One month after "Gotcha"

Okay... One month and three days, to be exact. But we were so busy being parents that we missed our anniversary!

In many ways, it seems like the time has flown. In other ways, it seems like we can't remember what our life was like before Gwen came to us. But we're sure of one thing: We're blessed!

Today, we went to the park and saw some other kids playing there. Gwen was just like one of them. Except for the fact that neither Andrew nor I are Chinese, Gwen seems like she's been our child from birth.

It's amazing how far we've come in just one month. Gwen is a well adjusted little 15 month old child. She hardly ever cries and she always has a smile ready. We braced ourselves for the possibility that we'd have a difficult adjustment but we haven't! We can only credit Gwen's genes and the (seemingly) excellent care she received at the orphanage in Shenzhen. It's obvious to us that this child was loved by at least one person there. There's just no way to explain her compassion and the depth of her affection for people who treat her well. She does seem to love us and even though she's got a smile ready for any stranger who approaches her, she only allows Mommy and Daddy to touch her. We couldn't have asked for anything more!

In the picture above, another 15 month old girl has plopped herself into my lap and Gwen is doing everything she can to get between me and the little intruder! She lets me hold the cat and a sack of groceries but nothing else!

Mommy is still numero uno in Gwen's eyes but Daddy's status as chopped liver has greatly improved. In the last month, she's gone from mouth-foaming hysterics when Daddy tried to assume the primary parenting role to near euphoria when Daddy comes home from a long day at work.


When she hears the garage door open, everything about her shouts YAHOO! She loves to pull Daddy's hat off (or wear it) and it's so beautiful to witness the love affair the two of them have for each other.