Home at last!!!

I can't believe that we've had little Lila home now for almost 2 weeks! Everything has been a blur and this is really the first day that I've had to sit and digest everything. We've all had a difficult time adjusting to the time changes and jet lag but things seem to be working out. The last 2 weeks were full of family introductions and lots of special time with big brother Owen.

Owen absolutely loves his little sister. He kisses her so hard that she falls over! It's adorable. Of course, he's been having a difficult time with having to share time and toys with her. He's had 13 months of our undivided attention so it's been a little rough on him. I'm not sure that he quite grasps the concept that she's staying.

Lila is advancing quicker than I could have ever dreamed. She's sitting unassisted now, she grabs toys, and she scoots around in her walker. Really, it's amazing to see how everyday she gets stronger. I have to attribute that to her Daddy. Sean is excellent with making her work hard for things. He always has her on her tummy and they do "exercises".

She is such an incredibly happy baby. She greets everyone she meets with such a great smile. She is very content sitting, playing and discovering new things. She's very snuggly and loves to be held. It's hard to believe that we've only really known her not even a month. I feel like I've always known her. She fits in perfectly. I have never had such happy days or felt as content as I do with these two gorgeous babies. Enjoy the pictures. Many more to follow.

Lila Day 7

What an amazing first week we have had with our little Lila. She has come leaps and bounds from just a few short days ago. Her hand and eye coordination is improving daily and she seems to be a little more stable when sitting alone. What a sweet little girl she is. We feel so lucky and blessed to have her in our lives. We love her so much and we can't wait to introduce her to all our friends and family.

Today we went to the Six Banyon Buddhist Temple. Lila was blessed by a Buddhist monk! It was very touching. We also went to an outdoor art museum. It was scorching hot today. The humidity was horrible. We were all a little crabby within hours. Daddy took Lila to the pool again after lunch. She is a little fish. We may have to look into getting a pool in Knoxville!

We also took some group pictures on the famous red couch with all the babies. As you can see they are all gorgeous. Especially our little Lila!!!

As much as we are loving China, we are missing Owen something terrible. I can't even think about him for very long because I get upset. I'm ready to leave and get our life started as a family. I am so excited to hold my little man again and introduce him to his baby sister. I have no doubt that they will be fast friends.

Tommorrow we will get Lila's visa and Tuesday is our US consulate appointment. We're getting to the end!!! We will leave for home at 5:30am Wednesday morning and we arrive in Milwaukee on Wednesday at 4:45 pm or so. We can't wait to get home.

Lila Day 6

Sunday June 24, 2007

Lila had her picture taken for her visa today. She also had her medical examination. She is 17 lbs. She seems like such a little peanut compared to some of the other babies that we have seen here at the White Swan and around the island. She seems to have gained a little weight since Monday. Her face seems a bit rounder and her legs actually look chunky near the top!

The most exciting part of our day was swimming!!! Lila loves the water. Daddy took her to the pool for the afternoon and she absolutely loved it. We found a little swim suit in one of the shops for around $4 USD.

We went as a group to a Thai restaurant for dinner. It was some of the best food that we have. I came away with a tummy ache from eating so much.

Lila is making up for lost time with her father. She is very quickly becoming a Daddy's girl.