Merry Christmas!

I didn't give you the gift of life

But in my heart I know.

The love I feel is deep and real,

As if it had been so.

For us to have each other

Is like a dream come true!

No, I didn't give you

The gift of life,

Life gave me the gift of you.

~author unknown~

Merry Christmas Chloe!

Chloe decided to wrap this present on her own.
She's had a great time helping in the kitchen this season.

Chloe is coming out with new words each day. Today, she learned that she is one.

Christmas is Coming

We just had to stop and thank God as we began decorating our Christmas tree this week. For the last 3 years as we celebrated Christmas we would say "this will be the last Christmas without Chloe." Finally, we can say "THIS IS OUR FIRST CHRISTMAS WITH CHLOE!" I pray that we stop for moment each day and just cherish how special this Holiday Season truly is for our family.

Chloe liked hanging the ornaments on the tree. So far they're all still hanging there.

Chloe loves to play "music" on the piano. However, last night she didn't think that 2 hands were enough sound, so she added her feet too.

Spagetti Anyone?

Chloe is making great strides in using utensils to feed herself. I just had to snap a picture today of what she looked like after her 3rd bowl of spaghetti. Obviously, she was feeding herself.

Chloe has always been a great eater, sometimes eating more than my older girls. Unfortunately, Chloe has yet to tell us when she's hungry. If she doesn't see food, she just doesn't ask. It's hard to think about how many times she must have been hungry and learned to ignore it. I'm sure that she will eventually learn to let us know of her needs, but until then it's a harsh reality of what she has been through in her little short life. There is hope though. When we first got Chloe, she didn't cry when she got hurt. She had learned that there was no point, because no one could come when she cried. Since then, as we comforted her anyway, she has learned that there is a good reason to cry when you get hurt. Now she tells us exactly where it hurts. So, we'll keep asking her if she's hungry and offer her food anyway. Eventually, the implications of orphanage life will wear off and she'll just be an average American kid who asks for food an hour after each meal :)