It can be quite rare that I focus on one child for a single post but THIS girl is doing BIG things and I can't let another day go by without making note of her perfect little self!
We are two months shy of FIVE years with Maryn. That seems crazy.
Two of our girls were exclusively in a orphanage for the better part of their first two years of life, Maryn being one of them. This baby girl came to us at 22 months old. She was SCARED of everything - people (men!), noises, outside - I remember trying desperately to hand her over to the Nanny on Gotcha Day just so the poor thing could catch her breath from all of the screaming! But, the Nanny wasn't having it....nope, she nodded and smiled at me while asking, "Do you have the candy??? She like the candy! Give her the candy!" Ha.
Thankfully, almost five years later, she is all settled in. Honestly, this time last year I would have told you she was still catching up, not everything was quite as it should be with her emotionally. She was still trying to grow into her age per se. Last year is when it really hit me that she missed almost TWO years of growth that all of her peers had and it was apparent in her daily life. While her friends were diligently coloring their school papers as they were asked to, Maryn was scribbling a line or maybe two and she was done! I wasn't so sure she could count to 20 let alone 100....she did know her colors but not all of her letters were recognizable and she wrote her first name only while using all caps. She was fine....she was happy....she was a fabulous, five year old little girl that if no one knew her beginnings in life, they would not have thought twice about it. But I did. I knew and I really saw just how devastating it is to a child to go without love and attention and interaction for almost two years of their life even years later.
Fast forward until now....
this girl is on FIRE. She hit Kindergarten with her wings up and ready to fly and she hasn't looked back. She is reading like a boss....she is reading books her siblings read in 1st grade. She does math in her head, addition and subtraction and she is trying her hand at multiplication which is unbelievable. She craves puzzle time, loves a good game of matching, she rides her bike like a boss - no training wheels, she taught herself in one try! - she is a fierce competitor, a graceful ballerina like her two big sisters, she has the best little laugh, she colors so beautifully now paying close attention to detail - she even did a program at school where she chose to be an art teacher! - she is a fish in the water and cannot wait to participate in her third year of swim team this summer....she loves new things, loves to taste all the foods, including the candy....
This girl who was once afraid to tell others what she was thinking is now more confident and doesn't hesitate to speak up with words that are carefully chosen.
This girl is thriving. She knows she is loved beyond measure. She is no longer afraid, no longer scared of all things new. What a pleasure and honor it is to have a front row seat in her life and be her biggest, loudest cheerleader!
We love you Mar!
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