Christmas and More

Our first Christmas, what fun that was. Avery was just in heaven. She really loves family get togethers, not to mention all the attention she gets showered with. As for presents... the word for the day was "Wow!". She loves her Care Bear ride on and wouldn't even get off of it to open her other gifts. We just piled them on top. I was in awe. It totally lived up to all my expectations. Oh, grandma and grandpa got Avery a sled, big fun! She had her cousins playing sled dog with the rope around their waists towing her around the house for hours. She really IS a princess.
Now that the holidays are over things are settling back into a normal routine. We even experienced our forst illness. Avery got pink eye and an ear infection. I guess it's par for the course following all the holiday festivities. We made it through with only minor upsets - aka chasing her into the corner and holding her down to get drops in her eyes. She decided pink eye was so nice she'd share with mom - Thanks baby girl!
So we are healthy now and on the go! Today we went to the Children's Museum with Jackie and Claire. It was so much fun and Avery was totally loving it. She was all over the place and with as small as she is I had to stay on my toes. I think her favorite area had to be the Water Works. She had to wear this plastic apron to keep her clothes dry it was way to big and looked like a dress all the way to the ground. She poured water (mostly over her head), splashed, pushed boats, and had a WET blast. She was so soaked that I had to take off her shirt and let her wear her sweater home. Anything for some fun.
Popsicles are a new treat, but she likes them cut up. Mmmmm. She is also cutting her 2 year molars. I thought we were going to get a break from the teething thing, guess not. Oh well. At least she is sleeping TONS better. In her own room these days and all night long at that. I am one happy mommy. So nice to be rested. Avery and her daddy are the best of friends now. I left tonight for cheerleading and she didn't even bat an eye. Ouch! I'm glad she is better adjusted though.
We are still just loving our girl and all her new discoveries. She especially loves "round, round - DOWN!" or for those who don't know Avery speak - "Ring Around the Roses".

Settling In!

We are really finding our groove. Avery is really comfortable with Ryan now and will even let him hold her in public. This was a HUGE accomplishment. Her vocabulary is overwhelming and she parrots everything we say. She is even putting words together - her favorite being "Dance, dance! - Uhmo!"(Elmo), which she says as she stomps her feet and shakes her hand while standing ON the kitchen table. Yes, she is a climber and gets into everything! I have to watch her like a hawk.
She is getting so big, but not putting on much weight yet. I think she must be at least 3 inches taller.
She is sleeping better, by this I mean longer stretches - still ending up in our bed. Naps are going well though.
We are getting ready for Christmas and I am so excited! Avery went shopping with us and REALLY wanted a bike, poor thing is still too small, so she pitched a royal fit in the store crying "vroom, vroom!". Ryan came a hair of buying her a Jeep, but I convinced him to wait until her birthday in June when she can actually use it. He is a sucker for a girl that loves cars, fortuantely for Avery, she is one of those girls!
I'll update more after Christmas.

First Weeks Home

We have almost bee home one month. Time really flies! It has been non-stop appointments, visits, and plain old chaos. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Avery has now been to the pediatrician and IAC for some testing. She does really well with doctors and even sat nicely for her blood draws and shots. It broke my heart to see her cry, but she was a brave little trooper.
It amazes me how much she has learned. She climbs the steps, spins in circles, signs a few words, talks constantly (bye bye, hiiiiii, dad, mama, cat, dog... or gog, duck, stop, all done, go!, down, eye, and still uses a few Russian words), climbs everything, dances, understands directions, drinks from a straw, and countless other firsts.
She is quite a social butterfly. Sometimes she is indiscriminate with "strangers", but once someone comes to the house she expects them to be there to pay attention to her. If I leave her line of sight she will still cry, so she needs mommy a lot of the time.
We are making big improvements in her sleeping and have now had 2 nights of full sleep. Most nights she just wakes 2 times. She is growing and has gained 3 pounds since we took her from the orphanage. It is still hard to find clothes that fit, but it is getting better. She still eats anything, so I guess that helps with the weight gain. Her favorites are chicken, godfish crackers, cheese, yogurt, and soup.