Rachel is doing beautifully here at home, and everyone has pretty much settled back into the regular routine. After just a few days of getting adjusted to the time difference, she is now sleeping through the night. She is crawling everywhere, and can stand up on her own. We have to really keep an eye on her since she is so mobile and seems to be especially drawn to anything that she shouldn't have!
She is such a happy girl and rarely cries, usually only when she falls during one of her climbing expeditions. Her eyes sparkle with life and intelligence, and she lights up whenever she sees one of her family members (or the cat, which she loves). She loves rough-housing with her brothers, and following her sister around. She babbles and giggles, and moves to music. She still loves her thumb!
She had her studio pictures done on Friday, and was a great little model. I can't wait to get the pictures back. She has her first doctor's appointment tomorrow. Today she is going to visit Harrison's classroom. He is so proud of his new sister and wants to show her off to all of his friends.
We are all so much in love with our little sweetie. We love to rub her fuzzy little head and tickle her tummy to make her giggle. We love her slobbery kisses, and the way she lays her head against our cheeks. She is such a joy to us, and I can only hope that we bring the same joy to her.
Rachel, sweet baby girl, I know that someday you will read this account of our journey to you. I hope that somehow we will have managed to convey to you how much you are loved, how much you were wanted, and how privileged we feel to have you in our lives. If there is one thing that I could wish for you, it is that you will never have to question your place in our family and in this world. I want you to never wonder if the love that we feel for you is any less than what we feel for your brothers and sister because you were not born to us. I want you to know that the anticipation, the excitement that we felt while waiting for you was just the same as when we were waiting for them to be born. The moment I first held you felt exactly the same as when they were first placed in my arms. We love you so much, not just because you are smart and strong and beautiful, but simply because you are our child. I know that you had another family before us, and in a perfect world you would never have had to leave them. I know that there will always be a hole in your heart because you can not know them. But in this broken world we live in, God is still here, watching us and loving us. He was there when you were born, while you were a tiny baby in the orphanage, and while the adoption affairs office in China matched your file with ours. I pray that you will know that He loves you more than you can comprehend, and that in bringing us together He was giving a gift to us all.
