Pageant Update (sorry, no pictures)

We just got back from dress rehearsal. Lili did so well. I'm very proud of her.
And, regardless of how she does tomorrow, she's already a winner. I mean, sure, I should've come to that conclusion already, but I realized tonight that people really, really seem to think that Lili's pretty special.
The older girls always look at her and go 'awwwww....' and the girls her age love to talk to her and hang around with her. It really warmed my heart to see her interact with other girls and to see what affect she seems to have on other people.
I don't know. I guess I'm just always afraid that other kids will think she's weird or something. Like when kids and even adults that don't know her talk to her in a store or something, and she doesn't know how to answer or she's quiet, I always feel like I need to give the old 'she was adopted from China when she was 4 so she doesn't know how to speak English very well' answer. I mean most Chinese girls are either from a US Chinese family or adopted as an infant, so most people (myself included) just expect them to act like anyone else.
I remember the family we were in Guangzhou with. They brought their 4 year old daughter who was adopted at 12 months. When we would be with them she would always expect Lili to talk and play like she did. I remember her asking her parents what was wrong with Lili. I guess I'm just hyper-sensitive to that now. (she was a very nice little girl and once her parents explained to her, she was a lot more understanding with Lili)
Anyway, all this just to say that I'm proud and amazed. Lili's only been with us 10 months. Last year at this time we didn't even have TA yet and hadn't a CLUE when we'd ever meet her.

I am one lucky mommy.