Changes

It seems so funny to think as I watch Evelyn now, that when we got her in China she was 10.5 months old and wearing a size 1 diaper, a shy, tiny girl that could barely sit up on her own . How things have changed. She is now a boisterous , semi-rowdy toddler that:

• Goes in for marathon couch jumping sessions while counting to thirteen in Mandarin-at the top of her lungs
• Belly laughs at jokes(mostly her own though, Papa and I usually get that "humpphh" sort of pity laugh), tho physical humor never fails to get her goat
• Zooms thru the house on her little bike
• Sings along to our music and has definite opinions on what types of music she likes and does not like. For instance, Bad Religion =good any form of modern country=bad
• Has phrases like " I really appreciate that" or "Mom if you could just pull yourself together" in her every day talking with us.
• While in her stroller sightseeing in Savannah , would make sure to wave at all of the trolley passengers.
• Is a total fiend for swinging and even prefers when her Papa twists her swing up and then swings her so that she is unwinding and swinging back and forth at the same time, she does this so long that it makes me nauseous just watching.
• When "helping" her Mama clean out her toy kitchen, has a very long list of reasons why she needs that one piece of paper that looks like a match book, or the sticker that she has rolled up so it resembles a nasal spray bottle (she has yallergees and needs to nose pray every day so she doesn't have to see Crabtree- that is a quote and that would be DR Crabtree our family doc)- and let's say that she isn't shy about making her views on these matters known even if she knows that the kitchen is being cleaned up because it resembles the hospital bed-side table of a COPD'r and that Dan and Cherie are coming for a visit and we want to have the house looking nice- she still needs those bits of paper and bottles of lotion water all over her kitchen.
• That once she got over her initial anxiety of being in a big city, wanted to stay in Savannah so she could " get out every single day and see that big big world"

Some things have stayed the same though. We are still madly in love with her. She is still a bright and quirky little thing. She does still have some lingering attachment issues , some we face every day, some only crop up occasionally. She still gets that completely stoic Chinese expression on her face in any uncertain situation and can not be moved, and you have no idea what she is thinking- no kidding she could intimidate a Sumo wrestler with that look. She always has about one thing that for no reason Les and I can understand, is deathly afraid of and experiences real terror over these things. We have to work with her until one fear is conquered and then another will crop right up ( her current fear is t.v.- anything on t.v. will inspire terror in her , white faced, heart pounding, trembling terror). She is still the single most beautiful person that I have ever known, she has a heart of gold and will share anything, even her last piece of chocolate, if she thinks that someone is going to have to go without. She worries. She has always worried, she will always worry, I have to face that, worries about everything. She is sweet and kind and funny and I am so lucky to get to call her daughter. She is stubborn and will not be swayed by anyone else's opinions. If she thinks that a person really wants her to talk with them, it will be the last thing that she does- ever. I know for a fact that she likes our landlord, but he loves her and makes no bones about the fact that he wants her to talk with him-nothing, not a word in 5 months. That is Evelyn- you gotta love her.