Flashback

Emily came across the outfit that Olivia was handed to us in and suddenly got the urge to try it on her sister. Never mind that it's 80 degrees... Olivia willingly complied and they got the outfit on. Olivia was getting quite sweaty, but didn't seem to mind as they happily posed for pictures. You can't see all of Olivia's props here, but in between poses she kept adding to the scene. First she pulled in Emily's old pull-toy puppy (see the string?)...pose... then added a cup for it to have a drink...pose... then added a Barbie lantern as a pretend pitcher to fill the dog's glass...pose...then grabbed a baseball hat...pose and giggle. In fact both girls were very giggly and quite pleased with themselves.

Olivia's English is getting better every day. As she was getting her Gotcha Day outfit on, she very clearly asked me, "Can I have my shoe please?" I don't hear much Chinese anymore, even when she just chattering to herself, but that doesn't mean I understand everything she says though. Just like any mother of a toddler, I still do a lot of nodding, smiling, and saying, "oh really?" Which is mom speak for "I don't have a clue what you're saying."

For the pictures, I purposely had them stand in front of a door to give a height reference (Olivia is one inch shy of three feet and about 28 pounds). I guess photos are deceiving because most people are surprised by just how tiny Olivia is when they finally meet her in person. Although she is officially four, she is about the size of an average 18-24 month old. Emily, on the other hand, has recently been growing like a weed and gone are the days of being the teeniest kid in her class. It took her years to even make it to the 5th percentile on a growth chart, but now she's at least average height if not tall for her age (about 49" and 49 pounds). I can't fathom my weight matching my 63" height, but that's a whole other story!