little girls' lunch date

Ariel & I spent 3 nights in Tokyo, where we visited Amanda and Beth for a day! This was Amanda and Ariel's first meeting, and they hit it off. We didn't have time for many pictures, as we were busy playing/feeding/changing, but here are a few:

"Mmmmm, Mama makes good baby nori rolls."

"Thanks, Beth, for the yummy lunch!"

Play time

And we're off on an errand on this rainy day.

Let's play again soon!

goodbye high chair, hello table

The high chair is out of vogue with Ariel, so we're putting it away (or getting rid of it.) She'll still sit in a high chair at a restaurant, just not at home. Ralph says it's fine with him.

So Audrey and Brian (and mom Barbara) gave Ariel their Pooh table and 2 tiny chairs.

Tracy & Ariel go to work playing on it.

"Thanks, Audrey & Brian! I love it!"

She really sits at it while I feed her, and she feels the food. She also likes playing at it. It brightens up our kitchen.

you want a piece of me?

these pajamas are made for walking

Ariel now walks 5-6 steps at a time. Here's a video of her practicing before bed last night. Sorry, I forgot to hold the camera horizontal again.

a lot of Skyping

Hey, we all wore green!

"Bye-bye, Daddy. I love you. Talk to you tomorow."

Celebrating 5 months since Gotcha Day

We love her so much.

and Ralph, too!

and also Doraemon!

Duet with pal, Sarah

13 month birthday in action

a couple short videos

13 months old

and happy about it!

tappin' the cups

photos she came with

I had some time to day to put Ariel's China things in a special box: the clothes she came in, a few things her caretakers gave us, and some tiny pants she wore in China. One thing the caretakers gave us was a small red photo album, labeled "Adoption Registry Center of Guangdong Province." It has a cartoon drawing of a girl on a bicycle, and underneath, it says "Happy Little Angel" in English and Chinese. These are some surprise photos from that album.

(yes, those are fake backgrounds)

Maoming, Maogang District Social Welfare Institute

one year ago today....

we brought home Doraemon!

What a sweet and spunky boy he turned out to be!

Ralph was so happy to meet him.

around the house

rabbit!


Playing in the catfood, and I just let her this day. These are timed feeders we put out for the cats when we travel. But they still get a visit from a neighbor and wet food.

Skyping Jeff.

The Hawaiian dress is from Brooks in Hawaii. Ariel wore it to our friend Angela B's birthday/promotion party last night.

Tama

Friday, Ariel & I met up with our culture group at Tama Hills, a woodsy recreation area. It was good to see all the ladies again.

Ariel scored a cracker during Bingo.

playing with giant "budo" (grapes)

Don't worry, they're too big for her to even get in her mouth. These were from Isetan (a fancy department store) and not just Seiyu (like Wal-Mart.) Juicy!

Have Panda, will travel.

(in our lodge room)

New grandma Mitsuko is a baby whisperer.

walking to the big cabin

Some of us stayed in the lodge, and some in the big, secluded cabin. Tama Hills has camping, golf, tennis, horseback riding, and hiking. But my experience with the hiking trails has been huge spiders everywhere!

The cabin was really nice, and had a hot tub! Thanks to Casie & Pat for doing most of the planning.

That's the Ja-rain I remember

This has been the hottest Tokyo summer in years, they say. And dry lately. This is supposed to be rainy season. But finally, we had a rainy and cooler day - what a relief!

This Hello Kitty dress I got a year ago at Hard Off is a bit like an old lady's housecoat - loose and comfy.

Ame! (rain)

a favorite book

But Not the Hippopotamus by Sandra Boynton

We read it every night before bed. It makes Ariel smile and flap her arms.