First time Jaida touches snow!  Had pictures taken for Christmas card

I haven`t been home a month yet and it feels like Jaida has been with us forever.  She is doing great and seems to be doing more everyday.  We had our one month visit with our social worker and I took her to see the international adoption doctor last week.  I was surprised she only weighed half a lb more than our last update in Oct but then remembered she was probably weighed with her clothes on in China (and I am sure there was lots of clothes:) She is getting bigger with all she is eating and the pjs she was wearing tonight a lot tighter on her than when she wore them in China. I am happy she is growing and getting stronger everyday but I also love her being little-plus I bought so many cute clothes I really don`t want her to grow out of soon

As Jaida was being evaluated for her motor skills the lady gave me suggestions on how to encourage her to crawl up the stairs.  Why would I encourage such things and make it hard, I am completely happy to have her remain on one level.  As it turns out no encouragement was required because she is now crawling upstairs and today she has been standing lots.  Everyday she is doing more and seems happier.  Jaida`s best part of the day is in the evening so it is hard to put her to bed when she has so much energy and lot of fun.  Tonight she went to bed at 11:30.  I am suppose to try and get it earlier so she doesn`t sleep away the whole morning but it keeps getting later.

My parents are visiting for Christmas and  they are loving her.  I told them the rules before they came: no holding, feeding or kissing her (no changing diapers also but that rule is easy to follow).  They accept my rules, as per the books I read for bonding, but I know it is hard.  I feel bad but feel it is important to get the best attachment with Jaida and need to have these rules followed.  Jaida is doing well with wanting me.  I sleep in her room and during naptime if she wakes up is very upset until I go back in the room.  She wants me to carry her all the time so it is really hard to get any work done and she is my daily workout.  She plays really well but if I try and leave the room she notices and either follows or cries.  As much as I love that she wants me I also know she will also be happy with others.  We went to Hayden`s school concert and one of the moms is chinese-she was talking to Jaida in manderin and you could see the comfort Jaida had to hear familiar words.  Jaida kept staring at her, again I think because of the familiar comfort, then the Mom put her hands out to hold her and Jaida reached for her.  I was very quick to pull her away and say noone is allowed to hold her.  The poor Mom left pretty soon after that and I am sure thinks I am a little off as well as many other probably do as well.  I had no rules like this with my three boys but no work was really needed for them to know who I am-their Mom.  Jaida has been in an orphanage for her first year of life and doesn`t know what a Mom does-she had several people come in and out, holding and feeding her.  I need to teach her the importance of her immediate family and the special love we have for her.  We need to teach her to need and love us and that she can count on us the most.



Before Hayden`s concert

Poor Jaida can`t get use to all of my kisses.  She hasn`t seem to like kisses since we first held her but we aren`t giving up.  She gets them nonstop so she might as well get use to it.  She is coming around a little and sometimes reaches up with an open mouth so I am taking that as a kiss.  My boys are happy because I tend to leave them alone a little more and they are happy to pass the kissing thing off to their sister.



Really how can you not kiss this cutie all day long