I LOVE GOOD FOOD!!! (pregnant or not)

Tonight we had the best Chinese food!!! It's a place on Lancaster Ave in Ardmore. It's called Hunan. The food was so authentic. When we left we complimented the owner and he said that they use traditional kitchen style as opposed to Americanized Chinese food. You could really taste the difference.
First they put out complimentary cold and hot dishes. The cold dish was cucumbers, very popular in Asia. The hot was a small chicken dish. Both were really good. I ordered chicken & snowpeas, which had an incredible flavor. Dave got sweet & sour chicken. It was really tasty and not fried. Lilia got the vegetable dumplings, pictured. That was her favorite in Asia. She ate every last one!
We were really pleased. If you are in the area at all, check it out!!! It's SO GOOD.
Oh, and at the end...the fortune cookies were 1/3 dipped in chocolate! A sweet ending.

Helping Poppy in the back yard

Lilia's drawing of a "spider"

Philadelphia

Dave, Lilia and I took a trip into Philly today. It was great! I have to admit we were a bit nervous about the neighborhoods and what it would be like. However, we were pleasantly surprised. We will primarily be working at U Penn and would like to live somewhat close. We haven't come to any conclusions yet, but we think we're gonna like it.
Living in Asia in such a major city has really prepared us to say ok to Philly. Dave and I are as suburban as they come. In fact we were in Borders last night and Dave looked through the book, "Stuff White People Like." Two things listed side by side were, "Living Abroad" and "Gentrification." We had a good laugh!

Disclaimer

I have to put out a disclaimer...Wipeout tonight wasn't as funny as other ones I've seen. So if you watched it tonight and were disappointed, then I apologize. Really it's the first 10 minutes that get you rolling.

Wipeout

Hands down, my new favorite show is Wipeout on ABC! Oh My Gosh! I laughed so hard that tears streamed down my face! If you want to get a sneak peak before tomorrow night you can watch it on you tube. Dave just now showed me an episode and I asked him to pause it in between laughing hysterically so that I could catch my breath! Oh man!  Good stuff!

Lilia and Chopper

We're having a Boy!!!

Wow!

I was SHOCKED! I couldn't believe it when the technician said, "It's a boy." I was convinced for a couple of reasons that we were having a girl.
We are very excited! It's a little sad though to have to put away all of Lilia's cute clothes, but that's ok. This new baby is healthy and everything is in the right place. We are thankful!
Just as a heads up we are keeping the name a secret!

Playing in the water with Grammy

Today we went to the Please Touch Museum in Fairmount Park, Phila. It was so neat! Lilia had an amazing time. She was unusually quiet throughout the museum. I think beacuse she was so busy moving on from one fun activity to the next. Her favorite was the carousel. She loved riding the horse. My favorite was watching her climb the rock wall. This girl is going to be an excellent rock climber on a rock face some day!

Fearlessly, and with out missing a step Lilia climbs the rock wall!

"We're Painting the Roses Red"

Riding on the Carousel

Ultrasound

My official ultrasound is scheduled for Friday, June 19th. Stay tuned to find out what we're having!

"I'm Driving My Car"

Lilia loves the car. Not just driving, but riding in it too. She enjoys her car seat and hasn't complained once! I don't know how that's possible since she has had to be contained in Asia.

Wheel Barrel Rides w/Nannie

Lilia loves to "swim" in her pool

Praise The Lord!

LILIA SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! It took 6 days, but finally last night she did it. It almost feels like we have a newborn only newborns don't wake up and want to play for 4 hours.

We all woke up this morning asking each other, "Did you get up with her?" When everyone responded "No," we were thrilled! The only thing left is for Dave and I have to get our minds and bodies to sleep past 5am and we're golden!

America is SO frustrating!!!

Today was supposed to be the day that we find out if we are having a boy or a girl. I have an appt. for 10 am and I called to confirm that we could find out. I know they have an ultrasound machine in the office because a friend of my mom's goes there. Well they told me they have to give me a slip of paper and I have to set it up with the hospital. I am 21 weeks already and am dying to know if I get to re-use Lilia's cute stuff or explore new options! 

Oh America and it's red tape! It's so frustrating when you just came from a place where there is no such thing as red tape.

We are making it...barely!

Today is day 3 and the adrenaline is starting to wear off as the sleep deprivation kicks in. If Dave and I didn't have Lilia we would be golden, but since we have a daughter who is on the opposite schedule, we're hurting. Each night we get about 4 hours of sleep and take a short nap in the day. Lilia hasn't been sleeping more than 5 hours at a time. When she's up, she's UP and ready to start her day with a full blast of energy. I know this is normal, but it's super challenging! My parents have been amazing though. They've done so much for us.
Our luggage came the next day. It was really fun to go through everything and see all the fun things we've bought over the year. We are slowly catching up with some friends and family. It's really nice to reconnect!!

WE MADE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We crossed the ocean and made the long journey back to America. Our day of travelling started on June 1st at 11:15 am with a trip to the airport. We had a good flight out of Asia to Chicago. Lilia slept a total of 7-8 hours or so on the plane. That made it very doable for Dave and I.
The challenge was getting to our next destination with only 45 minutes in between an international and domestic flight. Due to weather in Chicago we landed late. We had to get our luggage, go through customs and give our luggage back to the flight people. Then we had to run to our gate, go through security and get on the plane. We made it with 10 MINUTES to spare before they closed the plane door! It was very emotional and stressful.
It was amazing to see our family on the other side of the doors! My mother-in-law even had a fresh Philly soft pretzel (very different from Aunite Anne's) waiting for me! I think my love language is food.
Lilia did amazing on the hour long car ride home. She didn't even mind her car seat. She yelled out to my brother in another car, "Look shu shu (means uncle), I'm riding in my car."
My parents even made Lilia's room super special as well as ours. They are too good to us! It's good to be home. Except that we are still waiting on our luggage. Due to such a short amount on time between flights, our luggage is being delivered today. No big deal though.
Oh, and our 1st night's sleep was awful. Lilia freaked out in her bed. Dave got about 2 hours and me 1 1/2. Good thing we have time off to adjust!