Christmas Holiday

Sophia got to meet all her American cousins. She is now talking and can tell us if she is happy or if something is bothering her. It is so much fun to see her learning to talk. She is a real acrobat and loves to run and dance. We already signed her up for dancing classes.

Moon Festival

Enjoyed the Moon Festival in Marion/Cedar Rapids. Had dinner at China King. Had fun making new friends. Everyone was very friendly.

Two Years Old!

I do it! My turn! Sophia likes to be very independent and has her own mind! She is repeating every word Assen says. She will be speaking very soon!

Went swimming this afternoon. Sophia likes to float in the water and swim. She also likes to jump into the water and be caught by mom. She loves to repeat and start using words to communicate (hat, swim, my cup, mine!). We all had an ice cone. Sophia ate one whole ice cone by herself.

Yesterday we went to the swimming pools. Sophia enjoys the agua so much! she is also repeating many words. She can recognize many words already. She is a fast learner. She usually takes a nap at 2 PM. This time she was still playing at the pool, but as soon as we left she felt asleep in the car. She was exhausted. She is also eating very well. She must be growing up. She looks taller. I love how she calls me daddy. When I was away last week, she used to look at planes and say "daddy plane!" She is so adorable.

Sophia wants to talk! She seems to be at the same stage where Assen was when we adopted him. She is repeating everything we say or she hears! she loves to play. Today, she went up to the slide all by herself and went down on the slide. She also swang on the swing, not the baby one. She is growing strong. I love this girl!

Sophia loves to do this puzzle. It has about eight pieces. It has a race-car, a helicopter, an ambulance, a train, a ship, an airplane, a motorcycle, and a fire-truck... She likes to do it and then she removes the pieces to do it all over again. She is also a friendly neighbor. She likes to say Hi to all neighbors walking near our house. She also likes to play golf and kick a big ball.

Niabi Zoo

Sophia is starting to repeat words (agua, milk, hi, bye-bye, peas)! she liked to say monkey this morning, so we decided to go to the zoo. She and Assen watched a movie while I drove to the zoo. She said Hi to every single animal and also bye-bye to all of them. We enjoyed watching the little monkeys hang from ropes and play. We forgot to bring her stroller. Well, she did all the walking and never got tired! She rode the merry-go-round. She also ate pretty good today. She had a hamburger at McDonald's. She likes to hold my hand and take me wherevere she wants to go. Sometimes, she just wants to play with toys, sometimes she wants me to read books to her.

It's been about one year since Sophia joined our family! Time flies when you're having fun they say. She likes to give hugs now and she likes to remind us to hold hands and pray before we eat our food. She is starting to say a few words (agua). She likes tu run. She has always liked to run. She still falls down, but she gets up in no time. She does not like to give hugs to her brother in the mornings most of the times, but she does sometimes. She prefers to eat food from my plate than from her plate.....girls! She continue to light up our days! We are so happy she is part of our family!

Sophia woke up with some pimples on her hands and feet. I took her to the doctor and she was diagnosed with Hand-Foot-and-Mouth disease (Enterovirus 71). The doc said it is a viral disease and it will last two to three weeks. Sophia weighed 19.5 lbs. I gave lunch to Sophia while mom took Assen to a playshop in Cedar Rapids. Sophia and I listen to some Baby-Einstein classical music while we played. We also stopped by my office to get some documents. It's been snowing all day long.

The World is in your hands!

Sophia played with her friend Azalea and other children at Sycamore mall this morning. She is so easy going it's easy to make friends. She had a great time.

Sophia solving the Rubik's cube

Cold, cold, very cold!

Went to the mall and Sophia and Iwent to the playground while Assen went ice skating with mom. Sophia liked to go through all tunnels. I mean all of them! every single one of them! she also tried to walk out of the playground. Not that she was running away from me. It was more like a discovery adventure, and let's see what I can find out there!
Had dinner at Aoshe's. Sophia tried to eat her food with choptsicks. Then, we visited the Chinese store next to the restaurant and found some Chinese candies. Assen sang twinkle twinkle little star and Sophia tried to sing along. Wished I had my video camera! Sometimes Sophia eats very well, and sometimes she just does not want to eat anything. I wished she could talk and say what is wrong.

How high is Mexico City?

Mexico City is 2240 m high, one of the highest cities in the world. That's about 7350 feet high. My mother is not doing well and my brother thinks she would probably feel better in a different city.

Happy New Year!

Time flies when you are having fun! Another year goes by and the kids keep growing and we keep getting wiser, right? Sophia seems like she will be a climber. Today, I saw how she climbed up to her buster chair in the dinning room and sat on it. She is also very skilled with her silverware. She eats her scrambled eggs with a fork, not a messy girl.