Tuesday, August 14, 2007
CLUBB FAMILY UPDATE

Here we are again at our monthly update time! Ainsley has now been home with us for four whole months. Hearing it in that respect (four months) sounds like such little time, but our life with her (and with Griffin) feels as if we've always known them…yet in other ways it feels like just yesterday David was boarding the flight to China to bring our daughter home while Shannon stayed home to care for a 3 week old baby! It is amazing how much can change in these little lives in such a short time.

This past month (July 14-August 14) has been full of adventure as we continued to be out and about with the kids as much as possible, enjoying the summer weather and taking advantage of local events and activities. Our major adventure was our first trip outside of the USA with Ainsley and Griffin (more details below). We are becoming more and more at ease incorporating the kids into our active lifestyles. And Griffin and Ainsley actually seem to love being on the go and exploring new places and new schedules rather than having the same routine all the time. With that said, however, there certainly are times when this is not the case and we do have “meltdowns.” But those are few and far between, so we feel very lucky that both kids seem to be very flexible and adaptable as they fit into our often times less than routine lifestyle.

Ainsley (16 months old) continues to surprise us with how well she is adjusting to life in the US and in the Clubb family (both of which are quite a culture shock we are sure!). She loves her little brother, Griffin, and has transitioned from a love/hate relationship with our dog, Bosco, into one that is mostly love. She continues to surprise us with how many different and unique foods she will eat, but she also does have a few moments from time to time when she seems to shut down and get a little more picky. She loves the swimming pool and being outside in the sun. She is talking more and more (and actually becoming understandable - not just babble). Some of her new words are:

▪ baby;
▪ bye bye (and waves);
▪ thank you;
▪ cheers (and clinks glasses);
▪ yeah;
▪ c'mon (and pats her leg like when we are
▪ calling our dog, Bosco); and
▪ Bosco (which sounds more like “Buh”).

Even more interesting is how she comprehends certain things. She definitely understands us when we speak to her. Any time we say Griffin needs a diaper change, she runs to the place we keep the diapers and gets all the essentials for a diaper change out of the cabinet! She is becoming quite the mother's helper. Besides “helping” with the diaper changes, she constantly gives Griffin his toys, puts things back when we ask her to, helps open the door when we need to take Bosco outside…and the list goes on and on.

Griffin (5 months old) is becoming such a little boy in every way. He is looking more and more like a toddler (though he is not there yet, of course) and less and less like a tiny baby. He is so cute! He is quite aware of his surroundings - smiling and laughing all the time. He rolls over from his back to his belly regularly now and is scooting around all over the floor exploring new toys. We now almost always find him on his belly when he wakes up in his crib. He LOVES watching Bosco. He will just sit and smile at Bosco and lean over trying to touch him. It is so cute. He is also still very entertained by his big sister and enjoys watching her run around and play. While we love each new stage of his development, it is hard to know we will never see him as that tiny little newborn baby anymore. He is becoming a little kid! We're probably going to start him on solid foods (in addition to continuing to nurse) in mid-September, which is exciting but also kind of sad to Shannon who has been his only source of nourishment since birth.