Madeline's First Step!

Madeline took her first step on Valentine's Day! She has been standing on her own for awhile, so we knew it might not be long... And sure enough, while trying to hand me a toy, she tentatively slid a foot forward before crumpling to the ground. We tried it again...and she took three steps (Hey, who cares if she was technically trying to catch herself as she fell forward). She hasn't tried again since, but she will in her own time.

The other very fun news is that her passport came in the mail -- we're getting so excited about planning our trip to Beijing to visit my family.

The day we had her passport picture taken, I fed her quickly and whisked her to Kinkos, rushing to be home for her next nap. It wasn't until I looked at the finished photo that I realized she had little hardened sweet potato peaks sticking out above both ears where she ran her messy fingers through her hair. It kind of looks like Nick Nolte's crazy hair in his infamous arrest shot (only cute, not creepy...)

Besides the long travel, I think the toughest challenge about our visit might be reversing Madeline's days and nights. It's worth it though, and doesn't everyone say that babies are adaptable?

Oh, as a side note, I cut 11 inches off my hair on a whim (the new Katie Holmes) and I love it, though ironically, my long hair was a lot less work. Having a new look has inspired me to pull things out of my closet that I haven't worn in ages, experiment with jewelry and buy a bolder shade of lipstick. I guess that's why they say change is good!

So, as we plan our China adventure, we're having fun practicing the Mandarin phrases that we read about on Ning's blog (though we have no idea how to pronounce them!). Ni Hau to you! (Hello and good-bye...)