Fox can climb stairs!

A couple of days ago I came home from work and Chris said "Wanna see Fox's new trick?" and set him up next to our stairs.  I was shocked to see he can climb them--with relative ease!

Some good news--Adoption Tax Credit Extended and Increased

Some good news--the Adoption Tax Credit has been extended (through 2011) and the amount has increased!  That means if we are able to finish our adoption in 2011 (which probably isn't that likely--but I'm hopeful it will continually be extended after that), we would qualify for a $13,000-something tax credit.  Whoo hoo!  And it is now the GOOD kind of tax credit, that isn't limited by your tax liability.  :)

Adoption Tax Credit Extended and Increased

Fox is 9 months old

Today Fox is 9 months old!  He still won't crawl, but he will scoot around and loves to stand whenever he can.  Enjoy this video of him chirping with excitement while he stands in his standing tub :)

Fox enjoying a plum

Fox LOVES to share plums with us these days.  If we are eating a plum, Fox just INSISTS on getting some, too. 

Fox using a spoon

Fox is being very insistent about holding his own spoon these days.  He is also very insistent about trying to sit up when we're trying to change his diaper, but that's another story.  I was feeding him some peas and squash yesterday, and thought I'd see what happened if I let him try to use the spoon himself....

Peek-a-boo Fox

Fox has learned to play peek-a-boo, which is super cute.  He also learned to clap very recently.  Here is a video of him playing peek-a-boo with Chris :)

Happy Year of the Tiger!

We had a small Chinese New Year party last night, which was a lot of fun. So much good food!  And we watched Shaolin Soccer (very funny, if you haven't seen it).  Here is a picture of Fox's first Chinese New Year, with his cousins :)  Happy New Year, everyone!!  (oh, and Happy Valentine's Day, too)

Fox can stand!

So Fox has figured out how to pull himself up to a standing position!  We are so proud :)

First "trimester"

If our wait on the Cathwel list were akin to a pregnancy, we would have just finished the first trimester (i.e. first 3 months, approximately) and would have two more to go.  Since this is instead an international adoption, I find myself wondering--how many more "trimesters" will we have?  10?  12? 15?  It is a humbling thought.

My baby is 7 months old

My baby Fox is 7 months old now!  Kind of hard to believe.  He is such a good boy--he's been sleeping pretty well at night, and he is eating great--he loves all kinds of fruits and vegetables, plus grains and some baby yogurt.  He doesn't seem real keen on crawling (he can scoot backwards, but doesn't try to go forwards--he usually just starts fussing), but he loves to be standing and will take a few small steps (with a great deal of support).  Here are a few recent pics - one of him doing tummytime on his neat foam tile flooring and the other one where he is learning to 'cruise' along the coffee table (with some assistance).

Bao Bei

Here is a beautiful song by Taiwanese singer Zhang Xuan called "Bao Bei" (which is a term Chinese mothers use for their babies--I believe it loosely translates to 'precious treasure' so it is kind of like the German term of endearment "Schatz" with some baby connotations).  Cute pictures of little Chinese babies are included!  :)

Fun in the snow!

We played outside today for awhile--Fox seemed to enjoy it pretty well :)