Together Again!

The Bund in Shanghai from the Huangpu River


Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai from the Huangpu River


Thank you for the gift Melissa! Hand made in China!


I love to eat!


Welcome Home Daddy!


Wheelbarrow rides with cousin Caitlin

Riding with the cousins and watching DVD's

I love water! And cry endlessly when I have to get out!

I am so cute!

Bubbles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Center of Attention at Grandma Jeannie's House

Rough Housing with the Cousins

Our apologies for the long delay in posting. Pam and Angelina arrived in Phoenix on Feb 13th and I arrived from China in Phoenix on Valentine's Day to a warm welcome back to the US. 6 weeks is a long time to be away from your family and I was thrilled to see them both. Phoenix was our first stop in our US tour to introduce Angelina to family and friends. We split our time in Phoenix between my parents and my sister Lori's house. Angelina loved meeting her cousin's for the first time and adjusted well to her new surroundings and family members.

On Sunday, Feb 18th, Lori held an open house for Angelina so family and friends could meet her for the first time - thanks Lori! It was a wonderful day and we were able to see so many of our friends that supported us and commented on the blog while we were in Ukraine. Angelina ate the attention up and there was no doubt she understood that she WAS the center of attention. Thanks to everyone that attended our open house and made this a special day for us.

Pam has done so many wonderful things with Angelina while I was away....keeping me fresh in her mind with pictures and discussion, teaching her so many new english words and teaching her to count to 10! She can count to 10 and has even started counting ahead.....when we say 2 she says 3 and skips 4 to say 5. My favorite number she recites is 7 - she says "neven." Within a couple of days of my return I taught her to count to ten in Mandarin and other than some work on tone clarity she has that down also!

We are now in Chicago with Pam's family and on the second leg of our tour that will take us to Iowa in couple of days to see more family and friends. Stay tuned!!

Grandma Jeanie's in the House!!

After months of anticipation Grandma Jeanie finally gets to meet her Granddaughter "Miss Angelina". Jean(Brian's Mom) says "She's just so sweet". Well I have to say I agree.
The week started out on a positive note with Angelina sleeping in her room and in her own bed, she had been sleeping in our bed and I was sure that it would take weeks to make the transition. Turns out it only took a few days and I am so very proud of my sweet girl. On Tuesday Jean flew in about noon and we spent the rest of the day doting over Angelina. On Wednesday we laid around and watched video's of Angelina all morning and Grandma was able to get a better understanding of Angelina's day's at the orphanage. Wednesday night Angelina was not in the best mood and she didn't eat very much dinner(which is odd) so she went to bed a little early. On Thursday Jean gave me a break and I went out on my own. I got a hair cut, ran some errands and I must say it was nice to get out on my own for a few hours. The girls had fun while I was gone and when I returned home she had just finished lunch and was ready for a nap. Ahhhh the whole morning to myself, I was even able to take a long enough shower to shave my legs!! On Friday Uncle Mike & Aunt Virgina came over for a visit, Grandma Made Valentine cookies and we all had dinner together. We could tell that Angelina had remembered Mike & Virgina from previous visits and was glad to see them again. All & all a good week and this weekend we will celebrate Aunt Virgina's 30th birthday.
Before I close I thought I would ask Grandma to add a few words about her visit, Take care and thanks for checking in.
Pamela & Angelina

Of course all grandmothers love to brag about their grandchildren(and I have three nearly perfect .ones), but I can truthfully say that Angelina is extraordinary. It is so hard to believe that two months ago she was in an orphanage in the Ukraine when you see her in Brian and Pam's home today. She absolutely tries to say any English word you ask her. She understands so many words in children's books that Pam has gone over with her. She nearly always has a smile on her face (esp. at mealtime and when she is ready to give hugs and kisses). Since I met her early afternoon on Tuesday, I have probably had at least 40-50 hugs and kisses per day. Wow, Grandpa Joe is in for some competition.

I have enjoyed my time alone with her and Pam was indeed worthy of some free time. 24x7 with a toddler alone can make for some long hours. On Thursday, when Pam was gone three hours, Angelina really did not cry when she realized Pam was gone. I just told her Mama went to get her hair cut and besides I followed up with..."do you want to go outside and play?" Today I decided I would take her for a stroller ride over to Riteaid to run an errand and Pam was going to do some things at the house. Well, this time I am sure the neighbors were thinking about calling the cops as she wailed for the first block and then just settled down quietly when I sang her Hush Little Baby. Most of you who know me know my vocal skills are limited but she seemed to like it. She was all smiles after another block. Of course Grandma had to buy her a color book too.

She is also very photogenic and taking pictures is such fun. I am about to reach my halfway mark in my visit and know how much more loving I want to get in. She will be in Arizona in two weeks so I can continue it there too. On a scale of 1-10, I give her a ten and an overall A+. Her Mommy and Daddy get an A+ for selection. Pam, thanks for letting me brag.
Grandma Jeanie