Has It Already Been 18 Months?

Today is a very special day. Not only is our beautiful little girl 2 1/2 years old, but she has also been home with us EXACTLY 1 1/2 years now!! I can hardly believe the time has flown by so quickly. I remember the cute chubbiness that was in her cheeks and legs. Now she's starting to become thin and lean. And even though she will probably be petite (like her BM - birthmom) it's so amazing watching her getting taller. 

Everyday has been an absolute miracle. Obviously both Eva and myself have had our fair share of not-so-great moments: her screaming, crying and fit-throwing, my screaming, crying and fit-throwing. There were a lot of days that started off terrible and ended on a good note and a lot of days that started off great and ended terribly. Neither one of us is perfect and everyday I have to ask God's forgiveness and ask Him to make me a better person, a better mother for the next day. Even after a year and a half, we are still learning about each other each and every day. I wouldn't change a thing. 

Eva is such a strong person. I often forget how much she had to fight just to survive, so when we butt heads and she's fighting me, it's usually John that has to remind me that it is the fighter in her coming out! That also brings out even more of the pride I feel for her. Already she wants to be so independent, the very thing her BM said she would like for her. I just pray that I can continue to instill in her that feeling of independence so that she can grow to be a strong, vibrant, caring young woman. 

I thank and praise God for giving me this wonderful person to be responsible for. She is such a gift and has taught me so much about myself. She's helped me to sometimes ask myself the hard questions and answer them. Sometimes she will say something that I KNOW is not anything that she's been taught or heard of before and I KNOW THAT I KNOW THAT I KNOW that it is God teaching me through her. 

To hear her speaking in full sentences, having conversation just blows my mind!When I hear her reason something through or mirror something back to me that I've just explained to her, it is nothing short of God's goodness! We feel truly blessed to be Eva's parents and to this day we look at her in awe and amazement feeling a bit surreal still after all this time that she is here with us. Out of the millions of orphans in this world, God divinely planned her for this family. She is the perfect fit!!