Anniversary of First Call/photo

It was just a little over one year ago that we first got to see and know our little Iris through a thin file of photos and medical records. My how she's changed! She is walking and almost talking. We marvel at how her face appears to understand some phrases we say, such as "Go find Ho Gao(our dog)" or "get the book over there." We have enjoyed her smiles, and are getting used to her grunts and cries for communicating some of her wishes. No real words, except "uh-oh".

Grandma from AZ is visiting and helping out so much. We all went to to Angel Island for a change of scenery. Iris experienced her 2nd boat ride with us on the ferry to the Island. She was pretty quiet most of the day in her stroller, but preferred being out to walk about.
She also likes mom's hat a lot (see her wearing it in the above photo), but forgot to tell us that she dropped the hat on a trail near the picnic area. Oops! One cap missing!

At home, she has been interested in spending time in the backyard. Here's a video of how she likes relaxing in a chair with a magazine, and oh yeah...there's another hat.

Busy work week

This was the first week of Iris not waking up with either of us. So, who stayed with Iris three mornings this week? A friend (Azar) and temporary nanny came to stay with us because we both had to be at work by 8am. Iris and Azar got along very well. This was very strange for me because Iris would reach for her in the afternoon when I returned. I know she hasn't forgotten about me, but it still rattled my mommy bones not to be the main connection to my daughter. What was of great comfort was that God was keeping Iris healthy, happy and safe while I worked all morning (3 days/week). This will continue for a few more weeks. In fact, Grandma is coming to stay with us for two weeks for the reason of taking care of Iris in the mornings and late afternoons that we can't be home. As with many parents, I wonder if we're working too much outside the home.

On Thursday, Iris met up with an aquaintance, Alina, who is only about 10 days younger, but much bigger in size and weight than Iris. They enjoyed time at the park in Sebastopol, while mommy (me) walked and talked with a couple of other friends from work.

Well, we're looking forward to the July 4th weekend when we'll be together as a family and spend time with my family in the East Bay on Friday, as a well as getting together with families that also adopted from China. The weather is sunny and nice, and isn't that great?