For your immediate viewing pleasure.

The fabulous trio (Lisa, Zaela and Shands) visited this past weekend and we had a blast. Zaela and Fiori were like true sisters - getting along some times and competing other times. Boy they were cute together.

Can I just tell you how much fun they had with the Jack in the Box?...

Remiss!

I just looked at the blog and realize what a bad blogger I am. So much has been happening and I just haven't gotten to blogging about it.

Biggest news is that Fiori is 2 today. She is doing very well and is at a new pre-school that she LOVES. She is a total character and I will try to write more on that later.

We've also moved into a new place. Well, kind of. We haven't yet sold our old house so much of our furniture is there so we are half moved in. We've got a pretty nice set up and finally a flat fenced yard for the dogs and Fiori. Sweet. We've also got her bedroom on the same level s ours instead of 2 flights down and we are on a cul de sac. Could you get any more family friendly than that?

The wonderful Zaela and her mom Lisa (with boyfriend Shands) are arriving tomorrow for a weekend visit and we are really excited about that. For those of you that don't remember, Lisa and I traveled together to Ethiopia (along with grandmothers) to pick our girls up and Zaela and Fiori are only a few weeks apart in age. Funny thing though, Zaela is in a 3T-4T size and 2T is still too big for Fiori.

We are also having a Halloween/Housewarming/Bday party on Saturday and are really getting into the Halloween spirit with decorations and such. Should be a blast.

OK, more later along with pictures.

One year ago today...

was Gotcha Day.

Grandma Julianne and I arrived in Ethiopia and picked Fiori up on August 18, 2008.

I remember on the way over thinking I might leave her at the transition house and visit a few times since I didn't want to shock her system. I figured I would play it by ear and see how she was with me. That all went out the window as soon as I arrived and she was placed into my arms. No way was I leaving without my daughter.

Today I picked her up from day care and it was so cool that she was sitting looking out the window and yelled "mommy" at the top of her lungs as soon as she saw me. Then she met me at the door telling everyone "it's mommy" with a big smile on her face. I almost cried.

America's Next Top (Ethiopian) Model

After being told over and over by random folks on the street that Fiori should be in commercials, I started sending out her photos. A first round 6 months ago didn't draw any response but Matt took some new pix and Laurie sent me one with a killer smile so I decided to try again.

Success.

Over the next week, Fiori has two appointments with modeling agencies in SF. Well, one appointment and one open call audition but we were invited to attend after the agent saw her pictures. One of the agencies is Ford Models which is pretty big.

I can't say I'm big into the fashion industry but I've heard it is pretty cool for kids.

Wish us luck. We've got to figure out some way to pay for her college education. :-)

New photos

I survived my first trip solo with Fiori!

The Hope Adoption Agency reunion in Dallas was a blast. We stayed in a perfect hotel and had a great time visiting the Dallas Zoo as well as a local waterpark. The organizers outdid themselves in terms of putting together events and group dinners. And it was great to see all the folks who were in Ethiopia when we went to pick Fiori up as well as many who I've only met virtually.

Of course Fiori had a blast. And yep, it was hot as Hades.

In typical fashion, I didn't take too many photos but here are a few:

Off to Dallas.

Fiori and I leave in the morning for Dallas. We are attending a reunion for the agency we used for the adoption. I'm super excited to see the folks I traveled with to Ethiopia but also to meet many I've only communicated with via email throughout the crazy process.

Not so excited by the heat. As a Northern Californian, we are pretty spoiled by temperate weather. Dallas is supposed to be in the 100s all weekend. Yikes.

This will be my first solo trip with Fiori.

I'm kind of scared.

For your viewing pleasure...

Some photos grandma Julianne took while kindly babysitting for us so we could go see a movie.

Kicked out!

Fiori was kicked out of day care.

For what you say? Biting? Fighting? Crying?

Nope, she was making too much noise. Apparently she's been doing some occasional high pitched screeching and being generally noisy in her play.

Seems pretty silly to me as it is basically kid noise. However, the woman lives in an apartment and the landlord doesn't like that she runs a day care. He's been trying to kick her out for years unsuccessfully. I figure it is because she is in a rent controlled apartment and they would like to up the rent. Problem is, the daughter lives in the apartment next door and complains for any little thing.

I was fairly pissed as this happened 10 weeks before she is starting preschool and we didn't want to have to find a new interim situation. However, a teacher at her soon-to-be preschool gave us a recommendation for a daycare that is basically half the price of what we are paying now. So we can afford to have her in full days instead of half. Suweet. And the woman is really nice, has a clean house with a large yard, and works occasional weekends and evenings if we want a night out. Wish we had found her earlier.

Word for the day: Garbage

Fiori is now fascinated by garbage and goes around picking up little scraps, saying "garbage" and walking over to the can. Putting in the item is followed up by "Yeah for garbage!".

Oh, to have this be a long term trend.

Word for the day: Snotnose

This girl picks up words quick. I happened to tell her she had a snot nose and she went over and picked up the tissue and blew her nose the next time I said it.

I think these two will get married some day...

or at least be BFFs forever.

Why is it that every kid knows the Elmo's World song?

Fiori has been singing this for months. Not only that, she managed to record herself singing it on her "answering machine".

Hill rolling.

My first big wheel

We couldn't help ourselves and bought Fiori a "My First Big Wheel" for kids 1-3.

Sadly, she still can't reach the peddles. But she does push herself along while making raspberry noises. And she loves to stand on it while one of us pushes her - which we can only really do for a few laps as we are quite out of shape.

Our little computer genius.

Doesn't she look like she knows what she is doing?

Oh Crap!

Fiori is quite headstrong and recently she has picked up the word "Mine" which she obviously learned at day care. We are trying to nip it in the bud and we don't indulge "mine". However, she is pretty forceful about getting her way and we have recently seen some hitting when she doesn't (which we also don't indulge).

Today it escalated. Apparently she got into it with another girl over a toy and bit her on the finger. Hard.

I hope she doesn't turn into one of "those kids".

She's official!

Fiori's adoption is all finalized. She is now officially ours really truly ours and had her name changed from the old name of Fiyory Nika Lindlay (huh?).

First order of the day - order a passport cuz ya know we've got to travel. And apparently we will get a new birth certificate sometime before her 18th birthday.

FYI, the judge in Oakland sees all adoptions on Friday morning each week. He has fought tooth and nail to keep the docket as it is his favorite day. Never thought about it but I guess it is one of the few times folks walk in happy to be going to court.

Tandem riding.

No, that is not a real horse. It is an adult sized rocking horse and it happens to be in our living room.

Don't ask.

This does not bode well for the future.

Our girl is a manipulator.

Fiori has starting blowing kisses and giving real kisses and hugs. Totally cute right? Recently though she has been using kisses and hugs to get what she wants.

Just a minute ago, I had the Mino camera out. I was trying to hide it since she loves to see the replay of herself and I just wanted to take the video incognito. She looked up, saw me hide the camera behind me and came over to me with her arms outstretched yelling "mommy" and making a kissy sound. Of course I couldn't resist and I lifted her up to my lap for a hug. She immediately starts hunting around for the Mino and could care less about giving me a hug. Apparently she has been doing this a lot with Matt.

Gotta admit this girl is smart.

Enjoying the heatwave.

We in Northern California have been havine a mini heatwave. Three days of record-breaking temperatures. It hit 90 2 days ago. Sweet.

Today it is 54. WTH?

At the request of Grandma Julianne

The "I'm gonna getcha" video.

More Fiori

For all those of you (yes, I'm looking at you mom) who have been clamoring for new photos of Fiori, here's some taken today on Easter plus a few from back at Christmas. Enjoy.

Is this wrong?

Fiori likes to run.

A lot.

We think she is going to be true to her roots and a famous long distance runner. Her favorite thing is for us to chase her round and round. She looks at us says "I'm gonna get you" (actually "na na na getcha") repeatedly until one of us gets up and chases her. And she keeps doing it. Again and again.

Lately we've realized if she has a piece of food in her hand, Casper will follow her around and she is pretty much just as happy to run from him as from us. So we've started giving her a hunk of bread or a piece of asparagus or anything we think she might hold in her hand for a while as she runs around.

Now don't get me wrong. It's totally fun to chase her around and have her squeal in delight as one of us catches her and tickles. But that girl has some energy and so does Casper so why not let them work it off together?

79 cents at Walgreens for a bottle of bubbles

Dogs like em too.

Things I never thought I would do or say

• Calling my husband or any man other than my dad "Daddy". Seems that Fiori has been picking up everything we say now and has been calling out Matt instead of Daddy. So I'm making a point to try to call him Daddy when she is around. Must be careful not to throw in "Sugar" or "Big" before Daddy.
• Buying a bunch of cutesy outfits that include pink. I am so not a major fashionista and really not into pink. But the clothes for girls are just so damned cute that sometimes I can't help myself.
• Laughing at a kid when they cry. Sometimes Fiori is just such a faker you can't help but laugh. She's also been arching her back and throwing herself backwards in a mini tantrum. One time she did this while sitting on the kitchen floor and cracked her head (don't worry, not enough to hurt much). I had to chuckle when the next time it happened, she actually turned part way around and lowered herself backwards using her arm. That girl is nothing if not a fast learner.
• Lamenting our last move as the old house was right across the street from a very good elementary school which at the time seemed like a pain in the ass because of the traffic but now seems like the best location ever.
• Getting genuinely excited when someone takes a dump in the toilet. Whoo hoo.
• Being one of those "my kid is the cutest, coolest person ever" type of moms where every little thing she does is commented on and thought of as video material. I really am amazed though at watching her growing process.

My, how parenthood changes you.

Guess what I got for my birthday!

A new Flip Mino to replace the one that went missing. And it is even in HD now. Suuuweeeet.

Fiori has a myriad of words. She has graduated from Hi to Hello as seen in the video above. She repeats nearly everything but has retained baby, whoa (when she falls down), more, Miles, Casper, Ellie (the dogs), daddy, mommy, bottle, up, down (actually it is more like dup which she uses interchangeably for down or up), uh-oh spaghetti-o (more like uh-oh sket-o), dog, adios, hasta luego and my personal favorite "I'm gonna get you" which she says when she wants us to chase her around the couch and which sounds nothing like I'm gonna get you but we know what she means.

The hazards of baskets...

Of course what did she do after I helped her out? Climbed right back in.

This is why you need more than one.

So they can entertain themselves!

Even dogs love a good book.

15 month checkup

Matt took Fiori to her 15 month check up today. More shots and a check of her statistics. She is tracking pretty much the same. 75% for head circumference, 50% for weight and 25% for height. Oh and 100% for personality.

She hasn't gained much weight recently and is still only 22.5 pounds. I think it is all in her belly.

Hit all the milestone months ago so that is good. The doctor asked is she repeating words, then looked at her and said "Are you repeating words?" to which she immediately replied "Words". So, yeah, she totally is. Which means we've got to really watch what we say or next thing you know, she'll chose some inappropriate word to latch onto as her new favorite and boy will I be mortified.

She's also got a ton of teeth coming in. Besides the two each on the top and bottom that have been there for a while, she has at least 4 more coming in.

First trip to the snow

We went up to Tahoe a couple of weeks ago and Fiori loved it. Matt made a little sledding hill and we sent her down on her own over and over again. Then we went to a big sledding hill and she rode down a rather big, scary hill with us on a double sled and totally loved it. My friend's older kids were freaking out while Fiori was laughing and clapping. That girl is fearless.

Unfortunately, as I forgot my camera and have lost my Mino, the only video I have is from my friend's camera and the video is of the little hill. And you can't really see her smiling face.

But she's just an itty-bitty thing!

I started having pains in my left hand near the thumb a few months ago. The pain ranged from minor annoyance to really painful and seemed to be getting worse. Seems to happen the most when I am spreading my hands out and lifting things i.e. Fiori out of the crib by her armpits. When my thumb started to lock up I decided I had best go see a doctor.

I went today and mentioned to the doc that it happened when I lift things, in particular my daughter and other heavy-ish items. She told me it is likely tendonitis and she sees it regularly but more often with new mothers and odd that I am just getting it now when my daughter is almost 15 months. But wait, she is adopted and only came home a few months before the pain started. Ah, that explains it.

What kind of a wimp am I that I get tendonitis from lifting my daughter? I knew I should have done this before I got too old!

Anyhoo, the doc gave me a cortisone shot and we are hoping that will do the trick. Won't know for a few weeks but meanwhile I'm trying not to use my left hand much. Yeah right.

Snow bunny with Grandma.

Fashionista!

Not digging the carousel much.

Yes, we admit we are dog people.

Thankfully so is Fiori.



Yep, she just crawled right between Ellie's two front paws and hung out there a while. So cute!

Making strides.

Of our three dogs, Miles is the least tolerant of Fiori. He pretty much just gets up and moves away whever she comes near. And if he thinks she is touching him, he makes this weird noise like a combination of a howl and a growl. It's not threatening but it's like he's telling her to stop annoying him. Fiori of course ignores him and keeps on playing with him until he finally gets up and leaves.

So it was kind of cool to see this today. It's a start.

Lazy New Years Day.

This is much of how we spent our New Years - kicking back watching the Rose Bowl. Fiori is so going to be a football junkie. She also went to her final football game of the year last weekend as we saw Cal beat Miami at the Emerald Bowl.

Next up, her first basketball game this Sunday.