Tate R Bug

SANTA BABY….

2011-12-06T22:21:00.001-07:00

This year’s Santa pictures… Thinking of using one or two for our Christmas card.

HALLOWEEN PAST AND PRESENT

2011-11-04T23:44:00.001-06:00

First Halloween 2009

Halloween 2010

Halloween 2011

This year was by far the best HALLOWEEN ever! The weather was a perfect autumn night just enough crisp in the air but not too cold. We trick or treated in a friend’s neighborhood with tons of costumed kids running from house to house. Tate was all about this action… she LOVED running to the porch saying treat or treat. It was all about the fun at the door she has not once ask for her candy.

THROUGH THE EYES OF INNOCENCE

2011-09-07T10:16:00.001-06:00

At the Target’s service desk there is a gal with tats, pierces and stretched ear lobes. A real curious gal to view if you are a three year old unaccustomed to such an unusual look. A look that warranted a comment from Tate. “Mommy, what happened to her?” To which the Target gal said “it is just my jewelry”. Tate’s response, “Huh???? No what happened to your finger?” where there was a bandage covered a paper cut. I guess through the eyes of a three year old, a Band-Aid on a finger warrants notice more than tats, piercings and stretched earlobes.

SUPER TODDLER SAVE THE DAY!!!

2011-08-17T22:43:00.001-06:00

The other night Tate locked us BOTH in the bathroom. She pulled off the door knob leaving us stranded. After trying everything possible to open the door, I resorted to Plan B, dropping my little super hero out the window instructing her to go to a neighbor’s house. Off she ran, pony tail swinging, wearing a t shirt and a pair of BRIGHT YELLOW Crocs. Missing was her shorts and panties which were left behind in the living room as she ran to do “her business”. I watched as my just turned three year old carefully checked both ways for cars and ran across the street on her quest to save the day. My poor neighbor was greeted at her door with an earnest face announcing that “thewe’s a BIG PWOBLEM”. Poor Lindsay did not know what to think but fast as lightening, she had that door open. Saved by my toddler super hero.

SQUEAL!!! Dance Class!

2011-06-08T15:48:00.001-06:00

Possibly the cutest back picture EVER!!!!

Being asked to point her toes… she hears POINT TO YOUR TOES.

Busting out her dance moves….

Should be a fun summer of dance!!!

BIG Mac ….

2011-06-04T23:43:00.001-06:00

It has been a long and scary journey for our little man, McCain. We have been missing a puppy around here. So very much. I still tear up with the thought that is no longer with us and could not imagine another dog in our lives.

Often Tate would demand she wanted her Mesa back. She was done sharing her pup in heaven with Jesus and our Heavenly Father. DONE. If she saw a dog on the street she wanted me to pull over so she could pet the dog. I knew that I had to get a dog for my girl and decided it had to be the opposite of my Mesa. SMALL, hair not fur and an adult dog.

One day on the way home from work I passed an animal shelter and felt I should turn the car around and check out the shelter. I knew I wanted an adult, Poodle or Shih Tzu mix for the hair factor. In one of the cages there was an adorable grey poodle-ish pup full of personality. In the same cage was quivering in the corner, a dirty dog. I quickly passed by all the cages and left the shelter. For days I could not get that quivering pup out of my mind. Something about him pulled at my heart and a week later I went back to hold him. This shaky stinky dog peed on me, would not make contact and ran to the nearest corner to hide. My heart was mush and he had to be mine. Poor little man had to endure a quick bath, a clip job and an umbilical hernia repair before this little traumatized dog could come home to live in this land of pamper and love.

This has been a HUGE adjustment for him. He was found in a field and brought into the shelter. I suspect he was hit or kicked because he is so skid-ish to an outstretched hand or moving Tate feet. It has been three weeks that Big Mac has been with us… he has come a long way with his fright but still has a ways to go until he totally trusts us.

Emerging is a cute spunky dog full of personality. Tate adores him.

Family Day TWO!!!

2011-05-25T15:35:00.001-06:00

Two years TODAY this amazing little girl was placed in my arms changing my life forever. There has been many tears shed by me since that day… some in frustration but mostly out of the sheer joy she brings to me EVERY.SECOND.OF.THE.DAY.

Happy Family Day Tate Solfrid YuZhu…. Thank you for being my gift from God and fulfilling all my wishes here on earth.

Official First Snuggle

2011-05-18T17:19:00.001-06:00

I have mentioned before that this little man is so timid. I am not sure what his history is because he was found in the middle of a field by an officer. My guess is he was abandoned in this field. He is barely a one year and was so nervous he would pee on me if I held him and smelled indescribable. Timid man had to have his snip job as well as a hernia repair before he was released late on Monday to my arms. We have been taking it real slow around here by letting Mackie feel comfortable with us and explore his new digs. The past two nights Mac has given a little bark in the wee hours of the night. I have taken this opportunity to get up and snuggle with him. Finally after nap time today it was Tate’s turn to hold and snuggle with Mac. Anytime there is ANYTHING soft around Tate plops her thumb into her mouth. Even the suggestions that Santa wanted a good picture of Tate and her new puppy without her thumb did not dislodge her thumb.

I am so relieved that our dog is not named Caillou or Elmo. Not even suggested by our little Princess Tate…. a huge sigh of relieve escaped my lips.

Introducing Tate’s new brother….

2011-05-18T00:12:00.001-06:00

McCain!!! We call him Mac or Macee.

He is a rescue pup from a local animal shelter. Poor little timid man quakes in fear over everything so we are taking it slow in introducing him to his new family. Tate loves him but does not understand why she cannot lay on top him like she did with Mesa. Sweet man has had his clip job and an umbilical hernia repair and is not feeling up to some Tate snuggling. He looks a little rough but will have to wait 10-14 days before a good grooming can be done. I am looking forward to getting to know Mac’s personality as it unfolds in the near future.

HOPPY EASTER….

2011-04-24T01:03:00.000-06:00

Last year Tate and I spent our first Easter together in Florida with our Aunt Kelly and family. This year we stayed home and enjoyed the traditional Easter activities of the bunny, basket and delish Easter dinner with family.

This Tate grin is thanks to a mouthful of jelly beans. I have found it is hard to get a decent picture out Tate lately due to an amateur photographer (me) and a moving toddler (her). I should say DITTO to doing her hair also.

Love Love LOVE seeing this back shot of little Miss in her Easter dress.

EGG HUNT

2011-04-23T01:39:00.000-06:00

Fun at our FIRST ever Easter egg hunt… Both Tate and my first. We are with some of our China sisters Eliza, Tate and Xanthe.

Smile or lack of is due to the jelly beans that have invaded Tate’s mouth… Amazing how long one jelly bean can stay in her mouth!

Tate and I were late for the hunt due to the fact that it is hard to get a sleepy snuggly toddler out of a warm soft bed on a cold and wet Saturday morning. That and trying to explain all the fun that the egg hunt would be to a child who has no concept of what all this Easter celebration is about. Next year all that needs to be said to Tate is Easter Egg hunt and she will out the door in a flash.

RED RED ROCKS OF FUN!!!

2011-04-21T02:04:00.000-06:00

St George UTAH… perfect weather, fun company and way tooooooo short of a trip. Oh how I wish we had a few more days hanging with our friends Tippy-t, Liza and Sollie man, swimming and discovering new places and creating adventures. Tate was GEM while traveling the 4 hrs drive in the car… She kicked back and watch her fill of Caillou, Elmo and “Buddy” the Elf.

Day two of spring break madness

2011-04-19T15:01:00.001-06:00

with one non-compliant two and a half year old and a cranky sinus and eye infected mommy. After much struggle, the infected mommy was able to get the little miss partially dressed and out the door to the sitters and herself to the Instacare. A few hours later equipped with medications in hand, the cranky mommy is smiling ear to ear as she talks to her friend about the fun times to come in the next few days! Oh yeah!

These pics are too cute not to share…. this just might give you an idea with what I am dealing with DAILY as I try to get Tate out the door. This non-compliant two and half year old has told me she does not like me “Evevah, evevah” and wants Tippy-t to be her mommy. Since we will be spending a few days with Tiffany, she just might get her wish! Ha!

It is that glorious time of year that all teacher live for….

2011-04-18T15:02:00.001-06:00

Spring break!!!

Today is my OFFICAL first day of my spring break! Yippee… Besides having this week away from teaching, I have one week of vacation from my airline job as well!

Day ONE!!!!

Lounging and HOME!!!

Lounging all day long eating apricot dream bar cookies, strawberries and watching DORA on mom’s computer while doing it all in her Princess jammies…. Tate is one happy girl when she can hang out in her own house.

Lounging all day around in my jammies is kind of hard for a single working mommy so my first day involved cooking the apricot dream bars and delivering to neighbors… one neighbor who has been soooo helpful and another neighbor who is sick. I am seeing the bottom of the normally bottomless laundry basket and sorting through Tate’s clothes switching for larger sizes and summer clothes.

We have some FUN plans during our week off… I am hoping to chronicle each day as the week unfolds.

REFERRAL DAY TWO YEARS

2011-04-07T17:43:00.000-06:00

Tate at 2 1/2 with referral picture…. Decided it is STILL hard for her to hold this picture and smile for the camera.

CAILLOU and TATE

2011-02-05T11:39:00.001-07:00

Caillou is paralleling our lives. The two could be a sitcom.

last night Tate yells out “GILBERT where are you?” For those not knowing who Gilbert is…. he is Caillou’s sometimes naughty cat.
lucky me, now whenever we get in the car, Tate will continuously ask “are we there yet” and will remind me that “this is what Caillou said to his mommy.”
Caillou’s theme sing haunts me… Tate will belt it out at random times.
Caillou is four years old… the just barely two and a half year old Tate thinks she is four too.
a fire engine raced past us in the car the other day. Sirens and lights. This brought on a ten minutes conversation of remembering Caillou had am encounter with a fire engine AND a fireman at play school.
She is planning on marrying Caillou!!!! I am hoping their kids look like her.

Today Our Snuggle Puppy Mesa went to HEAVEN.

2011-01-10T18:59:00.001-07:00

February 21 2005- January 10 2011

And a piece of my heart went with her.

29 months… ALMOST!!!

2011-01-07T22:18:00.001-07:00

(eating noodles with chopsticks on New Years Eve)

It was the best of times… and the worst of times. Tate can be so adorable, yet can make a grown mommy cry. Her language is exploding, so is her stubborn behavior.

Today Tate traded roles with me… her idea… she was Mommy and I was Tatey. She handed me her little pink play cell phone instruction me to talked to Nana. While on the pretend conversation she prompted me to ask what Nana is doing and how Nana is feeling. Then she says to me… “ okay sweetheart, it’s mommy’s turn” while holding out her waiting open hand, to which I obediently handed over the pink fake phone.

The role playing went on with her telling me the plan for the day. “Mommy has to work and Tate will play at Lindsay’s (sitter) house.” I acted excited with the prospect of playing with some of her friends who will be there. Hey, I am trying to spin this into a positive thing, hoping to avoid the whiney Tate who would rather stay home with me. I hear my words exiting the mouth of my 2 year old. “ Okay, Tate, look at your feet. What do we need to get on?” To which I say shoes and quickly put them on. “Good girl! Now what do we need to put on?” to which I act like I do not know…. she says “your coat!” So quickly Mommy and Tate were able to leave the house and walk across the street to Lindsay with Tate (me) carrying Mommy (Tate). Tate remained in her mommy role until I left Lindsay’s stating the Mommy always comes back and for me to be a good girl for Lindsay. I guess this is the way Tate hears me. CUTE!!!

Fun FACTS on my 29 month old girl….

Not sure if she is left or right handed. She switches hands with every task.
Is obsessed with “liptick” and will smear chapstick on her lips until she is nothing but a grease fest.
LOVES everyone and everything. Recently she discovered two bruises on my knee. When she was told that they were bruises, she replied “Oh I love bruises!”
The same accident that caused the bruises (tripping over the dog in the dark) also caused a HUGE PAINFUL sore between my two breasts. Tate has showed (or attempted to show) everyone she sees with an added “Poor mommy” as she shows and tells what happened. If you happen to be in our home, she will take your hand and walk you to the scene of the accident.
Cailou has replaced her love for Elmo. Barney had a quick appearance but thankfully this was a quick love. She stated the other day that her best friend was Cailou. I am sick of the giggle of Cailou and hoping she changes her likes quickly.
Her number ONE favorite book is Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann. Coming in as a close second (third, fourth) is Sandra Boynton’s books Blue Hat, Green Hat, Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs! and Barnyard Dance.

I will be posting some pretty great things on me soon. Somehow news about Tate is so much more fun to report than what I have to share. My stuff is adult stuff with less hilarity and fun.

The snuggle puppy, Mesa, is not doing well. She had a long outing with a friend right after Thanksgiving and what started as a tired limping dog has escalated into sedations, x-rays and a consult with an orthopedic veterinarian surgeon. Not sure if she will need surgery but I hate seeing her so sad. Poor girl can hardly walk and when she does she is on three legs. Tate has been so gentle with her snuggle puppy.

2010……… A YEAR IN PICTURES…

2011-01-02T02:05:00.001-07:00

January 17 mos..

February 18 mos..

March 19 mos..

April 20 mos..

Easter was spend at Tate’s Auntie Kelly in Tampa where she was spoiled and loved by her Florida family and friends. My little fish got to experience the beach for the first time. Sadly there was a cold snap earlier in the month causing the Gulf of Mexico to be too cold for swimming. This was the month that Mommy decided NO MORE LAP CHILD for long flights.

May 21 mos..

My cute American-Chinese-Norwegian girl celebrating her first official Norwegian Independence day (May 17th)… A dream coming true for me.

June 22 mos..

Adding her own style to her outfits.

July 23 mos..

Crazy FUN times with our bloggy buddies were flying into SLC from all corners of the States…. Lisa and Maisie from Atlanta, Catherine and Hannah from Canada, Mary Mia, Ro and Ree from California and Donna and Lauren from Arizona. With local buddies Tiffany, Eliza and Sollie, we all rented a house in Park City for a few days… Six mommies with 8 active kids under the age of 5 year old. CRAZY FUN!!!

August 2 yrs..

Celebrating her 2nd birthday… adding her own flare to her dress with the tutu.

September 25 mos..

A quick flight to Phoenix brought a lot of fun times with friends Donna/Lauren and Julie/Tess who were visiting family. SO MUCH FUN!

October 26 mos..

November 27 mos..

Helping Mommy make pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving feast.

Tate was missing her traveling Nana and Gramps so she made Potato Head stand in grandparents.

December 28 mos..

Fun time playing with the Little People Nativity set… LOVES her baby Jesus.

Snuggling with Santa.

“Mewy Kismus”

2010-12-28T19:39:00.000-07:00

Tate sings Santa Clause is Coming to Town” and “Jingle Bells”

Wishing all a MEWY Kismus from Tate….

FROM TATE’S MOUTH TO MESA’S EARS……

2010-11-30T14:05:00.001-07:00

“I yuv Mesa. Mommy yuvs Mesa.”

Then she turns to me and asks “Mommy, does Gwamps yuv Mesa?”

To which I answer “YES!”

Pleased with this answer she turns to Mesa and continues “Gwamps yuvs Mesa, Nana yuvs Mesa.” She then throws her hands in the air with enthusiasm and says “evwebody yuvs Mesa!!!!”

My sweet yuving girl!!!

MISSING OUR NANA AND GRAMPS!

2010-11-27T22:05:00.001-07:00

Tate’s Nana and Gramps are enjoying 10 days in sunny Florida with Auntie Kelly. The first few days of their absence went unnoticed. She was “too beezee” to chat with them on the phone. As time passed she started asking about them. Wishing to go “pway with Gwamps”. In the spirit of this wish, she constructed Nana and Gramps to pway with them.

Both Nana and Gramps enjoyed dancing to Christmas music, little chats and stories and even a few “sawee” for dropping arms, loosing legs, or feet.

Potato head grandparents are sharing a snuggling night sleep with Tate.

Only four more days until Nana and Gwamps come home…. Hurry home we miss you tons!

Today it happened…. and it broke my heart

2010-11-11T21:53:00.001-07:00

The hurtful words “you don’t have a daddy”.

I knew this was going to happen ONE day, but not today. Tate is a few months over two years old and the little girl who said it to her is almost four. Way too young for one to say to an even younger girl. Not just a girl but my baby girl.

When I started down this road as a single mommy, I knew that it would be hard. Emotionally, physically and financially HARD. The knowledge that someday I will have to explain her beginning circumstances of abandonment and why she does not have a daddy. Two hard questions that I want her to understand but not have it define who Tate is.

Brilliant beautiful Tate.

Not in my wildest dreams would I have imagined the joy she brings into my life.

BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ …..

2010-10-30T00:09:00.001-06:00

Tate loves bugs. How appropriate she was given this sweet bumblebee fairy costume by Tess …

Dorothy and the Tin man are the kids Tate plays with all day long while I am at work or school. I could not have asked for a better situation for my sweet bug. I am lucky to have her loved so much by my neighbor and friend Lindsay.

Tate was asked to bring her costume for daycare today so they could go trick or treating to the kids grandma and daddy’s offices. She loved it!

It’s going to be a cold rainy night on Saturday, when UTAH celebrates this Halloween…. Not sure if I can make this sweet bee fairy outfit warm enough for Tate or if I will have to have her go in a furry tiger jumpsuit thingy. Either way, this is officially her first Halloween trick or treating— last year she was a bit under the weather and we stayed in and handed out candy.

FUN WITH A CELL PHONE

2010-10-03T21:22:00.001-06:00

Tate loves her cousin Smiley…. Smiley LOVES Tate. This is a win win situation and I LOVE IT! Tate is quite a little character. One of the countless things I love about my little girl.

Counting the days until this weekend….

2010-09-21T23:29:00.001-06:00

I work 7 days a week. Some week days are 8-5 with Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8-8. On Tuesday and Thursday you will find me in University classes finishing up (done in December!) my special education teaching credentials and working on a possible Masters (if I am not too burned out). SOOOOOO many of my short days and evenings off seem to be taken with obligations out of my control… Parent Teacher conferences, IEP meetings and team meetings. One of the late evening (Parent Teacher conferences) has provided me with a Friday off and by the grace of God, I will be not working my job at Continental airlines on Saturday and Sunday. Just the idea of a three day weekend at home makes me giddy with all the possibilities of spending time with my girl. Time together that both she and I are in desperate need of.

Autumn is in the air…. Cool evenings, hints of blazing colors in the mountains. I will scoop up my two year old sweetie in my arms and make the most of this season and the natural beauty that surrounds us.

Picture thanks to our friend Leanne

We will miss our summer fun but will be embracing what the new adventures this Autumn will bring.

THANKING THE MOON

2010-09-20T17:11:00.001-06:00

I pre-ordered the new Grace Lin book THANKING THE MOON, sight unseen. I KNEW that this book would be amazing… and man of man, it is! Tate cannot stop looking at the illustrations. I swear she has been busy looking at this since she first walked into the door 30 minutes ago. Besides the amazing illustrations, the information was present short, sweat and understandable. Especially to two year old Tate. The back area gives more of an adult description of The Moon Festival.

A mesmerized Tate and a more informed mommy give this a HUGE thumbs up.

LEAVING ON A JET PLANE

2010-09-08T21:52:00.001-06:00

Little Miss Tate and I are heading to Phoenix to visit our buddies Lauren and Donna..

We will be meeting up with Tess and Julie who are coming into town for Julie’s parents 50th anniversary! Julie and Tess were not able to make it to this year’s to our Utah bloggy bash, so it will sooooo much fun to see them.

(Tate, 10 months just home from China with her China sister 3.5 yr old Tess)

I cannot wait for Tate to hang with these girls and for this mommy to be able to relax and visit with Donna and Julie.

There are plans to do a little cooking out of the Pioneer Woman’s recipe book. Cannot wait!!!

FASHION FRIDAY

2010-09-03T18:29:00.001-06:00

A little Toddler glamour, Tate style. Fairy princess Rose bud dress, multi colored striped leggings and sparkly (noisy) princess shoes. The crowning glory is the mess of a unkempt hair. This was a day I picked my battle put a clip in and let her have messy hair.

This is my “GO TO” meal….

2010-08-30T13:41:00.001-06:00

I am loving the fresh veggie frittata. What is not to love? Fresh veggies which are plentiful right now, eggs and a dash of milk. Within 30 minutes we are eating a healthy veggie full meal. Tate is totally all about eating this. She loves veggies and eggs. I am back in the classroom this week and having a little leftover is perfect to eat on the run. Sorry McD, I will no longer be joining the long breakfast line on the way to class.

FASHION FRIDAY

2010-08-26T22:09:00.001-06:00

Ever since Tate turned two she has definite opinions on what she likes to wear. This is what happens when mommy lets her dress herself. Starting at the top, polka dot nightie, ruffled skirt, the ever present blue tutu, turquoise leggings and the final touch, straw cowboy hat. Oh my little stylin’ fashionista!!!

Pee Pee!!!

2010-08-24T21:48:00.001-06:00

It was bound to happen… and so it did. While getting ready for bed tonight Tate announces she needs to go pee pee so off she heads to her potty, sat down and pee peed. Not sure if I am ready for this but I guess Tate thinks it is about time.

Every day there are new and exciting fun times with a two year old and I LOVE IT!

Do you recognize theses shoes???? Take a guess…. Mostly too cute not to post sorry it has nothing to do with the subject.

CORN!!!!

2010-08-23T21:25:00.001-06:00

My girl just LOVES herself FRESH corn.

The aftermath

Three Cutest Cow poke EVER!!!

2010-08-15T23:33:00.001-06:00

All dressed up for the big RODEO for Alpine days!!!

I am the proud Auntie of all three of them… Twinkle Toes, Smiley and Sparkle.

AND NOW SHE IS TWO!!!

2010-08-13T22:33:00.004-06:00

Just a few pictures of Tate's little friend party... four little kids and two mommies.

Tate is so into dressing herself in tutu's and princess shoes.... even if they are way too big, she wears them with true princess attitude.

I thought it would be fun for all the kids to get to blow out candles... I think I lite candles and let them blow them out until there was hardly a candle showing above the mound of butter cream frosting.

Tate had such great help from one of her China sisters, Eliza... look at the faces on these two.

This little fire craker cute stuff is another China sister Charlee.... Tate just LOVES playing with the big girls and Charlee and Eliza are so sweet to make her feel part of their four year old play.

A bed full of PJ happy children... a perfect ending to a fun 2nd birthday for Tate!!!

l to r front row...Charlee with baby sister Natalee... Tate. Back row.... Eliza and baby brother Sollie. I think Tate needs a baby sister too.

TATE'S SECOND BIRTHDAY EVE....

2010-08-12T22:32:00.003-06:00

It is the eve before Tate's second birthday and my heart is heavy with the thoughts of Tate's birth family but especially her birth mother. I will never know the circumstances that would cause a mother to give away such a beautiful angel, I can only imagine how much she must grieve. Oh how I wish she could be comforted knowing how much Tate is loved. She is my heart.

TATE 22 months

2010-07-29T12:39:00.001-06:00

Her first "bear paws"... quite an accomplishment since she will not sit still for me to fix her hair often.

Tate has gotten into taking "pisures" using this little McDonald toy. She will hold it up and say "cheeeeeeeeese"....

There has become a love affair between Tate and these boots... She has quite proudly accomplished putting on these boots "self, mommy" and will want to wear them everywhere. Let me just say, I pick my battles with her and these boots are not one of the ones I choose to pick. She has been wearing them in hot HOT weather everywhere.

My girls is a FISH... we try to hit a pool as often as possible.

It is so much fun showing Tate the world and all the wonders to be discovered in it.... this day we discovered the aquarium... she stood in awe at all the jelly fish and penguins.

One more view of her boots. Get a load of those dimples knees...

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

2010-07-04T10:08:00.004-06:00

Tate's second year as an American citizen......

She loves flags! Loves them enough that by her request we drove around the neighborhood looking for flags until I put a stop to it after 30 minutes.

21 months of DELIGHTFULness

2010-06-01T21:51:00.006-06:00

I love this age! Tate does have the typical terrible twos going on but between the "terrible two" days, she is a delight! Her imagination has taken off.... she pretends constantly... dolls, cooking, pretend food.... TOO adorable not to sit back and just watch with wonder.

She is talking (at least I understand most of it) up a storm. LOVES talking on the phone to her Nana and Gramps. It is so nice Nana and Gramps will indulge her in this... nightly.

She is fascinated with the process of washing her hands, water, soap and teeth brushing. The other day I gave Tate her toothbrush with kid toothpaste. She said "Thanks mommie, good job!" I guess I made the toothbrush with paste to her liking.

As always, Mesa is her constant companion. She will climb and love on her "snuggle puppy". Mesa seems to enjoy this relationship, too.

Everyday is a joy.... such a joy, I wonder if I am in a dream. If it is a dream, please do not wake me!

ONE YEAR A FAMILY!!!

2010-05-25T22:36:00.002-06:00

Bittersweet....

One year ago today Tate was placed in my arms turning my world upside down with amazement and joy. That same day Tate's world was turned upside down with shock. Today I cradle my sweet sleepy Tate in my arms and remember both of our emotions for the day we became a family.

FIRST MOTHER'S DAY....

2010-05-22T15:51:00.002-06:00

MY TWO GIRLS...

(tate 21 mos, mesa 5 yrs)

What more can a mommie ask except for a little TWIRLING action from Tate!

A day I have been waiting for FOREVER.... and one that will be cherished.

LAST AND FINAL HOMESTUDY!!!

2010-05-11T19:32:00.004-06:00

First off, I cannot believe it has almost been a years since Tate filled my arms and heart. ONE YEAR! More to come about....

FINALLY my last homestudy!

The house needs cleaning. I almost called to have it cleaned. Then it hit me.... Are they going to take Tate away because the hardwoods need some cleaning and clutter put away? The clutter is mostly toys... TOYS that are Tate's.

Strange thing about this homestudy.... They are coming after Tate is in bed. They really do not need to see the most beautiful child that has ever walked this world. I am kind of bugged because really why am I getting this final homestudy? Once again I have to roll my eyes at my agency (and homestudy S.W.) and thank my lucky stars that this is the LAST HOMESTUDY!

HELLO GUAM....

2010-05-07T23:41:00.002-06:00

Guess who made a call to GUAM with a bill of $46.00 attached to it??!!!!

Well, it was Little Miss Tater !!!

PEEPS!!!!

2010-04-16T21:42:00.002-06:00

Ah, nothing like a taste of your first PEEP on your first Easter!

ONE YEAR AGO TODAY.....

2010-04-06T22:56:00.000-06:00

I saw the face of this angel....

(tate is now 19 mos old)

Life has never been happier or the same. Momma loves you, Tate YuZhu!

CALLING ALL MOMS WHO HAVE TRAVELED WITH A WILD LAPCHILD...

2010-03-28T21:49:00.004-06:00

I am pleading for some advise from the moms out there who have traveled successfully with a 19 month old lap child. My flight is a 5 hour non-stop on a packed late afternoon flight. What started as a sweet easy baby has now morphed into a wild toddler.

I am still re-living the nightmare of dinner the other night with three spilled drinks... two on me, and a wild child strutting all over the restaurant eating ice cubes from the spilled drinks off the floor.

Oh how I wished I would have followed my motherly intuition and bought Tate her own seat. I guess the cheap inter-voice spoke louder.

TATE-ISM

2010-03-28T21:00:00.000-06:00

Tate's language acquisition is bursting... she is saying and doing the funniest things. Here are a few that happen within the past day.

When Tate sneezes she follows it up with a "bwess you" (bless you)

Tate was left alone in a room with a Kleenex box. A box that proved too much of a temptation for one busy smart toddler. When I walked into the room I discovered tissues everywhere. One glance at me and Tate grabs a tissue and start fake coughing and wiping her nose. How can I not bust a gut at my clever girl?

Tate sings along to most everything. With all seriousness, she tried opera the other day. There is nothing cuter than a sweet little voice speaking the language of a toddler singing opera.

Tate and her Gramps have quite an act going. Gramps will sing the song How much is that doggie in the window and Tate provides the dog barking part of woof woof woof.

Favorite word right now is "mine".... She will say this about everything around the house. Truth be told, everything is hers. Poor Mesa has just a few balls that are Mesa's. I have had to remind Tate that the balls are Mesa's and she has to ask Mesa if she will share them with Tate. Tate will now pick up the ball and got to Mesa with a one word question SHARE??? Of course, Mesa always shares with her Tate.

BUG BITES AND BENTOS

2010-03-21T22:20:00.003-06:00

OUCH!!! Tate was attacked by unseasonably early mosquitoes. I think she must be allergic to them because of her strong reaction to the bites. So strong it had me rushing to the doctor just in case it was something more than a bug bite.

Tate loves to get little morsels of food on toothpicks... Being the smart momma that I am, I zoned in on this fact pretty fast and cracked open our Bento supplies to find these animals picks. She loves them! Notice the bug bite on her sweet finger....

This is Tate's posed smile. I am hoping this "smile" thing will be over soon. Although I love this mug of a smile, I miss Tate's natural smile.

ZOO TIME.....

2010-03-16T21:42:00.003-06:00

Tate has started to pose for her smiles. This is what we get when we ask her to smile, including the clenched hands.

Tatie's Auntie Kelly is here from Tampa for a quick visit! The sun was out and spring was truly in the air.... How can we resists taking Nana and Aunt Kelly to the Zoo. We live only 10 minutes from the Zoo and have a season Zoo pass.

Since visiting the Zoo really is all about Tate and her enjoyment, we actually only saw a few animals but spent A LOT of time watching the baby elephant, Zuri and her momma. Zuri was so playful and adorable!

I posed her on this bronze statue. She looks like she is not too sure about this, however, she did not want to be taken off

Auntie Kelly is trying to teach Tatie how to say Rhinoceros... she is very thoughtful when she is being taught this... I think one day this hard word will leave her lips.

ONE OF "THOSE" MOMS!!!

2010-03-13T10:25:00.004-07:00

Pre-Tate, I would go to the grocery store and scoff at the moms with kids in sleepers. Well, today I joined the ranks of these moms. Yep, I grabbed Tate in her ever so cute sleeper and headed to the local market for milk and chocolate. Necessities that are needed around Tate's kingdom. Thankfully it was early enough that the store was almost empty. Whew!

FLORIDA BOUND... a few readers have asked where in Florida Tate and I will be going... TAMPA and Orlando area!!! I cannot wait to relax (ha!) in the sun with my toes in the sand. No we are not doing the Disney World this trip.

PINK POLKA DOT TOT

2010-03-07T21:42:00.003-07:00

We will be heading off to Florida at the end of March so I thought I better see if Tate had swimming suits that still fit. I have to pinch myself just to make sure that I am not dreaming and this bundle of loving beauty is truly part of my life. I love her so!

SWINGING INTO SPRING!

2010-03-07T21:20:00.004-07:00

18 MONTHS OLD!!!

2010-02-13T17:51:00.006-07:00

My sweet little cherub, Tate, is 18 months old! Gone are the days of babyhood.... Coming at me in FULL THROTTLE is Toddlerhood.... and I am loving it! Today to mark this momentous occasion we had a photo shoot with an amazing local photographer. I am loving every picture that was taken!

Check out more pictures of Tate.... What I have posted does not do her justice!

Ever since Tate's first birthday, I had wanted to have her photographed in her first birthday Tiger hat and shoes..... I am so glad I did! The enamel heart is from Norway and is a gift given to her from her Nana on the day of her blessing. This has been a family tradition with Tate being the last granddaughter to get one.

FIRST HAIR CUT

2010-02-08T21:24:00.003-07:00

Only a SLIGHT trim to even up the fine baby flutters. I worried that this cut would make Tate's sweet little slight curls disappear. No worries, they are still there!

Thank you Tabby for your expert work rangling a wiggly 17 month old.

BAKING WITH TATE

2010-01-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

I told momma that we needed to try a little baking, so we dug out our secret family recipe for sugar cookies and got baking.

Momma added the butter and egg and I started stirring and stirring mixing up all that cookie goodness.

Checking out the texture and flavor.

I had so much fun making COOKIES with momma, I told her that we should do this every day! Why did Momma laugh at that?

NEW HAITIAN DOLL....

2010-01-25T21:33:00.004-07:00

The cutest girls are making these adorable Haitian dolls and are donating all proceeds to aid in the Earthquake victims.... These cutest girls are sisters ranging from 8-12 yrs old. I just love that such young kids can be so globally aware.

Tate was very interested in her new doll.... She examined it

And shared it....

My girls, Tate and Mesa (nose in view only) checking out the new doll.

Both Tate and Mesa are very excited about the new doll.....
If you want a doll too, you can go to this blog and see some of the cute dolls just waiting to go home to you...

FUNNY SIDE NOTE....

Tate found this bracelet and placed it around her ankle... she insisted on wearing this all day even when we put shoes and socks on and headed out the door.... Funny girl.

THE TODDLER SPORT.....

2010-01-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

Of tissue tossing ... Tate has perfected it

FOUND PICTURES

2010-01-14T21:43:00.003-07:00

Too cute not to share....

WHO WOULD HAVE KNOWN....

2010-01-08T21:04:00.002-07:00

Tate LOVES shrimp and lobster!

She had her first bite of my lobster and ate the whole lobster tail. I thought for sure she would gag on a bite of shrimp. I had to pry her hands from the empty shrimp tail. I love that she is open to new flavors, textures and tastes. A girl after my own heart.

SSSSS NOOOO.....W MUCH FUN!!!

2010-01-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

Bundled up so snugly. Tate is wearing some SERIOUS winter boots that are a few sizes too big. She has officially become a walker within the past week so this extra challenge of heavy boots in too large of a size proved a handicap to her. I just picked her up and plopped her where I wanted her.

Her first Snow angel!!!

I pulled this sweet snow bunny up and down the snow covered sidewalks on our street. She is still learning the balancing thing and would tobble over constantly. She loved tobbling over so much I started wondering if she was falling over on purpose!

OH HOW I LOVE THIS FACE!

2009-12-31T09:36:00.000-07:00

And the funny sweet personality that accompanies it.

TATE AT 16 MONTHS OLD

2009-12-29T20:48:00.003-07:00

Tate has been under the weather for the past 10 days. A few day with fevers hitting 104 degrees and the rest of the days 100.4 degrees. Even though she has been miserable, she still has been an amazingly pleasant baby!

I decided to take Tate to the doctor today... Poor baby, Tate has strep throat!

Tate does not get too many sweets so when she does, I let her totally get into it.... She loved her first peppermint candy cane so much she offered Mesa a taste and lost the whole piece of peppermint to one ill mannered dog!

I really think Tate will be a little dancer. She loves music and will sing and dance constantly. She is also quite flexible.

At sixteen months Tate has started to feed herself. It seems that she wears more of the food than she will eat.

Tatie loves her room and her books..... She will disappear only to be found sitting in her comfy chair with a few books.

The love affair continues with E.L.M.O.... I find myself humming the Elmo's World song ALL THE TIME!

ANNOUNCING TATE IS NOW A WALKER!!! She would prefer to be carried but will walk if she needs to.

A QUICK GLIMPSE OF CHRISTMAS.....

2009-12-27T09:33:00.005-07:00

Two of Tate's favorite things.... Her Nana and Elmo. She is obsessed with both!

Santa gave Tate this Tree House tent. She loves it!

Tate was sick with a 104 degree temperature and spent most of her time snuggling with me or sleeping. This lasted for about a week. Today she is feeling like her adorable self and is ready to parteeee to make up for all her missed Christmas celebration.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2009-12-25T20:40:00.000-07:00

Wishing the MERRIEST Christmas ever and a bright shiny 2010!!!

SITTING ON SANTA'S LAP FOR THE FIRST TIME

2009-12-22T21:06:00.002-07:00

Through the windowpane we spy Santa.... I am watching safely in my big cousin Amanda's arms.

Checking out this man in red.

Okay momma, I will pose with Santa with NO tears but will not SMILE!

WHAT DOES SANTA SAY?

2009-12-13T10:08:00.004-07:00

HO HO HO!!!

A little out of focus but LOVE it anyway!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND 6 MONTH FAMILY DAY!!!

2009-11-26T23:03:00.001-07:00

FIFTEEN MONTHS OLD

2009-11-12T09:46:00.000-07:00

Today was Tate's 15 month check up and four more shots! POOR baby. Her doctor pronounced her amazing. Healthy, SMART, charming. He says he has a crush on my girl. I am wonder if this is why he wants to see her every two months.

Stats.... Weight... 22.5 lb (47% US charts) Height 32 inches (91% US charts)

her speech is exploding. She babbles constantly. She will mimics beginning sounds of words. Knows about 12 words or words she uses ... Momma, Mesa, Nana, more, baba (bottle), hi, bye bye, baby, ball, puppy, naaa (Norwegian for no), cup.

Says "hot" and blows on everything she eats... fresh fruit, ice cream, as well as the warm foods.

Tate has started pretending with her doll. She insists to hold her doll when driving places, will wrap the baby in a "blanket" or burp cloth, and feed the doll a bottle.

Loves LOVES LOVE to wear beads and necklaces. She will put them on by herself.
She is showing more of a preference for her left hand when she reaches for things, eats and colors.

will call out "Momma!" from her crib when she wakes up... at nap time, in the mornings and in the middle of the night. When it happens in the middle of the night, I will wait hoping she will go back to sleep. Sadly this was not the case the other night. She wanted MOMMA! And MOMMA jumped right up. She looked at me said "Momma. Baba (bottle)" then smacked her chest as if to say "Momma I need a bottle". There was NO question as to what Tate needed that middle of the night.

stands on her own without holding on to something. Will go from standing and bend down and get back up. Is able to go from crawl to standing. Still not walking.

Knows the difference between up and down and will go either up or down when instructed.

Animal sounds.... cow, horse, cat, dog, monster, monkey, tiger. She makes the monster sound and loves it when I act "scared".

Yikes.... the other day I caught her climbing. Apparently there was a barricade blocking her way to Mesa. She must climb go over it to get to her dog. What does a good momma do when she sees her loved one toddling while climbing? Grab her camera of course and snap away.

SHE LOVES MESA!

Tate just cracks us all up... She crawls with "ATTITUDE", if you have seen it, you know what I am talking about. Gliding forward with swinging her head side to side.

FIRST HALLOWEEN

2009-10-31T23:09:00.000-06:00

This was what Tate was suppose to be.... A monkey.

She would have NOTHING to do with wearing the monkey hat. The one item that made it a monkey. Without the hat, it just becomes a brown shapeless jumpsuit with a tail.

Plan B....
A Fairy outfit.... something I bought for dress up fun.....

MUCH happier wearing this for sure!

Tate is not walking yet but will stand on her own for 30 seconds.

Tate was not feeling her Tate-r-lusciousness self so I decided it was way more fun for her to help hand out candy in her glow in the dark skeleton PJ's... Poor little sweetie with that chappy mouth and runny nose. Symptoms of her teething.

FOUR THINGS TATE LOVES

2009-10-28T22:49:00.003-06:00

Balloons, Ball, Bottle and her NANA!!!

FIVE MONTHS A FAMILY!!!

2009-10-25T22:27:00.001-06:00

I cannot believe it has been five months since Tate was placed in my arms. Five months ago she filled my heart with her Tate-a-lusciousness. I crave her, I need her, she is my everything.

Hand print and foot print... 14 months old

FIRST ARTWORK......

Tate's choice for creating her art .....

SOME PEOPLE SAY...

2009-10-23T21:04:00.002-06:00

It is said when a child is ready for a new skill, they become fussy and unhappy. I am expecting Tate to learn a new skill real soon, based on this information. Tate has always watched on with envy at the neighborhood toddlers while they run and play. I can see in her face the wish to join in on this fun. I feel this last few days, she is soooooooo ready to walk but her walking is just not there. She is communication this frustration in total meltdown mode. Apparently at her sitter's house she is a total delight. Lucky me, she saves her meltdowns for me. I know I have been extremely blessed with an even tempered sweet funny and easy child. I know this is just temporary... It will be interesting to see if this theory holds true. Will Tate become one of the walkers in the near future??? Time will tell.

MY GIRL is 14 MONTHS OLD

2009-10-13T22:40:00.001-06:00

She is growing and changing everyday...

WORDS....
bye bye
apple
night night
momma
nana (her grandmother)
baba (bottle)
vooo-vooo-voooa for dog.

Knows where her tongue, eyes, feet, toes, nose and hair is.

She knows what she wants and will shaking her head to say yes and no. She will put thought in answering questions correctly.

Everyday is a joy and an adventure with my Tate.
She will copy sounds combos like eeek eeek eeek booooo.

Yesterday I blew a raspberry on her neck, she turned to me and blew a raspberry on my cheek.... she was thrilled and giggled so adorably. I was touched to tears with joy.

Crawls super fast. Pulls herself up on everything including the dog Mesa.
Walks around things holding on to stuff.
reaches between things like couch and coffee table.

Favorite food is broccoli.

Each day is a joy and an adventure with my Tate.

AAAA pppp l

2009-10-07T15:17:00.002-06:00

Apple picking and pumpkin picking while in the Twin Cities!!! Tate loved munching with her 6 teeth apples. She is trying to say apple.... AAAA pppp l.

AND WE'RE OFF!!!

2009-09-30T20:47:00.002-06:00

Tate and I will be boarding a plane tomorrow. We will be taking our very first of many trips as a family. We're heading to Minneapolis to see Tess and Julie and a bunch of other totally cool mommas and China sisters. I will be looking forward to apple picking, pumpkin patching, outlet shopping and celebrating the Autumn festival.

I cannot wait to have our Minnesota friends meet Tate! PLUS..... since I was last in the Twin Cities, new China sisters have been added to the group. Can't wait to meet these new sisters too!

I CAN SEE CLEARER NOW....

2009-09-27T20:10:00.000-06:00

My very active crawler found my cheapo reading glass and had to give them a try. Oh how I wished I looked as adorable in these as she does.

FOUR MONTH FAMILY DAY

2009-09-25T22:10:00.000-06:00

Tate, you are my everything.

Happy four months of the HAPPIEST time of my life, our family day.

FIRST VISIT TO THE ZOO!!!

2009-09-22T22:20:00.000-06:00

This is the first animal Tate saw at the zoo.... and she was mesmerized.

She loved this momma and baby elephant. How do I know??? She could not stop smacking kisses and blowing kisses to them. After 15 minutes of watching, she had a little meltdown as we left the elephant area.

AFTERNOON NAP...

2009-09-19T19:27:00.002-06:00

Somedays you just need to crash and take a goooooood afternoon nap!

When you awake, your are such a delightful girl!

THIRTEEN MONTHS OLD!!!

2009-09-13T10:58:00.002-06:00

Tate is thirteen months old today.... She will still be my baby but looks on with envy at the toddlers running and playing. You can just feel that she cannot wait to be talking and walking. I will say she now understands EVERYTHING that is said to her. She has such a funny sweet personality and is still a show stopper. This morning while eating her breakfast, she discovered the use of the spoon. I am still pretty insistent that I feed her. She loves this too. Today I put piece of egg on her spoon and helped her make it to her mouth. She is quite pleased with her new "momma helping" accomplishment....

NEW STATS ON TATE..

2009-09-09T20:40:00.002-06:00

Tate's doctor likes to see Tate every two months.... thankfully I have good insurance. I like that he likes seeing her so much and is so on top of things.

Three more vaccines... Chickenpox, MMR, DTP and her flu shot. This time with two nurses and fast shooting... still heart wrenching tears, but only a few seconds of pain.

Height 31.0 inches (91%) US charts
Weight 21.94 lbs (57%) US charts

In almost two months, she has gained 1.5 inches in height and 2 lbs.

She has gotten all four teeth on the top which gives her a total of 6 teeth. She crawls around everywhere and pulls herself up on everything. She is walking with help. She will sing along (ahhhhh ahhhh) to music and dances constantly. The other day I was tapping my hand on my leg to the beat of the music while driving... I looked back to her, she was doing the same thing. She cannot wait until she is old enough to walk and play with her best friends Gwennie and Caroline.

My baby is growing up!

OUCH!!!

2009-09-07T23:25:00.005-06:00

It had to happen sooner or later. This is just a fact. Somehow this knowledge did little comfort as Tate took her first TUMBLE out of her stroller onto the blacktop of the parking lot. I could hear her hit the blacktop. Oh boy did she cry AND HARD. On the outside I was all momma-like. Comforting and reassuring. In the inside my heart was breaking. After an hour or so I saw her HUGE goose bump and skinned forehead. This was when my cool momma-like exterior cracked and I cried.

To Tate, her booboo has been forgotten. To me, I feel pain when I see the huge goose bump on her beautiful sweet face.

BALLOON BABY

2009-09-07T22:45:00.003-06:00

I love the grocery store that we shop at.... I love that they hire "special needs" baggers and even use some as checkers. I will always go to one of these specials needs checkers. I don't mind he takes longer than most. He is thrilled when Tate will grin from ear to ear her sweet toothy smile. He loves when Tate throws in a wave bye-bye. Today Tate blew him a kiss. All checking business stopped in his lane while he went to select this special balloon for such a sweet kiss blowing girl. All in all it was a delightful shopping experience... Behind me I left a happy special checker guy in front of me I had a happy balloon loving girl.

Love seeing Tate's sweet small hand through the balloon.

MY TATE

2009-08-29T09:54:00.004-06:00

First some pictures of my girl, then a little update on her milestones and her life.....

Tate is 20.6 lbs and 29.5 inches. She no longer is on formula and HATES baby food. She will gum most anything and prefers ME to feed her. In daycare she like to feed herself.
When I first met Tate in China she could barely sit up without toppling over. She also would not roll from front to back, etc. She was strong, but not too motivated to move around. I will say that the amount of people loving on her did not help this. We wanted to carry her and love on her. Fast forward to the month of August. Tate is now a one year old and hanging out with a 2 1/2 yr old girl and a 19 month old boy while momma is at work. Amazing what a little peer pressure will do for a girl.
We have a crawler!!! For the first few weeks, she would do this crawl on one knee and sit-scoot on the other knee action. Real cute but not too affective for getting around quickly. I totally missed out of getting a video of this. SUDDENLY she now has learned to do the traditional crawl AND FAST.
Not too sure how long this crawling gig will last. Tate is pulling up on things. At nap time I am greeted with a STANDING SMILING girl! She is trying to figure out the footing and pull coordination for pulling up on random things like chairs, coffee table and couch.
Mesa is also an item pulled up on. Mesa is not too sure on how she feels about this one and has started to move out of the way when Tate-the-Terror comes crawling her way.
Walking is a big motivator for Tate. She LOVES when she can get someone to hold her two sweet hands and let her walk. What used to be tiny close together steps are now strides with purposeful movement.
She has caused some frustration on her walking helpers by her choice to STOP the walking action for a little dancing in place action. Tate is still a crazy dancer. She will move to the music she hears or just stop and dances.
Tate's life is full of older kids... walking fun older kids and Tate wants to be part of their play. You can see the envy on her face when she see the fun. I am sure I will have a walker in no time.
Language and sounds are exploding around here. Tate will try the first sound of words like..... PPPPPP when I say pretty. SSSSSSSSSSS when she hears anything that starts with a S. She is practicing with the back of her throat.... Sucking in air and growling. I hear her practicing all the time from her crib and car seat. My girl likes to perfect her sounds before she showcases it to the world.
Not sure I like the discovery of the tongue which sticks out a lot. I know the four new top teeth coming in needs exploring and is helping this tongue involvement.
Teeth are popping out on top. She is getting four at one time. Even with her teething discomfort, Tate is still a HAPPY baby.
Since being in daycare, Tate is much more snugly with me. She will sometimes wake in the wee hours of the morning just to snuggle for a few minutes and then back to sleep. I am sure she is loving her time in daycare, but still misses me. I am so glad she is having a tearless time in daycare but wants her momma too.

This is the way I have baby proofed this sudden quick crawling baby. While she naps today, I will be moving stuff and making it baby friendly.

MORE FIRST BIRTHDAY PICTURES....

2009-08-23T21:02:00.002-06:00

Cannot get enough of some sweet momma Tate snuggles....

PRESENTS...

BIRTHDAY TIGER HAT

2009-08-23T20:48:00.002-06:00

Somewhere along my long journey of adoption, I heard that it was a tradition for a Chinese child to wear a tiger hat on their first birthday.... I just might be way off on this tradition, but for me, I had to do it for Tate's first birthday....

Not liking to wear her FIRST birthday fancy hat.....

CAKE ATTACK!!!

2009-08-20T22:01:00.002-06:00

First birthday cake....

Ahhhhh.... she is such a delicate picker....

Tate found the plate "bothersome" and ditched it pretty quickly....

This was such a FUN time watching Tate and her first birthday cake............

JUST PICTURES...

2009-08-16T10:05:00.003-06:00

I have been shooting Tate with my purse size point and shoot since I first met her. I have noticed lately MOST of my shots have been out of focus. I am thinking it is because Tate is always in motion.... I am now shooting with my Canon Rebel... it seems to catch the action much better.

My life has been more than HECTIC the last two weeks.... Because of family members being on vacation, we postponed Tate's 1st birthday to Monday August 17 (hey, she doesn't know the difference!).... I cannot wait to see Tate attack her cake with all her Tate-exuberance. She is such a delightful personality!

I love Tate's hair like this... ahhhhh, the bedhead!!!

This is the face that greets me when I walk into the room....

JUMPING.....

The landing.

CLOSE-UPS....

It has been cold around here lately.... I have the hardest time keeping socks on Tate's feet. She seems to think that toes should be bare. Even if they are frozen toes.... I was able to sneak these piggie slippers on her feet while she was "jumping". The minute she was out of her jumper, she had those piggies OFF.

How cute are these piggie slippers on my girl???

THE EVE OF TATE'S BIRTH...

2009-08-12T20:47:00.002-06:00

Tonight as Tate lays her head down to sleep, on the other side of the world Tate's birth mother awakes. To me, Tate's momma, this is the night before my baby's first birthday. To Tate's China momma, it is the last day she felt the sweetness of our baby. I will never know the circumstances that surrounded Tate abandonment. With a heavy heart for China momma's loss, I feel the JOY of being blessed to be Tate's momma.

SLEEP SOUNDLY SWEET TATE... tomorrow when you awake, you will be ONE!!!

HAPPY TO REPORT...

2009-08-10T16:30:00.003-06:00

Tate and I both survived our first day away from each other. Tate knew something was up this morning when I got her ready and out the door way earlier than her normal. She happily went to Lindsay but turned and wanted me back. I told Lindsay I did not know what to do. Her good advice, "Hug her and leave".... So I did.

Tate did as well as expected. Cried for 10 minutes before her first nap, wanted to feed herself (she prefers me to feed her) but LOVED having the other kids to watch and learn from. I swear she seems older after eight hours!

ME??? I could not stop thinking of her. My arms craved her. Her sweet little smile just lite up when she saw me. My heart skipped a beat and then it BURST. I swear, I kissed her so many times her cheeks are now chapped.... Dang it if she is napping now .... I'm hoping this will be a quick nap!

Job??? I will be teaching special education part-time in an elementary school. Exciting and scary change, but such an amazing job when you are a single momma.

GAG....

2009-08-09T19:02:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow starts the beginning of a whole new chapter in Tate and my life together. I am starting a new job and she is starting in daycare. I will talk about the new job later in the week. Tate will be staying this Monday and Thursday for 8 hrs while I am in a workshop, with her buddy and our neighbor Lindsay and Gwennie (2.5 yrs old) Lindsay will be having a little boy in November. I just feel that this is the best situation for my sweet active girl. Tate has been hanging out with momma, Lindsay and Gwennie all summer long. Hopefully there will not be any tears on her part. Me???? Most definitely tears!

MOBILITY AND OTHER MOVING ISSUES......

2009-08-05T10:13:00.002-06:00

Stuff with Tate are exploding around here....

Tate has always been a busy girl. Always observant, always wiggling. Lately, her wiggling has met purpose. She is still not crawling, but will sit on her toosh and scoot from place to place.
Tomorrow I have an appointment to her Tate to be assessed by Early Childhood Intervention. I am sure they will give me some pointers on how to get my gal crawling and walking.
In her bed she is one wild sleeper. In the past, she would sleep on her back and her left side. Now I will find her on her tummy on the opposite side of her bed. She seems to prefer sleeping on her tummy.
We are big into the "OH OH" drop game. She will say "OH OH" when she is ready to drop food in her high chair. Mesa loves this kind of "OH OH" game. Me?? Not liking it to much when I am trying to drive and have a sweet baby dropping toys.
Tate has always been real social. In church the other day, she saw her friends Tiffany, Liza and Sollie. She flapped her arms saying hi so hard it looked like she was about to take flight.
Tate is into smacking lip kissing. She will give momma a kiss when requested. Sometimes the smacking happens after contact and I get an open slobber mouth, but all kisses are cherished my me.
We have an activity center that Tate's Fairy Godmother gave her. It is full of fun things and a musical keyboard for playing. It is also a bouncy thingy. In the past, Tate has loved the musical component on this center. Today, she could not get enough of some WILD jumping.
I really think it is just a matter of weeks before she is crawling all over the house.

PONY TAILS WITH ATTITUDE....

2009-07-29T22:34:00.005-06:00

What the heck are these???

Okay, momma, I won't touch....

I know, I know I am tooooo cute!

DISCIPLINING MESA.....

"NO MESA, no more food!!! Now leave me alone!"

"momma, I took care of the Mesa food mooch problem"

"I am talking nicely to Mesa. Momma, this is not fair!"

"How 'bout I try charming you instead?"

TATE TODAY....

2009-07-27T11:11:00.008-06:00

BULLET TIME....

My girl is teething... at least she is acting like it. She is eleven months old and only two little teeth on the bottom. For weeks now I have been waiting for some pearly whites to erupt from her swollen top gums... All evidence is pointing to this happening. WHERE ARE THOSE TEETH???
Tate is learning where her nose is.... and where Momma's nose is. I usually do this during face to face in the high chair feeding time. This is kind of how this time plays out. "Where is Tate's nose?" she points with with such concentration with her sweet finger. Then I ask "where is Momma's nose?" and lean in for her to touch my nose. After a few times of this I end up kissing her. Funny thing, now she thinks that a kiss is in order each time I ask where our noses are.
I have started to say NO to my girl. She hears nose instead of NO and will point to her nose with a big smile. How can I say NO to such a cute sweetie?
Tate is sharing.... she will play with something and then hand it to me so I can have some fun. Back and forth this will go. She does this with food offerings to Mesa or me. Sometimes she shares something right out of her mouth. Me??? I decline this offering. Mesa??? Takes it with gusto.
She has gained in five weeks 1/2 inch and almost a pound.
Sadly, she has started her vaccinations. She had four, two in each thigh. Man did she cry so hard. There was only one nurse doing all four. Next time I will DEMAND there be at least two nurses both shooting at the same time.... QUICKLY.
Man of man, I love it when she reaches her arms out for me.
Tate's MD gave her the go ahead to eat whatever she can gum. New taste for Tate this week is small tastes of refried beans, guacamole and soft tortillas (Mexican food at party), tiny piece of raw broccoli, tastes of ice cream, string cheese. "People" (who will be nameless) gave her a small taste of chocolate. Funny thing, why I say "PEOPLE" is because I have been told by a few "people" that they have given her a tiny taste of chocolate. Keep in mind before flaming me, Tate comes from a long line of chocolate crazy family... who can blame them?
Why do they have to make little girl clothes SOOOOOOOOOOO cute???

BONUS

FUN AT CHERRY HILL WITH FAMILY

Matching colors and chillin' with Twinkle Toes. Tate wants to know when she gets her own iPod.

Waving with Gramps as the family floats on by on the lazy river.

Sparkle and my Love

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!!

VIDEO FUN AT MEAL TIME....

TATE TEASING MESA....

AFTERMATH OF THE TEASE

INTRODUCING...

2009-07-21T22:38:00.002-06:00

EMMA YU!!!! She is so beautiful.... such kissy lips... huge round eyes...breathtakingly BEAUTIFUL!!!

The most amazing secret pal in the world Kim and Mike had a real shocker today!!! They thought their LID was March 29... They hope to be traveling before Christmas.... Here is the most joyous shocker ever!!! Kim and Mike's LID was really March 21st!!! They got the call today... that special call they were expected to get in October....

Well Kim, you will be home and all settled in before Christmas... THIS WILL BE THE BEST HOLIDAY SEASON EVER!!!!!

I am so excited for these new parents I can hardly contain my joy.....

FAN CLUB...

2009-07-19T12:51:00.005-06:00

For FOUR years my nieces and nephews have been waiting for Tate... she is so adored by all. What is SHOCKING is the way the "COOL" teenagers act around her. Just cracks me up!!!

This is the way most of our family gatherings look. Most of the time there are fights who gets to hold and play with Tate...

Even Gramps and the new puppy Jasmine can't seem to get enough of her....

Actually, I think the pup Jasmine is just waiting for food to fall. Mesa has clued her in on this one I am sure!

EXPLOSION

2009-07-16T09:51:00.008-06:00

In these past three days, there has been an explosion of personality and physical skill in Tate! Where has my sweet funny easy going girl gone??? She has always been very active while awake. Nothing would get by her gaze. She would wiggle and kick her legs, but was content to watch. The sounds coming from her were sweet little coos, giggles and and babbles. She actually cried twice when Solomon (her 6 month old buddy) screamed and squealed. That was the old Tate.... new things are happening minute by minute here.

Tate rolled over next to Mesa, plopped her thumb in her mouth and snuggled...

I have been concerned with the stiffness in Tate's legs and back. There was an effort on my part to get her to bend her legs for dressing and sitting. A wise momma (Hi Tiffany) showed me a few exercises to do with my girl. After a few days of doing this, Tate is like a noodle.... will practically do the Chinese (ha ha) splits while sitting, will roll around and scoot on her tush towards things. She does this with a HUGE SMILE ON HER FACE FOR HER MOMMA.

Yesterday Tate demonstrated against being put in her car seat. She has been stiffening up so I cannot buckle her....

Saying NO to her just makes her laugh.

She is understanding so much language now!

She now squeals... LOUDLY! She loves my reactions which will fuel even more happy LOUD sounds. I of course am fueled by her. This is one LOUD crazy time.

Feeding her has become a challenge. She used to be soooo easy to spoon food into her mouth. Tate has always been discriminating with food and will eat only when hungry. Now she is TOOOOOO busy to eat. She will suck down 4 ounces of formula just to satisfy her hunger but will stop because Mesa has entered the room.

She LOVES Mesa. Mesa LOVES her.

I do notice at the end of her active day, she will be ready to suck down her bottle. At these times, she will eat about 10 ounces. She will be all snuggled in her PJ's, tummy full of warm formula and content in my arms. This is the time I love. She will look at me with such satisfaction with the sweetest smile on her face. TATE has a MOMMA!

Oh man oh man, I love my girl.

So far she only has her two bottom teeth. Still chewing on things, but have not seen the arrival of any more of her pearly whites.

She loves music. If we are in the car, she makes this certain sound that means, "Hey momma, turn on the tunes, would ya please?" She loves Madonna's old stuff, HATES Cher.

I've got a dancing fool on my hand. She loves it when I hold her and dance around the room. She will rock back and forth, moving her shoulders side by side if in her car seat or high chair.

EACH DAY IS A WHOLE NEW DAY WITH MY GIRL....

TANTALIZING TATE

2009-07-14T19:27:00.002-06:00

These are just a few of my favorites so far of Tate....

This photo is similar to the photo shoot I had a week earlier. Although I love this one, my all time favorite picture of Tate in her TUTU is the one I posted for her 11 month old picture.

I won't use this for the large canvas, but I loved how funny her expression is here. She was so ready to "be done" with the shoot, but indulged the photographer for the shoots of the hats and the flowers. The photographer LOVED Tate and will be using some of her pictures in the future.

HATS......

ME AND MY GIRL

2009-07-14T18:18:00.003-06:00

I received as a gift a full-on two hour photo shoot with me and my girl, Tate. I have never experienced such a session. Heck, I felt like one of those super models. You know "play with the baby" pose, pose, play. CLICK CLICK CLICK! The gift includes a 16x20 inch gallery wrapped canvas. After 240 pictures, I have to narrow it down. These are just a few of the ones of me and my girl.... Which one should I chose???

ELEVEN MONTHS OLD!!

2009-07-13T22:58:00.003-06:00

I love this picture of Tate! I love that the reason for that gazing smile is she is smiling at me... I get butterflies in my stomach when I think of her. My heart skips a beat when I see her sweet being. She is beyond anything I have dreamt of. My heart is eleven months old today.

picture by Gale at piccadilly photo

Tate R Bug

SANTA BABY….

HALLOWEEN PAST AND PRESENT

THROUGH THE EYES OF INNOCENCE

SUPER TODDLER SAVE THE DAY!!!

SQUEAL!!! Dance Class!

BIG Mac ….

Family Day TWO!!!

Official First Snuggle

Introducing Tate’s new brother….

HOPPY EASTER….

EGG HUNT

RED RED ROCKS OF FUN!!!

Day two of spring break madness

It is that glorious time of year that all teacher live for….

REFERRAL DAY TWO YEARS

CAILLOU and TATE

Today Our Snuggle Puppy Mesa went to HEAVEN.

29 months… ALMOST!!!

2010……… A YEAR IN PICTURES…

“Mewy Kismus”

FROM TATE’S MOUTH TO MESA’S EARS……

MISSING OUR NANA AND GRAMPS!

Today it happened…. and it broke my heart

BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ …..

FUN WITH A CELL PHONE

Counting the days until this weekend….

THANKING THE MOON

LEAVING ON A JET PLANE

FASHION FRIDAY

This is my “GO TO” meal….

FASHION FRIDAY

Pee Pee!!!

CORN!!!!

Three Cutest Cow poke EVER!!!

AND NOW SHE IS TWO!!!

TATE'S SECOND BIRTHDAY EVE....

TATE 22 months

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

21 months of DELIGHTFULness

ONE YEAR A FAMILY!!!

FIRST MOTHER'S DAY....

LAST AND FINAL HOMESTUDY!!!

HELLO GUAM....

P*E*E*P*S!!!!

ONE YEAR AGO TODAY.....

CALLING ALL MOMS WHO HAVE TRAVELED WITH A WILD LAPCHILD...

TATE-ISM

BUG BITES AND BENTOS

ZOO TIME.....

ONE OF "THOSE" MOMS!!!

PINK POLKA DOT TOT

SWINGING INTO SPRING!

18 MONTHS OLD!!!

FIRST HAIR CUT

BAKING WITH TATE

NEW HAITIAN DOLL....

THE TODDLER SPORT.....

FOUND PICTURES

WHO WOULD HAVE KNOWN....

SSSSS NOOOO.....W MUCH FUN!!!

OH HOW I LOVE THIS FACE!

TATE AT 16 MONTHS OLD

A QUICK GLIMPSE OF CHRISTMAS.....

MERRY CHRISTMAS

SITTING ON SANTA'S LAP FOR THE FIRST TIME

WHAT DOES SANTA SAY?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND 6 MONTH FAMILY DAY!!!

FIFTEEN MONTHS OLD

FIRST HALLOWEEN

FOUR THINGS TATE LOVES

FIVE MONTHS A FAMILY!!!

SOME PEOPLE SAY...

MY GIRL is 14 MONTHS OLD

AAAA pppp l

AND WE'RE OFF!!!

I CAN SEE CLEARER NOW....

FOUR MONTH FAMILY DAY

FIRST VISIT TO THE ZOO!!!

AFTERNOON NAP...

PEEPS!!!!