Friday Faces- Part 2!

Friday Faces- Part 1 (since we missed last week!)

I love this pic...just needed to post it!

It's from China, at our hotel in Guangzhou. It was taken the day before we came home. Avery is in one of her Chinese outfits. Look at how little she was...she still is little but oh how she's grown and thrived!! 

Our little girlie bug!! We love you!!

6 months ago today we met this little face...

6 months ago today we were in China and met our daughter Avery Lin Xuan Newton for the first time in person. We had been looking at her picture for 3 months and the thought of finally meeting her and becoming a family was so overwhelming!! We were very anxious and very nervous, so excited words don't even begin to describe it. 

I remember walking into the civil affairs office, not really knowing what to expect. I remember turning the corner into the room and seeing her and starting to cry. She was so teeny tiny and beautiful!! I remember wanting to go scoop her right up, but we had to do paperwork first, and I remember thinking, "Are you serious?, you want us to do paperwork when our daughter is standing right there?" Her face was so sweet, and she looked so scared, but welcoming to us. I remember picking her up for the first time, and feeling so complete, and an instant connection with her. I remember looking into those eyes, and falling even more in love with her. 

I remember riding in the car back to the hotel, and saying to Gary, "That's it?, she's ours now, we are a family?! I couldn't believe it!  I remember her falling asleep in my arms in the car on the way back to the hotel, and what she felt like in my arms from that first moment.  Even though she looked scared, and didn't really know what was going on, she was very secure in our arms and on some level I think she knew that.

I look into those big eyes everyday and am so very thankful that we are a family. Avery is a happy girl, and we are a happy, happy family!! 

6 months ago our lives changed for the, oh so much better!! She has enriched our lives, and taught us so much about love and life and laughter. Our house is filled with so much love, continuous laughter, and our lives are FULL!!

To hear the words Mama and Dada, and those little pitter patters-What A Joy!! A True Blessing!!

Friday Faces!

Mommy's helper...

Just a little update on our girl. Avery is doing so good, she amazes us every single day. We still have those moments where we stop and look at her and can't believe that she is here. I have those moments a lot when I am rocking her to sleep at night. Sitting in the rocking chair with Avery bundled on my lap, and the stars from her light up ladybug glowing on the ceiling and Kenny Loggins, "Return to Pooh Corner" playing on the ipod. I get teary eyed and think how blessed we are to have her in our lives.

Avery's vocabulary is growing everyday, more and more words are being added, and she recognizes so many actions, and things, and it's the neatest feeling in the world to watch her learn and take in new things everyday. She is a climber, climbs on everything!!! She is the best helper at putting clothes in the dryer though. I hand her the wet clothes and she puts them right in the dryer for me, and then closes the door-great helper!! She always wants to close a cupboard you are in, or drawer even if you are still using it.

Avery takes role call a couple times a day. It goes like this, Mama, Dada, Koko, Teddin', blanket, Dora (her Dora blanket). At least we rate before Koko, and Teddin' most days-lol!! Koko is her stuffed cat, and Teddin' is her pink teddy bear. We always used to say to her, "Go get Ted n' Koko", so his name became  Teddin'-cute!!

Avery is still wearing most times 6-9 months on her bottom half, but also 12 months. On top she is in 12 months. She is a very happy girl!! The best thing in the world is to hear her laugh, she has the cutest belly laugh. She loves to show off her belly, and tickles your belly and your feet at any chance she can get. She still loves Dora, her very best friend I think. She will sing the Dora theme song, and dances during the, "We did it" sequence. She absolutely loves music, she will run around and twirl, and raise the roof, and clap, and swing her hips, and roll her shoulders, and it's hilarious!! She can high five, and do knuckles now, and says yes, quite often, and the word "UP", with great enthusiasm.

All in all life is good, better and better each day!!

Friday Faces...late

Pookie tails!!

Words, words, and MORE words!!

Happy New Year Everyone!!

The biggest change in Avery lately is the amount of words she can say and objects she can identify. Gar and I have both been off for Christmas for 10 days and what a difference when we are both home with her all the time!!

These are the words she can say:
Mama, Dada, Grandma, Grandpa, more, juice, cat, Koko, Jesse, Homer, cheese, yes, no, flower, nana (Banana), apple, what, egg, stairs, cart, blue, red, purple, arm, baba (baby), ball, Dora, Boots, Yeye (from Kai Lan's show, it means Grandpa in Chinese), cup, goat, fish, frog, owl, please and many more...

She also says these phrases together:
"There they are", "more juice", "more juice please"

If you ask her a question that requires a yes or no answer, she will tell you either yes or no.

We have a big board book that has 100 words in it with pictures and she has picked up so many of those words, and recognizes so many of the objects we are dumb founded!!

Avery had her 18 month well child on the 29th, and she now weighs 20.2 pounds, and is 30.5 inches tall. Dr. O was impressed with all of her words, and said that that was a lot for a child her age. Of course we are proud parents!!

Christmas was a lot a lot of fun!! To have a child in the house and stay home on Christmas morning and be a family was more than we could have ever dreamed!! Of course we over did the presents, waiting for 3 years!! But I will say she has played with everything. She loves her shopping cart and food, and my parents got her the Little People barn and she loves that, and the cell phone that Gary's parents got her. Of course Dora was a BIG presence in our house on Christmas. Avery woke to a Dora tent set up in the living room from Santa. She is a little afraid of it, but looks in the tunnel constantly, and watches the cats run through it all day long. She will get used to it and use it but we want her to do it on her own. But Mommy & Daddy have both been in the tent and crawled through the tunnel trying to entice her a couple of times, (the tunnel is a little tight-lol)!!

It was a magical Christmas in the 3 Newts household-just magical!!

Hope you all had a great Christmas and Happy New Year!!