At the Pool

Today we hung out at the pool with two of Alkice's travel buddies, Olivia and Allysa. All the girls are three (had their birthdays within two weeks of each other) and they had a BLAST!!! Alice was so brave and really enjoyed her time in the water.

The most stubborn child in the world...

and she is my daughter!!! Alice is a TERRIBLE drinker. She would go for days without water if I let her. Well, she got up from her nap today and I made her (another) fresh water to drink. She flatly refused. I told her that she couldn't have any afternoon tea until she drank it. She still refused. Fast-forward to tea time, with Alice complaining of being hungry. Fine, I say. Drink your water and you can have your tea. End result - me feeling like I have said 'drink your water' a MILLION times, no water drunk and no tea eaten. Perhaps a night of going to bed hungry might teach her that she needs to listen to her mum!!!

The Birthday Cake

All Alice wanted with regard to a birthday cake this year was that it be GREEN. So here it is!

My big girl is THREE today!!!

I can hardly believe that Alice is three today. It seems like only yesterday she was a tiny, skinny little baby placed in my arms. Now she is a bouncy, rambunctious, loud and happy three year old who has (so far!) had a very exciting birthday. Now all I have to do is go and create the requested birthday cake (a green one) and all will be well. I will post some more photos after we have done the cake thing. As always, I find Alice's birthday a bittersweet occasion, as I cannot help but feel for her birthmother, somewhere in China. Is she thinking of the daughter she had to give away? Does she mourn her loss, or has she tried to put it behind her? Is she thinking of her daughter and wondering where she is on this, her third birthday? I shall never know the answer to these questions, asd as Alice grows, she will start having to deal with the pain of not knowing too. It is times like this that adoption can really be seen and felt as a double edged sword - our joy was made complete because of one woman's enormous loss.....

Trying on the new lip gloss Big Sis gave her



An excited look (not just plain scary!!)



Enjoying her own computer