Settling in at Home

It's been over three weeks since we've been home from China. Kate is doing great--she has learned her first name, and is learning to say new things everyday. She understands almost everything you tell her. She can do many things independently: dress and undress herself, use the toilet (she is completely potty-trained) and washing up afterwards, just to name a few! Although she likes to play with her teddy bears and blocks inside, she loves playing outdoors. Spending time at the park is one of her favorite things to do. She also enjoys learning to ride her tricycle and going for stroller rides.


Aunt Sue came down for a few days to spend time with us--Kate thoroughly enjoyed her company! Soon Mommy will have to go back to her job at school, so Kate will enjoy a few weeks with Grandma, Daddy's mom. We look forward to seeing Lisa's mom and dad at the end of February.

We hope you enjoy the new pictures--we included some of the shower that Daddy had at his school!

Home for a Week!

Kate Xiaochun has really settled in nicely after being home for a week from China. Unfortunately, this has been very atypical weather in Florida recently with highs in the 40s--so, we have not been able to enjoy playing outdoors with our new tricycle from Grandma and Grandpa. We are seeing a lot more of her personality--she chatters almost constantly (mostly in Chinese), but is beginning to say a few words in English (Mama, Daddy, Mallory, hello, good-bye). She laughs a lot, and loves to hide behind doors to scare people--so much fun!! Kate is getting used to having two cats around, and is becoming fast friends with Mallory. Mealtimes are not a struggle, as she eats almost everything. She sleeps about 10-11 hours each night and wakes up once or twice. She still does not take a nap--too many things to explore!

Since Daddy had to go back to school last Monday, we really haven't taken many trips together as a family. We've been to the Naples Zoo with Grandma and Grandpa Warner, Aunt Phyllis and Uncle Norman. We've also been to the store, Babies R Us, and Little Caesar's. Having a lot of time at home has helped us get close as a family. We have had so much fun together!!

Pictures!!

Friday, January 1st, 2010

Today is travel day back to the United States--we will fly on four different planes to get back to Florida, for a total travel time of 29 grueling hours! We are looking so forward to sleeping in a soft bed, drinking water and brushing teeth from the tap, and not having to live out of suitcases.

We wanted to include a note about Susan's Place, a shop not far from the White Swan. Dong, the owner, was kind enough to let us borrow a stroller rent free for a week. We had tea with him numerous times while we chatted about the life and culture of China. We will miss visiting him.



Our flight from Guangzhou to Beijing went fine. The temperature in Beijing was 18 degrees Fahrenheit when we landed at 11 a.m. Security in Beijing was pretty tight, which made for longer lines--a little bit of a hassle, but well worth it for safety. Our flight to JFK went without a hitch, although it stretched on and on for 13 hours. We were glad that the plane was not full. Kate Xiaochun found some empty seats to crash on. While waiting for our flight to Charlotte, she enjoyed her first ever "Happy Meal" from McDonald's--as you can tell, she absolutely loved it!



Finally, we landed in Miami at 12:10 a.m. on Saturday morning--so good to be back home! Lisa's parents were there to greet us, along with Aunt Phyllis and Uncle Norman. Our relatives are so kind and generous to pick us up at that time of night!



Kate has really come out of her shell the past four days. She is smiling and laughing a lot, and seems pretty comfortable with us. We cannot wait for our family at home to meet her!