Cute!

I am biased and really don't think there can be anyone cuter!  Daddy is off to the side taking a rest; Bun Bun has tired him out!

It looks like Bun Bun is winking.  She actually squints her one eye when she looks to her side.  We have talked to an opthalmologist about this and were assured that there isn't anything wrong.  It should be something she'll grow out of.  We have yearly visits to the eye doctors.

Quick Updates

The new school year starts next Monday.  I've been packing in all in: last minute experiment, get ready for the new semester, spend time with Bun Bun, and house hunting.  Fortunately (or rather unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), there hasn't been a lot of houses for huntin'; so, we keep lookin' and waitin'.

Baby Bunny's signing vocabulary:
16.  Hat
17.  Shoes
18.  Socks
19.  Wash hands
20.  Brush teeth
21.  Daddy

We realized that we needed new "Baby Signing Videos" when the tune of "Diaper Dance" started to stick in our heads.  So, Baby Buuny has picked up a few more signs over the last 2-3 weeks after Daddy dug up the new videos that I had packed up during the move.  This little girl amazes us by how quickly she learned new things.  Still no words out of her mouth yet though.

On Tuesday, we were at clinic getting some evaluations.  She weighed in at a hefty 24 pounds and measured 2 feet 8.5 inches!  Two years ago today, she was barely 5 pounds!  Her latest trick has been climbing sofas!  Makes me nervous sometimes! She sometimes forgets to climb down backwards or leans back to nothing...

Harmonica

婆婆 brought Bun Bun a harmonica from Taiwan.  She's actually quite good at playing it, better than what the videos showed.  I missed her play in the second video by half a second, but the smile is just too cute not to post.

Bun Bun's signing vocabulary update:
1.  Doggie
2.  More
3.  All done
4.  Baby
5.  Eat
6.  Kitty cat
7.  Cracker
8.  Monkey
9.  Banana
10.  Drink
11.  Bird
12.  Fish
13.  婆婆
14.  Mama
15.  Poopies

Here's a family picture at the Phillies game Sunday night.  It went way past our bedtime.  You can see Bun Bun getting really tired.  Despite the Phillies losing the game, we had a great time.

Good times

Bun Bun watching her favorite show:  Curious George and the Man with the Yellow Hat

One of the advantages of apartment living is that Bun Bun actually gets more room to roam.  One of her favorite thing to do is to take an inventory of all her books.  Yep.  They are all there.

Caught in the act...

Fun time at the beach!  We were at Island Beach State Park on Saturday.

There were lots of really pretty sea shells.

On the move...

Phew... it's been another busy month, not at work this time, but on the home front.  Earlier this year, we decided to sell our house, find a bigger, newer house, and move closer to 婆婆.  All of May, we gave our house a deep cleaning and moved a bunch of stuff to storage.  By the end of May, we officially put it on the market.  Unexpectedly, a nice family wanted to buy it on the first day!  Last Friday, we made settlement and officially handed over all of our keys to the new owners.  Everything turned out as it should, except that we were unable to find an ideal house to move to.   So, as we packed up everything, we rented another storage unit for stuff we didn't really need and moved everything else into an apartment.

Baby Bunny has been spending the weekday at 婆婆's house.  The apartment is closer to her house and better for the therapy sessions.  During the nights and weekends though, Bun Bun roams around in the apartment.  I think she's happy as a clam because she actually has more places to explore.  Her typical routine is to go into her little room and take an inventory of all of her books.  One by one, she flips through them and tosses them aside.  Then, she opens the big drawer with her clothes and pulls out her shirts.

We are actively looking for an ideal house to buy and reestablish our roots.  The housing market is very slow during the summer time since people are on vacation.  We're hoping things will pick up in September.  We have seen some good homes, but there's always something that makes it not so great.  Some abut highways and busy roads.  Some have high maintenance yards.  Some sit below street-level and may have flooding problems.  Some are in not so nice neighborhoods.  So, we keep looking and waiting...

Baby Bunny Birthday Bashes!

Bun Bun got two birthday parties and two birthday cakes!

What's really exciting was seeing her pick up food with a fork and feeding herself.  On Sunday, for the first time, she ate big girl food - not the pureed, mushy food.  I was kind of hoping to see and take pictures of her smear cake all over her face.  But, she did a pretty good job keeping neat and tidy.

Happy birthday, Baby Bunny!  You have brought so much joy to our family.

Saturday' yummy fruit tart

I can use a fork to pick up food!!

Sunday's ice cream cake... delish!!

Neat and clean... no bib!

Baby Bunny turns two!

In four days, Baby Bunny will be two years old!  Seems like she's been two for a long time though.  It's pretty amazing how much she has grown and developed over the last year.

I recently read an article written by a father with a two-year old DS daughter.  It was a confession of his initial ignorance about Down Syndrome that prompted him to think about walking out on his family.  His honesty reminded me of my thoughts and fears two years ago when we learned about Bun Bun.  If I am able to go back in time and have a talk with myself, I would tell myself to enjoy every moment being with her and not worry so much.  It has indeed been great joy to watch her grow and learn.

Teeny tiny Baby Bunny with Daddy just a couple of weeks after we brought her home from the hospital.

For perspective, Daddy hasn't changed very much, but Bun Bun sure has!

Dresses & Apple

Baby Bunny has lately acquired several cute little dresses.  She looks super cute in them.  I tried to take pictures.  But, the girl is obsessed with cameras, cell phones, and iPads/iPods.  If she sees anyone with one of them in hand, she'll be magnetized to it.  My little iPod touch doesn't take pictures very well even though it's a nice little gadget.  Most of the pictures I take with it is blurry, because Bun Bun is always moving and walking towards me as soon as she sees me with it.  This picture came out pretty well despite the girl wanting to touch the iPod and play with it.  Sometimes, she just likes to hold it in her little hands, flip through the photo album, and look at pictures of herself.  I'm not a big fan of Apple's labor practices, but have to give kudos to Apple products, for making them kid friendly.  Even a toddler with special needs has figured out how to use them, open up apps, and be entertained.

Baby Bunny June Vignettes

Bun Bun's entertainment: watching us eat dinner.

June has been a busy month for me.  I was finally able to finish the first draft of the grant due next Tuesday and take a little break.  Bun Bun and I were suppose to go to our PT pool group today, but the physical therapist is out sick.  So, I get to spend an entire day with my Bunny!

The other day, John and I were eating dinner in the dinning room.  Bun Bun was playing by herself in the living room, on the other side of the baby gate.  She was busy doing something, but I couldn't tell until I saw her pushing and rolling her little red chair close to the TV.  She then plopped herself down in her chair and watched us finish our dinner.  Now, that's what you call dinner entertainment.

Cutie!

We went back to Longwood Gardens last Saturday while Daddy went to his townhouse to take care of business.  While we were having our snack under a big shaded tree, a little 2-year old boy named Nicholas came up to Bun Bun.  He brought her his little train toy.  His mom said they lived nearby but were originally from Kazakhstan.  I think Nicholas was hitting on Bun Bun!  Gasp!  With that cute face, could you blame her?  She could use a better hair cut though.  With all the wiggling and wriggling, it's hard!

Update on Bun Bun's signing vocabulary:
Banana
Drink

Longwood Gardens, part 2

Hot day today!  Since we had to get up early for OT, we might as well take advantage of the cooler morning for an outing.  Off we went to Longwood Gardens, again!  This time, we strolled through the outdoor gardens and saw lots more flowers, ferns, trees, and flowering bushes.  The roses are in full bloom right about now.