The pictures in the last post were at my parent's house. Here is a bonus picture. It was taken at our house, in the playroom, with the girls at Emily's art desk. Emily is quite the artist, always working on something new. After she is done with her latest masterpiece, she tapes her work up on the wall. Then we have walk-through art exhibits, usually videotaped, where she interprets her art work for us, as some of it is definitely abstract. :)

Hello everyone! I know, I know, it's been too long! We've just been busy, enjoying our newly expanded family. Abby is doing GREAT! Physically, she has made so many new milestones and will be caught up to her peers before we know it. Her latest feat.....climbing the stairs! And quickly! Now that she has accomplished this, it is all she wants to do.

For the 4th of July weekend, we went up to my parents' summer place in Vermont. Their house is on a lake, and the girls had a fantastic time swimming and playing in the sand on the little beach. In fact, Emily enjoyed the water so much that we thought she was going to turn into a fish, sometimes staying in the water for 7 hours at a time, only coming out for the occasional meal or snack.

The following Tuesday, Mike, Abby and I came home and Emily stayed behind with her grandparents for a week of bonding with Grandma and Pop Pop. She was so excited, but it was hard for us, since we had never been separated from her for more than a day. Anyway, she had a wonderful time...something she will never forget. And it was good for us too, as we had never had time alone with just Abby. And the week of just the two of us with Abby really helped her bond even more closely with the her Mommy and Daddy.

Abby's therapies finally started this week, and she has been doing great! The PT is amazed by how quickly she is catching up, and says that Abby is very motivated to learn. She is also quite the daredevil, and likes to show off. (i.e. the PT will ask her to do something, and Abby will do it...only head first at top speed and with no hands! Aaaggghhh!) The speech therapist has been teaching her (and us) some baby sign language to help ease her transition into the English language, and Abby seems to be picking that up quickly. There's no doubt about it...she is VERY smart and the wheels are always turning. We call her our "Chinese firecracker". She is so funny, but definitely has a spitfire personality. Sounds like another little girl we know. :) :)

Anyway, I will be posting some pictures from the past couple of weeks.

Princess Abby....


Abby wears her sandwich well...



More Abby...



Artist Emily.....



Emily the Fish....



Emily and Pop Pop on the hammock...