January 21, 2004: Two Different Children

When I picked up Dinka and Veronika from the airport on Monday night, I found myself with a different child than the one I had left eight days earlier. I left a cute and curious baby and picked up an aspiring toddler. Perhaps being in Austria accelerates an infant's growth rate or maybe she was inspired by her older cousins. In the time she was away, Veronika got bigger, grew more hair, experienced an increase in power and mobility of her arms and legs, learned a number of new sounds, became much more expressive and demonstrative, became acutely aware of every sight and sound around her (responding with focused and attentive looks), and realized that it is important to grab and chew on everything, including but not limited to toys, glassware, pets and her parents' faces.

Up until recently it was hard to picture her being anything but a baby, but after seeing her lately it is not difficult to imagine her crawling, walking and talking. We have some very exciting times in our immediate future and we, as parents, are thrilled and, after seeing her recent potential, a little terrified. I suppose this is exactly as it should be.