I swear time is flying by at warp speed!! There is a lot of truth to the saying, "The days are sometimes long but the years are fast." I know I don't always think about the gratitude of every precious minute I get with my sweet family but I pray everyday that God helps me to soak up every sweetness, every argument, every hug and kiss. And I pray that these moments together last forever.
The 6 month mark is an important one because it means we should be receiving our final adoption documents so that we can re-finalize Ella's adoption in the US. This is the final step in making our family a family of four.
1. It is so fun watching you take in all the magic of your first Christmas. You love looking at the lights and the Christmas tree. I know it doesn't make sense to you but you enjoy the beauty of it all. You met Santa at daycare and weren't scared at all; just unsure of what was happening. However when we went to see Santa all together you were not having it!! Once Mama came in to save you we sat next to Santa together but you refused to even look at him.
2. You are also loving Christmas movies. A few in particular are How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the Jim Carrey version) and Polar Express. It's been nice to watch something other than Daniel Tiger!!
3. You are a great sleeper and we are SO grateful for that. You have been a great sleeper since day one. You're not always the easiest to get to sleep; in fact there are many nights when you are still awake when I head to bed but once you are a sleep you rarely wake until morning.
4. You enjoy coloring at home. You color princesses and hearts. You're also good at hoarding the colors to make your sister mad at you! Still pushing those buttons ;)
5. You are making friends at daycare and love going to daycare. When we get close and can see daycare you break out excitedly shouting, "Daycare!!!" At the end of the day you are excited to see whoever is picking you up but you also give out hugs to your friends and you always tell us that you had a fun day.
6. Your speech continues to improve. There are some words that are still very hard to understand. Sometimes that's because you're irritated and whiney. And sometimes it's because you're trying to say a new word. But words that you've been working on continue to get clearer. We all get so excited when you say a word that we can understand on the first try. You have a speech therapy eval next week so that we can start therapy soon.
7. You love your baby dolls. You're always feeding them, rocking them, or tucking them in to bed. You even have them pretend crying at times so that you can then take care of them. You're quite the little mama.
8. We love playing games together as a family! Some of your favorites are Uno Attack, Don't Break the Ice, Candy Land, and Count Your Chickens. You definitely require help with the games but honestly for being 2 you do a great job! You're learning your colors, numbers, and how to take turns.
9. You celebrated your first Thanksgiving during the last month. We celebrated with both my side and your dad's side of the family. Thanksgiving was filled with fun, food, and family! We were so blessed that you were with us this year.
10. You and Ava are closer than ever. It is so fun to watch your relationship bloom. You girls are getting along more and more and you love playing together. Mama and Baba love that you girls use your imagination; pretending to be at the beach, playing dress up, cooking food in the kitchen, and on and on. Nothing makes us happier than hearing our beautiful girls laughing and playing together.
