This and that...

Well, it's finally happening! Hannah's two front teeth are finally loose! Last night at dinner, she was complaining that her teeth hurt when she bit down on her cracker. At first I thought, oh dear, I hope she's not having more dental problems - when's her next checkup (it's in November). When I asked her which teeth hurt specifically, she pointed to the two front ones and it was then that I knew! We gave them a wiggle, and she was pretty excited, especially since so many of her friends are already sporting a big gap in the front of their smiles. She even had Rachel wiggling them! Unfortunately, I'm pretty squeamish about these things, so when she yanks them out (and judging by her obsession with them, she probably will yank them out), you will find me out cold on the floor!

What's the going rate for front teeth these days?
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Rachel has always loved books. She sits and pores over stacks of them for hours at a time - I'm not kidding! She's going to be one of those kids who will learn to read on her own, just from listening to others read to her. She has an amazing memory, and can recite a new book after hearing it read just one or two times. She's been "reading" like that since she was two.

Hannah is reading well these days. She has worked hard to learn her phonics sounds and her sight words, and I often throw more challenging stuff at her to stretch her - she is always up to the task. Unfortunately, I have to make sure Rachel is otherwise occupied when Hannah is reading aloud from one of our books, because when she gets stuck on a word, Rachel is more than happy to supply the correct word for her from across the room. Hannah gets very frustrated with this. Little sisters can be such a pain! Except in this case, Rachel is only trying to be helpful, and her feelings get hurt when Hannah tells her to go away and leave her alone while she's reading. This requires some careful negotiating on my part...
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Recently, at the book store, we met a family and were talking with them about our adoptions. Abbie piped up, "Mama and Daddy came to China to get me. I was in Guangdong. Mrs. Qiu [the SWI Director] said I was a gentle baby!" And on and on... At two-and-a-half, she's quite the chatterbox! And she's happy to provide any and all information to anyone who will listen (including Al's and my ages). We'd better not discuss our finances in front of her...