The Party Girl!

Iris turned two years old....all week! It started with a party with a playgroup of children whose birthdays are within these winter months-November, December and January.
So what happened?

First, Iris wore her special Chinese dress to church in the AM. I was tempted to put the red squeaky shoes on, but Dada vetoed that. I was also pleased that she wasn't drooling so much that I had to put a bib on her the whole morning.

Then, we went to a birthday party for about 8 or 10 toddlers whom Iris has seen a couple of times in the past few months. At this incredible potluck lunch, the children had a right-sized house to decorate, toys galore, a trampoline, a rocking horse, riding vehicles, and a play kitchen to enjoy for a couple of hours. Iris had an indoor picnic with her new friends. The food was very yummy, and almost all vegetarian. Unfortunately, Iris had to leave early before the delicious pastry was served with two candles because everyone is turning two years old. However, she actually was able to take a nap, which Mama and Dada were so happy about!

In the afternoon, a couple of Iris's friends (Michael and Alina) and their parents (Angela & Chris, and Daniela) arrived for some more play time, pizza dinner and carrot cake. The adults mostly talked about the kids, but we thoroughly enjoyed watching them interact and try to pronounce Iris's name. For some reason, they liked to go down the hall into Iris's room, sometimes led by Iris. They are all active toddlers, for sure!

When the candles on the cake were finally lit (wet matches!), Iris tried blowing, but Mama helped a little. Presents came at the end, and Iris liked everything that she received. The caution was that there were many parts to some of them, such as plastic food sets and Mr. Potatohead. :)

It was a fun-filled day and Iris, per usual, was in good spirits (except for one crying spell right after naptime). It reminds us that all the time, God is good; God is good all the time!

Next: Birthday/Thanksgiving celebrations at the grandparents' homes on Wednesday and Thursday. Watch for more pictures.

What a cutie!

November is here and Iris is almost two years old! She is really a cutie because there are so many things she has been repeating. Here's a partial list:

* loves putting on her shoes herself; often on the opposite foot. See her saying "shoe" in the photo! She can put on socks, too.
* practices opening and closing the doors (sometimes even locking it...uh-oh!)
* calls for her bear and wants it near her almost all the time at home (same goes for her yellow blanket)
* taps her head when she wants to wear her favorite white hat, even though her coat or sweater has a hood
* likes to shake her head "no" and says "no" even when she doesn't really mean it
* confuses "pee-pee" and "poo-poo" after she goes on the potty
* says "down" when she wants mama to sit down or put her down on the ground.
* says "uhh" for "up" when she wants to be picked up
* says "ju" for "juice" or "orange"(in Mandarin) and "shway", which is "water" in Mandarin Chinese.
* "may" for "strawberry" (Chinese is "tsao mei")
* says "pea" with a hand gesture around her chest to mean "please" because she wants more food or what someone is eating.
* likes walking in the neighborhood looking for cats
* says "da" for "dog"
* plays an "ah-choo" game that Dada invented, involving her stuff animals flying all over her room.

After a cold, seasonal flu and H1N1 flu shots, Iris is doing well. Soon, it's time to celebrate her 2nd birthday and the anniversary of her baptism. We thank God for her every day. I'm still wondering why she won't come towards me when I call to her. I'm afraid that when there's a safety issue, it could be disastrous. Dada would say to me, "Stop being a mom!"

Now that she's a toddler, she doesn't always nap as well as she used to. As the holiday season is quickly upon us, I pray that we'll not be too busy or distracted to notice how Iris is changing or needing us. Teaching a toddler is a really tough job (!) as other parents of older children know. I'm thankful for other moms, our families and friends to help care for her. It truly takes a village!