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Wow - I can't believe it's been over a month since my last post. Nor does it seem possible that it has only been three months since Maddie was placed in our arms. It is difficult to remember life without her as she is the very core of our universe. On the other hand, time is flying by and in less than a week our daughter will be a year old.
I was looking over photos of Gotcha Day and it is amazing to see the changes in our sweet girl -both physically and emotionally. First and foremost, she FINALLY has hair! It even comes down over her ears now. Last weekend I managed to put a cute litte pink clip in her hair. Of course we lost it somewhere in the grass in Cromwell, but the girl did have a clip in her hair for more than an hour.
Other physical changes: Maddie is crawling! She crawls at the speed of light - so fast in fact that she crawled right off the bed at the babysitter's before anyone could catch her. Her nose and forehead took a beating - the firstof many, I'm sure.
She has grown out of her 9 month clothes, some of her 12 month clothes, and we have been forced to break out her 18 month clothes. That's an organization project that we started this weekend but it is far from finished! Maddie has gained over 4 pounds since we're home. She has transitioned into a front-facing carseat as her legs are too long for the rear-facing seat.
Since she has started crawling, she has a new-found sense of freedom. Gone are the days of sitting still and playing in Mommy's lap. She wants DOWN and she wants to MOVE! Today in church I put her in the nursery because she absolutely would not sit in my lap.
Emotional changes: After I returned to work we put Maddie in a daycare in our neighborhood. The daycare came with lots of recommendations from others who had kids there at one point or another. However, it was not a good fit for Maddie. We were very fortunate to have a backup babysitter who wanted Maddie and when I am at work she is now cared for by an Amish family. Maddie LOVES it there. Their youngest son, a three-year-old is Maddie's best buddy. They love and nurture her as one of their own durng the daytime. She gets to play outside in the sandbox, on the swings, pet the animals on their small farm, and is basically getting the same experiences I had as a child. She is blossoming under their care and we are so thankful for them.
A few weeks ago we spent Sunday afternoon with Kris, Shawn, Kaycee, and Kya. Kya and Maddie are from the same orphanage. The girls had a good time playing together.
Kya is two months older than Maddie and is very laid back - just the opposite of Maddie. The two make quite a pair.
Maddie is a real giggle-box.
Maddie crawls faster than most people can walk!
One of her favorite activities is watching videos of herself or looking at herself in the mirror.
