Twenty Three Months Old

This was a super month for our family! We had a wonderful vacation to Florida. We were so excited to play with Myah in the sunshine after this long and cold Michigan winter. It was our first vacation as a family of 4 and we will never forget all of the firsts that took place while we were there. She definately likes the hot weather, remember, she is from one of the "three furnaces of China", Hubei.This little girl has quite the personality. She is always cracking us up with things that she will say and do. We are also learning about her adventurous side, we will find her climbing up on things, undoing her car seat straps, squealing when we chase her around the house and doing sommersalts! We also are discovering the side to Myah that isn't very easy going, you know the phrase, if Myah ain't happy, aint nobody happy, well I think she invented it. She is very strong willed! We still work on certain "over-stimulation" issues with her. If we have been somewhere that there were alot of people interacting with her she will have a very restless night (so will we). Speaking of nights, Mark is back on nights again this month so Myah's new high pitched squeals should really be soothing to Mark while he sleeps during the day. Before I forget, I have to let you in on a great book that I read while on vacation. I picked it up at Target before we left and I honestly could not put it down until I finished it. It is called Snowflower and the Secret Fan by Lisa Lee. Highly recommend it to anyone but especially to anyone who has Chinese daughters or relatives, it is a fiction book but it is based on real life events in ancient China explaining why the girls were such a low priority. It really answered alot of questions that I have had. I guarantee you will be amazed. We were asked to speak at an information meeting for parents looking into adoption at AAI. It was so nice to see so many faces eager to adopt. I remember that look, I honestly am still amazed that our little Myah is a reality after so many years of wondering if another child would ever enter our family. Adoption is such a wonderful thing! Many people ask if she understands that we are her family. I have to say absolutely without a doubt. I have had times in the middle of the night where she is crying and not awake, I will lift her up and she says "mommy" and pats me on the back. She knows. One of the best changes over the past few months is her love for Dayton. She will run to him, put her arms up for him and put her head on his shoulder, even if she is upset. The jealousy is still there a little bit but she is understanding that mommy has enough love for the both of them. For so many months, she would be so aggressive towards him and I kept telling him to hold on, she will come around. I can't believe that she will be 2 in less than a month. She is starting to look less and less like a baby and more like a little girl. On Dayton's birthday this week, she loved the singing, the candles and the cake, oh my gosh did she love the cake. I can't wait to give her a party, she has never had a birthday party before, she sure deserves it. Now that the weather is nice, we are looking forward to breaking in our new boat, Myah loves going fast and hitting the waves! She has been talking so much lately, I am sure by the end of the summer she will be talking in sentences, she has already said 4 word sentences to us, yesterday it was "I want down mommy" or " I want cookie mommy", she is a little parrot, repeating everything she hears. She also is in love with Finding Nemo, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, her toy lawnmower, her bicycle helmet and bags of any sort. We just love her to pieces and are having fun experiencing all of these firsts again through her eyes.