9 Months and Feeling Better

We have had Briana in our lives for 9 months now. I can't believe how much she has changed and grown. She gets more beautiful every day!

In China...

Today...

And I did wake up feeling much better today. Thank you for all of your kind comments on my last post. You all rock!

And yes, I put a funny wig on Briana the other day. That is how I pass the time during the day - snort! No, she saw the wig in my closet and of course had to try it on. She is such a hoot. :)

Why?

I am in a mood today - and not a good one. I have pictures ready to go of the fun weekend Doug, Briana and I had with Doug's friend, but I don't feel like posting happy pictures right now when I am feeling so over everything. I have a list of "why's" going through my head right now...

Why do I let other people's actions tick me off so badly?

Why do I fret over things until I feel sick over it?

Why do I have so many sticky spots all over my house?

Why are there days that I cannot wait for Briana to take her nap?

Why does Bri feel the need to grab for every single item in a Hallmark store?

Why does a 20 month old make me more tired than I have ever been in my whole life?

Why do I miss "sleeping in" so much?

Why is it when someone asks me to compromise, it is more than likely me being asked to "give in"?

Why did my single, 40-something, never been married, elementary school teacher, next door neighbor (who used to be a friendly acquaintance) decide to just stop talking to or acknowledging me and Doug as soon as we brought Briana home from China for absolutely no reason at all?

Why am I still having a hard time adjusting to my house looking like a bomb of toys hit it at times?

Why do people drive like idiots?

Why do I hate unloading the dishwasher so much?

Why does my cat make me feel like she is unbelievably attention deprived?

Why is this venting not really making me feel better?

I am hoping when I wake up tomorrow it will be a better day. A day that has me not so frustrated and annoyed.

Three Words

We have had a busy week, but not a crazy busy one. We have had a few moments to just "chill out." Here is Bri laying on my bed and holding her "dolly". This is the doll that she sleeps with. I actually have a backup doll in case anything ever happens to this one. Briana LOVES this doll. I mean LOVES this doll. I am constantly washing it because Briana is usually slobbering on the dolly, kissing the dolly or spilling something on it. She really likes the bear sitting next to her too. I call it "Dougie bear." Cute, huh? I have had that bear since Doug and I got married. Doesn't Briana look relaxed here?

And a very big moment happened to me. I was giving Briana a bath at 7:45PM on Saturday night. We were giggling and having fun as she was playing and being silly in the tub. We were also giving each other kisses. After about the 5th kiss, she looks in my eyes and says "I wuv you" to me for the first time. Oh my gosh. My heart stopped at that moment. I tell her I love her everytime she goes to sleep and when she wakes up in the morning. And now, she finally said it to me. Wow - I am so in love with this child.

Hope everyone has a good Sunday!

Just Checking In

It's been a few days since I posted, hasn't it? I have been busy but not doing anything out of the ordinary. Lots of errands, music class, grocery shopping, etc. Briana and I did go out to lunch with Kathy and Chani yesterday and of course we had to go on a Hobby Lobby run. I actually had a lot of self control. I only spent $30. Not too bad! I did manage to snap a few pics of the girls at the store...

Briana not cooperating for a photo...

Miss Chani

And I did manage to get a little ponytail on Briana's head the other day. I didn't last long, but it was cute!

Doug and I actually have company in town right now. Doug's friend is staying with us until Sunday evening. The boys are doing a little work together right now, so I thought I would write this quick blog post. Briana took a 15 minute cat nap this morning in the car, and she is not in the mood for a nap now. Ugh. I am just letting her babble in her crib, and I guess I will fish her out of there in a minute.

And before signing off, I just want to mention that "Love Without Boundaries" is having its 5th annual "Born in my Heart" auction on eBay right now and it runs through April 29. Proceeds from items sold go to help orphaned children in China, by providing medical care, nutrition, education and foster care. Take a look - they have some really neat items!

See you Sunday for my three word post.

The Weekend

Saturday night, Doug, Briana and I went over to my parents' house to celebrate Passover (my dad is Jewish for those who don't know). Briana had her first taste of Matzah and it was a big thumbs up! And my sister snapped this nice photo of the three of us. Most of my pictures are of Briana, me and Briana or Doug and Briana. And when the three of us pose for a photo, Briana is usually looking another way. But she finally looked forward in this one!

Then on Sunday, it was yard work day. It was gorgeous and in the 60's. Briana helped mommy and daddy mulch the front yard. We waited for years for a child to pounce around behind us while we were doing yard work and yesterday was the day.

Briana following daddy around...

Loading up the wheelbarrow.

The house all manicured and mulched!

We put Briana to work!

3 Words and Mall Day With Daddy

First, let me say that Doug hates going to the mall. Hates it. But there is a mall that is not too far away from where we live that has a carousel. I posted about it back in November when I first took Briana on it. Doug has really been wanting to see her ride it. So, he took the day off work to take his girls to the mall. I am dedicating my three words (a little early) to Briana's ride on the carousel.

Here is Briana all ready to go to the mall!

As we walked around the mall, I ran into an agent that I worked with at my former place of employment. We hugged and she was so excited to meet Briana. She hasn't been at the office the last two times I visited, so I am so glad we finally bumped into each other. Ironically, we were able to talk about the big news that literally just happened (Wednesday). My former office and another office located just down the street have merged. In the process, my former broker was let go and three out of four of my former co-workers (staff) got the ax. If I had remained there, I probably would have gotten my walking papers too, especially being a part-time employee. It makes me sad because this is most likely due to the housing market being so crappy right now. I guess the company is focusing on consolidating and downsizing where it can. I noticed that both times I visited the office, there was very little activity going on. Especially the second time I visited, it was like a ghost town. Staff girls - if you are reading this, know I am thinking of you and I am so sorry to hear the news.

After I got done chatting with the agent, Doug and I decided to get some lunch. The carousel is located in the food court, so Briana was anxious to get on the ride, but we wanted her to eat first. As she nibbled on chicken nuggets, she intently watched the carousel go around.

And Briana has mastered the art of "dipping". She loves to dip her nuggets in bbq sauce...

Mmmm, those are good!

Doug and Briana waiting to get on the ride.

Round and round they went!

Briana liked it so much, she cried when it stopped. So I took her around for one more spin. I managed to coax her off the second time by asking her if she wanted a little ice cream. Worked like a charm. A little bribery goes a long way...

After some ice cream, the mall has an indoor playground that Briana had a ball playing on. She learned to go up the slide and down without any help today. "Sigh."

It really was a fun day! Thanks for hanging with us daddy! (Enjoy the little video of Briana going up and down the slide!)

And lastly, I want to say Happy Passover to all my Jewish friends and family!!! Have a great weekend everyone!

A Little This, A Little That

Here are my updates bullet style...

* This is such a cute picture of Briana, I just had to post it.


* We have a new internet service provider! I found out that our old provider actually didn't go out of business. They had a massive outage and their phone lines were connected through their VOIP (voice-over IP), so their phone lines were down too and there was no way contact them. Four days and NO way to contact them. So, we switched providers. Needless to say after this debacle, I am sure they will be out of business soon.

* Briana got professional photos taken on Monday. Let's just say she hated every single minute of it. She cried and cried. When I originally made the appointment, I requested the pictures to be taken outside in the photographer's backyard (it is professionally landscaped with flowers). I knew that would be a better setting for Briana. Well, it was in the 30's all day and raining on Monday, so we had to try to do it indoors. Briana hated the studio atmosphere and bright lights in her eyes. She was just miserable. After working with her for about 45 minutes, the photographer surprisingly got a few good shots of her. Mama (and Grandma who came to help me out) was exhausted after the session. Briana finally smiled again when we went to lunch after the session. Food always makes her happy. :) Here are some pics from before and after the meltdown.

* Briana loves drinking from a straw as you can see below. She also blew bubbles for the first time by herself today. I always have to help her hold the wand and blow the bubbles. But today, she actually blew some bubbles on her own. Her face lit up when she did it!

* And lastly, Doug and I went on a date on Saturday night. My parents watched Briana and we went on a REAL date. We went to an actual movie theater and then to dinner. I almost forgot what a movie theater looked like inside! We saw "Leatherheads" and it was really cute. The only snag in the night was when Doug was pulled over for speeding. Yep, I couldn't believe it either. We basically hit a speed trap on a quiet street. Luckily, the officer let us go with a warning - yippee! I think he saw the empty baby car seat in the back and the exhausted and pathetic looks on our faces and had pity on us.


* Blogland has been pretty quiet lately. If you haven't commented on by blog in a while, I would love to hear from you. Just say hi!

The 3 Musketeers On The Farm

Friday, Briana and I met Lisa and Maisie and Kathy and Chani at Tanglewood Farm to see miniature animals. It was an absolutely beautiful day. We saw miniature lambs, sheep, goats, donkeys, cows and horses. The only thing huge at the farm were the rabbits! Briana touched just about every animal. She and Chani went on their first pony rides. And if you remember, Briana had an opportunity to ride a horse several weeks ago but refused to wear a helmet. Well, she did it on Friday - hooray! Maisie enjoyed the all animals but preferred to admire them from afar!

Here is a little video I put together of the girls - the 3 musketeers! I used music from Briana's favorite movie "Toy Story".

3 Words and No Internet Connection

My three words for this week are "Loves To Dance". This picture was taken at my mom's house last weekend.

Briana loves to jump, run and dance. She is an ACTIVE child - always on the move. She definitely keeps me on my toes. Briana doesn't just walk places - she dances on her tip toes everywhere. And she smiles and waves to people who pass by. She is a little ball of sunshine running around everywhere.

And I am sure you have been wondering where I have been the past few days. Well, my internet service provider decided to go belly up and didn't bother to let any of the customers know it was going under. I have not had an internet connection since Friday morning. The only reason I am blogging right now is because Doug purchased a card that allows us to get internet service over a cell phone line, and the connection is pretty slow. We are choosing a new provider and should have service in a few days. Unfortunately, I have a lot to blog about but really can't until I get a faster connection. So, I will blog more when we get a new provider. I tell you - I was going crazy not having internet access since Friday. Serious withdrawl symptoms. I may need rehab!

Meeting Zoe

I can't tell you how excited I was to get an e-mail from Georgia today asking if Briana and I wanted to meet her and Zoe for lunch and a little shopping. I have been dying to meet Zoe! I'll tell you, every time I meet another China baby that has come home, I feel like I am meeting a little celebrity. And Zoe just oozes cuteness! Briana was so excited to meet her new buddy! We had a great time!

And this is Briana after her exciting meeting with Zoe...