"100 day"

Yesterday was the 100th day of school (for everyone else...24 for Anyssa) so the kids had to decorate a shirt or something with 100 items on it. We found a couple packages of foam stickers that had tropical flowers so we went with that. Mommy and Anyssa started it, then daddy joined in so mommy could start dinner then Anyssa left because apparently, putting 100 of anything together when you're 5 can get pretty boring. I ended up finishing it with her joining in near the end. I'll swear there were 100 (more or less) of them on that shirt. Her teacher wrote us that since it was a special day, the kids could sit wherever they wanted. She said that all of the girls wanted to sit next to Anyssa. Wow...my little girl...Miss Popularity.

Today I had to go to the social security office to apply for Anyssa social security card. When filling out the original paperwork many months ago, there was a section that asked for her SS number. If you didn't have one, there was box to check if you wanted to APPLY for one. Silly us...we thought by checking the box, we would applying for a social security card. After 3 months with no response from the SS people, our agency told us it was hit and miss and if we didn't hear anything, to go in and apply again. I took everything I could think of that they would ask for. Long story short...we should be getting her card in 10-14 days. Fingers crossed. I was thinking that maybe her card had gotten swiped and someone was ruining her credit already!

Hopefully tonight we will finish her Valentines for her class. Once I explained to her what it was all about, she was pumped up! We'll see how Monday goes for her.

Another post? So soon??

We've been talking about whether we want to continue the blog or not and I would really like to. It's funny how much time a child takes out of your life. It seems like after she goes to bed, writing a blog about the daily mundane stuff she does would be kind of boring. However, this is all still pretty new to her. I find it hard to believe that Anyssa has been in the country LESS than 3 months. We put up a growth chart and after only 6 weeks, she has grown 2 inches. It's looking more and more that she was fairly malnourished is China.

Eating can still be a challenge. Foods she liked a month ago she doesn't want anything to do with. I mentioned earlier that she at least tries food before she says she doesn't like. This is still true, but we have to force the issue a bit. I tell her that if she tries something and really doesn't like it, she doesn't have to eat it. I find this an equitable approach and apparently so does she. I know we are dealing more with 5 year old issues rather than adoption issues. For example, she says she doesn't like carrots. When she was eating some chicken out of a Sam's Club sample, I snuck a large hunk of carrot into her mouth and she said it all tasted good. However, when I put another piece of carrot on the fork, showed it to her and asked her if she wanted it, I got the UGH face. Go figure...  :-)

We have been getting regular reports from her teacher. Anyssa needs constant reinforcement of letters and numbers. She knows them, but if you show her number, sometimes she doesn't remember which number it is. We have a counting book we use...we show her the "5" page and ask her what the number is. She'll count the pictures "1-2-3-4-5---5." It's hard to adapt to her thinking when we have so much we take for granted, but yes...she needs that reinforcement.

She was playing kind of rough the other day and she hit me purposely. I stopped her and said loudly and firmly..."You don't hit daddy...EVER!". So at least now, she knows the word "ever". I had cold hands and touched her back...she snapped around and yelled "no touching...EVER! EVER!!" and she got right in my face. It's hard to get mad when it just makes you smile.

OK...I will post more...I promise. Even if it's at work while my machine is doing it's thing...like right now. Pictures soon.