Gabriella's 2nd Birthday Party

Gabriella had a wonderful second birthday party on Saturday, August 8th. Many great friends and some close family shared this special day with Gabriella. The party was Princess and Pirate themed and was held in the yard of our home.
Gabriella was dressed as a beautiful princess!:
We had a bouncy house and Gabriella and her friends enjoyed playing in it.:

After lunch, Jasmine, the princess from Aladdin, came to the party!

Gabriella does not do well without her late morning / early afternoon nap. We had tried to get Gabriella to nap earlier in the day prior to her party, but she would not go to sleep. So, during the party, Gabriella was very tired and missed most of the princess's visit because she was napping.

"It's my party and I'll nap if I want to...!: The princess sang with the children, made balloon creations, and painted a tattoo for each of the children.: I woke Gabriella up after about a thirty minute nap and she was able to get a heart tattoo on her arm.:

The princess led the group in singing "Happy Birthday" to Gabriella.:

We had three piñatas. Gabriella enjoyed picking through the loot after all of the piñatas had been opened.: The children also enjoyed making sand art.:

We also had a horse and a pony at the party and each of the children had the opportunity to have horse and pony rides. Gabriella loves horses! The horse and pony rides were probably her favorite part of the day.:

The kids also did their own face painting!: Gabriella did such a beautiful job with her make-up, several other "victims" let her do their make-up as well! She did my make-up, Grampy's make-up, ...:

...Ken's make-up, ...: ...and Aunt Kathy's make-up! Notice the look of concentration on Gabriella's face! Such masterful work requires deep concentration!: Gabriella and her friends also enjoyed many special food treats. We had a popcorn machine, a snow cone machine, and a cotton candy machine.:

Gabriella had a great time playing in the bouncy house, but especially loved playing in it at the end of the day with the adults after all of her friends had gone home!: After the party Gabriella enjoyed opening all of her birthday gifts. Ken's mother got Gabriella an Elmo nightgown and Gabriella could not wait to put it on! She had to put it on immediately after she opened it!:

The next morning Gabriella admired and played with all of her new birthday gifts!:

It was a fun day and such a special event for Gabriella.

My Little Bugger!

Gabriella went to school today for two and a half hours and in only two and a half hours she managed to cause trouble, but then she redeemed herself! At lunchtime she and her friend Chloe got up from the table and threw their uneaten lunches in the trash. Then, a little boy dropped his lunch on the floor and Gabriella proceeded to stomp on it! My mother owns and runs the daycare, so it is always fun for the staff when the owner's granddaughter is wreaking havoc in the school. After her path of destruction, the angel came out! When my sister arrived to pick Gabriella up from school, she walked in to the classroom to find Gabriella rubbing a little boy's back to help him go to sleep for naptime! So sweet! Almost makes you forget about the little terror inside of her!

One Year Ago Yesterday...

...Gabriella was still living in Guatemala and celebrating her first birthday with her foster family. Her first birthday was bittersweet because I was happy that her foster family, who loved (and loves) her so much, got to celebrate it with her, but I was angry and depressed that she was not home with her forever family for this big day. I was at one of the lowest places in my life. My mother and I had just come back from our fifth visit trip only a month prior to her birthday and I was praying that that would be the final time that I would have to leave my precious child behind in Guatemala. I had visited her five times while we were waiting for her and my love for Gabriella was immense; I felt like she was being "held hostage" in another country. Sounds harsh, but that was how I was feeling. I had expected that she would be home by her first birthday, but it felt like we kept hitting snags (in hindsight, though, they really were only minor snags that felt major at the time!). At that point we were at the place in the process in which Gabriella was already a Draper and we were counting down the days in which we could travel to bring her home forever.

These are the photos from her first birthday party in Guatemala:

Foster Mother Norma and Gabriella:
Gabriella, Daniel, and wife Sandy (Sandy is Norma's daughter):
Gabriella and Daniel ("Naniel" as she calls him currently). Daniel loves Gabriella as if she were his own daughter and he still refers to Gabriella as his daughter.:

Gabriella, Daniel, Norma's Mother, and Gabriella's "foster brother" Evan. Evan was being loved by the same foster family and was adopted by a wonderful family in South Carolina.:

Gabriella, Sandy, and her Dora piñata:

Norma's Mother (Sandy's Grandmother), Daniel's Grandmother, and Gabriella:

Gabriella's 1st Birthday Cake:

Singing the equivalent to "Happy Birthday":

Opening her birthday presents:

I am so thankful that I have these photos and was able to share in these memories through the photos, but, boy, was I down in the dumps that we were not having this party for her here in the United States. This is why I am celebrating her second birthday with her to the max!

Dreaming

I have had a bit of insomnia lately and it strikes in the middle of the night. Gabriella is still sleeping in the bed with us; the toddler bed situation only lasted a couple of nights and, to be honest, I really don't mind it! When I awaken in the middle of the night I love to watch Gabriella sleeping and listen to her breathing. Last night, though, for the first time, I heard her talk in her sleep! She said, what sounded like, "Play" twice. It was very funny and I figured she was either dreaming about playing or wanting to play. Tonight she did it again but this time she said, "Play" then what sounded like "Lola" and then what sounded like "Gracie." Lola and Gracie are two of our three dogs and she was probably dreaming about playing with them. It is very funny, entertaining, and enjoyable to hear.

Celebrating Gabriella's 2nd Birthday!

Today we happily celebrated Gabriella's second birthday and her first birthday home!

Gabriella was running a low grade fever last night and her cousin Bella, who she had spent time with over the weekend, was sick, so I was worried about Gabriella being sick for her birthday, but she woke up feeling well with no fever. One dose of Motrin seemed to do the trick, so I was very thankful for that.

First thing this morning, directly after waking up, Gabriella opened a couple small presents from us. Look at the determination in her eyes!:

Throughout the morning we received lots of birthday calls for Gabriella. Lots of family and friends sang "Happy Birthday" to her. She would hold the phone to her ear and listen, but didn't say much. She was probably wondering why so many people were singing to her today!

I had a doctor's appointment in Boston this morning and following the appointment we took Gabriella for lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. Gabriella loves animals, is always imitating monkeys, and is constantly making animal sounds, so I thought this would be a perfect birthday treat. Boy, was I wrong! She hated it! She was scared and didn't want to move from my lap. She didn't eat much, because she was so nervous, but she did manage to eat a bit.:

The wait staff sang "Happy Birthday" to her, but, again, she wasn't too impressed!:

After lunch we went home and napped. After our nap we got ready for dinner with my family.

We eat out frequently and Gabriella recognizes Emma's "big man," as we refer to him, more knowingly than she recognizes Mickey Mouse! She spots him the second we pull into the parking lot and says, "Oooh, man" and instantly knows where we are!:

Each time we eat at Emma's, Gabriella always asks for a dollar to play the claw machine. Since it was her birthday, of course we had to let her play!:

After dinner we went back to our house for cake and presents. We are installing ceramic tile throughout my house, so the house is in complete disarray. But, we managed around the mess and had a fun celebration anyway!

Gabriella's princess cake:

After the candle was blown out, Gabriella kept walking up to the cake and blowing like she was blowing out more candles. It was very cute:

Enjoying cake...well, enjoying frosting actually!:

Opening birthday cards and presents:

Good things come in small packages...:

...and big packages too!:

We then went outside to play with the Step 2 Roller Coaster that Ken and I got her:

To end the fun day, Gabriella and Tita had a great time playing outside!:

This evening we also called Gabriella's foster family in Guatemala. They love Gabriella so much and I knew they would want to speak to her on her birthday. Gabriella and I spoke to Daniel, Sandy, and Alejandra. We also called Norma, but she was not home. Daniel said he was very sad this morning when he woke up because he wouldn't be able to see Gabriella on her birthday. I felt for him because I know how much he loves Gabriella and I remember how I felt when I was missing her first birthday last year while she was still in Guatemala. We also received e-cards from them for Gabriella. They are wonderful people and I am so thankful for the love they gave Gabriella and the love they continue to have for her.

It was a fun day but now we are looking forward to the big birthday party on Saturday!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl! Mommy loves you so much!

Happy 2nd Birthday Baby Girl!

Happy Birthday, Gabriella! Today I am so excited to celebrate YOU! I am more thankful for you than I can express with words. This is your first birthday home with your family and I am so grateful that you are home to celebrate this one with us. I am looking forward to this wonderful year ahead and to witness you continuing to change and grow into a more phenomenal little girl. Today is also a day to celebrate your birth mother and today, more than every other day, she is in my thoughts and prayers. I love you to the moon and back!