Happy 1st Birthday, Evelyn!

Today is our little princess' 1st birthday! We celebrated this milestone with family and friends yesterday. Evelyn wore the hanbok sent from Mrs. Lee, who was her foster mom in Korea. As you see, she looked beautiful and very grown-up. To kick off the celebration, we had the traditional tol. It is a ceremony of sorts where the dad walks the child around a table set with specific items that predict the child's chosen path in life. Items include a bow & arrow (becoming a warrior), needle & thread (live long), jujube (have many descendents), a book (successful scholar), rice (become rich), a ruler (talented with her hands), and a knife (good cook). Evelyn first picked up the ruler and then touched the book; so it looks like she will be talented with her hands and a successful scholar--watch out Yale, here she comes! While everyone ate, Mommy changed Evelyn into a dress and then we opened gifts. Once again, our friends and family were very generous to our angel. Then, it was time for the cake. At first, Evelyn didn't quite know what to do with it, but soon figured it out and cake was everywhere on her face! It was a fun-filled day with good food, good friends, and a little one who is getting all too big too soon!

Getting Big!

Mommy has a snow day today--thank goodness! She was up sick all night and prayed for the day off to recover! Since she has had the day at home with her Korean angel, she thought she would share some big news about Evelyn! Evelyn began pulling herself up to a standing position in the crib over the weekend and now wants to do that on EVERYTHING!! In fact, she is trying to climb up on Mommy as she types this post. Also, Evelyn is getting around very well with the crawling issue--she is quick! Yesterday, she was able to get herself into a sitting position from crawling without any assistance. We are contantly amazed at the rapid changes in our girl now that she is nearing 1 year old, which is another issue that Mommy is not dealing well with. It is so exciting to see her growing more everyday, but a little heart-breaking at the same time.

Valentine Dinner

Our agency hosted a Valentine's Dinner at our church tonight. All money raised from the dinner benefited OrphanCare, which is a program supported by our agency that helps children in various countries who are waiting for a family. Evelyn seemed to really enjoy herself--especially when she did the Chicken Dance with Daddy. Of course, our BFF's Owen and Avery were there to add to the fun. Evelyn loved seeing them along with Miss Tammy, who is our social worker. It was a fun-filled evening that helped touch many lives.

Big Snow

Lucky us--we got about 8 inches of snow last night! Of course, Mommy was happy to have a snow day to spend at home with Evelyn, but Daddy did as well! So after shoveling the driveway and letting the sun begin to melt some snow away this afternoon, we headed out into the powdery white world. It was Evelyn first time to really get in the snow and touch it. She is truly her mother's child--after a couple of minutes of looking at it and one touch, she was done with the stuff! I think her philosophy of snow is like mine--it is pretty to look at in a snowglobe!

Feeling Toothy!

It has been a busy couple of weeks in our household. Daddy started back to law school, Mommy started back to school, and Evelyn showed her first tooth! Of course, Daddy said he knew it was coming, but keep in mind that he has been saying that since she came home in July. Also, Evelyn is starting to be more mobile. While she isn't up on all fours all the time, she sure can get where she is going VERY quickly. Let the fun begin!

Passing Our Exams

No, we haven't heard how Daddy did on his law school exams, but Evelyn took a couple this week! On the 2nd, she went to the optometrist for an InfantSee eye exam. It is a free service provided by certain optometrists in the area. Dr. Weigel was wonderful and Evelyn did very well--no crying! In fact, she kept trying to grab different items that he possessed. Evelyn passed the eye exam with flying colors! The next night, our PAT person came for a visit and administered a developmental assessment on Evelyn. Since she was so premature, she administered the exam as if Evelyn was an 8 mo. old baby. Evelyn did very well in the fine and gross motor areas, but was a little behind in the language dept. While we weren't surprised by it, it was still a little disappointing to hear. Our PAT person reassured us that Evelyn was on track and that we are doing all the right things. She also explained that most babies focus on one area of development at a time, so we shouldn't worry. All in all, we are very pleased with her growth and development. We can't get over how much she has changed in such a short amount of time. If only this stage of life lasted a little bit longer...

Date Night

Thanks to Grandma Donna, Mommy and Daddy were able to enjoy a night out on Dec. 30th. We attended an Indianapolis Colts game. Mommy was very excited to see Peyton Manning in person!! We actually spent most of the afternoon in Downtown Indy before the game began. Of course, Mommy did some shopping--he he!! Then we were off to the RCA Dome for the final season game there (there is a new stadium being built for the team). Our seats were fabulous! We were on the 50 yard line and in Row 23. The Colts played the Tennessee Titans (could this have been any better for Mommy?). Though Peyton Manning only played for the first quarter, it was such fun to watch in person. In the end, Tennessee won (totally fine for Mommy, who is still a TN girl at heart)to secure a spot in the playoffs. Of course, Peyton Manning and the Colts were already secured a spot prior to the game. It was a fun-filled evening for us, but we were a little anxious to get back to our little angel!