We've Been Home A Month

I can't believe it, but today marks one month that we've been home from China. Time is passing so quickly! If only the time leading up to meeting our sweet Lily could have gone this fast!!

Yesterday, Lily turned 11 months old. At this rate I'll blink and she'll be turning 11 years old!!

Yesterday was also our first post placement visit with our Social Worker, Rick. As part of the adoption process Rick will visit us 3 times in the next 12 months. Last night's visit went off without a hitch. It was almost as if Lily knew he was there to "check her out" and she put on quite a show! Lily pulled herself up on the sofa and cruised around, climbed a few stairs, untied Rick's shoes (more than once!), played on the floor with me and Tony, and was her usual happy self! Rick couldn't get over Lily and was impressed with things that Tony and I have completely taken for granted. For example, Lily making sustained eye contact with us, Lily initiating physical contact with us, how relaxed Lily is with us, etc. Let's hope the next 2 visits go as smoothly!

Lily also got a very nice package in the mail yesterday. A beautiful bib from our friends, Miss Kim and Kate, in Virginia. Kim and I met on Rumor Queen and hit it off immediately! Thanks Kim and Kate!

Thanks Miss Kim! It's a good thing Mommy took this picture before I ate my sweet potatoes!

Today, the gifts kept coming! In the mail we received a beautiful Chinese scroll that in Chinese characters displays the equivalent of "Finally a Family"....only better. The literal translation is basically, "At Last We're United".

Tony and I have always been a family....even before Lily. It used to drive me crazy when people would say to us, "Oh, you don't have a family?" Um, yeah, we do....each other! What they really meant was "Oh, you don't have children?" Anyway, during the very long wait to meet Lily countless times I would say to Tony "I just can't wait until the 3 of us are together and can finally be a family." It kind of stuck. So the "At Last We're United" really hits the nail on the head!

Thanks so much Elaine and Michael!

While Tony and I were in China we had planned to buy a scroll but somehow time got away from us (gee, I wonder how!) and the next thing we knew we were getting ready to leave and we hadn't bought the scroll. I shared my disappointment in not buying the scroll with my friend Kim.

Kim shared this information with our friend Elaine (another Rumor Queen buddy). Elaine and Michael just recently returned from China with their beautiful daughter Amanda. While they were in China Elaine and Michael bought us the scroll we had hoped for! Thanks Kim, Elaine, and Michael! Tony and I love the scroll and will hang it somewhere special in our home!

We also got something else exciting in the mail today...Lily's Certificate Of Citizenship! Now we can apply for Lily's Social Security Number, US Birth Certificate, and Passport!


When Lily is a teenager do you think she'll forgive Tony and I for having her dressed in her pajamas for her citizenship picture? The day her picture was taken we had to leave our hotel at o'dark hundred to catch an early morning flight and Lily was sleeping when we left so I kept her in her pj's. Anyway, it was one of those rush, rush, crazy kind of days and we went straight from the airport to the medical exam to the place to have her picture taken. I just never took the time to change her out of her pj's. So, when you look at this picture it's not pink pj's you see it's really some kind of patriotic outfit!

Some more big news from today...Lily took a nap in her CRIB!!! Now, in the spirit of full disclosure I must share that she was asleep when I put her in the crib...but still...she stayed asleep for 2 1/2 hours! Up until today any time I tried to lay Lily in the crib she would instantly wake up and start crying/screaming. Not today. It was great to have 2 1/2 hours to get things done. Laundry, empty the dishwasher, dust...whoever thought I'd be excited about doing that kind of stuff??

Thanks Mr. Mike and Miss Lynn for my green "lovey". I always sleep with it!

I was a little worried how Lily would react to waking up in her crib so I made sure I was in her room when she started to stir. She popped her cute little head up, saw me, smiled and that was that. Not one tear shed! Now, don't worry I'm not naive enough to believe that she'll sleep in her crib through the night but it's a big step!

On a closing note, I've been threatened by several people with hunger strikes, bodily harm, etc. if I post one more mushy post about my husband. So, tonight, I thought I'd post the ugly truth. One day this week Tony forgot to make Lily's bottles for the day before he left for work. Yes, you read that right. No bottles! Now granted, Lily had had a rough night and Tony was operating on little sleep...oh wait, I'm getting mushy again. What I meant to say is how can he expect me to stay home and make bottles, too? Next thing you know he'll expect a meal on the table when he walks in the front door from work. How very June Cleaver. Don't worry girls, I've already filed a complaint with my Union Rep and Tony is currently on 90 days probation!