Geez- did you all think I fell off the edge of the planet? I haven't but we have been VERY busy.
We have had an absolutely great summer and fall. Mike is loving his new job, the girls are growing and thriving. Meina had been such an amazing little girl! Her willingness to trust us and let us love her is simply amazing. Everyday we see more of her personality and what a personality it is! So today's post will be about what I love to "talk" about most- MY GIRLS!
First off, Ramzie is doing so well in school. She comes home everyday laughing with a fun story to tell. She has a great and involved teacher which we are sooooo grateful for. I cannot believe the change in her maturity level in this short amount of time..... Boo hoo she is growing too fast! She has made some new friends and seems to have a new confidence that I am so proud of. She has also resumed her gymnastics classes. She has decided not to return to dance this year, but wants to try some of the YMCA programs this winter. She has been on three field trips with school- one to the fire station, one to the pumpkin patch and one to a local theater to watch a play. She loves to go to plays! Last winter we went to a production of Annie and for this winter, we have The Wizard of OZ tickets already purchased.
She has decided that she is going to be Glenda (the good witch) for Halloween this year. We found the costume at the Cracker Barrel gift shop of all places! To sum it up for Ramz- she is doing really well and THRIVING as a big sister.
Meina has also had a busy and fun-filled few months. She is getting to do quite a few firsts with us. First trip to the Zoo, first trip to Oma and Opa's, and first activity group- she is taking music (and loves it), and last Thursday she had her first trip to the pumpkin patch.
She is growing and fast! She is now 32" tall and 23 lbs. That puts her in the 75th percentile for height and 45th for weight. She will eat just about anything. The two things she is not fond of are bell pepper and lettuce. Her vocabulary is starting to expand. She has the beginning of many many words and says mama, dada, please, yes, no, ball, bus, more, Ram (Ramzie), up, down apple, green, and hungry pretty clear. She will also hold up 1 finger and say "one" when we ask her how old she is. We had her evaluated by EI (early intervention) for our post placement visit and she did very well overall and most areas she scored at 20+ months!
Not bad for a little one who could not pull herself up or crawl 5 months ago!
We have continued to keep contact with the orphanage and Meina's foster family. They are so happy to get updates from us each month.
Personality wise, we are still figuring her out. She is an extremely easy going girl most of the time. She is sweet and sensitive (we barely have to look at her cross and she melts) and really funny. She is falling into the "baby of the family" role well and can sometimes be a pill to her sister if she wants what Ramzie has. She will be a Bumble Bee for Halloween.
As you can tell by the pictures, she still will not smile for the camera- but I promise she is a really happy kid.
As for Mike and I we are both busy enjoying these two sweet girls we are blessed to raise.
Joanie
