December Update Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the Heavenly lights...--James 1:17 December has been a busy and interesting month for our family.  Mary Joyce is continuing to grow, and is doing wonderfully.  She has doubled her tooth count this month and now has a total of eight teeth.  She is still a good eater, and we are thankful for that.  She actually even prefers vegetables to fruits, which is a little surprising.  Mary Joyce is now standing on her own, without holding onto anything, and she has tried to take a step or two—it won’t be much longer now! On the 16th, we celebrated Mary Joyce’s first birthday.  She had a Baby Einstein birthday party, and really enjoyed the wrapping paper and the icing on her birthday cake.  It is hard to believe that she is a year old now. We celebrated Christmas a little early with Grandmama and Granddaddy on the 15th, and Mary Joyce got a red wagon.  You can see her posing with it in one of the pictures that we have posted.  She enjoys walking back and forth across the den with it. As for Christmas, we went to church on Sunday (Christmas Eve) and celebrated the birth of Christ.  On Christmas morning, there were gifts from Santa, and then we were off for Mary Joyce’s first trip to Louisiana.  It is quite a drive, but she did very well on the car trip.  The only thing that really bothered her was when it got dark outside.  When we arrived, Mary Joyce was able to see her Lao Lao and Papa, and her Aunt Charlie again.  She had not seen them since we flew in from China, so they were very glad that we had come to visit.  The next day, Mary Joyce met Nanny and Paw (her great-grandparents), and was able to open more gifts.  Her favorite toy was the plastic bucket that her snap beads came in.  It is still a favorite. :-) That evening, Mary Joyce was able to meet many uncles, aunts, and cousins for the first time.  It would have been easy for her to get overwhelmed, but she did very well with the crowd. It was kind of a rough trip, though, because Chet and Mary Joyce both ended up with the flu before the week was over.  Let’s just say that touring local doctor’s offices was not on our intended “to-do” list for the week, but it seemed to happen anyway.  It made for a very long trip home, but thankfully, both of them are doing better. We do have one more bit of news…You know that cliché where a couple adopts and then gets pregnant?  We are living it, although it doesn’t happen nearly as often as people think it does.  We are firmly convinced that God wanted to get Mary Joyce home first, before giving us a biological child.  Mary Joyce’s little brother or sister should join us in late July 2007.  It will be even busier around our house before too much longer…   Still love my stacking cups!     See my red wagon?   What's this, Daddy?     Opening Birthday Gifts     Tissue paper!!!   First Birthday Cake     Birthday Girl!     This is a neat toy!   Look at the pretty angel!     I've got Santa's hat!     Christmas Morning Under the Tree   Does this go here?     Mary Joyce's Very Favorite Christmas Toy     I kind of like my cousin, Jordyn.   Serious Concentration     Trying to Decide What She Thinks about Bouncing Tigger     Cuddling with Makayla   Napping at Lao Lao and Papa's House     The Debut of Mary Joyce's Little Brother or Sister         This page hosted by