18 Months

Our sweet little Magnolia turned 18 months on Saturday. This was a big one for me. It means we've had her almost as long as the orphanage in China had her, wow! I can't believe how big she's gotten, how much she's changed, and how much she has stayed the same. I just looked back at pictures of her at 9 months and she was such a little baby. Looking at her expressions in those photos, I see more of her now than I did then (if that makes any sense). I see her in those photos now and it was Magnolia through and through, we just didn't really know her at the time.
I am so very proud of her. She's such a cheerful little soul with incredible determination and a big heart. She loves us as much as we love her. She hasn't stopped talking since she started almost a month ago. She's repeating more and more and seems to love new words. My favorite new words of hers are "airplane" & "moon" which come out as "ayerpane" & "muna." She can find and point to more things in her books now, things I didn't even know she knew. She loves the moon and books with the moon in them, especially Goodnight Moon. I also just found out she knows how to count, I had no idea! I said one, she said two, I said three and she said three, I said four, she said five, I said six, she said six, I said 7 and she said 9, I said eight and she said 9, I said 9 and she said 9. So that's it, she can count to 9 skipping 7 and 8 every single time. She continues to surprise and delight us in so many ways. I love her so very much and I am cherishing every day being with her. Sure I have my moments, I hate to sound like it's always perfect but in the grand scheme of things, it really is VERY perfect. Happy one and a half Magnolia, we love you to pieces! xoxo