Naturally she has changed. She has changed in all the ways that 1-year-olds become 2-year-olds and she has changed in all the ways that an institutionalized child changes and grows when she becomes the center of a family that puts all of her needs and wants first. She is our little girl, not our baby.
But as we watched these videos, we admired our daughter, how far she has come, and how much of her is still very much the same- just older. Until we watched these, we had not been able to see all of the innate qualities that are so very "Abigail." Every day we watch her change before our eyes and were not able to notice how she is the same. Children come to us, either in the the traditional way or through adoption and they are who they are. It has been a joy this week to reflect on who my daughter is. She is a person who
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| loves to be outside more than inside |
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| loves water, from playing in the bath in a sink to enjoying living by the ocean |
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| does this when she is upset, wants to calm down or is stressed |
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| loves getting presents (although, what kid doesn't?) |
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| smiles with her whole face Clockwise from top left (eating finger paint, in her swing, on the anniversary of her match day, Christmas time) |
Abigail is very amazing at thinking through things.
Watching her videos at 14 months, it was surprising to see that the intensity that is always in her eyes now, the focused determination and careful thoughts she engages in all the time now as a toddler were there when she didn't have the language to talk to us a year ago.
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| her eyes are intense and seem to be a curtain hiding a very old soul with incredible and deep thoughts |
And I can't help but mention how much I love to watch the little angel sleep
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| Clockwise from top left: a few exhausting hours after we got Abigail, Abigail napping on Baba in China, Abigail asleep on the couch after Christmas fun, in her crib |
Welcome home, kid.
Beautifully written for a beautiful girl. Being a mom is the best thing ever!
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