coffee and my gal

in the midst pneumonia x 2, antibiotics, steroids and lots of these...

plus a zpack, piles of tissues and 3 nights of going to bed at 8:30 for yours truly...

i met today's morning less than enthusiastically.

the boys have brought whining to a whole new level, and i (trying to catch up on the millions of things i have let slide in the past few days) felt the pull to tackle my mounting paperwork this morning, which (rightfully so) induced more whining. it was amidst the blitz of paperwork and coughing, that a dear friend stopped by to bring me this.

ah, she knows me well. oh the joy of a mocha late. a surprise that will perk up a morning, no matter how much chaos it's surrounded by. 

then, oh about 11:15, in the rush of granny and the rover and breathing treatments, i got the best gift of all... UPDATE PHOTOS OF EMERY! oh my goodness. since the photos wouldn't open on my phone, i was off at a sprint, jumping over 1 boy, around the kitchen island and lept the length of the remaining hardwood, nearly crashing through the computer chair. gmail has never loaded so slowly in all my life.
oh the pure joy! and she's smiling! the last ones i got of her (nearly 5 months ago) she was definitely NOT smiling. it made my heart ache to look at them.
but THESE....oh my. smiles. sitting up. i could stare at them for hours. and she looks so much older, thankfully a bit chubby, and, in true chinese fashion, dressed to the hilt in an array of layers upon layers. her hands look teenie tiny compared to the thickness of her mounding sleeves.

(see what i mean? layers galore. even her one shoe falling off is adorable. oh, i want to squeese her so bad!)

i can't wait for this baby girl to donn a summer sundress. oh the thought of her running in the grass and chasing her brothers brings me to tears.
another chinese tradition (much to my chagrin) is the shaving of little a girl's hair. yes, that's right. SHAVING. several friends of mine brought freshly shaven baby girls home, as chinese caregivers feel it will make their hair grow in thicker. as of now, my little girl still has a most lovely head of hair. i'm hoping it will still be there when we meet :)

on a day when i feel like going back to bed...nursing the worst bout of sickness we've ever endured all at the same time...i'm all better now. coffee and my gal. a great combo :)