Long Overdue!

OK - I just was looking over our blog and realized that Ron has done the last three posts! I definitely have some catching up to do. At the risk of feeling the wrath of some...I'm going to have to do this one quickly and without photos. Know that I will try my best to catch up more soon.

Since I've been back to work I've again found myself with a lack of blogging time. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that people like to check in with us and see what is new in Hope's world and I always enjoy following the journeys of other families so I know that I have some work to do here.

Work is going well. What can I say? I am one of the lucky people who really likes her job. I work with some incredible people and am blessed by someone I work with every day. HOWEVER (and this is a BIG one), I really have a hard time leaving in the morning. My little angel has only been a part of our family for three short months and I just want to be with her all the time. I want to see and experience all of her new daily discoveries. I want to teach her new songs. I want to watch her sleep during her naps. I want to take her for walks. I want to hear her sweet voice as she tries out all her new sounds. I want to keep teaching her signs and watch her little hands and fingers as she tries to use them. I just miss her so much and I would be telling a complete lie if I said that I left for work in the morning without tears most days. All the Moms out there reading this... when does it get easier to say "goodbye" in the morning?

As far as other things in life keeping me busy, I've taken a temporary break from almost all of them. I'm not interpreting often outside of the school day, and I'm not nearly as involved in church activities as I've been. I am trying very hard to keep our evenings and weekends reserved for family time. That doesn't mean that we're always home, but whatever we're doing, we try to do it together. Now that Hope is home, I'm definitely getting better at the "n" word. I don't know if I kept myself so busy before (and I mean pretty much every night) so I wouldn't think about how badly we wanted a child, but now that she's here, "no" rolls off my tongue so much more easily than it ever has in the past. Remarkable things happen when you become a Mom. :)

And - Hope update:
* She is now in a pretty solid 12m. size. She still has a few 9 mo. onsies that fit and she's actually worn two 18 mo. things, but for the most part 12 mo. it is.

* I felt her 10th tooth this afternoon. When I picked up Hope after work and Grandma said only one messy diaper today (we've been having multiple delightful diapers recently), I thought OH!, maybe that tooth came through. Sure enough, hello #10. To backtrack...6 when we met her on June 4th and 8 by the time we got home from China on the 14th. #9 came in a couple weeks ago, a molar on the bottom right. #10 today, a molar on the top right. I can also feel #11 and #12, molars on the left to come in shortly I'm sure.

* Growing Feet! - Grandma and Grandpa just picked up new shoes for Hope, SIZE 4! I know that doesn't seem very big, but her sandals when we got home from China were a 2! She has such cute little toes. ;)

* Signing - Hope's newest signs are THANK YOU and BOOK. She's doing great! I really want to get her on video showing off her signs, but it is sort of hit or miss when you ask her to perform. Sometimes she'll do her whole vocabulary, and sometimes she just doesn't want to sit/stand still long enough to sign two things.

* Speaking of sitting/standing still...YEAH - she doesn't do that much!

* Ron mentioned sleeping through the night...isn't it glorious?! ;) She chose to sleep through the night for the first time since China right before I went back to work! AWESOME timing!

Any other questions about Hope?

Finally - I know I said this post would be sans photos, but I just got this one and I know it is one of Grandpa's favorites. Here's a smile on us...PIGTAILS!!!