4 months

4 months since I picked up Maggie from the orphanage on that cold cold Moscow day.  I was looking at a video from when we were leaving the orphanage and it feels like FOREVER ago.  I mean, seriously.  Maggie is NOTHING like that little scared girl I see in the video.  I can't get the video to upload, but here is a picture of that little girl with her caretaker at the orphanage- all bundled up and ready to go!

And then my heart still melts when I see this picture of her favorite caretaker waving goodbye.  I prayed daily for this woman.  And I am so thankful that she loved Maggie and took such good care of her.  The care she gave Maggie, and the fact that I am positive that Maggie was attached to her, is one of the reasons why Maggie is doing so well. 

And then there was that little girl in the hotel room who cried out of fear of the unknown.  She didn't even want my dad to look at her, much less be in the same room.  Looking back, she was so brave - a new place, new faces, new smells, new food, new everything.

And before I knew it - literally within 45 minutes - she went from that scared little girl to ALL SMILES and LAUGHTER

and she has never looked back.  That twinkle in her eye that I see in this picture is still there.  It was like she couldn't wait to show me how amazing she was!

But as Ward says, "Maggie looks nothing like those pictures" and he is right.  She is thriving.  She is growing like a weed.  She went up to the 10th percentile for height at her 15 month appointment.  She has a mouth full of teeth.  She understands every single word that comes out of my mouth.  And she is saying new words every day.  (Yesterday is was "nana" for banana and baba for "baby".  She also says "Wa" for Ward and it is precious.)  She is so close to really talking and is frustrated that she can't communicate more.  Once she gets it, I don't think that I am going to be able to get her to be quiet.  She fits right in our family!!!

Here are a couple of recent videos.  You can see how much her siblings adore her.  She lights up our lives and I can't imagine our family without her!

This is about the only time I have gotten her to keep a pigtail in her hair for over 30 seconds.  She usually pulls them right out.  But her hair is always in her eyes so I try and try again.  I think that I must have distracted her with the Flip and she forgot it was there.

Maggie LOVES music - any kind.  She also loves to dance.  Dance parties in Ann Park's room are a daily occurrence in this house!

Easter

Easter was a great chance to spend time together as an immediate family and to spend time with our extended family - more and more cousins!  We were especially excited about Julie and her kids coming to visit since they were not here for Christmas and we didn't get a long visit that time.  I also couldn't help thinking how it was Maggie's first Easter as a Holt.  I can't imagine what her first Easter was like - probably not even given a second thought  - and I definitely prayed for all those kids in Russian orphanages with no hope of adoption by an American family right now.

As I was thinking back on the day, I realized that I had "missed" Maggie's 4 month anniversary of Gotcha Day (April 27).  It was a crazy week last week with lots of doctors appointments for Ward and Maggie and we had our meeting with our social worker to get our 6 month report ready to send to Russia.  I still can't believe that it has been 4 months.  She is such a different child than the tiny angel I brought home.  Physically, she has filled out, broken at least 9 teeth (and 4 more molars on the way according to our first dentist appointment last week), and is growing out of a lot of clothes!  Her hair is growing like a weed and she is sporting a great mullet.  She refuses to let me to put anything in her hair to get it out of her face, so it is in her eyes a lot.  I am not  going to cut it until I can get it all even and  in a bob so she is just going to continue to look a little white-trashesque for a while.  The hair goes perfectly with her dirty "Walmart feet."  She does not like shoes at all and I think it might be because she always had on tights, socks and shoes when she was in the orphanage.  As soon as she started playing with her toes, she was hooked.  She even refuses to wear footy pajamas because she likes her toes free!!

Developmentally, she is running all over the place, literally.  She loves to play "chase" and she is still obsessed with throwing balls and loves balloons.   She has great hand-eye coordination and I love watching her trying to put things back in their place.  She is learning how to whine (like a true Holt) and I think frustrated that she can't communicate better with us.  I totally remember this stage with my other kids and see it as a positive development, although it can be very annoying and trying when I am tired.   She also has learned to blow kisses which still brings tears to my eyes when she does it!!

Here are some pictures from Easter to show you all the craziness in our house --- better than me telling you!

Sam - always the entertainer!

Ward mid-bunny eating!!

my little reader!

Happy girl!  First Easter!!

see the hair???

concentrating

I love this picture - classic Maggie look!

trying to get a shot of the kids but I had to get in it!

blowing a kiss!!!

so sweet!

I think that this was the best one!

Christopher cousins and Grandmom

monsters!!!