Thankful

Thankful. It sounds cliche at this time of year, but there is really no other word for the emotion I am feeling. The seventh anniversary of our log-in-date (LID) came and went in October, and for the first time, I didn't feel a little sad that day, wondering when we would finally meet our daughter. I know October 10 will always be an important date in our family, but I'm hoping it won't be as weighty as time continues to pass. Then came November 26, the one-year anniversary of our referral--the sweet day we were finally matched to Wendy and were able to see her face for the first time in precious photos.

Looking at these first pictures reveals just how much Wendy has grown in the past seven months since we've been home. The little baby with the serious face now laughs joyfully and loves to shout "Gobble! Gobble!" She thinks everything is a trampoline--her crib, the couch, the dog bed--and now my job is to keep her from landing in the ER. I think often of my high school psychology class when we learned about Erik Erikson's "Eight Ages of Man." When Wendy first came to us, she was in the "Basic Trust v. Mistrust" stage and has recently graduated to the "Autonomy v. Shame and Doubt" stage. She swings wildly from saying emphatically, "I do it, Mama" to throwing herself on the floor when wants me to carry her. Speaking of throwing, her tantrums often include flying projectiles, such as her shoes and the remote control. I guess it must be happening more at school, too, because her preschool teacher asked me today if we had any shoes with laces instead of zippers. (Yes, I can read between the lines.) While frustrating, it is also a good thing because it means she is feeling very comfortable and acting like a typical toddler. So, I suppose I'm thankful for the tantrums, too.

She can also be adorably cute and full of joy. She is easily amused by The Cat in the Hat character and her own feet, so naturally, her favorite book right now is Dr. Seuss' The Foot Book. She sings along to music in the car and adores crayons. She loves to sleep with her new Build-A-Bear named "Bear," which means sometimes "Froggy" gets relegated to the opposite corner of her crib for no apparent reason. She constantly points to objects and asks me, "What's this?" When I respond, "That's a ________, she says with a cute lilt in her voice, "Ooooh." She likes to help me with everything from grocery shopping to laundry, saying "I come, Mama." She also calls me like the dog--"Come, Mama!"--when she wants my attention. All of her new phrases make me smile, but my favorite moments are hearing her say sweetly, "Thank you, Mama" and "I love you." It really doesn't get better than that. Thankful? You betcha.

We celebrated Wendy's Baptism last month. To show how we are all connected, we mixed some water from the Pearl River in Guangzhou, China, with the water in the Baptismal font. It was a very special moment--one I had envisioned for the past seven years--so it felt surreal to finally experience it.

We thought it was fitting to give Wendy her 100 Wishes quilt for her Baptism. We are so grateful to all of the family and friends who contributed a fabric square and special note for her book of good wishes.