Life lately in Xian has been so awesome! The past week and a half or so has brought the sun and warm weather both of which have been great. As a family we have been able to go out with the girls on walks and play at the park a lot. This has brought in some new friends to our life as we meet other families here. It’s funny because Heather’s blonde hair sticks out so much that it and our daughters are like a magnet for conversation when we are out. I (Matt) have neither blonde hair nor am a child therefore I have nothing to offer.
Both our girls have made huge strides lately in each of their own ways. Aubrey in one week went from not being mobile, to an awkward knee crawl, and finally is crawling longer and faster than ever before. And it comes just a few days before her first birthday! She also has been saying “bye” and waving more and more as well as saying “Dada”. She also will point at things and hold her hands out when she wants something. She’s so cute!
As for Sydney her Chinese has been getting better all the time. It’s almost like when she first started speaking English, one day she doesn’t know the word then the next she can say it, with no problem. She also has understood more and more. Heather has been a huge influence on teaching her, she (Heather) has been taking a lot of initiative in using Chinese with her.
Well here are a handful of recent quotes and stories from Sydney. Before I left for Beijing I told Sydney I would get her a present, I wanted to relieve her of being sad when I had to leave. Anyways, I got home (as you know) a week ago, but I got home at like 10, so Sydney was already in bed. That night she woke up at 1 a.m. and needed a drink of water. I was excited to get to go in and give her a hug and kiss. As I entered her room she noticed it was me and the first thing she said after not seeing me for 4 days was “Daddy, do you have my present” in a sleepy 1 o’clock in the morning way. It was so touching.
The other week we were going downstairs in our elevator and Heather told Sydney “Your such a big girl!”, to which Sydney responded “Yeah, I’m a big girl, just like Daddy!”. Last story, so a couple of days ago Sydney yelled to me while she was taking a bath. I went into the bathroom and she said “Daddy, help me! The alligators are going to get me!”, so I said “Sydney, ask them to be your friend”. As I was standing there Sydney says, “Will you be my friend”, in her cute little voice, and then responded to herself with a gruff voice (speaking for the alligator) saying “OK!”. I laughed pretty hard.
'Till Next Time,
The Petersons
