6 months
we moved back to aurora (from honduras, of course) on june 9th, the day after you turned 6 months old. we left your first home and place of birth in the same frantic and over-packed way in which we arrived two short (long) years prior. only this time, we had a baby in tow, along with our 8 suitcases and backpacks (and now, diaper bag). we weren't feeling too nervous about the flight since you had already flown to panama and home from el salvador when you were three months old. you avid travler you. moving day was a long day, filled with hard goodbyes. it was difficult to leave the only place we knew of as a family of three. the country that taught us how to prioritize so many of the right things in life. the city that kept us on our toes and ready for anything. and the people who became family to us in a strange and unfamiliar place. i often refer to honduras as "your country" and hondurans as "your people", and they are little girl. you are 100% pura catracha and honduras will always be a special place to us as we will always remember how we left so differently than we arrived, so much so because of you.
after a long day of traveling, we were met by a very familiar face, your "tia wells", at the airport. she was your first introduction to your american family and met us with open arms and a lot of love. your uncle austin came next and then the floodgates of family and friends unleashed wave after wave of new faces and a lot of hugging. :)
within a week you had met your namesakes, my mama and auntie helen, my aunts and uncles (joanne, al, joe, dale, jim and pauline), your aunts and uncles (izzie, caleb, and ashley) my cousins (dee dee, matt, dan, tim, hannah, paul, maggie, ben, sam, kylie and mosz), your grammy and grandpa redelman, your daddy's grandma nanna, and your cousin, selah grace. so many people already loved you without even knowing you. the first greetings were so precious for your dad and i to experience. i remember feeling you were somehow even more our daughter when we could share you with the people who meant to much to us. like you were more real in our lives.
the month of june was a blur of activity, as well as first meetings. your grammy threw you a welcome home shower/reception so we saw a lot of your daddy's family friends and were blessed with many new toys, diapers, clothes, and gifts to help us get settled with you here in a new place. we celebrated family with the milano reunion, and you got to see your lita and papa from portland again. they sure loved on you! we moved from tia wells and uncle austin's house to our very own little house, 710 oak avenue. you met our friends in aurora and around the neighborhood, jim, kate, jimi, peter, gretchen and david (and baby grace). we unpacked and got settled with the help of so many people. and then another round of hellos and goodbyes.
6 month milestones: you can sit up by yourself for short periods of time. you play on the floor (finally). we experimented with feeding you real food- rice cereal (you hated it!) and carrots (you gagged, so i hated it) and quickly gave up. you rode in your first stroller, the cadillac of all strollers, the BOB. we took a break from cloth diapering (woo!) since we were so much on the go and without a routine. and you swung in your first swing.
7 months
july brought your 7th month birthday and our first american holiday as a family. we celebrated independence day in a very traditional way. the warrenville parade with my childhood friends, and your auntie joey and uncle brian from virginia beach!!, started us off. this is a tradition for us, so we had to show you were we (your mommy and aunties) came from. i will always remember that first holiday together with you, since it was also the first time in two years that i was with both of my sisters at the same time. this was very special for us! we also went to the aurora parade (well, we caught the tail end of it--- still on honduran time). then was the annual bbq/pool party at auntie helen's with the csukor family, followed by aurora fireworks with my sisters and their significant others.
all good things must come to an end, and once again we had to say some goodbyes. first to all the milanos, my aunts, uncles and cousins. then, your auntie joey and uncle brian, followed by my mom and dad, your lita and papa, and your auntie izzie were next since they were living (and moving- izzie) to portland, oregon. june and july were emotional months for us.
your tia wells also threw you a shower this month with my closest friends so you could meet them. dani, abbi (and crosbi), stefanie, kate (and grace), ashley (and selah) all came to celebrate you and showered you with so much love!
you also met mommy's dear friends from brasil, the smoaks, this month. esther, lillian, maggie, violet and baby jessie sure loved you! it was so fun for me to share you with so many of my friends this month!
7 month milestones: your first trips to chicago (depaul campus-lincoln park, pilsen and the loop). your first road trip, to wisconsin to see karla. many trips to the pool- you LOVE swimming (phew!). we started feeding you big girl food again, slowly, but surely and you took to it this time. you ate bananas, avocados and carrots and loved them all from the start. you do the cutest thing when you're eating. you keep your arms up in the air the entire feeding, pumping them up and down as you exclaim, "eh, eh, eh!" with a larger than life smile of pure joy.
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