A Sweet Shower for a Sweet Girl

Last night my friends Katie, Pat, and Joanne had a lovely shower for Katie Mei at the Tea Room and it was delightful! We all had our girls with us, and they loved it. We had tea, soup and salad, finger sandwiches, and desserts, and Merrilee thought she had gone to Grown Up Lady Heaven. She and I ordered Tangerine White Tea, and drank the whole pot! Merrilee's favorite dessert was the lemon bars, and I was enamored with the pecan pie pieces. The entire meal was delicious.

My heart overflows with gratitude to you three for this kindness, and I cherish the memory of you celebrating my Katie Mei. Thank you for loving me and my girls.

Blessings,

Petrie

Baby videos for Katie Mei Fans only

Of course these are only going to bore those of you who aren't doting on and pandering to every whim of this child. But I know Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa are going to love them, so I'm posting them.

The First Chocolate Cupcake for Valentine's Day

I don't think there are any words needed here....

Waiting for Springtime

Just some scenes from one beautiful day we had last week. The crocuses are blooming now and we always get pictures of the kids when the crocuses bloom. I am really looking forward to warmer days and time with friends at the park.

Katie Mei had her catheterization procedure done this week, and now she's back to playing and having fun. Her open heart surgery is being planned now by the cardiac team at CHOP. It will probably take place in the next few weeks.

Happy last few weeks of winter,

Petrie

Flashback Friday

Okay, it's not quite Friday yet, but I'm having flashbacks and it will be Friday in about four hours. Enjoy some scenes from February 2005. Jacob wasn't with us yet, so it's just Girl Number One in these pics. She had been with us for eight months when these photos were taken, and she was 22 months old. The same age Katie Mei is now.

Our little family

Every girl has bed head now and then...

Hanging out.

Helping make some brownies.

One fine February day...wish we had one now!

Semper Fi, Daddy!

Do go takin' my sippy cup, ya dirty dog!

Brief recap of our first week

My Monday has begun, and I've got to get back to getting these kids schooled, so this will have to be somewhat short. The public school system would probably take my kids away if they knew Merrilee hasn't been hard at work since before Christmas. I do have to add, however, that she has been doing her reading and some math. Mommy just hasn't been playing teacher very consistently. Fortunately I had us about four weeks ahead of schedule when we stopped for the China trip.

Katie Mei's adjustment has been going so well and I couldn't be happier about it. She was somber the first couple days, but has become enough attached to Jay and I at this point that she definitely prefers us over others. Last week she was willing to go into the arms of strangers; yesterday at church she demontrated that though she's willing to give a stranger a brief moment of being held, the moment is over within seconds and back to Mommy's arms she wants to go. Such a good sign!

Jay came home Friday after five days away, and we both wondered if she'd be frightened of him or just uninterested. But once she saw him she went right up to him and held her arms for him to pick her up. She really likes to be held by him, often even preferring him to me. I think it's because she loves his larger holding capacity and strength.

She's enjoying finding all the toys in the house and testing them out. She really enjoys playing with the cooking stuff and mixing with a spoon and bowl. Every now and then she'll walk up to me with a pretend piece of food and hold it out for me to try it. We pretend tasting it back and forth and then I tell her to put it away. She's getting the hang of putting the dishes and food back in the toy room. Daddy's not fond of any toys in the living room, so we have to nip that one in the bud.

She had some medical tests done at Walter Reed last week and we head to CHOP in two more weeks. In the meantime, we're just living a normal life. Saturday Daddy took us to Bob Evans for breakfast, and she had no problem keeping up with the rest of us in eating. So far I haven't found much that she won't eat. Cheese isn't a favorite, but she'll eat it if she's hungry.

Jacob finally got to meet Katie Mei on Saturday morning, since she was already in bed when he returned from Grandma and Grandpa's on Friday night. He was initially interested in her, but once he realized she wasn't too fond of playing by his rules, he lost interest. When he is asked to entertain her or play with her, he mostly stands there with that deer-in-the-headlights look. He just doesn't know what to do with her because she won't conform to his method of play. I completely understand where he's coming from...he's that way with me and totally confounds me as well.

Katie Mei likes to play with toys that make music. I went up in the attic this weekend and pulled down the toy piano that Aunt Jo gave Merrilee in 2004. Ever the perennial favorite, it is once again being enjoyed by all. Merrilee says it still makes her want to play with it. Katie Mei seems to agree.

A fondness for the cats is also developing. Once or twice last week I had Katie Mei on my lap only to notice her arm wrapped around me patting on the cats. She's even getting a little too brave and has started to pull tails and try to hold paws. I'm afraid Linus the Siamese might not go for that too much, so I've actually had to start telling her to leave the cat alone when she gets too friendly. Elsie, our old maid who is approaching 18 years old, couldn't care less. She's just glad to have a pat on the head or where ever.

On Sunday we finally had some nice weather and Katie Mei had the opportunity to go outside and explore a little. I had been told that one of her favorite toys at the orphanage was the riding toys, so I was eager to let her try ours. She knew exactly what to do and pushed herself around in the driveway. I also put up the baby swing and though she initially seemed a little sea sick with the motion, she soon started laughing when she realized she could kick me in the head with each upswing when I ducked down. What it is about little babies and the joy they find in bonking and kicking people?

And finally, we're back to today. She didn't know she was in for school this week! With a little help she was able to figure out stickers and adhere a few to the paper she was coloring on . It kept her busy for about 10 minutes and then she was ready for more Cheerios. Time for me to get the 'Fridge Phonics out again. I'm not so sure I'm ready to listen to the song over and over, but I think she's ready for the fun.

Bye Bye for now,

Petrie and the Gang