Happy ONE Week!!

It's been one week since Riley was placed in our arms!  We are having so much fun with her.  Getting to know her!!  We are starting to see her likes and dislikes!!    She is a different girl now!!  She is wanting to cruise and walk ALL over the place.  Most of the time, we hold one of her hands and she walks in circles around us.  She is cruising around tables, the bed and even the couches!!  She is smiling and laughing more and more each day!! She is crying less and less each day!!   SHE SAID MAMA for the FIRST time today!!  Mama is her FIRST WORD!!!:)  She is babbling though and trying to copy you!!  She attempts to move her mouth like yours!  Today she starting leaning in for kisses.  She loves kisses!!  She loves bath time!  She loves the swimming pool!!  Ham and Bacon are favorites!!  The girl can EAT!!  We thought Reece ate a lot....she will keep up with him EASILY!!  She is no longer crying when we remove her from the table, she is reaching for us to pick her up!!  Yay!!  :)  She is no longer crying and screaming at night when we rock her, we have our CHINA routine.  Our home routine will include DAILY NAPS!!!  She is looking to us for our approval and reassurance!  She is opening up to Rheagan, letting her hold and carry her around.  She is a TRUE joy to have and we are so proud to call her OURS!!

 

 

Today we went to the Safari Park!!  This was better than ANY zoo I have ever been too!!  Tins of animals in their own environments not lock up in little cages or rooms like our Zoo!  Zebras were chasing each other, literally running between cars. Black bears were wrestle in the waters.  Giraffes eating out of our hands, animals within touching range!!  White tigers, koala bears, panda bears!!  Not just one or two or even three of each animals.  We saw 10-15 of each and some animals many, many MORE!! Riley took it all in!! She did fall asleep and had about a 1.5 hour nap on the tram ride but loved to point to all the animals.  Today, I wanted the boys here with us in China!!   Ryan and Reece would have LOVED the Safari. I took tons and tons of pictures and videos so they could see all the animals too.. I am SO ready to be home and to be a complete family again.  I can't wait to be able to hug and kiss on them. 

 

We ended the day at the swimming pool again!!  Riley dunks her own head into the water and comes up laughing!!  It is so cute!!  :) Tomorrow is our oath taking ceremony and completing the paperwork to get her VISA!!

 

On Wednesday, we will be able to pick up the Visa and we will be off to Hong Kong.  We will stay Wednesday night in Hong Kong and then head for Chicago on Thursday!! We will arrive in KANSAS CITY at 7:30 PM THURSDAY!!  CAN'T WAIT!!