A Compilation

Awhile ago I put together a movie of some of the fun things Jadyn was doing in the weeks leading up to her 1st birthday. Then I got too busy to actually post it. It was supposed to be her turning one video for her birthday, and it still is, it is just a little late.

Jadyn loves to sing and dance. She will dance to just about anything, including an apartment alarm or Chinese drums banging on the street below. When we sing in sacrament, she flips open the hymn book and joins in. The only problem is she doesn't know when to stop singing, so she just keeps going (sometimes loudly) even after the music stops. As a result of her love for music, she loves all the children songs: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes; Pat-A-Cake; Wheels on the Bus; Itsy Bitsy Spider; Ring Around the Rosies (for most of which she can do at least some of the actions).

Jadyn loves books. Her favorite is Mother Goose's Nursery Rhymes. She spends a lot of time looking through it and having it read to her. This has become her nap time and bed time reading. She has also been found "reading" the Rough Guide for Taiwan, Managing from the Heart, her own catalogs, mom's diary, and any other book (children's or other) she can get her hands on. She loves to sit with a book and flip through the pages and study the pictures (or lack of). I love when she grabs a book, brings it to me, and plops down on my lap, all ready for me to read it to her.

Jadyn loves to talk and communicate. A lot of Chinese people like to say hi to Jadyn or even stop us and take pictures of her when we are out. They say she looks like a doll (because of her round eyes and the pasty white skin she inherited from her parents). It is quite funny actually, and we usually humor them. As a result, Jadyn believes the world revolves around her, and that everyone is paying attention to her ALL the time. There have been a few times when we are walking around the neighborhood and I notice several people (people walking past, waiting at the light on a scooter, standing by a cab on the street, etc.) smiling, laughing, and waiving at Jade. Then I look down at her in the stroller and realize she has been waiving to EVERYONE with the biggest smile on her face.

Jade is really good at saying hi, bye, shi shi (Chinese for thank you), mei mei (Chinese for little sister--this is what older kids would call Jade), mama, dada, ba (ball), bi (bird), bo (book), boo (as in peek-a-boo), and da (dog). Oh, yah, and she is really good at saying no. And she KNOWS what it means. She is also getting really good at communicating what she wants by pointing and blabbing or bringing me an object she wants opened or read. She also loves waiving, blowing kisses, and giving hugs and kisses (she especially loves to hug and kiss her doll and stuffed animals).

Jadyn also knows when daddy calls and she immediately demands to talk to him. She will then proceed to walk around with the phone in her hands blabbering on to tell him about her day. She gets really mad when she hangs up on him and whines until I call him back for her.

Jadyn loves to play. She loves to jump in her jumperoo, push her grocery cart, carry around a purse or any other bag in sight, bounce on my knee or anything else, and climb onto our bed or up stairs. Her all time favorite game is peek-a-boo. She will play it with anything: her hands, a blanket, curtains, a book, etc. She also loves chasing and being chased. Chairs are also one of her favorite things: she loves to sit on the dining chairs, on the couch, in the taxi, at church, etc.; I think it makes her feel like a big girl.

It is amazing how much one little person can learn in a year! I have loved watching Jade learn, grow, and experience. She is such a joy! 我爱你小玉 wǒ ài nǐ xǐao yù (I love you, Little Jade)!