To Infinity and Beyond...Our Story of Becoming a Family.

2009-10-02T22:59:00.030-10:00

Here we are 3 months later. It is incredible how fast time marches on. Tori continues to grow physically, emotionally, and we think, spiritually. Her vocabulary has increased from learning new words to creating multi-word sentences and she is capable of actually having a conversation. She amazes us daily with what she remembers even from almost a year ago. She is very loving and shows it through "big hugs." She hugs all of her teachers and aides when she leaves school for the day and says thank you. Today she said,"See you on Monday!" Tori has learned so much at school, and from what we are told is a natural leader. She even has a "best friend," Athena, and they are always together. She LOVES to sing and has many songs in her repertoire now. Her favorite is still "Itsy Bitsy Spider," but she also likes to sing her prayer before meals, especially the part she adds on at the end, copying her teacher,"Now go wash your hands!"

Tori loves to play and will entertain herself with her toys or drawing for quite a while. Her newest love is having someone read to her and doing puzzles. She is pretty good at putting them together without much help. Here is a picture of a flower she drew the other day and we could even tell right away that it was a flower.

We had a "staycation" in Waikiki over the Labor Day weekend and had fun walking around, playing tourist, and swimming in the hotel pool. It's great to get away even if it's just for a couple of days.

Jaydee's school participated in the Nike 5K Run foi Kids on September 20. Tori fell asleep about a quarter mile into the 3 mile walk and woke up at the EXACT moment we crossed the finish line. She must have sensed she needed to receive her participant's medal. We had fun while raising money for the school. Tori liked the bananas at the end of the race and running around hiding in the plants.

After the race we went to the opening of the new Babies R Us store and Tori got to meet two of her favorite charcters, Dora and Wubbzy. She was SOOO excited!

I have attached a few random pictures of Tori eating s'mores for the first time and some shampoo pictures that show just how much hair she has now! We can even do pigtails! She also likes having a spa foot treament in Tutu's bathroom!

We are excited about the holidays, and again, Tori is surprising us with what she remembers from last year. She loves Halloween and this year she wants to be a pirate. She has been very taken with pirates ever since we went on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland. She practices saying "Aaarrrr, mateys!" and sings "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!" We went looking at costumes the other day and tried to entice her with fairy princesses and dancing girls, but she wanted the pirate costume. Now she tells us we have to find her a boat and a parrot. Mommy went shopping today though, and found an adorable flower costume on sale. Had to buy it, and Tori really likes it, so now we have 2 costumes! We will have to find two events that require costumes or Tori will have to change halfway through! But what fun we are having!

Have a great fall and I hope to at least post pictures before another 3 months goes by!

2009-07-12T22:46:00.030-10:00

It is mind-boggling to think that it has been seven months since I updated the blog. To say that it has been a VERY busy seven months would be an understatement to say the least. As in all of our lives time seems to whiz by. Our baby is growing from a toddler to a little girl. Her personality has changed so much, and she talks in complete sentences for the most part. Sometimes it is hard to remember her just a year ago with no hair (she still is lacking that a bit) and just learning to talk and understand English. It seems as if we have always had her and we forget how long we waited for her.

I decided to catch everyone up in pictures with a bit of text. It would take me too long to go into every detail. I hope you all forgive me for this long overdue post, but our jobs and being parents don't leave us much time for anything else.

We celebrated Tori's 2nd birthday in February with an outing to the Punahou Carnival. She had been sick that week and we all ended up getting sick right after, but we had a fun afternoon/evening going on rides, eating carnival food, and daddy winning Tori her first carnival toys.

Tori was very excited about Easter and the prospect of the "Easer Bunny" (her pronunciation) bringing her eggs. It was great fun decorating the eggs, and she even sat there for an hour decorating them. Loved to see them change color.

The day after Easter we were off to Los Angeles! I had a Catholic educator's conference in Anaheim and I just couldn't see being next door to Disneyland and not taking Tori. We are so glad we went! We had an amazing time and Tori loved everything about it. She loved riding in the airplane and got to bring Goat & Duck. She can still sing parts of "It's a Small World." She really enjoyed the rides and did not get scared. We got to see the fireworks and Tinkerbell fly every night and she loves Mickey and Minnie. Besides Small World, her favorite rides were the train (#1) Pirates of the Caribbean, teacups (with Daddy only) and the rocket in Tomorrowland. Her godfather was also at the conference and joined us at the park. Tori loves being with "Michael, Michael." We can't wait to go back to Disneyland!

Tori came to my school to watch our annual May Day program. She was quite taken by the all the beautiful leis and she was happy to wear one too!

The biggest adjustment by far has been Tori starting pre-school. She is starting her 5th week and likes it very much. She is so independent that we were really surprised by her crying for the first 3 weeks when it was time for us to leave. We were glad too, because it shows that she is really bonded to us. She is having a great time at school and has friends that she plays and shares with. She is very happy to see us when we pick her up and greets us with "You came back!" This does pull on the heartstrings a little. She shows much affection to her teachers and hugs them at the end of the day. She has even decided to use the potty since everyone at school goes at the same time. Slowly but surely she is asking to go at home too. Like I said, leaving toddlerhood and becoming a little girl.

On Father's Day we took Tori to the "theatuh" to see Elmo Makes Music. She loves music and dance and Elmo is one of her favorites. She wasn't quite sure what it was all about at first, but soon she warmed up and was dancing in the aisle! Daddy was a great sport about spending HIS day with the Muppets!

I finish with some random photos mostly of Tori playing with her water table. I promise to be better at posting, hopefully right after we take photos of her. May you enjoy the rest of your summer or winter, depending on what part of the world you live in!

2008-12-27T13:44:00.031-10:00

Merry Mimas to One & All!! (This is how Tori wishes everyone a Merry Christmas)
As usual, I can't believe how long it has been since I posted. Life just takes over, and as much as I wish I could post every week, it just isn't going to happen. There are so many pictures that I have put them into mini digital scrapbooks. We hope you enjoy them. Be sure to click on them as some are interactive and they should all get bigger. Hopefully I will be able to do a few more updates in 2009!

Ever since Jolon's mom left in the beginning of November, things just seemed to speed by. Most events have been happy ones, but some not so good. We thought we would get a good start on the holidays by getting our tree up the week before Thanksgiving. We had a cold (ish) rainy day the Tuesday before and when I got home from work, it seemed like a good time to get it up. One of our radio stations had started playing Christmas music around the clock, so it made it even more appropriate. Tori loved it, especially since we started singing with the radio and dancing around. If there's music and dancing, Tori is your gal. She will be right in the middle of it. She has just LOVED the holiday season. More on that in a bit. Anyway, like I said we got a good start. Luckily our tree is pre-lit, because the decorations didn't get put on until mid-December. Jaydee's mom caught some kind of bug and that started her coughing which led to a sprained back. Between that and our work schedules, we got behind very quickly in the decorating department. But when all is said and done, Jolon got up all of our outside lights and inflatables, and we put out enough things in the house to make everything seem festive.

But I digress a bit. Seems like I have glossed over Thanksgiving, which seems to get little enough attention as it is. We had Thanksgiving at our house with my sister's family and a family friend. It was nice and we made all the traditional foods. Tori is a big turkey and mashed potatoes fan, so she gobbled everything up. She even got to eat her entire dinner by herself. She did a great job too. Not too much mess, even with the pumpkin pie! She is starting to eat more and more on her own with some help. She even knows when it is "too much."

The first weekend in December, we went to a create-your-own gingerbread house event which benefits our local Easter Seals Society. We had a fun time decorating our gingerbread house. Tori liked the frosting and looking at all the other houses. We want to do it again next year. She will be able to help a little bit more, and we got some great ideas from some veteran decorators!

The parent group at Jaydee's school had a Christmas party on December 12th. There were photos with Santa, dinner, and bingo. It was Tori's first up-close encounter with Santa. She has very quickly grasped the meaning of a lot of Christmas concepts, and Santa is no exception. She really wanted to see him until it was time to sit on his lap and take a picture. Wasn't going to happen without mom and dad. It was pretty funny, especially afterwards when all she could say was "Santa up!" She says that any time she wants something.

The week leading up to Christmas went by in a blur of coordinating schedules, Christmas programs, last minute decorating, and shopping. We were lucky in the shopping end as Tori didn't really pay too much attention to what we were doing. She got the idea that Santa brings presents, but couldn't grasp when or how. We had bought stuff a long time ago, and actually had too many things, so they are becoming birthday gifts. Tori helped Mommy make cookies for Santa using the wonderful cookie cutters Auntie Kristen and Uncle Dave sent last year, and we got to wear our Mommy & Tori aprons. It was tons of fun. Can't wait until next year to do it again!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

I started my vacation this week, and on Monday some of my students came caroling. They were excited to be at their teacher's house and it was fun to have them over. They were all wearing reindeer antlers, and they made Tori her own Santa hat. Tori loved it. She even stood and sat with them and sang along Tori-style. Next year she just might be ready to go with caroling with them!

Make a Smilebox greeting

We went to the children's Mass on Christmas Eve. That was very different for us, especially for me since I love Midnight Mass. But we knew it would be too much for Tori and for us as we had been up a couple nights in a row until 3:00 finishing the Christmas baking, wrapping, etc. It was a nice Mass and Tori wore her new red velvet dress that Grandma (Jolon"s mom) made her from the velvet left over from our wedding. Tori looked adorable in that with white tights and black velvety shoes. She got a lot of oo's and ah's at church. Most people know her there and she is becoming quite knowledgeable in the ways of the service. She has just started giving the sign of peace which touches everyone. She turns around, sticks her little hand out and says, "Peace!"
We took a stuffed toy to leave at the manger and she was good about leaving it there although at first she wanted to exchange it for a big stuffed dog. All the toys were blessed during Mass and then given to needy children. After church we drove around downtown to look at the city lights. We came home, ate dinner and tucked a sleepy child in her crib and told her Santa was coming.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Christmas Day itself was fun but tiring. I don't know how people with more than two children do it. It was chaotic with just one! We tried to take pictures of Tori opening all of her gifts, but it was difficult. She is not a fan of the camera. You know how most kids want to pose and ham it up? Not ours. She turns into the Empress Dowager, all serious and straight-faced. Pictures of her smiling take a lot of coaxing. So you will see a lot of the top of her head, which if you notice, she is getting more hair! She received many lovely things and of course toys. She got a couple of dolls which she loves and has taken to being the "mommy" to her "babies." She also received a stroller, infant carrier, and bassinet to go with one of them and she thinks that is the greatest. Tori has had a cold for a couple of weeks and I thought it best to take her to the doctor yesterday. Well the baby had to go too, in her infant carrier. Her pediatrician loved it as well as everyone else as we walked into the office. She even talks to it and pats it on the back and tells me it's "wet." It's not a wetting kind of doll, so I am impressed with her pretending and imagination. We have had great fun watching her play with her new things and appreciate how generous everyone has been to her.

As I mentioned earlier, we have had some great times the past two months, but they have been tempered with great sadness, too. On December 15th, we had to put down our 18 year old cat, Hi'ilei. I hand-raised her from about 2 days old, so it was very hard on me. She wasn't always the most sociable pet, but we loved her and miss her very much. Then on December 18th, my good friend and Tori's godmother, Aulani, lost her 3 year battle with cancer. Although she had been very sick the past month, her passing was a surprise and shock. Please keep her, her family, and us in your thoughts and prayers.

We end this year with our 7th wedding anniversary on December 29th. We can't believe how quickly the time goes by. We are thankful this year for many things, but by far our greatest gift and blessing has been our daughter Tori coming into our lives. She is definitely our joy. May you be happy and healthy in 2009.

2008-11-04T21:13:00.028-10:00

Wow, here we are on this historic night in our nation's history, electing the first African-American president, (who I have to say is originally from our state and graduated three years behind me from the same high school) and I felt I should reflect back on the last three weeks and some new 'firsts" in Tori's life.

Jolon's mom has been here visiting us since October 14th. She couldn't wait too much longer to meet Miss Tori! Tori was a great helper getting ready for Grandma Pam's visit. She had the dust cloth moving over everything, including the dogs!We have been very busy with the first visit by Grandma Pam from Australia. It took a little bit of time for Tori to get used to her being here, but now she is quite comfortable. Of course the daily wrapped present of either an Aussie stuffed toy, or book, or little bag helped get over the initial uncertainty.

We had fun celebrating Mommy's 50th birthday, which doesn't seem possible, but was made easier by having Tori around. We played spritz the cold water on Tori's face while eating dinner at Outback for the occasion. Tori squealed with delight.

That weekend was a very busy one. That Sunday we went out to Kapolei to the pumpkin patch at Aloun Farms. It was a first for Daddy, Mommy, and Grandma, too. A lot of the pumpkins had been harvested, but there were still a few on the vines, and we got to pick out our own for the house. It has been fun teaching Tori new words for the holiday and she can just about say pumpkin. She loved going up and over the rows of vines in the patch.

The next weekend on the 24th, we ventured over to Maui. We thought it would be a good way to celebrate Mommy's birthday and Tutu's birthday which is Halloween, and also Grandma's visit. We thought it might be fun to take the SuperFerry so that we could also take our van and all of Tori's stuff, like her playpen to sleep in. The ferry is beautiful and VERY well run. We were very impressed. It is a beautiful three hour trip, but if you are prone to seasickness like Mommy, not so fun. She spent the ride over on the deck with the cold wind blowing in her face. She didn't feed the fish, but she didn't feel too good. However the ride back was spectacular and she was not queasy at all. It was just wonderful seeing the islands from a different perspective. It was also great taking our own car and not having to worry about how much we could take or what the suitcases weighed.

We had a great time strolling along Front St. in Lahaina, riding the Sugar Cane Train, and visiting the Surfing Goat Dairy on the slopes of Haleakala. All of these were firsts for Tori. She loved all of it, especially the train and feeding the goats. Of course it wouldn't be a vacation, even a mini one like this, without some time in the pool. Tori continues to love the water and it was her first time in a big in-ground pool. To our surprise and relief, she had a healthy fear of it and wouldn't venture from the steps unless we were holding her. Smart girl.

We had a wonderful time on Maui and look forward to more neighbor island trips. We love the photo of Tori with the Grandmas, and Mommy loves the photo of Tori on the ferry coming home. She looks so sweet and happy.Tori's first Halloween. What fun! We decorated our house with ghosts and witches and spider webs. Outside on the lanai we had a 4 ft. blow-up Frankenstein. Tori absolutely loved it. She had to go out every night and give it a hug. She liked to pretend she was a ghost and say, "Ahhhhhh...woooooo.....BOO!" Since we had brought home a couple of pumpkins from the farm, we also had to carve them. Since it is so humid here, we couldn't carve them until the 30th. What a great time we had on the floor scooping out the "guts." Tori thought it would be fun to throw the stringy mess up in the air and see where it landed. Right on top of her and Mommy and Kiwi. It's such an awesome thing to experience and see these traditional activities through her eyes. We love starting our own traditions with her.

Grandma Pam made Tori an adorable pumpkin outfit to wear trick-or-treating. We went to Kahala Mall so we could celebrate dinner afterwards for Tutu's 83rd birthday. We tried not to make a big deal of the costume so Tori would think it was just different clothes. We had tried it on her a few days earlier and we didn't think she would wear the cute hat. Well when we got to the mall, she not only decided to wear the hat for two hours, she also insisted on wearing her sunglasses...indoors...at night. As her godmother,. Aunty Aulani said, "a pumpkin with attitude." Tori was very serious about this trick-or-treating; she insisted on walking to all the stores herself, never cracked a smile, held on to her pail of treats, and said "xie xie" (thank you) after she received each treat. People, even ones with kids her age, commented on her seriousness and of course cuteness. She finally took off the hat and glasses for dinner, and was very happy to turn the treats over as long as she could have her pail. It was a great memory maker.

We have had a wonderful time having Grandma Pam visit and experiencing so many "firsts." As we inch/speed closer to Thanksgiving and Christmas, we are excited by what these holidays mean and helping Tori learn about them and love them as much as we do. Please remember to check back to the blog. Jaydee is going to try and post more frequently.

Tori turns 21 months on Thursday and it will be 6 months since we became a forever family. It is incredible to believe we have been parents for half a year! Thank you so much for all your love and support.

2008-10-11T23:56:00.007-10:00

Tori had another "first" today. She attended her very first birthday party. The daughter of one of Daddy's co-workers celebrated her first birthday this afternoon. First birthdays are a very big deal in Hawaii and her parents went all out. They served the traditional Hawaiian food, so Tori also had her first taste of kalua pig, poi, squid luau, chicken long rice, and haupia. She is so willing to try just about anything we give her, and there was nothing she didn't like. But by far her favorite was the haupia, which is like a very firm coconut jello/pudding type dessert. We have to say it was really delicious with bits of fresh coconut in it. We decided that since it was a party, a few sugar-laden treats were OK. So she also had her first taste of cotton candy and a slushy/slurpee type drink. Of course she liked them both.

A very big first was her first ride on a pony. We weren't sure how Tori would react, but like everything else she went with the flow. She didn't even hesitate when we put her on the pony. Daddy walked around with her and she even leaned forward to pat it and play with its mane.

We are always impressed by her willingness to try things. She is always very observant and serious but gets right in there. Tori acted the same way when it was time to sing Happy Birthday and to watch a magic show. She sat right in the middle of the other kids. She's fine as long as she can see us. However, she sat by Mommy when Daddy was the magician's assistant ,and she wasn't really sure why Daddy was dressed up like a baby. But she watched intently. It really was a fun night for her, and Tori received her fair share of goodies to take home which included a little fish bowl with four fish and her own personal goodie bag. She went to bed a very happy little girl and fell asleep very, very quickly.

We are preparing for another first for Tori, Grandma's arrival from Australia on Tuesday. We are sure the next three weeks will be a very special time for all of us.

2008-10-05T22:26:00.023-10:00

Well here it is already October! We can't believe it has been a month since we have posted. We apologize to all of you who are trying to be part of a devoted following, but there is so much going on that by the time either of us has the time to post, all we want to do is sleep!

Tori's most used word is "helping." She uses this for everything, from taking a bath, to putting her diaper in the pail, to walking Wiwi while sitting in her stroller. Here she is "helping" to put the trash can back under the kitchen sink.

Today Tori is 20 months old. We can hardly believe that we have had her for 5 months! Sometimes it seems as if we have always had her and other times it seems like we just got her. She has made a total transition and now it is just the changes and discoveries that happen daily that we all delight in experiencing. Tori is, for the most part, a very happy baby. She seems to roll with whatever comes her way, and new people and situations don't throw her too much. She is a bit cautious at first and very observant, (both of which we think are very good things) but once she thinks that a situation is OK, she jumps right in. She loves to sing and dance, and leads the way at Gymboree and dances to any type of music at home, usually with her stuffed duck. Tori's vocabulary continues to grow at an amazing rate and is starting to put two words together. She loves to go out and the first words out of her mouth when she knows we are leaving are "shoes on." This of course sounds like one word, more like"shoozon." She takes after Jaydee, they both love shoes!

On September 6 Tori was baptized into the Catholic Church. It was a lovely ceremony, even if Tori did have a cold. Her godparents, Uncle Michael and Auntie Aulani, are two of our closest friends and Jaydee's co-workers. Tori was baptized by the vicar general of the diocese, a special honor indeed. Jaydee has known Fr. Marc for about 25 years, since before he became a priest. Tori was very well-behaved during the rite itself and wanted to put her whole head in the baptismal font. Mommy had practiced in the bathtub so it wouldn't be too surprising and Tori seemed to know exactly what was going to happen. After Mass we had a yummy dinner at P.F. Chang's. Tori loved the fried rice.

We love experiencing all the "firsts." This is Tori's first autumn, and even though we don't really experience the seasons here in Hawaii, we like to pretend that we do! Autumn is Jaydee's favorite season, and so she likes to get out the decorations and try and get into the whole spirit of the season as we head into the holidays. So of course she couldn't resist the Halloween jammies which went on sale at Macy's and Wal-Mart very early this year. Tutu, at almost age 83, retired after 36 years of nursing at a retirement residence last weekend. We got her some fall flowers, balloons, and since her birthday is Halloween, we couldn't resist a cute ghost. Tori is also learning about Halloween and seems to love ghosts. She says "woooooooo and Boo!" What better way to show off all the goodies (and Tori) with a few pictures on the dining room table. Her jammies say Wickedly Cute on them, and she is, with wickedly some days being the operative word!

Yesterday as we were driving home from Costco, it suddenly started pouring rain. It didn't last long, but when we got home the water was coming off the garage roof. We let Tori play in it for a while and she absolutely loved it! The water was warm, and it was so much fun to see her delight in splashng her feet and wiggling her toes in the small puddle.

We went to Wal-Mart on Friday, (one of our favorite places) and found an Elmo sprinkler on sale. Tori now loves all things Elmo, especially her sippee cups which have Elmo and Zoe on them, so the sprinkler was exciting for her just because it was Elmo. This afternoon we set it up and let her have some water fun in the yard. She was wary at first, but then got right on in. She even wrapped it up in a towel to dry him off after she was finished.

After our shopping foray at Wal-Mart we went to dinner at Dave-n-Buster's. This was also another first for Tori. She was in an excellent mood and was entertaining all the other patrons of this lively eatery. Daddy snapped this picture on his cell phone. It is rare we see such a huge natural smile from her when it is time to snap a photo!

And for our final first of this post, we went to McDonald's today, and Tori decided she wanted some ketchup on her chicken nuggets. Any previous attempts at condiments were met with a quick and decisive spitting out of whatever was in her mouth. But today after watching Daddy dunk his fries in ketchup, (a sacrilege as far as Jaydee is concerned when it comes to McDonald's fries) Tori decided she wanted some too.
Jolon's mom comes to visit us, well actually Tori, in a week. We are looking forward to her visit and will be spending a weekend on Maui to celebrate her holiday as well as Tutu's birthday and Jaydee's 50th! She is almost aghast at the thought of it. Keep us all in your thoughts and prayers as you are in ours. Enjoy the beautiful season of autumn or spring for our friends and family Down Under!

2008-09-01T13:16:00.016-10:00

Wow! Another two weeks has sped by! Here we are, Labor Day, and already September! Before we know it, it will be Christmas. We have been busy as usual trying to keep up with an 18, soon to be 19, month old. We have had ups and downs, good days and bad days, but we wouldn't change any of them. Tori does or says something new every day. Sometimes it's hilarious, other times we wish she hadn't thought of whatever it was she is doing or saying. But above all she is growing leaps and bounds. It is truly a miracle and marvel to see.

With all of this growing and changing and TESTING, we have had to institute the use of.....THE NAUGHTY CHAIR. This is reserved for those times when Tori absolutely refuses to listen, like when she wants to take knives out of the dishwasher or hit the dogs on the head. She understands that is when she is not a "good girl." She sits in the chair without moving, sometimes crying sometimes not. We haven't had to use it at all this weekend. It's been a wonderful three days. However, we did take a photo for posterity's sake of the first time the chair went into use. Definitely not a happy camper.

Tori loves to play "Where's Tori?" She has started to initiate the game herself, like yesterday in Wal-Mart with the reusable shopping bags. She also likes to use the dogs' blankets and her bath towel.We also took a ride to Kailua on Saturday so Mommy could get her hair cut. We got to sit in Auntie Kimi's old style barber chair and sit on Mommy's lap and play with the cut hair. Outings are getting to be so much fun!

Also on Saturday after church, we went to the Hale Koa Hotel in Waikiki for dinner. While Daddy went to get the car Mommy took some pictures of Tori and Tutu in front of the pretty orchid plants.

Tori's new words for the past few days are noise, taco, and ocean. There is a house being gutted across the street from us and another being built a couple doors down, so there have been the sounds of many trucks, hammers, and saws every day for quite a while. She must have decided that this was an exceptionally noisy week, so one day she just said Noise whenever something revved up. I also think she likes the sound of the word. Certain words just grab her and she repeats them constantly. The names of the dogs, which she can't pronounce correctly, come out Wiwi and Iya for Kiwi and Hila (hee-lah). We had tacos for dinner last night and she loves the meat with cheese and cooked onion. Amazes me. So now she says taco. And yesterday afternoon we took her to the beach by our house for the first time. She wasn't too impressed. She loves her pool, but the ocean will take some getting used to. As soon as we got out of the car she said noise because of the waves on the shore. She wasn't too impressed with the feel of sand between her toes so she wanted Mommy to carry her. We stood at the water's edge and just let her get used to the water hitting Mommy, Daddy, and Tutu. We will try again when it is a little calmer. It was good just to feel the sea spray and hear the waves.

We have another busy week ahead. We will be speaking at an informational meeting at our adoption agency tomorrow evening, where Tori will be the featured guest. On Saturday Tori turns 19 months old and will be baptized into the Catholic Church. There will no doubt be some interesting stories with that event. Whatever your spirituality, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Have a great first week of September!

2008-08-17T22:15:00.022-10:00

I can't believe it has been so long since I was able to post! Life is certainly very busy now trying to keep up with an 18 month old! I have been back at work full-time for almost a month now, and we have had to make some adjustments. Everything seems to be working out alright for now, with dad taking the daytime duty and me at night. I have had to make the most adjustment as it was very difficult for me to go back to work. We are very glad though, that we do not have to put Tori into daycare yet.

Tori's growth has been amazing. She has put on two pounds and two inches in the past two months. She is at the 90%tile for her height but only about the 20th for weight. She is tall and lean, although she looks more filled out than when we first got her. She has been eating fairly well, but seems to be a bit more finicky lately. Could be because of the teeth that are coming in. She is game to try new things and Daddy had her try vegemite which she liked. I tried an ice pop and she had to fight off Kiwi for the cold tasty treat.

Her vocabulary continue to amaze us, but more so her comprehension. She is starting to focus more and watch for longer periods of time whether it is a person, pictures on the computer, or Sesame Street. She recognizes Pooh and Elmo.

We continue to enjoy our pool and we will invest in swimming lessons soon. Tori also still loves to go to Gymboree and gets bolder and bolder. She has really enjoyed watching the Olympics especially the swimming and the gymnastics. She really got into the trampoline.

We try to do something different each week as a family. Today we went to the zoo for the first time. We think her favorite thing was just to run in a wide open space. Tori watched the elephants, and we got up close to the giraffes. She got to pet some goats, which is her favorite stuffed animal. We don't go anywhere without Goat. She has to sleep with Goat , Duck, and Panda. She has gone so far as to diaper them.

Last week we went for dim sum lunch in Chinatown with Tutu's Bible group. Everyone had a great time, and Tori loved the food. She likes shrimp and pork, and absolutely loved the custard tarts.We will be going back again soon.

A couple weeks ago we went to the annual Farm Fair where Tori got her first look at farm animals and got to pet goats, rabbits cows and pigs. She shows no fear and just a little caution. It is so wonderful to see her expressions experiencing things for the first time. If music is involved she is even happier, dancing and moving to whatever type of music may be playing.

We love being a family. We play together and with the pets. Tori is still learning to be gentle and sometimes still gets a little jealous. But she also gives them kisses and they love her too.

2008-07-06T12:55:00.024-10:00

What a week this has been! On the surface it looked like just a typical week in the summer, but we did so many things! Of course we spent time in the pool because it has been so hot, but we also experienced some new things.

Tori turned 17 months old today. We can't believe how fast she is growing and how much she is learning. It really is amazing. She can be quite the little imitator, like holding her nose and blowing raspberries at the same time trying to sound like Daddy blowing his nose. She has also started to copy things like "uh-huh" and "mmm-hmmm."

Last Monday we went to one of the malls just to get out of the house, and we found Tori's dress for her baptism. We aren't sure yet when that will be, hopefully within the next month. But I love the dress, and can't wait for her to wear it!

On Tuesday we took Tori to Gymboree for a play class. We knew we had to do something because this little girl is a monkey! She loves to jump and climb and she has no fear, so we thought we better channel this energy and mobility creatively. The class is for children her age, and she had a great time. She liked being with the other toddlers too, although at that age most of them like to play on their own and/or be by mom and dad. Tori likes to stand in the middle of the action and watch first and then plunge right in. We had fun with her learning over and under which was the theme of the day. We signed her up at least for a month and we will see how she enjoys it. We were there an hour and as soon as we got into the car she promptly fell asleep.

Wednesday's lunch brought a new taste in food. Tori had her first egg salad sandwich. She pretty much lived on scrambled eggs while we were in China, so we figured she would like it, and she did. Something new to add to her menu.

On Thursday we took Tori over to the marina by our house to see the ducks. We had never done this, so it was a new experience for us too. At first we were a bit nervous because as soon as we got out of the car we could see a whole flock of ducks and pigeons swimming and flying toward us. A couple of the larger ducks came waddling over a bridge. So many people feed them that when they see cars stop they figure they are going to get a meal. But they were a well-behaved lot and didn't push their way or try to bite or peck. Tori wasn't afraid at all and loved being around them. It was a great way to spend 15 or 20 minutes, and next time we will be sure to bring a supply of bread.

Thursday's mail also brought with it Tori's Certificate of Citizenship. Jaydee thought she was over the emotion of it all, but when she opened the envelope it all came rushing back and there were quite a few tears. Accompanying it was a letter from the President welcoming her as an American. The sentiments expressed in it were quite wonderful and it will be something to cherish. We thought it fitting that she received it the day before Independence Day, and it was even addressed to her.

Tori's first 4th of July as an American was a bit low-key. We went to a party at a friend's where she got to wear her new red, white, and blue dress and red sparkle sandals that Tutu bought her. She dined on ribs, barbecued chicken, baked beans and watermelon. She had a great time playing with her cousin D'Anna who is thrilled that Tori can now say Nana. On our way home we saw the most spectacular fireworks display over the bay by our house. Tori kept pointing at them with her little index finger every time they exploded. Since fireworks are legal here, our neighbors were popping some and Tori was excited to watch them. She wasn't afraid of the noise and maybe they brought back some memories for her of China and the Chinese New Year celebration. She fell asleep a most happy and contented baby.

We look forward to another week of more fun family time and adventures and we wish all of you your own great family time.

2008-06-29T22:23:00.000-10:00

We can't believe it has been two weeks since we posted! Life is sure busy with a 16 1/2 month old! We have been having lots of summer fun, playing in the pool, trying to get some projects done, and just being a family.

Tori is amazing, and every day does something to astound us even more. She has such a good understanding of English, which we find incredible. She has started to make connections between words. For example, she has an inflatable duck bathtub that quacks when its bill is squeezed. She can't quite say "quack quack," so she says "ka-ka" to mean take a bath. The other morning Jaydee was feeding her and said she had to wash Tori's bib. Tori said "ka-ka?" So she understood wash to mean bathe, clean, whatever. Incredible.

Tori is babbling a lot more as well as imitating more words and sounds. Today we drove out to see a friend who is moving in a month. Her youngest son is 3 months older than Tori and she had some toys she was giving us. We had never been to their subdivision before, so Jolon used his GPS. The voice on it is somewhat robotic and staccato, and all of a sudden we hear a perfect imitation of it coming from the back seat! Tori couldn't say the words but she had the intonation and pattern down perfectly. It was pretty hilarious to hear that from her.

The week after Father's Day she had her first pediatrician visit. It wasn't too traumatic even if she did get her vaccinations. She cried, but with a little cuddle she was fine, and she liked the Tweety bird band-aids she received.

Later that week we went to Spaghetti Factory. This was Tori's first time eating spaghetti, and as you can tell she loved it. Jaydee thinks she looks a bit like she has a fu-manchu mustache with all that pasta hanging down from her mouth. The best part was the vanilla ice cream for dessert.

We are looking forward to our first 4th of July as a family. We are going to a party and Tori has a new patriotic outfit for the occasion. She will be meeting a lot of new people for the first time, but she always seems to rise to the occasion. Last night we went to a retirement residence to have dinner with Jaydee's godparents and friends of Tutu's, and Tori was the darling of the dining room. It is heartwarming and a bit sad to see the residents' faces light up when they see a baby. Tori didn't disappoint either. After her initial bit of shyness, she smiled and waved at just about everyone.

That's all for now. We wish everyone a wonderful 4th and we'll post again next weekend.

June 15, 2008 Father's Day

2008-06-15T17:33:00.000-10:00

This is where The Story of You, Our Journey to Tori ends and our blog, To Infinity and Beyond Our Story of Becoming a Family continues. We thought Father's Day would be a great day to begin our blog posts. We hope to post at least once a week, but once we get the hang of it, hopefully we will post more often. For our family and friends living far away, we hope this will be a good way to keep in touch with us.

So many things have happened in the month that we have been home. Tori turned 16 months on June 6 and is the light of our lives. Although we are somewhat relieved when she goes to sleep at night, we can't wait until she wakes up in the morning. She is such a happy baby, full of curiosity, and very much on the go.

The highlight of this week has been the setup of our new pool. We bought a 12 foot by 3 foot pool which fits perfectly in our front yard. We will take Tori to the beach, but with the cost of gas and the hassle of getting all the beach and baby gear together, we thought walking out our kitchen door and jumping in the pool was a good way to stay cool this summer. We bought Tori a safety ring which she can sit in and learn to kick her feet. She can still splash and play with toys, and it even comes with a canopy to help ward off the sun. It is deep enough for us to splash around and cool off also. Tori has been in a couple times, and we have to watch that she doesn't get too cold as she would stay in it all afternoon. It has been the perfect after lunch activity and the prelude to her afternoon nap.

Jolon decided he wanted to go to Outback Steakhouse for lunch for Father's Day, so we dressed Tori up in an adorable dress her Grandma made for her. She even kept the bonnet on for 20 minutes! She enjoyed herself eating grilled chook (chicken,) baked potato, and strawberries mom packed from home. Tutu came with us and we had a very enjoyable lunch. Tori is a real let's go girl. She loves going out and has behaved herself at all the restaurants we have been to.

We wish all the dads a happy Father's Day and hope you had a great day with your children. Special wishes to Uncle Dave on his first Father's Day with Jenny!