Christmas pics!

What a fun Christmas we had! Having a toddler around makes Christmas so much more special. We had friends over for Tamales on Christmas eve (a Guatemalan tradition). Kevin's Sister Christine came over from England to spend Christmas with us until New Year's eve. Gabi first opened a stocking in bed with us, then we spent the day opening tons of gifts and then had a late traditional English dinner with turkey and all the trimmings....with Christmas crackers, followed by Christmas pudding with Brandy sauce, and then hit the couch until we could move again.

Gabi left cookies and milk for Santa and a carrot for the reindeer, she did take a quick bite before leaving them for Santa.
Gabi snuggling up by the fire with Daddy.

With Daddy and Auntie Christine......It's Auntie Christine's first time to America, and her first time on a plane in over 30 years so we are very happy she's here!

Wow someone must have been a good girl!!!!

What a pretty bag.....and what's this paper Mama??? Opening presents from Santa :)

We got Gabi this Dora the explorer car and she absolutely loved it, she pretty much spent the rest of the day getting in and out, walking around it, putting toys in the back and asking for 'more please' to be pushed in it.

I asked Gabi to smile and show me her teeth!

A few cute pics from last couple of days.

Merry Christmas

From our home to yours. Have a great Christmas and a Happy healthy New Year. This is the best out of all the pics with Santa!

One year ago today!

One year ago today Gabriela was placed in our arms forever. The Cruz family were Gabi's foster family who took great care of her for the first 6 months of her life. When she came to us she was so content and happy and healthy, I don't know if she remembered us from 2 months before but she smiled as soon as she saw us. Wow what an amazing year it's been!I spent the first 5 months in Guatemala (Kevin visited alot) and I am so grateful that I got to spend so much time in Gabi's birth Country to experience life there, the beautiful amazing people and such a beautiful country. Just priceless.

We had a really unforgettable time there.

I met some of the most amazing people there that were also sharing in this impossible to explain experience. I hope to remain friends with some of them forever. These women and their beautiful children were what made the whole...being in a foreign third world country...not able to speak the language...don't know a single person....just been handed a 6 month old baby... time spent there just fantastic. Here are a just a few of them. I admire each and every one of them.

And now my Gabi.....Gabi you were the most precious thing I had ever laid eyes on, we fell in love with you immediately. Even then you had such a personality so funny and charming. From the beginning you also had a love affair with your pink bear, you did then and still do now sleep with her on you face every night and you never fail to be so excited to see her. I love that.

And now onto the amazing toddler you are now. Where do I start??? I love to watch life through your eyes, everything is so innocent and so fascinating. You can sit for an hour and play with plastic coins or lining up you little Barney figurines or just going through your books. You point up at the moon every time you see it and say "boon" and "sky" You are talking so much and understand just about everything we say. Some of my favorite things you say are of course Mama and Daddy, but also when you say 'bubble' and 'purple' and 'oh yeah' or 'please' and 'thank you' and when you do the actions to your favorite songs like 'The wheels on the bus' and 'The itsy bitsy spider'.

I love how you look in your Winter clothes, and with your hair in different styles, I love all the faces you pull and the way you will dance at the drop of a hat. I also crack up at how you can sit at the dinner table and look me straight in the eye as you take a 'poop'. I love to take you anywhere with me, you are so well behaved and get comments everywhere we go. I am so excited to experience Christmas with you and start lots of 'our own' traditions. You are my most favorite person to be around. Most of all I am honored, proud and privileged to be your Mama, not a day goes by where I don't feel like the luckiest person in the world. I truly love you with all my heart and thank you for being the World's greatest Daughter.

I hope that one day you are as proud of me as I am of you.

Love Mama.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Decorating the tree's

This last week I put the Christmas tree's up with Gabi, we had a great time decorating Gabi enjoyed putting decorations on the trees and of course taking them back off. Gabi was also loved the Christmas lights, I gave her some to play with while they were plugged in!! That's probably so wrong of me but she loved them! The pre-lit tree was not so much pre-lit the bottom layer decided not to work this year! and on the other tree the bottom lights went out after an hour or so, I can't fix them so I am pretending to myself that I am just conserving energy :). Anyway having Gabi here this Christmas is a dream come true and she is truly my best present ever.

Happy Anniversary Kevin!!

And many more to come.
Nik.

Gabi walking

vid

It happened one night!!

Tonight was something I just had to blog about. About 7pm Gabi fell and bumped her head hard and a grape sized lump came up immediately, after making sure she was ok and checking my heart was back where it was supposed to be I looked on the internet to find out as much info as possible as to what to do next, "yada yada yada" she's just fine. Then it happened....she started walking! huh? for the next half hour she just walked to me and Kevin turned around stood forever by herself. She has been crusing the furniture for a long time but never had the confidence to let go, at my Mum's the other day she stood up from the step and took about 4 steps to me but nothing since, so we are so happy that our little sluggy is finally walking. If only we knew earlier that all she needed was a bump on the head :)

Home again!

A few days after we got back from Guatemala I took Gabi to England to see some family before Christmas, we had a great time and it's always fun for Gabi to hang out with her Cousins. I am so proud of her, taking a 17 month old on a 8 hour flight by yourself is always a risk but luckily both ways the middle seat was available so most of the time she sat there and she behaved so unbelievibly well just so contented and happy just to be with her Mama. Now we are home for a while, no more jetlag!! Gabi I promise you that you will wake up in your own bed for awhile!! And now the mad rush to get ready for Christmas.