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It is a great wonde r that Maggie was even born considering the option s for pregnant woman in China. It is a great wonder that Maggie was found alive by a police man, just after she was born, on the side of a road. It is a great wonder that she survived fourteen months in a poor orphanage, confined to a baby bed and silence. It is a great wonder we were able to complete the mountains of paperwork and red tape to fly half way around the world and enter a Communist country to bring home Maggie. It is a great wonder that Maggie is doing so amazing just one year after she was first placed in our arms. Give thanks to the Lord of Lords, to Him who alone does Great Wonders.            Psalm 136:3-4

I started showing Maggie what a circle was a while back.  Whenever I saw something that was in the shape of a circle, I would tell her " that's a circle" and make a big deal about it.  Then, I moved onto showing her what a square was.  For Christmas, I got Maggie a short board book about shapes and we have been reading it everyday (about three times a day or more). She loves it ! Now, she knows all her shapes.  Yep, even the odd ones like arrow, oval, rectangle and diamonds.  She can't say them ,but when I ask her where a certain shape is she points to it.   Crazy Amazing if you ask me !!! You see, I honestly didn't know what Maggie was capable of when we first got home from china.  I wondered if she would just lay on the floor and look at her hands all her life.  It is a horrible thought to have, I know.  And, if she would have laid on the floor and looked at her hands all her life, we would have loved her all the same.  We just didn't know.  We took each da

I have been incredibly busy lately with school, speech therapy and all the other stuff that keeps our family running smoothly. But, knowing that a beach trip is coming soon sure does help make it all better ! I am working on a post about my favorite sewing patterns, fabrics and sewing tips.  It was almost complete and the Blogger decided to not save my post.  So, as soon as I get some more time I will finish it.  Also, Maggie is doing and saying so much now it is hard to keep up with her.  I will post an update soon.  We continue to be amazed !!

We had Black eye peas, bar bq, sweet potatoes, and sweet tea for New Years dinner.   Chuck cooked it all and it was so very good !   (We like ketchup on our peas) We got Maggie the Loving Family doll house for Christmas and she loves it !   It is the cutest doll house and the furniture is so fun.   Maggie loves to put the baby in the red wagon and pull it around. The baby swing is adorable too !   She also loves to put the loving family daddy in a chair and have him sit at the kitchen table and eat.   Maggie signs "eat" to the daddy.  Hmmm.... Someone left a box of Crackers out in the living room.   Maggie thought it would be fun to spread them out all over the floor and dance on top of them. Maggie's little hands holding her bottle.   So sweet.

 I decided to cut Maggie's hair last night.  It was getting a little out of hand and mullet looking in the back.  So, instead of taking her to a salon, I thought I would try to cut it myself.  It can't be too hard, right ? Having NO idea what I am doing and feeling like an eight year old girl cutting her dolls hair, I just started cutting.  It was a little scary at first and I had a moment of " what have I done ?" Then, slowly, it started actually looking like a real hair cut !!!  Maggie did great and she watched her favorite video - signing time-while I cut away at her hair.   I think it turned out really cute.   Before After

Mandarin House ( Maggie's Gotcha Day Celebration)

I think all the Christmas traveling and festivities has upset Maggie big time.  Her schedule has been disrupted and she has taken a step backward into the Velcro Baby phase.  She was doing so good before December and I was seeing a big improvement in her clinging to me.  But, she is back to her " I want Mommy all the time, won't let me put her down and have to see Mommy's face and sit in her lap to play".   So, of course Maggie needs me.  She needs to know I am there for her and needs to have that time with me.  It is just a part of her healing emotionally.  And, she is emotionally delayed due to her institutional background. and can not always deal with things like separation.  She's also a typical two year old and a tiny bit spoiled. I have lots to write about and share and have been wanting to post about our Christmas and how much Maggie loves her doll house and the boys love their soft blankets and Auburn shirts, about how wonderful our gotcha day celebration