Waiting for Sophie: November 2005

It has been 5 whole months since we were united with our sweet Sophie Lu, and she turns 18 months old today! I can't believe she is 1 1/2 years old!
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When we received Sophie, she could not roll over, sit herself up, or even pick up a cheerio. She could not crawl or talk and only had one tooth. Not only can she sit up and roll over now, but suddenly she does somersaults! She learned to pick up cheerios very quickly, but now she insists on trying to eat with a fork. And when she can't properly pierce the food, she picks it up with her hand, puts it on the end of her fork, and then uses the fork to put it in her mouth! She is still not walking (and never really perfected the conventional crawl), but she scoots around very quickly and is practicing her standing skills. She stands up and tries to see how long she can remain standing. We got so excited the first time she did this, that we started clapping. Now, every time she stands, she starts clapping too- it is the cutest thing (though I'm sure it's probably not helping her balance)! We think she should be walking by Christmas. f

While I miss that adorable gummy smile of hers, Sophie has a darling new smile full of almost 8 teeth now! For the longest time, she only had the two uppers and two lowers. Then a couple weeks ago- 4 upper teeth started coming in all at once; I hope they come all the way in soon because her teething is so painful- it breaks my heart to see her hurting. Her new smile sure is cute, though!
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Sophie says so many new words, I can't even list them all. She still has a tendency to leave off the final consonant, but repeats what she hears and identifies new objects each day! From day one, her Daddy and I would show her the moon at night and tell her about how we would lovingly gaze at the moon and think of her while she waited for us in China. Now, she loves looking at the night sky; she points and proudly says, "Moon! Moon!" She also loves to point to our eyes as she says, "Eye?" And she loves saying "Teeth!" Many words sound like questions- it sounds so sweet! Her very favorite word is.. apple, which she calls, "Bopple!!!" She loves bopples and gets so excited whenever she sees a picture of one. I have to try to get some video- It is the so cute and funny! I think "Bopple" is also my favorite new word too~
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Sophie's dancing has really evolved. It started as a slight booty wiggle in a sitting position. Then she added shoulders, then arms, then twists, and now she can really shake it! And, she sings! And she sings badly, just like Mommy! "Ra ra ra ra raaaahhh!!!" is how she sings along. Unless she is singing Row Your Boat in which case she screams, "Ohhh, Row Row ROW!!!"
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Sophie is much better about wearing hats now. As long as we tell her how pretty it is, she will gladly wear hats and even shoes (Robeez). Soon, I will post a Thanksgiving photo of her in her first pair of patent leather Mary-Janes! I am so used to seeing her barefoot, that seeing her in shoes cracks me up! When she wears a hat or her kitty cat Robeez, she scoots over to the mirror and says, "Preeeee!!!" (pretty) - She also LOVES jewelry, which is interesting because I don't wear much. She says, "Preeee!" everytime she sees anything metallic too.
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Sophie loves numbers, and she loves to count. Her favorite show (besides Dora, of course) is Miffy which is a very simple clamation show about a little bunny. They count often in this show, and Sophie tries to count along with her fingers. She also loves to read. She turns the pages, points to the words, and identifies many of the pictures. She will not go to sleep until we have read many many books to her. We keep her stack of bedtime books on the nightstand. Her favorites are That's Not My Kitten, Daddy Kisses, and Mommy Loves. She hands Daddy Kisses to Daddy, and Mommy Loves to me and makes us read them over and over. I think she loves these books, because they both end with her being smothered in kisses! She is a kissing machine! After reading time, she makes her famous kissy face and kisses Daddy and Mommy back and forth and back and forth! She will make her kissy face on demand now, and we love it more than ever! And just when I think she can't get any more snuggly, she finds a new way to snuggle! We fall asleep snuggling close- facing eachother with her arms and legs wrapped around me. I used to be able to slip away while she slept to go get things done, but now she can sense it and grabs onto me so tight the second I start to move. Other times, she will just snuggle right on top of me (like the picture from Florida) and lay her sweet head on my tummy. Once she is in a deep sleep, nothing can wake her though- even Pookie who purrs very loudly and likes to walk on her while she sleeps!
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Sophie weighs in now at 25.5 pounds! I'm not sure exactly how tall she is, but she seems to be thinning out and getting much longer. Her hair is growing so long- but she still wakes up with what we call "baby bird hair"- which sticks straight up in the back! Funny and sooo cute!
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It really is amazing how quickly she is growing up; I treasure each moment and try so hard to firmly plant her every detail in my memory. She has about 50 different smiles- and her laughter is just priceless! I wish photographs could capture just how special she is...
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Sophie has changed so much since we received her on the day she turned 13 months old; yet, the one thing that will never change is that dreamy, so-in-love feeling that rushes over me when I wake up to her beautiful face- her morning smiles- her snuggles- and her kisses! Her Daddy and I love her so very much, and neither of us can even imagine life without her~
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Happy 5 months together, my loving Sophie Lu!