One year ago today.....

One year ago today we were on a plane flying to China to meet Chen Fu Wang, soon to be Amelia Fu Wang Johnson. The pictures below are of Amelia's referral picture (the first picture we got of her before we went to China - she was about 4 months old there), the next pictures are of Amelia in October while we were in Florida.) What a difference a year and a family make!

In some ways it is hard to believe it was an entire year ago. In other ways it seems like a lifetime ago. Lots of changes in the past year.... we grew from a happy family of 3 to a complete family of 4, Bayard gained a sister and became a big brother, we stopped working our family around my job and started working my job around our family when I took the leap to private practice (http://www.practicalparenting2.blogspot.com/) and left my "regular" job... wow, in writing that just doesn't seem like that much. Living it feels much different! Life feels different than it did. Richer. The biggest changes are in Amelia....

We met a confused, sad, mad, grieving, cautious, tenatious, strong baby in China. That baby has grown into a confident, silly, funny, bright, joyful, little girl who continues to show that same tenacity and strength in everything she does! She is such a part of the fabric of our family that it is difficult to imagine us without her. She asks for a hug and then just leaps into your arms and wraps herself around you with a giggle that seems to come from her whole body as she says "Mommy!" and just today "yuv you!" I love you too Amelia.

Monday, November 5th, we will celebrate Family Day, as that is the anniversary of the day we gained a daugter and a sister, and Amelia gained a mom, a dad, and a brother. That long, almost 2 year, wait was worth every second and then some.

sabbatical!!!

Well, we are well into our 2 month sabbatical. For those of you who are not aware, Travis has had Sept and Oct off -- a perk of reaching 7 years at Intel. We spent Sept hanging out at home, taking some little trips and just enjoying some extended family down time. Then, we headed off to Florida Oct 2 for some extended beach time! So, here we are, looking out at the warm (85 and sunny!!) ocean from Nana and Grandpa's beach condo -- yeah, times are tough.

Our friends the Thurmonds came down from Atlanta to see us for a few days--- they have 2 kids, Jack (4) and Ella (2). Jack and Bayard had fun "riding the waves" --

Bayard has discovered boogie boarding and is LOVING the ocean! The warm florida water and sunny blue skies have been perfect for playing on the beach every day. Amelia has warmed up to the idea of the water-- she really enjoys when the tide is out and the "rivers" appear on the beach! We will try to put some video of that on you-tube -- check back in for that!

We went to St Augustine (a less than an hour drive from here) this week and explored the old Fort that is there as well as the Alligator Farm-- WHOA! The Alligator farm was fantastic!

http://www.alligatorfarm.com/

Alligators, Crocodiles, Turtles, and birds and primates from all over the world! If you are ever in St Augustine, make sure you put this attraction on your list!

Today, we went to an adventure park ... mini-golf, and go-carts... what could be more fun?

Travis, Bayard, and Grandpa are heading to the Jaguars game on Sunday http://www.jaguars.com/

and then we are heading out to Grandpa and Nana's farm in Madison, Florida next week for a few days of tractor riding, porch naps, and just good ol' hanging out on the farm. http://www.madisonfla.com/

That is is for now... the beach is calling.....

September already!!

Time does fly, particularly in the summer! Fall weather has hit Portland, it is cool and damp outside. Enjoyable really. Travis started his sabbatical at the beginning of the month and we have been enjoying some nice family hang out time. He is off work until the end of October! Wahoo!! We head to Florida for some extended family and friends hang out time as well as a jaunt over to Disney.... Bayard is beside himself with excitement about that upcoming adventure! We are all looking forward to some beach time and more relaxing....

Well, for some reason the blog won't let me put anymore pictures up, so, I am off for now. More to come!

We had some excitement last weekend when Amelia had her first ER visit... she has decided that she no longer wants to go down the stairs "feet first" or backwards, but only wants to tackle the stairs big girl style!! Natural consequences.... a tumble down the basement stairs with the metal edges on them equal a split lip needing 3 stitches!! OUCH!! We have a wonderful children's ER close by -- we were actually in and out of there in one hour!! Unheard of really. She was a trooper. The stitches are out and she has a tiny scar which will likely fade and leave only the story to tell. Big brother was worried about her and was incredibly helpful and empathetic -- they are pretty cute together.

The pictures are just some random ones from the summer. Both kids enjoy some dress up....capes, wizard garb, cowboy/girl, girly dresses, hats of all kinds, etc. Amelia LOVES to change her clothes and then say "mirror, mirror" and go twirl around in front of the mirror and check herself out!! Funny! They spent about 45 minutes upstairs this morning with a clothes basket pretending they were driving in a boat on some adventure. Amelia loves to do whatever Bayard is doing and he is generally really patient with her and finds a way to incorporate her into what he is doing. He really enjoys when she will play with him in one of his imaginary adventure scenarios, of which there are MANY!!!! It is fun to see them getting to be friends. Bayard said the other day "Mom, I think I love Amelia more than anyone else in the family. I just really really love her." And you can see it in the way he treats her. They still have thier moments, but, for the most part, it is great. And it is fun to think of how that relationship will grow as they get older. Good stuff.

Camping, pirates, and fond farewells....

At the beginning of this month, we went camping at the Oregon coast with our friends the Steiner-Beenes. They have 2 kids, Max (5) and Beckett (3). We were celebrating both Max's 5th birthday as well as getting a chance to hang out before their family moves to China for 2 years! WOW! Well, we had a great time... and Wendy took some FANTASTIC pictures!! Here are just a few.....

The boys found a big tree that had been washed up on shore... it was quickly turned into a pirate ship and a flag was placed on it thanks to Wendy's forethought and creativity (she brought a Sharpie and a pillowcase for just that purpose!)...

The weather can be unpredictable here at the coast. Even in summer, a nice warm fleece comes in handy. We were so lucky. The sand was warm, the sun was shining through an amazingly blue sky, and the wind was blowing just enough to keep the kite up and the pirate flag flying. Amelia played the role of "monster" as in "oh, no, here comes the monster to knock down the castle!" She worked to keep up with the boys, but was also happy to make her own adventures.

We had a wonderfully relaxing weekend just hanging out. Farewell Steiner-Beenes! We will miss you!

Happy girl!

A few pictures of Amelia after she woke up from her nap today.....

The Rose Festival!

The Portland Rose Festival (www.rosefestival.org/) was this weekend. As usual, it was spitting rain on and off all day, but, as true NW transplants, that didn't stop us.....

Bayard has been asking about cotton candy and carnivals for MONTHS! So, we hopped on the MAX and headed downtown to the waterfront. We took a good long look at the HUGE ships (thanks to homeland security Bayard now knows what a machine gun looks like-- do we really need that level of protection for that boat? anyway....). Then we headed on down the way to the rides, games, etc....

Bayard was SUPER excited that he was tall enough to ride a good number of the rides....and Travis was SUPER excited that one of those rides was the swings!

As for me, I left the dramamine at home, so Amelia and I did a lot of watching and picture taking.

Bayard was not too keen on the idea of a pony ride, but he was gung-ho for the bungie-type jump! The lady kept asking him if he wanted to go higher and he just kept saying "YES!", she finally said "It just won't go any higher than that!" Bayard was smiling all the way up, and all the way down!! There was a crowd of people oooh-ing and ahhhh-ing! Go Bayard-y!

This is Bayard's first bite of cotton candy. He picked blue. "Is it as good as you thought it would be Bayard?" "Oh yeah, Mom. It is soooo good." Yuck. It tasted like straight sugar, chemicals, and good ol' 70's/80's childhood to me.

After a stop to watch the Dragon Boat races (the pictures of those just didn't turn out, they were just too far away and I got a bit worried about the camera in the drizzle. bummer.) we headed back to the Max Station for the journey home. Bayard is already planning the rides he will go on next year, "when I am 5 and tall enough."

Sun, sun, sun!

The weather has been so AMAZING lately! Sunshine and upper 70's most days the last 2 weeks! We have had lots of outside time and are really enjoying it. Amelia and Bayard both LOVE to be outside. The beans and nasturtiams on Bayard's "fort" in the backyard are slowly growing. It seems the mice were not able to eat ALL the seeds.... I will try to get a picture of that up soon. The flowers are just blooming everywhere. I adore this time of year.

Anyway, the kids are doing well. Amelia continues to grow and change, her new word is "bubble" and she carries at least one bubble wand around much of the time. Pretty funny. She took her first big spill a few weeks ago... check out the scab on her cute little nose!

Bayard started soccer a couple weeks ago and is enjoying it, however, this week he said "Mom, I don't know if I want to do soccer again, there is just so much running." This is particularly funny coming from the child who also says "Mom, one of my favorite things these days is just to run. I like how my body feels when I run. I think I am definately the fastest person in our family." He will then run laps...living room...dining room...kitchen....hallway.....living room....dining room....kitchen....hallway.....living room.... and so it goes. Often the running experience is augmented by the wearing of a cape which Bayard says "flows behind me in the wind."

Check out the recent pics.... This one of Bayard is in the backyard on his rope swing... a HUGE hit the last couple weeks. The family one is from Mother's Day. We must have taken 20 pictures trying to get it right! It still isn't great, but, it was good enough for the 6 month report we had to do for the adoption agency. Yes, Amelia has been with us for 6 months. Amazing.

Walking, running, easter egg hunting....

Well, Amelia started walking about a week ago and there is no looking back. She is highly mobile and seemingly enjoying it. She is growing like a weed! Bayard is a running, jumping, climbing, bike riding, cape wearing, poem reciting, 4 year old. Poem reciting you ask? Yes, Bayard has started making up poems and reciting them regularly. A couple nights ago we were on our nightly after dinner family walk and he asked "Daddy, what is a poem?" "Well, Bayard, it is like story with rhymes and words that sound good together." "I think I will make up a poem right now. " And he did... here is his first poem...

The Car Goes Far

The car goes far

The car doesn't go far

The car goes far

Yes! The car goes far

The car doesn't go far

Not bad for a 4 year old! He has continued to develop his craft and is currently enjoying the use of alliteration (we introduced the term the other day after he made one up with a great deal of it and now he has taken it on a challenge to put rhymes and alliteration in!)... He has continued the theme of repetition in much of his "work" as well. Funny kid. We think he is rather clever. We are his parents after all!

We are continuing to enjoy spring. Bayard and I have been working on a fort in the backyard. We put up some tall bamboo poles and arranged them much like a tee pee. We have planted nasturtiums, sweet peas, and sugar snap peas in hopes that all will grow up and all around the tee pee and make a cool hideout. Bayard wanted lots of plants he could eat "so I can have snacks in my fort if I get hungry," so we also planted some strawberries nearby. We are also hoping the mammoth sunflower seeds we planted make it and don't get thwarted by the dog, the mice, the birds, or the slugs! Time will tell. Portland gets greener and more vibrant every day!! Ah, I love spring. I even look forward to the rain now. It seems I have adapted to the climate after almost 9 years in Oregon. Wow. 9 years.

Well, I am going to get off the computer now... so, I will just attach a few pictures and get rolling along....

Spring!!!!!!

Wow, the weather has just been so nice (yes, still a great deal of rain, but it SMELLS like spring and is warmer!), the crocus and daffodils are blooming, the lilacs are peeking out, and the trees are starting to bud. Portland has to be the greenest and most vivid place on the planet in the spring. Maybe that is just in sharp contrast to the gray winters.... whatever the case, it is just energy-giving!!!!

Amelia is working on walking. She is taking lots of steps, but crawling is still more efficient for her. She did not tolerate day care very well, so, I quit my job at the hospital and am home full time with her now! She seems pretty happy about that. And so am I. I am still doing the private practice, but that is just evenings and occassional weekends, so, no day care required. Big changes! She loves to be outside and is saying "bye bye" , "da da", "ba ba" (which we think is Bayard), "ma ma" and is adding to her signing vocabulary too. She is funny and very determined-- she doesn't often show frustration, she just keeps working on something until she gets it, then, she just looks so proud of herself. Pretty cool. She LOVES to eat. The kid will eat almost anything you put in front of her and she is really digging the sippy cup of water. She is throwing some hissys lately when things don't go her way-- which is great! It is nice to see her expressing her likes and dislikes more strongly instead of just going with the flow so much. She loves the swing at the park by our house and is quite the climber! She also thinks Bayard is very cool, but is not afraid to shriek at him if she doesn't like something he is doing! She continues to be a joy, and a fantastic sleeper! WAHOO!!!

Bayard turned 4 and got a 2 wheeler for his birthday. He is really enjoying it. We weren't sure as he hasn't been a big bike guy up to this point, but, he seems to have embraced being a "big guy" and is excited to have a big kid bike. He only wanted 4 and 5 year olds at his pirate themed birthday party (treasure hunt, pinata, and lots of swordplay and swashbuckling as the kids all came dressed as pirates)-- and is showing a strong preference for BOYS as friends. He still likes to play with Kassy across the street, but sees her as an exception. He is definately moving into boyhood more and more. Very cool to watch. The little boy is moving on out.. here comes the big kid. He is still enjoying swimming and is currently working on the backstroke. He wants to sign up for soccer again and thinks karate would be "cool." He gave away all of his kid plates and cups to some littler boys he knows and only wants to use "grown up stuff" at mealtime. "Thomas and Bob the Builder are for babies mom." Wow. When we decided that I would stay home with Amelia, Bayard said "I think that is good mom. I think she just got confused again like she was in China. If you stay home with her everyday, then she will know that we really are her family forever and she won't get confused anymore. " Ahhh. I love that kid.

Ok... I have a workshop tomorrow night and I need to get some work done for it! The pictures are just ones from this month and some from Bayard's birthday. Enjoy!

Whoa! Time does fly....

Well, it has been over amonth since I last posted. Whew! In that month, we have battled sickness (ah, winter...), I started back to work 2 days, which means Amelia started day care 2 days, my private practice is growing (yeah!), Amelia turned 1!!! and Bayard is about to turn 4 (on the 20th!), oh, and our 31 yr old furnace called it quits. We have been living with space heaters for over a week while we await the gas company to put in a line to our house! AH!

All is well though. Amelia is weathering day care pretty well-- each time she goes it gets better. Last week was the first week she spent two full days (the week before we did 2 half days). She is very clear (ie: screamy!) that staying there without us is not in her plan for the day, but she settles in and we have a wonderful care provider, so we know she is getting her needs met and will adjust. If you want to check out the school ... http://www.growingseeds.net/ . We couldn't be happier with them. Bayard is in the preschool room and is able to go and visit Amelia during the day in the baby room. Nice.

Amelia is right on track developmentally and seemingly, attachment wise too. What a gift! She is funny and currently loves pointing at everything. She loves books and likes to do the sign for book and then have you read to her. She is signing quite a bit (book, daddy, milk, dog, all done, more) which we think is pretty cool. Bayard is growing up so fast! 4 is a big birthday. He is definately seeming more and more like a big kid. He is funny, creative, bright, silly, thoughtful, and truly seems to enjoy his role as big brother. At school they are wrapping up learning about volcanoes and moving on to learning about Egypt which he is excited about. He was telling me that he really wants to "know more about mummys and sphinxes." They studied honey bees last summer and he was telling me yesterday that "not just bees have a proboscus mom, some butterflies do too, but they just eat the nectar, they don't make honey with it like the bees do." Whoa! He cracks me up.

Ok, well, I guess that is the wrap up for now. I will try to be better about keeping up here....