6 months together as of the 18th of July and today Eliza is 13 months old!

She is still the light and the LOVE of OUR lives!

What a difference six months makes!

Seeing Sister Nicole, Aunt Cindy and Uncle Andy in San Diego

Aunt Cindy with Baby Eliza and Uncle Andy with Baby Nicole

Our extended Chinese family reunited six months after traveling to China.

We were the Marching Pandas so it was only appropriate that we take Nicole and Eliza to see the pandas. Of course, like all babies they slept through the Pandas but the parents are PROUD MARCHING PANDAS.

My beautiful butterfly and her caterpillar.

Cindy, Andy and Nicole

Nicole was alittle afraid of Eliza in the beginning but we right back to their old selves once comfortable.

Andy and Nicole on the roof top were they were only allowed for breakfast because of baby Nicole. Boy, have times changed! Before, my guess is Andy and Cindy would have been the party on the roof top, now they are only allowed in during the AM. Hee! :)

Our first 4th of July with our baby.

There first fourth of July with their baby.

Sisters of the heart!

A loving family forever!

Our "Cinderella" carriage ride with our Cinderellas.

AMAZING JOY! They have learned so much in the six months they have been home! Nicole is too cute and even uses the words for "Bye Bye."

The SUPER PROUD Daddies!

and their lovin' Mama's.

Sleeping baby Nicole

Pure sweetness!

Finally, I can finally post about Eliza being about to see one of her Hunan Sisters. They are definately sisters of the heart and we are forever grateful for all of the lasting friendships that we made during that "emotional" (Cindy's words and I like it! :)) trip to unite our families. We hope over the duration of the years, we are able to meet up with all of our travel group mates that we spent some of the best and emotional days of our lives with.

So, we have now many aunts and uncles and many sisters. We got to see Aunt Cindy, Uncle Andy and sister Nicole during our recent vacation to San Diego. It was AMAZING to see them. Nicole is flourishing so well. She looks so healthy and well adjusted. Andy and Cindy, as always, are lookin' good and stylin'. We were able to spend the fourth of July with them on the beautiful coastal waters of San Diego. The following day we adventured to the beautiful San Diego Zoo. We got to talk about parenting and raising an adoptive child, our experiences in the short six months that we have been home, post adoption homestudies and readoption here in our beautiful country. We also discussed, someday, returning to China, future vacations and get togethers with other of our travel mates. It was a fun-filled action packed two days but...oh, so worth it for the girls' souls and for us.

So without further to do, here are the pictures Andy and Cindy took of our time together. Watch out because Nicole is a beauty inside and out, her cuteness is going to pop off the page.

Babysitter???

Tonight though it was a much needed night out with the girls . I surcome to hire an awesome and adopted babysitter herself to watch Eliza. She is a wonderful young lady with tons of values and morals. I could not have picked a better suited young woman so... this blog is not about her but more about me and Eliza's needs.

Let me back track...I am a working mother with a wonderful daycare during the week. I am allowed to fortune to stay home with Eliza about two months out of the year . During her first year, I was able to stay home with her for four months and she was with my mom for two months. I do have to say the guilt tonight leaving her was momumentous. I was not ready for this transition and... I am not sure that she was ready for this transition. Did I need the girls night out? Yes!!! At the expense of leaving my daughter for an additional four hours this week, the answer for myself was, NO!

Why did I do this so early? What was I thinking?

~I guess I was thinking that it would be good for her to have a healthy older Chinese adopted role model in her life.
~I was thinking that it might be fun to have a night out on the town but ...what did we do... we talked about our little ones. How much we love them and miss them!

What did I not think about?

~ Was Eliza thinking she was going to be abandoned again?
~Was she thinking that I only spent two hours with her today and 1/2 an hour of that time was driving the babysitter to and from the house instead of reading, playing with her, singing nursery rhymes and just having good bonding time with her.

I did call the babysitter once during the evening and Richard did come home early from work so she was not with the sitter that long. But, was she ready? Was I ready? Was our family really ready for this? My answer tonight is, "No!" Maybe, someday soon, it will change. But, as for now, I will not do this again anytime soon. Next time, I will have the role model over for a play date or a mother's helper with Mommy (me) around.

Live and Learn.... I am sorry baby girl, please accept this apology. Mommy is learning with you. Sometimes I need to step back and look at both of our needs a little better and not surcome to the outside worlds needs. I love you little Eliza baby!

Our Anniversary we spent at the E. Carnival

Summer fun with Mommy while Daddy is at work.

Mommy let me play with bubbles inside because it was over 100 degrees outside.

I love the way that you smile and bubbles brings you pure happiness.

I love my squinty smiles. They are so cute.

Our little spicy Hunan girl riding her big green tractor.

MoMMMMMMMMMMM, I love the carnival.

You are too strict mom. Dad and I love a good carnival game and you would not even let me take home the stuffed animal I won. Daddy says you are a, "Big Meanie." Yup, I am. We do not know if other little girls "are forced to make those stuffed animals" that you will have nothing to do with once you are home. Some day little one you will understand, sometimes less is more and spending time with you is the BEST part of the carnival.

There is nothing better than being held by my daddy, eating a cool ice cream cone on one hot summer evening.

Interested in all of the bright lights and the rides and excitement that a carnival brings.

You were shy and timid around the petting animals. You felt secure in Daddy's arms.

There is no other place I have rather spent this anniversary night with my my little baby girl and her daddy. We went to the local carnival where she got to meet petting animals and eat an ice cream cone, play her first carnival games (which her daddy loves) and sit on some big tractors.

At last, we can not wait to get the disc that Aunt Cindy and Uncle Andy are sending us so we can post the pics of you and one of your spicy Hunan sista's Nicole.

Theo and Mishel's wedding in San Diego

Thanks to Grace Miller for her pictures as our camera was stolen but I wanted to share in Mishel and Theo's happiness. Beautiful day, beautiful ceremony, beautiful reception and reception site.