She likes brownies, of course.

After another week at home, things are back to normal for everyone, it would seem, but me! Lauren is back at gymnastics and piano, Marcus is totally enjoying the winter wonderland in our yard and David has been back at work. My life is entirely different! I stay home with a cute little baby all day! Mostly, this has been wonderful. Besides having to think about everything I do a little more, I have really enjoyed the slower pace. Slower, that is, until the big kids get home from school, and then we are doing double time around here!

As the title suggests, we've been experimenting with new foods. After a week of happily trying every possible type of baby food we put before her, she decided to go on strike. Being a mature 13 month old, she feels like she is beyond this pureed humdrum and wants things she can gum. The new favorites are cubes of ripe pears and cooked sweet potatoes. Really, that isn't true. Those are the current healthy foods that she eats. Her real favorites are Valentine cookies from Grandma and brownies from Mary Beth Harper. Thank you very much. We captured her enjoyment of the brownie bits on film. Note, she did get a bath immediately after this event!


Sophia is moving around a whole lot these days. She crawls after whoever leaves the room. She pulls up on everything and pushes her little stroller/walker around the living room with a great deal more ease than even a couple of days ago. She also is talking a lot. She says something that sounds remarkably like "Yeah!" a lot. It's very commical when she accidentally agrees to something. She also says "da" a lot. We're working on "ma" but she doesn't seem interested. I guess she already knows she has Ma just where she wants her. She is figuring out what "No" means and she's also learned to clap, thanks to Dad, as you saw in that last video.

Here's another video, just for fun:


Last Sunday, we were very excited about how well Sophia was sleeping at night. Well, this week we have a more realistic view of things, as she's been up in the night 4 of the last 7 nights. She was a kind of non-romantic interruption to our "dinner-in-after-the-kids-go-to-bed-valentine's-date" last night. Oh well! She will surely settle in shortly.

We've got a big week this week! Tuesday, Sophia and I will go to Peyton Manning Children's Hospital to the International Adoption Clinic. That will be her first trip to see a doctor in the states. They will recommend next steps and probably a vaccination schedule...poor kid. Then, on Thursday, Sophia will see a plastic surgeon for a consultation about her lip. We'll keep you posted about any new information from either of those fronts.

Happy Valentine's Day to you all. And Happy Chinese New Year! And President's Day...