Baby J Learning and Love

I know I over share my daughter's picture and information, but I can't help it.  She's so adorable and learning so much right now and makes me laugh on a daily basis.   When I started the process to adopt, I knew I wanted a younger child because i knew how important those first years were and I'm really good with young children.   After my experience with the foster care system and moving to the adoption path I took, I decided I wanted a baby (though I definitely want to do foster care again with all ages), I wanted the chance to raise a child from as close to birth as I could.   Baby J is entering the

main reason for this decision.  I love love love to watch kids learn new things, but it's especially amazing to me when they are young.  Each new thing they learn is so much fun to watch as the wheels are turning, even when they are learning things you wish they weren't.
Baby J has been learning so much lately and each thing just amazes me.   She keeps adding words and sentences and each time she talks with them, I'm amazed at how quickly she is learning them.   It's not just vocabulary though that is amazing to me.   Just this month I have watched her really get to interact with cats for the first time.

She knows to be gentle and they seem to love her, I've watched as she has figured out how to get to the top of the chair and play with the light switches as she is learning they turn on and off the lights, she is learning to play with the dog, giving kisses and hugs, waving hi/bye and saying it, I've watched her figure out how to climb into her stroller and today she even got up into her high chair and sometimes she fails the first couple of times, but she continues to try.   I've watched as she has learned how to tear the paper towels off the role, get up and down stairs, try to use silverware, dancing, trying to swim away from the wall and blowing bubbles.

I think the reason it's so amazing is because we take things for granted and to see thing through a child's eyes makes us focus on the small things even if just for a second in our busy crazy lives.   This part of growing up is why I wanted the opportunity to experience it.   To see what a baby can learn in such a short time is a testament to how awesome human beings are.  And maybe it's even more amazing because Baby J was so early in life and the outlook is not always good for preemies, but even as a baby who never made it to the third trimester, she has gone beyond all expectations.  Honestly everything is a new surprise because she did start out so rough with so many problems and we never know how it could affect her in the long run, but so far she has overcome all obstacles and expectations- she caught up faster than almost any other preemie and was on target by age 1 instead of the 2 years they are given to catch up.   In fact I'm sure she will probably be deemed ahead of her age by our next visit in almost every area.   I'm so proud of everything she has done.  Baby J definitely fits the Shakespeare quote "Though she be but little, she is fierce"



We don't always have good moments (like I feel like she doesn't feel the need to sleep.....ever) and sometimes we have tantrums when angry, but most of the time Baby J is a happy, talkative, brave little girl and while I may be in debt for the rest of my life from adopting, she is worth every penny and the best decision I ever made.   I love watching her and laughing with her...but mostly I just love her.