We Welcome with Joy. . .

Gracyn Natalee - Gracyn turned 2 on the 25th of August and is 18 months younger than her brother Peyton. Gracyn's middle name changed a few times. Originally it was Leena, and then it was Rylee, and finally we settled on Natalee. It needed to have "Lee" in it for my mom, hence the spelling of Natalee.

Here is a picture of Gracyn's announcement that we ordered from tinyprints.com

 

About Gracyn. . .
Gracyn's daddy said we adopted 2 little girls from Taiwan. Gracyn being one, and Natalee being another - Natalee is Gracyn's naughty side! She's in her terrible 2's and likes to do things all by herself. She likes to buckle her car seat, although she really doesn't like her car seat. She likes to climb up the step stool to wash her hands, and is constantly pulling cups out to fill them up at the water dispenser, and enjoying a variety of snacks from the kiddie snack cabinets which are all at their level. The best way to keep her happy in her car seat or stroller is with cereal. Fruity cheerios, Corn Pops, Honey Nut Cheerios, Plain Cheerios, and Chocolate Teddy Grahams are amongst her favorite at the moment. She loves bath time, hates to have her hair blow dried, likes to have lotion put on, and loves to have one bow in in hair on her right side.

Gracyn imitates everything Peyton does, said "woof" for sure - great first word to remember, right? She's doing great with sign language, and loves her bottle. She like melons over citrus, hasn't figured out how to chew apples, likes to drink from a straw, and is great and pulling on your fingers to get you to go where she needs you. She whines if she doesn't get her way, has a feisty side to her (especially if tired), and prefers mommy to anyone else for bed time. She goes down easy. Put her in her crib with her bottle, rub her legs, feet, and tickle her hands and before you know it, she's in dream land. She still wakes up two to three times a night. Some nights easier than others. She loves to be hugged and kissed!

I feel so blessed to be Gracyn's mommy. She is so stunning. She has the sweetest smile, and the most beautiful eyes. When I was pregnant with Peyton I remember wanting a baby with big eyes, double eyelids, and long eyelashes. . . Well, Peyton as handsome as he is, looks just like his Daddy, but Gracyn got the eyes, the double eyelids, and the super long eyelashes! I told her this morning while she watched me put on makeup that I didn't get her big beautiful eyes, so I needed the mascara! She laughed.

Gracyn is a happy child. She has had her bouts with grief, and I'm sure there will be more to come. It's painful to watch, as there is nothing I can do to comfort her. She wants me to go away, but if I do, it makes it worse. When she finally gives in, she wants me to feed her a bottle, and usually she ends up falling asleep. She likes to play with Daddy, but doesn't like him to feed her or comfort her just yet. It feels like she's always been here, and it's amazing to think that I'm her third mother figure, but definitely her first mommy! She actually pushed Peyton off of my lap today and squeezed her little bum in there!

Is it hard? Yes. I think it's a combination of recovering from jet lag, the emotional ups and downs of the journey to Taiwan, and the sleep deprivation since she doesn't sleep through the night. Days are fairly easy, but at moments she can be very needy. Is it harder than I expected? No. Actually quite the opposite. Gracyn has really adjusted well to home, and to Peyton. When she had a little crying episode Peyton said, "I think she wants to go back to Taiwan." - He's so intuitive. When I asked him if he loved his sister he said, "Yes." - I was afraid to ask the next question, but I did. . .I asked him if he wanted her to go back to Taiwan and he said, "No." - He's so protective of her. If Gracyn cries because Daddy won't give her something she wants he tells Daddy he's being mean! LOL Funny how I'm never the "mean one" but between me and the DH, he's definitely easier on them!

Do I remember the wait? The extra months? Yes and No. I wish I had her home earlier because I do believe the months before they turn 2 are very impressionable. But the "wait" which I so carefully documented and tracked at one point I can hardly recall. . .The updates I prayed for? Can't even remember what I received and when I received it anymore. I do wish based on her age that we had the opportunity to see her via webcam, or we had received the disposable video camera back sooner. We just got her video back, and you can see so much of her personality and what she had been exposed to which could have helped her transition.

Gracyn was worth the wait, and I can't imagine having any other little girl here with me but her. Her personality fits right in - the gene pool is a match. Yes, I have two very strong willed, outgoing, affectionate love bugs on my hands! Luckily one likes to share everything, which makes them the best of friends. As an only child, to see the two them together makes my heart melt.