A Year and a Half

Tomorrow we will have known Rachel for a year and a half.  Eighteen months!  It seems strange because it feels like we came home from China just a few months ago.  It also seems strange because it feels like she has been with us forever, not just 18 months.  And when I look at her, the changes she has made are simply astounding.

Then:

Then, she was a moon-faced toddler with a buzz haircut and fabulously chubby thighs.  She was extrememly active and moved constantly.  She was wildly social and had no boundaries.  She toddled (fast) when she walked and fell down every few feet.  She still took a bottle, ate only soft foods, and had no idea how to feed herself.  She had one word - "Mama". She was funny and determined and resourceful.  She was incredibly happy and very affectionate.  She had no idea that we were hers.  Forever.

Now:

Now, she is a pig-tailed preschooler (and if I didn't have her hair cut regularly, it would be halfway to her waist; this girl has some seriously thick hair!).  Her chubbiness has melted away and, with little in the way of hips or backside, she struggles to keep her pants up.  She is still very busy and incredibly social, but she understands boundaries and rules.  She just likes people.  She can jump, ride a trike, pump a swing, and really tries to skip.  She can dress herself, including putting on shoes and socks and zipping her jacket. She knows all of her colors and shapes, numbers to 10, and most letters.  She eats anything and everything (although noodles are still her favorite) and can get snacks or a drink of water by herself.  She talks more and more every day, phrases and sentences and the beginnings of stories.  Some of if is really funny.  She is still funny and determined and resourceful.  She is the happiest, most affectionate child I have ever known.  She is amazing.  And she knows with every ounce of her being that she is ours and we are hers.  Forever.