This was the first year that Liza was awake for any July 4th fireworks and did she ever love it! Eliza sat on my lap, eyes as bright as ever. She giggled and pointed to the sky non-stop and clapped right along with me. A few times, she reached her tiny arm around behind my neck and gave me a backwards hug as tight as she could in shear joy. It was one of those moments of connection that I will treasure. She loved the fireworks. I was only worried, sensory-wise, for a minute because I also knew that she loves bright lights and colors and rythmic beats...so she proved me right!

The kitten is now separated from her mom and has been growing up in her new-temporary home on our screened porch until she joins her permanent family (friends of ours).

In the meantime, she loves watching Eliza jump on the trampoline and stalk Liza as she reads her magazines...and chew on Liza's toes... We've been spending lots of time on the screen porch shaded by the old red oaks and watching the kitty play!

Swimming...I've got to bring my camera. She is now swimming w/out a vest and tries so hard to keep a float. She loves to sit indian-style on the bottom of the 3 foot section and slowly release air (bubbles) from her mouth. She comes up from the bottom laughing away. She took water in her nose and didn't like it, but blew it out and then went back under. She's been really watching and mimicking the other children as they splash and dive and swim. It's been a fantastic couple of weeks of growth.

On July 4th, she actually was interracting w/ another 4 yo named Joseph at our pool. He is the cutest, funniest little boy. He's always played alongside Eliza for the past few years, but never really pushed his way into trying to play with her like some of the other 4 and 5 yo's are doing now (i.e. why doesn't she talk, why won't she play with me, why is she ignoring me...). It's been a sort of unspoken play between them. Well, on this particular day, he was telling his gramma and me to watch him as he went under water. So, Eliza started doing it along with him and I could see that she was opening her eyes under water and looking around in amazement. At one point, she pushed off from under water and "swam" to him and with arms extended out, reached for his hands. It was so neat. He laughed and did it back to her. Then she turned and did the same thing to me, poking me in the belly from under the water. She came up laughing. Another moment of connection that I will treasure.

Summer days...other than the pool, "we"'re enjoying my new obsession steam cleaning the carpets. I'm ocd about vacuuming every day so it's only fitting that I'd enjoy steam cleaning too. My carpets looks beautiful! We're riding bikes, jumping on the trampoline, reading books and speech therapy starts this week too. We're eating lots of summer veggies and my favorite, lettuce-tomatoe sandwiches...and playing with the kitty. I'm daydreaming a lot about Meiying and how it's all going to go when she we first meet (the good, the frightening and the grief) and about having her home. That's about it! ...Oh and I saw the Jersey Boy's production Sunday night w/ some of my girlfriends. It was fantastic! The Jersey language was a bit much, but the songs were fantastic. You forget how many hits Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons had. I could see it again.