It has been a long time since we last posted..it is amazing how time flies now that Cecelia is home with us...before her adoption, time was at a crawl...

So many new things in the past month! Cecelia has learned to climb up on a stool and "help" with everything. She loves to do the dishes and I love it as it keeps her busy while I am cooking/cleaning the kitchen. She is just not a toy kid...yeah!!!! Cecelia has also learned to cut with scissors. She had practiced at this for at least a month. She would clip and I would help her to open the scissors until...VOILA...one day she could do it. She was SO proud....now to make sure nothing is cut that isn't supposed to be! And last, but certainly not least, Cecelia's grandest accomplishment came after three months of frustration and practice, practice, practice on her part. Because of Cecelia's cleft palate she is not supposed to be able to suck- she actually chews her bottle nipple to get the milk. She is very GOOD at that I must say. All of the children in our little school bring juice boxes to school and this was just something that she wanted to have very badly( so badly in fact that she would take the empties from the trash if I wasn't looking and sit in a quiet spot trying to use that straw! ewwwwwww!) One day last week, low and behold, some how, some way as she was working at it, the juice FINALLY came up that straw...she was actually sucking it...the picture of her smile and her pride at that accomplishment will not soon fade from my mommy memory! We even went right to the store to get her some of her "own" juice boxes... where there is a will, there is a way...and this baby girl has a will..that is for sure..what a survivor!

Cecelia celebrated her very first Easter! Of course we dyed eggs, had delicious food, had a visit from the Easter bunny, and loved the baskets he left! Enjoy the pictures!

We also had a very nice surprise this month. We have a very good family friend who lives in Germany named Tilly. Tilly was an exchange student from Germany who lived with my great-grandparents for a year from 1950-1951! We have been blessed to be able to go to Germany to see her and her wonderful family for the past two years but this year, with the adoption, it was not going to be possible. Well, let's just say that Tilly can't wait to meet our wonderful little girl and so she made it possible for us to go. Cecelia, Collin, and I leave on April 9th for two weeks in Sulzbach, Germany with our extended "family". Please pray that Cecelia's passport comes on angel wings...we are getting nervous! Also think of us on that plane without Dad's help...Collin says he can be an "adult" while traveling and help with Cecelia...we will see! It isn't many two year olds who can say that they have been on three continents in one year...Asia, North America, and Europe!

Enjoy the picks!