believe that time has gone so fast. I can still picture the day that I met my princess for the first time. It was the day after I landed in Astana. I was jet lagged, tired and overwhelmed.... We were sitting in the director's office, the door opened and in walks a quiet caregiver carrying a tiny baby. Even so young, there was something special about this little girl. She was so alert and wanted to take in everything. She somehow knew that something speical was happening and didn't want to miss a thing. Once I held her in my arms, my life changed forever. It must be what it is like when mothers hold their babies after giving birth.
Again, fast forward one year..... the baby who couldn't sit up by herself when I met her can now run, climb and jump. While at an indoor playground, another mother commented on how more physically advanced Juliana was compared to her bio son (a month older). Inside I just smiled....little did she know how far she has really come in one year.
As a celebration of our first meeting, we went to the Crayola Crayon Factory in Pa. along with Michele and Juliana's friend, Galina. We stayed overnight and the girls had a great time swimming, running in the halls and playing.
Juliana is starting to talk more... she is imitating alot of words. She continues to be very outgoing. However, now she not being a team player. She is starting to be pushy when she doesn't get her way. It is a phase and once she is reminded that hands are for hugging not hitting, she is fine! All in all, she is just a wonderful little girl. She has a zest for life that alot of people could stand to emulate.

No!

My sweet little princess has learned a new word ~ No! This word holds much interest for her, because it has become a favorite. She says no to the wall, her stuffed dog, the TV, her reflection in the oven door and of course, to me. I wonder why this little word captivates toddlers so much? The use of "no" often is accompanied by some type of drama~ someone is not doing what Juliana wants them to do. She is not the sharing type and definitely wants things to go her way. But all in all, she is just a great little girl. She is still so funny, smart and happy. Juliana is learning new words, tricks and skills every day. Her new adventure is that she has learned how to open all the child-proof gates in her daycare. She will open the gates from the toddler room to the infant room and lead all the toddlers into the next room. She will keep you on your toes!!
We are still in gym class. She just loves the running and climbing she can do there. I have posted pictures of her on the balance beam (next olympic gymnast?) and others of her chasing bubbles.
One thing that she is not very good at is sitting down to eat. I found this toddler diet and thought it fits Juliana eating habits perfectly.

Over the years you may have noticed that most two year olds are trim. Now the formula to their success is available to all in this new diet. You may want to consult your doctor before embarking on this diet, otherwise, you may be seeing him afterwards. Good Luck !!!


DAY ONE
Breakfast: One scrambled egg, one piece of toast with grape jelly. Eat two bites of egg, using your fingers; dump the rest on the floor. Take one bite of toast, then smear the jelly over your face and cloth.
Lunch: Four crayons (any color), a handful of potato chips, and a glass of milk (three sips only, then spill the rest).
Dinner: A dry stick, two pennies and a nickel, four sips of flat Sprite.
Bedtime snack: Throw a piece of toast on the kitchen floor.


DAY TWO
Breakfast: Pick up stale toast from kitchen floor and eat it. Drink half bottle of vanilla extract or one vial of vegetable dye.
Lunch: Half tube of "Pulsating Pink" lipstick and a handful of Purina DogChow (any flavor). One ice cube, if desired.
Afternoon snack: Lick an all-day sucker until sticky, take outside, drop in dirt. Retrieve and continue slurping until it is clean again. Then bring inside and drop on rug.
Dinner: A rock or an uncooked bean, which should be thrust up your left nostril. Pour Grape Kool-Aid over mashed potatoes; eat with spoon.


DAY THREE
Breakfast: Two pancakes with plenty of syrup, eat one with fingers, rub in hair. Glass of milk; drink half, stuff other pancake in glass. After breakfast, pick up yesterday's sucker from rug, lick off fuzz, put it on the cushion of best chair.
Lunch: Three matches, peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Spit several bites onto the floor. Pour glass of milk on table and slurp up.
Dinner: Dish of ice cream, handful of potato chips, some red punch. Try to laugh some punch through your nose, if possible.


FINAL DAY
Breakfast: A quarter tube of toothpaste (any flavor), bit of soap, an olive. Pour a glass of milk over bowl of cornflakes, add half a cup of sugar. Once cereal is soggy, drink milk and feed cereal to dog.
Lunch: Eat bread crumbs off kitchen floor and dining room carpet. Find that sucker and finish eating it.
Dinner: Drop pieces of spaghetti onto back of dog, insert meatball into ear. Dump pudding into Kool-Aid and suck up with a straw.

Merry Christmas!

As an adult, Christmas is a great holiday. However, experiencing it through a child’s eyes is just magical. This was Juliana’s first Christmas and it was so much fun to see it through her. Of course, there is a story behind all the festivities. First, I fell a couple of weeks before Christmas and tore my patellar tendon. I was in a knee immobilizer and had limited mobility~ great ~ now my princess had one up on me. I will have to be more creative in my parenting skills. Also, this limited my ability to shop, decorate and basically get around. Ok, I can handle this…. So, I did what I could and got Christmas together. We bought a tree and decorated it. Well, Juliana just fell in love with the tree. I also brought out a moving Santa that was carrying a light and was almost as tall as she was that she also adored. Every night before she went to bed, she would kiss Santa and say bye-bye to the tree. So far, so good….
Then right before Christmas, she got RSV and an ear infection. This meant antibiotics, nebulizer treatments and prednisone. I really felt bad for her, she was wheezing, coughing~ no way to spend your first Christmas. I must say though, she was a trooper. Christmas eve was spent at Aunt Helen’s home ~ thank you all for your presents to her.
On Christmas morning, my mom came over and we opened presents again. She got a lot of great toys and books. Luckily, she felt better after a few days and was back to normal.

Minnie Me

Juliana is a very busy little girl. She is always on the move~ exploring, climbing, figuring out how things work. She doesn’t seem to be paying attention to me and what I am saying or doing. So imagine my surprise when my actions are being imitated by my princess. She brushes her hair, pretends to put mouse in her hair, puts blush on with my make-up brush, tries to put earrings in her ears and mops the floors. It is just too funny to watch what you are doing in someone else. I guess she is paying more attention than I thought!
My girl has added some more words to her repertoire. She now says baby and bye-bye. Her babble has changed to include more syllables and sounds. She loves to get on the phone and chat away. When she does start talking, we are all done for!
We started gym class once a week and she just loves it. She walked on the balance beam and is learning forward rolls. She will definitely be a little daredevil as she gets older.

My Favorite Season

Do not follow where the path may lead.
Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.--- Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is hard to believe that October is almost over. This month marks six months since Juliana has been home. I can’t image a time that she wasn’t here. She is such a joy to everyone who meets her~ you just can ‘t spend time with her without leaving with a smile. She has such an amazing spirit and an abundance of energy. Every week, she surprises all of us with her new found tricks, skills she has accomplished and funny antics. She has refined her climbing ability~ this month she has escaped out of her crib, almost made it to the top of her dresser using the drawer pulls as a foothold, started up her changing table and mastered the stairs. This is from the “tiny little peanut” who is barely making the growth charts. One thing you can say about her is ~ don't let her size fool you! She still has a never-ending supply of energy that exhausts all who watch her. But boy, is she cute!! She also has the best sense of humor and loves to have fun and laugh.
Last weekend, we (along with Aunt Karen, Zeke, Kaleigh and Grandmom) went to Duffield’s for a hayride and pumpkin picking. It was a beautiful fall day and we had a great time. I am posting pictures from that day. We are looking forward to Halloween and hopefully it won’t rain. This weekend is our last swim class. It is hard to get up early to go swimming when it is cold out. I think we will do a gymnastics class for the winter.
I have always said that I can't wait for her to talk (I know, I will regret saying that one day). Well, she now can say apple and Jackson. Yes, Jackson...it is a boy in her room at daycare that she fancies. What is worse is that she says it and smiles. Oh ok, I need to have more talks with her about playing harder to get....first it's Henry, then Milo, now Jackson. I think I still have a good 14 years!

Anyway, right now my life is filled with toys, books, alot of laughter and even more love..... It doesn't get any better than that!!!!

I will post Halloween pictures when I can. Bet you can't guess what she will be??