On the other side of the camera. . .

Please let this be the last time I write this post. . .I've now lost two versions of it! I have no idea why, but I even had the last version "scheduled" for first thing in the morning on New Year's Day. UGGGGGGH. . .How in the world can a saved draft disappear twice?! I think I just figured it out - Blogger isn't ready for 2009, and both times I had the scheduled date for 2009!!! Oh my, I wonder if 3 versions will show up on New Year's Day! Oh well - I'm "publishing" this one - I'm not going to attempt it for the fourth time. I was starting to think that MY blog really need not involve pictures of ME!

Take 3. . .Third Time's a Charm, right?
New Year's Day marks 4 months since I held Gracyn in my arms for the first time. I can't believe how much has changed. I'll never forget our AIT debacle, or the way Gracyn would scream and cry and kick and hit every time we got near the elevator, or better yet, how she'd point to leave the minute I appeared. She wanted nothing to do with me. Today she is very attached to Mommy. She's finally bonding with Daddy and brother, but Mommy is still the one she wants and the one who can comfort her. I secretly enjoy this, for I wondered while in Taiwan how long it would take for her to love and accept me.

While you wait for your child to come home, you fall in love with their photos. You know that you'll love them no matter what, but it's not until they are home that you can begin to fall in love with them. I didn't have any influence on my child for the first two years of her life. Certainly He has always had a plan for her and I pray she becomes who he intended for her to become. Let's not forget that she also came into my arms with a sleeping pattern, a personality, likes and dislikes, an attitude, a haircut, a scent, and a smile. . .all unfamiliar to me, all influenced by genetics and rearing techniques, not belonging to me. It takes time to get to know one another, and a parent-child relationship is no different. With patience, tears, prayer, and support from you, I can say from the bottom of my heart that we're now, in love.

Gracyn has gained about five pounds, her hair has grown over 2 inches. We've fixed those funny crooked bangs and healed her skin. She can tolerate her car seat now, but prefers and sometimes needs to have snack, a video, or my hand to keep her content. She still loves water and bath time. She loves chocolate, veggies, apples and peanut butter, meat, and oh, CELL PHONES! Real ones, not the Dora-kind, although she does play with her Dora phone quite a bit too. She can say "Mama," "Hello," "Dada," and signs "please" and "more." She somehow communicates with us with her sounds and body movements! I think Ramona affectionately calls it "charades"! She loves music and dancing! She still has her bottles at night and likes to hold Mommy's hand to fall asleep! She is so affectionate and the thing she loves, that I love the most, is me cupping her face in my hand.

Since becoming a mom I've taken thousands and thousands of photos. Primarily of my children, who I love capturing on film. Their silly faces, their "smirky" faces, their grumpy faces, and their "full of joy" faces. It's rare that I actually get any photos of me with my kids. I remember during our paperchase struggling to find photos including the "forever Mom" aka Me. So, on our way out to Costco of all places, I had Darryl take some photos of me with my baby girl. After all, I am the primary author of this blog, and most followers are those of you we've met on our journey to adopt. So, here I am, on the other side of the camera, with the little girl many of you watched journey home to her forever family.


To feel my daughter's head on my shoulder for the first time was amazing. To feel her cheek pressed against mine - that warms my heart.


To walk with her tiny hand in mine - that makes me feel like her Mommy, not just her Mother.


To hold her in my arms and know that's where she wants to be, that makes me proud.


To see a photo of me and my daughter side by side, smiling ear to ear - that makes me so grateful to have been entrusted with her.


To hear her laugh - now that, well that's incredible. . .sure, it's taken time to grow her tears into smiles, and her smiles into laughter, but it is priceless. Her laughter - that overwhelms me with joy.

Blogging wouldn't be the same without you. I can't imagine what it would have been like while I was in Taiwan, in tears, without the support and comments from all of you. Thank you for being a part of our journey through life with our sweetpeas. Thank you for reading, for caring, for laughing, and for lifting me up in your thoughts and prayers! Thank you for sharing your lives with us, and for your advice and inspiring posts! So glad you were a part of our 2008, we sure do hope you'll follow along in 2009!

Happy New Year to all of you, from me, the author, and my daughter, the girlfriend!

Hannah MonDada TAKE 2

Thanks to Lora I didn't realize that I had making the videos private to the point of blocking you guys from viewing! Please go back and try the clips now! Gracyn is so cute dancing!

It's Hannah MonDada!

(Be sure to scroll down for videos!)

 

Hannah Mon-Gong-Gong

 

Hannah Mon-Pey-Pey and Hannah Mon-Gracyn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gracyn's first dancing debut. . .



Like brother, like sister. . .



Kids on their "stage". . .it's this or their coloring table! YIKES!

Christmas

A Christmas Tradition
My mom was known for her black bottom cupcakes, so when we got married, we shared our FAYvorite recipe as part of our wedding favors (her name was Fay). Every Christmas I bake one thing and one thing only. My Mom's FAYmous cupcakes. Here's pictures of Gracyn's first taste! I think she approves. During the year I'm not much of a cook or a baker, with the exception of brownie mix out of a box, so it's a bit of a production, but fun, and in memory of my mom. The mom who made every Christmas full of surprises, the mom who helped me to believe in Santa until I was twelve, the mom who made me get dressed up for my doctors' appointments because she thought I'd be treated better, the mom who made me practice smiling before school pictures, who encouraged me to "smile with my eyes" and the mom who loved and adored me like no one else ever has or ever will. The mom who made these cupcakes taste better than anyone else!

 

 

 

 

Christmas morning Gracyn was the first to awake. We went out to the kitchen, and she saw the gifts from Santa under the tree. I thought I'd be able to distract her until Peyton woke up. Guess I was wrong, she grabbed my finger pulled me toward the tree, so I threw my camera over my head, she snagged a gift and followed me back to the room to get her brother. I stopped in to use the restroom and she and the present followed. She was ready to open that thing and there was no waiting for the flush or her brohter!

 

I managed to take her and the half open gift back to the living room. She opened one and moved on to the next which was a gift for both of them.

 

DH brought sleep head out and Gracyn anxiously tried to awake her big brother.

 

 

She was a little less enthuasiastic about the doll I picked out for her. Perhaps it is my love for dolls that drove me to buy my electronics-loving daughter a dolly.

 

Peyton managed to wake up and open the gift we picked up for the two of them. A camera. One that really works. As you can see below, "girlfriend" as I affectionately call my daughter is in love with my cameras!

 

 

 

 

 

This gift deserves the "most time spent researching" award. I wanted to get Gracyn a doll stroller that would last and had swivel wheels. I found this on amazon and after visiting the site a gazillion times, the price dropped and shipping was FREE! I take full responsibility for this WIN - we bought it and it's like the "real deal"!

 

This gift deserves the "worth every penny" award. . .stay tuned for an entire post on this one!

 

 

 

After opening gifts the kids worked up an appetite. Here they are with the first course. Fried rice.

 

Peyton of course was already distracted from eating, all thanks to those hand held game things.

 

Second course caught girlfriend's eye quickly.

 

She "tells" us she wants this, and she's done with the first course.

 

Very happy girl we have here now that she has a pretty breakfast presented to her by our personal chef, aka Gong-gong.

 

 

 

Our silly boy is still not ready to eat!

 

 

Sweet kisses for all. . .well, except for mommy. Not one picture of me with the kids on Christmas day! Oh well! I'm sure I'm not the only mom to be missing from their family's thousands of photos, right?!

 

 

 

 

It was such a blessing to have Gracyn home for Christmas this year. As much as I didn't want to think about it, there was a slight chance we wouldn't have had her home in time, or perhaps not home home long enough yet to enjoy. As you can see from her kiss with Daddy, the two of them have come a long way! I secretly love that she still prefers me to Daddy because I just love to have her in my arms and love to hold her cheeks in my hands. She is such a cuddle bug. This was my "happy" post, long as it may have been, I wanted to tell the story of our first Christmas as a family of four. The funny post is coming next!

For any of you fellow bloggers, am I the only one having a problem with spell check?! I hope there's no typos above. . .