The Sockless Wonder

Jaime has taken to removing her socks every chance she gets. She loves her little feet and can entertain herself with them for surprisingly long amounts of time.
The weather has been warming up here in Nanjing, and we have found occasion to go for walks to the park and around the city. Jaime Lynne loves being outside, exploring all there is to see. Her eyes are always wide and curious trying to take in everything around her. We have the feeling that she will never be satisfied living a non-adventuresome life!

Jaime Lynne is getting a whole lot more fun, at least from Daddy's point of view. She smiles every time I walk into the room, and loves to play on the bed with me. I have found that my most precious times are late at night when she wakes up and I get to put her back to sleep. I know, it doesn't sound so wonderful, but to take a helpless, frantic child in my arms, and feel her body relax in my arms, is a precious experience that I would never trade for sleep. I trade class time for sleep instead :)We were given this lovely bonnet by a family in Taiwan while we were there. They had a boy, and it didn't seem fitting for him to wear, so we got it!
I have a great friend that has taken quite a bit of interest in me and my little family. He is from Nanjing, but is currently at BYU teaching. I took several classes from him while I was there, and have also had the chance to work extensively with his wife, as she has been my main Flagship instructor, and still is here in Nanjing. While still in Provo, he told me often that my main priority when I came to China was not school and not work; my main responsibility was my family. He was convinced that Jodi would be miserable and would never adjust, and it was my job to keep her comfortable and happy. His insistence has not ceased. Every time he talks with his wife, he tells her to remind me of this, and to not give me too much homework to do :)This is Teacher Chen and his wife, Teacher Ni, last year while we were all still at BYU. Teacher Chen is planning on returning to Nanjing in June, so we should be able to see him again before we head back to the States!
His persistence has had its effects, and I was told the other day that I did not need to write a new final paper this semester, but that I could revise my final paper from last year and re-present it. I took the offer, and was very excited by the lightening of my load. So we are diving back into the One Child Policy! It is wonderful to have people around that express such great interest in me and my family, and who advocate so strongly the importance of the family.