Another Year Comes to an End

Holidays, fun, but oh so hectic! This year I tried to get things done earlier, so that I could spend more time enjoying Avery and my family in general. In many ways I succeeded. The gifts were wrapped as soon as we bought them. I was done buying for Avery by the day after Thanksgiving. Still, it wasn't as easy as that.

We did manage to have a few afternoons baking cookies and that was so much fun. Avery wore my apron that I had for Christmas baking when I was a kid and she did a great job doing sprinkles. Our cookies weren't up to Martha's standards, but Avery didn't seem to mind.

I had worried that the tree tyrant from last year would be back to dole out some hefty destruction, but overall she did really well at looking and not touching.

Christmas Day was loads of fun and I can honestly say she has played with every single toy. She got a doctor's kit and I am continually "sick" now. She runs for the kit and says "Oh Mommy, you sick, I "pix it" - make you better."

Ryan and I are looking at investment property. Apparently we need a project. I think it will be great if we pull it off. A nice little chunk toward adoption #2 would be great. Speaking of adoption #2 - we hope to start that in the summer, but it is so in the air. We don't know really where we'd go again or what works best for us, but I'm researching and we think we are narrowing down the field.

Oh, Avery got this interactive doll for Christmas and we take it and it's diaper bag everywhere. It cries and Avery gets so frustrated when she can't make it stop. She brought it to me and said "Mom, it won't stop crying!"; to which I said, "Now you know how I feel."

Wednesday marked the milestone where Avery had been ours as long as she had lived without us. Lots of hugs and tears on that day. She spent 15 months and 23 days under the care of the Russian govornment. She has been talking a little more about Russia. In fact we were downtown and she looked out at all the big buildings and said "There's Russia!". I guess the buildings are about all she remembers, outside of the baby home.

Enough about us for now. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year!

All Abourd the Potty Train!

The big news this month is that Avery is potty trained. It was so easy, and I am so thankful for that. Cleaning up accidents was not my idea of fun. Luckily I only had to do that once.

So now with the new potty freedom comes, big girl panties! We bought a bunch of different kinds, fun colors, patterns, TinkerBell, and princesses. Well only the princess panties will do for the potty princess. She is very particular.

Christmas shopping is in full swing and I am really looking forward to this year. I think she is going to get what's going on, where last year we had to coerce her to open packages. Now she loves "pwesents".

She has been so attentive to thing things around her lately. She'll notice a dog in someone's yard while we are driving, or hear an sound and identify it. These were all things that seem to have taken her a little longer, because she learned what things were so much later, than kids who hear it their entire life. She also learned Happy Birthday song and let me tell you, it gets old after 500 times.

What a Month

So this month has been quite eventful. As I said in my last update we celebrated our Adoption Day anniversary. Otherwise things have been kinda crazy. I will say Avery has really taken to dragging her Daddy outside to play almost everyday. It is pure bliss for her and it gives me a nice break.

Avery decided last week that she wanted to go to Pre-school - that is until I explained that I would have to leave her there and pick her up when it was over. Her response, "No pee-skool Mommy, I go Aunt Becky's house!" I think that is a better idea too.

We have a future cheerleader in the making. Avery has gotten into practicing stunts. She'll stand in my hands and I can hold her there forever. Talk about balance. I think gymnastics will be our next venture. She would really love that. (Pardon the mess in the picture - my tiny tornado was wreaking havock)