Isabelle is slowly learning to "play."

Before Isabelle joined our family last June, we were sent some pictures from the Shanwei orphanage. One of the things that struck us was that in a series of pictures, she was playing with a piece of string tied to her crib. Since she's been with us we've noticed that she has had to learn how to play with toys. They're just foreign to her. We attribute that to some of the survival mechanisms this little girl developed while spending the first 18 months of her life in a crib.

While we were waiting for her, we bought Isabelle a doll that resembled a little Asian girl, thinking that something similar-looking might give her a comfort level. But early on she would have nothing to do with it. But just in the last few days she has started taking an interest in that doll.As you can see from these pictures, she is taking that same kind of care with her doll that her Mom takes with her. She holds the doll very gently, pulls it to her shoulder, and gives it soft hugs and kisses. But, as with most things for a 2-year old, her attention span was fairly short. And the doll got left in a chair while Isabelle moved on to the next adventure. But progress is progress.