Happy Plus-One Day!

Happy Plus-One Day!

This Friday marks the day that Wendy will have been with us one day longer than all of the other places she has lived combined. In other words, she will have been with us for over half of her life, a milestone that makes me sigh with relief and smile with gratitude. We have settled happily into a new normal, and it feels like Wendy has been part of our family forever. In fact, I realized I haven't written a blog entry in about six months because our life just seems so blissfully ordinary now.

In the past six months, Wendy has grown significantly. We take the changes for granted, but relatives who haven't seen her in a while seem shocked by how much she has changed. She has gone from talking in sentences to paragraphs, and her vocabulary astounds me at times. When helping her pick out clothes for school, I suggested a simple pair of pink pants to go with her Elmo shirt, but Wendy said sweetly, "I want to pick out something beautiful to wear." She has a wicked sense of humor, too. When I told her how old I was on my birthday, she acted dumbfounded and said, "You're kidding!" When we drove to Florida for Christmas, she said with a smirk, "I'm not going to Florida. I'm going to New York City!" New York City? How does she even know about New York City? She even reminded my father how to use a mall elevator when he got distracted by some pretty lights and got off on the same floor from which they had entered: "Boompa, you have to push the button to make it go up." She is becoming an expert at using her words to express emotions, too. When our dog ate her Halloween cupcake, she said, "I am so angry at you, Lindsey! You ate my cake--my WHOLE cake!" Finally, she is very proud that she is now three-and-a-half. Those of you with toddlers know how important that "half" is when you are 3.

The biggest change I've noticed is her confidence. The girl who screamed during most of parent-child swimming lessons last summer will now get in the pool with a healthy mixture of caution and enthusiasm. (I am enjoying observing the lessons from another room!) Likewise, her fear of men seems to have subsided. She allows male swim instructors to pull her through the water and male dentists to examine her teeth, realities that seemed impossible just a few months ago. She even transitioned to a "big girl" bed completely on her own. For several nights, I had tucked her into her toddler bed only to find she later crawled into a twin bed by herself. Finally, I conceded she was ready for this milestone even if I were not. Likewise, she generously offers "big hugs" and "backwards hugs," that is, unless she is "out of hugs." To solve that problem, we simply refill her "batteries" and she has plenty more hugs to share.

The other day I caught her looking in the mirror while brushing her hair with her new Frozen brush. Over and over, she brushed a few strands of hair and then stopped to smile at herself, pleased with what she saw in her reflection. I know we are in a golden age with her, where she has strong self-esteem and feels happy to be herself. I dread a future day when she will look into the mirror and have doubts and fears and probably more questions than answers. I pray the foundation we are providing her now will carry us through those tough days, and I hope I can muster the strength to guide her through her unanswerable questions. Like our journey to bring her home, I have to remember to take things one day at a time. For now, life is wonderful and joyous. She feels safe and loved, and for the most part, she is happy and carefree. I love how every time someone mentions China she says with pride, "My China!" Just as nice is when she says, "My Mommy!" and "My Daddy" and "My Maddie!"

Happy Plus-One Day, Baby! We've got many more wonderful days ahead.