Monday, March 15, 2010

Happy 16 Months LL AND Happy 9 Months Home!! (and a shout out for a friend)

Wow, I can't believe that my LL is 16 Months old TODAY!! She has become such a toddler over night!! I don't know where the time has gone!! This also means that we've had Lucy Lane for 9 Months today!! It truly feels like she has always been with us....I can't remember the days with out her!!! Here is your monthly update on LL:

*LL is still a complete HAM!! She is very outgoing and funny with us...yet scared of strangers and 99.9% of the time wont' allow anyone to hold her BESIDES me or daddy!!

*LL is still a great eater and will eat almost anything you put in front of her!!

** LL LOVES our attention...and would seriously do just about anything to get the whole family laughing and staring at her!! She has realized that WE ALL think she is pretty cute, therefore, she performs for us ALL THE TIME!!

**Oh, those LL faces...She is completely animated!! The girl can make any face on demand and crack her self up doing it...She is simply FUNNY!!

**LL is also VERY dramatic over EVERYTHING!! She can make the worst face at you of disgust for NOT giving her exactly WHAT she wanted WHEN she wanted it!! She has that spoiled American Toddler thing down REALLY WELL!! We call her FEISTY and SASSY!! :) She truly makes us laugh at HOW mad she can get when you take something away from her (you know, like a dangerous knife from the dishwasher or something :) She is NOT afraid to GO AFTER what she wants!! She is determined!!! :)

**LL is SOOO affectionate and sweet with us!! She is a love bear, a cuddle bear and seriously would LIVE on my hip if I let her (or didn't have 4 other kids)...She LOVES her Momma and I LOVE IT!! :)

****My thoughts on ADOPTION after 9 months: Well, I wish I had something "negative" to say to SOUND more believable...BUT....we seriously think this has been the easiest thing we've EVER DONE!! Now "the wait" was excruciating...but LL in my arms for 9 months has been heavenly!! We praise God for HOW NORMAL she is!! She is seriously a normal and happy baby girl, and she is mostly easy and easy going too!! I completely understand that EVERY child is different whether birthed or adopted, AND every family unit is different too...so mesh all that together and you get LOTS of different outcomes...BUT FOR US....LL coming into our family has been a breeze!! I just attached her to my body and NEVER put her down...simply that!! :) We bonded quickly and the entire family is BETTER because of our adoption of LL!! We are stronger in faith, stronger in our love for one another, and completely changed forever because of the LOVE and RESPECT we now have for another culture and country!! I'll forever PRAISE GOD and thank HIM for laying this on our heart!! To think I could have missed out on it MAKES ME WANT TO CRY!! :)

AND...I'll end tonight with a few pics of LL's latest happenings:

My crazy girl LOVES wearing our mixing bowls on her head...She seriously tries to walk around with them on her head and walks right into the cabinets!! She thinks she is so funny!!





LL loves staring at her self in the mirror...she'll even make faces at herself...ABOVE, she is saying, "Well , hey there Good Lookin!! " And, she can't resist kissing herself...She is quite the FAN of herself!! :)

And, LL is adventurous and into CLIMBING on everything!! The girl is hilarious and we are so thankful for this precious little Angel...even if I'm chasing her everywhere and saving her life about 10X a day from climbing on top of high objects :) !!
**Happy 16 Months LL and Happy 9 Months home!! We love you SOOO much!!!
Happy Monday to you all, kj
PS...A big shout out to my long time church friend Stephanie who is trying to raise money through our church's "pay it forward" campaign!! Her hubby is a college basketball coach...so how fitting that she'd raise money through a College Basketball Bracket...You can check it out here : www.hopethruhoops.blogspot.com ALL PROCEEDS go to support orphans in the Dominican Republic!! Way to go Stephanie...you're speaking right to my heart!! :)

18 comments:

  1. Ok. Seriously LOVE that picture of LL kissing herself in the mirror! Such a lil diva! =) I love to hear about your happy ending!

    Today just seems like such a hard day. Wanting my angel to be home and knowing its so far away. My adoption blogs are a lifesaver today! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. the mixing bowls on the head crack me up. so glad your family is all together!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Happy 16 months beautiful little girl! Love the pics of her in the kitchen!

    p.s. I am sending you an email about something that I would LOVE for you to share since I know you have so many faithful followers!

    ~April :0)

    ReplyDelete
  4. your Lucy and my Zoe could get together and cause mass destruction I am sure, haha! Zoe thinks she's pretty hilarious too, must be in the Ethiopian blood! Love her wearing the bowls!! PRAYING HARD about going on your sister's trip this summer and working out the possiblity/details with my hubby-eeeek!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I feel the same way you do about our adoption. Our little boy attached to us immediately (and he was 2 1/2 when we got him!), and it has been so natural having him in our family. We are continually amazed at God placing this child in our family. He fits so perfectly; our friends ask us, "Are you sure he's not biologically yours?" (Of course, he's Chinese and we are not, so we all have a little laugh.)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow! 16 months already! It's so wonderful that LL was the perfect fit into your family. I'm always amazed at how much better families are off after adoption. You all seem completely in love with the newest family member. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I can't believe you have all been together for nine months! In addition to becoming a beautiful family, you have done so much in the past nine months for orphan care and adoption awareness! Keep up the great work - what a blessing!

    ReplyDelete
  8. It should be illegal to be that stinkin cute!!! =) I'm in love with her little chubby rolls and her growing hair. :) Yummy little thing!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Haha! Lucy Lane is SO hilarious! Congrats 9 months home!

    p.s. I leave for Africa in 9 months (still praying about how long GOD is telling me to stay there). This makes the excrutiating wait not seem SO long :))

    ReplyDelete
  10. Another precious post of your beloved and sassy girl!
    Cannot wait to get my hands on her again this summer!
    Love & Blessings from Hong Kong,
    Kim

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Kristi,
    My husband and I are in the beginning stages of adopting a baby boy from Ethiopia. I just want you to know that I love reading your blog, amongst many others for encouragement, and an awesome reminder of the sweet gift that awaits us!

    ReplyDelete
  12. How precious!! She gets cuter with each new post of pictures!

    ReplyDelete
  13. She is so funny! Her personality just cracks me up.
    Blessings,
    Amy

    ReplyDelete
  14. thanks for the shout out, Kristi! Keep the brackets coming and we'll sponsor an orphan for a year in the DR!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wonderful and positive post. Thank you for sharing your experience. I got a comment from another adoptee, i may forward it to you and would like your opinion of what you think. I have not published it yet and may not. Check your mail tomarrow sometime. I love adoption and believe if people have room in their hearts for one more then go for it. God takes care of the details if we trust him.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Love reading your blog. Happy 16 months LL!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I am cracking up at Ella Kate, my two year old talking to your pictures saying: "Hey Loo-cy!" (in her two year old little way of saying Lucy) and then seeing the mirror pictures saying: "Hey look, two Loo-cies!"

    I LOVE the mixing bowl pictures! I wish you lived closer because we would have to sign Lucy Lane up in Ella Kate's dance class. Her tap song is "Mama's Little Baby Loves Shortnin' Bread" and the girls are holding mixing bowls and wooden spoons. It is one of those times as the teacher that I don't know what I was thinking-----especially when I turn around to a class of two year olds with bowls on their heads, or on their faces, or licking their spoons the entire time the song is playing. But there is no doubt in my mind that they will be a crowd pleaser!!!

    My family loves hearing about your family and seeing all the pictures of your children! Thanks for sharing with us!!!

    Have a GREAT Thursday!!!
    Shalita

    ReplyDelete
  18. i stumbled here from somewhere! i really enjoy your blog and what a great family! i love having a big family...i wish i would have had one growing up. i'm just pryaing that my kids enjoy the chaos!!

    this was an encouragement to hear about your adoption! we have 3 bio and brought home our 3 year old daughter from china last year. it was by FAR the hardest thing we've ever done. it stretched us unbelieveably.

    we are on our feet again and now we are praying about doing it again. i'm slowly making my way into the adoption circle of blogs again...dangerous for me....my old passions are being rekindled:)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your kind words!!