The Belk Family:Somewhere Out There: One Year Gotcha Day Anniversary!

July 22, 2014 - Gotcha Day one year anniversary

July 22, 2013 - a very scared Sophie

It has been one year since the hand off. Boy, did the time fly. I still remember that day like it was yesterday. However, Sophie is not that scared, quiet, reserved, little girl anymore.

Not so little anymore....Sophie started out in size 18 month clothes. Now, she is in 3T. She has grown a lot. Her hair is also growing. Sophie is so excited about her hair finally getting long enough to wear pig tails and/or a pony tail.

Not so scared anymore.....Saying Sophie is a social butterfly is an understatement. She loves to tell everyone "hey". She doesn't know a stranger. She also has become more affectionate. She loves to give her family kisses. She will give people at church hugs in the hallway. She still loves going to church; she loves wearing "twirly" dresses and bows. She can now say her prayers. She always thanks God for her family.

Not so quiet anymore....Sophie is a T-A-L-K-E-R. Learning English was NOT a problem for her. She can say anything now and will hold a conversation with you all day if you let her. I think she would even talk to a wall. She will hold a conversation with herself while we are driving down the road. David Ryan is not use to someone who talks nonstop. He tells her to be quiet all the time. And she is a loud talker. We are trying to teach her what an inside voice is, because she takes her loud voice with her to stores, church, libraries, and restaurants. I can always find her and my husband in a store if I separate from them. I can see a lot of notes in the future from her teachers saying "Sophie will not stop talking during class." This girl loves to sing. Currently along with millions of other little girls, her favorite song is "Let it Go". She loves to sing it at the top of her lungs, and the poor thing does not have a chance as a singer in the future.

Not so reserved anymore.....I don't think this girl has the word "still" in her vocabulary. The first day when we got her she just sat in the floor of the hotel room in one spot and didn't move. Now, she can't do that. She isn't even still when she sleeps. This girl is constantly moving. Even strapped in her car seat, she is constantly moving her arms and legs around. Sophie and David Ryan are night and day. He is quiet, laid back, and reserved. She is loud, hyper, and sassy. She is also very clumsy. She will fall about five times from the house to the car. Let's go back to her being SASSY. I was a tomboy when I was little; I didn't like wearing dresses or having my hair pulled back in anyway at all. So, I know, the sassiness is not coming from me. Her bio mom must have been real girly. Sophie has to wear dresses, bows, pretty shoes, and jewelry. Sometimes, she cries when I put shorts on her and says she wants to wear a dress. One day I called her a diva and she started singing back to me "I am not a divaaaaaa!!!" Yeah, right. That just proves that you are a diva singing that back to me. She still doesn't that have much interest in toys yet. However, she does like to play with her mermaid doll and look at books. She loves to play outside! She is has no fear in swinging high or going down a big slide. Another thing that makes her a diva is that she complains a lot. She would complain constantly at her brother's tee ball games. She would say: "The sun is in my eyes," "I am hot", "I am hungry," I am thirsty", "The wind is messing up my hair," "I don't like tee ball," "I am tired," and "I am sweaty".
She is also now fully potty trained, yay!!!!

Again, Sophie experienced a lot of firsts this year. She experienced her first snow. She loved throwing snowballs at momma and daddy. She had her first Easter, of course, her favorite part was her Easter dress. She had no problems hunting eggs. She loved her Disney princess basket. Sophie went to the zoo for the first time. She also experienced Walt Disney World. She loved it and she did great. We left during the night so the kids would sleep the drive there. She slept most of the way. She was a little apprehensive at first with meeting the characters, but by the end of the first day, she was hugging and kissing them. She was not afraid of the rides. She actually loved the rides. She is a little thrill seeker. Her favorite ride was Goofy's Barnstormer, which is a kid size roller coaster. She loved it! The first time she rode it, she was giggling the whole time, and she said she wanted to ride it again. Her favorite characters were Minnie Mouse and Ariel. She had to buy her an Ariel doll. Sophie loved eating with the princesses! She wore her Belle dress and she was curtseying the whole time. We also went to a water park while we were there. And she loved that! She even loved the big water slide where you rode a raft down. She loved splashing in the wave pool. She got a nice little tan, too! After Disney, we meet up with my family at Cocoa Beach. So, Sophie also experienced her first beach. At first, she didn't know what to think about the sand. She did not like the way the sand felt and kept on saying she was dirty. Day two on the beach, she was playing in the sand and in the water. She never would go that far in the water. The ocean wasn't the same as the wave pool. She loved playing with her cousin Kennedy on the beach. Her favorite beach activities were sitting at the shoreline letting the water cover her up and eating a picnic on the beach. Sophie also celebrated her first 4th of July. She loved doing Sparklers!! Next month, Sophie will experience another first. She will start going to preschool. She is already very excited. The first thing she said was "Yay! Homework." I guess she thinks her brother enjoys doing his homework. She is excited about carrying a backpack, too. She wants to grow up so fast. We are still having trouble teaching her her letters, numbers, and colors. She just doesn't want to sit still long enough to learn. So, I will be praying for her preschool teacher and hoping she can get her still. I know she won't have any problems making friends. Sophie is also very excited about turning four next month, she wants a Disney Princess birthday party!

Sophie has become a sassy little spitfire, but we love her dearly. She has changed our lives forever. Somewhere out there, there is a woman probably wondering about her baby girl. I hope she knows that her baby girl is well cared for and is loved very much.