Wednesday, December 30, 2009

12/30/09 Wilbur (the pig) gets a bath





For Hannukah, Grandma and Grandpa gave April and Bennett books with matching stuffed animals. Bennett's book is "If you give a Moose a Muffin" and the stuffed animal is a moose he named Rudolph (that is a story for another time). April's book is "If you give a Pig a Party" and of course the stuffed animal is a pig. She went through a list of inappropriate names (no, you cannot name your pig Bennett) until we landed on Wilbur.

She loves Wilbur and he has been elevated to "most favored animal" status. He accompanied us to Duke and he sleeps with April at night.

This afternoon, April came into the bathroom while I was taking a shower. She announced that Wilbur needed a bath. When I rinsed the soap out of my eyes and took a look, there she was in the tub with soap, shampoo, washcloth and bucket. I said, rather quickly, "don't turn the water on!" and she responded, "I just pretend". And sure enough, Wilbur got a very thorough pretend bath complete with a toweling off and then was put down for a nap because he was very tired.

December 2009 - Hannukah, Snow, & other pictures


Carolina Panther's Jerseys. Hmmm, and shortly after Bennett and April selected these outfits the Panthers finally started to win, and win big! Coincidence?


Hannukah Lights


Hannukah Party


"We love each other!"


My 1st watch!


The first snow in NC (for April). 'Hood kids.

November 2009 - Pictures


April and Mommy out to lunch.


April sleeping on the bed with her new best friend. Murphy - "I love this kid!"


Bennett's Birthday


Bennett painting at Cole's birthday party.

More Pictures from October 2009

10/24/09 - Our 2nd flight home was delayed in Newark, after the flight from Hong Kong to Newark. Zzzzzzzz ...




10/24/09 Midnight? Time Zone? - 2 Smiley Faces spotted as we drove home from the airport. Then 2 more. Then a LOT more as we drove into our driveway. Here is a picture from the next day.



10/31/09 Happy campers in their PJ's waving Chinese Flags and wearing their Panda backpacks.


10/31/09 Halloween - The Princess! [April took to aggressive bonding and attachment techniques almost too well - she was quite happy with the hand feeding, being carried everywhere, getting her needs met instantly, getting whatever she wanted, etc. Thus, the nickname Princess applies to her looks, this outfit, and growing accustomed to a high service level!].

Video - Goodbye Guangzhou Part 2

Video - Goodbye Guangzhou Part 1

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Random catch-up stuff and prepping for upcoming surgery

Where do the days go?? I can't believe it is December 29th! I will be returning to work on January 4th. I love my job and the work that I do, but I have really enjoyed being a stay at home mom these past 2 months! I will miss my little girl, but I know that she will be in good hands with Mark.

We have a ton of pictures to sort through and post, but since we haven't posted since Halloween, I thought I would provide some updates for anyone who still may be following along :)

April's English has just exploded. She is speaking in complete sentences and understands everything we say!

She got glasses in the beginning of December and I'm sure that really opened up her world. First thing every morning she says "April glasses peas". She also tells us that she can see out of her left eye, but not her right. We have been going to a pediatric ophthalmologist who has done several exams including one under anesthesia. It appears that April had surgery as an infant (unknown to us and not in any of her records) to remove cataracts. As a result of the surgery, scarring formed over both pupils which is causing her vision issues. This surgery and result is quite common and in the US, a followup visit would have detected the scarring and additional surgery to remove the scarring would be performed.

We were referred to a specialist at Duke. We spent the day at Duke yesterday for a consult with the specialist (who concurred with our doctor) and we will be back on Jan. 8th for surgery. Since she has vision in her left eye, the doctor will be removing the scarring on the right eye only at this time.

We were thankful that we were able to get in to see this dr. so quickly and that the surgery is scheduled soon.

The one downside is that April will not start pre-school as planned on 1/4. She was really looking forward to it and asks each day "April school today?". We took her last week to meet her teachers and show her the classroom. She was there for 2 1/2 hours and LOVED IT! It is all she has talked about.

Bennett is still adjusting to sharing Mommy and Daddy. He continues to do great with April. The two of them can play for hours and hours! They love each other and it really shows. Bennett will take April's hand and walk her around if she is unfamiliar with a location or the people around. It is really sweet! They are also very competitive and they both yell "me first" no matter what the activity; washing hands, brushing teeth, getting buckled in the car, you name it!

The buzzer on the dryer just went off and my little helper came in to ask to help me fold.. So I'm off! Check back soon for pictures!