Christmas Card Pictures

This weekend we attempted to get some pictures for our annual Christmas Card. We used to think it was hard to take pictures of just Brendan & Dylan together. Try adding a squirmy little 16 month old to the mix. I think I must have taken about 30 pictures and the 2 you see above of the 3 of them together is the best it gets! The other 2 pictures of Maddie in the blue dress were taken on Friday before we went to a Christmas party. We took her with us and she was very good. She is now walking everywhere, all of the time and is starting to talk much more. Her new words are "up" and "uh, oh".

One Year Ago (yesterday)

I was disappointed that I couldn't post this yesterday but our internet was down until this morning. One year ago (yesterday) December 11, 2007 @ around 6:00 p.m. we got our "call" from our agency with our referral. Little did we know at the time all that we would have to go through in the following 9 months before we got to hold our sweet Maddison. But I think we can agree that it was all well worth it!

Maddie's First Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving with Dad & Donna in Myrtle Beach this year. The kids had a really fun day. Maddie LOVED her first Thanksgiving dinner, I think the mashed potatoes were her favorite. The rest of the weekend we just took it easy and got some of our Christmas decorations out. We had to wonder what Maddie thought of all of the Christmas lights, Santa hats & reindeer antlers, not to mention a big tree in the middle of our living room.

Look Who's Walking

A couple weeks ago Maddie decided she would finally try this walking thing she has been seeing everyone else around the house do. She has been standing up on her own since Vietnam, but didn't realize she could move her feet. She started with just taking a couple steps then falling on her bottom. Last week she started taking 5 to 6 steps between Mommy & Daddy and she thought that was pretty cool. This past weekend she was up to 10+ steps and she now does it whenever she wants. She's still taking her own sweet time, but I'm sure she'll be chasing her big brothers and the dog and cat around in no time. She has also been trying her hand at talking. Her favorite word is "hi", she says it to us several times during the day and when we go into stores she tells everyone "hi" as she flashes her flirty little smile. She also says "mama", "dada" and is currently working on her own variations for Bubba (Brendan) & Dylan.

We are going up to Papa's house in Myrtle Beach for Thanksgiving on Thursday and are looking forward to spending a nice relaxing day there. We are very excited that Maddie will get to meet more of her family at Christmas. Auntie Eileen & Uncle John from Michigan are coming in on Christmas day, Grandma Fisher from Michigan is coming in the week of Christmas, as well as Auntie Kathleen & cousin Maggie (we are especially excited about this meeting) and Uncle Pat, Auntie Jessica and cousins Justin, Charlie and Joshua are coming just after Christmas. It is going to be a busy Holiday time for us, but we are very excited for everyone to finally meet Maddie.

Some more quick pictures

Halloween 2008

We had a fun Halloween this year. Maddie & I kept very busy during the day visiting both boys at their schools for Halloween parties. Maddie had a fun time seeing both of her big brothers and all of the kids. As you can see both Brendan & Dylan wanted to be ghosts this year which made it very easy for me. We decided not to dress Maddie up in a costume this year, but she was all decked out in orange and black and she thought her "ghostie" brothers were really funny. Trick-or-treating was really fun and the boys got lots and lots of candy!

The Past 3 Weeks

Maddie continues to adjust more and more every day. This past week we had a HUGE breakthrough, Maddie has slept in her crib ALL night EVERY night now since last Monday. Naps during the day are also going much better. We have been struggling with this since we came home and last Monday we went for a "well visit" at the pediatrician for her first round of shots and her Dr. said to start being more firm about the sleeping issue, so we didn't waist any time and it was much easier than we thought it would be. Maddie loves her brothers and loves to play with them. I really look forward to weekends and weekday afternoons when the boys get home from school because when Andy and the boys are around, Maddie is much less clingy and more interested in what everyone else is doing. During the day when it's just us 2, she is pretty much stuck to my side like glue. It's a busy Halloween week for us this week with events at both of the boys schools and trick-or-treating on Friday. Look for Halloween dress up pictures next week.

The past 2 weeks

We have been home now for almost 2 weeks and Maddie is doing great. She is adjusting better every day. She has started to take naps in her crib and has even started out a few nights there as well. She is slowly warming up to Daddy and just loves playing with her big brothers. She is even now used to the cat and dog and now laughs when Savannah (our dog) licks her. Last weekend she got to meet her Papa & Nana for the first time. This past weekend we had a few friends and family over to celebrate big brother Dylan's 7th birthday, and yesterday a group of my friends (The Millennium Mom's) had a shower for us to welcome Maddie home. On Wednesday we take her to the MUSC International Adoption Clinic for a check-up.

We're Home!

We made it home on Tuesday morning (eastern time). The trip went very well and Maddie was very good the whole trip. She slept a lot due to not feeling well. She woke up Monday morning with a fever and it continued the whole trip home. When we got off the plane in Charleston, it was so nice to see Andy and the boys and my friend Trish waiting for us. Maddie is adjusting well to her new home. She really likes her big brothers and is slowly warming up to Daddy. She had her first visit with her pediatrician yesterday and has a nasty case of bronchitis. But she is now on antibiotics and is finally feeling a little better today. The pictures I posted are Maddie on the airplane (looking at the menu deciding what she wants for dinner), the new Fisher Family, Maddie with her brothers, and Maddie at home playing with her toys.

PLAN Party!

Last night we had a big get together in our hotel dining area of all of the families that are here from our adoption agency (PLAN). We all got carry-outs from different restaurants and shared a great meal together. I think there are about 10 families staying in our hotel from our agency and most of them were there. I posted a couple of pictures from our get together. Having been here over 2 weeks now you really get to know everyone coming and going. When our group first got here we were the "newbies" and there were other families that were able to show us around and get us acclimated. The second week here the tables were turned as we were suddenly the ones showing new familes around. This morning my 2 Phu Tho friends Martha & Joy and their babies went home, it was very sad to say goodbye, we have really gotten to know each other over the past 7 months and we spent a lot of time together here in Vietnam. Tomorrow is our last day here, we leave for the airport around 4pm.

We're Coming Home!

Friday morning we had our Embassy appointment and by 4:30 Friday afternoon we had Maddie's visa. I contacted my travel agent and we will be able to catch an earlier flight home Monday night, so we will be home Tuesday. We are so happy to be coming home. Last night we had our celebratory dinner at Bobby Chinn's restaurant and it was very good. It was a very nice restaurant with a beautiful atmosphere (see picture). They sprinkle fresh rose petals on the tables. This morning Maddie and I did some shopping and now she is having her morning nap. After lunch we will probably head out for some more shopping. I will try to get some more pictures taken over the next couple days to post on the blog before we leave.