I know that I promised to keep up the blog, and I truly had every intention of doing so. However, that was before I realized how much time a baby takes and that spare time for blogging was non-existent. I guess it's the naivety of every new parent. Yes, we all knew parenthood came with challenges, but I really had no idea the actual extent of those challenges. Sleep deprivation was probably the harshest reality of parenthood. While I used the term pre-parenthood, I had no idea what it truly meant until I become a mother. I quickly realized I was completely unprepared! In one of those overwhelming, in over my head days, I finally realized that there is no right way to parent, and no parent is perfect. Parenting is more of a practice, and we all just learn along the way. Flexibility is essential and mistakes are inevitable! It was this philosophy, coupled with lots of caffeine, that got us through teething, ear infections, night wakings, and the gross stuff that no one ever tells you about.
During the 18 months of blogging silence, I watched my tiny baby become a beautiful little girl, complete with her very own personality. I whole heartily believe that the Chinese truly have a gift for matching babies with families as I can't imagine a child who would have been more perfectly suited for us. Don't get me wrong, we aren't perfect, it's just that we simply fit. She has my stubborn streak and fierce independence, but she has Brian's compassion and inquisitiveness. Right now, we are pretty much taking things day by day, and as such, have found that two is challenging. I see why they are commonly referred to as the terrible twos because some days, they really do feel terrible. However, I once had a man call them "the terrific twos" and I like his description so much better. Despite the challenges of two, I have found so many more terrific moments than terrible. Even on the most trying days, a big hug from her is completely worth any of the trouble that she managed to find.
It is clearly impossible for me to write everything that has happened in the last year and a half, so I won't even try. I will just promise to do my best and blog a little more frequently. I did write a couple of posts after we got home, From Slow to Hyper Speed and Merry Christmas. However, since I am starting afresh, and frankly, this is a whole new journey, I think it is time to start a new blog. While we were still waiting, I had created a really pretty blog that I had intended to use after we returned home. It's been left empty for too long, and it is ready for our stories.
