Christmas Eve and Christmas

Garyldine, Jim, and my parents came over for Christmas Eve, and then my parents were back over for Christmas morning.  Katie was a little overwhelmed with all of the unwrapping of presents this year and all of the commotion, but after things were cleaned up, she has been enjoying her new things as they have been slowly introduced to her.  It was a Christmas to remember!

Opening Some of my Presents on Christmas Eve 

Santa's  Toys for Katie

Playing on Christmas 

Having my Christmas Snack of Rice Krispies

Elf on the Shelf

Waiting for Christmas

As Katie waited for Christmas, Jennifer's friend, Dan, gave her some Christmas books…still Katie's favorite thing. Books are a big part of Katie's every day routine. When we're not reading with her, she entertains herself with her books.

Now that she's walking, she's also trying to climb up on the furniture. She tosses her leg up onto the couch and tries to pull herself up. She hasn't been able to get up by herself yet, but I'm always amazed at her flexibility!

I love books! 

Enjoying the Snowmen 

I think I can get up!

Trying to Help Chloe

When the garage repairman came to the house last week, Chloe (not surprisingly) greeted him with her continual barking. I (not surprisingly) put Chloe out on the deck to calm down and quit barking. Katie quickly went to the door to see what Chloe was doing. She barked back at Chloe for awhile. Then she attempted to rescue Chloe from outside, so she tried and tried to open the door to let her into the house. She wasn't successful, but they entertained each other until the repairman left!

What are you doing, Chloe? 

Chloe: Bark, bark, bark!

Katie: Woof, woof, woof! 

I can almost get the handle! 

Hmmm…now what? 

I'm trying to help you. 

Another Try 

Aren't you going to help me?

Katie is Walking!

On Thanksgiving, November 24th, Katie took her first two steps. It was more like a stumble, but she was moving on her feet. She practiced with one or two steps at a time, and on December 6th, she officially started walking. She started walking about six steps at a time.  She gets more steady every day!

Beginning the Holiday Season

Katie had a great first Thanksgiving! We had dinner at our house, and my parents, Jim, and Garyldine joined us for dinner.  Katie discovered the joys of Jim's creamy mashed potatoes, and as always, she enjoyed mashed sweet potatoes.

The next day, the only Black Friday shopping we did was for Katie. My mom, Jennifer, and I went out to get Katie some holiday clothes. When we returned from shopping, we invited my dad over so he could watch Katie's fashion show!

One of Katie's first holiday gifts was bubbles from her friend, Patty. Katie LOVES her bubbles. Thank you, Patty!

I'm ready for Thanksgiving! 

Go ahead…begin the stuffing! 

Black Friday Fashion Show

Black Friday Fashion Show Continues 

Out for a Walk on a Cold Morning with Mom and Grandma 

I love bubbles! 

 I love Patty even more!

Re-Adoption Day, 11/4/11

On November 4, I re-adopted Katie in this country. It is not a requirement, but it is highly suggested to do so because it allows Katie to get an American birth certificate.  It seemed like a lot of paperwork, but the process on the day of the adoption was easy.

My mom, dad, sister, cousin, and I took Katie to the courthouse. Once we made it through the metal detector, we had about ten minutes to spare. I went to the information desk to ask where to go, only to get the response, "You're in the wrong building." After a long set of directions, we made it to the right building and made it through another metal detector just in time for our appointment. We were in a full room of people waiting to get adoptions finalized, and we were called last, so it wouldn't have mattered had we been a few minutes late.

Once we entered the courtroom, we were only there about ten minutes. The judge could not have been nicer, and Katie even allowed him to hold her. She liked his judge's robe a lot.

Afterwards, Garyldine took us out for a Chinese meal to celebrate Katie's American adoption day!

The Beginning of the Wait 

Grandma will entertain me as I wait! 

Still waiting to see the judge. 

Waiting some more... 

If I walk awhile, the time will go faster. 

The picture the judge took of all of us. 

Katie got to hold the gavel. 

Signing the Adoption Decree 

Katie's New Friend

Just a couple of pictures at home... 

I make a pretty good shelf decoration! 

Having Fun with the Sunday Paper!

Happy Halloween!

Katie had her first experience at a pumpkin patch last weekend. Most of it was quite overwhelming to her, but she did enjoy the petting farm and the blue grass music there.  She had in-depth conversations with the animals…mostly meowing and mooing. The turkeys and pigs didn't speak her language, but I'm sure they were impressed!

Katie was a ladybug for Halloween. She got dressed up and visited my school for a short time.  She looked awfully cute, but she was awfully tired that night!  The kids loved seeing her.

 Trick or treat!

Shedding some layers 

I'm tired of being a ladybug! 

Having fun with Garyldine 

I'm ready! Let's go! 

My first jack-o-lantern. Thanks, Garyldine! 

I'm getting tall! 

Hanging out at the pumpkin patch with Mom and Grandma.

Another Month Has Passed

Katie continues to do well. She loves to crawl and has gotten really fast at it.  She especially loves to crawl fast towards Chloe's food. She doesn't want to eat the dog food. She just wants to play with it.  One night, I had to save Chloe from getting her food getting stolen several times. It ended up being easier to tie a ribbon to Katie's belt loop to keep her away from the dog food!  She still wanted to food, but she was happy just to sit close to Chloe!

I'll include some random, recent pictures of her.

 What should I play with next?

 Hanging Out with the Camera

 Garyldine chose a good book for me!

 Listening to Aunt Debby's Book

 Playing with Grammy Noreen and Grandpa Joe's Presents

 Why can't I reach the dog food?

Pulling harder, but no success!

Happy First Birthday!

Katie turned one last Friday, September 2nd!  I had to work on her birthday, but my mom and my cousin, Garyldine, brought Katie to visit the classroom. She was very entertained by watching the students, and the students quickly began copying Katie when she started sticking her tongue out and pulling it back into her mouth. It was funny to watch!

Later that night, Garyldine and Jim came over to celebrate Katie's birthday with my parents, sister, and me. Katie enjoyed her gifts and attention. I wasn't quite sure what she would do with the cake since she had hardly had any sugar in her life. She really did not like the taste of the frosting when she tried it, but she did seem to have fun playing in the frosting.  She was in desperate need of a bath after the cake!

A New Book!

Chloe Joined the Celebrating 

Not Sure About the Frosting 

Sure About the Frosting - Yuck! 

It's fun to play with though! 

"Look! I can be messier than you!" 

Looking Even Prettier 

It was a good first birthday!