Life With Lily...

...has been amazing. She shows so much improvement everyday. She is constantly doing something new...making new faces, new sounds, discovering new things. She is so smart (a genius of course!) and learns very quickly. When we first got her in China, I tried putting her on her stomach to see if she would crawl, or at least try to. She wanted nothing to do with it and was sure to let us know! Gradually she has been letting us put her down on her stomach...most of the time just to roll right on over to her back...until yesterday. I put her down with her beloved cheerios just out of reach. It wasn't quite a crawl...but she dragged herself over to them...all by herself...my big girl! Before too long I will be chasing her around this house longing for the days when she wasn't so mobile. And when we first got her, she wanted nothing to do with her daddy, which broke our hearts. Now when she sees him, she cries and reaches out for him to pick her up, and now our hearts are melting. When I get her up in the morning, she cries until I get her out of her crib. Once I pick her up, she quickly glances around the room like she's making sure everything is still there. Everything is still here for you baby...and mommy and daddy will always be...

Mommy and Lily with Lily's new friend Deborah.

Lily with her Lao Lao.

Lily loves being upside down!

Saturday night, July 28th, we went to the park for free movie night with some friends. We left before the movie finished (they were showing the new version of Charlotte's Web) because somebody was having too much fun to fall asleep!

Everyone with their picnics all set up and the big blow up movie screen.

We endorse Cheerios brand cereal! (Do we get any royalties for this??)

Having fun "flying" with daddy.

Lily had a blast playing "peek-a-boo" with the hood of her sweater.

Our good friends...Sean and Michele with their girls Rachel (on the left) and Tess.

Tired mommy and daddy with a seemingly not-so-tired Lily. But after we got home, we put her right to bed. This was the first night she went into her crib without crying. Yeah Lily!

Sunday afternoon, July 29th. "I think I can, I think I can..."

I'm almost there...I can do it!

So close!!

Got it!! (Of course right after she reached in, she spilled them all over the floor, but mommy was so excited she didn't care!)

Yes, I'm cool.

I love daddy's shades.

Sunday night after the torturous bath. She hates bath time, but I think she likes the snuggling with mommy part afterwards. And this was the second night in a row she went to bed without crying!

Monday morning at breakfast. She is one happy girl at mealtime!

The newest face she makes that just cracks us up.