I Love You

• Abbey is so incredibly happy and joyful. She has 3 settings: happy, happier, and happiest. Her true north is Happy, and if something temporarily knocks her off, she quickly springs back to her joyful self. I remember all the walks I took up and down a big hill in my neighborhood as I was waiting for her. I would walk and pray for her and I always had the sense of a bubbling little spring coming up out of the ground bringing refreshment and new life. I just knew that's who she was, and it is perfectly true.
• I love her pearly white little baby teeth. They are adorable.
• I am fascinated with the way she folds paper up into these perfect little triangles. Where did that come from? And the way she sections off paper with a cross or an x and then makes little marks in each quadrant, like the letter a or circles. It's just fun seeing how she thinks and creates.
• Hearing her singing, talking, laughing, and giggling in the shower brings me joy.
  
• She has a funny way of reworking certain words. She has choir on Friday afternoons, but she always calls it "chord". We have some imaginary animals that live in our bathroom, Patches, the donkey, and Snowball, the horse. She always calls Patches "Patron". She loves to paint pictures for both of them while I am in the shower and hang them up in their stalls, which is either side of the sink. She brings them vitamin water, carrots, and M & M's. And they love her because she is so nice to them. They've never been out of the house before but the other day Snowball was crying because he wanted to go to her birthday party, so we decided that could be his first outing. Today Abbey used the term"woffers" while describing something. It took me a minute to realize she meant "whoppers" which is the word I used yesterday when we were blowing big bubbles. Now that I'm not worried about her speech anymore it's fun to just enjoy the little bits and pieces that are unconventional.
  
• She is such a global girl. She is always talking about flying here and there, taking trains, and needing her passport. At first it was around here to Shanghai and Beijing and Hong Kong, but then it branched out to Japan. She kept asking me all the time to explain Japan and what it means if something is Japanese. Then she got zeroed in on Africa and talks about going there all the time. Just as this all came to a peak we had a week long unit at school on other cultures and now she's interested in England, Holland, Australia, France, and Germany. It's a delightful watching her synthesize all this. She definitely has a global mindset. Now she's telling me that she really likes Italy...that's my girl. I spent the two summers there before I got her there and would love to take her back with me.
• She has such a cute little body. I just look at her in awe and think, that's the way bodies were meant to look.
  
• I love the way she loves the stories we read from our most important Book. She has so many questions and loves to act it all out. Everynight we both have to take turns being asleep in the boat in a storm and then being woken up and standing up to say, "Peace, be still!" But she always makes it funny by changing it a little and saying something like, "Peace, hold still!" to the waves. She just loves to go over the stories again and again.
  
• I love the way she treasures people that are important to her in her heart.
• Abbey so readily forgives me when I fall short. Sometimes when things go wrong I say that I am sorry and it was my fault and she always tries to say, no, it was her fault.
• I LOVE the arch in her eyebrows. The first moment I saw it in my referral pictures I fell in love with it. I have my own baby picture with that same arched brow.
• Abbey's teachers always talk about how enthusiastic and eager to participate she is. She's been nick-named the Cruise Ship Director (always wanting to make sure that everyone is engaged and having fun), the CEO (thrilled if she gets to issue the marching orders), and the Factory Manager (mobilizing and organizing workers). She is a mover and a shaker and always happens to be front and center, ready to be the first one up to bat.
• Abbey tells me over and over how much she loves me, how happy she is we are "hooked together", how much she wanted me and was crying for me before I came to China, and how I am her Sugar Pie and the best, best mom in the world. Oh, it is so sweet.
• Her enthusiasm for learning is contagious. She is just so pumped up to learn anything and everything and is so full of questions. Oh, the questions! I find myself saying more and more, "We'll have to look on the computer and find out."
  
• Abbey is no shrinking violet. Although she hasn't needed to follow through yet, I've seen a few times when someone did something wrong to her and she looked capable of punching their lights out. Woe to the person that messes with her. I have to say that somehow I feel good knowing she isn't passive. I have no doubts that she will stand up for herself if needed.
• I remember being sad when Abbey turned three, I was sure it couldn't be better than two. Well three was so wonderful that I now feel excited that she is turning four. Just when it seems like it can't be any better, it is. I had such dreams of being a mom and having a daughter, but they all pale in comparison to the brilliant reality. I thought my expectations would be too high, but they didn't even scratch the surface of the joy she has brought me. Everyday I feel that I am the happiest and most blessed person in the world. She is the best gift ever.