Week 2 - still lots of firsts

Another week has passed and we have all good things to report.  Most notably, we took Lillian to see Dr. Mink, the pediatrician at the UCLA Harbor medical facility who specializes in internationally adopted children and who reviewed her medical information from China pre-adoption.  Lillian appears to be in excellent condition as far as the basics go - though she needs to be tested for parasites, lead levels, and micro-nutrient deficiencies by our local pediatrician and evaluated by a Spina Bifida specialist on an ongoing basis. We have decided to be open about her special need in the hope that others will be inspired to consider SB kids for adoption.

Waiting for Dr. Mink, (thank you Margo for 'Baby' whom Lillian loves)

Unusual for an internationally adopted child, Lillian is on the U.S. growth chart for a 2 year old (5th percentile for height and 10th percentile for weight) and the pediatrician found that developmentally, she is on target for her age.  We feel so lucky because the other parents who adopted from her orphanage said to expect developmental delays. Most gratifying, though, were the doctor's comments about how well bonded she seemed to us.

And we would agree.  Lillian has been comfortable with Mommy seemingly since the first minute she came into our lives.  This week, we saw her getting more comfortable playing with Max.  She pretended to feed him and put him to bed, which made him feel really good.

And for the first time this week, after I returned home from running some errand,  Lillian ran up to me and hugged my legs.  I can't even really express how good it felt.

While many things are starting to become more familiar to Lillian, there are still plenty of "firsts."  We decided she needed a haircut to get her bangs out of her eyes.  While it almost certainly wasn't her first haircut, it was her first trip to Mommy's friend Laurel, who was very excited to meet her.

This week, Lillian went swimming at the Claremont Club.  Not only did she splash around in the wading pool, but she was even able to get into the Family pool.  She has rapidly grown comfortable in the water and swimming is more fun than taking four, hour-long baths a day.

Another big outing was to the Thompson Creek Trail and Higginbotham Park.  After a fairly long stroller ride/walk along the trail, Lillian was very excited to see the train climber.  She was climbing down the steps and holding on carefully to the rails.  Then she realized that she could hang from the rails and swing.  And she liked it.

Wheeee!  Mommy, why do you look so worried?

But most of the time is spent at home learning the new normal.  And that works well.  We have had a huge crop from one of our plum trees in the back yard.  Each day, there is a little harvest.  Fortunately, she also likes to eat them.

Nina broke out the beads this week as a plaything.  We may never get all of the tiny things out of the rug.  But they're fun!

In the evenings, as things are a little more settled, we get back into more familiar routines.  She joined us in watching some of our favorites.

The Voice!  

Daddy, LeBron is overrated.

And even if you're staying home, there's no reason not to wear a pretty dress.

So that's our news.  We are starting to post videos on youtube channel jb1771.  Feel free to check it out.  And again, we thank everyone for their support and friendship.