Kavanna is 23 months today!

Ariel at her regular Friday night gig, playing acoustic guitar and singing her original music. We're so proud of her!

Kavanna at a Pinkalicious party... check out the pink hair (unlike her sister's red hair, the pink washes out!)

Very focused on drawing with that pink crayon...

Look at this mature expression... our wise toddler-ette!

I blinked and the month passed. Ariel is doing well in school and her songwriting is really evolving. She was asked to write a song as part of an ad campaign proposal and she just shot her first music video. We're so proud of her! She's also studying to take her drivers permit test... yikes. I'm anxious just thinking about it. My baby, driving? Whaaaat?????

Kavanna is talking like crazy and delighting us with her funny, smart personality. Last night Ariel said, "I love you, Kavanna" and Kavanna said, "I love you, too." I just want to kiss her cheeks and squeeze her chubby thighs all day long. She was chosen to be a model for a new line of baby shoes called Shupeas and did a commercial shoot a few weeks ago. She's also sleeping through the night in her own crib. I repeat, sleeping through the night in her crib.

It only took ten months before that momentous event took place. More on that later.

I'm hoping that my wonderful friends Di and Dave get their referral this week... today would be a good day! Their daughter Sophie has waited long enough for her parents... I can't wait to see them all united. My heart goes out to everyone waiting.... may you get good news soon!

Worth the wait

One year ago today we saw Kavanna's face for the first time. She has brought so much love, laughter and joy into our already rich and fulfilling lives... she is a true blessing to our family and worth every minute of that horrendous wait.

Kavanna a couple of weeks ago

Kavanna's referral photo (she was six months old)

It's a girl thing!

No shoe is safe in our house. Take off your shoes at your own risk... Miss Kavanna Lin will find them and wear them. And she walks in pumps with surprising ease.




She looks equally good in Ariel's jelly flats.

Or Ariel's old cowboy boots, bought in Dallas many, many years ago.

"These boots are made for walkin'......"

Shoes are the ultimate accessory.

Kavanna is talking!

Kavanna is always in motion, even while wearing Mommy's flip flops!

So cute!
Kavanna has been talking for a while. Some of her words are absolutely correct and some of them are hilarious interpretations.

Her first word: Ariel (pronounced "Ay-el")

What she says perfectly: mommy, dada, more, no, hello, apple. And did I mention her favorite word, "no"?

Also:
A cow says "booooo" instead of "moo".
A cat says "now" instead of "meow"
Juice is "jew" (well, when she yells "Jew" in our house she's always right!)
A phone is a "hello"

A puppy is a "buppy"
When something falls, it's "uh-oh!"
A bottle is a "baba"
Her blanket is "nana"
Best of all, "I love you" is "Ah luh ooooo"

She has created her own sign language.:
An attempt to snap her fingers means, "put on some music"
Pointing to a couch or a chair means, "sit here, now"
Making a sign for milk, followed by touching her ear means she wants her formula, as opposed to milk. She came up with this at 12 months. She has a bottle at night which David would make and bring into the bedroom. I'd wait with her and put my hand to my ear, telling her, "Let's listen for Daddy".
One day she was signing for milk so I gave her some milk, which she rejected. She made the milk sign, followed by touching her ear, to let me know exactly which kind of milk she wanted. Brilliant!

See this happy face?

Kavanna was not so happy last Sunday when we went to the Bastille Day Festival.  Everyone parked at the stadium and big white vans took us to the festival.  As soon as we got into the van Kavanna started to tremble and look frightened.  We think that the day her foster mom took her to the orphanage, a white van drove her and the other babies from the orphanage to Nanning, where she was placed into our arms... We think she remembered the van and was afraid her life was about to change again.   We just hugged her and told her we were all going to stay together.  She clung to me in what can only be described as terror.  Later, on the way back to the parking lot, she was much more relaxed.
She is a happy girl, very smart, very joyful, friendly and outgoing... but the past trauma is still there, and unpredictable things can trigger it. 

Happy Bastille Day

Ariel and Kavanna dancing in front of the crowd as Ariel's friend Ariana sings at the Bastille Day Festival over the weekend.

It's Africa hot but Kavanna still must bring "Nana" (her blanket) everywhere she goes.

She loves to wear shoes... other people's shoes, that is!  The adorable tie-dyed outfit was originally Ariel's.  I'm so glad I saved it!

These flipflops are almost as big as she is!

Got shoes... and she's on the go!

Great weekend!

(this is a photo from April that I never posted but I love her pensive cutie-pie-ness)

These are just some photos from my phone... .more to come.  We had a wonderful time with Di and Dave, and their friend Renee who was visiting from Philly (I say that as if I'm comfortable with the term "Philly", although to be honest I've never been to Philadelphia - Pittsburg is as close as I've gotten - and never had a cheese steak sandwich, either... so there you have it), and our friend Val, with her sister and kids.

Kavanna was not too sure about the fireworks :)

The dress is a gift from my parents, who just got back from a holiday in Malaysia.  

Ariel spent the weekend at a friends beach house in Malibu.  She's living the life!

Hope everyone had a great Fourth!

Trying to fill Ariel's shoes... literally

Look, Ariel's shiny, pretty green patent leather shoes.  I want to wear them!   I want to be a big girl.  I have my "purse" (a small shopping bag) and I just need some cool shoes.  Then my look will be complete.

Ta da!!

And Happy Father's Day to all the daddies out there...!!

It's a good thing she's cute...

...because she doesn't sleep and she occasionally poops in the bathtub (that's Kavanna I'm talking about)!!   It occurred to me that seen through the lens of this blog, our lives seem effortlessly blissful.  Truth is we do have our moments of bliss, but parenting a teenager and a toddler has its challenges as well as its rewards.

I don't have to be a political prisoner to know that sleep deprivation is torture.   Tomorrow is the seven month anniversary of Family Day and we've slept through the night exactly.... once.  That would be our first night with Kavanna when she actually slept through the night (probably from sheer emotional exhaustion).   Currently she's teething in a bad way, four molars and four incisors and she wakes up every twenty minutes howling in pain.  The rest of the time she's kicking me in the head.  She starts off in her crib and ends up in our bed... 

I am living on caffeine.

Ever notice how much the subject of poop gets discussed once you become a parent?  What's that about?  Kavanna now informs us when she needs her diaper changed by patting her tush and announcing, "Poop."  

As for the bath incident... ah, there are no words.  I just try to keep my sense of humor, and a bottle of 409 cleaner, close at hand.

Daddy & Kavanna get ready to take a walk.  Nice shades, dude!  Nice shades, dudette!

Kavanna loves her Daddy.

Kavanna loves Ariel but she gets squirmy when it's time to sit still for a photo.  Kavanna doesn't like sitting still.  Why sit when you can run and jump and whirl like a dervish?

Kavanna gets a big kiss from a very big and very sweet dog named Max.  
 

Topanga Days

We had such a fun Sunday... dim sum with our friends Di & Dave  (who bought Kavanna a toy panda bear that she absolutely loves) and then we went to the Topanga Days Festival, which meant stepping back into time back to the 60s or 70s... Ariel took off her shoes, bought a pair of fairy wings, put a flower in her heair and we all danced to a Grateful Dead cover band.     Kavanna pet a three month old pet piglet and had a grand time.  Life is good!