We sang “Happy Birthday” to her in Mandarin this morning.  And, her sweet brother has been showering her with birthday hugs and kisses all day long.

Just a simple celebration planned for tonight.  A simple meal, and a few gluten-free goodies that I picked up from Paradox Pastry earlier today.

Thinking of Autumn’s birth parents today and praying for them–they are probably thinking of this darling girl.

English words she speaks:

• All done
• Diaper change
• Up
• Mama
• Daddy / Dada
• Bye Bye
• Hi
• Bath
• See this
• Look here

Mandarin words:

• Ge ge (big brother)
• Mama
• Xie xie (thanks)

ASL words:

• Please
• More
• Eat
• Drink
• All Done
• Poop
• Potty
• Diaper change

But, most of the time she’s just giggling or laughing.

When she first came home, she was pretty content with just sitting and hanging out.  Not too long after, she was pretty comfortable cruising and crawling everywhere.  Now, I can almost certainly find her digging through my bag or in book shelves where she ought not be.  I often hear her singing contentedly–including her “diaper change” song.  Yes, she has a song.

Autumn loves to emulate her big brother.  Like him, she’s taken to drawing (two fisted) and coloring.  She also loves to pour through books.  Her favorite times (other than meal times and snack times) are after bath snuggles.

She’s outgrown so many clothes already (this is a GREAT problem!).  I haven’t weighed her in 3 weeks, but back then, she’d gained 3 pounds since we brought her home.  Yes!  Her hair is growing longer, and soon enough, we’ll be able to add hair bows. Woo hoo!

I pray she continues to grow and thrive.  She’s such a joy and delight in our lives, and I can barely remember what life was like before she became part of it.

I hope, before she turns 3, she’ll be able to meet her other cousins, grand parents, and great grandparents.  So far, those folks have only seen photos and a few Skype sessions.

The happiest of birthdays to Autumn YuChen!

While kids (and teachers) are antsy to wrap up the school year, you can keep them motivated to continue reading and learning through several summer reading programs.  Many of these programs offer free prizes or gifts.  Enjoy this compilation, and please let me know if you hear of any other great programs.

Barnes and Noble Imagination Destination - You/your child logs any 8 books read over the summer in their reading journal, and he can choose a free book from their summer selections!  This program is active from May 21 – Sep 3, 2013.

Bookworm Wednesdays at Showcase Cinemas: Bring a book report with you to Wednesday 10 AM shows for free admission.

Chuck E. Cheese offers 10 free tokens when your child reads for any two weeks in a row.  Bring in the completed log to claim your tokens.

Half-Price Books Feed Your Brain summer reading program kids read 15 minutes per day (or are read aloud to) during June and July.  Submit logs each month once 300 minutes are compiled to earn $5 gift certificate to Half-Price Books.

H.E. Buddy Summer Reading Program: (for Texas residents only) On the website, click “Clubs and Contests” on the bottom left side bar.  Then, register for the Buddy Reading Club.  Use this H.E. Buddy log to keep track of 10 books read for the summer to earn a free t-shirt.

iVillage & PBS Summer Reading Challenge is a 4 week program that gives parents tips to help build literacy with games, crafts, and chances to win daily prizes.

Pottery Barn Kids Summer Reading Challenge – From May 16 – August 26, download the PBK reading list or pop in to a local PBK for story time on Tuesdays from 11 – 11:30.  Once your child reads (or is read aloud) all the books on the list, he’ll earn a free prize!

Scholastic Summer Challenge allows you to log in the amount of minutes read over the summer.  Your child can earn free digital prizes and compete in a World Record challenge.

Sylvan Book Adventure – kids search for books on the Sylvan list: hundreds of books are available at all reading levels.  Many of these books are available at the local library. Once a book is complete, they take a short reading comprehension quiz (usually 10 questions), and can earn points.  Later, they can trade in the points for cool prizes like stickers, temporary tattoos, and other toys.

TD Bank Summer Reading offers a cash rewards!  Students read a minimum of 10 books over the summer that they log, and then TD banks will add $10 cash in a new or existing Young Saver Account!

Her light-filled eyes smile with delight.

Peals of laughter bubbling up to the rafters

Evoking contagious smiles from all who hear.

Glowing with radiance and vitality,

She sparkles.

—————-

Every child begins the world again . . .

–Henry David Thoreau

Standing more frequently for longer periods of time, it helps to have some pink sparkly shoes to motivate Autumn to walk.  So thankful for this beautiful pink shoes (the currently discontinued Ruby) sent from the nice folks representing Pediped as a welcome home gift for our baby girl!

Pediped also sent us the original style Abigail in silver and white.  Beautifully crafted baby shoes that are perfect for a beginning walker…and they match every spring outfit.  

It’s so much fun dressing up my little girl!

 I’m wild about the multi-textured silver flower accents (and the easy velcro on/off). 

The sparkles match her personality!

You can get your own spring/summer footwear for the little sparks of joy in your life from Pediped.  Interested in learning about the latest styles? Find Pediped on Facebook, follow them on Twitter (@pedipedfootwear), and check out their pins on Pinterest.

No compensation was received for this review, but 2 pairs of shoes were received for the purposes of completing this review.  Read my full disclosure.

Since we’ve returned home, multiple unexpected bits of struggle or bad news or hard circumstances have come our way–so, getting a bit of good news is like a bit of warm sun gleaming through the cracks of a perpetually gray sky.

We have much to celebrate . . . there is much joy and calm amidst the weariness of being stretched so thin.

Our daughter grows each day in happiness, in love, and in muchness.  Those 12 month-old clothes are getting a bit short on her as her little limbs lengthen through nourishment of food and life.

Since we came home, she hasn’t quite known what to call me.  There is a “ma ma” in her vocabulary, but it often refers to the desire for food.  ”Da da”, “Dad”, “Daddy” all spring forth from her mouth in reference to Steve…or wondering where he is at the moment.  In fact, sometimes I am called “Da da” for lack of a better name.

I can’t say that it bothers me all that much.  Even though I was the one who carried her close to my chest during the majority of the trip to China, once we returned home, I was the one down with illness and then working away from home for many hours and days.  Her time with me has been half as much as with her Daddy.

But, yesterday, we had a breakthrough.

After a couple of months of referring to myself (in Mandarin and English) as “Mama” she called me by that name–all day long.  Even after Steve came home from work and the whole next day, it was her favorite word (and she knows several).

Now, she knows what to call me…and I do respond with as much love as ever.

My heart brimming with muchness.

But, even more fun was coming home from China in February to find a package of Umi shoes in the mail that were especially for her!

Umi sent us the sparkly and flower-embellished Ariell to review.

Behold!

Those buttons and elastic straps?  Totally decorative embellishments.  The shoe secures with a hook and loop closure under the purple flower/Umi band.  With the firm leather upper and shoe construction, it’s easy to slip the shoes on my daughter’s dainty feet.

She’s just now cruising around on her own, so having a sturdy shoe is actually more helpful for her unsteady feet.

Having a daughter is SO different than having a son.  Every time we put these cute Ariell shoes on her feet, she’ll hold her foot up in the air and turn it this way and that to really look it over and admire the shoe.  She’s SUCH a girl!  I love it!

These are my most favorite pair of shoes that she currently owns because they match everything!  They’re easy to put on, and they’re stabilizing for her feet. Find your own sweet feet accessories for your little darling and shop Little Girls (1-3 yrs) at Umi Shoes today.

In addition to several stylish collections for boys and girls for spring celebrations (Easter, Passover, graduations, weddings, etc.), Umi is also hosting a very sweet sale . . .

Now, through March 13, take 40% off the entire UmiSport collection with code LNKSPORT. Valid 3.11-3.13 only!

What do you look for in children’s shoes?  Style? Comfort? Ease of putting on/taking off?