After a whirlwind trip to Charlotte, NC to see my dear old (as in time, not years of course) Lish, bags are packed and we're ready to go.  I had a great time catching up with Lish and her family.  NC is hot and humid this time of year.  They are in a severe drought, so everyone is rationing water.  Sounds like the desert, but it is mostly green and beautiful.

 

Late afternoon flight to Chicago, with an overnight there and an early morning 14 1/2 hour flight to Shanghai.  Sounds grueling.  Our only saving grace is the vision of that sweet face of Sojo in our minds (and her mother and father, of course).  That will keep us going during the long trip.

 

We are told we must hurry because Sojo is wanting to walk.  Maybe we will be there to see that major childhood milestone of first steps.  How fun would that be!  It sounds as if we will be in for surprises in her growth and development.  I think she will keep us busy. We are counting the hours and can't wait.  Just a funny little story about our excitement.  Gong Gong was up early as usual and getting ready to run into his office for a couple of hours and thinking of that sweet baby and all the things we are going to do with her...he reaches for what he thought was his hair gel, only to discover it was "lotion".  Back into the shower for him.  Sorry Gong Gong...I had to tell that story, so Sojo will know just how excited you are to see her. 

 

A few last minute things to do, so I am off and leaving this blog with one last picture stolen from "T".  She still loves to hold onto leaves.  Quite the little nature girl.  We will have some pictures of our own again, real soon.

You can never have too much fun and that is what I am expecting when we go to visit this little girl...not too much, just enough:)

 

Check out these pictures that I have again stolen from her mother's blog site because we have none of our own that are recent.  Soon we will and I will be able to tell all sorts of stories about our adventures together.  But, for now...I steel her mother's pictures and stories.

 

The one is of her wanting to go into her first "jumping castle".  Too young she is told, but still holds onto baba's fingers and jumps at the entrance.  Another picture shows her peeking in and with the way that girl loves to jump, one can only imagine how her little heart beats at the thought of what she could be doing in there if only allowed.  Hang on Sojo, your time for jumping about in one of these giant blow up castles will come.  For now, we all enjoy the anticipation of what will come. 

 

The other pic is of our little "boho or hippy chick".  What goes around, comes around.  I remember as a little girl how I only wanted pretty dresses.  One might call me a "girly girl".  I didn't like to get dirty and I liked to dress up.  Still don't like to get dirty or sweet and like to dress feminine.  However, my mother was practical and seemed to always fear I would be cold and catch a cold.  Where on earth did that idea come from?  I rarely wore dresses or shorts in the summer.  It was always too cold.  It was always these ugly jeans with suspenders because I was so darn skinny and couldn't keep my pants up.  Gone are those skinny days:(  So, when I had a baby girl...I wanted to see her in pink and frills.  I remember her first Christmas with this little red romper with white ruffles on her bottom.  She was so darn cute.  I was able to do that until she started having a mind of her own and that was too darn early for my liking.  I think it was kindergarten or maybe before.  She loved playing outdoors in the dirt, the mud and if there was a tar bubble in the street, she was going to have it on her clothes.  When she started kindergarten and I bought her all these cute dresses...she soon told me she didn't want to wear dresses to school anymore.  Gone was my darling sweet feminine baby girl.  Jeans, pants and shirts were for her.  As she grew and changed...her choice of clothes became more "hippy and bohemian".  Nearing the end of her thirties, she has not changed and now that she is a mama herself, has a baby girl of her own and she is dressing her exactly the way she likes to dress herself.  And, I have to say...that little Sojo is the cutest little boho or hippy chick I have ever seen. 

 

We dress our little girls the way we want to.  They grow up and somtimes follow their mama's fashion scene and sometimes, they go antoher direction all together.  It will be fun to see which way Sojo goes with fashion.  Whatever way she goes...she is beautiful and she is fun.  Just like her mama. 

I occasionally look at the "cluster map" and I see areas that I am not sure who may be reading this.  I see PA, WA, maybe OR.  I see Tucson of course.  I think I see NH and maybe NC or TN.  But, who on earth is that in South America?  Funny, how when I look at this I wonder just who it is.  Anyway...hope you are all enjoying pics of that sweet baby girl.  She is a sweetie pie:) 

 

Went shopping today for that sweetie pie.  Seems she is growing out of her 9 month sizes.  So off to Old Navy, The Children's Store and Carter's at the Foothills Mall.  They have outlets there and were having super sales, so for not "too much" money, she should be set for fall.  Mama like those cargo pants, so there are a few of those.  I threw in a bit of pink, just because I like it.  Cargo pants or not...we need to know she is a girl.  I think we have a suitcase just for things for Sojo.  Everything from Cheerios to toothbrush.  Hey...it's her 1st birthday.  Ha! Ha!

 

 

46 years ago I became a big sister.  My little sister Michele, always just called me "sister".  I think my name was just too hard to say.  Sister was easier.

 

From as long as I could remember I had wanted a baby sister.  I wished on every birthday cake, every chicken and turkey wishbone I could get my hands on and every penny I threw into a fountain.  However, at age 15 I wasn't so sure that was what I wanted.  Yet, I found myself doing everything I could to make my mother's life easier.  Carrying babies full term was not something that came easy for her.  I was born early, she had a couple miscarriages and one little sister who lived only 3 days when I was four years old.  So, this baby was important to everyone.  

 

I remember the early evening of the 10th and we were all at a ball game when my mother started labor.  Off she went to the hospital and I went to my aunt's to wait.  I was in bed but not asleep when I heard the phone ring.  I crept down the stairs and quietly sat listening to the phone call.  When my aunt told me I had a baby sister, I cried.  I cried with joy for the baby sister I had dreamed of, wished and prayed for.  I adored that little sister and I still do.  I remember how she cried the day I got married.  She knew I would not be home again.  Our lives are different...we live on opposite ends of the country and don't get to see one another as often as we would like.  We take the moments we have and cherish them.  We celebrate the things we have together.  She has two grown sons who have blessed her with 4 grand children...2 little boys and 2 little girls.  She also has two beautiful daughters who are blossoming into beautiful young women.  Like I said...we celebrate the joys we have.  I celebrate you little sister...I love you and Happy Birthday.

 

Love, Sister

Be still my heart.  This little girl is growing faster than I can keep up with.  We just left her 6 weeks ago and she has changed so much that sometimes I think our daughter must be hiding Sojo from us and this is someone new.  However, we recognize those beautiful eyes that seek deep into the soul of everything she touches and sees. 

 

Not just one tooth, but now three.  Eating things like tofu and screaming for ice cream.  Not just finally crawling like a little army soldier, but standing while holding something and walking with assistance.  She is exploring at rapid speed we are told.  Soon nothing will be sacred and anything in her space will be hers if not put away.  So much for not baby proofing a house.  We all remember thinking we would not have to do this, only to find that if we want our belongings in one piece and the child safe...there is not other choice. 

 

We continue to love video cams and the joy of seeing Miss Sojo's little face on our computer.  She loves standing up to her little "developmental activity device"; and while chatting with her Mama one morning, we watched her keep turning her head to see where our voices were coming from.  She was torn...do I look at PoPo and Gong Gong or do I "play".  Tough question when everything she sees and touches is so new and so much fun to explore. 

 

Her Mama and Baba are such good parents and want her to remember her grandparents across the seas.  They have blown up and laminated pictures of each of us holding her while in Washington and have put them at her level on her play area wall.  She loves to go to the pictures and touch them.  It keeps us as present to her as possible and hopefully, when she sees us in 19 days she will remember us and know that we are those crazy people on the computer and on her wall.  We can't wait to see her and play with her and watch her take swim lessons and take her for walks and sing Happy Birthday to her.  I am at an age where wanting time to fly is behind me, but just for the next couple of weeks...let it fly.

Sojo got her first tooth and I think Mama and Baba are thrilled about that.  She has been fussy off and on and this time they can give her the benefit of the tooth as the cause.  She is usually such a pleasant and happy baby that it must be hard to see her cranky.  It is a top tooth and most babies get their first tooth on the bottom.  Sojo is one very unique little girl.  I do not expect her to do much the way the rest of the world would do it anyway.  Heavens...her Mama never did. 

 

And so, Miss Sojo will be munching lots of new foods soon and learning all sorts of new things each day.  She is like a little sponge, soaking it all up and enjoying every day of life.  We cannot wait to travel to see her and watch her once more as each new day unfolds for her.  What a joy to be a part of that for a couple of weeks.  We are indeed...blessed. 

A bit of other news on the home front.  Our oldest son just signed papers on his first house.  He is excited, yet very nervous about this long term commitment.  I think the excitement of having his own place to put his own ideas and mark on beats out the nervousness.  However, prior to moving...things need to be done....finish the mortgage paperwork, get final approval, get appraisal and home inspection and pack up his belongings.

 

He has been renting a small house for about 5 years and would probably not meet Good Housekeeping standards for their "awards".  So, while he carefully takes his belongings and dusts them off and packs them...Mom and Dad have been helping him clean the kitchen and bathroom.  Why is it those are always the worst rooms to clean in a house?  Could it be grease and soap scum?  Have you ever heard of a "Scum Buster"?  Well, we went and bought one.  It is the same as using a scrubby pad, but less elbow grease is needed because it is battery operated.  Well, after several hours much was accomplished.  Many boxes are packed and stacked in a room, the bathroom sparkles, as does the kitchen.  There is still a lot more packing and probably more cleaning within the next four weeks, but it is a start and a new path in his life.  As his father would say, "son, this is just one more step".  Congratulations son...enjoy this new path in your life.