The paperwork has finally caught up to what we've felt in our hearts for the last 11 months. Our lawyer called yesterday with the news that L IS OFFICIALLY OUR DAUGHTER! Yeehaw!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
We Have Words!
Warning: This is a post to record for myself what L is doing at this age. Probably very boring for everyone else to read (so just look at the cute picture instead ;-)!
I wouldn't call it a language "explosion" just yet, but Miss L is finally saying some words. A couple of weeks ago, she started saying "hi" and "bye bye" more consistently and clearer (she just said "hi" to daddy on the phone a few minutes ago, in fact ;-)). Last week, we were sitting at the dinner table and the dog walked by and clear as day she said "hi doggie". J and I looked at each other like "did she seriously just say that?!!" She has been saying "yes" and "please" for a while now, but they both sort of sound the same (like a fancy version of the "ssss" sound) and we usually have to prompt her to say them. She has also said "shoes" for a while now, but it just sounds like the "shhhh" sound (yes, the girl still loves her shoes).
Today, however, is her best language day to date. I was getting her dressed this morning and had all of her clothes and accessories laid out next to her. She reached over and picked up her bow and said clearly "bow", but I ignored it because I thought it was a fluke. Well, when I didn't acknowledge her, she then put the bow right up to my face and said again clearly "bow". B was in there with me and he heard it too and was so excited - "mommy, mommy, she said bow!!!" After running some errands this morning, I was getting her out of the car and she pointed to the big bucket of balls we have in the gargage and said "ball". I took her inside and sat down at the computer in the office and she was pointing behind me and again saying "ball". For a moment, I was discouraged thinking there couldn't possibly be a ball behind me in the office (and wondering if what she said in the gargage was truly "ball"), but I turned around and there it was - a soccer ball that all the kids on B's soccer team signed as a thank you gift for J for coaching their team!
A little bit later, I was reading one of her favorite books with her. On every page it has a different animal and the text is "what do you say to the [animal]" and then the animal sound. We have read this book together on and off ever since she came home and she consistently does many of the sounds - "woof", "baa", "roar" and sometimes "hissss" - but this morning for the first time, she did the bee sound and really clearly - "buzzzzzz". I have never heard her do the "zzzzz" sound before (at least on purpose), so that was pretty exciting.
So, at this point, I have heard L say the following words:
- Animals sounds - baa, woof, moo (infrequently), roar ("rahhh"), meow (infrequently), hee haw, hiss, and buzz
- Hi ("hi doggie" - once)
- Bye bye
- shoe ("shhhh")
- down ("dow")
- bow
- ball
- no (once)
- thank you (sounds like "ta tu")
- please (eassss)
- yes (essss)
Okay, so I know it doesn't sound like much, but it puts my mind at ease that she is making some real progress. Ironically, we had our first visit with the speech therapist last week. She didn't do or suggest anything that we are not already doing, so I hope that she has other techniques and therapies in mind going forward. However, with the way L is progressing, I have a feeling that therapy may be shorted lived anyway. B was a late talker as well. He had no words at all at 20 months, but by the time I was able to get him in for an evaluation at 22 months, he was saying over 50 words and did not quality for services. He is now an advanced reader and writer in Kindergarten, so I know that kids all take off at different rates. I am hoping that L is just a late bloomer with talking like B was and that there isn't anything more complex going on. Either way, we are getting the therapy and doing all we can to help her along.
I wouldn't call it a language "explosion" just yet, but Miss L is finally saying some words. A couple of weeks ago, she started saying "hi" and "bye bye" more consistently and clearer (she just said "hi" to daddy on the phone a few minutes ago, in fact ;-)). Last week, we were sitting at the dinner table and the dog walked by and clear as day she said "hi doggie". J and I looked at each other like "did she seriously just say that?!!" She has been saying "yes" and "please" for a while now, but they both sort of sound the same (like a fancy version of the "ssss" sound) and we usually have to prompt her to say them. She has also said "shoes" for a while now, but it just sounds like the "shhhh" sound (yes, the girl still loves her shoes).
Today, however, is her best language day to date. I was getting her dressed this morning and had all of her clothes and accessories laid out next to her. She reached over and picked up her bow and said clearly "bow", but I ignored it because I thought it was a fluke. Well, when I didn't acknowledge her, she then put the bow right up to my face and said again clearly "bow". B was in there with me and he heard it too and was so excited - "mommy, mommy, she said bow!!!" After running some errands this morning, I was getting her out of the car and she pointed to the big bucket of balls we have in the gargage and said "ball". I took her inside and sat down at the computer in the office and she was pointing behind me and again saying "ball". For a moment, I was discouraged thinking there couldn't possibly be a ball behind me in the office (and wondering if what she said in the gargage was truly "ball"), but I turned around and there it was - a soccer ball that all the kids on B's soccer team signed as a thank you gift for J for coaching their team!
A little bit later, I was reading one of her favorite books with her. On every page it has a different animal and the text is "what do you say to the [animal]" and then the animal sound. We have read this book together on and off ever since she came home and she consistently does many of the sounds - "woof", "baa", "roar" and sometimes "hissss" - but this morning for the first time, she did the bee sound and really clearly - "buzzzzzz". I have never heard her do the "zzzzz" sound before (at least on purpose), so that was pretty exciting.
So, at this point, I have heard L say the following words:
- Animals sounds - baa, woof, moo (infrequently), roar ("rahhh"), meow (infrequently), hee haw, hiss, and buzz
- Hi ("hi doggie" - once)
- Bye bye
- shoe ("shhhh")
- down ("dow")
- bow
- ball
- no (once)
- thank you (sounds like "ta tu")
- please (eassss)
- yes (essss)
Okay, so I know it doesn't sound like much, but it puts my mind at ease that she is making some real progress. Ironically, we had our first visit with the speech therapist last week. She didn't do or suggest anything that we are not already doing, so I hope that she has other techniques and therapies in mind going forward. However, with the way L is progressing, I have a feeling that therapy may be shorted lived anyway. B was a late talker as well. He had no words at all at 20 months, but by the time I was able to get him in for an evaluation at 22 months, he was saying over 50 words and did not quality for services. He is now an advanced reader and writer in Kindergarten, so I know that kids all take off at different rates. I am hoping that L is just a late bloomer with talking like B was and that there isn't anything more complex going on. Either way, we are getting the therapy and doing all we can to help her along.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Happy Birthday, C!!
Happy 9th birthday to my first born! Another 9 years and you'll be out of the house and off to college. How can that be? ;-(
You are passionate about sports and so very good at just about everything you try. You've always been so coordinated and have a natural athletic ability that Dad and I marvel at and wonder where it came from (certainly not for either one of us!!). At 4 years old, you would sit through an entire 9 innings of baseball and your passion for the game has only grown since then. You are FAST - a fast base runner and by far the quickest on your feet on the basketball court. Your coaches often comment on your speed.
You are SO VERY STUBBORN and will never admit when you're wrong. In fact, you stick to your story with such passion and conviction that even if there were a hidden camera that caught you on tape doing something that you said you didn't do, you would figure out a way to explain it away. I usually just have to walk away when we're arguing because you insist on having the last word - you just won't let it go.
Most of all, you are a good person. You care about people. You are sweet and kind and caring and you want everyone to be happy. Your teacher and I were talking one day about how this is the age where the boys really start to tease each other and make fun of people, but she said that is just not you at all. She says it makes you very uncomfortable and you just want everyone to be happy. That is what I love about you the most.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Catching up (Again!)
I feel like all I do is write catch up posts!
SNOW! Here are some pictures from our first sizable snow storm this season. We got about 10 inches a couple of weeks ago, earning the boys three straight days off school. When added to the two days they already had off for teacher work days plus the weekend in between, they ended up with seven straight days off. We all needed a break from each other after that stretch!
A little frozen hoops...
19 Months and a visit to the ENT. L turned 19 months on the 2nd, which we celebrated with a trip to the ENT to get her drooling/ears/palate/speech stuff checked out. I really thought it was going to be a simple quick check in her ears and mouth and we'd be out of there, but no such luck. Turns out, Asians tend to have very flaky ear wax that gets all caked up and blocks the ear drums. The doctor couldn't see her ear drums and had to perform ear wax surgery. Okay, so "surgery" may be a bit overly dramatic, but a nurse and myself did have to hold her body and head down on a table while the doctor removed copious amounts of ear wax from both ears, all the whilst L screamed at the top of her lungs and stared at me with daggers in her eyes (oh, and the doctor suggested we come back for ear wax removal at least twice a year!). Seriously, how can such a petite little girl have that much wax in her ears?!! But that wasn't the worst of it. After the ear drums checked out okay, we moved on to the adenoids, which required me holding her in a straight jacket-type position on my lap while the doctor threaded a spaghetti-shaped camera down each of her nostrils. Needless to say, I'm relieved that everything checked out okay because neither L nor I ever want to see the inside of that office again!
At 19 months, L is little Miss Personality. She is so bright and intuitive that it truly amazes me sometimes. Her favorite things at 19 months: dancing, Elmo, books, the dog, and cooking in her kitchen. If she hears anything resembling music, she immediately starts to dance and, let me tell you, that girl has some serious rhythm! She is a girlie girl through and through - she models her dresses, wants to pick out her own bows and shoes every day, and loves to put on her butterfly wings and matching heeled, feathery shoes. She gives lots of hugs and kisses, especially when she knows she's in trouble! She has the most contagious and joyous giggly laugh. She loves watching Elmo on TV now and will pull her chair in front of the TV, bring you the remote and point and whine at the TV until you turn it on. She is hungry ALL THE TIME. Seriously, I don't know how she can possibly eat as much as she does and not weigh 30 pounds. I can't eat anything in front of her without her wanting it, even if she has just finished eating. And she is very good at feeding herself with a spoon and fork, and oh so proud that she can! But probably the single word that best describes L now is JOY. J and I were watching her flit about the family room the other day (and "flit" is the perfect way to describe it) and we couldn't help but smile at each other because she is just so full of happiness and joy.
Lunar New Year. Last Thursday (Feb. 3rd) was Lunar New Year, or Seolnal, which is the most important of the traditional Korean holidays. The Korean New Year holiday lasts three days and is a time when many Koreans return to their home towns to visit with their families. According to traditional Korean beliefs, everyone ages one year on Seolnal by eating Korean rice cake soup (dduk guk), which is always served on New Year's day. In Korea, when you are born, you are considered one year old and you don't age on your actual birthday. Everyone turns a year older on Seolnal. So, according to Korean tradition, L just turned three!
I had big plans to celebrate Seolnal with a traditional Korean meal and celebration, but life got in the way (i.e., C's Lego exhibition at school was rescheduled for that night (see below) because of snow cancellation from the week before (reference above) ;-)), so I settled for taking cute pictures of L in her hanbok and teaching her to perform Sebae, the deep traditional bow that Korean children perform for their elders on Seolnal, accompanied by the words saehae bok manhi badeuseyo (which translates to please receive many blessings in the new year). Oh.my.word. how I wish I had gotten her on video performing Sebae. She really got into it and was bowing and saying "blah blah blah blah" and totally cracking herself up! I might have to reenact it just so I can record it!
Legos! As I mentioned, C had his Lego exhibition at school last Thursday. He was in an after school Lego League last quarter and really enjoyed it. I was naive going in - I thought it was just going to be a bunch of kids playing with Legos after school, but it turns out they have actual kits for school use and an accompanying science-based curriculum. There were several teams and each team had to work together to build a Lego exhibit centered around an ocean odyssey theme, including coming up with a habitat, working vehicle, imaginary ocean creatures, etc., and an accompanying written and illustrated presentation. This all culminated in the exhibition last week where each team had to get up in front of everyone and present and explain their exhibit and poster.
C turns 9 - well, almost. C's birthday is this Thursday and we celebrated with a small party/sleep over this past weekend with a couple of his closest friends. C was upset at first that we nixed a big party this year and told him to keep it small, but in the end, he told us it was his "best birthday party ever". C wanted an ice hockey themed party this year, so we took the kids ice skating and I made an ice hockey and puck cake. The boys had a lot of fun, we survived the sleep over, and most importantly, C was very very happy little man!
SNOW! Here are some pictures from our first sizable snow storm this season. We got about 10 inches a couple of weeks ago, earning the boys three straight days off school. When added to the two days they already had off for teacher work days plus the weekend in between, they ended up with seven straight days off. We all needed a break from each other after that stretch!
A little frozen hoops...
At 19 months, L is little Miss Personality. She is so bright and intuitive that it truly amazes me sometimes. Her favorite things at 19 months: dancing, Elmo, books, the dog, and cooking in her kitchen. If she hears anything resembling music, she immediately starts to dance and, let me tell you, that girl has some serious rhythm! She is a girlie girl through and through - she models her dresses, wants to pick out her own bows and shoes every day, and loves to put on her butterfly wings and matching heeled, feathery shoes. She gives lots of hugs and kisses, especially when she knows she's in trouble! She has the most contagious and joyous giggly laugh. She loves watching Elmo on TV now and will pull her chair in front of the TV, bring you the remote and point and whine at the TV until you turn it on. She is hungry ALL THE TIME. Seriously, I don't know how she can possibly eat as much as she does and not weigh 30 pounds. I can't eat anything in front of her without her wanting it, even if she has just finished eating. And she is very good at feeding herself with a spoon and fork, and oh so proud that she can! But probably the single word that best describes L now is JOY. J and I were watching her flit about the family room the other day (and "flit" is the perfect way to describe it) and we couldn't help but smile at each other because she is just so full of happiness and joy.
Lunar New Year. Last Thursday (Feb. 3rd) was Lunar New Year, or Seolnal, which is the most important of the traditional Korean holidays. The Korean New Year holiday lasts three days and is a time when many Koreans return to their home towns to visit with their families. According to traditional Korean beliefs, everyone ages one year on Seolnal by eating Korean rice cake soup (dduk guk), which is always served on New Year's day. In Korea, when you are born, you are considered one year old and you don't age on your actual birthday. Everyone turns a year older on Seolnal. So, according to Korean tradition, L just turned three!
I had big plans to celebrate Seolnal with a traditional Korean meal and celebration, but life got in the way (i.e., C's Lego exhibition at school was rescheduled for that night (see below) because of snow cancellation from the week before (reference above) ;-)), so I settled for taking cute pictures of L in her hanbok and teaching her to perform Sebae, the deep traditional bow that Korean children perform for their elders on Seolnal, accompanied by the words saehae bok manhi badeuseyo (which translates to please receive many blessings in the new year). Oh.my.word. how I wish I had gotten her on video performing Sebae. She really got into it and was bowing and saying "blah blah blah blah" and totally cracking herself up! I might have to reenact it just so I can record it!
The evening kicked off with some pre-ice rink pizza eating
At the ice rink.
Post-skating s'mores
The basement bday party/sleep over venue.
Basement hockey.
My hockey skate cake
Singing happy birthday.
We also had a Minute to Win It game competition that was SO MUCH FUN, but I didn't get any pictures because we were focused on video. I will post some video when I get a minute.
I think I'm all caught up now! Until next time...
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Around the house this week. . .
A little block building during our snow day off from school on Tuesday (or, more accurately, our ice day off from school - no nice fluffy white stuff to play in ;-().
Look what I can do! Fine motor skills - check!
L loves to take her babies on 'strolls' around the kitchen...
We had a sickie in the house this week - note the nice flowing nose. But still cute, nonetheless!
L l
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