Before and After

Warning:  Lots of numbers coming.  I love numbers.  

A lot of times, with international adoptions, you see drastic "Before and After" pictures.  I love those pictures.  I love seeing children saved from near-death conditions and thriving in families.  No one can doubt that these children needed families and love and medical care.

Sara's situation wasn't drastic.  She wasn't starving.  She wasn't abused.  By all standards, she was developing well.  I dare say, she was loved by her care-givers in the orphanage.  But here is something I know:

When Sara was 2 years old, she weighed 26 1/2 pounds and was 34 1/2 inches tall.

In June of 2012, she was 36 inches tall.

In October 2012, she was 36 inches tall and weighed 30 pounds.  

It took her almost 2 1/2 years to grow an inch and a half and gain 3 1/2 pounds!

When we she went to the pediatrician in March (10 days after arriving in the US; 2 months after meeting her mommy), she was 34 pounds and 37 1/2 inches tall.

In 5 months, she had grown an inch and a half and gained 4 pounds!

Today, at the developmental pediatrician, she was 38 1/2 inches tall and 37 pounds.

In 2 months, she has grown an inch and gained 4 pounds!  

Numbers don't lie.  This girl was not starving.  She was not neglected.  She also wasn't growing.  

See what love can do?