This time last year my family was still in China, wrapping up our last few days in our daughter's birth country by shopping, sightseeing and waiting for our consulate appointment. Eva smiled, slept well, ate everything and enjoyed her baths... we couldn't believe how well she had bonded to us and how easy the transistion had been. Eva had been in foster care from the time she was seven days old until literally "Gotcha" day and we were anticipating a lot of tears and a lot of sorrow... what a surprise to instead have this very mellow and quiet little girl. We were blessed! The only thing that bothered me was that her paperwork had described her as "particularly obstinante" and I could only imagine that something had gotten lost in translation.
Fast forward to Christmas 2005... the truth is, no matter how much the lovely Hugh and I were congratulating ourselves on what was obviously our superb parenting, Eva was in a manner of shock. We now know that her method of coping under stress is to get very quiet and just observe. Her natural tendency is to be a loud and wild child with a will that justifies her "particularly obstinate" description. Watching her blossom over this past year has been one of my greatest gifts. She is brilliant (a trait, because it has nothing to do with me, I happily brag about) funny, and sly! She has her own sense of fashion (see attached photo) loves her brothers and pretty much rules our roost. She is more than I ever could have imagined.
1 comment:
All that and she's pretty, too!
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