Chandler's 1st Birthday!!

My baby girl is now 1 year old! We've had so much fun celebrating her special day(s). On Thursday which was her actual birthday, she and I had a special lunch at Chuck E. Cheese. We were so fortunate that it was nearly empty in the place so we had a blast checking out all the rides and play areas without any wait. I only cried a handful of times as I watched this little monkey laugh and explore all the neat things there.

We later went to my friend Kelly's parents for a special birthday celebration for Channie. It was so nice of them to have cupcakes, balloons and gifts for Channie. She just loved playing with the Floyd Family and their sweet granddaughter Kaitlyn. We all laughed hysterically when we realized we were like the baby paparazzi photographing the two girls together. Chandler had such a fun day that she was asleep before we even pulled out of their driveway.

On Saturday my sister Yvonne and her family drove in from Raleigh for Chandler's party on Sunday. This was the first time they met Chandler and she took to them all very quickly. She enjoyed Natalie reading her stories and Ethan holding her. Aunt Yvonne and Uncle Chris were a huge hit too. Chandler just loved all the excitement and attention. We're hoping to visit them in Raleigh at the end of the month.

Sunday was Chandler's party. We had a great time and were so happy to have our friends and family here with us. I had a smaller cake made just for Chandler; she really enjoyed digging into the frosting. Actually, I think I'm still scrubbing that pink frosting off of her. She played for as long as she could and then finally just fell asleep in my arms during the party. I guess even party girls have to sleep!

It's hard to believe my precious baby was handed to me for the first time over a month ago now. This little muffin has brought so much joy into my life in such a short period of time. I am forever grateful to God for this treasure.

Only 1 more day and we're heading up north to see Nana and Grampie. We can't wait!

We've been home more than 2 weeks now....

It's hard to believe we've been home for over two weeks now. I've never had so much fun in my entire life. Chandler is doing great! She's learning new things every day. She now says "Mama" when she sees me and also chants "bear" when she spots her giant teddy bear. She's an eating machine and this week firmly declared that she wants nothing more to do with baby food. She's all about grown up girl food now. If it doesn't require a spoon then she wants it and NOW! :)Chandler loves to be on the go and is such a great travel companion. She still doesn't love the car seat but if I time it right, she will sleep through most short trips. On Monday afternoon we went over to my friend Debi's house. Chandler had such a great time with her family. She just loves her new bouncy seat she "inherited" from their kids.
Oh and last weekend we ventured down to the Spartanburg area to visit the Stephens, Johnsons and Helms families. As usual, she loved all the attention and enjoyed playing with everyone.

That ought to do it for our road trips for a while. Our next BIG trip is in less than two weeks to go visit Nana and Grampie in NY. Yay! We can't wait and will be sure to pack lots of WARM clothes. Us Southern Girls don't do cold well! :)

Thanks for reading along and please stay tuned. Chandler's first steps are right around the corner. I just know it! Have a great week!

Auntie Debi showing Chandler around their home. She loved getting to know all of their pets too! I do believe Chandler will be HUGE animal lover just like her Auntie Debi and Cousin Erykah.

Kevin and Kyle make Chandler laugh BIG TIME! This jumpy seat used to be theirs when they were babies. They gave it to Chandler and she just loves it but I think she wishes the boys were here each day to bounce her around and make funny faces with her.

Chandler loved playing with the Johnson and Helms "big kids" and as you can see, she really warmed up to Jessie Johnson.

Clowning around with Uncle Chad while his mom and grandmother cheer them on.

Great Grandmother Taylor loves Little Channie and Channie loves her too!!

Our first 10 days together in the USA!!

Our first visit to the neighborhood playground. Chandler loved it!


Our visit to my work was simply exhausting!

Patiently waiting in the waiting room for her first doctor's appointment

Gotta love a good bath!

Gymboree Music Class ... she loved the big drum

I cried when I saw her little name tag... how cute!

Let's eat!

What a fun first week back in the U.S.A.!! We've both recovered from the jet lag and our colds and are enjoying spending time with friends this week. My laptop crashed just a few days after we returned home so please forgive me for the lack of updates. I'm using my old trusty desktop so this may take a while but we'll eventually get this posted.

Unfortunately, Nana left to go back to NY last Tuesday. It was a sad morning for us all but we can't wait to see her soon when we fly up for a visit in just a few weeks. After we dropped Nana off at the airport we headed Uptown for Chandler's first doctor's visit. She did great and especially loved playing in the waiting room. She even did well with the nurse who weighed and measured her. Dr. Walker has three children of her own who were adopted from Russia and she specializes in internationally adopted patients. She said Chandler's development and health is "just perfect"! Honest, she really said that!! :) She said she's attached to me very well and appears to be in great health. Chandler endured one quick shot like a champ and then we were off for a fun mommy-daughter afternoon. We stopped at Bojangles for lunch since it was close to the doctor's office and Chandler absolutely loved it. She couldn't get enough of the egg sandwich and mac and cheese. The doctor said to let her try all kinds of foods so I did just that. She is quite the eater and so far the only thing she won't eat is cottage cheese. Nana was sure she'd love it since Yvonne and I did as babies, but no such luck. Apparently she takes after her Grampie with that one since he won't touch it either! We seem to make new friends everywhere we go and our Bojangles visit was no different. We met the nicest couple there who enjoyed Chandler and she them. They have two children who are 16 and 23 and they loved telling stories of parenthood. They gave me some wonderful advice that I will always remember, they said "Don't worry what people say about spoiling her too much.... just love her with all your heart." I loved hearing that since I struggle with even setting her down at times. :)

The next day we visited my work for several hours. Chandler loved all the ladies fussing over her and after a while even let a few hold her. She was very proud for the opportunity to show off her crawling and almost-walking talents as well as her patty cake and waving gestures. It was so much fun she had to stop for a quick nap to recharge while we were there. I work with a great bunch of folks that were truly so excited to meet her. After our work visit we headed back Uptown to the hospital for her blood work. Booooooo! That was no fun at all. It broke my heart to see the terror on her face when they started but she was a champ once again through it all. By the last vial she just gave up crying and went back to sucking her thumb. When we left the nurse said to me, "Ah, you are crying too!" Whew! So glad that's over.

We spent the rest of last week visiting with friends and getting out and about. This week has been no different. Yesterday Chandler even helped me mow the yard. She had a blast sitting in the front carrier with her ear plugs and shades. I've never had so much fun doing yard work in my life! On Tuesday Chandler attended her first Gymboree music and play class. She loved all the different instruments and the other babies too. We're going back next week for the gym class which should be fun too. She really loves playing with other kids big and small. Last week we stopped by her daycare to visit. They were so wonderful to her and introduced her to all of her future classmates and teachers. Chandler would have stayed all day if I'd let her. And at church on Sunday I had nursery duty so I requested to be in her age group so we could be together. Truth be told I think Chandler would have done fine without me but I would have cried terribly! She loved it there too and is quickly learning the art of sharing.

As you can see, I'm truly treasuring these few weeks I have to spend with her before I go back to work. I'm having the time of my life and I hope she would say the same. 'Til next time....

Our first week back in the U.S.A. ~ We're having a blast!

No time for commentary.... we're off for another day of fun and adventure. I'll try to write at nap time. Here are a few pictures of visits with more dear friends this week....

Uncle Chad and Chandler sharing some cheerios. Chandler loves this silly guy!!

Auntie Nic and Chandler getting to know each other over a drink!

Our dear friends Al and Lisa Violanti's stopped over on Saturday to meet Chandler. She loved her new dolly and visiting with them. We can't wait for them to come back soon and bring their precious 3 yr old granddaughter Nyla.

Jeanne and Riley stopped over too! Riley was adopted from China in March and has the best mommy ever.... Jeanne. We love hanging out with them and its obvious Chandler and Riley will be the best of friends.

Chandler sure loves her Auntie Kelly. Kelly is the one who picked us up at the airport at 4am. Chandler sure knows a good friend when she sees one!

Go Carolina Panthers!! Thanks to this beautiful cheering squad, they won!!


Riley and Chandler anticipating a good dinner at Qdoba! More food, more food, more food!!

A special visit from Auntie Jen who traveled from Richmod, Virgina. We can't wait to see her again soon.

We're back in the U.S.A. ~ Welcome HOME Chandler

We made it. Our last week in China was wonderful. We just loved the city of Guangzhou and I promise to share a lot more pictures soon. I apologize but we did not use the Internet at our hotel in Guangzhou and thus I didn't update the blog. After a VERY long trip we finally arrived back in the Carolinas at 3am on Friday morning. Unfortunately, our flight from Chicago was delayed several hours due to Hurricane Gustav so we weren't able to meet our friends and family at the airport as planned. My dear friend Kelly was so kind to wait all night for our call that we had finally landed so she could come and pick us up. Chandler was sooooo happy to meet her new Auntie Kelly. Kelly met us with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and had decorated the front of our house with a giant bunch of balloons. We were also thrilled to arrive home to this stork statue with a darling little Asian baby in tow. How cute! This was delivered from the local chapter of Families with Children From China. I just joined this group right before we left for China so it was such a pleasant surprise that they would do this for us. So the ride home in the car was new for Chandler. After Auntie Kelly and I figured out how to get her strapped in her new seat, we were headed home. Since Chandler spent the last two weeks on my lap on the buses and planes, this car seat thing was very restraining to her and not very fun. Luckily Auntie Kelly was chauffeuring us so I could play and sing songs on the drive. This should be fun next week when I'm on my own and Chandler is strapped in the back seat with no one to entertain her. Yikes!

We played for a bit when we got home and then Auntie Kelly and Nana went to sleep while Chandler and I played in her new room. We're all struggling a bit getting back on schedule but hopefully within a few days we'll be ready to roll. Last night we had a special visit from the Prescott Family. Chandler loved playing with the kids and her Auntie Debi. They made this darling "Welcome Home Chandler" poster. As you can see from the pictures, Chandler LOVES the Prescotts and can't wait to see them again soon.

As for Chandler's mommy, she's very sleepy so will finish now and post more later. These past few weeks have been a dream come to true for me. I just love this little pumpkin with all of my heart and am so grateful for all of the beautiful emails and posts we've received from friends and family near and far. Chandler is looking forward to meeting you all!! Good night!