Spring breezes and scraped knees-es

The days are flying by, and Louis continues to grow and amaze us! His personality is the same as it was in our first days together in China--and it still matches his Baba's personality perfectly. It really is incredible that we flew thousands of miles to bring home our son who is such an ideal match for our family. And yet somehow we're not that surprised since this whole journey has been full of miracles along the way.

Louis is doing really well with his days at Grandma's. This morning when I dropped him off and she showed him a puzzle she had discovered in her basement, he sat down immediately and did it twice. I wasn't even sure he'd get up to wave good-bye to me at the door. He gets very focused. In the end, he did come to wave, but he is very comfortable at my parents' house, and he seems quite content. He's delighted to see me when I get home, and he asks for his father right away, but he laughs and has a good time with Grandma and his two aunts who are there occasionally.

We have had our first skinned knees of the season, and they certainly won't be our last! It seems that every time I put Louis in shorts, he gets excited and runs and runs and runs--and falls. After the tears are forgotten, he proudly shows off his boo-boos to anyone who will look. Here he is sporting an orange bandaid and doing a puzzle while sitting in his chair.

Here Louis is eating his chocolate bunny (though he played with it more than he actually ate it).

Here he is playing with a matchbox car and laughing at his cousin Mary (not my sister's 3-year-old daughter--technically this Mary is my grandmother's cousin). They got along fabulously.

One of Louis's favorite activities is going to the grocery store. He likes to help select items, especially fruit and vegetables, and he is happiest when we shop together as a family. It may not be the most efficient way to shop, but when we have such little time together, it's hard to leave Louis at home to shop. And I'm sure the other shoppers enjoy listening to him yell "in de ba" as we push him down the aisles.

Louis loves our local playground, and he always asks to swing--though slides are still his favorite.


Baba took this photo of us together. I like that Louis looks so relaxed and content--which he is. He is really a dream. Even at his most stubborn, independent, 2-year-old self, Louis is really an easy child to raise (not that we have much comparison, of course). We owe a lot to his foster mom, who gave him such loving care and taught him so much.

I like this video because it shows John trying to teach Louis to say "train" instead of "dicka-doo." Louis could say train if he wanted to. He can say almost anything. The only words he intentionally doesn't seem to want to say are his name, which he responds to happily, and "train." The latter, at least, seems to be a losing battle. (I apologize for the mess of our plates in this and in so many of our photos. Now that I am working outside the home full-time, it seems that our best family time happens around the dinner table.)