It's Already Been Two Months?!

We are a long way, physically and emotionally, from the afternoon we met Gemma in an overcrowded room in (warm, sunny) Guangzhou. As I type upstairs, I see evergreens covered in the most perfect, light-as-a-feather snow and listen to Chris, Edie and Gemma down in the kitchen as mid-morning snack is being prepared. It feels so good to be where we are today. The apprehension and frustration we faced through our long wait is over, Gemma made the transition into our family smoothly and is a delightful, active and happy little girl, and we know for certain that our family is complete.

So... a little update on Gemma. She is 16 months old, eating and sleeping well, babbling and understanding more and more of what we say. She may be saying "mama" but I am not 100% convinced. As most of you know, we were concerned about the fact that Gemma wasn't walking or bearing weight on her legs before we traveled to China. Gemma had some muscle weakness in her torso, but she is making rapid progress and now pulls to stand constantly, stands for a few seconds on her own, and she may even learn to crawl instead of scoot on her behind. We had a physical therapist here last week and she was very reassuring (in addition to being amazed by Gemma's remarkable scooting style and speed). I know I will be complaining when Gemma does learn to walk because this girl is fast, assertive and into everything. Oh, and did I mention she has loads of personality!