After a Long Hiatus

We are back....

Those of you with children, especially small children, already knew what we have learned over the past 7 months. Life is incredibly busy with small children.

What a whirlwind. Since last posting, we have celebrated Halloween, Thanksgiving, Jenny's 2nd birthday, Christmas and Chinese New Years. We have taken Jenny on her first 2 long road trips. We have shipped off our very first hand me-downs (what a strange passage). Jenny has met almost her entire new family. She has experienced snow for the very first time. We have started potty training. We've all survived (so far) her first real fever. And as February turns into March, we are looking forward to our first real Spring together. Family Day (adoption day) is only 3 months away. Hard to imagine.

Jenny is in daycare 4 days a week. She has thrived there, and we are very impressed with, and grateful for, the quality of the school and its staff. Kristen works part-time, still at hospice, and Dave is still at the Fund. We have our first black President (Kristen was lobbying in Springfield back when Barak was an Illinois state senator), and our first recession/depression since the 1970s. Life is wholly changed, yet most of the details remain the same. So far.

Dave and I spent our fall creating memories for Jenny, and creating photographic and video records of our many firsts in a form other than blog. I've missed all of our blog friends, and the far flung family of other foreign and chinese adoptive families. Even if we haven't been in touch, we think of all of you often.

Here, without much more editorial, are highlights from the fall.
First haircut...


A fall visit to the Dunes...



A visit with Uncle Erik (at Ryerson Woods)...


For Halloween, Jenny was a pirate...


6:00 am departure for Columbus...


With Aunt Maria on Thanksgiving...


Jenny turned two...



Christmas in Detroit with Grandma Kitty...



Celebrating the Year of the Ox...



Snow day with Daddy...