11 Months Old and Two Months Together!!!

We have had a few computer issues so I apologize for the delay with this post...

Wow! Our little girl is already 11 months old – it is hard to believe because when we received her referral she was just 6 ½ months old! These past few months seem to have gone so fast compared to the months/years of the long wait for her. And then, when I think that we have been together for just two short months it just doesn’t seem right – it feels like we have known her all her life! We continue to love on her and allow her to explore and bond to us. She is doing so many cute things every day! Recently, she learned how to blow kisses with her hand – it is so cute!

Still no teeth…yes, you read correctly – 11 months old and still no teeth! I am shocked by this one. We probably check three times a day, but there isn’t any sign of a tooth popping through at all. We have a fear that six or eight will suddenly emerge and our little girl (and us) will be in agony! Her pediatrician wasn’t concerned at her 9-month check up so we will see what he says if she is still toothless at one year:)

She has been enjoying the summer with her brothers - Brandon, who is 16 is spending a lot of time with her and is helping her try to stand. There is a cute picture of that below. She can do so for about 30 seconds and has even thrown in a hand clap or a cute little dance! Ryan and Colin also love to spend time with her - they really get her laughing! She sure does love her brothers!

Her hair is getting a little longer! I’ll admit that I was quite surprised to see the shaven head when we first met; I had been told they often do this in orphanages, but since Jadyn was in foster care I didn’t give it a thought. We had also received pictures of her that were taken mid-February and she had hair so I just expected…well, I guess I don’t know what I expected. I thought she was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen when she came into the room so it really didn’t matter. I almost had a hard time imagining how hair would change her looks. I didn’t think she could get any cuter, but it turns out that she can:)

It Was a Happy Father's Day!!!

We had a wonderful Father's Day! Jerry was so over-the-moon to have his daughter home with him to celebrate! The kids and I made a special breakfast for him and then he and the boys got ready to go see Toy Story 3. He really didn't want to leave Jadyn for the whole 2 hours to see the movie, but he had promised Colin that he would take him to see Toy Story 3 when it came out and that was the only day that worked with everyone's schedule for the next couple of weeks.

While they were gone, Jadyn and I had a blast playing outside, going for a walk, and swinging in her swing on the swingset. Then, when she finally laid down for a nap I made a cheesecake for dessert, but she woke up just before I could get it into the oven. It was a short 1/2 hour nap.

Everyone came home shortly after that and they began washing the vehicles outside in the driveway. Jadyn loved sitting outside watching them - I think she wanted to bust loose and play in the soapy water:)

I started preparing dinner so Justin could grill the kabobs and potatoes and Jadyn entertained Daddy! By the way, we now know that she loves potatoes and cheesecake:) Sometimes, she has her dinner, and then some of "our" dinner...it is funny to watch her want to try so many new foods!

This is Adorable! Little Girl's Father's Day Song:)

Check out this great MSN Video: Little Girl's Father's Day Song

Another Fun-Filled Week!!!

It continues to be so much fun to watch Jadyn grow and explore her surroundings! She continues to bond to her brothers which is wonderful – she shows them affection by either offering up one of her famous slobbery open-mouth kisses or she will lean her forehead in for them to kiss it…it is so cute!

She is venturing a little further with walking along the sides of furniture, her crib, and along with us if we hold her hands. I do think that by the one-year mark she will be taking some steps on her own. She scoots so fast across the floor now that we really have to watch her. The new baby gate has been installed at the top of the basement stairs and she is just itching to figure out how that works!

We bought a musical night light for her crib, made by Baby Einstein that plays classical music – it is really nice. We thought it might help her get more comfortable with sleeping in the crib. It has helped her to get a little more comfortable in the crib; she likes to sit in there and listen to it. Sometimes, she will even try to dance to it, but then if we leave the room – look out! She is not too keen on that idea yet, but we are not giving up. We spend a little time in there every day and hopefully, she will one night be sleeping in the crib we bought special for her:)

The boys are now out of school and they actually had mixed feelings about being done for the year – they said that they will miss their friends and Ryan and Colin are sad that they won’t have the same teachers next year. They really liked them and I have to agree that they were two of the most wonderful teachers! We will try to keep them busy over the summer so that they do not feel so bored and miss their friends too terribly – heck, they have a new little sister to fill their time, right?

2 Years Today...

Two years ago today my family lost a wonderful man - my Dad. I miss him terribly, but I know that he is enjoying life in the Heavenly Kingdom and is no longer in pain. I only wish that I could have seen his face when he first saw our daughter, Jadyn. I know he's been watching over this process and celebrating the joining of our family from above.

He always loved spending time with his grandchildren. He was a proud Grandpa!


This was his 60th birthday party; just shy of 4 years before he died - it was a good day!


This is one of our most treasured pictures of him with our oldest son Justin; they hunted every year at my parent's land and my Dad took great pride in teaching Justin everything about hunting.


This was taken at my parent's 40th wedding anniversary dinner celebration a little over a year before he died. It was a wonderful weekend and we have wonderful memories!

She is So Much Fun!!!

I can’t believe it has been a week since I have posted! I guess between work, the house, the boys and their activities, and of course, Jadyn, I have been a little busy! I sure do miss her during the day. I feel like I am missing so many things. Last week when she was home with Jerry he taught her to say “uh-oh” and “oh” – it is so cute to listen to her! The “oh” goes really well with that famous expression of hers (the surprised look). Magazines have become one of her favorite toys to play with - it's so cute to say "Jadyn, no" and she will stop and shake her head no and then proceed to tear into them:)

Last weekend my Mom came down to visit overnight and she just loved every minute with Jadyn. She gets Grandma laughing so hard with all of her expressions and babbles – Grandma really has a hard time leaving the grandchildren. It was a beautiful weekend and we were able to enjoy some time outside. Jadyn had fun watching her brothers go down the water slide – she probably could have sat there for hours watching them!

Auntie Kathy stopped over with her two boys, as well. Jadyn had fun playing with her cousins, Cody and Kyle. She even got Cody laughing pretty hard when she tightened every muscle in her body and pretended to wrestle with him – it was hilarious! She is becoming very independent with eating – she really likes to feed herself so I have been exploring with a wider variety of table foods and she is enjoying all of them! She had her first taste of watermelon and really loved it! It is so much fun to see her learn and grow – it is amazing how far she has come in the time she has been home!

She continues to crawl at a rapid pace and pulls herself up relentlessly on the furniture. She is trying to walk along the sides and I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before she ventures off to take a few steps. This is a little girl with no fear and lots of ambition! I think she believes she needs to keep up with these four brothers of hers!