This isn’t our first Christmas as a family, nor is it Ella’s. This year marks her second Christmas, but it is full of so many holiday firsts. There are so many parts of the holiday and season that she is experiencing for the first time as an active participant and it’s amazing to watch her experience it all. Last year she was eight months old, had recently met her new parents and had only been in her new home and country for a month and a half. This year, she’s queen of the world and loving every second of it. She truly relishes every new sight, sound and taste and we’re on the... more

Last Christmas Ella had been home a little less than two months. She was only eight months old and had no idea what was going on around her during all the festivities. She actually conked right out in the middle of opening presents and slept on the floor right in front of the tree.

This year is an incredibly different story. My now twenty (20!!!) month old is thrilled with the changes that she’s seen in our house, especially the lights. Every morning she insists that the first thing we do upon arriving down stairs is turn on the lights on the Christmas tree. The very... more

I feel like I haven’t written a whole lot about Ella lately, so today’s Love Thursday post is all about my no longer a baby, little girl. She truly seems to have grown up in an instant and I am thrilled to have this sweet little toddler as my partner in crime for the day to day running around that we have to do. At 19 months old she has such a personality and I really love spending every day with her. So forgive me if this sounds like a lot of bragging, but I am so proud of her!

Having our social worker over for our home study update and hearing her praise Ella's development... more

When I first started seriously considering adoption I presented it to my husband by telling him it was something I wanted to discuss, asking him to think about it and let me know when he wanted to talk. I gave him some time and we eventually started to have some heart to hearts about our desire to add to our family and the world of adoption as a whole. He was open to it from the start and has become more and more an advocate for adoption as the years have passed. Now that he has the official title of Ella’s Daddy, forget about it! This man, who was completely on... more

Today marked a big milestone for Ella, and an even bigger one for her mommy. We went to check out the child care center at my gym so she could start getting used to it enough for me to leave her there while I take a class. My normal gym routine is to go in the evenings during the week and weekend mornings when my husband is home to watch Ella. Now that everyone’s back to school (my hubby’s a teacher,) and it’s just me and Ella again, I think it would be good for her to have some social time outside of our playdates. Plus, it’s really nice to just get out of the house!

This... more

Today’s Love Thursday post is all about family support and how much I appreciate it. As a ridiculously sensitive person I am acutely aware of the people who choose not to be very active in my family’s life, but I am also guilty of taking for granted those who are active and supportive and loving to my husband, Ella and I.

Since living with my parents and my grandmother, our lives (when it comes to Ella responsibilities) have been made markedly easier. There are now three other adults who are clamoring at us for time with Ella. They want to take her walks, push her on the swing, read books with her and just get all the Ella time that they can handle. It is absolutely endearing. And... more

Oh man, are we ever Laurie Berkner fans in this house! I first learned about her on the Noggin program Jack’s Big Music Show, but I have my sister in law to thank for really showing me the world of Laurie. She lent us the We are the Laurie Berkner Band dvd and we’ve been hooked ever since.

I would describe Laurie as a folk singer for kids. She writes her own songs and they are simple, creative, catchy and fun. Ella absolutely loves them! We knew that she loved music and loved to dance, but this dvd has opened... more

Today’s Love Thursday post is more of a Love / Hate post. In the past few weeks in particular, Ella has been growing up right before my eyes. On one hand, I am thrilled to see her new developments, new skills and new vocabulary but on the other hand, I am already missing my baby. She’s not even a year and a half yet, how did this happen?!?!

Having never raised a child before her, every stage of development is as exciting to me as it is to her. She is honestly thrilled when she masters a new toy or discovers... more

I love hearing new sounds, words, inflections, anything come out of Ella’s mouth. She has mastered momma, da da, cat, bye bye, gone and ba ba. She also much too often uses her famed grunt to let us know that there is something that she wants right NOW! She is fascinated with language and really studies our faces and voices as we point out new words in her books or in everyday life. She’s growing into such a bright little person right before my eyes.

In the past few weeks or so Ella’s added a few new... more

I had a heart swelling moment yesterday while thinking about this past Father’s Day. It had something to do with a certain little girl and crayons and paper and stickers and glitter and a truly from the heart Father’s Day card. Love is imagining the future relationship that your daughter is going to have with her daddy. She adores him now, but just wait till she can tell him! Imagine all the hand made cards and notes and gifts from her little heart. If daddy wasn’t already wrapped around her little finger, I have no doubt... more