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!

Happy 4th!

Riding with my two girls :)

"Hey Hannah, get out of my pool!"

My little ray of sunshine

Before we got Sofia, I often read other families' adoption blogs and followed their journeys. I was happy with them, sad with them, worried with them, and overjoyed when they finally became a family. After they brought their children home, I would check their blogs occasionally for news and pics of their new addition. I always wondered why they would go days without posting, when previously they would post almost every day? Ok, so now I know! I am still figuring out how to get things done with a little one around :) Sofia has been doing really well, and is as silly as ever. She says several words in English, and "all gone" seems to be her favorite right now. She loves going to the park, swimming, and giving hugs and kisses. We are going to spend the weekend seeing family and friends, and we hope everyone has a great 4th of July!

A day at the Zoo

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We took Sofia to the Zoo today for the first time. She loved seeing the animals and being around other kids. She knows how to blow kisses "goodbye," and made sure include each animal as we walked on to the next one. Thanks to Cathy for the zoo membership! This weekend my dad's side of the family is having a "Meet Sofia Party." We are so excited for her to meet the rest of her aunts and uncles, and to be able to play with all of her cousins.