Updates - April

April has been a busy month for us. Catching up with friends and family, Easter activities, and a flurry of doctor visits...a lot going on! Lia really enjoyed finally meeting her Grandma W. in person. They had Skyped over the last eight months, but this was their first time playing together. Lia had a blast!

Lia is still Tinkerbell crazy! She loves all things Tinkerbell, from the movies to dolls to clothing and every other marketing ploy those marketing gurus at Disney have come up with! The Easter Bunny did his job well and brought a couple of mini "Bell" dolls for her basket. We can now go nowhere without them...

Easter Sunday was a beautiful, sunny day (one of the first we've seen this Spring!). So we dressed Lia up and snapped some photos. The dress was the first piece of clothing ever bought for Lia back in April 2007. Just after my dossier was sent to China, my sister picked out this dress for her. She looked so darling in it.

Early in the month we learned that Lia had an raging ear infection going on, which we needed to clear before we could move forward with scheduling her next palate surgery. Unfortunately, she ended up having an allergic reaction to the antibiotics, so we ended up at the doctor (again) for rash cream. On the bright side her ears are now cleared, and we are scheduled for her 2nd palate/ear tube surgery on Wednesday. We will be going in early in the morning and likely staying one night at the hospital. Prayers and positive vibes appreciated for Wed/Thurs.!

Ending this post with a video from earlier this week. Lia has been practicing her animal names and noises. Her speech is coming along well...

Egg Hunt 2011

Today our local group of China adoptive families met at a park for an Easter Egg hunt. It was a sunny, but cold and windy spring day. Since this is Lia's first Easter in the U.S., we had to practice with her a bit about collecting eggs and placing them in her basket. She was the youngest child at the hunt, (although there were quite a few 3 yr olds)...so the 2-3 yr olds got a head start, and then the older kids joined in. The older kids were told they could collect 12 eggs, and then they needed to help the little ones to make sure everyone was getting a (semi) even number. I have to say this was a very polite and kind-hearted group of kids. They all chipped in to help one another and make sure everyone was getting eggs.

Once she got the hang of it, Lia had a blast! Here are some photos from the day:

Sunday Snapshots

We visited the ENT on Thursday. Lia had been putting her finger in her right ear quite a bit (the one that the tube fell out of in January). And sure enough, she had a raging ear infection going on. No fever, no other symptoms, but we did get some medicine as we want to make sure this is completely cleared up before she goes in for her palate touch-up at the end of this month (or beginning of May). Her ENT said her left ear tube is also about to fall out, so it is good timing for this next surgery, as new tubes can be put in at the same time. She is such a good girl and takes her medicine like a champ!

We had a great weekend. My parents were in town so Lia got to spend lots of quality time with Grandma and Grandpa. They chased each other around the house, and blew bubbles, and read books, and there were lots of hugs and kisses to be had for everyone. Good times. Steve's mom arrives Thursday for several days, so Lia will be receiving even more "grandma love" this coming week! Here are some photos:

Grandpa and Lia checking out the wind chimes on our patio

First warm-ish day of Spring...Lia was chillin...

A bedtime story with Grandma!

Bubbles! (video)