Resemblance

Last night Gwen and I were reading an adoption themed book before bed entitled, "Every Year On Your Birthday", by Rose Lewis. The author is recounting what she and her adopted Chinese daughter have done on each of the little girl's birthdays and telling how they remember her Chinese family with love, especially at birthday time.

We came to this illustration, (on the left) and Gwen, who often wonders when we read adoption themed books if the story is about her, said, "Is that me? It looks like me." As I looked at it, I realized that we had this photo of her (on the right) in a family photo book that did look remarkably similar. I got it out and she and I compared the two. Amazing! Even down to the little ponytail on the same side and the fact that both pictures are on stairs.

The photo of Gwen was taken in the late spring after her second birthday, just about six months after she joined our family. She is wearing a sweet little Laura Ashley dress that my dear friend Rebecca bought in a second hand shop for Madelyn, right after we found out during my pregnancy with her that we were expecting a girl. :-) Both Madelyn and Rebecca's daughter Emma Grace wore the dress before it was passed down to Gwen.

This isn't the first time that Gwen "saw herself" in a story book. A couple of years ago she was sure that the illustration in a particular book was of her and Seth. Click here to see the post I wrote about it in November 2006.