Nine Months!!

      Sept 8, 2012 signified 9 months since Annie Kate's homecoming.  When I consider that 9 months is the gestational time frame for a newborn to come into the world, I find the parallels with our Annie Kate to be just as amazing!

       In nine short, fast, joy filled months she has changed dramatically!

      We were all in awe of Annie Kate from the moment we first saw her precious little face. Her first word, "Mama" sounded like a symphony! Each day brought a new discovery, a new joy, a new milestone to be celebrated. Maybe it was the ability to leave the can of tomato paste home, or start preschool or learn to swim. Everything she has been exposed to she has embraced...and maybe gotten a little too used to. On the way to  Weggieminny's last month Annie announced: "Mommy I wants to go to Floor-da ( FL). I said we will go back to Fl someday. From the back seat this little voice said:" No, I wants to go to Floor-da now. Let's go to da airports and ride da airopain teeday to Floor-da."

       How she has grown in 9 months! Physically, she is growing... finally. I have recently discovered she now needs a 9 1/2 - 10 size shoe after wearing size 8 forever. Although many of the size 3t outfits still fit, we can safely move up to the next size for Fall.

    Last week, while at T J Maxx, she discovered a pair of $2.00 flip flops that she had to have because: "Day match Molwee's pink sandals." and "Day is purfect size sandals."
      These flip flops (that are actually two sizes too big) to Annie Kate, are always referred to as my purfect size sandals only. She will run to find them calling out: "Waits I need to find my purfect size sandals," as if she is saying my nike sandals. Purfect size sandals is all one word.

      She still uses some of her early favorite phrases such as: "Hello, how are you? Nice to meet you. What's yous name? My name Annie Kate." This is now followed by: "What's you doing? What's dat? Why? What's in dare? You have gum?" All of this in rapid succession.

       Her growth in other areas has been nothing short of extraordinary. Her command of the English language is on par if not advanced for her age ( I could be prejudice) The other day I was trying to get her to take a nap. She has learned to make humorous(to her) snorting noises in an attempt to simulate snoring. When I asked her to please stop she replied: "Why, does you fink dat is annoying?"

     She loved going to the golf tournament and her first concert found her dancing the night away, afraid of nothing! She practiced and under stood that holding up the quiet sign before a golfers shot meant her too. She cheered, yelled, Good shot! Get in the hole! Ahhh, good try, good try!

     She  speaks in paragraphs, long winded stories full of details and imagination. Her three best friends, George, Xintian, and Max ( three monkey stuffed animals) go every where, often misbehave and need to have consiquences for their behavior such as sitting on the stairs.

    Unsolicited, she will say: " I love you forever, add for ev-er, I never ever leeb yous, not nevers."
     She told me sometime ago: " be-member when I was in da China and you camed to gets me?"
    I said: "yes I do."
    "My was a yittle bit scared, but you singed me da baby song...I feeled better."

     Annie Kate picks up on everything said to her. I have used my early childhood education to recognize that if a young child...or any child at any age is looking directly at you there is a greater chance they will actually hear what you say. With that in mind Annie is the 6th of our children to be subjected to my famous: 'Look at my nose" command to ensure their attention.
   When Annie wants to make sure she has our attention she will say: "mommy, mommy, Listen to my nose." while pointing to her own nose. The other day she told me in a very stern voice:" I telled you 15 times!!" Apparently I wasn't listening and apparently she has heard this before!! ( cough, cough)

   Annie loves music and has her favorites: The other day she repeatedly asked me ( while in the car) to play:" da tee shurt song."
I could not figure out what she was referring to until she said:"Mommy, yous know, is molwee's
fav-o-it song."At that moment I thought I would die laughing.
     I said: "Do you mean, She wears short skirts, I wear tee shirts, She's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers?" (Taylor Swift's, You belong to Me)
"Yes dat it, I loooobe dat song." Her other favorite songs are: Lady Gaga's, Baby I was born this way.
Adele's Someone like you, and Hallelujah in Mass each week.

     At this time last year we were wonder if we had lost our mind, were we up to this, could we really handle a 3 year old? At the adoption agency they said it will be different, it will be a new normal.
    What a difference 9 months can make in a life(s).
We are just thrilled beyond our wildest dreams with our new normal!
I promise to try and be a better blog poster! There is so much to tell about this little creature!!!