Elmo Loves Bananas Too!

Gabriella LOVES her fruits and vegetables. She especially loves to snack on bananas and apples. Apparently Elmo likes bananas, too, because that is exactly what I caught him eating, a piece of Gabriella's banana!:

My Little Pumpkin

We had a perfect backdrop for a photo shoot with our fall decorations! Gabriella had fun "hamming it up" for the camera!

Temper, Temper

Gabriella has a bad habit of having to go to bed with a drink (I know, I know) but to save her teeth we try to give her water at bedtime. Last night, Gabriella woke up in the middle of the night and took her sippy cup, woke Ken and me up, and stated, "I need more," which meant she wanted something to drink other than water. Ken replied, "You have water, drink your water." That response was not acceptable to Gabriella so she whacked Ken off the side of the head with the sippy cup and then flung the sippy cup across the room! I was in shock and my brain was not processing the events quick enough to really comprehend what had just happened! I did verbally discipline her, but do not know how effective it was because disciplining in the middle of the night when you are half asleep is not easy. She has been throwing stuff lately when she is angry and her temper is strongly evident. My major parenting task right now is helping Gabriella control her temper when she gets angry. My little stinker butt!

Ignorant Idiot

My girlfriend, Kathy, and I went to the grocery store with Gabriella this afternoon. Gabriella was sitting in one of the pretend cars attached to a shopping cart. As we were leaving the store an older man walked ahead of us and left the store and we proceeded directly behind him. He turned and exclaimed, "She looks Chinese." I was dumbfounded, and simply said, "No," while trying to control myself from wrapping my hands around his neck due to his complete ignorance and lack of tact. He then said, "She's not Chinese? She looks Chinese." Kathy and I simply said, "No," again and continued to our car. I am sure there are a million brilliant things that I should have said and / or different ways to have reacted, but I was not witty enough at the time to think of them. And, so what if Gabriella were Chinese? What difference would that have made to him? Are Chinese children not allowed in the same store he shops in? Why ask the question? Is it because there were two white women with her? Is there something strange in that? I am baffled in trying to understand what was going through that man's small brain.

I am commonly asked if Gabriella's father is Asian and other similar questions. I am generally not caught off-guard or bothered by these questions and answer all tactful questions appropriately. I am all for being open and sharing the beauty of adoption with whoever will listen. But, this idiot, on the other hand, was completely out-of-line and totally ignorant. I get most upset because I know these are the types of people that Gabriella will have to face on her own in the future. In the meantime, my job is to teach her value her uniqueness and help her to be proud of the beautiful person she is inside and out.

Watch Me!

One of Gabriella's newest words is "Watch" and she uses it when she is going to do something and wants an audience like dancing, jumping, doing silly things with her head, etc. Occasionally she will add a "me" at the end and say, "Watch me" but the "me" usually comes after a one second pause after the "watch" and she says "me" at a higher pitch than "watch." It is not very easy to explain, but super cute to hear!

I A Baby!

Gabriella has not yet started potty training, but I continue to "prep" her for potty training. When she needs a diaper change I explain to her that diapers are for babies and big girls go in the potty. So, lately, while I am changing her diaper, Gabriella proudly declares, "I a baby" and she says "baby" in a sing-songy, drawn out way making it even more super cute. I answer her by saying, "Yes, your mommy's baby" and she replies, "I a dada's baby" with a big smile on her face! I say, "No, your mama's baby" and she repeats, "I a dada's baby!" My little stinker is too darn cute!

Fortune Cookie

Gabriella and I had Chinese food for lunch and Gabriella's "fortune" from her fortune cookie was, "A part of us remains wherever we have been." Very fitting and very true, not just for Gabriella or adopted children, but for all of us.