22 month update

I don’t believe in luck, I believe in destiny. That everything happens for a reason although you may not understand or even like what is happening at the time. This theory tested me over and over again the five years it took me to finally hold my child in my arms. I can not tell you how many times I questioned my path, but the moment I saw Jin Xius picture I knew she was mine and the very moment that she was placed in my arms, the stars aligned and I knew that destiny was smiling upon us. Even so, the word “lucky” seems to follow us around. I cannot tell you how often I am stopped by someone expressing “ What a lucky girl!” I smile and respond I know what they mean, but I say I must quite disagree, because luck aside, I feel the opposite. I am the one that feels so blessed by her joining my life, and I rediscover this daily. Emilee makes me laugh and laugh and encourages me with hugs and kisses and snuggles and adds such joy to my days with her enthusiasm for life. Even if I have been home with her all day, when I walk into the room after stepping out for a while, she will look up with a big bright smile and yell “ Mama!!!!” Emilee finds such happiness in the things I often take for granted. She loves new sensations, especially in the weather…Rain, Wind, Snow, Sunshine.. She will lift her face in the sky with a hugh smile and just take it in. When it is raining and I am rushing to get to my car so as not to get my hair wet, she is smiling with her hands stretched out giggling as each drop lands on her small palms.. On a windy day, she love when I put down the windows and the winds gently bows on her face and whips her hair around. When it snowed, she was in awe at how her feet sank into the soft power snow and kept taking of her mittens to feel the cold snow slowly melt in her hands. On a sunny day she will quietly sand in a sunny spot as the sun glows on her face. She has such a sense of peace with the world around her. Emilee amazes me every day with her curious nature and hilarious personality. She has such a sense of adventure and is very secure with the world around her. People call her the Mayor. When she enters a room she will shout “Hi” and wave to everyone. She will also walk up to people and shake their hand. When we leave she love to wave and shout “Bye” and gets very upset if someone does not notice her. Emilee’s curiosity at times can be quite trying. She loves to touch and explore and see how everything works. She will watch you very intently when you are doing something and them immediately try to do it herself. She has also figures out ways to get into and out of almost everything. Child proofing does not mean a thing to her. I call her Houdini. Emilee has such a playful personality and she is such a flirt. When she sees a group of children she will run over to them and join in at whatever they are playing. She loves to be includes and doesn’t understand when another child does not want to play with her. Emilee’s favorite toys are dolls, balls, blocks, cars and puzzles. She gets very intense when she is playing and is very determined to complete the task she sets out to do. Her speech therapist labeled her “ Hyper focused”. I personally think that’s a great quality for her later on in life. When she is constructing she focuses intently on her project and doesn’t care what else is going on around her. When her project is complete, she has such a sense of accomplishment on her face and cannot wait to share her creation with everyone. Emilee’s speech is developing beautifully. About 6 weeks ago she went from really not speaking to talking in sentences. She loves her newfound voice and gets so excite to converse with everyone. Emilee understands everything, which is why it took me six months to finally get a speech therapist. Out of the four possible delays she scored a year above on three of them and only had a delay in the verbal area. The funny thing is she started talking the week before therapy started. I am still going ahead with therapy so that her diction will develop properly. Emilee is very attached to her cousin Andrew and when he comes over it is truly the highlight of her day. Andrew is wonderful with Emilee and takes his role as older cousin very seriously. They are so cute to watch Emilee is such a shoe girl. My girlfriend calls her Carrie from “Sex in the City”. She has learned to take them on and off herself. And will put on one pair after the other march around and then put on another pair. Everyone else’s shoes are fair game if they are left around. She especially loves wearing high heals and carries a purse everywhere. Another routine that she has is perfume. We cannot leave the house unless she gets a squirt of perfume on each arm. She will then sniff her arms and smile. Although she is very much a girly girl who loves to play with mommy’s blush, wear high heals, carry a purse and attend to her dolls, she is also a tomboy who loves to jump, climb, play with balls and cars and splash in puddles. I call her a millennium girl who has it all. The smallest things make Emilee happy. A pen and paper, Tupperware and a spoon, books, or just a warm hug and a rendition of the “Ittsy Bittsy Spider”. It warms my heart to see her so thankful for the little things in life. She is showing me new ways everyday how to be thankful for the world around me and causing me to stop and enjoy the moment. I wouldn’t say I am lucky, but most certainly overwhelmingly, abundantly blessed.