Sophie....

A few days ago I posted an update on Kylie but didn't post about Sophie, so here's the update:

• In a few days Sophie will be 28 months. 28 months??? How can that be? I remember the day she was placed in my arms like it was yesterday.

• When we were in China adopting Sophie, she was really, really sick. She spent 4 days (in and out) of the Changsha hospital. She was vomiting, not eating or drinking, unresponsive. Doctors in China scared us by saying she might have cerebal palsy and that she was unable to "absorb calcium" (not sure what the absorbing calcium meant, but it scared the bejeezles out of us!). Looking back on it, I think her illness was caused by a few things. The vomiting...well, she used to have a horrible time with food. She would keep food in her mouth for 10 minutes at a time and then spit it out. She may have choked a little on the food, causing the vomiting. I've heard stories of other babies adopted from China that "hoard" food in their mouths because they're not sure when they will eat again. It breaks my heart to think Sophie was not getting enough food at the orphanage, but I know it's a reality. As for the not eating or drinking and being unresponsive, I'm sure she was grieving in her own way. I can't believe how tragic it must have been for her to leave the orphanage, the only place she knew for the first 11 months of her life, and all of a sudden have strangers taking care of her.

• At age 28 months, Sophie's vocabulary is incredible. We have flashcards and she knows all the words, even xylophone, penguin and violin. She speaks full sentences, and she speaks clearly. She is constantly talking and never stops. I love it. She has such a cute, soft voice but when she wants something she definately will raise her voice so you hear her!

• She essentially potty-trained herself around 17 months...how incredible is that?!?!? I can't remember the last time I put a diaper or pull-up on her. She sleeps through the night in her regular cotton underwear and always wakes up dry.

• Her favorite things in the world are her na-na (what she calls her blanket) and her "baby." The "baby" is constantly changing. Basically it's anything small enough for her to hold. She'll pretend that she is the mommy. Right now her "baby" is a baby doll sippy cup. She carries it around everywhere (even sleeps with it) and will pretend to feed baby, put baby down for a nap and sing to it. What's even funnier to see is when she gives her baby doll sippy cup a real sippy cup and pretends that the baby sippy cup is drinking :)

• How can a 2 year old be so opinionated? She has strong ideas about what she wants to wear each day, even what underwear she will put on (sometimes Dora, sometimes Elmo, sometimes Curious George). Her favorite article of clothing is an orange Gap polo. She would wear it every day if I let her. And her shoes...again, very picky.

• She loves, loves, loves her big sister. Wherever Kylie is, that's where you'll find Sophie too.