Prayers requested

My sister, Jennifer, found out today that she lost her baby boy. The umbilical cord had a knot in it and was wrapped about his neck. She went in for a routine check-up with the nurse and they couldn't find the heartbeat and then confirmed that with an ultrasound. Jennifer & her husband, Willis, are in complete shock. The baby was due next week. If you can pray for them, I would appreciate it. Thank you.

Standing

Keith is now able to stand up by himself without using anything around him to do so. I am one proud mama. He is also feeding himself quite well with a spoon.

Anna & Kristina playing together on the laptop. After some of the initial difficulties, I am grateful that these girls get along so well. :o)

Tooth Fairy time

When we adopted Kristina last year, she was already missing a tooth. The dentist here said it had been knocked out as opposed to coming out naturally. Poor Kristina doesn't have the best balance, so it's not too surprising that she knocked a tooth out. Two days ago Kristina showed me one of her front teeth that was - to my surprise - very loose! With a few wiggles on my part, out it came. I don't know if Kristina would understand the Tooth Fairy just yet...but she'll learn quickly, I am sure!

Communication

Keith has been talking more lately. It's a miracle to see his mind open up as he grasps that he can communicate with us. Today he did the sign for cold, hot, happy, and yes. Whenever I say it's time to eat - Keith is at his highchair within a minute all ready for food. He has been speaking actual words which is wondrous to hear. He is saying hi, bye, mama, love mama, i love mama, love daddy, daddy, kristina, anna, keithy, cold, hot, happy, yes, no, & all gone.

Also, I think he's gained about 20 pounds or something. Seriously, this kid is a tank now! His thighs are chunking up - something I didn't know was possible for him - and his tummy is big.

My recent post about Kristina saying "all gone" instead of "all done" was not defiance, rather, she thought she was saying what I was saying. In her mind "all gone" is the same as "all done." Cute. Kristina has gained a little weight, but I am thinking that she will be tiny forever. She barely eats at meals unless we really REALLY insist on it or feed her ourselves. She will, however, eat a bunch of bananas without any hesitation whatsoever.

Conversation with Kristina

The following occured after Kristina was finished sitting at the table and wanted to get down:

Kristina: "All gone!"

Me: "All done."

Kristina: "All gone!"

Me: "All done."

Kristina: "All gone!"

Me: "All DONE."

Kristina: "All GONE!"

Me: "All gone, I mean, ALL DONE!"

AUGH!!!!!!!!!!

One, Two, Three, GO!

Check out this action from Keith!

Anna & Kristina like to run relays back and forth down the hallway. We begin this relay by stating the title of this post before the girls take off running. Keith began running his own relays and you can hear him saying his version of the title as well. So cute!

Birthday girl!

Kristina turned 5 years old today! We are so happy that she is a member of our family! Since we celebrated her birthday with Keith a couple of weeks ago, today was just a small family party. Here are some pictures of her eating her dinner tonight:

Kristina usually doesn't eat much protein at all - but she LOVED these chicken kabobs that we grilled tonight. LOVED THEM! (She ate TWO!) We also had fried rice, jello with pears, watermelon, and ebelskivers for dessert. YUM!

There are so many things that I love about Kristina! I will name a few today: she is very empathetic, always running up to anyone who is upset or crying with a desire to help them. She forgives easily. She always has a smile on her face. She loves to give hugs and kisses. She loves Larry Boy from VeggieTales. She loves electronic toys that play music and say numbers and letters. Her favorite foods: watermelon, bananas, macaroni and cheese, peas, milk, & just about anything I serve her! She is easy to please! I love my little Kristina Louise!