Much to be thankful for...

It has been six months since our little dumpling first joined our family in China. During that time, she has gained six pounds and grown three inches, learned to roll over, sit, stand, crawl, walk, run, and dance. She now, amazingly, can say more than 50 English words - including "phone" (one of her favorites), "more" (which she often pronounces "moy" and uses when she wants food or drink), and "eyes" and "hat" (both of which of she will point to upon meeting a new person), and at least four words in Chinese. She now calls for her sister "Ola" and her nanny "Aya".

She has gone from a village in Jiangxi province to the capital, Nanchang, and then to Guangzhou. And from there to our home in Chicago, and then on trips to the Bay Area, New York, DC, Youngstown, and now, with the Jenkins family in Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving.

She has taken music class and gone to summer dance, ridden on swings and slid down slides, made multiple trips to the aquarium and the Children's museum, laughed at her reflection in the Bean, worn mittens, met cousins galore, B...man after B...man and a few babysitters too. She has eaten and eaten and eaten - especially in certain growth phases like she appears to be in now. Either that or she got the memo that the Thanksgiving holiday is for gorging.

She has spent time with both of her Nanas, but the name she learned first was PopPop. I was amazed when we first walked into Nana and PopPop's empty house in Pittsburgh (they were out to dinner) that she blurted out "PopPop" though she had only been here once, for less than 24 hours. Though it made me sad too that she never got to meet her Pops.

It was just over a year ago that he left us, and it was around the same time
that a precious girl in the Jianxin orphanage was being put into the adoption queue to become his namesake, Ms. Rikki Panrae Burdman.

Amazing that exactly six months from the day the Chinese adoption became official here she is, in Davis' arms, wearing a darling pink dress and patent leather shoes (sorry you can't see those in this pic), munching calmly on a roll, and delighting us without end.