How She's Grown

Grace is 19 months old now, and by this time next week, she will have been home with us for a year. I can hardly believe how the time has flown by. When she came home, she was wearing 0-3 month size clothes. Now she wears 18-24 month size clothes. At 7 months old, she could not sit upright unassisted. Today she can run, climb, dance, and is trying really hard to learn to jump. Grace was always quick to smile, but she never laughed. Now she laughs, yells and sings with joy everyday. She says lots of words, and even when we can't understand her, she makes wonderful conversation.


In the last year, Grace has grown 5 inches taller, gained 10 pounds, and her head is 2 inches bigger around. What started out as just a tuft of hair on the top of her head, has turned into the cutest little afro. It took me a little time to catch on, but I am having fun learning to style and care for her beautiful curls. Her lack of teeth had us worried for a while, but she has two lovely little pearls on the bottom now, and there are signs of another debut soon to happen on the top. Grace is off all formula now, and since healing from the affects of malnutrition and salmonella, she has been able to tolerate dairy products again. She doesn't usually eat a lot at any one sitting, but she loves to try new foods. She does not shy away from much of anything.


Having Grace as a part of our family has turned out to be a bigger, and more wonderful, blessing than I could have even imagined. Her siblings love her dearly, and she returns the feeling with great enthusiasm. She is a cuddly, happy and loving little person, and I thank God everyday for bringing us together.