As I prepared to write this blog post (three months in advance so I could potentially actually post it “on time” – and I only ended up being a month late!) I started thinking through what I wanted to say about our daughter. I wrote and re-wrote so many things concerning the responsibility of being a parent and also feeling so grateful for the current “ease” (I use the term loosely) of raising our daughter. But nothing really seemed good enough because caring for a child feels like such a massive web of thoughts and emotions, and trying to sort through it all for the sake of a blog post feels impossible. So I decided to look back at what I wrote for her one year post – and to no surprise, the beauty, joy, and passion that I see so strongly in my daughter’s life today, was already so evident to us back then:
“…Our daughter is such a strong, ambitious, and passionate child. She is loud and outgoing and will make sure she is noticed. She is active nearly nonstop, ambitiously trying to do the impossible; (though she will still take frequent breaks for a hug and a cuddle). She loves to be scared and absolutely loves, loves, loves to laugh. She will dance the second she hears music and roar every time she sees a dinosaur. She is absurdly silly, incredibly determined, willfully stubborn, beautifully curious, and absolutely wonderful. She is so much trouble and so much fun.”
Very little has changed since then except that her personality has only grown louder, stronger, and sillier. She has grown more joyful, more curious, more active, and more stubborn. She is passionate and strong-willed; she is courageous, and yet, outspoken about her fears. While many days it can feel overwhelming, hard, or like ten times more work (for regular activities) to have a child, Jon and I have no doubt that we have more joy, more love, and more excitement in our lives because she is in it.
What’s new?
More and more and more words and phrases. I mean, this kid talks, and it’s amazing. I won’t elaborate on the usual since this is pretty typical child development, but I will add that this kid is learning multiple languages, and it’s so cool! For the time being, it doesn’t amount to much more than knowing a few words in German, Spanish, and Chinese. Unfortunately, neither of us are fluent in any of the above, so she doesn’t learn much Chinese and doesn’t know much German other than thank you (danke), bye (Tchuss) and playground (spielplatz – and actually, German is the only language she knows that word in). But Spanish! Well, currently we’ve only heard agua and zapatos on a semi-regular basis, but it’s amazing what she understands! Her tagesmutter speaks only spanish with the kiddos, and it’s always so fun to see her understanding and responding to her questions!
We finally have an “okay” from her doctor here regarding her weight and height! She has always been a small kid (well, since 4 months) but the doctor here wanted to be absolutely sure that she’s on par for her course and doing okay. It resulted in monthly checkups, some emotional struggles (on my end), and a tad bit of frustration, but her doctor is amazing and kind and listens and engages and she has come to the conclusion that all is well and we can stop monthly check ups and just keep a continual eye on her growth. I can’t tell you the relief that it is to hear a doctor say that – even if you know it’s okay yourself. And to be from a doctor that I’ve grown to trust and respect, it makes me feel even more confident that she IS okay.
Beyond that, I wouldn’t even know where to begin or end. Literally every day is something new. She can communicate so much, understands so much, and is learning how to express so much of what she is feeling and thinking. It. is. so. stinking. cool. (though slightly less cool when the emotional expressions end in her collapsing onto our bed because mom drank our of her cup or we told her to wait one second before we give her the third bowl of yogurt…. but still, expression is cool.)
Favorites
Trains
Her baby doll (whom she feeds, nurses, brushes teeth, wears, and puts to bed) – and her new baby stroller!
Talking
Spielplatz (playgrounds) – I mean we’ve reached the level of parenting where you take alternate routes so you don’t pass them when there’s no time to play… Not worth the potential meltdown.
For Adelyn’s birthday, we had a small get-together with some of our (and her) new friends here. With friends from church, commute-friends, and daycare friends, we had a great time celebrating her birthday at her favorite place: a spielplatz. 🙂
Two years and one month update (because I’m posting this late and I already want to add things): The week after Adelyn turned two, it seemed she got the memo that she was older! We spent a week in France, and the whole time, Jon and I couldn’t stop commenting on how much taller she looked, how much more expressive she was, and how much more emotional as well! We have much stronger breakdowns to deal with at times, but we also have so much more fun seeing and hearing all that this kid can do and say. She loves singing loudly as we walk down the street, telling us about her day with her friends at the spielplatz, and being as fearless as ever (unless there’s say, a dog or a bird or even a moth in the vicinity… you know. scary things… ) She has learned so many new Spanish words and understands so much. We are amazed daily to see how she is growing and learning and are reminded daily that the extra work and exhaustion in life that comes from having a child is paid a hundred times over with the joy and love that she adds to it.
beautifuldaughter 