July Update

Andy is 3 months old today!!! Our little boy has had amazing achievement since we cut his umbilical cord. He grew from 25% to 90% and wears 9 months old clothes now; He was transformed from a baby who woke up every hour to a champion sleeper who sleeps 8 hours at a stretch at night and 3 hours at a stretch for naps; He learned to fall asleep on his own in the crib this past week; He found his hands and are quite good at using them to bat the toys; He coos and smiles to whoever smiles at him; He can do tummy time for a long time without getting tired; He is sweet, happy, content, and ready to learn ... Because of our special situation, he had followed the bed time routine since he was 9 weeks old. He had the sleep training at the 13th week. He has weathered the challengeing transition from the womb to the world. We are sooo proud of him! It's sentimental to think about what we've all been through during his brief lifetime. I'm sure we are all ready for the next chapter of life: a little more play, a little more rest, a little more control, and a lot more fun, love, and growth! We love you, little boy!









Emily absolutely adores her baby brother. She gives him hugs every morning and greets him whenever she sees him. She plays with him and cheers on him. Her vocabulary increased tremendously. She speaks more complete sentences now, such as: "Give me your spoon." "I see mommy." "Phone is turned on." "Daddy's at work." "That's Andy's milk bottle." "They fall down." "Where is Andy?"

She can name all kinds of animals and shapes. She also began to connect related things together. One example is: when David said to Emily:" OK, let's go run some errands." She immediately waved at me:" Bye-bye, Mommy!" Every time when we walked by Andy's room, she would say" Shhh, Andy is sleeping." When Andy sneezes (or yawned sometimes), she would say "Bless you Andy!" One day Andy was crying while I prepared the milk bottle for him. Emily ran to Andy and patted him "Andy, don't cry! Don't cry, Andy!" Another day, after David gave Emily the bath, before he put her down to sleep. Emily said: "Go hug mommy!"

Two Sundays ago at church during the communion time, David and I were attending Andy. When I looked at Emily, she was eating the communion bread that she stole from the plate:"Pizza, Mommy, Pizza!"




Below are some additional pictures:

When Andy was 10 weeks old, he used to fall asleep staring at the smiling flower:

He also fell asleep by staring at the patterned quilt on his window that was made by David's grandma .

Andy loves playing in the play station

Emily made another new friend - a visiting student Norman from China

Emily also made friends with Leslie

Emily made friends with Sue when she visited her in the hospital

Summer fun - building and destroying tower in no time!

Summer fun - playing basketball (note: with rainboots on)

Summer fun - playing at water table

Summer fun - playing with Daddy

Produce from the backyard (We've been enjoying the cucumbers, okras, tomatos, and green onions from the garden. They taste so good!)

Emily is trimming her toe nail

Emily plays with Andy

Emily said "Go Andy! Go Andy!" and rubbed Andy's head during his tummy time

Emily is learning to read

Joey who had come to our house to do FriendSpeak with David everyday when David stayed home returned to Taiwan this month. He started coming when Emily just turned 3 months old. The night before he left, David and he got together. David cried. He saw Joey as part of the family and he wanted the best for him. After Joey went back to Taiwan, he told us that he's been to a church and he enjoyed it very much. That made David's day.

Happy July!