February and March 2010

Gosh..... it seems ages since I've posted anything about our darling daughter. I thought it time I added a few recent (ish) pictures onto our blog. They're pretty random but it's lovely to see how she's developing and changing (and so quickly)!

Boxing Day:

Another lovely day, starting with a visit from Claire, Jason and Courtney. Mae had a lovely time showing Courtney what a good cook she is. She wore her new 'pudding' top (present from Nanny B!) to show off her potential cooking skills!! After a very long nap, we all trundled off to visit again with Mae's lovely Aunty Jude, Uncle Chris, Aunty Tash, Uncle Tim and she had lots of fun with Saffie and Bea who had beautiful painted faces for this special occasion!

Our first Family Christmas!

Christmas Day:

It's been a while since I posted but life is wonderfully hectic and Mae's been keeping us VERY busy - she's a little whirlwind! However, our first Christmas together as a family has been so sweet, I had to post a few pics and comments.

Mae found the whole thing rather bewildering at first, hardly even noticing the tree (aparty from the occassional swipe at a bauble) and then on Christmas morning, very quickly, got the hang of present opening and absolutely loved her little toy kitchen. I wasn't sure whether she'd like it but now wish we'd bought something much more substantial as she's hardly left it since. (ps. Note to any new parents reading this - always assemble toys the night before - Will spent a hour putting this blooming thing together on Christmas morning, with Mae hanging off his arms impatiently the whole time!).

Christening of Beatrice Lola

Sunday 1st November 2009

Today we became Godparents to our lovely little niece, Bea. We travelled two and a half hours to Southend and both Mae and Saskia were lovely company on the journey. This was very surprising as Mae usually hates travelling in the car but Saskia kept her entertained and all we could hear were giggles and gurgles from the back seat.

Both girls looked gorgeous in their outfits. Saskia looked very pretty and smart. Mae looked gorgeous in her little pink 'special occasion' dress. Mae behaved so well in church (largely thanks to the box of raising and date bar that I kept in my pocket for emergencies).

Here are a few pics to comemorate a fabulous and very special day.

Mae Jiao's Naming Day

Sunday 20th September 2009

It seems such a long time ago now (have only managed to get around to posting this on 12th October!) but the memory of such a wonderful day is still very strong.
Many special people in our lives and the life of our gorgeous daughter joined us to celebrate her arrival and welcome her into our families. It was an incredibly emotional but beautiful day and one which we will never forget. Our special thanks to Judy (Will's sister who accompanied us on our journey to China), Natasha & Tim (Mae Jiao's official guardians), Mum (whose daily support has been invaluable) Saskia (our lovely foster daughter who sang such a moving song for Mae) and lastly, Nan (our daughter's namesake and an inspiration to all of us).
Here are a few pics to give you a flavour of the day.

Ralph comes to visit..

Our lovely Ralph and his foster family came to visit us today. We had a lovely afternoon and it was very special introducing Mae to her foster brother. Here is a picture of Ralph and Saskia (our very pretty foster daughter) with Mae.

Needless to say, Mae loves them both!

Mae's first BBQ!!

Saturday 5th September 2009

Our lovely friends Malcolm & Claire invited us all along to their BBQ. What a wonderful afternoon, lounging around in their gorgeous garden and thoroughly enjoying their fabulous food and great company. Mae loved having lots of rides in the wheel barrow (courtesy of Riley & Harry) and even ended up taking her afternoon nap in there!! Thanks guys!! xx