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Wednesday, December 23, 2009
School Holiday Show
The school's Mandarin class performed and sang We Wish You a Merry Christmas in Mandarin.
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
Tessa learned to sing We Wish You a Merry Christmas
in English and in Mandarin.
Skyping with Jing Ju
Tessa is so happy that she lost a tooth. She was eager to skype (see) Jing Ju on the computer and show her. They are so cute!. They can now communicate and it was fun watching them. In 5 days, they will be reunited in NYC after 9 months!! Whewy, I can't wait!!
Singing Tessa
Tessa is ALWAYS singing, always! Today people were doing double takes because Tessa was singing Christmas songs in the store while we were shopping. In this video, she and Eileen were singing so nicely, I just had to save it. We were parked in the garage, after a nice ride of singing.
Tessa Playing Santa
Tessa has learned that "Santa gives presents." She was very excited to play Santa and to give small presents to her classmates.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Tessa tells Santa "I want a pink Car"
Santa made a stop at the Deering Estate. Tessa listened to Mrs. Clause read Christmas stories, then she sat with Santa and told him: "I would like a pink car for Christmas." This is really the only toy she has asked for. Her friend Eileen has one and Jake and Jordan have one; she is obsessed with them when she visits. I've been teaching her the act of giving during the holidays and she has played Santa a lot so far.
First Piano Recital
Tessa's first Piano recital! She is playing the Shoemaker.
So far she is enjoying the class.
Do Re Mi Fa So
Tessa loves to sing in her Yamaha Sharp Minds Music class.
Yes, that's mostly Tessa you hear. She has a strong voice!
First Tooth fairy visit
When Tessa was sick, and she looks kind of sickly in this photo...she wiggled her bottom front tooth out w/o problem. The Tooth Fairy left her $3! She was so excited with the $3, even tho the night before she had asked for $10 , then $20! Her initial reaction to the $3 was "I wanna buy a toy for Jing Ju and Yanni, because I have so many" (altho, she really doesn't, but to her she does...and I think that's great!)
Re-adoption Ceremony
We finally got our court date for our re-adoption. It was quick, but nice. We now have our birth certificates and I can get the US Passport. 
Tessa was so gorgeous in her new dress today that I took tons of photos and took one for our Holiday Card.There were 5 Guo girls!
The girls shared with me the name of another girl who is their friend.
A week later when talking about her time in China, Tessa shared that there were 5 of them to a bedroom: Jing Ju, Yanni, Tessa and 2 others. It would be nice if we could reunite the whole group!!
A week later when talking about her time in China, Tessa shared that there were 5 of them to a bedroom: Jing Ju, Yanni, Tessa and 2 others. It would be nice if we could reunite the whole group!!
Tessa & Yanni Again
Tessa and Yanni shared another long weekend together. We brought Yanni to Chinese Language school and she really liked it. Yanni was very close to losing her Mandarin and she couldn't understand Tessa when they first met again. But by the second day, they were communicating in Mandarin again....They fight like sisters, but one can tell they really love eachother.
The Nutcracker
Ok, We did it. We did the Mother/Daughter tradition of seeing the Nutcracker.It was performed by Tessa's Ballet company and we saw our neighbor & babysitter perform in several acts. Tessa loved it! She enjoyed watching the dancing, eating popcorn and clapping.
Cruising the Big Boat
Hola Cozumel, Mexico!
Sailing in Key West "I want to drive the boat like Jing Ju!"
That's the Biggest Boat in the World (The Oasis) parked beside us!Monday, December 21, 2009
5 Wonderful Months Home
Wow, it is hard to believe that it has been over a month since I've been able to update Tessa's blog. It has been almost 5 months since Tessa has been home and almost 6 months since we got Tessa. It is increasingly more difficult to imagine life before Tessa; I am the happiest ever!
So much has happened this past month that I hope I remember it all; one day I'll be able to post regularly and get all the great details down that are missed when trying to recall events.
Tessa went on her first "Big Boat" and cruised to Key West and Cozumel, Mexico! She sailed on a big Sail Boat in Keywest and got buried in sand with Jake and Jordan in Mexico. What she'll remember? The ice cream and pizza!
Tessa had a great "To grandmother's house we go" Thanksgiving. To this day, she refers to Grandma and Grandpa's house as Tim Tebow's house....a true Gator fan! And she met her Aunt Susie; she still has another Aunt and a cousin to meet at Christmas....
Tessa and I saw the Nutcracker performed by her ballet company and she LOVED it. Tessa had another great weekend visit with her SWI sister, Yanni. They both wore me out again the first day by their fighting. On the second day, in the car, we happened to discuss why they were fighting; they talked it out and then were great together the rest of the day! Surprisingly, Yanni was speaking very little Mandarin and this was a little frustrating.
I had the biggest scares when Tessa had high fevers for a couple of days 2 weeks ago. She missed some days at school and when she attended she was in bed as soon as she got home. She ate nothing, talked very little and was fatigued. I was constantly checking her breathing since breathing difficulty is a complication of H1N1. But when I took her to Miami Children's Urgent Care, her DX was ear infection. Tessa had a lot of wax buildup in her ears and it was very traumatizing for her to clean them out. But I got sick a few days later and knew then it was more than an ear infection.
The tooth fairy came and Tessa got $3 for her lower front tooth. She already has the permanent tooth coming in and another tooth about to come out. She was proud to finally catch up to Yanni and Jing Ju.
Tessa had her first piano recital, her first ballet performance, her first dance performance and her first singing performance!! (In America, that is!) Whew! that's a lot. But she loves it. Her class sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" in Mandarin in their 1st Annual Holiday Show. It was awesome!! And Tessa was front and center!
We had our Re-adoption Ceremony 2 weeks ago! and I got Tessa's United States Birth Certificates today!! The name given to her by Nannies is now her legal middle name!!
Tessa's behavior has been great this past month. She had some trouble sharing her toys with Yanni, but I found out later that she was "punishing" Yanni because of what Yanni said to her...that made her cry....(making fun of her singing) Before Tessa's ear infection, Tessa complained that "everything/everyone" was too loud...now, post ear infection, Tessa is loud! We're working on reducing her screaming out and talking loudly so frequently. And she is still exhibiting clingy behavior with some of her teachers and gymnastic coaches. She likes to be held and held high! I worry about some attachment behaviors and this is one of them. But other than this, I've noticed little else. She continues to be very loving, affectionate, perceptive and sensitive. She has many friends in school. She is greatly liked in her class because she is "funny" to them and she is helpful to her Mandarin classmates.
Tessa is becoming proud that she speaks Mandarin, so I am happy about that. She points out Chinese people when we are out and happily says "Ni Hao" after I've asked them if they speak Mandarin. The father of her Chinese friend from ballet class has become the VP of another Chinese Language School and he convinced me to put Tessa in that school. It teaches Contemporary (simplified) Chinese...vs traditional Tawainese Chinese. I think she should learn to communicate in the language that is currently being spoken in China...
Tessa met Santa and asked for a car.
Tessa is SUPER excited about meeting Jing Ju where snowmen are! 5 days!!
They skyped just tonight and Tessa was excited to share the news that she lost a tooth, just like her. I still don't have a big coat for the trip and will be busy tomorrow searching for the right one!
ok, I will try to upload some photos and videos...there are many!
So much has happened this past month that I hope I remember it all; one day I'll be able to post regularly and get all the great details down that are missed when trying to recall events.
Tessa went on her first "Big Boat" and cruised to Key West and Cozumel, Mexico! She sailed on a big Sail Boat in Keywest and got buried in sand with Jake and Jordan in Mexico. What she'll remember? The ice cream and pizza!
Tessa had a great "To grandmother's house we go" Thanksgiving. To this day, she refers to Grandma and Grandpa's house as Tim Tebow's house....a true Gator fan! And she met her Aunt Susie; she still has another Aunt and a cousin to meet at Christmas....
Tessa and I saw the Nutcracker performed by her ballet company and she LOVED it. Tessa had another great weekend visit with her SWI sister, Yanni. They both wore me out again the first day by their fighting. On the second day, in the car, we happened to discuss why they were fighting; they talked it out and then were great together the rest of the day! Surprisingly, Yanni was speaking very little Mandarin and this was a little frustrating.
I had the biggest scares when Tessa had high fevers for a couple of days 2 weeks ago. She missed some days at school and when she attended she was in bed as soon as she got home. She ate nothing, talked very little and was fatigued. I was constantly checking her breathing since breathing difficulty is a complication of H1N1. But when I took her to Miami Children's Urgent Care, her DX was ear infection. Tessa had a lot of wax buildup in her ears and it was very traumatizing for her to clean them out. But I got sick a few days later and knew then it was more than an ear infection.
The tooth fairy came and Tessa got $3 for her lower front tooth. She already has the permanent tooth coming in and another tooth about to come out. She was proud to finally catch up to Yanni and Jing Ju.
Tessa had her first piano recital, her first ballet performance, her first dance performance and her first singing performance!! (In America, that is!) Whew! that's a lot. But she loves it. Her class sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" in Mandarin in their 1st Annual Holiday Show. It was awesome!! And Tessa was front and center!
We had our Re-adoption Ceremony 2 weeks ago! and I got Tessa's United States Birth Certificates today!! The name given to her by Nannies is now her legal middle name!!
Tessa's behavior has been great this past month. She had some trouble sharing her toys with Yanni, but I found out later that she was "punishing" Yanni because of what Yanni said to her...that made her cry....(making fun of her singing) Before Tessa's ear infection, Tessa complained that "everything/everyone" was too loud...now, post ear infection, Tessa is loud! We're working on reducing her screaming out and talking loudly so frequently. And she is still exhibiting clingy behavior with some of her teachers and gymnastic coaches. She likes to be held and held high! I worry about some attachment behaviors and this is one of them. But other than this, I've noticed little else. She continues to be very loving, affectionate, perceptive and sensitive. She has many friends in school. She is greatly liked in her class because she is "funny" to them and she is helpful to her Mandarin classmates.
Tessa is becoming proud that she speaks Mandarin, so I am happy about that. She points out Chinese people when we are out and happily says "Ni Hao" after I've asked them if they speak Mandarin. The father of her Chinese friend from ballet class has become the VP of another Chinese Language School and he convinced me to put Tessa in that school. It teaches Contemporary (simplified) Chinese...vs traditional Tawainese Chinese. I think she should learn to communicate in the language that is currently being spoken in China...
Tessa met Santa and asked for a car.
Tessa is SUPER excited about meeting Jing Ju where snowmen are! 5 days!!
They skyped just tonight and Tessa was excited to share the news that she lost a tooth, just like her. I still don't have a big coat for the trip and will be busy tomorrow searching for the right one!
ok, I will try to upload some photos and videos...there are many!
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