Guess what Amelia did today...

She pooped in the potty!!!  I can hardly believe that she actually did it! 

Amelia has been very curious about the potty, but we have not pushed her actually potty training yet.  Several people advised me to wait until she was two and had more language, so I have just let her sit on her potty whenever she asks.  She likes to sit and read her potty book but nothing has ever happened.  We have come close to tee-teeing in the potty, but that hasn't happened either.  This afternoon, Amelia grabbed her behind and said, "poop" and then, "potty" and ran to the stairs (her potty is in her bathroom upstairs).  I grabbed her and ran up the stairs to the potty.  I took off her diaper and sat her on the potty.  When she stood up to look in the potty, there was poop in it!  I got super excited, and I think she was a little scared.  She wasn't sure what was in her potty because nothing had ever been there before.  She looked at it, said "poop", and then ran over to get some toilet paper.  At least she didn't try to grab it!  I showed her how there was poop in the potty in her book and there was poop in her own potty and then we had to take pictures. :)  Then, we had to say goodbye to the poop.  She wasn't thrilled about this, but I showed her that we had a picture.  She was able to flush the big potty and say bye-bye.  She immediately asked to see her poop picture.  We called Daddy to share the big news, and he was super excited, too! 

I do understand that this may not happened again for 6 months, but we are celebrating this milestone today anyway.  Now, I just need her to tee-tee in the potty, too.

I took a more graphic picture, but I don't think that's appropriate to share.  Enjoy these picture of such a milestone moment...

She knows that I took a picture of her poop and wants to see it.

Amelia's First But Really Second Birthday

Today, Amelia celebrated her second birthday, but her first birthday with us.  This morning, we began Amelia's birthday by singing "Happy Birthday" to her as we went into her room to get her out of her crib.  She laughed and clapped the entire time and probably thought that she had crazy parents.  Daddy took her to Krispy Kreme for a birthday breakfast.  She played a little at home until it was time for her party.

Amelia had a fabulous time at her ice cream party.  She acted like parties happened at our house every day.  She was social with everyone and used her charms to get extra snacks from people at the food table.   There is no telling how many M&Ms or bites of ice cream she was given.  I even saw her actually reaching up to the table to grab chips and crackers.

After having some ice cream sundaes and floats, it was time for cake.  Amelia had absolutely no idea what to do with the cake that sat in front of her.  We practiced blowing out candles all week, but she still wouldn't blow out the ones on her cake.  We tried to get her to smash the cake or eat it with her hands, but she does not like to be messy.  She took two bites from the cake with some urging from her parents, but she never grabbed at the cake or got her hands really messy.  We finally gave Amelia a spoon, and she dug right in.

Presents were a lot of fun.  Amelia had a great time pulling things out of the bags and checking them out.  Hello Kitty was a big theme, and she was beside herself with joy when she would see the "Kitty Meow".  Thank you so much everyone for such thoughtful gifts!  Amelia especially loved opening cards and putting them back in the envelopes.  Thank you to all who mailed her birthday cards.  She really enjoyed opening them at her party!

After the party, a smart mother would have put her child down for a nap.  I am not that mother.  Instead, Daddy decided it would be fun to experiment with the left over dry ice.  Amelia had the. best. time. ever!  She played and played in the bubbles and pitched a HUGE fit when the bubble time was over.

I think she had a fabulous first but really second birthday!  I am sad that we missed her first birthday, but I am so grateful that we were able to celebrate this day with her HOME!

Two Years Ago Today

This day is one that I have truly looked forward to celebrating - Amelia's 2nd birthday.  It is exciting to celebrate her first birthday with us, but it is also a time where I reflect upon her birth and the unknowns that are associated with it.

Two years ago today, my precious girl was born, but she was also abandoned.  We are keeping what we know of Amelia's story of her abandonment and finding private, but I will share with you that throughout her story, God was with her.  His protective hand kept her alive while He guided a postal worker to find her.  I am so grateful for the postal worker that saved Amelia's life and brought her to safety.  If I had known about him while we were in China, I would have asked to visit the post office to thank him.

As for Amelia's birth mother, I do not know the reasons why she was unable to keep her for her own.  It might have been because Amelia was a girl or because she was born too early.  Whatever the reason, a decision was made to leave her.  If it were the birth mother who made the decision, I am guessing that it would be the most difficult choice of her life but one that she felt she had to make.  I have no idea if she knows what has happened to the child that grew in her womb, but I pray that God will give her peace on this day.

There is also another person that I am thinking about today.  She was not there for Amelia's birth story, but she was there for all of the days after - Amelia's nanny.

These are the earliest baby pictures we have of Amelia.  It breaks my heart to know that she was in an orphanage for so long, but I am so grateful that she was loved and cared for by her nanny the entire time she was there.  Her nanny wrote a sweet note for Amelia which we have had translated.  She speaks of Amelia's personality and the hopes and dreams she has for this precious child.  We were fortunate enough to be able to meet her, and we keep a framed picture in Amelia's room of that visit.  I want Amelia to know that although she was in an orphanage and had to wait until we could come to China to get her, the nanny loved her very much and cared for her the best way that she could.  Please pray that this nanny will have comfort knowing that Amelia is happy and loved.  We will continue to send emails and pictures to the orphanage to update her nanny.  I want them to know that we adore Amelia and are so thankful for her.

Please keep these three special people who were such a big part of Amelia's short life in China in your prayers today. 

Baby Birds

Amelia has discovered the beautiful sound of a bird singing.  This particular bird that sings is the mommy bird to the babies that are living in a nest inside the fountain on our back deck.  Yes, we have baby birds.  Amelia gets very excited to see the mommy bird singing.  It doesn't matter what she is doing, she will stop and run to the deck door when she hears the bird.  Here are a few pictures of her excitement:

Six little speckled eggs were discovered in the fountain.

Amelia sits beside the door waiting to hear the mommy bird sing.

Watching and waiting

Was that the sound of the mommy bird?

Yes it was!  Where is the mommy bird?

There she is!

Was that the mommy bird singing again???

Yes!  It was!

Those six little eggs became little baby birds in their nest.

We have counted at least four little baby birds but have not gotten close enough to see if all six eggs hatched.