A year since Jimmy passed away!

It is hard to believe that a year has gone by since Patrick's father Jimmy passed away. We all stood by his bedside and prayed as he drifted off--it was very emotional and peaceful at the same time. It's been sad for us not having him here--and seeing how Maya has grown and changed. We are grateful for the time he had with her. We talk about Papa with her all the time and she points to heaven and says his name.
I believe he is watching over her.
We love you Daddy and hope to be reunited with you again someday.

First week of school was a big success!

Maya made it through her first week of school--we did too! The staff at Kindercare were so wonderful. They were impressed with how well she adjusted--today was the only day that she cried consistently (pretty much all morning)--we think she might not be feeling well--she fell asleep during dinner!
She is in the upper two year old class with Ms. Mary and Ms. Samantha (Robin-I know you asked about that!)
and seems to really enjoy the other kids in class. We got her first piece of artwork today--a construction paper peanut butter and jelly sandwich--it is priceless!

Maya's first day of school

Tears were shed--mostly by me--but I am happy to report that Maya had an excellent first day of school! The teachers reported that she only cried for a few minutes and then began playing.
When we picked her up later in the afternoon--she was so happy and excited to see us. For us it felt like Gotcha Day all over again! We missed her so much and couldn't wait to see her.

She was pretty tired last night and seems excited to go back today.

The countdown to nursery school begins!

One week from tomorrow--Maya Lily will begin nursery school full-time. This is huge! She has spent the last 14 months with both of us--me primarily--and has only been with her Nana or Nonnie. We have never left her with anyone else.
We joined the gym last week and brought Maya to the child care center--she lasted 20 minutes the first day before they had to page me to come and get her--she was sobbing like crazy. We have tried three more times and she cries (screams) her head off and won't allow the teachers to console her.

So I am VERY worried about next week...
I know that many children go to nursery school/daycare and do just fine.

I was fortunate to be able to stay home with Maya this past year--however--if we want to maintain our lifestyle and adopt Ava Rose--then I have to go back to work full-time. I know this is going to be a big adjustment for her and for us (especially me). I pray that she transitions well and knows that we will be there to get her at the end of the day.

Tomorrow she is suppose to go the new dance studio for a three hour camp session. It will be a good test to see how she does. I have introduced her to the dance teacher and her little friend Elizabeth will be there with her--so I hope that helps.

My goal this week is to try to follow her nursery school schedule--breakfast at 8:30--activities till noon--lunch--followed by a nap from 12:30 to 2:30--this should be good--especially since she has not really followed a specific nap schedule since we were in China and maintained her routine from the orphange. Maya tends to fall asleep anytime between 11 and 4--it depends on the day, her mood etc. Some days she refuses to take a nap.

Keep your fingers crossed that all goes well and that I am worrying for no reason (haha).

Home for 14 months today!

This may seem a bit strange--but today Maya Lily has been home with us for 14 months--the same amount of time that she spent in China. We have been so blessed to watch her grow into a such an amazing little girl.
I think about the first half of her life--how completely different it is from the life she has now. I am grateful to her nannies and the orphanage workers for taking great care of her.
In the 14 months since she has been home--Maya continues to amaze us with her personality. She is so loving and funny.
We love her more each day!

A lovely lunch date

We met up with Lori, Kris and Sharon today--all three ladies are patiently waiting for their babies in China. Sharon has received her referral for little Mary Alice--who is so adorable. She will be traveling to China in September. We cannot wait to meet her!
Lori and Kris have endured a very long wait--we hope and pray that they receive their referrals very soon.

Maya was a tangible reminder that the wait is certainly worth it! She gave them all sweet hugs good-bye. Her compassion is amazing for a two-year-old.

Thanks Kris for the lovely outfits and books. We've read the spaghetti book about six times already :)
Lori--Maya loves the stickers and notebook--they are so cute.

Hope you all like the Mulan book!

Happy Birthday to Me and my brother Jason!

As Maya says so proudly, "App Bur Day!"

I turned 35 today--a little older--a little wiser and certainly a little closer to 40!
My baby brother turned 28 today--he to has grown--especially since he became a Daddy in April.

Happy Birthday to Us!

Happy 4th of July

I love the 4th of July!
Maya is wearing a cute patriotic outfit today--she looks adorable.
She gave her great-grandfather (Pop) an American flag yesterday--he was thrilled.
Today we are going to PA to see Patrick's brother Peter, his wife Cara and their son Colin. It will be nice to see them.

A week in Beantown!

We spent last week in Boston with my family and our friends. It was nice seeing so many people--the weather wasn't great--but the food was.
We went to the North End with my cousins and ate at our favorite restaurant, Al Dente! We bought yummy cookies, lobster tails and half moons at Bova's.
My brothers, Eric and Jason, had us over for a BBQ--which was awesome. We also did some cooking and baking with Katie and Caroline. We made cheesecake, brownies, key lime pie and sushi--all were so good.
We spent a day at the beach in Hull and saw the Flemings.
Maya was lucky to get to spend so much time with her cousins. She had a blast.
As much as we love Boston--we know that we have a wonderful life in Florida and couldn't imagine living anywhere else for now.
Here are some of the pictures from our visit.

Fun and games at the wedding

The wedding included a backyard BBQ--so yummy!
Lots of drinks!!
Games for the kids--a rock climbing wall, checkers and the bubbles.
And Volleyball for the adults--yes--I played!


Here is Otis and Joe B.
Maya and Kendra

More wedding photos

Here are more photos from the wedding.
The first one is Kendra and her mom, Aunt Janet.
The next is bride and groom with their parents.
The next one is the bride and groom with us.
The last one is Maya and I on the swings with the bubbles.

Pictures from Kendra and Duane's Wedding

Here are some photos from our cousin Kendra's wedding in Brewster, NY.
The first photo is Kendra and her brother Joe B.
The next photo is Joe B's son Otis who is 4.
The next two pictures are Kendra and her father, Uncle Joe.

Happy 1st Day of Summer '08!

We made it to NJ yesterday afternoon. Patrick did a great job getting us from Fayetteville, NC in only 7.5 hours.
We stopped in Fredricksburg, VA for lunch and continued on our way.

We had yummy Boston-style pizza last night for dinner--we were too exhausted to go out to Sal and Joe's.

Today we are heading to Brewster, NY for our cousin Kendra's wedding--we are so happy for Kendra and Duane.
We will stay in NY for the night and then tomorrow we are heading to Boston.
We will stop by and see our friend Jae in Hartford for lunch on the way up.

Happy 1st Day of Summer--my favorite season!.

Posting from the road trip

We left our house today at 7:45 a.m. and made the journey north to Fayetteville, NC. It only took 9 hours--not too bad considering we stopped for lunch in Georgia, a potty break at a plantation visitor center in SC and another stop at South of the Border--which is so lame and cheesy.

The lady at the plantation visitor center remember Maya from last summer--it was sweet. Maya of course climbed the stairs again--she thought it was fun.

We are hunkered down for the night--waiting for the Pizza Hut delivery guy to bring us dinner--none of us wanted to get back in the car to go get something to eat.

So we are at the halfway mark to NJ!

Tomorrow we will be "on the road again..."

Happy 30th Birthday Rachel

My dear friend Rachel will be 30 on Friday. We'll be in NJ and won't be able to celebrate with her--but we will once we all return from our family vacations.
I could not have gotten through my first year of motherhood without her. Her daughter Grace is Maya's best friend.
We have had a great time at ballet class, shopping at Target, snacks at Starbucks and of course our trips to Disney.
Thank you Ra-Ra for being a great friend--hoping you have a great 30th birthday!

Butterfly Kisses

Maya giving Patrick a butterfly kiss on Father's Day!

Shishy Fishy

You might not know that I sometimes call Maya "Shish"--it doesn't mean anything--really--but I used to refer to her as my "Shishy Fishy". Well now that she can swim--she is truly a fish!
She loves to dunk under, jump off the side of the pool and swim underwater to me. She has no fear. She is a natural!

Amelia and Bobby Robinson

These are our friends Jody and Ronnie's two children. We had such a great visit with them.
Ragazzi!

Maya and Elizabeth

Elizabeth is our next door neighbor. She and Maya met last fall at Kindermusik and they took ballet together.
For the past two weeks I have been watching Elizabeth while her mom, Cathy, is training to become a teacher.
The girls have had a lot of fun playing together. Today was the last day that she came over. The girls had a pizza party and dressed up. It was so cute.

Before and After--the first official haircut!

Maya finally had her first official haircut--not just a trim of the bangs. She screamed and cried--but it was worth it.
She looks so adorable!