One year later

April 2013

April 2014

It's hard to believe we have been a forever family for a year. When I look back at the photos from our Gotcha Day, it's shocking how much Wendy has changed. On the one hand, it seems like just yesterday when she toddled across the room to me, holding a custard pie and a lollipop. On the other hand, it seems like she has always been part of our family. In the past year, we have traveled thousands of miles physically and emotionally. We have worried about everything from runny noses to starting preschool, and we have celebrated so many joyful "firsts" together. We are so blessed.

 A year ago, Wendy did not want to look at Bill; now, she gallops happily down the hall with Daddy when it is time for them to go to Costco or to read Dr. Seuss' The Foot Book. A year ago, she would not set foot on the grass; now, she eagerly prances through grass and snow. A year ago, she was simply watching her big sister dance around the living room; now, Wendy is the one belting out Frozen's "Let it Go."

A year ago, our baby girl could only communicate with us through frightened facial expressions; now, she asks for help with washing her hands by reminding me, "I'm not big yet, Mom." Recently, we were driving home on a random side street, and Wendy shocked me by asking, "Why are you going THAT way?" I thought, 'You have an opinion about that???' When Maddie asked me questions like this, I was prepared for them because her language development followed a linear pattern. Wendy's cognition is way ahead of her expression, so her language development seems more like it is leapfrogging. That's our girl--full of surprises and very funny.

As always, the most heart-warming part of this journey has been watching our girls together. Sure, they bicker like all siblings, but there is something truly special about the way they smile and laugh when they are together. Wendy looks up to Maddie and emulates everything she does, including eating her applesauce without a spoon. Like all good big sisters, Maddie encourages Wendy to step out of her comfort zone, including going down the big slide at the playground and taking her picture with the Easter bunny. Whenever Maddie is away, Wendy asks, "Where did Maddie go?" To help Wendy learn her colors, Maddie has been painting Wendy's nails to correspond with preschool's color of the week. It is so cute to hear Wendy tell everyone, "Maddie painted my nails. They are purple." A year ago, Maddie was the first one to make Wendy laugh, and today she still gets the best ones.

It seems we are in the car a lot, and Wendy recently discovered it is fun to pass the time by looking for American flags. She first noticed the one at the elementary school down the street, and then she was happy to see others in front of banks, car dealers and grocery stores. Until she pointed them out, I had no idea there were so many American flags flying in our community, and I suppose that is true across the country. This game is particularly poignant after all of the paperwork we filled out to bring her home, and then all of the new paperwork we have filled out in the past year to obtain her state birth certificate, social security number and U.S. passport. Now that the documentation part of her story is nearly complete, we get to enjoy teaching her about freedom, opportunity, the value of diversity and, of course, love. Yes, Wendy, you are home and that flag is yours, too.