Christmas

I can't believe its been two months since my last post...time is flying by!!! We had an incredible Christmas with Laura. She was completely overwhelmed by all her gifts!!! It was so much fun to watch her open and express such joy. I think her favorite toys were her DS Game and her numerous barbies with accessories!!! She has gone from a size 4-5 to a 6-7 very quickly. She LOVES to snack and eat sweets. Her favorites are string cheese, frozen yogurt and fruit. Also, every time we go out to eat, she ask for Mexican and can finish a bowl of cheese dip by herself. Gary always picks her up after cheernastics practice and has started a routine of taking her to Tropical Smoothie. She reminds me every Tuesday that HE is to pick her up. Another funny story is that I was in comfy clothes the other day to drop her off at practice and she said, "Mom, you can just drop me off at the door, you don't have to walk me in", ha. I just laughed and agreed. She is a very funny child, but is extremely sensitive if she thinks you are laughing at her. Elliot our dog has replaced his comfy dog pillow by our bed for a piece of carpet in her room...he follows her everywhere!!! I look back and can't believe how far she has come. All is well in the Rikard household and we are ready for spring-summer to hurry for some outside play and swim time :-)

Fall Update

What a crazy couple of months it has been!!! I am slowly but surely trying to figure out this parenting thing....all I can say is its a lot different than babysitting!!! Laura seems to be really adjusting well to life with us and LOVES school. She has exceeded our expectations with reading and absolutely loves her teacher. We couldn't be more pleased with this school!!! She had the opportunity to see her birth mom and brothers this past weekend and it all went smoothly. She came home with a big smile on her face-no tears!!! A friend suggested praying with her on the way to school every morning, so we pick a place and say a quick hello to God and ask him to please let her be nice to her friends and get a sticker....its really cute!!! The fun part is that she picks the place as we are driving....I forgot the other morning and she quickly yelled out, "WAIT, you forgot to pray with me".....I teared up!!! She is such a blessing and I am learning that NO matter what, even if I mess up, she is way better off with us than where she was. She told us a story last night that she once had to ride in a police car because her mom's boyfriend was driving bad and got pulled over....she said he didn't have his license and had to go to jail-she said the policeman was nice to her and her brothers and took them home. It really made me realize how much she has seen and been through-I already knew it, but its different when you hear it from a child. I know in my heart, she was meant to be with us!!!

3 Months...WOW!!!

Well, tomorrow is the BIG day....we head to court at 9am to finalize the adoption!!! Super excited for this day and it seems like it took way too long for it to get here. We have had a busy couple of weeks-she attended her first Ole Miss game, started Cheernastics, went to the Delta Fair, had a cookie decorating party with kids in the neighborhood and her Uncle Tommy took her for a horse riding lesson. She is one spoiled little child!!! We had our first parent-teacher conference last week where we learned that she needs extra reading tutoring. She starts this week with two days after school....on a positive note though, she did have the most bible verses memorized in the class :-) Another big event in Laura's life is that she lost her first tooth on Saturday. She was SO excited and came running down the stairs the next morning to show off her coin purse full of quarters and smiley face stickers that the tooth fairy left. We all seem to be in a good routine and count our blessings every day!!! Love you all!!

Week 8-9...I think...I lost count.

Well, school is in full swing now...she LOVES it. YAY!!! We have come a long way the last couple of weeks. I love the fact that we have a routine now, but she still ask every day after school "whats next", "can someone come over and play"...LOL. We met with her court appointed guardian yesterday and she is going to make a full recommendation to the judge for adoption. Our court date is Sept 20th...I am SO ready for it to get here and all be done. We are headed to Jackson this weekend for her first b'day party with my family followed up with a second b'day party with Gary's family the next weekend....can we say spoiled??? She has a pretty big birthday list, but she really wants a slushy machine she saw on tv....its all she can talk about. We are also going to get her a bike...I can't wait to see her face :-) Parenthood is SO fun, but the most tiring job I have ever had!!! Wouldn't trade it for anything!!!

Week 6

We have had a GREAT couple of weeks!!! Gary and I got to share our story/testimony in Sunday School yesterday :-)  Our class threw her a huge swim party last Sunday and Laura was overwhelmed with gifts and hair bows. She was SO excited!!! We have been getting ready for school and she can now spell her last name and has memorized her phone number. We have been reading a lot at night-someone gave us an adoption book and it is a great story how a Momma Bear took in a Baby Panda. It is a sweet story and she seems to understand the relation. We also have been playing Candy Land and Memory Cards a couple of nights a week and she FAIRLY beats us at the Memory game. I am learning to be a gracious loser to a 6 yr old!!! Her favorite game has to be Mario though on her DSI...its hilarious to watch her play. She gets as frustrated as I do when I play it...LOL. She sings A LOT even though she may not know the words on the radio, she makes up her own. We have had several play dates and have learned how to skate. It blows my mind how well she seems to be adjusting and how more patient I am than I thought!!! My favorite part of the last couple of weeks is hearing her call Gary "Pop"....God is good!!!

Week 4

We have had a great couple of weeks!!! My family spent a week at the beach...Laura got A LOT of loving on and just a little spoiled :-) My niece Marley came home and spent the last week with us and Laura had a hard time saying goodbye to her. So, I let her have her first slumber party last night with her other cousins and they had a blast!!! Tuesday, Laura will be tested at SBEC...according to her previous tutor, we expect her to go into pre-first. We love the thought of her being in a smaller classroom setting this first year so she will have the extra one on one attention she needs. She is doing SO well and I wake up every day thanking God for this blessing. It has been very easy compared to what we expected. She is a well behaved normal 6 yr old :) I do have to say to all other moms, I do have a new found respect...although it's a lot of fun, it's also very tiring. I would say we all have adjusted well and again SO blessed by the support of our families and friends....thanks to all. We love you!!!

Beach pics to come soon!!!

Week 2

We had a GREAT weekend fixing Laura's room up and spoiling her like crazy!!! She seemed to like it, but didn't get overly excited...I think its just all so overwhelming for her at this point. We started counseling last week and that went better than expected. Its much harder to tell a 6yr old that she is being adopted than I expected. She is definitely not ready to call us mom & dad, but I think eventually she will get there. Our families including our church family and friends have all been SO great. We feel so encouraged and blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives. Laura loves to swim...she is a little fish and is now jumping off the top of the deck...it doesn't take her long to follow what other kids are doing. She sleeps really well through the night and most mornings I have to wake her up. She has made lots of new friends and keeps asking why everyone brings her gifts...haha!!! She is definitely a girly girl...she loves her bows and headbands. She also is obsessed with Hello Kitty and anything that sparkles. We are celebrating the 4th with my family in Destin for a week...she is SO excited to go back to the beach. I can't wait for her to meet all her cousins!!! We will begin the school selection process after we get back from the beach...we are going to have her tested and hopefully that will help make our decision easier. It all still seems surreal...I am not quite sure it has hit us that we are parents. My aunt bought her a bible with her new name on it and I can't wait to give it to her!!! We decided to wait till the next counseling appointment to explain to her that she will have a new last name. Tonight, Gary is taking her on a special shopping trip...she will be so surprised :-) I love this little girl!!!