Dear Vivi -
It's been three months since we got off of a plane and introduced you to your new life. Three months since the little face we had seen in pictures for almost a year was suddenly live before us and sleeping in your bed. Three months since your particular brand of sunshine first lit up our lives.
What do we know about you at three months home? Sometimes it feels like we know an awful lot about you, and sometimes it feels like we don't know anything at all. It's hard getting to know a newborn when you first bring one home from the hospital, and it's just as hard getting to know a 2-year-old who has already started to form her likes and dislikes and some of her basic personality traits. But we're working hard to get to know and take care of you and make sure that you know that you are loved. Always.
You have done so much since the last time I wrote. Maybe the most important thing is that you got to meet your Grandma! She took care of your brothers for part of the time that we were in China coming to get you, and she just loved them like crazy when we were concentrating on loving you. You met her over Skype, but that is just not the same as being together in person.
Here you are, little miss girly-girl, hanging out at the airport waiting for Grandma's plane to land.
I can just see you thinking, "Hmmm, you look familiar..."
Finally a hug!
This is the best picture I could get of all four of you. You were clearly more interested in Grandma's ipad than my camera, which is par for the course - in our house, a visitor's ipad is always more entertaining than anything else.
Herding cats. :)
You visited Liam's class for his Valentine's Day party. You were not at all pleased at being told you could not participate in class activities, although I suspect the candy and food that you did get made up for it.
You have lots of toys of your own but like any other 2-year-old, you're only interested in what you shouldn't have - your brothers' beloved Legos.
We had our first family photo session, and our friend Melissa caught your love for your Daddy on film.
She caught you love that you have for your brothers and that they have for you on film.
She also caught what it is really like most days. :)
YOU GOT YOUR WALKER!!! Well you got your loaner but you got a walker!!! This was such an incredible milestone. We have known almost since we met you that you had a deep desire to walk everywhere. And you want to go where you want to go when you want to go. You have just come alive even more with this newfound independence. The physical therapist showed you how to use it, and you just took off. It was hard not to cry right there in the therapy room. Your first time walking all on your own was so beautiful to see.
We went to Orlando and met some friends from PA. You took the opportunity to test your walker out everywhere on the hotel property.
You watched your father and brothers paddleboat from the balcony of our room.
That face was a nice change from the one that I got when I told you that you couldn't go on the boat with them.
Aunt Steph does therapy for kids just like you and she took great delight - isn't it obvious!!! - in helping you to stand all by yourself! I want you to know that I cry every single time I look at this picture because I can see the joy in her face...
...and I know that this was the joy on yours at the same time.
You met me at the finish line of the race after I ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon. Notice who's wearing the medal? I fully believe that one day we will do this race together, little one.
Your favorite ride at Disney is the merry-go-round. "Horsey! Horsey!"
You bowled for the first time. Your brothers thought that was so great.
We're still getting to the bottom of some of your medical issues. Being at hospitals at all hours of the morning isn't the most fun thing to do, but you liven it up by greeting everyone with a big "Hi!" and insisting that the nurses give you a hat ("Hat peez! Hat peez!") so that you can be just like them. No one should be able to accessorize in your presence without making you part of the fun.
We ate ice cream together on a warm day. A simple pleasure.
Three months, and you have carved out a place that is all yours in our hearts. We love that we continue to marvel at you, and wonder what we did when you weren't around. Stay spunky, Vivi-cakes!
Love,
Mommy and Daddy
