Almost Gotcha Day #1!

So, life with two kids and a full time job certainly does not allow for much blog postings! I figured since I also have not gotten around to doing any sort of scrapbook for Hope, I better document this occasion, print this out in color and that task will be taken care of. (shame on me, I know). With Claire by this time we had about 1000 photos, I had two scrapbooks, her entire blog posted and printed. Well, we've been busy.

Hope has continued to be an amazing little girl who just melted right into our fold like butter on hot bread. She's strong, healthy, growing like a weed. She's about an inch taller than Claire was at this age (2.5) which does not fit well into my plans for her wardrobe. If she continues along this path, she will not fit into the 6 boxes of the cutest girl 3T clothes next summer that I have strewn all over my basement because that task of sorting is right up there with scrapbooking in my book -who has the time!? She had her surgery for her cleft palate and piggy toe(s) removal last December. Like everything, she took both of the surgeries in stride and the healing was perfect. I'm sure if she could speak, when that first bite stayed in her mouth and she realized she could eat twice as fast and as much it was like bells of joy going off in her little head. She stubborn though, has her moments of fit and not much patience. Hmm, wonder if that is hereditary or environmental, heaven knows who she could have picked up those traits from!

Claire has thrived through all of this also, she has developed into quite the little Manager and is strict about rules. She's teaching Hope so much. She is very kind and patient with her and she often tries to teach her little sister how to say words. I caught her today trying to get Hope to say "rhinoceros". Hell, I don't even think I spelled that right and Claire was phonetically sounding out each letter as Hope diligently repeated "rnnnnphhrs. It was good enough for Claire.

Hope will start speech therapy hopefully in the next month or two. She is trying so very hard to say so much to us - she uses her hands, inflection and when she really wants something she doesn't even bother with words, she marches right over to me or dad, takes our finger and pulls then points to what it is she wants.

It's really hard to believe looking at these pictures on this blog that this is the same little girl we met almost a year ago. She was so tiny and shy, it took about six months for her to realize that we were the real deal, and not some great caretakers. Up until about six months she was very contrite and would pretty much take whatever we gave her. Now, she has an opinion and she wants you to know it! Which is great, she's arrived.