Our Little Gymnast!

Yes, we officially have a little gymnast on our hands! Mark signed Ana up for Little Gym and they go every Saturday for an hour. This Saturday, both Mark and I took her. It is a really cute program. They start out with circle time activities like running in a circle, parachute, and sticks. During this time, Ana is usually still crying and timid. After that, they have time to explore the gym. This is when she busts out of her shell. She climbs, hangs from the bars and today she did a forward and backward roll (with assistance of course). At the end of class the kids catch bubbles and play with some bouncy balls. It is really good for her. She is meeting new friends and getting to play with kids her own age.

Sunday at the Newport Aquarium

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. Going back to work with Ana has been very busy to say the least. Updating her blog has not been one of my priorities lately. I promise to start posting more often. Today Mark and I took Ana to the Newport Aquarium. She seemed to like it and she pointed to all the fish as we would walk by. After the aquarium we went to Johnny Rockets for lunch. They gave her a Johnny Rocket hat and I thought the picture was funny so I decided to include it!

Ana's First Vacation

Ana had the greatest time in Hilton Head. We would get up and go to the beach by 9 or 10 in the morning and usually come in sometime in the afternoon. Ana even took a few of her afternoon naps on the beach as you can see in one of the pictures! The first two days she wanted to eat the sand. After that, I think she finally realized it wasn't for eating. She went into the ocean, took walks on the beach, and played in the sand every day. It was so adorable to watch her discover something new! I hope you enjoy her photos.

Cincinnati Museum

Today we took Ana to the Cincinnati Children's Museum. She had so much fun! She loved every room we went in and was so interested in everything. She was so serious when it came to some of the activities, it was hard to get her to actually smile for a picture! You can see what I mean with this first picture.

Ana's First Haircut

Ana's hair was beginning to get a little out of control. Mark and I decided it was time for her to get a haircut. We weren't sure how she would do but we decided to go for it! When we arrived at the salon the first question that the woman asked was, "Wiggles, Barney, or Dora?" Of course, without a doubt it had to be Dora. So we got Ana in her little seat and put Dora in the DVD. We never heard a peep or saw a look of fear on Ana's face. Thank God for Dora The Explorer! Ana let the woman cut, blow dry and style her hair. It took maybe 5 minutes total! Enjoy the pictures.

I'll Miss You Grandpap..

Ana lost her grandpap last week. Vince was one of the most loving, caring, and giving people I had ever met. I remember when Mark and I told him that we were adopting a baby from Guatemala. I could tell that there were tears on the other end of the line and he kept telling me how proud he was of us. As we got pictures of Ana each month, Vince made a special "plastic bag" photo case. He took it to all of his stores when he saw his customers. He was always telling us how he was showing off his new granddaughter. In the words of Vince, "I've got nine grandchildren, even though she isn't here yet, she is still one of ours!"
This past Christmas, I could tell he was slowing down a bit. He was still in good spirits but growing tired. As I said goodbye to him on Christmas day, Vince told me that he was waiting for Ana! I just knew he would get to see her. When we arrived home from Guatemala in February, Vince came along with the rest of the family to Cincinnati. He got to see his ninth grandchild!
Mark and I are so happy that he got to see Ana and experience our journey of adoption.

WE LOVE YOU VINCE!

Look Who Turned One!

I just can't believe that Ana is one already! Time really does fly. Her party was so nice, we got very lucky with the weather. She got a lot of really cute toys and clothes! As usual, Ana let us do what we wanted to her. She let us put a birthday crown on her head and never once tried to pull it off. She wanted nothing to do with her cake, I think she was more interested in the lollypop that fell out of the pinata. Enjoy the pictures!

Happy Easter!

What a wonderful first Easter we had! Mark and I planned on staying in Ohio for Easter but Friday night around 8:00 p.m. we decided to go home and be with family. We arrived around 12:30 a.m. and Ana slept the entire way. On Sunday Ana found her basket. She got some Dora bath toys, a DVD, bubbles, and books. I don't think she was quite sure what was happening. After getting her basket we spent the day with Mark's family. Everyone was so surprised and happy to see Ana!

Our Week in Pittsburgh

We had such a great time this past week. Ana and I visited with all of our family while Mark was away on business. Ana got a chance to play with all of her cousins and she loved when Nana taught her how to do Paddy Cake! She also loved the walk dad tried to take her on. They only made it half way down the street and she was out cold! Hopefully we will see you all again very soon!

Ana at Home!

Hi Everyone!

Mark and I are having a wonderful time getting to know Ana each and every day. She is such a happy little girl. She loves to play and she is always laughing or smiling (except at bedtime.) Here are some photos we took this past week!