First Christmas

Well, it's over. All the excitement and waiting and fun and now it's all done. And, I really can't say I mind! It was a great Christmas, but we're all worn out. We started out with Christmas Eve at my mom's. We had a ton of fun with the whole family there, including my niece Samantha's boyfriend Matt. I am hoping we didn't scare him too much with our antics...we get a little, ah....nutty. :) It was sooo nice to see everyone together. There are, let's see....twelve of us counting Maelie. There were sooooo many presents. We all tend to go overboard, and I LOVE it. I love the giving. But, we didn't get home until 2:00 a.m., so, that started out our tiredness. And yes, I DO have photos...I haven't downloaded a single one yet!!

We all slept in on Christmas Day, and then we drove to Mike's parent's house. It was just his parents, sister, and her husband. It happens to be his sister's birthday, too, so we really were just celebrating that. I was so happy, though, to have my in-laws share Maelie's first Christmas. It was a nice, low-key kind of day there. We figured we would come home and open our gifts that evening. We got home around 4:00 p.m. and Maelie was tired, so we thought, sure, she'll have a nap, and THEN we'll open gifts. Well, Maelie had a different agenda. She woke up at 6:00 p.m. and we had dinner, and then off to open gifts! NOPE. She was down for the count. Didn't want to eat, didn't want ANYTHING but her bed again. So, that night Mike and I opened our gifts from each other.

Friday rolled around and FINALLY that afternoon/evening we got Maelie's gifts opened. We had fun, but by the end, Maelie was done with presents and tired. Poor girl. She was just worn out. Santa and Mommy and Daddy brought her a lot of nice things that she loved, though, including the new Elmo, which she loves.

Saturday it was back to Mike's parent's for our Christmas celebration. His brother, wife and three kids drove up and we all had a great time. They have three kids; Elizabeth is 12, and then Nick and Alec who are 6 and 4...I think....Cathy, don't kill me if I have the ages wrong!!! :) And, Mike's sister Therese was there, too. Again, lots of presents, lots of chaos. Mike's dad has been ill of late (I'll explain in another post soon), so I know all the chaos took its toll on him. But, it was wonderful to share the day with him, and everyone. The cosmopolitans didn't hurt, either! Wink! Thanks, guys. :)

Yesterday, we spent the day getting Maelie's toys out of the packages. I am sooooooooo sick of those little metal twist ties on toys!!!!! BAH. But, Maelie had a good time finally getting to play with her new toys. And, our house looks like Toys R Us threw up, but, it was fun. Maelie needed toys, oddly enough.

Today, it's back to our usual routine, and I have to say, I don't mind a bit. I was so anxious and excited for this Christmas, and I wasn't disappointed in the least. Maelie had a great first Christmas. Thank you to everyone who made it so special.

Photos will come soon, I promise!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Love,
Michelle, Mike & Maelie

Christmas is Coming!!!

Hopefully, tonite I'll post some photos, especially the one of Maelie visiting Santa, but I have to scan that one in first. She was GREAT with Santa!!! No tears, no fussing, nothing!! And, the photo turned out great. I was so proud. :)

Christmas is coming!!! And I have to admit to feeling like a little kid again. It's like this year, I have every gift I've ever wanted wrapped up in one, giant box. I'm just giddy!!!! Seriously, I slept for 2 hours last night. I know...I'm a loon!!!

Just remember out there in Bloggerland, to enjoy all these little things and not get hung up on the 'should'ves and could'ves.' I had First Time Mom syndrome thinking the house had to be perfectly decorated, there had to be loads of cookies and everything should rival that of Martha Stewart or June Cleaver. YEAH RIGHT. I got over that and am just enjoying the look of happiness on Maelie's face when she sees our tree..even without a ton of decorations..and all the wrapped presents. Oooh, I just can't wait to see her open her very first Christmas presents!!!!!

Can you hardly stand it?!?!? And, it's snowing!!!! I'm not one for a ton of snow, but there's just something magical about Christmas snow. It makes everything so very pretty and sparkly and 'White Christmas-y'. Damn, I must be over the bend this year...I'm gushing over SNOW.

I wonder if it's too early in the day for egg nog...here's a fun trivia tidbit...I've NEVER tasted egg nog before! Wild, eh?? Perhaps I should go try some...

Holiday Fun

Photos of Maelie

I was downloading and looking at some photos of Maelie today and found a few I just had to post. Sometimes, when I see her in photos, I am just struck at how very pretty she is. Of course I am completely biased, but..... :)

This is Maelie wearing her Uncle Alan's fur Viking hat.

I think she looks like a little Mongolian Princess. :)

This is Maelie and our littlest Yorkie Allegra in 'jail.' "Can't you spring us, Mommy???"

Isn't she just a sweetheart? I know you all probably don't know this, so I'll say it again to be sure...I just LOVE her!

White Christmas

Well, it will definately be a white Christmas around here! We had a snowstorm this weekend and had somewhere between 6-10 inches of the white stuff dumped on us, and blowing and cold. BRR!!!

I will be posting some new Miss Maelie photos soon, I promise! But, for now, does someone have a shovel I can borrow?!?!?! Or, better yet, a condo in some warmer climate??????? :)

Easy Christmas Cake Recipe

I wanted to share with you all this easy cake recipe I got. I, personally, haven't tried it yet, but maybe this weekend. Wink!

**Christmas Cake**

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 stick butter

1 cup of water

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup of sugar

1 tsp salt

1 cup of brown sugar

Lemon juice

4 large eggs

Nuts

1 bottle tequila

2 cups of dried fruit

Sample the tequila to check quality. Take a large bowl, check the tequila again. To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large, fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again. At this point it's best to make sure the tequila is still OK. Try another cup... Just in case. Turn off the mixer thingy. Break 2 eggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit. Pick the frigging fruit up off floor. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver. Sample the tequila to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something. Check the tequila. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or some fink. Whatever you can find. Greash the oven. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don't forget to beat off the turner. Finally, finish the tequila and wipe counter with the cat.

Bingle Jells!

First Snow

On Sunday, we ventured out into the snow for the very first time. Note the crying photo when Maelie realized that snow was COLD!

First Babysitter

This past Friday night, Auntie Kim took Miss Maelie for her first 'sleepover.' It was the first time we have had a babysitter. She did really well, of course she knows her auntie from our first days in Vietnam, and Auntie Kimmy loves to dote on her, too!

Mike and I had big plans to whip the house into shape and get organized for Christmas. YEAH. RIGHT. We DID go out for dinner Friday night, which was very nice, and Saturday, we ended up catching up on sleep. I felt guilty, but damn, it felt good, too!!!!

Here are some photos of Maelie's first sleepover! She has got the goofiest face in the first photo, I just had to share that one.

Thanks again, Auntie Kim and Uncle Dave!!!

End of an Era

Well, it may be a bit shorter than an era, but today I officially withdrew our application for the China Adoption program.

We had talked and Mike and I figured we would withdraw once we were home from Vietnam with Maelie. In the back of my mind, I kept thinking that maybe we would want another child in a few years when our number finally came up in China. Mike always said that one child was enough, and trust me, Maelie is the love of our lives...everyone who meets her is just smitten with her. I couldn't ask for a more perfect child for our family.

But, since we had a place in this huge line waiting for China, it was hard to give that up, too. I told Mike it was like having a ticket to a huge, sold-out concert. Even if we decided not to go to the concert, it's hard to give up those tickets!!! And again, thoughts of a sister for Maelie would sometimes briefly dance in my head.

However, China has been slow-going since we started the program. They are also initiating other regulations, and it is never truly clear if these new rules would affect us or not. We would have to refile a lot of paperwork, pay a few more fees, and we were just told today that China may be increasing the orphanage donation by another $2 grand. Add the extra fees, extra paperwork, extra worrying ontop of having to pay for a trip to China, and for us, it just didn't add up anymore.

So, it's the end of an era. Bittersweet. I know that there are so many people waiting for a child from China that our withdrawl will actually help another family, and a child will not be neglected because of our decision. And, if it wasn't for us starting the adoption process with China, we would not have our Miss Maelie right now. So, no matter what, it's Fate. I believe that.

Maelie's Fashion Pics

Maelie is modelling her pink and brown Gymboree outfit...front, back, and LOOK! There's a hood!!! :) She's ready for the runway! HA!!

The collar of her outfit says, "Sweeter than Chocolate," and darn, if that isn't the truth.

Thanksgiving Photos

Okay, okay, I've let my poor sister sit on top of my blog long enough. What a good sport, though, eh???

Here are some photos of Maelie's first Thanksgiving.

This is how we started out our day. Happy as a little clam, with a cute pumpkin sweater and a little bow in her hair. I LOVE her eyes when she smiles like this!

Daddy bought her her very own 'turkey.' She didn't really eat it, but how cute!!

All I can think of with this photo is the Charlie Brown Halloween special when they were carving pumpkins..."I didn't know you were going to KILL it!!!!!!!!!!"

Maelie's First Pickle....She really didn't mind it!!!

We had a very nice Thanksgiving. Maelie spent a few hours in the morning with her Daddy at his parent's house. I chose not to go along due to a sore throat. Mikey's dad is ill and I didn't want him to catch something. Then, we went to my mom's house and had a good time with my sister, brother, their spouses, my niece and nephew. My niece Samantha couldn't make it this year, but we'll see her at Christmas. My nieces and nephew on my side of the family are in their 20's, so Maelie is the first baby in a long while in our house for the holidays. Fun!!!

It was a loooooong day for Maelie, though, and she got extremely overtired and cranky. We couldn't get her to take a nap for nothing. There was just too much going on and a new play yard to sleep in that she wasn't used to. We all tried EVERYTHING to get her to sleep, to no avail. Finally, we decided we should just go home and put her to bed. It WAS 9:00 p.m., so it was time. The minute we drove a half mile, Miss Maelie was OUT. I was worried she'd wake up when we got home 20 minutes later, and not fall back asleep again. When I put her in her crib, she gave out one little squawk, I gave her a bottle that she just hugged to her chest, and fell asleep again. Poor little girl!!!!

It was special at my Mom's house...we all knew what we were thankful for this year...even if she was crying and fussy!

Thanksgiving Preview

A photo just for my sister Kim.....YOU'RE WELCOME!!!! he heee heee heeeeeee heee heeeee!!!! (note Maelie's devilish little face, too.....we were in cahoots - wink!)

More photos of our first Thanksgiving to follow.....

Meet The Press

This is coming out in the Thanksgiving edition of our local newspaper...they have a few things a bit wrong, like her name....but, overall, a decent job. And, we are SO thankful for her!!!

(sorry for the formatting......the paragraphs wouldn't stick!!!)

Happy Thanksgiving from Mike, Michelle & Maelie!!!!!!!!

Baby's adoption comes through for couple
By CHARLES RAMSAYRegional Editor
Published: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 9:50 PM CST

VIRGINIA — Mike and Michelle Zadra are grateful this holiday season for their new baby, Maeli.Michelle Zadra journeyed to Vietnam and returned home in early October with the 8-month-old newcomer they’ve adopted as their first child. The two had been going together for several years before their marriage more than eight years ago.They were some of the more fortunate couples from the U.S. to be able to adopt a child from another country, as recently very severe restrictions or outright bans have been imposed. A typical wait for a couple to adopt from China had been up to five years before recent changes.Their efforts began in March 2006. They submitted paperwork to an adoption agency for a baby in China. After a year of waiting, the couple decided to also apply to Vietnam for a child. While some countries do not allow applications to other places while one is pending with them, Michelle Zadra said that China did allow it.The adoption process is thorough, and the paperwork is extensive. Medical letters, background checks, FBI fingerprints on file, photos of themselves, checkups on financial means to support a child all must be submitted as part of the documentation. They met with a social worker from the U.S. adoption agency, who made a home visit, collected background on the community and schools and submitted a report.Then last December, they were matched with an available child. But a barrier was soon raised. The province where the child was from was alleged to be involved in baby trafficking, or selling babies for money. The report was determined later to be unfounded, Michelle Zadra said.The couple was told that the agreement to adopt the baby was ended as a result.“I was heartbroken,” Michelle said.“She was going to give up,” Mike said.But then in May, on Mother’s Day 2008 weekend, they got word that a new baby was available for them in Vietnam.“It was the best Mother’s Day gift a person could get,” Michelle Zadra said.More time passed in waiting, more forms were filled and procedures were followed to get ready for the adoption. U.S. Immigration had to be notified, Homeland Security and the FBI were dealt with.Then came the e-mail — come within 1-1/2 weeks.“You wait. You wait,” Mike explained. “When it pops, it’s like the Army’’ in its “hurry up and wait” methods, he added.One more item was needed right away — a passport for Mike, even though he was staying home to work at his job at Dom-Ex in Hibbing. The passport had to be taken along as part of the adoption. “I’m very thankful for the passport people,” he said, as it was received within a week, where normally a passport takes six to eight weeks to process.Medical shots had been obtained during the summer. The only items needed yet were visas, as Vietnam is still a Communist country.Michelle left on her journey Sept. 19, accompanied by her mother, Bonnie Prigge, 70, and her sister, Kim Grippe, 48.“Her very first plane trip ever,” Michelle said of her mother.They arrived in Hanoi after a long flight, met with five other American families who were adopting, and took several side trips while waiting the first few days for paperwork to proceed.Their lodgings were not what one might expect.The three women stayed at the “Hanoi Hilton’’ downtown, where U.S. prisoners of war including Sen. John McCain were held during the Vietnam War.The complex has been refurbished, into condominiums, a hotel and shops. The three women stayed in a two-bedroom apartment, with a balcony, kitchen and laundry. Their apartment overlooked the old prison area where U.S. POWs were held.Besides the heat, traffic in downtown Hanoi can be overwhelming, with thousands of motorbikes burning exhaust and motorists honking a lot, Michelle recalled.Finally the day arrived. The three journeyed out to Bac Ninh Orphanage, the province being about an hour’s drive from Hanoi. It was not the province where their first adoption process had fallen through.They went on a tour of the spartan orphanage, where numerous babies were waiting to be adopted. Their first live glimpse of the baby they would name Maeli came during the giving and receiving ceremony, where a child is given to the new family.There is a bond between orphanage staffers and their charges, Michelle noted, as “when the nanny handed her to me she (the staffer) cried.’’Maeli had been left outside the orphanage during the early morning of March 9, when a security guard noticed her. Michelle estimates Maeli was probably about 20 days old then. Mike said they consider March 9 as her birthday, so “we’ll stick with her found day.”While the reasons for Maeli’s being given over to the orphanage aren’t known, Michelle said that the “people there are very friendly,’’ polite and hospitable and caring for children. Unlike other countries where babies may be sold for a profit, in Vietnam, the major reason for babies given up for adoption is economic, where some parents might not be able to afford to support a child.“It’s a poor country,” she said.The couple believes they adopted Maeli at a very good age. In China, many children adopted are usually more than a year old, often 16 months, a time when language development in Chinese has already started.“When you grow up in an orphanage, you have a lot of developmental delays,” Michelle explained. A child is not usually worked with one on one, and the ratio between kids and staffers is often five to one.But they have seen Maeli demonstrate an active interest in things around her. “She’s quite ahead in many areas,” Michelle said, as Maeli busily scooted about the floor of a conference room and stopped to study a similar-looking baby in a mirror.The three women and Maeli stayed in Hanoi a few more days, while more paperwork was processed, and a visa for Maeli was obtained from the U.S. embassy. They arrived back in the U.S. and reached the Range by early October.Naming Maeli Jolianne Zadra resulted from relatives on both sides of the family. Michelle’s grandmother, Bessie Mae, has her birthday on March 10, a day away from Maeli’s birthday. Mae is Michelle’s grandmother’s middle name, and the Chinese word Maelui means in part, “beautiful.”The middle name was arrived at from two people: Jodi Desin, a good family friend, and Mike’s grandmother’s first name, Ann.Raising Maeli so far has been easy for the first-time parents, who were allowed to practice by babysitting the children of friends who operate an Asian restaurant.When Maeli first arrived, “she was strictly a formula baby,” Mike said. Now, pureed baby food containing “chicken, beef and turkey is what she wants.”Whether they would adopt a second baby gives Michelle reason to pause. “It took a lot out of me emotionally,” she said. “It was good for the experience.”If they did go through the process again, Michelle said, “You have to be determined. You have to be patient.”The cost for everything, from adoption to the plane fare to Vietnam and back, probably was in the range of $25,000, Mike estimated.This Thanksgiving, the couple feels they have much to be grateful for, from her mother and sister who went with Michelle, to Mike’s employer, Dom-ex, for giving him family leave to help after Maeli arrived, to kindnesses from many people.Most of all, “we’re very thankful for her,” Michelle said. “Such a very good baby.”
Copyright © 2008 - Mesabi Daily News - Virginia, MN

Two Months

It has been two months since Maelie was first put into my arms. The time has flown by, and yet it seems she's always been with us. I love her to pieces, and what better way to celebrate on my blog than with this photo that I love...little Maelie's hand holding her Daddy's big hand.

Look Ma...I'm Standing!!

Maelie has decided that standing is THE thing. She is so busy, strong, and smart. She regularly pulls herself up in her crib, and I now have the legs on her busy table toy so she can stand by that...which she does now ALL THE TIME. It used to be a little bit of a struggle for her to stand, but not anymore! She is ready to MOVE, man!

My new computer desktop

Like my new computer desktop???????

First Fire

As many of you know, Mike and I own our own FDNY ladder truck. We drive it in parades, and basically, it's Mike's toy. Miss Maelie hasn't gotten the chance to ride on it yet as it's put away for the winter. Also, Mike volunteers for the local fire departments, taking photos of the fires, bringing rehab supplies, and lending a hand when needed.

WELL, today, Daddy's Little Girl got to experience her very first fire! There was an unfortunate house fire in one of our local communities, so we got Maelie in her 'jump suit' and we all went. Her and I stayed in the SUV for the most part, but when the action had died down, Daddy had to show off his little girl...

First Steps

Last night at Grandma's house, Miss Maelie took her very first real steps while holding on to my hands. I was AMAZED!! Of course we didn't have the camera with...

She's regularly pulling herself up on things...her table toy, her crib, me and Mike. :) She's a strong little monkey!!!!!!!!!

I love her to bits.

Social Worker Saturday :)

Well, our day started out looking like this...




...for no apparent reason, and I thought, uh oh, it's going to be a rip roaring visit with our social worker. We had a two hour drive to meet our social worker Amy, and I thought Maelie would take a nice, long nap on the way there. Wrong, again. Usually, Maelie loves to sleep in the car, but not so much on Saturday. She did manage to sleep for about a half hour.

We met up with Amy and had a lovely, lovely time visiting. Maelie only got fussy towards the end, and I couldn't ask for more than that. She sat very nicely for over an hour. One of the best things throughout our whole adoption process has been Amy. She has always been just the perfect blend of professionalism, and exceptionally friendly. I know I've heard other adoptive families with complaints about their social worker, but ours is just super. My only complaint is that she lives about four hours from us, or we'd be able to visit more often!!

So, suffice to say, our dreaded social worker visit (it wasn't really dreaded...just that irrational niggling of fear over how will my child behave), went extremely well, and I couldn't be more pleased. NOW, I'm sad it's over, because I won't have a chance to visit with Amy again for awhile!!!! Yeah, I know...I'm a trip. First, I'm nervous, now I'm sad it's over. LOL!!

We did learn from Amy that Maelie is ahead of herself in some areas, such as crawling, standing, sitting up, and other gross motor skills. Also, we learned that we're doing things right!!! Maelie goes to bed by herself, we do not rock her to sleep. Maelie's attachment to us is there, Mike and I don't look frazzled...we've been doing something right! It's just nice, especially as a first-time mom, to hear...'Hey! You guys are doing well!!' Yeah!!!!

I was hoping maybe Amy has heard of the ear scratching issue before, but no. Our child is unique in that regard. And in a few others...Maelie does NOT like to eat fruits, veggies, or cereal. She likes baby food meat. I KNOW...weird!!! And, Amy agreed, it's uncommon. We have found Maelie likes the combination baby dinners of vegetable beef or chicken and carrots, etc. Go figure! But, it's a real fight to get her to eat any kind of fruit. That's Daddy's girl...loving meat.

But, to wrap up talking about our social worker visit, it went extremely well, was enjoyable, informative, and just plain fun. Thanks again, Amy!!!! You've helped us make our dream come true, and you'll always be a friend...heck...a member of the family!!!!!!!

Owliness, Dinner, and Ears

Maelie was a bit out of sorts yesterday. Not sure what was going on...I am thinking that she hasn't been feeling the best. Nothing serious, just a cough here and there and a few sneezes, but man, she just didn't know WHAT she wanted yesterday!!!! She was tired, didn't want to sleep. She wanted to be picked up, didn't want to be held. She wanted her bottle, but didn't want to drink it. Oy. It was a trying day. I thought, okay, let's try napping with mommy in the big bed. If you can see by this photo, it looked like a good idea, right??? (although you can see the owliness on her little face...)

Yeah....she looks comfy, but that lasted 5 minutes. Then, the screaming started again and lasted a good half hour. I put her in her jumperoo, and she enjoyed that, and fell asleep. As soon as I tried to move her....WATCH OUT!!! I did give her some benedryl after that, for the coughing and sneezing, and that seemed to do the trick. She calmed right down and then finally took a nap. SIGH.

But tonite now, Mike and I were able to enjoy a fairly calm dinner out at a Vietnamese restaurant...our first!!! It went well, right up until the end when it was time to leave anyway. But, as soon as we got home, she was tired again, and wouldn't go to sleep. We were starting to have a replay of yesterday, but we gave her some benedryl again. So, I think the child is fighting off a little cold or allergy. She doesn't act really sick, but she is coughing, pulling on her throat a little, and sneezing. So, that would explain the fussiness. We keep thinking teething time, too, but there's nothing there yet. At least we got to have a nice, and yummy!, dinner together tonite. Yay!!!!

Tomorrow we meet with our Social Worker for our post-placement report. She is a very nice lady and I'm really looking forward to seeing her again. We haven't since our first homestudy in 2006. It's stupid of me, I know, but I honestly feel a little apprehensive about it! It just must be that 'social worker' name phobia, just like people have when they hear the word 'dentist.' :)

We've been having a ton of problems with Maelie's ear, too. I was so hoping it would heal before we saw the social worker, but, I have to keep remembering that she doesn't expect us to have the 'perfect' child. This ear issue is going to drive us all batty, though. When we got her at the orphanage, her nanny told us that she scratches her ear when she gets tired. I had noticed a little scab on her ear at the time and was relieved that it wasn't scabies. But, every time Maelie goes to fall asleep, she scratches her ear. BADLY. She has scratched it raw. The poor little ear has cracks in it, scabs, and it bleeds. All over. A few weekends ago, she woke up from her nap screaming. I went in to check on her, since she hadn't been asleep that long, and her little face was completely smeared with blood. Her bed was full, her clothes, her bottle, EVERYTHING. Luckily, Mike was home, since it was the weekend, and was there with me. I knew what it was from, but just seeing her like that was awful. We gave her a bath and I held her afterward and just cried. Adrenaline letdown, I think. She's done that a few more times since then, but not quite as bad. But, this is why I really get concerned when she gets overtired and won't go to sleep...she starts the scratching.

I just am at a loss as to how to stop this behavior. We keep her nails cut short, she now wears TWO socks on the hand she scratches with...but she can still pull them off. We can direct her little hand away from her ear when we put her to bed, but if she wakes up in the middle of the night or from her nap, she will start scratching again. It's not only outside her ear, but inside, too. I've worried about her actually rupturing her eardrum, although I've been assured that this is highly improbable...the ear drum is not easy to reach!! We have been putting medicine and ointment on her ear to help the healing, but as soon as it heals, she's scratching it up again. One thing I have found that is healing it FAST is Badger Balm Healing. WOW. Talk about healing the large cracks in a hurry!!!

But, as much as I can try to heal it, I don't know how to stop it!!! If anyone has any tips out there, or has dealt with this before, please let me know. I feel like such a bad mom when people look at her little ear. I get asked all the time, 'Does she have an ear infection??' NO!!! It's been checked a few times now, and it's fine. She just scratches. But, how lousy do I feel when people see this beautiful little girl and this scratched up ear??? One day, after a bad night of scratching, the poor little ear looked burned.

Anyway, my point was, I was hoping her little ear would be healed before we met with our social worker tomorrow, but no, she's scratched it to bleeding again tonite. I'm sure the social worker will understand, but I still feel like a bad mommy!!!!!!!!!

Maelie's Fashion Pics

Here she is, modelling with Auntie Kim, her new winter coat from Grandma Carol. It's a little big, and she looks a bit like Nanook of the North, but she's so incredibly soft and cuddly in it! She's like a little marshmallow teddy bear!!!

Luncheon Engagement

Today, Miss Maelie and I took my sister (her fave auntie - wink) to lunch. We walked from her place of employment to a local Chinese restaurant. Maelie did very well in the restaurant, as you can see by the photos!!! (My sister did very well, too. HA!!!!!)

Just kickin' back, grabbin' some grub...

And yes, she IS reclined on Auntie, laying on the table.

Let's play with this white rice stuff!!!

Forget the rice, gimme that chicken wing!!!!!!

She did it!

Well, she did it!! We've been practicing our standing up, and last night, with no pulling up from me, she used my hands for balance and stood up. Maelie stood up!! Repeatedly. It's now a new game!!

Then, last night, when I tucked her into her crib, I hid in her room for a minute. Sure enough, she stood up in her crib by herself!!!! She's still too little to fall out, thank goodness, but, she did it!!!!

My big girl!!!!

Maelie's Fashion Pics

Update - Okay, not really an update, but more of an observation. I cannot stop looking at this photo of her. I don't know why, but I think she is just absolutely gorgeous in this photo. It's like her hair is perfect, her little mouth.....I know, I know, I'm baised, but I just had to say it. :)

This adorable outfit was given to us by my aunt and Godmother. It's polar fleece, and just adorable. Had to show it off!! :)

8 Months Old

My baby is 8 months old today. She is working on pulling herself up and standing on her own, loves to smile, laughs when you help her clap her hands, likes her baths, enjoys being outside (except it's starting to snow here already!!!), loves music, likes books, studies how things work, giggles her head of at this baby chick puppet on the Sprout Good Morning Show, loves to crawl, laughs at herself in the mirror, still loves baby food meat (and now carrots, too!), still doesn't like fruit, eats better for Daddy than Mommy, has the most kissable cheeks, a little bow of a mouth, tickle feet, the greatest smile in the entire world, has people notice her wherever she goes, has a list of about 36 people waiting to babysit her, has turned our world upside down...and we love every moment of it.

I love her more than mere words could ever express.

Bathtime With Daddy

Daddy loves to take baths with Maelie. Since she's still young, we can do that! HA!!! Here are some photos of the fun...don't worry, they're rated PG. And, I'm showing these to show everyone how darling my family is, AND...because my hubby is constantly posting unflattering photos of me on myspace and such things...let's call this killing two birds with one stone (not that I'd go killing birds with a stone...) BUT...the photos are cute AND embarrassing for my macho hubby. he heee heeee heeeeeeeee

FIRST, before a bath, you must wear Daddy's clean shorts on your head. Don't know why...just part of the procedure, I guess.....

Then, we get into the bath...

Then, we accidently slip and go underwater!!!!!

Don't worry...we're fine.

Clean tootsie toes!!

Great time in the bath, but why does mom have to take so many darn pictures?????