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)