Three!

Today,  our Maggie turns 3! We just got her to say she was "2" a few months ago, so she is really not buying that she is now 3. I can barely believe it myself.

Our girl has grown so much in the last year! She is talking MUCH more now and is attempting to communicate with the world around her!

She is serious and determined when she wants to be. If she wants to work on something, she will keep at it until she masters it. If she does not want to...nothing will entice her.

 She also is the silliest, who loves to make faces, tease her siblings and momma and daddy. 

 Her favorite thing to do is to tell us that an item is "My item, no it is Jack's, no it is Colin's, no it is Dadda's"...and on and on until she laughs too hard to keep going.

She likes to be in the mix with everyone and wants to do what all the big kids are doing!

She loves to be with her family and loves to snuggle up. Maggie has the very special skill of just melting into a person. She gives the best snuggles and everyone fights to hold her!

She loves to do my hair, put on my make-up and help fold laundry. She cleans up better than most of her siblings...to which I am VERY grateful for!

She changes her clothes multiple times a day and usually they match relatively well. She puts her clothes away after she changes, so I can't complain too much. The picture below is when she found her swimsuits and had to change into one!

It is hard to believe that Maggie is 3. We are so proud of her hard work this year and her continued motivation to communicate clearly. We couldn't imagine our world with our Maggie Li Ya!

Happiest 3rd Birthday, baby girl. We love you SO!

Maggie is TWO!! {Post Adoption: Month 8)

Maggie is TWO today! Our sweet girl has been with us for 8 months and we are so excited to celebrate her birthday with her.

While Maggie's story is her own, and we will let her share the details herself, we are very lucky to know that April 26th is her actual birthday. This is not common in international adoptions and we are so glad that we get to celebrate her on the exact day, and not estimated.

While we will celebrate together as a family, a day filled with presents, balloons, cake and decorations, it is a day that will hold much more than that for me. It is my prayer that her birth family knows that she is loved, that they know that she is safe and healthy.  I think about her momma so much. I think about her birth family and if they have some of her traits, some of her sass and humor.  I do not know if we will ever meet here on earth, but I am so thankful for them. I know that they made the hardest decision in the world for their child and that they did it out of love. Maggie will always know that her birth family loved her so much that they made the hardest decision. So, today, on the day of my girl's birth, I pray for her momma, her momma heart and I pray that the Lord will whisper words of peace and love to her, that she may know her girl is loved and happy and healthy.

Attachment:

We keep making great progress with attachment and I feel confident that Maggie knows we are her family and she is our daughter. She will let people hold her, but definitely prefers her family. If we are in her sight and we tell her it is ok, she will let people hold her and play with her. So, we are pleased with her sense of security with us. She has even chosen me over Ryan a few times, which had not happened since we have been home. Ryan was not such a fan of that, but this momma sure was!

Food and Growth:

We have her 2 year wellness appointment coming up next week, so it will be interesting to see how she has grown. We are going to look into her eyes, teeth and hopefully no blood work! 

Food and using utensils is still a slow upwards battle and something we will probably work on for some time.

Physical development:

She is moving around well and tries to run. Wobbly toddler runs are just the best. She has started to climb up on some furniture, another development milestone. She has also taken some tumbles with this new found freedom, but nothing to dramatic. It hasn't seemed to stop her at all.

She is doing well with her fine motor skills when it comes to writing and drawing. We have found quite a few places where she has "practiced" on our walls...so pens and markers are more carefully monitored these days! She has also gotten a hold of the boys' homework a few times and they quickly learned to keep things out of her reach.

Verbal Development:

Maggie has added a few more words, but is still very far behind for her age. She is using around 5-10 words and she should be at 50. Her receptive language (understanding English) is amazing. She understands everything we say, will get things that we ask and will obey simple commands. It is amazing to think that she has only heard English for 8 months and she comprehends all of it. Her speech will come, but we are applying to start speech therapy so that we can help give her extra tools for her to use to communicate with us. Her latest word is "Guys!" which she will yell to groups of kids to get their attention...whether they are waiting for the bus or in the middle of a soccer practice.

Goals: 

We are starting to wean her off her bottle. It was used more for fluid intake than calories and nutrients, so we are hoping to start using cups more for her fluids and hopefully have her eat more solid foods.

Now that it is finally starting to warm up here, we are trying to get Maggie outside more and help build more of her muscle tone. While she is walking well, she still seems weaker than she should be and the uneven outdoor grounds will help build up that muscle tone that she is lacking in.

Words! Lots more words! We are hoping to add more vocabulary to her arsenal in the coming months.

Happiest Birthday, dear daughter. We are so happy that you are ours and that we get to celebrate you every day for the rest of your life. We pray that you know that you are deeply loved and we can not wait to watch you grow. You will do great things, my dear. Great and mighty things.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Margaret Li Ya!

The Momma Heart

I will be celebrating my Mother's Day cheering on my boy in his very first big tournament and I am 100% ok with that.

As Mother's Day was approaching, I was thinking about motherhood and the many varied paths to it.

I am lucky to have a beautiful solid example of motherhood that I witnessed from my Great-Grandma, my Grandma and my mother. I was able to sit in all of their kitchens, and watch and learn from their examples. I realize how blessed I am to have known not only my Grandmother so well, but also my Great-Grandmother. Following in their foot prints has been one of my greatest privileges in life.

But this is not the case for everyone.

I know that this day is hard for many. Mothers that are no longer here, or were not around. Mothers that may have never been there in the first place.

I know that there are many that are longing to be mothers and are not.

I know that there are mommas who gave up their babies, babies that will one day be adopted by another momma.

I know that there are women that may not be biological or even adoptive parents, but whose love and devotion is the same to those around them.

They all have that momma heart.

For the momma heart is not grown from purely a biological birthing. No, motherhood can take all shapes and forms. That is the beauty of the momma heart. It shows no preference. It only shows love, pure unconditional love.

That momma heart is so strong. So brave. It rallies for their loved ones with a fierceness of a great warrior. That momma heart gives selflessly.

So today, I salute that momma heart that is alive and beating in so many of us.

Keep giving, keep sacrificing, keep loving.

Keep beating those strong Momma hearts.

For the Mommas

This crazy crew made me a Momma.

I am so thankful.

They are my greatest joy, my greatest gifts and my greatest responsibility.

Raising them is awe inspiring, gravely serious and overwhelmingly fun.

I am so thankful for my Jack, my Colin and my Macy.

I would never be able to do even half a decent job at this thing called Motherhood, if it were not taught, reflected and shown to my by these amazing women. Each and everyone of these ladies have been an inspiration to me. Thank you for being such a great example of Godly, loving Mothers.

From Left to Right: My Grandma, my Mom, baby Jack, me, my Mother -in- law and Ryan's Grandma

So, Happy Mother's day to all the mommas, whether biological or adopted in one form or another.
May your day be filled with Love and Laughter!

Momma

I get the privilege to be Momma to these little guys. The loves of my life. Never a dull moment. Thanks for creating so much love and laughter.

 

My newest addition is full of life, sass, and joy. 

I just love her.

Life is messy and chaotic, but oh, so very beautiful.

Motherhood may be my toughest job, but it is most rewarding. Every bit of mess is more than worth it.

Happy Mother's day to all the Mommas, in all forms, whether by birth or by inspiration.

Happy Mother's day to my own Momma! 

Thanks for being the best inspiration on what true motherhood is.

I love you.