Some Summertime Photos

Update on Miss Jenni Lin

Been awhile since we posted. Sorry no pictures this time. I am using a different computer so no photos. I just thought I would update everyone on Jenni's Milestones. I have another blog that I read and I enjoy reading their "milestones" post for their little girl. So I thought family friends would like to read Jenni's.

Jenni will be 15 months on Dec. 24th

*Jenni is 29 inches tall and weighs 19.8 pounds (my arms appreciate the low weight!)
*She now says Dada/daddy, mama (but always long drawn out maaamaaa),kitty, nigh, nigh. She really isn't much of a talker but jabbers in a strange baby language, she has a tendency to whine or do a low quiet scream or squeal to get whats she wants and points.
* Even though not much of talker she does know some sign language-all done, please, thank you. She does love to give kisses and blow you kisses
*understands yes and no and normally minds very well when we tell her no
*She still usually takes two 2 hr naps a day and sleeps about 10 hours at night. She rather sleep in her crib than in our bed with us. She normally sleeps pretty well through the night but lately has been waking at least once for a diaper change and a mama hug.
*She is getting much better about snuggling..she use to be nicknamed "jello" as she hated to be held for too long but now she actually comes to us to be held and snuggled especially from her dada.
*She is walking everywhere and still is partially potty trained.

She is feeling much better as she had tubes put in her ears about 1 week ago. Still has some mild hearing loss that they say may never get better. Still has vomitting issues but it has improved some. We are just having so much fun with her during this holiday time. Mama has been home with her the last two days as daycare and my work has been closed as we got about 2 1/2 FEET of snow so everything in our town is closed except of course daddy's work! He has a four wheel drive truck so he has been getting around pretty well. Our city has not seen this much snow in a 2 day period in over a hundred years so it has been interesting. Well, hope you all are doing well and I promise to add some pictures.

Hugs

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Well, I wish I could tell you we have many pictures from Thanksgiving but I have none. My family has some but I don't have access to them yet. Our Thanksgiving really wasn't very much fun. Dada had the stomach flu all Wednesday night and Thursday and then had to go to work at 4:00PM. He is such a trooper. He didn't want to have to call anyone in on Thanksgiving so he toughed it out. Jenni also has been sick again since Wednesday. Not just your normally cough and cold but also running a fever. On Thanksgiving she was as high as 103 degrees. We did attempt to still do Thanksgiving dinner at grandma's but bad choice. Besides getting thrown up on right before dinner..Jenni was just plain cranky. Nothing made her happy. She cried and whined almost the entire time we were there. Needless to say after a clothing change I attempted to eat quickly and get Jenni home. I also have not been feeling too hot. I first had some sort of stomach ailment that lasted almost 3 weeks. Some days were pretty bad and now I have a bronchial infection so all 3 of us were pretty miserable yesterday. Jenni and I both went to the doctor today. The doctor said Jenni didn't have an ear infection or strep throat just a little tonsillitis and cough. She has been very cranky all day today and has spent most of her day crying. I think her throat is just so sore. Since Jenni has been in daycare our home has just been a home for the most wonderful germ bugs! But I have to say we are still so thankful this Thanksgiving for our little princess and for all we have and our family. These memories can't be possible without all our family and friends!! Love you all.

Terri

Photos

We had a recent photo shoot. I thought the pictures turned out great! She has some great smiles! We are not posting our Christmas card one quite yet as we want it to be a surprise for family and friends. It is just a great picture! I just love the one of Dada and Jenni.

Princess Jenni Lin

Boy, it is has been a bit since we last posted. Our little one is doing great. She is getting so independent. She is now walking although she prefers mom or dad to carry her like a princess should be carried. She is saying a few more words and now has 4 1/2 teeth. She still will go potty on toilet if we catch her at the right moment. She is still a bit young to tell us when she has to go although she will clap when she does a poo in her diaper. She wants me to do the pee pee dance but we reserve that for when she so goes potty on the toilet. She is getting very territorial when it comes to mama. She doesn't want anyone touching me including Daddy and kitty. She gets very upset if the cat trys to lay on me or Rich tries to kiss me or put his hand on me. It is pretty funny although we try not encourage this behavior and tell her over and over that Mama's loves daddy and it is OK for him to touch me. She loves her Dada very much but when it comes to him trying to sit next to me and or touching me she freaks out and squeals and pushes his hand away and gives him a dirty look. She does not reserve this for daddy only she also does this to the cat and dog. I am "her mama" and she is not willing to share me. I have to admit I find it very enduring and sweet but I try not to let her think it is OK. She needs to learn to share. She is still suffering from some reflux issues but we have learned to give her bottle to her sitting up and not to let her lay down immediately afterwards otherwise it all comes shooting out like a volcano (sorry to be so graphic but that is exactly what happens). The daycare (who is normally so easy going)got a little freaked out the other day by the quantity and speed it came out. They were like that "little Jenni was like a big volcano explosion" and then right afterwards she just started playing like nothing happened..the old "puke and rally". She is tough cookie! The holidays are just around the corner and we are so excited. We were very sad last year not having our baby but the wait was so worth it. This year we are decorating and doing all of the Holiday festivities. Well, gotta go my Princess is fussing and wanting my attention!

Here you are ..finally some pictures!

COOLER WEATHER

So now that we have cooler weather we are preparing for our winter. Yard work and bringing out the winter clothing. Our sweet little girl still hates anything on her feet. We are constantly battling the socks on and the socks off. She wants and seems to need bare feet. She takes after her dada on this one. It is frustrating though as we actually have to keep the heat up a little extra bit higher than normal otherwise her feet get ice cold. She doesn't seem to mind them being cold but mama does. When she sleeps she hates having her feet covered up and soon after we cover them the blankets will come off. All night long we are putting the blanket back on her. She HATES footie pj's and we have to hunt extra hard to find warm PJ's that don't have feet in them. I am worried about when it gets below zero and it does occasionally do that here. She also has become a true "mama's girl". I have to admit that I do like it at times but it is also hard to get anything done around the house. My house seriously needs a "deep" cleaning. Rich tries and help where he can but I am sure other "mama's" know that some times only we know how to clean it best. Our dog has also decided that he needs to clean the diaper genie...ewww, eww. It was dog proof for awhile but he has finally figured out how to get into it this last month. You have to give him credit as he continued to try for a good 3 months before succeeding. He doesn't give up easily. However, today he has a big old tummy ache and is not feeling too good. I am angry with him but do feel sorry as he has thrown up several times today and it is definitely due to his "diet" last night. He just looks so pitiful. Well, gotta go! Sorry no new pictures right now. Just an update!

Jenni Update

Everything going well in our household. Jenni is feeling much better. She did have a hearing test last week and she has a moderate hearing loss for low tones. The ENT wasn't terribly concerned..yet. He wants to check her again in a couple of weeks and see if it is the same. If it is then he wants to do tubes. She has not had any ear infections so we thought how lucky we are but he said it didn't mean there wasn't fluid behind the ear drum. This Doctor is a well known ear specialist in the Northwest so he knows what he is talking about. All he normally deals with is "challenging" ear issues. He has operated on me before so I am happy we decided to have him see her. We really didn't think she would have anything wrong but a patient from our office who is a audiologist recommended she be checked as many Chinese orphans tend to have hearing issues (according to her). I am really happy she talked me into it. Now it can get dealt with early on. The Doctor was happy to hear of no allergies but had recommended we keep her away from cigarette smoke as it can cause ear issues and can make her reflux worse. I guess they now feel second hand smoke is just as dangerous as smoking yourself. I kind of figured that but didn't realize how strongly the Doctors feel about it when it comes to children. Neither Rich or I have ever smoked so should not be an issue in our household. Jenni is walking but limited. She would rather crawl. She has now learned to say no and has figured out how to communicate a little bit better with us through some sign language. She also shakes her head yes and no. It is too cute! She actually answers things correctly as if she totally understands what we are asking. We have been to the pumpkin patch and she loved that as they had pony rides and she LOVES the horses. I guess we know what daddy will be buying her in the future. I will download some pictures later and put them on the blog.

JENNI LIN TURNS 1!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL!

Jenni turned one September 24th. Here are a few pictures from her party! By the way all of her labs from her last Dr appt came back normal except for an allergy to egg whites. She did have an sinus infection so had to be put on antibiotics but otherwise we are all doing well. Enjoy the pictures

Our tough little girl

So I know you have all been starving for birthday party pictures but it has been a rough few days here at the house. Jenni is again not feeling well. She has several things going on and I am sure some of it is attributed to being at daycare and being exposed to new "germs". Her first day in the toddler room (September 25th) she was "beat up" by another toddler. She is just so tiny and the teachers said that Jenni was "fresh meat"(for lack of a better term)and they all kind of ganged up on her. The teachers tried to hold her most of the day but had to put her down a couple of times while trying to care for the other children and within minutes she scratched and pushed around. I didn't get upset as I know much of it is what they call "age appropriate" and I know that Jenni will always be on the smaller side and it is a tough world out there and she will need to learn to defend herself. I am sure she will probably scratch or bite another child herself at some point. I do need to point out that our daycare has been so good about all of Jenni's little ailments and they don't "freak" out over an occasional reflux issue or snotty nose. Unfornuately though for her birthday party the following Saturday she had a nice scratch on her face although it was not real noticeable in the pictures. She still loves to go play with the other children at the daycare. She only has to go 3 days a week and seems to enjoy it. She also has been still vomiting and even did at her party even before she had her cake but she did the typical "puke and rally" that she does and continued to be cheerful and happy. She has had a snotty nose and just not feeling good. Last night was the scariest as I could hear her coughing in the bedroom at about 2:00 in the morning and went in and checked on her and there was blood on the mattress. She was still fast asleep but we could see crusted blood on her lip and nose. We were at first a little panicked that she had maybe vomited blood but we figured out that it was a nose bleed. After that I couldn't go back to sleep and I had to be up for work at 4:00am. I did get on the Internet and found out that some babies do that and not to be too worried. Thank God, for the Internet to ease one's mind in the middle of the night. She has vaporizer in her room on at all times so the air wasn't too dry but I think she may have a sinus infection or severe allergies which could have contributed to her nose blood. Tonight she came home from daycare with "goo" in her eye and it was red although not terribly bad so I am not sure if it is pinkeye or maybe just irritate from a sinus infection. She has an appointment with Dr. tomorrow. This little baby has really been so good considering she really hasn't had any time of feeling 100% since we have been home from China. She is either teething, ill or both. We are really so lucky to have such a tough little girl. She is growing and changing so much everyday. Hopefully, this weekend I can download some pictures and I will update you all on what the Dr. says.

Terri

New Pictures of Jenni Lin smiling!!!

Just a couple of cute photos of Miss Jenni Lin while at my sister's house today. Her dogs are just too cute. Tomorrow is Jenni's birthday!!! Hopefully I will be able to download some birthday photos early next week. Jenni has had been cutting two more teeth this last week so it has been snotty nose, fever and just plain not feeling too hot. But at least she has two at the same time that broke through in the last 2 days. Just 16 more to go oh fun!!!

Chinese Formula Scare

So has it really been over a week since I last posted? Jenni Lin is doing great. We had a little scare this week with the "Tainted Chinese Formula" story. Jenni did have that formula while we had her in China and about a week after until our doctor had us take her off of it as she was having some skin irritation issues and "stomach" pain and vomiting. Which now we learn may have been kidney trouble. We had a whole bunch of labs done in July when he did her well care check and she was fine however we never did a kidney function test. So he is planning on doing one in about 2 weeks at her next visit. She now seems fine but for a several weeks after we brought her home she was arching her back quite a bit as if in pain and had some vomiting issues. Our doctor has reassured us that she is probably fine and has no long term health effects. Just kind of scary. She is doing well and she is sooooo close to walking. She can now stand for a few seconds without holding onto anything. She doesn't always realize she is doing it and then once she does she falls over. She still only has 2 teeth and will be turning a year old on September 24th. She becomes my Velcro baby over the weekends after being at the daycare during the week. She does really seem to enjoy daycare just doesn't sleep well there as she is such a light sleeper and it is just too noisy there. She comes home dirty (from playing outside)and dog tired but happy. But by the time Friday comes around she only wants her mama and I can't be out of her sight for longer than a few seconds. She is so dang cute that is hard to say no to her. I am in so much trouble when she gets older. 6 more days until our baby turns 1!!!

Hugs
Terri

Jenni's Love for Animals

Jenni and the Pygmy Goats

Jenni riding in the race car at the fair...such a brave little girl. All by herself!

Jenni "the Llama Whisper"
Jenni and her cat, Lexie

Life has been busy. Back to work full-time and trying to get into a good routine. We did have an opportunity to go to the fair and we found out how much Jenni really loves the animals. She just couldn't get enough. She rode a Llama all by herself. She even had the "wild" llama. He was rearing up and dancing around and they weren't even sure if Jenni would be able to ride it but she just put her hand on him and he settled down. We joked with the rest of the other parents that she was the "llama whisper". She was so brave with everything she tried at the fair. No fear. We still struggle getting her to smile for pictures but once that camera is off she is all smiles.

Update on Miss Jenni Lin

Jenni turned 11 months old on August 24th. Can't believe where the last 2 months went. She is changing everyday. We had a little bit of rough week. She had 3 different babysitters last week and although she loves her Aunties I think she just needs some consistency. She suffers a bit from acid reflux issues and her stomach was real upset last week. They ended up putting her on some Zantac and that has really helped. I felt so bad for her as you could just tell her stomach was hurting. She would be playing and all happy and then all of sudden just throw herself on the floor and arch her back up in pain. It just broke your heart. Mommy has been home with her for the last 3 days and she is much happier and feels much better. She is at her happiest when she has mommy and daddy with her. She is just so happy all day and has lots of giggles for us. We went to the park yesterday and she loved that. They were having a function called "Pig out in the Park" and she really enjoyed watching all of the people and seeing her Aunt Debbie and cousins. I will download those pictures at another time. Here is an update on her milestones:

*drinking from a sippy cup
*feeds herself finger foods
*crawling everywhere and very close to walking
*will still go to the bathroom on the toilet if we remember to put her on
*Climbs stairs
*Has 2 teeth
*Waves hello and goodbye
*Standing up in Crib and everywhere else where she can hold on to something
*Knows some sign Language
-All Done
-Hungry
*Loves her Elmo doll-rocks it and pats its back like it is a baby and kisses him

I am sure there are many other things I am forgetting but lets just say our little girl is growing up fast!!

Just Photo updates

Just wanted to say this last week has been so fun. Our little Jenni Lin will be 11 months old tomorrow. Our little girl is growing so fast. We waited so long to get her and now the last 2 months have just flown by.

Jenni loves the water!

We have had a busy last few days. Our weather here has been around 100 degrees. Thank God it isn't like China was with high humidity. We went to one of our many lakes in the area on Friday. It was just beautiful. It was Dada's birthday and he wanted to go there have lunch and go swimming... just the "family". It seems so strange to call the 3 of us a "family". I have admit it was really nice. Jenni Lin had her own little fan club. The restruant we went to was full of people and sits right on the lake. It was a bit hard to enjoy it peacefully as Jenni had all sorts of people coming and over and talking to her and telling how cute or beautiful she was. I would say at least 20 people! Heck, it was dada's birthday and no one cared. They only cared about "flirting" with Jenni. It made us both so proud! Rich isn't use to be able to go out in public with Jenni very much due to his work schedule and he was just amazed. I told him was like that everywhere I took her. Maybe not quite so many people but still quite a few. It didn't mattter where we were that day. It was even like that on the lake when we were swimming. I now feel kind of sorry for the movie stars being hounded all of the time. Daddy was so cute with her. She is really a "babe magnet". Although, some of the "babes" were just young teenagers in the water wanting to make sure Rich knew that Jenni Lin was the "cutest baby on the beach" that day. I included a few pictures from swimming that day. Also, 1 picture of Jenni Lin with a "big smile" for the camera..please note the mess in back. Jenni has a way of making a mess faster than anyone I know. She is just so cute when she is "busy" making the mess that is hard to stop her. For some reason, newspapers are one of her favorite "toys".

Terri

Back to work this week!

This was my first full week back at work. Jenni Lin was babysat by one of my sisters and did really well. It was very hard to get her up at 5:15am in the morning not to mention getting myself up at 3:45am!! But you do what you have to do for your child. My sister lives about about 20 minutes away (on Northside) and then I have to head back up to the Southhill for work. So from the Valley to the Northside and to the Southhill. Then working a 10 hour day. Tomorrow won't be so bad as I only work a 5 hour day, however we are going to try out our new daycare. I figure getting her use to the daycare with a shorter day would be best. I am sure she will do really well. It is much harder on me than her. She cried when I left on Monday but with each day the crying for much shorter until there was just a whimper today. She is so cute when she sees me walk in at the end of the day. She will often start crying when I arrive to pick her up almost like to let me know she is very displeased that I left her somewhere. She loves going to my sister's house but just doesn't want to me to leave. She then just keeps tight grip on my arm with one hand and then keeps patting my shoulder with her other hand as to say "this is my mama" and I am happy to be in her arms. She is making big milestones this week. She is now crawling at full speed and climbing up the stairs like a pro. She has 2 teeth coming in and is eating table food much easier. Her hair is getting much longer and more wild!! She has also learned the word "no" many times this week. She has a couple bruises from her adventures but it never stops her. She is a tough old girl! Except when she is tired and then she is more emotional especially if I am in the room. I think she lets her guard down with me. Either that or she knows I a softie when it comes to her and will give all sorts of sympathy. I will try and download some more pictures tomorrow too tired tonight!

Terri

MY THOUGHTS

Well, I want to tell you at this moment I can barely remember what my life was like before Jenni Lin. That is really unbelievable considering Rich and I had 24 years together B.C. (Before Children). I have another blog that I love to read and she said her life was B.C. (Before Children) and A.D. (After Diapers). How true is that! As I am typing, my daughter is standing (holding onto the end of the recliner)giving me a much needed foot massage. Ok, now I see why you all love your children so much! At 10 months, she knows exactly how to massage those painted toes..hee, hee. I know really she is just using my feet to "hang on" but every now and then she give a little squeeze and it feels like a massage. Man, children are great!! Every time I feel tired or my patience starts run just a tad thin all I have to do is look at that beautiful little face and just fall in love all over again. I have to admit I didn't get to watch very much of the opening ceremonies of the Olympics last night but what I did get to watch was awesome. For some reason, I did feel a little sad thinking that my daughter could been one of those children in presentation or maybe even one of the performers was her birth dad or birth mom? We did record the event for her as we are starting a Hope chest for her and some day we will bring out all sorts of her history (what little we have) and show it to her and hopefully she will treasure it all. I am very sad for her birth mother. I know it must have been so hard to give her up. I just look at her sweet little face and know that it took her birth mother 4 days to eventually give her up so she was probably just so grief stricken. But I have to tell you I am also so thankful her birth mother did make that difficult choice as now we have our beautiful daughter! Our life is now A.D. (After Diapers) and we can't be more happy!! We love you sweet little baby girl!

Mama and Dada

A DAY AT WORK

Yesterday was the first day I left Jenni with someone other than Rich for more than a few hours. I worked about 9 1/2 hours yesterday and my sister (Auntie Don Don)babysat Jenni all day at her house. Jenni did great probably better than me. I know she was in great hands I just missed her terribly. She loves her Auntie's so I know she was fine but it felt so good to see that smile when I walked in the door. I can't thank my sisters enough for helping me with the daycare issue until Jenni turns 1. Once she turns one she will go into daycare 3 days a week. Jenni is very, very busy so I think daycare will be great for her as she will have alot of other children to play with. I think she gets bored with mom and dad. She is really good until late afternoon and then she gets fussy (almost like she is "bored" and needs a change for a few hours). When I am home I usually try and do something outside of the house with her after her afternoon nap. She is so like a "sponge" she just wants explore and learn every moment. She is so fearless! I think right now she would tire out the "grandma's and grandpa's" if they had to babysit her for more than a few hours. She tires me out!! She is just so smart and quick! She is standing (with 1 hand holding on to something)like a pro. This morning she actually let go and stood for about 2 seconds and than fell. She will be walking soon and then oh, my!! She waves bye, bye and claps and has found her "loud" voice (learned by yelling for the Shock Football team). We are also starting to work with her on sign language. I start back to work full-time next week. I will miss her sooo much! I have included some pictures of my "nephew Gordon" and his girlfriend playing with Jenni and one of her checking out all of her toys (can you say spoiled??)!!

WHAT'S UP IN JENNI'S WORLD!

Jenni is doing well. She seems to be changing everyday. The last few days have been a little bit rough but not bad. We really have been spoiled because she has been so good since we got home. We think she is teething (She still has no teeth at 10 months). She just isn't wanting to eat much and wants mama to hold her every chance she gets. She has still been sleeping pretty well although she hasn't really wanted to take her afternoon nap. If she does she only wants to sleep for about 20 minutes. Her morning naps are still about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. She woke up several times on Wednesday night..she just seems to be having some discomfort. Last night we gave her some children's motrin before bed and she slept from 9:00pm to 5:45am and woke up crying (normally she just wakes up and plays in her crib until we get her up)and then she fell back to sleep for another 45 minutes. She really is a tough little girl so I know if she is having discomfort she must really be hurting so I feel bad for her. She is still not crawling fully yet but she can pull herself up on the couch and other objects without our help and she does a little "crawl, slide, slide, crawl" to get around. She can now eat finger foods and mama has had to change her outfits several times a day as we have been playing outside more since the weather has been so nice and she loves getting "dirty". We are planning on taking a trip up to Priest Lake on Sunday so I think she will really enjoy that. I have included a few new pictures. I love the one of her in jumper. She was being such a wild little girl at that moment. Her hair looks so funny and she was just jumping like a "wild woman". We were laughing so hard.

Photos

Just some new photos.

FOOTBALL!

Our little Jenni Lin went to her first football game last night! She did great. Of course she had 3 of her Aunties and 2 uncles to keep her occupied. Those of you that know me well know that I love football!! The Spokane Shock (AF2)are one of my favorite teams and they are now in 1st place and the playoffs start next week. It is always so loud in there but Jenni didn't seem to mind. We tried to put ear plugs in her ears but they kept falling out. Jenni just kept watching everyone and taking it all in. Afterwards, we went dinner to celebrate one of my sister's birthday and Jenni again did really well and it was past her bedtime. After dinner (about 9:30) we got in the car and she was out in about 2 minutes. She had a full day and slept in until 8:00am this morning. My father-in-law is arriving from Ohio this evening to see his granddaughter! I am excited for the two to meet. I know Jenni will just love him. He is staying with us while he is here which is the first time anyone else has been with Jenni longer than a few hours so it will be neat to see how Jenni reacts having someone else in the house helping to take care of her. I have included 2 pictures this blog. One is of Jenni at friends house swimming (note-no smile!-still working on the smiling part). Her pictures just don't do her justice. When you meet her in person and she gives you her big smile she is just too cute. The other picture is of me and my niece, Autumn. Jenni loves her "tum,tum". Autumn has gotten to be such a grown up girl. She use to be as tiny as Jenni Lin.

Terri

More Pictures from China

Jenni Lin had her baby well care exam yesterday. We would have done it earlier but right when we came home from China she was sick so they wanted to wait. She is doing great. She weighs 16lbs, length is 27inches and her head is 16 1/2. She is just so wiggly. Her doctor just laughed and said we will have our hands full with this one. My friend nicknamed her "Jello". She is like holding Jello!. She wants on your lap, off your lap, standing on your lap, laying on your lap, flipping over your lap. We are definately going to try and get her either gymnastics or dance. She is just so flexible and has so much energy! We did have to have some lab work done on Jenni and that was so hard. It took four of us to hold her down to get it done. The poor little thing..it just broke your heart hearing her cry in pure terror. But she recovered quickly and we are doing great today! I got some new pictures from Lisa that went to China to get Ren, her daughter. I had to include one them as Ren is just so precious. Ren needs to teach Jenni how to smile in pictures. Also, a picture of our group on the bus before we got the babies, a picture of the three of us on registration day

New Pictures!

I finally have some updated pictures! Like I said before it is very challenging to get good pictures of Miss Jenni Lin. She is so wiggly and she hates the flash on the camera so she often hides her face when we get the camera out. We have had a great week. Although, I have seemed to have hurt my lower back. I am hoping it is just a strained muscle as I am not use to carrying around a baby and being down on the floor so much. Yesterday, it was a sharp pain that took a few minutes to go away. I was putting together her Jumper and all of sudden it just came on. I was literally laying on the floor unable to move for a few minutes. Luckily, Rich was still here and the baby was taking her morning nap. However, Rich was in the shower so I layed there wondering if he would eventually come looking for me. I was able to get up but it was horrible shooting pain. I was really worried about not be able to take care of Jenni and having to call one of my sisters to come over and help but after about 30 minutes the pain eased. Although, I am still having discomfort today but it is a little better. Rich and one of my sisters both have had to had back surgery for a herniated disc so that was my first scary thought. I just plan on resting my back as much as possible today and tomorrow while Rich is home. I do have a doctor appointment on Monday that was already scheduled weeks ago so I think I will talk to them about it then. The above pictures are of Rich reading to Jenni, Jenni learning that a credit card can buy her toys (note the excitement!) and the other one is when I went to get Jenni up from her nap she had the her baby doll's bottle in her mouth and was actually fussing because she couldn't get anything out of it. It was too cute!

1 Month anniversary!!

Can't believe we have had our baby girl for 1 month now. She has enriched our lives more than we could have ever hoped for. Today, we just had a mommy and baby day. Daddy was home until 10:45 this morning so he got to spend a little time with her before going to work. She just loves her daddy!! She was full of smiles and giggles today. She is sleeping so well. She usually goes down about 8:15Pm and sleeps until 6:45am. She sometimes wakes up once about between 10:00pm and 1:00am but all she usually needs is a diaper change and a snuggle and back to bed but most nights she just sleeps straight through. She takes a morning nap about 9:00am to 10:30am and then afternoon nap for about another 1 1/2. We had alot of mommy and baby time today playing and snuggling. She is now just taking 3 to 4 bottles a day and has solid foods for lunch and dinner. Still pretty picky but she loves her mashed potatoes. She really dislikes rice and not too fond of pasta which is funny because that is a main staple in China. I think because she had so much rice in her bottle in China she really doesn't want it anymore. She won't take any juice but is finally taking water again. We went to the waterpark with some friends on Monday and she really loves the water although she was a little shy as their were alot of people there and she got a little bit overwhelmed. But she loves seeing my friends children and playing with them. It hard to go shopping with her if you are in a hurry as she is just so cute that people stop and talk to her all of time and tell me how pretty or cute she is. She sits in the shopping cart really well but looks so tiny and cute that it stops people. I have to admit she is pretty cute!!! She was really charming a couple of older men at Costco the other day that they shared some food that they had with her. I will try and get some updated photos on the blog soon. She is very challenging getting any photos as she is constantly moving and it is hard to get any good photos of her actually looking at the camera.

Terri

Parenthood

We had a great weekend. It is just so much fun being a "family". I keep waiting for the this "wonderful feeling of joy" to wear off but it never does. Even when Jenni is fussy I just can't wipe this feeling of "joy" off of my face. Rich said yesterday.."This is starting to feel normal" as if "Jenni has been with us forever". I always tried to be very understanding of "parents" even though I never had a child I always loved children so I thought I understood, at least a little bit, what other parents go through. But I never in my life knew how important your child can be to you. It is like nothing else matters but that little person that needs your attention. I find myself actually missing Jenni when we are with other family that are holding her and giving her attention. I have to go give her a kiss or hug after a few minutes. It is not jealousy of the other family or friends holding her or loving her as I just love having Jenni having that interaction but I just actually "need" to give her a love or kiss. It is going to be hard going back to work but I know it will be ok. She loves being around other children and having that interaction will be really good for her. She still is not crawling but she sure scoots and rolls around really well. She is eating more solid foods now and seems to be finally putting on weight. She has her baby well check next week so we will find out. Well, better go!

Hugs,
Terri

Fire in our neighborhood

It has been such a fun week except for the fire. Each day is a new day with new adventures and milestones reached. Her sleep schedule is becoming more routine and she is now eating solid foods, although still pretty picky, on a regular basis. I have enjoyed having the last 4 weeks off of work but I do have to admit I do miss my co-workers. Never thought I miss work so much. Trust me it is not the getting up at 4:30am that I miss but I do miss our patients and the interactions with my boss and co-workers. I can't thank them enough for covering for me so I can enjoy this time with our daughter. Jenni Lin is now rolling around so much and is very close to crawling. The dog and cat have been an incentive to her as they lay just far enough away that she tries to crawl to them. We did have a little bit of a scare on Thursday as we had a big fire, the Valley View Fire, that was just blocks from our home. 13 homes were loss to this fire and over 1000 acres burned. We actually started to pack up some stuff to evacuate but thanks to the awesome fire fighters we were fine. They said there were over 100 firefighters that fought this fire. It is amazing how now that we have a child our value of our "things" don't seem as important. I was just more worried to make sure we had Jenni out and our pets everything else can be replace. Well, I better go as Jenni Lin is wanting me to play with her!!

Hugs,
Terri

Some Pictures from China

Just wanted to put a couple of pictures from China on the blog. We do have alot more just no time to get them all downloaded and "resized" to work on the blog but I will get it done!! The above pictures are of Jenni Lin saying goodbye to Changsha from our hotel window and a group photo of all of our travel group with babies. I really do miss them all!!

Terri