Steps for Sofie

I wanted to do a post on all the new things Sofie has been doing. She really is growing so much everyday. Last week we started a Mommy and Me gymnastics class which went pretty well. I'm a stickler for following directions(dah, I'm a teacher) so we had a couple battle of the wills about staying with the group and only doing what you're told. That of course was made more difficult by the children whose parents DON'T make them stay with the group and let them wander off. Seriously people, if your child cannot follow directions and stay with the group when you are with them one on one, then how will they follow directions in a group of 24 with one teacher? I'll get off my soapbox. My battles paid off though because this week Sof went right in, knew what to do, followed the teacher, and had a great time! She really needs the gross motor developement and it gives us something to do together.

The other exciting/frustrating thing is her language. She has lots of words she repeats and points to things in books while saying them, but it is so babyish! It is no surprise that her language is delayed, it's just troublesome how much. The exciting part is that she has been showing her age by making some pretty big connections. The other day she was looking at a picture from one of our visits to the baby home. She kept pointing to her head in the picture, and I knew she wanted to say something. Finally she pointed to her head in real life and said "Bow?"! She was trying to figure out why she didn't have a bow in the picture! Also, one morning at breakfast she put her foot on my leg, pointed to her toes and then my bathroom. She was trying to tell me that Alexa had been painting toenails in my bathroom the night before while I was gone. It's so great to see her wanting to share with us. I can't wait for her to get the language to do it!
That leads me to the other thing she's been communicating...potty. She points to her diaper everytime she is going to go to the bathroom, and sometimes even gets me a diaper. That leads to the obvious, she is ready to potty train(actually I think she already is I just have to let her do it). "What's the problem?", you ask. The problem is diapers are easy and mom really doesn't feel like visiting every bathroom in the county right now. Don't worry, I bought a potty chair and she already went in it today. I'm not that lazy!
All in all we're so pleased with the progress Sof is showing. We think she is amazingly smart and delightful...most the time. Her new found independance also makes for some challenging times. She is into everything! Not interested in her real toys, just opening cupboards and drawers. I suspect this phase will also pass quickly, but for now it's a pain! I remember when my girlfriend and husband adopted their 3 year old from China, he went through all the phases our biological kids did, but really fast! You have to remember that it is good for them to go back and experience all the phases of discovery that biological children do throughout infancy. I am seeing this with Sof, and trying to bear through the more frustrating ones! She also does not eat anything that resembles dinnertime food. Meat, veggies, noodles, and rice all OUT! She used to eat these things, but now knows there is a cupboard that Mommy can get something else out of. So, we have had a couple go to bed without dinner nights. All challenges that come with raising children, and all things that will pass:)

Daddy let her taste some cake batter while she was busy taking everything out of the kitchen cupboards!

Now another humorous story about Alexa. If you are super sensitive about adoption correct terms you may not find it funny, but out of the mouth of babes...
Alexa was making a Mother's Day gift at Brownies and had to write why she loved me. The girl next to her said, "Why don't you write I love my mom because she bought me a baby sister". Alexa looked at her very annoyed, and the troop leader thought she was really going to set the record straight. Alexa rolled her eyes and said, "My dad paid for that too!".