China
Russia
Vietnam
I apologize that this letter is a bit late in coming. Somehow I find that I am continuously busy these days!
Madeline is now 19 months old and has been home for 13 months. She has been nothing but a joy! At her 18 month physical she weighed 22 lbs 11.6 oz and was 31 inches tall. All of these measurements put her in the 25 percentile for her age (based on growth charts for U.S. children)) so she's growing consistently. She's on target for physical development as well.
She walks, runs, jumps, dances and climbs steps, and just about anything else that she puts her mind to! She can build small towers with blocks and knock over large towers of blocks! She likes to help with chores like laundry, sweeping and putting away groceries (she's actually very good at putting away the groceries!) I'm sure she'll outgrow that! She loves music and she likes to play on the computer. "Outside" was one of her first words and she loves playing outside! Her vocabulary increases daily and includes several simple (but important!) sentencesÃsuch as "I love you", "I go shop?", "I want some", "I play" and "read book". At home she's a regular little chatterbox, but around people she's not familiar with (and even at day care), she's very quiet. She has a very strong attachment to Mommy, but is also crazy about Daddy, Sarah (big sister -16) and Preston (big brother -6). She isn't around her oldest brother (Steve -19) very much, since he's away at college, but likes him pretty well, too. The entire family has adjusted very easily to her presence. Preston complains only that we adopted just one baby!
Madeline's daycare "teachers" very often tell us what a good, sweet little girl she is. They all seem to think she's pretty special. She has 2 favorite caregivers in her "class", and prefers to go to one of them in the mornings if she has to go to daycare. She is at daycare 3 days a week for about 6 hours a day. Daddy has his " weekend" on Thursday and Friday, so she has Daddy days on those days.
Madeline has a very good appetite. Some of her favorites are broccoli and tomatoes, but she also likes pop-tarts and cookies and almost anything she's tried. When she gets sleepy, she wants her blanket her Mommy, a cup of milk & a book. She sleeps well at night but sometimes protests being put down for the nightÃfor about 15 seconds or so! If she wakes up in the middle of the night she can usually get herself back to sleep by talking} singing or even telling a " knock -knock" joke to herself (something that Daddy and Preston got started!).
I have to say that during the adoption process, I wondered if I would love Madeline differently than my biological children. I didn't doubt that I would love her, but wondered if it would be different. It isn't. She's my child and I love her as completely as I love all of my children. She never ceases to amaze me with her beauty, her smile, and her wonderful little personality!
We sincerely thank all of you at FTIA for the most beautiful gift. If ever we can be of any assistance to you, please feel free to call on us.
Sincerely,
Scott & Cindy
