Christmas with close friends and family

We had a lot of fun spending Christmas eve at the Well's home with the usual gang including the Krause family.  We capped the evening with our traditional game of Taboo, this year pitting the adults vs. the 'kids'.  In a major upset, the Kids won the game although the timer is still being contested.

We then spent Christmas day afternoon and evening with our close extended family the Pellegrinos.  It was a very relaxing time, and Sophia loved hanging with everyone.

Aunt Nancy holding Santa's little helper

Enjoying our evening at the Wells

Jenna, Sophia Rose and Laura

Aunt Marion checking me out

Havin' fun with Emily

Santa's little helper

I'll be sure to save the wrapping paper...yea, right! 

Christmas day dinner with the Pellegrinos. 

We love being with them!!

Christmas day pic with my big Sis

Aunt Celeste and I are sure pretty in red!! She sure knows how

to make a great Christmas dinner.

My first cousin Hannah, who now lives in NYC. I 

hope to have many visits with her!!

Aunt Jean and Uncle Stu came to visit all the way from St. Paul.

I'm so glad they came to visit us for a few days. 

Getting to know you...

My big brother Michael really knows how to chill...

Aunt Karen and the Jebster...

Becky is ready to catch my bottle if Ali and I drop it

TJ and Thi...Now remember SRA, flaps up at 160 knots

Auntie Nutia and Tati; wonder if they will bring me yet

another pair of cool shoes...

Yea...I finally got to meet aunt Celeste and Krista

See Hannah, I wore a bow to look pretty just like you!

Had a great morning hanging out with Aunt Erin!!!

Wont Aunt Dee be jealous that aunt Hope is in a picture with 

me before she is (sorry Dee, we had to say it even though

you met me first). 

Hey, my big sister's friend Jess likes to hang with me. Cool.

Wow, thanks for teaching me some cheerleading stunts Sam!

Sheryl sizing me up for a future consulting role at DDI

Jackie is another good friend of my big Sis; she really has

cool friends. 

Hangin' with the Bowser family; Zack is so much fun to

play with. I hope he comes to visit again soon!!!

John and Sheryl doing a panel interview with Sophia Rose; now

where did I put that TS guide ???

 We arrived home just in time on December 13 for a little frenzied holiday shopping before a wonderful holiday week of Sophia meeting lots of friends and family!  It seems hard to believe that we have only been home for two weeks because it feels as if Sophia has always been part of our family!  She has certainly charmed her Daddy and big brother Michael, and we are all loving every moment with her.  Although I am definitely the "chosen one" when it is time for a diaper change :) 

  For the most part, she is sleeping through the night except to wake up for a bottle once or twice. She is crawling and starting to pull herself up to stand so we have been babyproofing the house as she is getting more mobile.  Sophia is very inquisitive about anything and everything- her scientific approach is to grab an object and then immediately insert it into her mouth!  

   The month of December is especially difficult for us since we lost our beautiful Lisa Rose on Dec 15, 2005.  We know that she is with us always and was part of the blessing of our little Sophia coming home to us two days before the anniversary of her passing.  

   

  

Coming to America

Our last night in Hanoi was Friday, December 12th.  Having 

successfully obtained Sophia Rose's Visa at the U.S. Embassy,

we had a get together with the other PLAN families that were 

in Hanoi adopting their babies. 

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

Our stop over in Taipei had the most amazing airport, including

an orchid garden, Hello Kitty playground, a prayer room and relaxing room

and best of all a Hello Kitty Nursery with everything needed to 

refresh the weary baby traveler after the 3 hour flight from Hanoi.  We

didn't have the heart to tell Sophia that the next and final leg of the trip was

a 14 hour non stop flight from Taipei to Newark.  

Chillin at the Nursery...

More chillin...

Not bad accommodations; wish it was big enough for mommy

and daddy too!!!!

About 4 hours out of Taipei,  somewhere far above the pacific I couldn't help but think about the song Susan chose for this blog, 'Somewhere out there' .  I am sure she and Sophia Rose were sleeping under the 'same big sky' that is lit by the star that is Lisa Rose, who we know has been watching over us throughout this most amazing  journey.

Laura meeting her little sister Sophia Rose for the first 

time

Michael, Laura and their little sister...

Not too happy, right?  Sign compliments 

of good friends Jose and Nutia, who came to welcome 

us home

Sophia Rose's first little step on American soil :)

It's now official...she is a U.S. citizen. Yea!!

One very happy family

The same very happy family...

Meeting Molly Mae...the only family member smaller than Sophia

Modeling her baby 'Uggs' in the kitchen

First bath at home, a bit weary after 25 hours of travel

Two steps closer....

Well, I guess I'd better stop lounging around and get dressed for
my two appointments today. Gotta get to the Vietnamese government office
to pick up my passport, and then on the the International SOS
clinic for my physical exam. Yuk!



Glad I finally got my passport so I can make the trip across
the big pond. But what if they got my name wrong? I'd better
check it out. My Vietnamese name isn't the easiest to
spell correctly ya know. Plus I gotta make sure they have all those
little accent marks on some of the letters right; one small
mistake and I could be here another week or two.



Ok, let's see....Hoang Thi Phuong, yup...that's right. Looks like
it's good until 2013 also. I think that should be long enough to
get me to New Jersey, right? I think that's outside of Hanoi,
so it could take a little while. But first I have to get to the
International SOS clinic for my final check up.



So I'm here but no one told me I'd have to disclose my
weight, and in such a compromising position yet. I know I've
been chowing down a bit since mommy and daddy got me
from the orphanage, but I hope it doens't show too much.




Hey, watch me impress this doctor with my ability to stand up.
He'll have to approve my travel when he sees how strong I have
gotten. Hey doc, over here. I'm the little one.



Stop tickling me. I know you are just trying to distract me before
you put that cold metal stethescope on my little chest. Couldn't you
at least warm it up a bit? Oh well, whatever it takes I can handle
it.



Well thank heaven that's all over. That took a lot out of me,
so I'll just catch a few z z z z z s before my next bottle.

Let's see, tomorrow is a free day and then I'll be going to the
US Embassy on friday to get my US Visa. I can't wait for that!
I know they will ask mommy and daddy some questions before
they give them the final approval and visa. Sure hope
they get the answers right!