Double Happiness: The First Couple of Days

We arrived home to balloons and a 'Welcome Home' sign courtesy of our awesome neighbors Betsy and Jamie. They also picked up our mail (no thanks to USPS for not stopping our mail like we asked) and kept our frogs and bamboo alive while we were gone - thank you!

Lydia has been exploring the house a little, although the basement is off-limits for now. We're also trying to adjust to the time change. Lydia has been waking up at night, the first night was at 3:00 am, the second was fighting sleep from 1:30 until we finally got up again around 3:30 am. While she takes her nap we're napping too but we're all feeling sleep deprived - except for Gabby who is bounding around the house in her usual full-of-energy way. She's also paying Rob more attention than usual - much to the jealously of Lydia (which I think Gabby is secretly enjoying).

Sunday morning we dressed up and went to the grocery store - nice to be able to hop in the car and drive yourself to the grocery store and load up on familiar foods again. We've eased up on the rationing of the yogurt melts now that we can buy more but Lydia is still trying her best to inhale them. Lydia and Gabby wore matching outfits for their debut outing. Nobody stopped and stared and we didn't collect a mob of old ladies following us shaking their fingers in disgust at their lack of clothes!

Lydia and Gabby are getting along great. Lydia showed us how much of a copycat she is in China and now she is copying Gabby too. While perched on the side of the bed watching TV, little sister Lydia had to scoot over until she was right on the edge too - she didn't appreciate being moved back into the 'safety zone'. Seeing Lydia unhappy made Gabby move back too - she'll be a great big sister.

We're hoping Lydia will sleep through the night tonight - or at least beyond 3:00 am in the morning.