Thursday, April 30, 2009

Friends and Fun

Well, we have been out and about and on the go. On Tuesday, the girls and I met our friend Molly and her mom Teri out for a playdate. We were going to go to the park but it was rainy so we did lunch at Whole Foods and played at Graeters. The girls were full of energy and having so much fun. And of course-- the mamarazzi was out in full swing. But you know--- it is hard getting 3 toddlers to slow down enough to get a shot. Here is the best of the 3 of them.
I love this picture of Alex. The colors are awesome and her smile just melts my heart.
Sisterly love. It is coming along nicely.
This one is full of onery-- let me tell you. She is in to every little thing. But man is she cute.
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Monday, April 27, 2009

Our Girls

I haven't gotten to blog much so I am trying to make up for it. I posted quite a few posts so make sure you keep scrolling.

Here is my sweet sweet girl, Alexandria Grace Xiao



















Two little cuties



















Hmmmmmm-- you tell me-- do I have my hands full?


















I think this will probably sum it up---- the little one -- full of mischief and the big one -- prim and proper.
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Memory Lane

When you see the post below-- you will understand these pictures.

This one is Caroline with her mommy Rebecca in China.














China sisters--- Lily, Caroline, and Alex. This was about a month after we got home from China (May 2006)

Lily (10 months)
Caroline (7 months)
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Fun with our China Family

We had a big day yesterday. We went to the park and then we met up with our friends the H's ( I will only use first names for privacy reasons). They were visiting the zoo here in town and wanted to know if we wanted to meet them. Of course, we said yes.
The H's are one of the families we traveled to China with to get Alex. They only live about an hour and half away so we see them a couple of times a year. This was really just a spur of the moment visit. We met them late in the day at the zoo because we went to the park earlier and then the girls were napping.

We were very brave parents because we actually took 6 toddlers to a restaurant to try to have dinner and good conversation. We did great-- I am not sure about the other people trying to have dinner around us but we had fun.

Alex loves" Care-wine" ( Caroline). She is the one in the hot pink pants. She went to China with us when she was only 6 month old. What a big girl she is now. I can't believe how our girls have grown.

Here in the picture is Lily, Gabe holding Ani, Caroline, Alex, and Abby.
Abby just kind of fit right in-- she was running and playing with all of them.

Alex, Caroline, and Lily (China sisters-- all connected with that special red thread)
I love Gabe in the background.
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Day 4 at home-- fun at the park

Well, it is day 4 and we are doing better. Poor little Alex only had 2 meltdowns yesterday and she and Abby are really beginning to form that bond. They are starting to hold hands and hug each other. We do have some sharing issues but I have decided to institute a new policy.
They have things like their bear, blanky, and slippers that are their own and the other cannot touch. But most other things have to be shared. I will NOT buy 2 of every little thing. They have to learn to share. So what I did yesterday is..... if one wants what the other has then it goes by 2 minute rotations and usually that fizzles out in a few minutes. I got this idea from M3 at Salsa in China blog-- she has twins and this is how she does it and I think it is a great idea. Thanks M3.
The girls got along so good yesterday and had a great time a the park going down the slide and swinging. Abby LOVES the slide and Alex LOVES the swing. Aren't they just too darn cute.
Abby still woke up at 5 am this morning (that is why I am up blogging). I went in and layed down with her and then put her back in bed and I haven't heard a peep. I am hoping she is figuring out her whole sleep thing. She is still giving me kisses mainly just at night but I'll take it. And last night we make progress-- she kissed her finger and put it on Todd's cheek-- Oh HAPPY DAY!!!!!!!! This is great because she has just shunned any affection toward him at all but he played with her alot today and held her alot. So I think she is coming along.

As soon as we get the pictures from China downloaded to our main computer, I will post some more about China. I have so many great pictures but it is too hard to do any kind of modifications to them with the lap top. At least for me it is.

Hope everyone has a great day.
Faye


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Fun at the Park




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Sunday, April 26, 2009

A few cute ones


























The picture of her squatting just cracks me up. This is how she would use the potty in China-- have I posted about the squattie potties yet. And she squats like this alot when she is playing or on a chair. It just tickles me.
All over China you see men and women on the street waiting for the bus just squatting like this. One of those quirky things that makes me laugh.


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Home Update

Well, I know this is all what you have been waiting to see-- Pictures!!!! Especially of the girls together. Aren't they adorable. I took them to the park last night and the minute I put them together to get a picture my camera battery died. Aww Shucks, it was a cute one too. But here are a few of them playing together and having fun.

It has certainly been a very emotional and trying 3 days. We are all tired and not getting much sleep and that makes for some difficult moments. As you can all see, the airport reunion was so sweet and Alex and Abby did great together. Abby even went in to the carseat without a peep. We still haven't heard a thing about that carseat and I thought she would have a meltdown about it. Nope.

The first day at home was extremely difficult. Alex is very jealous and was having hourly meltdowns. It was so sad. I could see the grieving . I could see her pain. We just kept reassuring her that we loved her but it was very difficult. Mei Mei did great. She is a very happy girl and loves to play. She smiles all the time. She is very adorable. She is having a very hard time with Todd. She does let him give her a bath. She will play with him but as far as letting him touch her much-- she just won't.
And night time well she only wants me. She will go down at bedtime and go to sleep but she wakes up and between 4 and 5 is her bewitching hour. She is only consoled with me holding her and laying down with her but it is this time when the affection happens. She will put both her hands around my cheeks. She looks deep in my eyes and smiles alot. She has even given me REAL KISSES. This happened the first night we were home. She will do it and then sometimes wipe it off. Kinda funny but not. She still gives me finger kisses too.

The second day Alex was still having meltdowns. We went to the zoo thinking it would be something familiar and fun for Alex and she did okay for a while but toward the end she needed a nap and she just sobbed. Poor girl.

Day 3 was better. The girls played really well together and I went and bought a double stroller. I had to. If I pick one up the other wants to be carried and I just can't do it when I am by myself. And Alex likes her stroller-- she always has. And Mei Mei likes the stroller too. I know they are older but for my sanity and taking 2 with me and keeping track of them-- I had to get it.

Abby is talking more. She was just sitting on my lap and pointing to different parts on my face. I would tell her what they were and she would repeat it. Now that she is not around any Chinese language anymore I think the English will come. She is very happy go lucky and smiles alot. She loves to read certain books. She has been in to all the toys-- that girl can make a room look like a tornado hit it in less than 10 minutes. (We will have to work on that later). She is a little daredevil too. She loves to jump on the bed, she loves it when Todd throws her in the air. She has no fear. She is also a little accident prone. I see ER visits in her future. In China, she took a face dive off a chair on to the marble floor and then she flipped herself off the bed and cracked her head on the marble floor. I almost had a heart attack. Since we have been home, she fell up the steps, she fell down about 5 steps on to the hardwood floor, she fell and skinned her knees yesterday. She just has that clumsy toddler run and I think she isn't used to the new shoes. She LOVES the cat. I was laughing so hard at her last night. They were nose to nose. I got some pictures of it. And this girl loves to eat ALL the time. She loves fruit- bananas, grapes, oranges, and apples. And she will eat the whole thing not just a few pieces. .

Well I better go. She is up and in to everything. My sweet mischieveous girl.

Blessings to all.
Faye


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Zoo Fun




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Sisters

Breakfast together


Sidewalk chalk and bubbles
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Friday, April 24, 2009

The Trip Home

Well, we finally made it home Wednesday night after over 26 hours of traveling. This included 3 plane rides ( one was 3 hours, one 13 hours, and one 1 hour) and 3 three hour layovers at each stop---- all that with a 3 year old. But God love her, she was a trooper. She barely said boo the entire trip and she slept on each leg of the journey. She only cried twice. Once when we first buckled her in and the other with really bad turbulence ( heck, I wanted to cry). Other than that she was an angel and slept alot. ( I only gave her Bendadryl once-- is that bad?) Doesn't she look like a sweet angel sleeping on the plane with her teddy bear as her pillow?
So we had pretty uneventful flights back and Todd posted the pictures from the airport. To say it was sweet-- that is such an understatement. They really seem to have bonded from the beginning. Once we asked them to hold hands they just did it--- adorable.
We got home and I put them in the tub immediately. Abby needed it and Alex wasn't going to let Abby do anything by herself. They had so much fun, laughing and splashing, then it was dry off and jammies on.
We decided to let Abby sleep in Alex's room but in a pack and play. ( Abby seems to enjoy the security of a crib. We found that out in China because she begged us to put her in it so I figured we could just use that pack and play.) It worked just fine but Abby cries in her sleep sometimes so of course Alex was up when she was crying. She cries and then usually goes right back to sleep. Which she did. So all in all it went pretty good.

Thursday and Friday , however, have been very....... ummmmm let's just say---- challenging. I will post more tomorrow. I am exhausted and just need to go to bed. I want to call and talk to people but I just don't have it in me at this very minute. Nite Nite.
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