Florida Fun!

We recently went to the beautiful Sanibel Island to celebrate Brigit's cousin Sam's graduation from High School - Congrats Sam!
BIG THANKS to Aunt Marianne (Goo Goo)and Uncle Paul for everything. You guys are the Best!
We had a great time and believe it or not Dave actually got on a plane!
A lot of help from his Doctor was needed but he made it.
Anyway, here are a few pictures of the trip.

One Year Ago ......

One year ago, i was driving on Route 3 North, heading to a client site. My cell phone rings, i answer it and it is my adoption agency.

My life has changed forever.

We are the proud parents of a baby girl. Her name is Guo Yuan Fen and she was just 8 months old.

I remember that day so vividly. I remember almost driving off the highway into the breakdown lane. Thinking better of it, i asked if i could call her back and got off the highway and found a ramdom parking lot.

I remember desperately looking for a pen and a piece of paper in my briefcase.

I remember shaking as i am writing down all her information. Her name is Guo Yuan Fen, she is 8 months old, from Guixi, Jianxi Province in China. Her birthday is September 3, 2006.

I remember calling Dave and praying i had enough battery life on my cell phone to tell him everything. (no car charger)

I remember calling my Aunt Marianne and telling her the good news and to pack her bags.

I remembered I was on my way to a client for a meeting and was already a half hour late. I called him to let him know I just had a baby on the highway and i would be there shortly. (I also remember the silence on the other end as he tried to compute what i just said)

I remember my cell phone battery dying and knowing i would have a long drive home. I cranked the music, sang, laughed and cried all the way home.

I remember hugging and kissing Dave and being the happiest i have been in a long time.

Happy Referral Day China 138.

By the way - I also remember the day was actually May 1, 2007, but forgot to blog yesterday. See how things change when you have a baby.

Referral Picture #1



Referral Picture #2



Katy today (Runny nose and all)

Crazy March

I have not been a very good blogger this month. I am trying to cram in all our happenings in at the end of the month.


Katy has had her 18 month old check up and she is doing great. She is finally 20.6 lbs. and 30 inches tall. She is walking around like crazy, and also running. Still needs to work on her stopping. She is trying to say more words. As far as i can make out she says "more please", "all done", "shoes", and we even heard her say the dreaded "No".

We had a bit of a freak out tonite though. Katy was in her crib asleep (or so we thought), Dave and I were watching our favorite monday night shows. All of a sudden Katy comes walking around the corner and into the living room with a big smile on her face. We both jumped up and yelled. It was the most bizarre thing.

Well it turns out, i must have forgotten to lift the side of the crib up and low and behold, she climbed out.

We have been quite busy this month. Between birthday parties, Easter, St. Patricks day, and just plain life, this month has been a whirl wind.

Here are a few hightlights, with some pictures:

Fun at Chuck E Cheese with her "China Sisters"





You are getting very sleepy.....






Happy Easter....

Do you like Katy's new shoes?

Katy is becoming quite the comedian. She loves to make people laugh. Especially her mommy and daddy.

My girl is a shoe and handbag girl. She loves her shoes. She is usually fighting me when i am trying to get her dressed, but all i have to say is "can we put on your shoes", and she sits down with her feet ready.

Well she was looking around the house and found the newest fashion in bootwear. What do you think? I especially love the "after dinner belly" sticking out.

Our Baby is 18 Months Old Today !!!!

Katy turned 18 months old today. I can't believe how much she has grown in the last few months.

Some of her highlights:

--Walking
--Running - still can't stop very well.
--Says a few words (Baby, Mama, Dada, Hi, All Done)
--Peed in her new potty
--Finally fitting into 12 months clothes
--Loves to play with her babies
--Loves books
--Loves applesauce

We are so looking forward to spring and summer this year. I can't wait to introduce her to the beach, swimming, the zoo, Ice cream at Kimball's, and everything else summer brings with it.

She is growing so fast, and it only keeps getting better and better.

We love you baby,
Love Mommy and Daddy

Happy Chinese New Year - Year of the Rat

What a wonderful day we had for Chinese New Year. We went to our good friends/neighbors house to celebrate TET New Year. They adopted two girls from Vietnam, and we have celebrated with them for the last few years. It was so great to be there, finally, with our Katy.

Then we went out to dinner with two of our China families. The restaurant, food and company were spectacular. The restaurant staff was so excited to meet our girls. They all came out to meet us. They had lots of questions about the girls.

We look forward to many more celebrations with our friends over the years.

The Pats ;( Sledding and Bath Time Fun

We can't believe they lost. At least the Red Sox play their first exhibition game in 3 short weeks!

Sledding in the Back Yard!

Tubby Time! Why are you messing with my hair!!??

Go Pats !!!!

It is just about 5.5 hours until Kick off. We have our Patriots Sweatshirts, food has been bought and ready to be cooked, and now we can relax and watch the game.

Go Patriots...Let's make it 19-0

China 138 Reunion Party

Patriots Party this weekend

This Sunday we hosted a little party for the Patriots big game with San Diego, and Katy had her friend, Gemma, over for a playdate. This is her "China Sister" who came home the same day as she did. It is great to see how much the girls have grown over the last 6 months. They are even starting to play with each other a little more each time they see each other.

Here are a few pictures of the girls.

Gemma, we loved your Pats outfit. You gotta love a girl who dresses for a party.

Katy and her Friend

My First Christmas Home

We had such a wonderful Christmas with our little girl. She was such a joy and a trooper with all the activities. I hope she was happy with all she got from Santa, and Mommy and Daddy. I know i got what I wanted.

Here are a few pictures from our holiday:

Where does the time go....

I just realized we have been home for 5 months today. I can't believe we have only been together for 5 months. It feels like forever.

It has been the best 5 months of my life. Dave and I are completely in love with this little girl. She makes everything happier, more exciting, and funny. I have loved introducing her to new things.

Today it started to snow and we ran to the local store after I picked her up from daycare. When we got out of the car, Katy just looked up at the sky and started to laugh. She held out her hands to feel the snow landing on her hands. It has been a long time since I have seen such excitement and wonder at something so ordinary as a snowstorm.

I have posted some pictures of back 5 months ago, and some new pictures of our Katy now.

Some of her milestones:
-She is walking. Her balance has gotten so good. She loves to walk around and look at everything
-She is saying a few words, such as, Baby, DaDa, Hi, Mama
-She is feeding herself. She can work the spoon and fork very well. Almost all the food makes it to her mouth
-No more bottles. She is a sippy cup girl now
-No more formula. She has not had any for at least a month now. Just water and milk
-We are about a half a pound from turning her car seat around. She weighed in at 19.5 pounds last week.
-She loves her shoes and handbags. She found this little handbag someone gave her and started to put her toys in. She then walked around the house with it. That is a girl after my own heart.
-She is starting to interact with other kids when playing

These are a few of her accomplishments so far.

Dave, Katy and I are gearing up for our first Christmas as a family of three. We will report all of the days events next week.

July 19, 2007







December 2007

First Snowstorm!

Hi everyone.
Here's a few pictures of Katy enjoying her first snowstorm.
Thanks to Linda for the great snowsuit....Katy loves it!

Katy's First Trip to Chuck E Cheese

Today I took Katy to Chuck E Cheese to meet my sister and her kids. We had such a fun time. Katy loved it. I was glad they had some toddler rides, which she rode. I think she was a little overwhelmed at first, but once we found her favorite ride she didn't want to get off.

Here are a few pictures from our day:

Happy Birthday Daddy !!!!!

I wanted to wish my Daddy a big Happy Birthday!!!

You are the most wonderful Daddy and I love you very much.

I am sorry we are all sick with colds on your birthday, but just having us all together makes me feel good. I promise I will "sleep like a baby" tonite so you can get some sleep to.

I love you, and Mommy loves you too.

Love Katy

Katy over the last 4 months!

Here's a slide show of Katy since the beginning of July.
It's truly amazing how far she's come in such a short period.
We hope you enjoy!

Click the X to minimize the U2 video.