I have received a few emails recently asking how Amy is doing so I thought it would be nice to send in an update to help celebrate our 1 year Anniversary.
It is so hard to believe it was a year ago almost to the day that we were packing our suitcases and heading off to Nanjing to get Amy, and two years ago since we first met her. Time has flown but, then again, its hard to believe she hasn't always been a part of our family. Either way, she is certainly not the same little girl we brought home and we can't imagine life without her.
First off, boy has she grown! Almost 2 inches this year. Straight up!! And she has filled out some too. She is still thin, but softer, not so bone skinny as before. Her face has matured and softened as well, she is very pretty.
The major changes are of course language. Her English is pretty good now and there is really not anything she can't get across. She still needs to increase her vocabulary but that will come with time. She started the second grade not being able to read and finished it reading at mid first grade level. It took some work but we are very proud of her effort. Along with attending school, I enrolled her in a home schooling program which we worked on several evenings a week to reinforce and supplement. It really helped as she does not need any summer school (although we will continue the HS program). What she needs now is more 'life experiences' as her world was very sheltered and she still has a lot to experience compared to other children her age.
However we are working on it. In the past year she has been Baptized and had her First Communion. She has learned to play the piano, play tennis, and ride her bike without training wheels. She has experienced Halloween, Christmas, Chinese New Year, Birthday parties and Easter. She thinks Americans celebrate everything!! She has been to the beach and Disney World and we are heading to Chicago next week to have brunch at American Girl Place. It has been a very full year and she has handled it quite well.
Her emotional development has been wonderful. We knew 'going in' that an older child could have many emotional issues but Amy has really had very few. She has grieved which is to be expected, but when her friend from Nanjing was adopted by friends nearby, it made a big difference. We try to see them often and the girls pick up like they were never apart. The first time they saw each other they were so excited it brought tears to my eyes.
Amy and her sister have become great friends. They do everything together and really have a lot of fun. When one does something with a friend from school, they really miss each other.
I hope that reading our journal will inspire someone else to consider adopting an older child. It has been an incredible blessing for our family!!
