What a Difference a Year Makes!

Now

Then

One year ago today was Gotcha Day! It's so amazing to think about that day, and how much our lives changed the moment we took Sofia out of the orphanage. Not to mention how much her life changed! We have had a year of learning, love, and growing as a family. Sofia is doing really well. She is taller, her hair is longer, and she has a huge personality. The quiet toddler from Baby House #5 has turned into a sassy, sweet, bossy, outgoing, giggly little girl. She will be three at the end of August, and will start preschool in the fall. Sofia acts and talks like she has always been in this country. She likes watching movies and cartoons, loves the park, the zoo, french fries, and to sing songs. The things that come out of her mouth are so funny, even when she is being naughty. It's really hard not to laugh sometimes. We love her so much!

Favorite PJs

Trying to figure out how to eat "Nerds"

Sofia and Cousin Mickey

Sweetest Smile

Her "Daddy Shirt"

Valentine's Day

I Love Chocolate!

"Ya Ya's" Birthday

The day we met

first day with Sofia

day 2

day 3

Last year at this time we were in Krasnoyarsk! Yesterday marked one year from the day that we met Sofia. I can remember the moment that they brought her into the play room where we were waiting. She had on a big yellow bow, a cute little dress, and was so timid and quiet. That day was so emotional! We were happy, nervous, excited, anxious, in love, and exhausted all at the same time. Looking back to that day, it is so amazing how much our little Russian baby has changed. She is, by no means, that quiet and timid girl anymore! She is sassy and loud and silly and has soooo much energy. We are constantly laughing at the crazy things she does. We are also constantly trying not to laugh at the sassy words that come out of her mouth. Sofia is 2 1/2 now, and is really good at it! She is still super sweet and caring, but she knows how to push your buttons. Two of her favorite phrases right now are "i told you!" and "you back-up!" She is super bossy, and I think I hear "no, no, mama" at least one billion times a day. LOL. In March we took her to see Dr. Ladage, the pediatrician that specializes in internationally adopted children, for a follow-up. Sofia is right on target for development and speech! She is still small for her age, but she has a good growth curve. We are finally doing big girl panties full time, except when she is sleeping. Yay! She is so curious about everything, and loves to learn new things. Preschool is still going really well, and she starts swim lessons next Wednesday. It's amazing how far we have come since that cold, snowy, day in Russia!

Time Flies!

One year ago, on March 19th, our lives changed forever. It was the day we found out that we were becoming parents. We will never forget the moment when our adoption agency called and told us that we got our referral, and that it was a little girl! We raced to the agency to see her pictures for the first time, and we immediately fell in love. I can remember those feelings like it was yesterday. We had been waiting and praying for a child, and God finally blessed us with our sweet Sofia. She was worth the wait. :) Here are her referral pictures.

After the first snowstorm

Christmas Day

Christmas Morning

2011 is off to a great start! Sofia continues to change right before our eyes. She is taller, smarter, and super sassy. Even though we always felt close to her, and her to us, it seems that our feelings have solidified. She is sensitive and loving towards us, and gives lots of hugs and kisses. Watching her grow and change has been amazing. We laugh a lot! She is soooo bossy. She is constantly telling us what to do, and what not to do...especially Hannah and her cousin Mickey. She talks non-stop, and we love her misspoken toddler words. Mark and I find ourselves speaking in "Sofia" all the time :) She still calls herself "Wea" and Hannah, "Ya Ya." She loves all of her cousins, and loves loves loves being spoiled by all of her grandparents. We are so fortunate to have them! Preschool is going really well, and she is almost back to being 100% potty-trained. On Saturday, it will be 8months since our adoption was finalized. It's so crazy to think that this time last year, we didn't even know about her. She was most definately worth the wait! We were truely meant to be a family, and we are looking forward to the months ahead.

Happy Holidays!

Thanksgiving Day

First day of preschool

The Elf on the Shelf

Picking out a Christmas Tree

Christmas was a magical time for all three of us this year. Mark and I loved watching Sofia get excited about Baby Jesus and Santa. So many firsts for her this month...picking out a Christmas tree, decorating, visiting Santa, Christmas music, the Elf on the Shelf, Christmas cookies, Christmas mass, and of course...presents! She also started preschool one day a week, and she loves it. She looks so cute bundled up in her coat with her little backback and lunchbox. These were just a few of our favorite pictures. I will try to add some pics of Christmas Day soon. We hope everyone has had a safe and wonderful Christmas season!

Cute pics

Not much to say, except that Sofia's Baptism and first Halloween went great! It was such a full and fun day :)

A busy October

Her cute little bedhead

Our little pumpkin

First American haircut!

Petting the goats at Grant's Farm

Putting on make-up with Mama

Sorry it's been a month since our last post! Time goes by so quickly now. Sofia is doing awesome! She says two to three word sentences, and I swear she says/does something new each day. She still loves to play outside, and her current favorite is to rake leaves with her daddy. Last week Sofia got her first American haircut! I was sad to cut off some of her curls in the back, but at least now it is all even. She actually did really well, with the help of snacks :). This weekend we are excited to have her baptized. I'm not really sure how they baptize toddlers, but I guess we will find out. It will also be her first Halloween! She is going to be Winnie the Pooh, and is planning to trick-or-treat with her cousins: Eeyore, Piglet, and Tigger. So cute! To top it off, it's also Mark's birthday. I should be a fun weekend! We are definately feeling the twos. " I got it!" is heard at least 50 times each day. Miss independent! She wants to say and/or do whatever Mark and I are doing, and has an amazing memory. Yesterday, when I cleaned out Hannah's ears, she "helped" by petting Hannah, and giving her a hug afterwards. Later, she was playing downstairs with my mom and she grabbed a tissue, squirted some pretend lotion on it, and then tried to "clean" Hannah's ears. Poor Hannah, she puts up with a lot. We hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween! We will definately post pics.

Three months today!

It has been three months since we returned home from Russia with our sweet Sofia. We are so thankful that she was home for her second birthday! On her actual birthday we went to dinner with our families, and then to the park for her birthday pictures. My cousin Sam is an awesome photographer, and he got some amazing pics of her. Two Sundays ago we had a big birthday picnic for her. I don't think she knew it was her birthday party, but she did know that she was the star of the day. We had the picnic on Sept 5th, which is my actual birthday. The day could not have been more perfect, and having Sofia home is the best present! It's crazy how much things can change in just a year. And, it's crazy how much things have changed in only three months. Sofia is getting taller, her hair is so much longer, and I am sad to report that she is losing her buddha belly. :( I love baby bellies! We are still so amazed to hear her talking like she has always spoken English. She still says a few of her little Russian toddler words, like "tome" (come with me/give me your hand) and of course "kaka." Luckily, we are not talking about kaka quite so much these days! Naptime and bedtime have become less of a struggle too. She goes down best for Mark. He can leave the room before she is asleep, but she still feels the need to hold my finger. I guess it's a mommy thing! But, as long as I sing "twinkle, twinkle, little star" a million times, she falls asleep pretty easily. After she says "again, again" and I sing it for the last time, she lays there and sings it once herself. Then she goes to sleep. It is the cutest thing ever! Sofia and Hannah have been getting along pretty well. Sofia gives her kisses and hugs before we leave and before bedtime, and Hannah knows to hide when Sofia is using the baby stroller. We did take Hannah to the vet last week though, because she has been acting really mopey. They told us that she is depressed! The vet said that they see it all the time when families bring home new babies. How crazy! So, we are making sure to pay extra attention to her :)

e Playing with cousin little Mickey.
Fingerpainting with Ellie and Abbie Lynn

Loving Grandma J.'s blackberry jelly!

The "wait" finger.

It's hard to believe that we have been home for over two months! Sometimes it seems like we just got off the plane...but most of the time it feels like she has been with us forever. We can't imagine our lives without her. She has such a fun little personality! She wants to do everything we are doing, and say everything we are saying. I took her to the doctor the other day (sinus infection) and it was such an improvement from that first visit. She proudly stood up on the scale for her weight, and, even though she did get three immunizations :(, she blew everyone kisses goodbye. We were happy to learn that she has grown an inch since she has been home, and gained two pounds. She is still tiny for her age, but at least she is thriving! Yesterday, she insisted on helping me get dressed and combing my hair. Her favorite phrase is "I got it!!!" I really think she believes that she is a big girl. She wants to do EVERYTHING herself. I have spent many minutes roasting in the heat, while she refuses to let me fasten her into the carseat! We watched my nephew the other day, and she was such a little mommy. After breakfast, I put little Mick on the floor and gave him his bottle to finish. Sofia picked it up, put it in his mouth, and stood there feeding him the rest of his bottle. Then she gave him "the wait finger" (one of my favorites!), and ran into the bathroom to grab some toilet paper. She came back, squinted her eyes at him, said, "ooh kaka" and proceeded to wipe his mouth. So cute! We are excited for her birthday this Wednesday. Mark is in town, so we are going to spend a fun day together. :)

And the Word of the Day Is...

Kaka! Actually, it's more like the word of the month! She not only uses it for it's true Russian meaning (bathroom situation number 2), but also for something she doesn't like the taste of, or something on the floor that doesn't belong. She tells us when she has to go kaka, when she has gone kaka, when her baby needs to go kaka, and when Hannah needs to go kaka. We were in church a couple of Sundays ago when she informed us, in her loudest voice, that her baby had gone kaka in her diaper. She then proceeded to tell the baby "No, No, No!" and took off it's diaper for me to see. She screams kaka to try to get out of things also, such as nap or bedtime. Luckily, she does say lots of cute things also, like "good girl" and "please." :)

A Sweet Little Package

Sofia is a climber! She climbs up, down, and into anything she can find. :)

A Month of Happiness

Her first 4th of July.

Sweet girl!


Being naughty.

She loves going to the park.

I can't believe we have been home for a month already! On June 13th, Mark, Sofia, and I made long our journey home as a family. What an amazing month it has been! We have been doing so many fun things with Sofia. We have enjoyed going to the park, the zoo, the Magic house, the lake, and spending tons of time with our families and friends. Last night Mark and I were talking about the day that we met Sofia. She was such a different little girl back then! Even on the last day in the orphanage we never saw the girl that we know today. It has been incredible to see the changes in her. She is really doing well with the language change also. Some of her new words are "night, night," "again," "car," "milk," and "more." She loves pretending with her babies, listening to music, dancing, and going outside. Yesterday, we spent the evening with some of my mom's good friends. We were so happy to be able to introduce her to them, and had such a great time. This weekend our college friends are throwing a "Welcome Home Sofia" party. Several of them are coming in front out of town, and we are so grateful that they are making the trip. We can't wait to see everyone!