Having a toddler at home is so amazing. There is never a boring day, as new discoveries become the norm for each day. My adopted daughter, who just turned 19 months, is utterly fascinated with her belly button. Yesterday, she played with her belly button for at least ten minutes as she sat on her potty chair. She would squeeze it between her fingers, make it into a donut shape, and then bend forward trying to look inside the hole. Then she would laugh hysterically, slap her hands on the cheeks of her face, throw her arms in the air, jump up, and hug me. Then she would sit down and repeat the routine. She didn’t seem to tire of this game. Eventually, I had to put her pajamas on her and get her ready for bed.

If you have ever watched Veggie Tales then you know that they sing many catchy tunes. One is the Belly Button song. It is sort of a rap song. They say belly button, uh uh. So while Ami was playing with her belly button, I would say belly button to the same tune as the song. Then Ami would say, "Uh, uh."

Even though we have parented a hundred children over a span of 25 years, I love every minute I spend with my newest daughter. I don’t think you can ever tire of seeing the wonder on a child’s face as each new discovery is made. Everyone in the house seems just as intrigued and in love with her as I am. I guess that is partly because they are so much older and she is very charismatic. I was thinking today, that if Ali, our four year old, goes home, our next youngest child is eight. Our other children still living at home are 10, 13, 14, 15, and 18.

Ami’s vocabulary is growing everyday now as well. A couple of days ago she discovered that she could control when she goes to bed. As I was typing on my computer, she came in carrying her blanket, and said, “Night, night.” I asked if she wanted to go to bed and she repeated, “Night, night.” So, I took her to bed. She happily laid down with her blanket and pacifier and went to sleep. The next night she did the same thing.

A friend of mine once told me that having a child later in life with help to keep you young. I believe there is a lot of truth in that statement.

Photo Credit Julia Fuller 2007