Fun, fun, and more fun

Louis and I are milking our last weeks of full-time Mama-and-Louis time before I return to work. Theoretically I should probably be leaving him more often with my mother, who will be taking care of Louis when I return to work, but we are just having such a good time together! I find myself pacing the floor when he naps too long, knowing I am missing out on time with our little boy, who is growing so fast and has already matured so much just in the time since we met him--three months ago now.

Already Louis seems to be more independent than when we brought him home, insisting on turning the pages of his books himself, and having a definite opinion on which shirts he will be wearing (if there isn't a vehicle or an animal on it, we're digging deeper into the drawer to find a better one). He grew one inch and gained two pounds just in his first two months home, and some days he looks so tall! It's amazing to me that books that didn't interest him a few weeks ago are now among his favorites ("Mr. Brown Can Moo" is finally a hit!), and that puzzles that were hard in January are now finished before I have a chance to start saying, "Cow...duck...horse." Louis is at such an amazing age, and he is learning so much so fast!

Here is some of the excitement we have enjoyed over the past week or so:

Louis met his first cats, very patient felines who tolerated his affection (he kissed one on the nose)

We have started making happy faces out of mandarin oranges, and Louis eats plate after plate of them. "Happy" is one of his newest words, but Louis says almost anything we ask him to say now--even "I love you," which is especially sweet.

Louis dressed up for his Uncle Billy's 50th birthday party. He only complained a little about wearing the tie.

Dancing with Baba

Giving Grandmom (and all his other relatives) a high-five

Louis and I visited the Please Touch Museum with Aunt Katie and his cousins Andrew and Lily. This shot was taken right after Louis saw his first carousel. He couldn't get through that fence fast enough to find a horse!

When he did pull me through the gate, he picked a cat with a fish in its mouth. He would still be riding the carousel if I hadn't carried him off.

Driving with Andrew

The cousins and aunts (and a turtle)

Louis reading with or to his dog--or listening as his dog reads to him. One of his latest things is asking me to have his stuffed animals read to him. This dog, a gift from his friend Mrs. P., even sings a song specifically to Louis, so of course this intelligent dog should also be able to read one of the longest books Louis can reach!

Louis visited a local library's miniature town for children 5 and under. He put the engineer's outfit on and wouldn't take it off for a while. Luckily no one else wanted to wear it at the time.

Yes, we did a little reading along the way.

And we finally removed the engineer's outfit.

We traded it for a new St. Patrick's Day sweater vest, knitted by Grandma!

Louis and I also enjoyed a very special lunch with friends who are new to me but not to Louis. Melissa is a volunteer with Love Without Boundaries, which sponsored Louis in foster care in China, and she met Louis when he was very young. Melissa's daughter is also from Loudi City, and we enjoyed meeting them at a Hunan restaurant. We realized yet again what a small world it is, to be able to meet a family who live one hour away and know that Melissa and Louis had met two years ago on the other side of the world.

Melissa, her son Josh, her daughter, Leah, and Louis (with his new friend, Happy the Hare, courtesy of Melissa)

This morning John, Louis, and I took what feels like a long overdue trip to our local train museum. Louis loved it! We are members now, so we'll be back--especially when Thomas comes in a few months.