Parenthood and Family Update

Hi kids,

The cloud has lifted and Travis and I can see the light… Yes, parenthood has been what people have described to us… crazy, tiring, amazing, and sometimes hard. Gabby is thriving and growing like a weed… She smiles now and makes lots of cooing sounds. Before she was one month, she rolled over on one side and does it all the time now. I have nothing to compare it to, but people say she’s really strong- and long for that matter too (in the 97th percentile). Last week we threw her a huge debut party and had over 100 people over at our place… Luckily, the weather was fabulous and she did great. She was alert and awake for a good two hours while she was being passed around from person to person. We were surprised because she can get pretty fussy, but I think it was just good timing with her eating and sleeping schedule.

I just love having a little girl. She’s like my little doll that I can dress-up, until, of course, she starts crying and pooping and so on… then reality hits… J In China, having a boy is considered good luck (hence the many girls up for adoption), so when I Chinese person asks what I had and I tell them we have a little girl they inevitably get the “I’m sorry” look and then without hesitation they add, “Oh, don’t worry the next one will be a boy!” I always make a point to say that I would be very happy with another girl…

And no, she’s not sleeping through the night yet (I get asked that a lot).

In other news, Travis has started work and he’ll be completing his administrative internship at the same time so it will be a very busy year. I’m on maternity leave right now until October 22nd and will leave this Sunday to go home to Washington for seven weeks. It was a pretty last minute decision and I’m really excited to see our family and friends. Travis is taking his paternity leave next to October break (the first week of October is a Chinese national holiday), so he will fly out to Washington and visit for two weeks and all three of us will travel back to China.

As always, I hope all is well with you and your family and please keep in touch!

Cheers,

Travis, Cara, and Gabriella (the Tebo Family)

July 2007 Gabby Update

So far the first month has had many ups and downs as Travis and I are transitioning into being parents... The first week was crazy but our life is slowly getting into a routine. Gabriella is a really strong girl (at least that’s what people tell us!) and she’s becoming much more alert and we’ve even seen some glimpses of smiles (not sure if that’s gas) which totally melts our hearts. She can lift her head up 90 degrees and practically does push-ups when we put her on her belly. She can roll over on one side too. She is getting bigger and bigger each day- it’s amazing and awesome to watch!