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Sunday, February 11, 2007 We’ve had Jia for seven months and she’s eighteen months old. This is our last update on this site. Jia is developing her own sense of self. We are just tickled by it. Before she used to nod her head in assent to nearly every question. Now when we ask, “Do you want…?” or “Will you…?”, she quickly replies, “No!” before we even finish the sentence. Thankfully, she usually still listens to the full request and then complies anyway. We understand that there is very little that she can control in her life, and it appears that she is trying to exert as much control as possible. She has opinions about what she wears, and prefers to reject her own items and wear our clothes and shoes if at all possible. She also engaged in a two-day hunger strike where she refused to drink or eat anything but crackers. One of her favorite games lately is to pat the ground beside her and say, “Mama.” I obediently sit where she requests. Then she pats the ground elsewhere and says, “Move.” Jia likes things in their proper place. If something is where she thinks it shouldn’t be, she is gravely concerned and repeats “Uh-Oh!” until we move it back to its original position. For Christmas, we gave her a bunch of plastic fruit and veggie pieces that velcro together along with a plastic knife she can use to cut them. She loves doing it and especially loves the knife! She looks so funny walking around with her butcher knife. She also plays “night-night” a lot now and quite often we’ll catch her laying on a pillow holding her knife. She is so kind. She kisses our “owies” and is gentle with other kids and pets. She likes to put blankies around her stuffed animals and babies and tucks them in for the evening. Jia has changed from a heartbreakingly terrified baby into a confident, sweet little girl. We do not give ourselves credit for this. She was the one who was so adaptable and resilient. Yet, the power that parents wield over a child is tremendous, and we constantly remind ourselves we owe it to her to be the best parents we can be. We have been rewarded with a child who is more than we ever imagined. And we are so thankful. We dearly appreciate all the support we have received here, and welcome you to continue along on our journey by following our blog: www.joejane.blogspot.com.

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