and bailey makes three

we've moved!

2009-04-13T23:10:00.001-07:00

it's official. We're going password protected.

To continue reading about life with sadie come visit us at

http://andbaileymakesthree.wordpress.com

Want the password?

Leave me a comment or email me at this address.

Tạm biệt

packing up to move...

2009-04-06T22:53:00.001-07:00

OK, despite my Word Press woes, I'm planning to move sometime this week. What I'll probably do is just start posting there while I figure out how to import everything from here, make it look how I want it to look and password protect it all. So, in the beginning, expect new posts only.

Anyway, I've only heard from a small group of people about wanting the Word Press password. I haven't gotten back to anyone but promise to do so before the move. I know more people are reading though. This is last call. If you want to continue reading about life with Sadie, please post a comment or email me at this address. Just tell me about yourself. Do we know each other? Do you have a blog? Have you adopted? And if you'd like the password, leave me your email address. : )

april 6th pic

2009-04-06T22:36:00.001-07:00

april 5th pics

2009-04-05T23:36:00.001-07:00

Putting with grandpa after brunch

Isn't it just easier to throw the ball in the cup, grandpa?

april 4th pics

2009-04-05T23:28:00.001-07:00

Sadie's favorite book

One of Sadie's favorite pages

All you have to say is "Stop that this instant!" and Sadie does this!

We found S and Kiki out for a walk. Sadie proceeded to take the leash

She now notices every bird, plane and the moon in the sky

Fooling around under the table

WordPress hell

2009-04-04T00:19:00.001-07:00

Help! For some time now I've been using Windows Live Writer to post to my blog. I love it! It's so user friendly and I like that you can see how the post will look as you're writing it. It's also so much easier than posting from Blogger. My plan is to continue using it when I move to Word Press.

I've got a new blog all set up at Word Press. I've imported this entire blog. Everything looked great. Then I went to password protect the posts. What a pain to have to do each one individually. Seriously folks...can't I just password protect the blog without making people have to log in? Why is that so difficult?

Anyway, in the process of password protecting the posts, WordPress has gone and changed the font to this teeny, tiny, almost illegible font. There is no way to change the font in WordPress. Are you kidding me?!

I don't know what to do. Any suggestions? Any WP experts out there who can help? I'd actually be willing to pay to get this sorted out. Argh!

april 3rd pic

2009-04-03T23:58:00.000-07:00

april 2nd pics

2009-04-02T21:46:00.001-07:00

Chocolate croissant for breakfast...yummy!

Just too cute for words!

april 1st pic

2009-04-01T23:21:00.001-07:00

march 31st pics

2009-03-31T22:14:00.001-07:00

bathtime fun

2009-03-30T22:19:00.001-07:00

march 29th pics - busy sunday

2009-03-30T22:11:00.001-07:00

Heading out to run errands. Barney and Baby HAD to come!

Bagel and cream cheese...a new favorite!

Stopping to listen and dance to every street performer

Dinner at the club with grandma and grandpa

I guess it's no wonder she didn't fall asleep until after midnight. May have been too much excitement for one day. Oh well. At least she had fun!

march 28th pics

2009-03-30T21:52:00.001-07:00

Look who got new glasses!

sadie's 1st picture day

2009-03-27T21:46:00.000-07:00

Today was picture day at school. You'd think she'd be used to having her picture taken by now since my New Year's resolution was to take a picture of her everyday this year! But no. She looked absolutely adorable in a dress with a pretty little flower in her hair. She watched a few of her friends have their picture taken and then said to me "I do." When it was finally her turn, she stood where she was supposed to, put her hands how they told her to and looked right at the camera. But she would not smile. No matter what the photographer's assistant or I did. They make you pay for the pictures before they even take them so I'm going to have a bunch of pictures of her looking cute, but unhappy. Oh well.

She did smile tonight though, so I could get this shot:

When I got home tonight we went for a walk with my mom and dad. We were on a hunt for dogs and boy were we successful. We bumped into my neighbors with their two dogs, Kiki and Jasmine. The last time we saw Kiki, her owner let Sadie hold the leash. Now she wants to hold every dog's leash. It's adorable. She was in hog heaven going between the two dogs. She is so sweet to all dogs. I have no idea why her first impulse is to hit or kick Bailey when she gets up close. Thankfully, she's never close enough to actually touch Bailey. And before you think she's a bully, she has had some lovely moments petting and kissing Bailey.

Tonight when she was eating dinner I asked her about her friends at school and she actually said many of their names. I was so impressed. She said Mai Mai, Rena, Igel, Uk and JT (trust me when I tell you she was close on the names!). She also said ice cream clear as day. That's my girl!

my big girl

2009-03-26T23:43:00.001-07:00

Sadie is just two months away from two years old. I can't believe it! She has changed so much in the 9 months we have been together. She is now talking up a storm. There was a period of a couple of weeks, just a couple of months ago,where I was really starting to worry about the fact that she wasn't saying more words. Then, it was like a switch turned on inside her. She says new words everyday now. Some of my favorites include: down, mine, pocket, wa (walk), da (dog), baby, night night, move, la you (love you) and tank you (thank you). She's also put a couple of words together like "I do" and "no mine."

Her motor skills are amazing. She can run, jump and climb like a monkey. She LOVES art. Her teachers are always amazed at how long an art project can hold her attention. Most of the kids move on after a few minutes, but Sadie will draw or paint for 20 or 30 minutes at a time. She has a wonderful imagination. She pretends to cook and eat with her princess tea set. She also pretends to cook in the car and in the tub. She loves it when I play along. She's started showing interest in taking care of her "babies." She holds them, pats their back, puts them to sleep, feeds them, changes their diaper and wraps them in her blankets.

She still loves her books. Some favorites right now include "Good Dog, Carl," "I Love You Like Crazy Cakes," "No, David" and "Good Boy, Fergus."

She's used the potty several times now; the most recent time being last night! I have to distract her to keep her sitting on the potty and a large basket of lotions seems to do the trick. She likes to have me open all the bottles and she puts a dab of each scented lotion on her legs, arms and tummy. Thankfully, she usually goes from the potty to the tub so she doesn't smell like a fruit salad for too long.

She has made some really good friends at school. There is one little girl and one little boy that she really loves. They play together a lot and the girls are often found hugging each other. It's adorable!

She sleeps with me every night now. She falls asleep with me downstairs, and when I'm ready to go to sleep, I just take her to bed with me. It's not ideal, but she sleeps through the night with me so it's worth it in the end. She hasn't set foot in her crib, other than to jump on the mattress, in a couple of months now. Oy.

She still loves music and will dance when she hears it. Her new dance involves shaking her tush back and forth. I'll try to get a video this weekend because it is beyond cute!

She's totally growing. She outgrew the shoes we bought her at the end of the year. Many of her 12 month pants are too short and some of her 18 month shirts are getting a little tight around her Buddha belly. She doesn't seem much bigger on her growth chart, but when I'm carrying her, she seems so long to me. I want to take a picture of her in the carrier I used in Vietnam so I can see how much bigger she is now.

She's still a very good eater. Favorite foods include: pasta, cheese, yogurt, m&m's, ham, hot dogs, raspberries, blueberries, apples, rice, green beans, tomatoes, corn, fried things (egg rolls, chicken tacos, taquitos), fruit roll ups, Pinkberry, waffles, oranges, dried cherries, dried cranberries, pizza and applesauce.

She's getting very independent. She wants to do more and more things herself and I'm sure that will continue as she approaches the big 2!

That's my big girl!

to password protect or not?

2009-03-25T23:20:00.001-07:00

Many of my favorite blogs have gone password protected in the last few months. Thankfully, they also chose to share their passwords with me so I can continue reading. I totally get why they did it. Would Sadie want her life out there for all to see? Now I'm torn about whether I should follow their lead. I started this blog as an adoption journal. I didn't give the address to anyone, not even my folks, for a long time. Then I gave it to a few families with my agency, then a couple of friends, then more friends and now I get visitors from all over the country every day. I really have no idea who is reading these days. Very few people actually comment. I'm flattered that anyone would care to read about life with Sadie, but it also kind of freaks me out a little when I really think about it.

I've got a new blog all set up at Wordpress and I'm ready to go password protected at anytime. Before I do that, however, I'm wondering who is out there. And do you want to continue reading? I'd be happy to share the password with most people, but I want to know who you are. You can either post a comment or email me at this address.. Tell me about yourself. Do we know each other? Do you have a blog? Have you adopted? And if you'd like the password, leave me your email address. : )

shoes on

2009-03-25T22:42:00.001-07:00

Sadie has a new bad habit. She will not keep her shoes and socks on at school. No matter what they do, she takes them off. I bought lace up shoes so we could double knot them; she just pulls them off - still tied. Her teachers have started taking them away and putting them in her cubby when she takes them off so they don't get lost. (She's come home in another kid's socks before.) So I've gotten used to finding her socks and shoes in her cubby when I pick her up. Last night I told her that she needs to keep her shoes on at school. I told her again this morning and said that if she keeps them on, we'll get a treat.

Well imagine my surprise to find her in her shoes when I picked her up tonight. She had kept them on all afternoon! So, we celebrated with a trip to Pinkberry. Let's hope it wasn't a one time thing!

Here is Sadie walking down the street to Pinkberry. She's wearing my work badge, carrying my Williams Sonoma purchase, and waving hello to folks on the street. When a bus drove by, she waved and said "bye bye." How stinking cute is she?

She found this door hanging that says "Shhh....Princess Sleeping" in a bin in her room recently. Because it has a handle, she thinks it is a purse. She carries it on her arm all the time. She'll put it on her shoulder and say "bye bye." This morning she grabbed it on the way out of the house so it came to work/school with us. What a wackadoo!

march 24th pic

2009-03-24T22:40:00.001-07:00

I totally blew it on the picture taking today. We got home from work and grandpa came over and took Sadie for a walk. When they got back I fed her dinner then we changed into jammies, read some stories and got ready for bed. I just didn't think about taking any pictures until she was already asleep. So, here is today's pic. Not very exciting...but pretty cute!

Tomorrow Sadie turns 22 months old. I can't believe how fast time is flying by. The birthday party plans are coming along nicely. I've reserved the location, ordered the invites from Tiny Prints (the same company that did my adoption announcements), ordered all of the paper supplies and everything for the goody bags for the little ones and older kids. I'm having so much fun planning. Most of my friends have said they'll be able to attend. I hope the kids from her class will be able to make it. It will be so much fun for her to have some friends her age to run around with!

march 23rd pics

2009-03-23T21:26:00.001-07:00

march 22nd pics

2009-03-23T21:23:00.001-07:00

Sadie just started playing with this little baby doll that one of my volunteers gave her months ago. She calls it "baby" and she carries it around, wraps it in her blanket, kisses it, pats its back and changes its diaper. The cutest thing is when she raises its legs to change its imaginary diaper and says "eee uuu" (her version of p.u.).

Do you have any idea how hard it is to say "no" to this face?!

march 21st pics

2009-03-22T01:31:00.001-07:00

march 20th pics

2009-03-22T01:26:00.001-07:00

holy poop part deux

2009-03-19T22:02:00.001-07:00

Yep, it happened again. This time she felt the need to announce it. She was in the bath, said "poo poo" and then there it was. Ugh. I'm not digging this part of motherhood.

When I dropped Sadie off this morning her teacher told me that they were all talked to about my complaints yesterday. I was really happy to hear that the director took it seriously and went to the teachers. Now they know what my expectations are so hopefully it won't happen again.

I've started planning Sadie's 2nd birthday bash. I think I've found the location now I need to find some invitations. The search will start this weekend. I can't wait to celebrate the big day with our family and friends!

Now some pics from today:

Too cool for school!

Check out all the paint on her shirt! The girls loves her art!

grandpa and the park

2009-03-18T22:24:00.001-07:00

Right after we got home tonight, my dad called to see if he could come and take Sadie to the park. She needed a bath and dinner, but the idea of an hour or so to myself to relax a bit, take out the trash, do the dishes and clean the litter box was too great to pass up. So grandpa came over and took Sadie to the duck park. She went on the slides, the swings and the teeter totter and they fed the ducks. She truly loves the park.

march 17th pic

2009-03-18T21:53:00.001-07:00

Sadie wore the cutest outfit to school on St. Patrick's Day but when I went to pick her up at the end of the day, she gave filthy, dirty a new meaning. I was actually pretty upset with how she looked when I got there and I let the program director know today. She was outside and had black paint all over her darling outfit, paint on her hands and face, dried snot on her face, no shoes or socks on, no sweatshirt on (despite the fact that both of her sweatshirts were outside with her) and her diaper was hanging low to her knees. I felt like no one had been paying attention to her for a while. How hard would it be to take a baby wipe to her face and hands? I provide the wipes for crying out loud! Anyway...I ended up taking her into the bathroom where I cleaned her up and changed her diaper and clothes because I just couldn't take her out looking like that. Turns out her diaper was falling off, which is why it was down by her knees. She had peed, of course, so her cute outfit had pee on it too. Not pretty. Anyway, I'm hoping never to find her that dirty again. Sadly I didn't take any pictures of her in the morning so you'll just have to trust me...she looked adorable.

When we got home, I immediately put her in the tub. She had a good bath and got nice and clean. I'm sorry to say her darling outfit did not fair as well. That darn black paint is the only art supply that they use at school that does not come out of her clothes. Oh well. It wasn't an expensive outfit, but it was cute and festive for St. Paddy's Day! After the bath we sat on the couch for a few minutes and she actually fell asleep. It was only 7pm and she hadn't had dinner yet. That's when I snapped this picture.

I ordered a pizza and thought for sure she would wake up when the doorbell rang, but no. It was kind of nice to eat my dinner without her climbing on me or begging for what I was eating. And I got to watch a couple of shows off the Tivo. What a treat! She slept until about 8:30pm then she started to stir; I made her wake up. I figured if I let her keep sleeping, she'd wake up at 10pm and be up for hours. So, I fed her dinner and she went back to sleep around 10pm. What a couple of party animals we are.

sweet sadie

2009-03-16T22:26:00.001-07:00

When we got home tonight we just hung out outside for a while. I love that it is light out when we get home now. Sadie loves to run around out there and we go out to the street to look for dogs. No dogs today, but she was in such a good mood. I got so many cute pictures ...here are a few!

catching up - march 15th pics

2009-03-16T22:14:00.001-07:00

catching up - march 14th pic

2009-03-16T22:12:00.001-07:00

catching up - march 13th pics

2009-03-16T21:16:00.000-07:00

I got to take last Friday off because I had to work on Saturday so we went down to California Adventure. My mom and my friend Y came with us. It was a pretty mellow day. Sadie definitely had fun. They have a Playhouse Disney stage show and Sadie went nuts. She was dancing and jumping and clapping...it was adorable. We didn't go on a ton of rides, but we still had a good time. Here are some of my favorite pics from the day.

march 12th pics

2009-03-12T23:08:00.001-07:00

Upon hearing there was ice cream (aka Pinkberry) for dessert.

The look I frequently get when I pull out the camera these days.

the face i get to wake up to everyday

2009-03-11T23:15:00.001-07:00

my expressive girl

2009-03-10T22:01:00.001-07:00

Sadie did not like Bailey checking out her blanket. She quickly ran over, grabbed her blanket and said "Mine!"

Trying to tell me that it is cooold. She cracks me up!

Just looking cute!

are you a china baby?

2009-03-09T22:31:00.001-07:00

Last Thursday, Sadie and I took my friend Y out to dinner for her birthday. When we got to the restaurant and sat down, I noticed a Caucasian woman sitting at a table in front of us with two little Asian girls. She was looking at us and talking to her girls so I was pretty sure her girls were adopted but I didn't intend to say anything. Then, the woman said something. I looked up and she told her daughter to ask again. Then this darling 3 year old asked, "Are you a China baby?" How freakin cute is that? I answered that she was from Vietnam. Then I asked if she was a "China baby." She said "yes." The mom explained that they were twins adopted a few years ago. She said she didn't want the girls to think there was anything wrong asking if she was from China and hoped it was OK. I thought it was darling.

daycare is a battlefield

2009-03-09T22:18:00.001-07:00

Sadie is a rough and tumble girl. As a result, she's frequently getting bumps and bruises at daycare. Well, today, my phone rang around 11am and the Caller ID said it was Sadie's classroom - never a good thing. It was Sadie's teacher calling to tell me that Sadie was playing with some friends and got hit in the eye with a wooden block. She said it bled a bit but that her eyeball looked OK. I was nervous, so I went over to see her. I stopped in the Gift Shop on the way over and bought a Hershey's Kiss to give her because I knew she was going to have a hard time when I left to go back to work. When I got there, she was playing with a friend and seemed OK. The injury wasn't nearly as bad as I had imagined in my head. Her eyelid was a little swollen and she had two small cuts on the lid. Her eye was fine! Thank goodness. I thought for sure she would have a black and blue eye by the end of the day, but she didn't. Instead, she had a purple face. But don't worry, it wasn't bruised. She managed to put a purple paint hand print on her forehead. What a kooky girl!

Now some photos from tonight. First up, the battle scar.

And now the purple face

And finally...as I was preparing her bath, Sadie walked into the bathroom like this.

She had managed to get her body in one of the legs of my pajama bottoms. Thankfully I had my camera handy to capture this look. Priceless!

march 8th pics

2009-03-09T21:09:00.001-07:00

march 7th pics

2009-03-08T23:31:00.001-07:00

march 6th pic

2009-03-06T22:01:00.001-08:00

march 5th pics

2009-03-06T21:28:00.001-08:00

Celebrating my friend Y's birthday with a yummy dinner out.

sleeping beauty

2009-03-04T22:11:00.001-08:00

Barney (the dog), her blankie and her bear.

happy girl

2009-03-03T22:38:00.001-08:00

march 2nd pics

2009-03-02T22:25:00.001-08:00

Big girl climbing the stairs

Wearing mommy's boxers as a dress

Blowing bubbles in the tub

march 1st pics

2009-03-01T23:14:00.001-08:00

lazy, lazy, bad hair day

2009-02-28T23:58:00.000-08:00

sick day

2009-02-27T23:59:00.000-08:00

Sadie stayed home with grandma today and she sure doesn't look sick in these pictures. She seems to be feeling much better so hopefully we'll be able to enjoy the weekend!

february 26th post - packing peanuts...tons of fun!

2009-02-27T23:35:00.001-08:00

I was starting this post last night and got interrupted. Sadie was asleep on the couch next to me and she was coughing in her sleep. A strange gurgly (is that a word) sound was coming from her. Then, she lifted her head and threw up all over the couch. Lovely! Let me just say she had raspberries and blueberries for dinner and leave it at that! I picked her up and tried to clean up a bit and then called my folks. She seemed OK, no fever or other symptoms. Then, about 30 minutes later, she threw up again; on the other side of the couch. I am not making this up! I asked my mom to come over because I knew at this point that Sadie wasn't going to be able to go to school the next day. So, while my mom was on her way, Sadie threw up again. This time, on the floor. My poor baby. She threw up one more time last night and then hasn't done so again. Thank goodness for that! She finally fell asleep and I took her up to my room around midnight. She slept the entire night but when she woke up, she had a fever. I gave her some Tylenol and went to work. My mom watched her all day. She ate a little breakfast and then took a good nap in the morning. Later, she had some lunch and no more fever. She had a pretty decent dinner and fell asleep around 9pm. She's still asleep and I'm praying we are through this.

Here are the pictures I was going to post last night. I got something in the mail that had packing peanuts in the box and Sadie thought they were the best thing ever. They kept her attention for quite a while until she thought it would be fun to dump them out, and I put them away. I know, I'm a party pooper!

february 25th pic

2009-02-25T23:06:00.001-08:00

february 24th pics

2009-02-24T22:17:00.001-08:00

february 23rd pic

2009-02-23T22:36:00.001-08:00

quiet sunday

2009-02-22T23:35:00.001-08:00

I was saddled with a horrible migraine today that didn't respond to my migraine medication. Thank goodness my mom was here to take care of Sadie. I laid around most of the day, feeling nauseous and crappy. I finally took some Aleve around 4pm and by 5:30pm I was finally feeling better. My mom snapped these pictures of Sadie earlier today. What a silly girl.

peek

2009-02-21T22:58:00.001-08:00

On December 4th, one of my favorite children's stores (Peek) had an event. They were going to have wine, nibbles and raffles and a portion of their profits were going to charity. So, my mom and I decided to check it out. It was really cold out so I bundled Sadie in this darling one piece I got for $7 at the Gap. It wasn't too crowded when we got there so I put Sadie down and let her walk around. A short while later I noticed that they had a photographer and he was taking pictures of Sadie. Well, she was in rare form that night. Posing and hamming it up for the camera. I got the photographer's card before we left and ended up buying all of the pictures he took. Can you stand how cute she was? Please note the chocolate on her lip. She loved the cookies!

wiped out

2009-02-21T22:34:00.001-08:00

We are wiped out. Yesterday took a lot out of us! I tried to sleep in, but Sadie was up early, climbing all over me and talking. We hung out around the house and played with Sadie's Disneyland treats for most of the day. She LOVED her Minnie Mouse dress. Once we put it on her, over her other clothes, she wouldn't let us take it off. She looks adorable in it!

Around 3ish we went out to the market to get some stuff for dinner. Sadie fell asleep on the way to the market and slept though the entire shopping trip, until the time came to pay. Unfortunately, that was Sadie's only nap today. Let me tell you, it was not enough for me. She was a pistol the rest of the day. Whiny and into everything.

When we got back from the market, we started dinner and then decided to try to get Sadie a haircut up the street. We had to wait a little while because we didn't have an appointment, but it was totally worth it. We liked this salon a lot better than the kids' salon we went to last time. The stylists were great with the kids, they had dvd players at each station and the place was really clean. Sadie was such a good girl. She sat in the rocket chair and played with the steering wheel, looked at herself in the mirror and watched the other kids. They put a little flower in her hair when they were done. Her hair looks so much better now. It was long and straggly in the back and now she has a cute bob!

After her haircut, they gave her a lollipop; her first! She put it right in her mouth and ate the entire thing. She was drooling like crazy. Too funny!

february 20th disneyland pics

2009-02-21T22:25:00.001-08:00

We had a great time at Disneyland. We got there around 1pm and stayed until after 11pm. We got to go on the new and improved It's a Small World and Sadie adored it. She was swaying and clapping through the ride.

Sadie still loves the carousel. She rode it 4 times!

Dumbo was still fun too!

Y and I went on a few other rides together while my mom watched Sadie. Then she fell asleep around dinner time. She slept through dinner, some shopping and ice cream and woke up as we were shopping on Main Street. Once again, Sadie scored! She got a Minnie Mouse dress, a book, tub toys, a couple of tee shirts and a sweatshirt, a toy cell phone, some bracelets and some candy. Sadly, she slept through most of the shopping, so she had no idea what she scored until the next day!

Sadie woke up as we were checking out at our final stop in the park. Then she was awake! She stayed awake the entire drive home and up until I put her in bed with me and told her to go to sleep. Thankfully, she did pretty much right away.

We'll be going back again in about a month since Y got a 2fer ticket which gets her into California Adventure for free. And now that I have an annual pass, we'll be heading down frequently, though probably not for 10 hours at a time again. Boy was I aching at the end of the night!

Here are a couple more cute pictures from the day.

mickey...here we come

2009-02-20T00:16:00.001-08:00

In about 12 hours, we'll be at Disneyland! Y got the day off again so Sadie, my mom, Y and I will be heading down for the day. Woo hoo! Expect LOTS of pictures!

my laughing girl

2009-02-19T23:57:00.000-08:00

february 18th pic

2009-02-18T23:43:00.001-08:00

silly girl

2009-02-17T23:47:00.001-08:00

In case you're wondering why we still have a Christmas bag out...it is supposed to hold all of her blocks, but she dumped them all out so she could get in the bag. That's my silly girl!

not disneyland, but still a very fun day

2009-02-17T23:40:00.001-08:00

So, we got rained out yesterday. Since my friend Y had taken the day off to come with us, we decided to all hang out anyway. And where do you go when it is raining? To the mall, naturally. Y came over and Sadie, my mom, Y and I all went out to lunch. Sadie is still so good about eating out. She gets a little impatient when she is done, but I can usually keep her distracted until everyone is done. We had a yummy lunch and Sadie's kid's meal came with a hot fudge sundae!

She took a couple of bites, indicated to us that it was cold, and then was done. What kind of child doesn't scarf a hot fudge sundae?

After lunch we went to the Beverly Center. Sadie made out like a bandit thanks to grandma. She got a bunch of cute things from Gymboree and I bought her some little pink Uggs. She liked them so much she ended up wearing them out of the store.

Then we went to Macy's where Y and I both got new sunglasses. I needed them because Sadie destroyed my Dolce & Gabbana ones. Bummer. I replaced them with a very affordable pair that, if broken, will not make me cry. The sales guy joked that Sadie needed some too and we started talking about how that wouldn't be a bad idea. The sun does bother her in her car seat at times. So after Macy's we went to H&M. I LOVE our H&M because they have a children's section. Y immediately saw the children's sunglasses so we tried them on her.

I wish I had a video of Sadie seeing herself in the mirror for the first time with the glasses on. She LOVED them! She was smiling, posing, laughing....it was priceless. We bought the pair in the second photo above. They have little rhinestones on the sides. So cute! Sadie also got two Hello Kitty dresses at H&M.

After that we went for a soda break and Sadie wouldn't take her glasses off. Check her out! She was so happy.

As soon as we left the mall, Sadie fell asleep. It was 5pm. Not the ideal nap time. We made a quick stop at Sweet Lady Jane's for some sweets. We all got something (or a couple of somethings) to go. Then we went home.

Sadie slept until 7ish when I finally woke her for dinner. She immediately wanted to put her glasses back on and continued to wear them until I finally tucked them away for the night. It was a really fun day!

We decided to try to go to Disneyland on Friday. I'm going to take another day off despite the mounds of work I need to do. Everything will still be there on Monday so what's the harm, right?

crossing our fingers and toes

2009-02-15T23:58:00.000-08:00

We are supposed to go to Disneyland tomorrow but the news is reporting that a huge storm will be arriving momentarily. We're crossing our fingers and toes that it comes and goes, but it doesn't look good. Bummer.

february 15th pic

2009-02-15T23:50:00.000-08:00

a lovely valentine's day

2009-02-15T23:48:00.001-08:00

Sadie and I had a lovely day yesterday. We slept in and then watched cartoons together for a while. We were invited to my friend L's house for dinner and I really wanted to bring something. So, I decided to make Coconut Madeleines. I had just enough eggs and sugar to make two batches. I was so happy I didn't have to go to the store! I started to crack the eggs and Sadie came in to the kitchen and sat down in her chair. She was sucking her thumb and leaning to the side so I asked her if she was tired. I told her she could go take a nap on her bear or stay here and watch me make cookies. A moment later, I noticed she had left the kitchen. I went into the living room where I found her sleeping with her thumb in her mouth on her bear. I put a blanket over her and then had a divine 2 hours to make cookies, file my nails, tidy the kitchen and watch 3/4 of Mamma Mia! It was heavenly. When she woke up we watched the rest of the movie (she LOVED the music) and played a bit before getting dressed for the party.

My friend L has the greatest friends. Everyone was so sweet with Sadie and she had such a good time. One of her friends had her darling 8 month old daughter with her. Sadie had fun watching her. One of L's cats let Sadie pet and kiss her. She was so sweet with the cat. I don't know why she isn't that way with Bailey. When the time came to leave, Sadie got a sudden burst of energy and started running all around. She wouldn't let me put her sweater on and clearly didn't want to go. I finally got her in the car and within moments, she was asleep. It was a lovely Valentine's Day. I was so busy having a good time that I didn't take many pictures but L's friends took a few so hopefully I'll have a few more soon.

beautiful baby search 2009

2009-02-14T00:50:00.001-08:00

Thank you so much for your feedback on the photos last week. I needed to choose a picture for the Beautiful Baby Search as seen on Regis and Kelly. Here is the photo I chose:

I don't watch Regis and Kelly but I read about the contest on a blog somewhere and decided to enter Sadie since the grand prize is $125,000 to be used towards a 4 year college education. What have I got to lose, right? Wish us luck!

a lovely friday the 13th

2009-02-13T23:56:00.000-08:00

Sadie got a few Valentines at school today. So cute. The teachers gave all the kids little boxes with temporary tattoos, play-doh and a sweet note. And the kids made Valentines for the parents. Here's mine.

I absolutely LOVE it! It's the first handprint picture I have and the first art they've sent home from school. It is proudly displayed in the kitchen.

After rain all day, the sun came out for a bit around 4pm. So, I picked Sadie up early and we went down to Old Navy. I saw a couple of cute Valentine's Day things on their website (that were on sale) and I was hoping to find them in Sadie's size. No such luck, but of course, I found a couple of other things and a cute sweater for me. (I ended up buying the items I was looking for online later tonight.) When we were walking back to the car, we passed these two high school girls who were carrying pink and red balloons. Sadie's eye lit up when she saw them. She pointed and looked at me. I promised her I would get her a balloon tomorrow for Valentine's Day. Then, a moment later, I heard someone saying "Excuse me." It was one of the girls with a red balloon in her hand. She asked if I would like it for Sadie. Is that not the sweetest thing ever? Sadie was SO excited. Here she is with her balloon.

We don't have any big plans this weekend but since Sadie's school is closed on Monday I decided to take the day off and we are planning to go to Disneyland with my mom and my friend Y. I hope we don't get rained out!

valentine's day prep

2009-02-12T22:15:00.001-08:00

After Sadie fell asleep tonight I finally had a chance to put the Valentine's Day treats for her friends (coloring books) and teachers (chocolates)together. I think they look pretty cute! Thanks to Secret Agent Josephine for the free Valentines!

And now some pics of my girl...

I know this is blurry but I love her expression with her tongue sticking out.

cute pics from december

2009-02-11T23:28:00.001-08:00

Sadie and I went to hang out with my friend W and her mom in Orange County in December. Her mom just sent me these pictures and I thought they were so cute, I had to share them!

my moody girl

2009-02-11T22:56:00.001-08:00

february 10th pic

2009-02-10T23:01:00.001-08:00

february 9th pic

2009-02-09T21:58:00.001-08:00

She can't decide which is more interesting -

Handy Manny or the shoes in the Land's End catalog

february 8th pics

2009-02-08T22:52:00.001-08:00

We had brunch with grandpa at the club today. In addition to a yummy meal, Sadie got to...

tinker on the piano and

try out her first putter.

Later, she was pretty happy eating Fritos right out of the bag!

new shoes, nell & me

2009-02-07T23:59:00.000-08:00

Sadie last got new shoes in October. The store where we bought them sent a postcard in January suggesting we bring her back to be resized. So we went back today and sure enough, she's at least a 1/2 size bigger. So guess who got 3 new pairs of shoes today. They are so cute! These pictures don't do them justice!

Sadie has a new nickname. Although she will always be my monkey, my mom and I have started calling her Nell because her babbling sounds so much like Jodie Foster in the movie "Nell." It's hysterical. She'll say something and then I'll say "chickapee" and it sounds exactly the same. She talking and babbling all the time now. She has more new words and it's pretty easy to understand her most of the time. But when she just goes off on a long babble, it's totally Nell.

While we were in the car today, Sadie put her blanket over her face and my mom asked, "Who's there." Sadie loudly responded, "ME!" We just looked at each other. She'd never said it before and she used the word perfectly. It was too cute. Of course, when we tried to get her to do it again later, she wouldn't.

Now here are some pictures of my silly girl from today.

Admiring her new shoes

Showing off her Mardi Gras beads

Cracking up with grandma in the car

Loving the ranch dressing

The girl loves her hats

CHEESE!

february 6th pic

2009-02-06T23:33:00.001-08:00

february 5th pics

2009-02-05T22:22:00.001-08:00

february 4th pic

2009-02-04T22:16:00.001-08:00

my brave kitty

2009-02-04T22:14:00.001-08:00

Last night, after Sadie fell asleep on the couch, my brave kitty came downstairs. Then she did the unthinkable.

She laid down next to Sadie and stayed there for a good 30 minutes. She was right next to her and when she moved to the edge of the couch, Sadie's foot was actually touching her. This is without question the closest she has ever been to Sadie for the longest period of time. Let's hope it doesn't take another 6 months for it to happen again.

1 more day to vote for your favorite picture

2009-02-03T22:30:00.001-08:00

Seriously folks. Could the votes be any more split? I was having a hard time deciding between photo A and photo D and it looks like you are too. I'm gonna wait one more day to see if one picture pulls out in front. See the pics here and vote on the left. Thanks for the input!

february 3rd pics

2009-02-03T22:26:00.001-08:00

please vote for your favorite picture!

2009-02-02T23:37:00.001-08:00

There's still time to help me decide which picture I should enter in the contest. Now that each photo has received at least one vote, I'm more undecided than ever. Go to my February 1st post to see the four photos and vote on the left. Thanks!

guess who peed on the potty?!

2009-02-02T23:22:00.001-08:00

When we get ready for bathtime, I now have Sadie sit on her potty for a minute or two before I put her in the tub. The potty plays music when you go in it, but she has figured out how to get the music to play on her own. She either takes it apart and presses the button, or she sticks her hand in the pot and touches the sensor to make it play. Well tonight, she was sitting on the potty, touching the sensor with her hand and dancing with a huge smile when the music played. I turned away to wash my hands and heard the music again. When I turned, I was surprised to see her hands at her side. I asked her if she made a pee pee and she didn't answer. So I asked her to stand up and the pot was full! I was SHOCKED! I was so excited. I didn't have any treats in the bathroom to give her so I wasn't able to give her a reward, but she must have known she'd done something good from the fuss I made. And rest assured, there is now a small container of m&ms in my bathroom cabinet should this ever happen again. Yeah Sadie!

february 2nd pics

2009-02-02T23:15:00.001-08:00

tet festival 2009 & february 1st pics

2009-02-02T23:09:00.001-08:00

Sadie and I went to the Tet Festival yesterday. It was huge! They had rides, carnival games, informational booths, tons of food, performers and a cultural village. It would have been easier if another adult came with us but the two of us made it through the day. Sadie loved the music and the dragon dance. She also loved the egg rolls. She wore the top from the ao dai she got for Christmas, but since the pants were too long, I matched it with a pair of gray pants. She looked ADORABLE! I bought Sadie a shirt from a vendor who is starting a non-profit to raise money for Mai Tam Center in HCMC. It is a hospice home for mothers and children living with HIV/AIDS. We mostly just walked around and took everything in. I tried to win Sadie a goldfish but to no avail. There were very few non-Asians there. I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb, but no one really paid any attention to us except for one woman on the shuttle to the festival and another on the way back. They were both very sweet and told me that Sadie was very lucky. I told them, I was the lucky one!

Music and eggrolls...what more could a girl want? Maybe the yellow balloon that distracts her in the top left corner at the very end of this clip?

which picture is your favorite?

2009-02-01T00:08:00.001-08:00

I want to enter Sadie in a contest and I need help deciding which picture to enter. Which is your favorite? Vote on the left! Thanks!

choo choo

2009-01-31T23:23:00.001-08:00

Sadie spent the morning with grandma while I worked. Then we met in the afternoon for lunch. After lunch we went into a little toy store where my mom saw a cute doll in the window. We showed the doll to Sadie but she was less than impressed. Then I found this darling Pooh mega blocks toy that made sounds and she liked pressing the button but when we asked her if she wanted it, she said "no." This was a surprise because she usually answers "yes" to everything. Then the lady who worked in the shop asked if she had seen the train set. We took her over and she was mesmerized. As a result, Sadie got her first train today and some track. She got Rosie, the purple train from the Thomas the Train set. As we were about to leave, the shop lady handed us this darling conductor's hat for Sadie. I handed it to her and she immediately put it on her head...cocked to the side. She then proceeded to wear it until she fell asleep in the car. Too cute!

After lunch we head over to Babies R Us for another side rail for my bed because Sadie fell off the bed for the second time last night. This time, she fell off at the head of the bed. I don't even know how she did it, but at 1:30am, she woke me up crying and there she was on the floor. I picked her up and she stopped crying in no time. Now I have two bed rails on the side of my bed from the head to the foot of the bed. Only problem is they are a little too long so they actually overlap a bit. Not perfect, but it should do the trick until I can come up with another solution. Oh, and in case you're wondering where we are with the sleep issue...it's not good. When Sadie got sick I just started taking her in with me. So, she falls asleep downstairs and when I'm ready to go up, I bring her in with me. She doesn't even go to her crib at all at this point. Oy. Oh well, it's not too bad, except for the falling off the bed! Poor monkey!

Tomorrow we're going to head down to a Tet festival in Orange County. I'm not sure how busy it will be seeing as it is Superbowl Sunday, but it should be fun. I'll try to get lots of pictures.

january 30th pics

2009-01-31T23:14:00.001-08:00

I'll be adding a couple more pictures to this post as soon as I get a hold of my mom's camera. Sadie was full of energy last night and we got a few more cute pictures to share.

january 29th pics

2009-01-29T23:48:00.000-08:00

more hair clips!

2009-01-28T23:38:00.001-08:00

The other hair clips I ordered from Etsy arrived last week. They are adorable. Now, if I could just get Sadie to keep them in all day. You can get your own here.

keepsake or toy?

2009-01-28T22:51:00.001-08:00

Sadie's President Obama Air Force One Wood Toy Collectable is on its way. I thought it would be a nice keepsake for her to commemorate such an important event. Sad thing is, I probably won't let her play with it. We'll keep it on a shelf in her room.

january 28th pics

2009-01-28T21:55:00.001-08:00

january 27th pic

2009-01-28T21:24:00.001-08:00

piggies

2009-01-26T23:34:00.001-08:00

When I picked Sadie up at daycare today, I found her hair like this.

Too freaking cute! She actually kept them in all day and night.

My back is officially wrecked from my fall down the stairs. I can barely walk and going from sitting to standing is so painful, I end up in tears. I think I'm going to have to see a doctor at least to get something for the pain. In the meantime, it appears that Sadie clearly understands that I hurt my back. At daycare today she was walking down the little steps on the play equipment and she stopped, put her hand on her back and said "ow." Her teachers thought she had hurt herself until they remembered that I had told them earlier that morning about my fall. That's my little sponge.

chúc mừng năm mới - Happy New Year!

2009-01-25T23:37:00.001-08:00

Tết starts tomorrow and I have to admit I'm still a little ignorant about what it entails. But I intend to find out. We have a story book (Ten Mice for Tết)that Sadie hasn't quite sat through yet, but I'll keep trying and I'm planning to take her to a huge Tết festival here in L.A.

Starting next year, when she's a little older, I hope to start the tradition of having an annual party to celebrate with friends and family.

20 months old

2009-01-25T23:02:00.001-08:00

Sadie turned 20 months old today. I just can't believe it. I've actually started thinking about her 2nd birthday party. Since we missed her first birthday together, we'll be making up for it on her 2nd! The day started with Sadie falling out of my bed at 9:30am. Ugh...I know. She's been sleeping with me 100% of the time since she's been sick. I sleep on my side and I have a bed rail on her side so it seemed safe. Problem is, she moves around so much at night that she ended up at the foot of the bed and she went off the corner. She cried but just for a minute. I'll be ordering a rail for the end of the bed this week.

We didn't do much today since the effects of my fall down the stairs have kicked in. My back is killing me and my foot is still really sore. My mom has been here since last Sunday night. She came last Sunday to sleep over so she could watch Sadie on Monday since daycare was closed for Martin Luther King Day. As you now know, Sadie got sick, then I got sick so my mom ended up staying the entire week to take care of Sadie (and me). She was all set to go home last night but my aches and pains started and I couldn't even lift Sadie so she stayed another night. Well, tonight was no better so she's here on the couch reading over my shoulder as I write this. She IS going home tomorrow so Sadie and I are going to have to fend for ourselves. Wish us luck!

Sadie seems to be feeling better. She still has her cough, but is a bundle of energy and is even eating better. She was a pistol today.

Note the fork in her monkey toes.

Pjs from Vietnam - so cute!

I think she's a little stir crazy from being home for a week. I bet she'll be glad to go back to daycare tomorrow. At least I hope she will.

We got cupcakes to celebrate Sadie's big day. She worked on blowing out a candle for the first time and almost had it! And while she has had cupcakes before, she really seemed to enjoy it today. See evidence below:

beautiful etsy purchase

2009-01-25T00:03:00.000-08:00

I was browsing etsy.com about a week ago and I came across this shop called Dos Besitos. Gail makes beautiful glass pendants and other items with maps and words on them. She had one with a map of Hanoi so I wrote to her to ask if she could make one with a map of Ho Chi Minh City. She said yes and the pendants (one for me, one for my mom) arrived today. They are so lovely. The picture truly doesn't do them justice. I am so excited to wear mine!

She has pendants for other countries and one that says "mom" in Vietnamese. That will probably be my next purchase.

january 24th pics

2009-01-24T23:51:00.001-08:00

Sadie and I slept in this morning and we both woke up feeling better. She still has her horrible cough, but the doctor said it would linger for a while. She finishes her antibiotics tomorrow. We just hung out most of the day but she looked so cute! It was the first time I put her in a pair of Baby Legs. She wasn't quite sure what to make of them. She tried to pull them off at first but then gave in and kept them on all day.

This is how she started out in the morning.

And this is how she ended the day.

She's such a wackadoo.

january 23rd pics

2009-01-24T23:34:00.001-08:00

Well, it happened. A day went by without a post. But I don't feel badly because I did take pictures of Sadie and my resolution was to take a picture of her every day and post as many as possible.

Fact is, I have a very good reason for not posting. Sadie, though feeling better, was still not quite herself and I was still feeling crappy. We both fell asleep downstairs. I then woke up and went up to get my bed ready for the both of us. On my way back downstairs, I actually fell down the stairs. I've lived here for 6 years and have never fallen down the stairs. Never even tripped on them. But I fell and I fell hard. I mangled two toes on my right foot. They were throbbing last night and they're a lovely shade of purple today. Woo hoo!

Anyway, here are the 1/23 pics. As you'll see, she's very into dressing and undressing herself these days. Too funny!

a first i'd like to forget

2009-01-22T23:59:00.000-08:00

Today marks the first day in 6 days that Sadie didn't have a fever. I guess the antibiotics are kicking in. Tonight she had another coughing fit like last night. I picked her up to rub her back while she was coughing and she ended up throwing up all over me. Lovely. I'm sure it won't be the last time, but it's certainly a first I'd like to forget. She was fine afterward.

My mom took her to McDonald's yesterday after her doctor's appointment and she got these little plastic bracelets. She loves them. I put them on her ears so they look like dangling earrings and she thought it was hysterical. We got this picture of it today.

I'm feeling like crap. Thank goodness my mom was here to deal with Sadie tonight. I fell asleep on the couch and just woke up in time to post this for today. I'm going to work for an hour or so tomorrow and then the weekend will be all about resting and recovering.

the big p

2009-01-21T23:35:00.001-08:00

My poor baby has pneumonia. How awful is that? She was really crabby today. Clearly she was not feeling well. And she had yet another fever. That's 5 days in a row. My mom and I took her to the doctor this afternoon and after listening to her chest, she said it was pneumonia. She prescribed antibiotics and said she should be feeling better in a day or so. She took the medicine easily (thank goodness it was cherry flavored) and even asked for more. She fell asleep on my lap around 9pm while my mom and I watched Lost. Oh...did I mention that my mom and I are now sick? Sadie actually sounds better than I do at this point. Ugh. Anyway, shortly after she fell asleep, Sadie woke up coughing. She was coughing so hard and started choking. It was so scary. It sounded like she couldn't breath. At one point I thought she was going to throw up, but she didn't. She finally stopped coughing and she was all sweaty so my mom got a cool washcloth for her forehead and some juice. I just held her for a little while, then went to take the washcloth off her head when she grabbed it and put it back. That's when my mom snapped this pick.

I called Sadie's teacher to tell her that she'd be out the rest of the week at which time she told me, "everyone is sick." Great! Can you make sure they are all better before I bring her back on Monday?!

still sick

2009-01-20T23:04:00.001-08:00

My sweet girl is still sick. Poor thing has had a fever on and off for days. We'll be going to the doctor tomorrow. She doesn't seem to feel really bad, but her nose is so runny and she has this horrible wet cough. In spite of this, she has been keeping grandma on her toes. She has also been talking up a storm. New words include: read, more, bye bye, baby (says it like baay-baay...too cute!), pee pee, poo poo and cheese.

my poor sick baby

2009-01-19T22:48:00.001-08:00

january 18th pics

2009-01-18T22:31:00.001-08:00

january 17th pics

2009-01-17T23:07:00.001-08:00

You wouldn't know it from these pictures, but Sadie woke up sick. She's got a horrible cough, runny nose and a slight fever. We hung out at home today and will probably do the same tomorrow.

Laughing because I'm getting wet from her splashing and squirting.

I love the squirting water in this photo!

Here is Sadie checking out my new sleeping spot.

I brought her up here tonight for her bottle around 8:30pm. She drank most of her bottle then crawled around on the bed for a while. She finally fell asleep just before 9:30pm and she is currently tossing and turning near my feet. I'll try to get her in her crib in a few minutes, but wanted to post this first, in case she wakes up and I end up having to go to bed for the night.

And finally, just because...

sleeping with sadie...a very long post!

2009-01-17T00:27:00.001-08:00

OK, I've made reference to Sadie's sleep issues for a while now but have never addressed them. Well, the time has come. I'm exhausted and was feeling pretty hopeless but the pediatrician gave me some good suggestions this week so I now have hope. Before I get to that, here's some history: Let me start by saying that I know it is my fault that we are in the situation we are in. I also know it won't be easy to fix the situation, but for my sanity and health, we need to fix it.

So here's the lowdown. When we got home from Vietnam, Sadie would only fall asleep if I was holding her. Once she was asleep, I'd put her in her crib. If she woke up during the night, I'd have to hold her, standing (she would not let me sit down), until she fell asleep again. Needless to say it was exhausting and murder on my back. Oftentimes it would take over an hour to get her back to sleep and she would wake up more than once.

When we saw the international adoption specialist and the pediatrician in September, they both told me to put her in her crib at bedtime and let her cry it out. They felt her attachment to me was good and that it would probably just take a few days for her to get used to falling asleep in her crib. Well, I tried it once and it was a disaster. Crying it out is not for the faint of heart. She cried, screamed, coughed, choked. It was horrible. I did what they said and went in periodically, but she would just get more and more upset when she saw me. I eventually went in and picked her up and she fell asleep.

Shortly thereafter, a new sleep trend emerged. I'm not even sure how it started. Between 8pm and 8:30pm, I'd give Sadie her bottle on the couch. When she was done, she started crawling off my lap, sticking her thumb in her mouth and going to sleep. So she was asleep at a decent hour, but on the couch next to me. It doesn't sound so awful, but I have to stay right by her when she is on the couch as she easily rolls off. She's done it a few times! So, while she's asleep on the couch, I can't do a thing. No dishes, no laundry, no cleaning, can't even make her lunch. Pretty much all I can do is watch tv and blog. I love having the time to catch up on my shows and blog, but my house is a disaster.

When she first started falling asleep on the couch, I would move her up to her crib after about an hour; when she was deep asleep. For a while, she would sleep fine in her crib. She might wake up once, but if I went up to her room, I could get her back to sleep pretty easily. Well, that changed. Now, when I go to move her she wakes up and she will not fall back asleep. I have tried everything. Putting her back on the couch to fall back asleep, but as soon as I try to move her again, she's awake. I tried putting her in her crib and just standing there until she goes back to sleep. She will cry for a while, then start sucking her thumb and lay down. But if she hears me trying to leave the room, she sits up and starts crying again. I recently stood by her crib for over an hour, until 2:30am trying to get her to sleep. I eventually relented and did what she wanted...took her into bed with me.

She sleeps fine in bed with me. I got a side rail so she's safe. She sleeps through the night. Problem is, she tosses and turns and has kicked me in the head and/or neck more times than I care to remember. She also sleeps right up against me, practically pushing me off the Queen size bed. Another problem is, if I'm going to put her in my bed, I need to go to bed at the same time or she could fall off on my side. Also, I don't know what she would do if she woke up in my bed alone. I'm guessing she wouldn't be happy. So, what we've been doing for over a month now is: She falls asleep on the couch between 8 and 9pm. I take her upstairs between 11pm and midnight. She wakes up. I change her diaper and either take her back down to the couch (if I don't want to go to bed) or we go to bed in my room. This is not working for me anymore. I'm so tired and feel like I have no control over my situation. I also hate the condition of my house right now. There is so much to do and no time to do it. For example, the dishwasher is clean right now and the sink is overflowing with dishes, but I can't get off the couch or run the water with Sadie on the couch.

So, here's the plan. The pediatrician said she didn't want me to let Sadie cry it out. She doesn't think that's the best plan for her. This was a huge relief! She wants me to move our routine to Sadie's room. Starting tomorrow (I was just too tired to get it organized for tonight) I will give her her bottle on the futon in her room. I'll let her fall asleep on the futon next to me and either, move her to her crib or sleep in her room on the futon with her. The hope is that she'll get used to once again sleeping in her room and will eventually be able to sleep there on her own. I had to go buy pillows, a blanket and an alarm clock for her room and I've got to find a place for all of her clean clothes which are currently on the futon but will not fit in her closet or dresser. I'm guessing it is going to take a while to get her sleeping in her crib. This new plan won't help me get anything done because I'll now be stuck up in her room, but if it works, it will be worth it. So wish me luck! And if anyone out there has any other suggestions, please share!

Here's a shot of Sadie on what will hopefully be her last night falling asleep on the couch.