We finally found the charger for the old camera. Only pictures of Cormac this time, because the big kids are at school. Just took a few. I got scolded by a few people for the NO pictures scenario. His new trick is to push all the buttons that he can reach. He will climb anything to reach a button that he thinks he should be pushing. The whole time he was climbing up on chairs this morning he would be saying, "Get down". It reminded me of when Connor was little and I went around the corner of the kitchen and found him stuffing catfood into his mouth and saying "no no no no no no" Today Cormac and I were playing with a box, I would open it and say "open", then he would shut it and I would say "shut". After a couple of minutes, he shut the lid and said "shut". He is learning new words all the time. It's sooo amazing how they pick up language. Still only four teeth.

Updates for you hardcore Taiwanbaby fans. Connor is into the Superfriends (mostly wearing a cape and pouncing on badguys), spending time on the computer playing various kid games, playing in the snow and if it ever warms up a little iceskating. Piper loves to quote her preschool teacher, play with her Pretty Ponies, carry her Hello Kitty purse (which is filled with NASCARs, curtesy of her big brother) and paint. Cormacs new love is being chased, and rolling around on our bed. He says : All done, Mama, up stairs, down stairs, uhoh, thank you and MMMMMM for milk. His new terrible trick is to drop his blankie over the side of his crib when he's suppose to be napping and then shriek like he's being tormented. I of course would run in and see the blankie on the floor and murmur something like "poor baby" and then pick him up and comfort him and give him back the blanket. I had to resort to tying the blanket to the sides of the crib. Little stinker!!!!! His cute trick is to try put his hat on by himself and then he waves bye bye to me and tries to get out the door. For some reason he thinks he can out in below zero weather with a hat on, but no shoes or even pants for that matter. We had the kindergarten fair recently and that was a nightmare. In our city, we have open enrollment and that means alot of choices. I was having migraines and so finally just sent in the form without touring all the schools. I couldn't take having that empty form sitting in our house even one more day.

Our earliest photo of Piper. Here is our referral photo. She is 7months.
Now she is three!!!
We had our second family day on the 3rd. I can't believe she has only been with us for two years. It seems like always that she's belonged here. Looking at pictures can't really give you the sense of how silly and loving she is. What a change from the silent, scared little girl from two years ago. We have leaped many hurdles together and it gets better all the time. We had lots of help, in the form of books, disscusions with other adoptive parents and now we are attending adoptive family counseling. This last piece is really been great for us. The way you parent bio kids is really very different. Many of the parenting skills I was using with Piper had to be thrown out the window. It has been very eye opening. Her fear of losing us is slowly fading with time and specific intervention from us. I would highly recommend counseling for all adoptive families. It's never too soon and can't come too late. No one can parent perfectly. You do the best you can, with the help that you can get. Do not be afraid to get help!!!!!!!!!

Something happened to the camera on Christmas Eve, so there are no normal looking photos from that time or any thereafter for that matter. We had an awesome time. We spent the holidays with D's family. I lost in the first game of the pool tourney. But I kicked bootie in the kings in the corners tourney. Not a loss to my name. My sister in law didn't even get to draw a card in the first game. I beat my 8 y.o. nephew and my 11 y.o. nephew and then beat my 11 y.o. nephew again as it was some sort of second chance set up. All the kids cleaned up in the gift department. Connor's fave is one of the three car tracks he got this year. Piper loved her Hello Kitty pj's, Hello Kitty bank, Hello Kitty camera, Hello Kitty necklace and matching bracelet. Cormac got a Bucking Bronco Zebra that he won't sit on, but really likes to twirl all the stuff on it. He got a bathtub xylophone that he loves to bang on. Piper was really really really sad, when she woke up on Christmas day and found out that Santa had been here and then LEFT. For some reason she thought he was going to be hanging out in our living room when we got up. Then my parents came and stayed for four nights. More more more more more gifts. We got a super duper new grill. Last time we used the grill this summer, I went out with the food and came back in and told D that "The grill is on fire." "I know, I started the grill." "NO, I mean the actual GRILL is on fire." So now we have this new one and we grilled salmon in the middle of all the snow in our backyard. The big kids are back in preschool and not one day too soon, let me tell you. I have no idea how people who homeschool do it. I would go insane. The big kids had a WHOLE month off from preschool. On the 26th I snapped like a twig, and went off on all the toys on the floor and if they weren't picked up by the time I counted to ten, I was going to throw them all away. Lots of scurrying happened, then I went into the babys room and wept a little as I counted down the hours until my mom got there. LOVE YOU MOM.