Two Months Ago Today!

I have really, really been wanting to blog as there is so much I want to share....this time of year is just crazy busy with end of school activities....then throw in a new (very busy) toddler to the mix!

Two months ago today we were given the most precious, perfect, beautiful gift....our sweet Neely Kate. I can't even begin to explain how well she has adjusted, how quickly she is learning, how much she is OURS!

Neely is already speaking in short 3-5 word sentences...in ENGLISH! Her vocabulary is incredible and she amazes me with her memory! She sings the ABC's, Rain, Rain, Go Away, Wheels on the Bus, the Dora song, Tomorrow (Annie), I Like to Move It, Movee It...the list goes on! She is counting to 10 now but skips 6 and 9 almost every time. She is the sweetest, happiest, most loving baby girl. She absolutely loves going up to Sean's school and walks around like she owns the place! She is completely comfortable there with the children (who all adore her). She is like a rock star up there with the kids, the teachers, and the other moms! She gives high-5's, hugs, and kisses to whoever asks and even to those who don't ask!

Our wait for her was miserable. There were so many times that I honestly doubted our adoption would ever happen. We certainly weren't getting any younger and the waits were extending longer and longer each month. My faith was definitely tested and I would find my self telling God, "God, I know this is in YOUR perfect timing....BUT....could you speed things up a bit?" Now that we have Neely, who is absolutely, beyond a doubt the daughter God hand-picked for US, I understand why we waited. Neely's adoption paperwork work in China was dated October 2008. Our agency received her file in December and called us in January. God was there every step of the way...from helping us choose the right agency, CCAI, who went into Henan and started their big project to help them start doing International Adoptions, to helping us make the decision to switch to the Waiting Child program, to letting us know Neely was THE ONE.

Neely was diagnosed as having "delay of mental development." Her only delays are from lack of exposure and attention. She in no way has trouble learning. While we wonder WHY she was diagnosed that way, we understand that if she hadn't been diagnosed with a special need, she wouldn't be ours.