Kubla Can

PanPan has been in a great mood lately, and yesterday was quite a day. After Music Together, we stopped at an Italian deli on the way home. For lunch, she ate carrot-fennel soup, arrancini (rice ball stuffed with cheese and spinach) and olives. She loved everything -- I didn't even think to offer her an olive, but she saw me eat one and insisted on trying it. This girl really has an appetite.

Then we went to her physical therapist who says she continues to make progress. The balance between her two sides is greater and her left side is more flexible. She still doesn't have the full strength to crawl (which will help her with all sorts of things) but she's getting there. And just in the past few days, she is able to stand up by herself. She especially likes to do this in her crib when she is supposed to be sleeping. A few times she has slid herself off the couch into a standing position. And now, though she still holds on while standing, she can bend over and pick things up from the floor. The crawling and rolling are supposed to be helpful for her eye-tracking (depth perception) and we've noticed continual improvement there.

Another really cute thing is that when she sleeps, PanPan always rolls over her blanket, and it ends up in a little ball under her. So we've started waiting til she falls asleep to cover her. But she's having none of that. Now she pulls the blanket down from the side of her crib - just another thing to play with, everything is of interest.

But getting down to our PT visit, since were already in Evanston, it was time for the highlight of the day -- PanPan's third date with Kubla. For those who know Paula (Lipton) Domsky, Kubla is her stepson Jon's son. His mom is from Hangzhou and she and Kubla's dad run a Chicago-Hangzhou business called Kidorable. You have probably seen their cute ladybug and frog umbrellas and rain boots. (Now I see how it is that bloggers start monetizing...)

I was pretty much in the dog house for forgetting to photograph the first two dates, so I made sure to position my iPhone this time. Kubla woke up from his nap in time to welcome "meimei" (little sister). The two of them shared a few drinks, had some wontons, and then played some games, including PanPan's favorite mimic game (she makes a sound and then we make it back). Unfortunately my iPhone wasn't out when Kubla gave her a kiss, but I guess even babies deserve some privacy...