A Rose by any other name....

One thing we noticed in China is that Rose didn't recognize her name. I don't mean that she didn't recognize the fact that we were calling her Rose, but she didn't recognize Jue, the nickname the orphanage director said she went by. At first, we thought we must be saying it wrong, because, in truth, we had been saying it wrong, but when our Chinese-speaking guides called her by name, she didn't act like she understood what they were saying either. Was she deaf? Hearing-loss is definitely a possibility with cleft-affected kids, but she responded to clapping hands and honking horns and the sound of my voice.

She just didn't know what her name was. She was a baby among many, not Rose, not Jue.

But if you say "Rose," or "Rosie" now, she knows who we're talking about. She kicks her legs, claps her feet together, and waves her little hands. And I'm so glad.

In other (big!) news, Rose had her first birthday on Saturday. We tried to keep things quiet and small, because we didn't want to overwhelm the girl.

Her birthday present from her brothers and sisters-- they had to relinquish one of their swings to give her room.

Ed and I decided that this is the kind of outfit that women love and men hate. We took Rose to dinner at PF Changs and half a dozen women told me how adorable it was. But the tulle totally got stuck in the velcro on the car seat. It may be dumb, but I do think it's mighty cute.

I'm going to miss this sweet little face. I love it just like it is.