One Month Home!

Today is one month home with our precious Lily!! I have included a bunch of pictures from the past month in this post. Right now, I am working on a "To China & Home" album from our 1st month with miss Lily.

After our illnesses of last week, we are all much better. Last weekend was SOMETHING else with the sickness going on at our house. It took almost this entire week to feel like things were back to normal.

Bullets from the one month mark:

* Lily is big time into "head butting". For real. I don't know where it came from but she has been doing it since we got her back to the hotel in Changsha. She will head butt Hannah so hard sometimes that Hannah has cried! Lily rarely cries over it & actually finds it to be very funny. Any other parents have kids out there that like to head-butt?? I have never seen this.

* Lily is totally used to her bedtime routine -- one of us goes in her room with her, turns on some mellow Chinese music (no, we don't know what they are singing!), turn off the lights. As soon as the lights are off, Lily will put her head on your chest. After rocking, she goes into her crib after she is sound asleep. Sometimes she fusses for a few seconds or a few minutes but after a bit she puts herself right back to sleep. She sleeps through the night -- and has every night since we were home, except for when she was sick.

* I love having weekdays with just Lily & I. Sometimes after we drop Hannah off at school we come back home, get into bed & nap until 10ish.

* Lily is definitely attached to us. Sometime when she wants me she will clearly say, "Momma". When she wants Daddy, she will say, "Baba". She clearly says Hannah's name .. "Nanna" for Hannah. So cute.

* Lily kind of crawls but it is more like a one-legged-tuck-scoot-maneuver. She has one leg tucked under herself & she scoots around on the floor. It is the cutest thing.

* I love that Lily's size is so small (about size 3-6 month clothing) because when I hold her I feel like she is much younger than she really is. It has made me feel like I didn't miss having her as a baby, baby. I know we missed her 1st year but something about her being so small has helped me.

* Lily eats pretty much anything. Her fine motor skills are fantastic -- she can pick up the tiniest bits of food & get them into her mouth.

* Our schedule has been pretty light since we got home. I purposely cleared my calendar for our first few months home. I am so glad I have had time to just be mom & not stress too much about having to be anywhere at a particular time each day. Right now all I need to stress about is getting the lid to the high chair cleaned off before the next meal / snack rolls around! Don't you hate when you go to put the baby back in the high chair & you realize you haven't cleaned it off from the previous meal / snack? That is my pet-peeve!!

* Lily loves taking baths in the kitchen sink. She loves to splash the water & play with her bath toys. She just discovered turning on & off the water -- a new trick & lots of fun!!!

* The transition has been so super smooth bringing Lily home. It feels like we have been home 6 months but in a good way because she fits in so perfectly as a member of the family. I am so grateful for how easy she has been & how sweet she is. She rarely cries. When she does something is definitely wrong. She is the most easy-going, easiest baby I have ever met in my life. Truly.

* Since we got home from China, I have thought every day about going back. Going back to either teach English & live for a year or two or going back to adopt another. I know what you are thinking: after the agony of waiting, how could I even consider signing up for another LONG road to adopt from China? It seems like a sick thought but truly my heart was changed while we were in China. I don't know what God has for us but I truly have a special love for the Chinese people.

* Everyday, multiple times a day I thank God for the gift of this precious girl!!! He answered my prayer in more ways that I could have ever imagined when I prayed for Lily to be "happy & filled with joy." Little did I know that she would be the people person extraordinaire & oozing with happiness. Thank you, Lord, that you delight in giving your children good gifts!!