Three Weeks

I have had this treasure in my arms about three weeks now, and I can't believe how much stronger she is getting.  She spends most of the day sitting up on the floor playing.  She was so wobbly and unstable when sitting in China that I was sure she would need a helmet when we got home to protect that sweet head, but already she is so stable and easily getting from a sitting to lying position on her own as she plays.  She rolls all over creation destroying most everything in her path which is wonderful.  Yesterday, she pulled a basket of magnets down dumping it everywhere and we celebrated her accomplishment.  While I was at Walmart picking up some baby food, Daddy texted to ask me to get some outlet covers because she had found the plugs.  YEAH!!!  She loves to take off and dump at this stage so our living room regularly looks like a war zone with all her toys strewn everywhere.  We couldn't be happier.

This week she has overcome her jet lag and is back to sleeping 12 hours all night.  Insert huge sigh of relief from this momma!  If she naps during the day, she prefers to be in my ergo to catch a quick 20 minute snooze which, again, makes this momma so happy.  I love having a sleeping baby in my ergo!

The girls absolutely love taking care of a baby!  By far, this has been the easiest transition our family has ever had with a new little one.  It is so sweet watching my other girls care for this little treasure, and it is so healing for them too.

On the eating front, she is now taking three full meals of rice cereal via a spoon in her high chair. She opens her mouth and she wants to eat!  This is HUGE, and I am absolutely thrilled!  She getting so much better about using that tongue to swallow, and not pushing everything out.  She is still not thrilled with flavors other than the rice cereal, but again I love that she can swallow the cereal and use her tongue to push out the other less desired stuff.  Last night, I even had her chewing!  I was dancing and praising God with the girls at dinner because of it!  I even continue to sneak baby food flavors, medicine, and vitamins in her bottle and she sucks them down.

She is absolutely precious!  We are smitten with our newest little butter ball!  We can't get enough of her chubby cheeks and big, bright eyes!  Watching her reach milestones every day as we love her is amazing!  She had her first round of doctor and therapy evals.  We are getting packed with labs, immunizations, specialists, and the like, but I know that they will all help her reach her full potential and I praise God that we can access all these things for her!  I can't wait to see where she goes!