October | 2016 | from china with hope...

She loves to swing, bounce, and rock – or any kind of movement. Adding timely sound effects guarantees the most endearing laughter.
She coos and sings when she is happy.
She’s so tiny (15.2 pounds), you can slip her into the high chair without pulling out the tray.
She enjoys having her face wiped and especially loves having her hands washed under running water.
She is a good listener and is generally attentive to whatever is going on around her.
She eats whatever you offer, and lots of it.
She loves to ride in the baby carrier and eagerly helps me position her into it.
She smiles easily.
She will play peek-a-boo (!) for hours.
She babbles cheerfully and endlessly using a multitude of different sounds.
She stops crying when she hears music – any music.
She can hum the first six notes of Brahms’ Lullaby recognizably, and does this often.
She can eat Cheerios like a dainty princess but prefers to stuff them into her mouth like some people eat popcorn.
She has rhythm and likes to bang. She beats a lollipop drum – with her feet!
She rides cheerfully in a car seat on long trips.
She pushes us away less and less everyday.
She is increasingly affectionate and loving, but doesn’t need to be held all the time.
She puts herself to sleep in a crib every night. Never mind that she wakes many nights around 3:00 am and needs a little help to get back to sleep. We have Andrea Bocelli for times like this.
She has slept through the whole night six times since we’ve been home.
She has a long attention span and explores toys and objects for long periods.
She reaches out and readily explores her environment (using hands and feet).
She scoots on her back to move around and often ends up under my bed.
Her favorite toys are bags or anything “crinkly.”
She always wakes up in a good mood – even when we have to wake her, which is often.
She self soothes by sucking her thumb.