Christmas shows and wrapping presents...It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Maliana ~

I took you to your first pediatric dentist appointment this week. You have already been to see my dentist twice, with mixed results. However, each time you were adamant about not letting them anywhere near a good examination, and God forbid a teeth cleaning. So I thought I’d take you to a more kid-friendly practice. Regardless, we got pretty much the same result. You despised the hygienist (up until she gave you the Justin Bieber tattoo that is), but loved the dentist. While we waited for her to arrive for your final exam, you spun around in the hygienist’s chair and when the doctor came in, you turned to her and said (full of confidence), “Hi! I’m the doctor!” What a goofball! The dentist looked things over and proclaimed, “No cavities!” and said you were now officially part of the ‘No Cavity Club’…(exclusive bunch from what I hear). And now…back to that tattoo…

not so sure I like where you insisted it be placed

Later this same night, for some reason, you decided you just had to be near me ALL EVENING LONG! I think this Facebook status about sums up the extent of it:

Theresa Hart

~ so Mali has been my shadow all night, literally touching me nearly every minute. Right now she is standing outside the bathroom door (the only place I could have a little space) and is pulling out all the stops, saying, "Pizza man!"..."C'mon, you love pizza! You love pizza man!" (Anyone remember the old "Land Shark" sketches on SNL?) Anyway, her tenacity is going to take her far one day...either that or she's going to become a stalker.~

Wednesday was your school Christmas show. You have been practicing with your class for a while now, and were so excited! When I picked you up from school, I surprised you with Justin Bieber’s Christmas CD to get you even more pumped. You were so appreciative, exclaiming, “I love it! Thanks Mom!” You helped me make ravioli lasagna and we listened to your new tunes. While the lasagna was cooking, you and I danced to the music…first slow (cheek to cheek since you were still transitioning from school to home) and then fast (with you break dancing to JB’s version of Little Drummer Boy). You loved it…evident by your asking me to dance with you multiple times again later in the week. So sweet. And of course, no matter what I was doing, I stopped and we danced. A good rule of thumb for parents…when your kid asks you to dance with them, no matter how busy you are, DO IT. Just dance! You won’t regret it.

This afternoon you also got your first Christmas card addressed only to you. It was from Lao Lao (ever so thoughtful) who had handpicked it especially for you. It was so cute, hand-made, with chimneys on the front that had little finger puppets in them that you can take out and play with. You were so thrilled to open your very own card and then proceeded to insist on “reading” it to me as follows…on the front it said (according to you), “I love this Christmas all through the house” and inside it read (again according to you), “I love you this Christmas”. I wanted to hang it up with the other cards, but you are very protective of it. You placed it back in the envelope and are keeping it in a safe spot for now.

I got you all ready for your big Christmas show and once Lao Lao, Memaw and Papaw came over, off we all went! We met Grandma Lisa, Wai Gong, Uncle Blaize, Aunt Lindsey, her friend Jeff and his two kids at the show as well. Needless to say, you had a huge gallery of fans to watch you perform. You were energized, bouncing like Tigger off backstage with your teachers (who it is obvious you adore), and when it was time for your performance, you bounced across the stage as well, with the most animated smile I’ve seen on your face in a long time! What a huge difference from last year’s ‘deer in the headlights’ look you had on stage! You sang Jingle Bells and The Lights on the Tree. In between songs, you waved to us like a mad woman and yelled, “Hiiiiiiiiii!!” It echoed through that huge room and was adorable! Everyone chuckled. After your performance, Uncle Blaize presented you with a dozen red roses. It was so sweet and thoughtful. After the show, we got you a caramel sundae and detoured through a neighborhood to look at some Christmas lights before heading home. It was a good night!

boing! boing! boing!

still bouncing!

uh oh...you found a microphone!

Ms. Nancy

Ms. Rachel

your adoring fans

On Thursday, we finally got to spend some time with our Audrey Ayi again since OSU’s quarter is all wrapped up. It was nice to see her and she thoughtfully brought you early Christmas presents; a ceramic hot cocoa mug (in your eyes, a ceramic mug = “I’m in the big time now baby”) with little gingerbread people on it, some really tasty gingerbread cocoa mix (which you tried out immediately), and a very pretty Chinese fan ornament for the tree. You loved them!

Thanks Audrey Ayi!

Friday, we kicked off the weekend by baking some Christmas cookies after school. Your imagination was in overdrive tonight too. Daddy came home late because he was working out at the gym, so you and I passed the time by your making me a picnic with all of your play food and then we performed a very enthusiastic concert of anything from singing the ABC’s to 'You Know It' from Lemonade Mouth for millions of adoring (albeit invisible) fans. Daddy and I talked about this later…currently your imaginary play consists of specific routines or activities you do with each of us. For Daddy, it usually consists of drop-offs at school with your baby (aka Daddy) and for me it’s picnics or putting your baby (aka me) down for naps or bedtime…however we both get the privilege of imaginary concerts. It’s all pretty funny.

Daddy came home just as we were bundling up to take a walk and look at our neighbor’s Christmas lights with Abby, so all of us took a stroll together, with you and I singing Jingle Bells no less than 5 times in a row on the way home. I think we are definitely getting into the Christmas spirit!

At bedtime, we also read you Elf on the Shelf for the first time. You loved the story, and promised “I’m gonna be good” when we finished. Saturday morning, you got so excited when you saw the elf in his first hiding place, and named him, “Santa Claus”, which Daddy and I added an extra “Jr” to the end (so as to not get confused throughout the holiday season).

Aggh! Elf!

We had your Christmas pictures done on Saturday morning and I think this particular Facebook status sums up how the prep for that went:

Theresa Hart
~ getting Mali ready for taking her Christmas pictures is like being in that scene from Sixteen Candles where they're trying to get the drugged up sister ready for her wedding...but hey, at least she's in a good mood!~

As I put on my own makeup that morning, you watched me and asked for some yourself. I told you to close your eyes and then I pretended to put some on you, even touching the tubes to your eyelids, using the various brushes on your cheeks, etc to make it feel real. The most hilarious part was that when you asked to see a mirror, Daddy and I thought for sure you’d see there was nothing there, but instead you got your super duper delighted face and thought you looked beautiful! Ahh, the power of suggestion (along with the magic of being 3)!

We went to Bob Evans after pictures, surprising you with one of your teachers, Ms. Beth, who works there. She was kind enough to take you on a special tour of the restaurant, back into the kitchen and everything, even making you your very own Bob Evans nametag and buying you a bag of MnM's to take home. It was extremely nice of her and you loved it!

Ms. Beth

We went over to Aunt Tina and Uncle Joe’s on Saturday night for dinner and movies. It’s always a night of laughs with these guys, and you love playing with Sam and Erin and jumped right in. When it was time to get ready for bed, you and Erin buzzed around and brushed teeth, got your jammies on, and curled up to read some books before we headed home. You were asleep before we got out of their neighborhood.

Sunday morning began a nice, relaxing day. We got up and you headed to breakfast with Daddy at Gena’s Café while I went running with Abby. You were a character at breakfast, just doing your thing, evidently spreading peals of laughter from table to table with all of your antics. The staff all knows you there, even encouraging you to "eat more eggs Mali!" as they walk by tending to other tables. It’s such a homey atmosphere, a hidden local gem. You sat at the bar on a stool, your usual spot with Daddy and all of the regulars, and came home smelling like hash browns from sitting so close to the kitchen.

After your nap, you spent more time with Daddy and helped him go to the grocery store while I wrapped presents. Daddy had a glowing report of your awesome behavior at the store, staying in the cart the whole time and helping him the whole trip. You also brought some items downstairs for me to put away and when you handed them over, you said, “Thanks man!” while strutting away. You crack me up. Such a hot shot.

Before bed, you helped me finish wrapping presents and even wrapped your gift to Daddy on your own. I let you use my big scissors and the tape (almost) all by yourself, and you thought that was the coolest thing ever. You did a pretty good job too!

So even though there’s no real snow yet, and the temperatures aren’t quite reminiscent of the North Pole, I think we have a pretty good case of Christmas spirit brewing at our house anyway.

Love,
Mama

Ahhh, Christmas ~ What a season!

Maliana ~

Oooh, doggie! We started off the week in a battle of wills at speech. Despite your looking adorable, insisting on wearing your new guitar footie jammies into speech (performing a wardrobe change in the parking lot), you were a HANDFUL in your session with Ms Ashley. She had to basically drag you back into the room where I was waiting and we had to put our heads together to see what we could do to get you to cooperate. She said you are extremely smart, and extremely strong-willed. A bittersweet combination when you don’t feel like participating in speech. We’ll all work on it though. Even your most challenging behaviors, I know I will be thankful for someday.

Once home, and with a little food in your belly, you felt better and put on a special concert for me by our Christmas tree. All were original songs accompanied by your guitar and with a very soulful face, my favorite being this little ditty, “I like Christmas lights…I like my home with Christmas lights…I have my soccer practice tomorrow…my daddy’s at work”. I tell you what, moments like those, watching you make up that spontaneous little song, makes me remember how awesome it is to be a kid. How awesome it is just to be alive. You are such a gift to us!

Unfortunately, your strong will reared its head later in the week, during our trip to Michael’s to get craft supplies. After talking to our awesome neighbors (total pros at raising kids and our local go-to sources for our “help!” moments), I tried a new tack with you and decided to be the “heavy”, asking the clerk to watch my basket while I carried you kicking and screaming to the car so you could finish your tantrum. I won’t go into the gory details, but eventually you calmed down and we did end up going back into Michael’s and got a TON of Christmas art supplies. We came home and had a ball making a cute little reindeer craft together. You were quite the helper. I also realized part of what might have been behind the art store blowout. At bedtime, you actually asked me for some medicine. You are nursing a cold, a case of the “creepy cruds” and I am so impressed that you are actually self-aware enough to ask for (and willingly take) your medicine. What 3 year old does that?!? You are such a big girl!

our cute reindeer craft

After buying all of those art supplies, we had plenty more crafts to make and so we did some painting the next day. This is your new thing, painting. You ADORE it! After enjoying creating our painted masterpieces, we enjoyed creating BLT’s (and eggnog, also a new favorite of yours) for dinner and had a Christmas light picnic in your room while we watched a movie. Then, we took Abby for a walk once it was dark, to see who in our neighborhood have their Christmas lights up already. You insisted on using the hip hammock that we took to New York with us, but I didn’t mind. I like the cuddle time too, and it kept both of us warmer during our walk.

painting our Christmas figurines

voila!

mmm, bacon!

Christmas lights picnic!

On Thursday, I had book club while you went on a Daddy/Daughter date with Daddy. You were SO excited! You went to Red Robin and then had an impromptu visit with Santa. Evidently, you told Santa that you wanted a motorcycle. Daddy and I were so happy, and surprised, since we Santa actually already got you a motorcycle for Christmas. Way cool!

you ordered Red Robin to sit down with you and color ~ Daddy said he was a bit taken aback

wrapping up your date with some frozen yogurt

As an aside, I have to mention my epiphany, you could say, while at book club this week. I really appreciate, feel comfortable with, enjoy listening to, value being heard and understood, and rely on the strength and presence of this group of women who are all so different yet all so similar at the same time. I no longer feel guilty about leaving you to spend time at these monthly meetings, and look forward to them more and more each month. I gain so much from my attendance (which I think makes me a better mom to you anyway), and it provides an opportunity for you and Daddy to have special time together (as you definitely did this week). In my life, I have friendships with women, good and solid friendships that have stood the test of time and that I treasure deeply. But, it has taken a while for me to warm up to or feel at ease in groups, and sadly, particularly with other women. I’ve got some theories, but I’m not 100% sure why. I also wish it weren’t so, but it is. However, with this group it feels different. Perhaps it’s just age, experience, wisdom; perhaps it’s the bond we share through our experience of adoption and parenting and all that goes with it; or perhaps it’s just the right people coming together at the right time; or maybe it’s a little of all those things rolled into one. Whatever the combination, I am grateful. And I suppose in applying this lesson to my blog of memories for you, I will share that I am realizing how important it is to have a group of women that you can share with, feel comfortable with and understand, who can be kind and honest with each other and can support and accept you for who you are. You never know where these people will come from, when or how they will enter your life, or how long they will stay. But remain open to the possibility of these people, whoever and wherever they may be. As for our group, I know that we are all still getting to know each other more through book club, Fu playgroup, and COFCC classes and functions; and my hope is that we (us Mommies, Daddies, and all of you crazy kids) will continue to do so for years to come.

But back to your antics for the week. I have to mention a few incidents where your mannerisms seem so much more advanced than 3 years old. I listened in on you one day, when you took my phone and proceeded to go through my phone list, calling many of your favorite people and leaving voice mails for them. Your phone presence has come a long way and the messages are sounding more and more grown up all the time. So cute! Then, another day as you and I chatted about our days at work and school, you got up as I was talking, to hang up your coat, and as you walked into the other room, you yelled back over your shoulder, “Keep talking, Mom, keep talking!” It was hilarious! You sound more and more like your Dad and I every day.

Friday night was date night for you and Lao Lao and you were THRILLED! Lao Lao was gracious enough to endure a really long day at work and then at our house so that Daddy and I could meet some friends for dinner. You even tried to stay home from school that day because you thought that Lao Lao would come earlier if you stayed home. You painted some snowflakes with Lao Lao (using more of our million craft supplies from the other day), and had lots of fun but fought sleep with a vengeance. When we came home at around 11:30pm, you were still awake (in spite of all Lao Lao’s attempts to get you to go to bed), telling her that you couldn’t go to bed because “Mommy and Daddy need me”. (You are just the sweetest!) You were such a tired little zombie that within minutes of our being home, you had fallen asleep in my arms.

Saturday was a busy day. We attended the COFCC holiday party, which was a blast! It was so great to see all of our friends from that group, and make some more great new friends too! We are all getting to know this group better and each time we are with them, we discover more phenomenal people that we probably wouldn’t know otherwise if it weren’t for this amazing adventure of adoption. Daddy and I feel so lucky!

Grace Lin, author of many books, was at the event and did a book signing, read to everyone, and lead a drawing exercise where you all drew a rabbit (since this is the year of the rabbit). It was really neat to meet her and I bought five of her books for you. She even had a novel about the year of the rat, which I had to buy since you are my “little rat”…according to the Chinese zodiac. A few people commented on how good your speech is sounding. I just had to mention this, since you work so hard on it. Way to go sweetie!

most of your Fu group friends...you were not quite into taking a picture though

listening to Grace Lin read one of her stories

listening intently between your friends Carter and Cassidy

Santa came towards the end of the event, and while you did go up and sit on his lap eventually, you initially told us, “I already saw Santa” and acted like you weren’t interested. Ha ha. You also were consistent and told this Santa that you wanted a motorcycle too (a blue one this time, we think because Uncle Lu Lu has a blue motorcycle). Looks like this is an honest to goodness wish for Christmas. So glad that it’s been taken care of already! (I’m excited to see your face on Christmas morning!)

oh boy! you found a microphone...

testing, testing, 1-2-3

and here she goes...

you're a natural behind the mic...I think you were just
wrapping up your rendition of Jingle Bells here

a little fun with the curtains

with your buddy Mia

explaining to Santa what you want

listening intently to the Big Man

you requested to take this picture of the 3 of us ~ I love it!

After the party, we headed outside to play on the playground with your buddy Mia. You girls’ squealing is hilarious, and seemingly contagious since if one of you starts running and squealing, the other immediately follows suit.

more fun with Mia

giggly girls

Mom wanted a ride too

We headed to Memaw and Papaw’s house that afternoon for dinner and help decorate their Christmas tree with your cousins, Joey, Alex, and Sammy. You absolutely love these girls, and vice versa. In fact, there was a bit of a dispute and some territoriality that night. Each one of your cousins wants you all to themselves. You are in high demand, girl.

cracking nuts at Memaw and Papaw's

your cousins are finally here!

Joey was instrumental in getting you to eat your dinner

you adore her!

pretty little girls

playing the "monster game"

oh my how you girls love that game!

horsey rides!

wow Joey ~ you're pretty strong!

Daddy and his girl!

took a break from playing to pose in front of the tree

checking out your angels that Memaw and Papaw hid around the house for
you all to find...you each loved finding them!

decorating the tree

Sunday was a day of rest for all of us. We all slept in until 10am, a first at our house. You and I are both sick, and after getting up for a while, actually went back to bed for another 3 hour nap. Once up from our nap, our fevers had broken and we were feeling much better. Since you weren’t feeling well, Daddy went to the grocery store and brought home a surprise, a Toy Story 3 snuggie! You were so happy and thanked him profusely, proclaiming, “I love my new blanket! Thank you Daddy!” over and over again. Daddy also made dinner for us all so we sat down together as a family and you requested we eat under Christmas lights. We turned off all the lights except for the white Christmas lights strung around the kitchen. It was a great way to eat dinner. Good idea Mali!

As we hung out later that night, Daddy and I surprised you again with your very own video message from Santa, (with a little help from this awesome web-site called the Portable North Pole). We showed you that he had emailed you a video and sat you down to watch it. You LOVED it, and watched it no less than 5 or 6 times! You told us multiple times after the video, “I’m gonna be good!”

Here’s your reaction to seeing it the first time…priceless!
http://youtu.be/UkNErVC9Cdk

When we all finally went to bed, you got upset because we turned off the TV, (we had let you watch Justin Bieber aka your first crush on a holiday special that night). You initially cried a bit when we shut off the TV, but then after a few minutes, followed Daddy into the bathroom and told him how angry you were that he turned off the TV. You went into quite a detailed account of how it made you feel and I was so proud of you for using your words to express yourself like that. I was also proud of Daddy’s very affirming reaction to you too. It was very sweet.

And then…

It was very funny. As Daddy headed into the kitchen you turned around to me in the hallway. As you stood, tugging at your extremely over-sized snuggie’s sleeves (making you look even smaller than you are), you looked up at me and with an exasperated and very grown-up look, shook your head and said, “He just keeps screwing around…he never listens!” I had to seriously stifle a laugh. Where do you come up with this stuff?!? Wait, don’t answer that one…it’s probably us. Anyway, you are just the bestest kiddo.
Love,
Mama