Wow...the last few months have flown by. It seems like just yesterday that we got Bailey but it was actually almost three months ago! She is doing amazingly well and fits in our family like a glove. She is very smart, funny, sweet and loving. It is obvious that her foster family took very good care of her and that she was well loved.
Bailey's new favorite word is "WHY". I know it is a stage and it will pass but for now I probably hear her ask "WHY" about fifty times a day. Bailey's engligh is really coming along. Just the other day as I was dressing her she looked down at her shirt and said "Oh...boo-t-full". She is now singing her ABCs and several VBS songs as well as the Kidz Bob version of "Girls Just Want To Have Fun". She just started Mother's Day Out two mornings a week and she loves it! She is always a little weepy when I drop her off but she is so excited to show me what she made when I go to pick her up. She loves going to church and is even attending Sunday School class by herself. She loves to play outside and loves to watch cartoons. She is a true joy and we couldn't be happier about our decision to adopt again.
Like all kids, our kids know that if they hear their first and middle names they are in trouble. Well, recently Brea got in trouble for something and when I called her name (Breann Grace Xiaomin) Bailey immediately caught that Brea to has a chinese name and she has been calling her Xiaomin ever since! Of course when I ask her if her name is "Huanying" she says "NO, me Baywee". Too funny!
We are going through some growing pains and still learning about each other so not every moment of every day is sunshine and roses. Just the other night I saw Bailey take something away from Brea (it is usually the other way around) and I asked her to give it back. She gave it back but immediately began to scream at the top of her lungs. It was after 7:00 and she was getting sleepy so I decided that we'd go ahead with bath time and I'd get her and Brea ready for bed. When I picked her up she THREW herself backwards and started screaming, kicking, pinching, hitting and spitting! She looked like something from a scary movie and I really started to wonder if her little head was going to spin around! I sat her on her bed to calm down while I got her pjs out and she started kicking the wall and throwing everything off her bed...pillows, comforter, sheets, etc. When she was done with that she reached for the lamp on the dresser and I decided it was time to pick her up again...big mistake! I became the target and trust me...this kid packs a pretty powerful punch!!! I then decided that it was time for ME to clear the dresser and let her scream it out on her bare bed. After about 3 or 4 minutes of alone time she calmed down and started calling for me in the sweetest little voice. Needless to say, she has ideas of her own and has no problem letting us know when she isn't happy! Now we need to work on a less destructive and abusive way of her expressing herself.
Another first for Bailey was attending our friend Marina's birthday party! You should have seen her eyes when the coolers of shrimp, corn and taters were dumped on the tables outside! She didn't know what to think. She was reluctant to try anything but we finally coaxed her into eating a shrimp. The spices were a bit much for her (even though it was very mild) so it might take some time to get her accustomed to a good old fashioned Louisiana crawfish and shrimp boil but she'll come around. I have to say that it was one of the sweetest birthday parties I've ever attended. Marina's dad made a surprise visit from Russia and his toast to his daughter put tears in many eyes that night. He is such a neat guy and it leaves me wondering why God made our oceans so big.
Here are a few new photos taken over the last week or two. Enjoy!!!
