Latest update on Rachel

Yesterday we received an unexpected update on our new daughter Rachel. We knew from her referral information that she was going to be a big girl, but wow is she a big girl ;-) I am now thinking she must be related in some way to Yao Ming ! At just under 9 months, we are being told our daughter is 30 inches and 23 lbs. What does this mean? Well it means that I spent yesterday returning all the 12 months clothes I had already bought for her and replacing them with 18 months. She also has 2 bottom teeth and they are still feeding her every 4 hours including through the night, yikes. They are adding rice cereal for each feeding and 1/2 egg yolks to her bottle once a day but are not giving her anything else currently. It really is good to know all these things before we travel. I've heard from other families that have adopted from Xiushan SWI that the nannies will also show us how they are mixing her bottles so we can at least give her some consistency while in China.

Developmentally, it sounds like Rachel is doing very well but still hasn't had the opportunity to crawl or walk. It does say she sits up by herself and can roll over. It also says she can hold toys in her hand.

She is described as quiet but with many facial expressions. Our first daughter Audrey is rarely ever quiet so I think their personalities will compliment each other ;-) It also says she looks for dropped toys and follows the sound they make. She is now sliding in her Go-kart, aka walker.

We haven't heard any word yet on when to expect TAs but we are hoping we might hear by the end of next week. Our hearts are really aching now to meet her and bring her home. Please keep us in your prayers.