We've had her longer.......

This is Jadyn, 2 days after we met her in Wuhan, Hubei PRChina.

15 months ago we came home from the trip of a lifetime. 

Jadyn has been with us longer than she has been at any one other place.  She spent her first 10 or so months in a Social Welfare Institute and then several in a hospital and then several more in a foster home in the country of her birth.  We met her at 19 months, so this summer marks her being home with us longer than she's been anywhere.  This is a huge milestone in her little life, and yes, we shall celebrate, big time!

Jadyn and Shannon last week.

Waiting for dinner in Nashville, TN with big brother Austin

My little sweetie!

Our little Jadyn has been growing up so fast.  She has learned the language and understands nearly everything--some slang and phrases don't land with her, but plain, direct speech, she understands very well.  Her vocabulary is expanding, greatly, thanks to our wonderful Speech Therapist thru Early Intervention.  Sadly, when Jadyn turns 3, we have to bid Miss Julie farewell and move on the school district.  Jadyn is talking in sentences and we are working on her speech being intelligible to more than just me.  I understand everything she says, but it sounds about 50% jumbled up to the general public.  We are thrilled with her progress. 

Our lives have been forever changed by this amazing little girl. I really hesitate to say that this is where she was meant to be, because that implies that she was meant to be taken away from her original home and country.  I see it as God's miracle, the way His eye is on the sparrow and the lilies, providing just what they need.  We have been blessed by Jadyn in such a greater way than we have been to her.  She has taught us so much...courage, strength, trust, hope and mostly love.  Jadyn is one tough little girl to have gone through all she did, and then be handed to complete (polar opposite) strangers and thrive.

Her journey to here has not been all roses and ponies.  There has been plenty of tears, frustration, anger, grief, on all our parts, but that is all being replaced with laughter, joy, trust, hope and (again, my favorite word) LOVE.

This blog will be turned into a book to add to our collection of Jadyn's beginnings, so thanks for following along, but it's time to close it and get it pubished.  She will most likely only know her early story from the evidence we have gathered from the moment we saw her precious face.

Love you, baby girl!