We're Home
August 2007  |  October 2007

Thursday, October 25, 2007 Well, we've been home for three months and life in our home is full of energy, noise, and there seems to be a lot of chaos. But..I write that with a smile as we wouldn't want it any other way. Grace has blended into our family so very nicely. She really has a delightful and happy disposition. Her birthday (on August 13) was celebrated with a small party of friends and family. She thought her cake was okay, nothing too special. Her gift opening was also mediocre, especially once she got the hang of it. But..it was a hot day and she absolutely loved the sprinkler fun with her cousins and friends. It was great to watch her get right into the fun. Grace's regular doctor visit was a disaster. I had Kate and Grace with me. My sister graciously offered to watch the other children. Grace ended up falling off the chair and hitting her head on the wall. Kate was having a holy conniption over a snack she wanted. Grace didn't like the exam one bit. Our physician was very tolerable and understanding over the whole ordeal. But I couldn't get out of the office fast enough without any of my questions answered. Argh! I can laugh pretty heartily about it now:) I'm very thankful Grace is one healthy little girl and doesn't seem to have issues. I have a very sweet church friend who gave us some great lotion to put on Grace's skin which we use faithfully and haven't seen any sign of eczema. We'll see how her skin holds up to the MN winter. Her face is sensitive and will get red and irritated when she eats. But if we wash her face, the irritation usually clears up shortly after. We made a trip to the International Adoption Clinic at the University of Minnesota. We didn't have any surprises. We have a few things to work on which we knew, but like I said, no real surprises. She's a bit behind in her social/emotional, intellectual, and fine motor skills. She's still developing her upper body strength and coordination. Our next adventure was vacation, staying in a cottage by a lake for a week! This was a highlight of our summer. Our family takes one vacation a year and is definitely a family favorite time of year. This year was no exception. I come from a family of five children and we were able to all be together for a small part of the week's vacation. The other part was enjoyed by about 25 extended family members. We were able to fish, swim, talk, laugh, eat, have campfires, play games and just spend time with each other. Grace did very well with so many bodies milling around. She even slept through the night a few times! She really enjoyed the water, played in the sand, and liked to find rocks on shore and throw them back into the water. Right after vacation, we spent a few weeks enjoying friends at parks and gearing up for the school year. I admit that I finally feel like some days I can catch my breath from all the busyness. Not because the two older children are at school, but because I'm starting to feel some sort of normalcy in our home after Grace has come into our family. Adding a fifth child has been a challenging transition for me. Two two year olds, a preschooler, and two school age children is definitely demanding on a mother. Although I CAN say that they are all healthy, they are loved, they have clean clothes to wear, they have meals on the table to eat, and are lovingly tucked into bed about the same time every night which says a lot. We feel so very blessed! Kate and Grace love to be around each other. I don't think one would take a bath without the other. They have started to play simple little games which makes the other laugh which is very sweet to observe. Much of the day I dare not step away from them when they are close to each other. Before long, a fight usually breaks out usually involving a swat, scratch or pinch on somebody's part. And most of the time, it's over a toy, a book, mommy's attention, or one has looked at the other one wrong. They are definitely sisters in every sense of the word:) Grace had been doing a lot of hitting to anyone when she was upset. It was clear she hadn't had the opportunity to experience conflict. The poor girl is having to learn very difficult concepts of a two year old plus a whole new life. She has taken on the challenge very well and is doing a lot less hitting and using more verbal protests.

Going through the sprinkler on her birthday Having a snack by the lake on vacation A girl bursting with smiles Swinging at the park It's getting cool and I'm still so cute Having a chat with my sister

Grace loves to follow her big sister MaryEllen around and calls her “Ahnna” since she can't say MaryEllen. She loves to play follow the leader with MaryEllen and simon says. She loves to dance to MaryEllen's keyboard and she loves to get up into MaryEllen's bed and pull up the covers to snuggle in for awhile. Grace also loves to follow Zan outside as he plays football or Pokemon inside. She rides her scooter bike around the cul de sac and has learned proficiency and speed which makes her mother very nervous at times I might add. We are working on Grace's upper body strength and coordination. Getting her on the floor to play puppy is great and having her play a fun and short game of wheel barrow is great too. I have her climb up the slide which she now can do at times and gets so proud of herself, and she very well should! She's leaned how to run, but does fall often do to her lack of coordination and arm strength. Her legs go, but her arms and upper body flop around a bit and throws her off balance. As far as eating, she doesn't stop. Grace uses a fork and spoon very well. She continues to be a great eater and eats a nice variety of foods. She's long ago forgone her bottle:( She's just recently given up her nightly bedtime snack of congee. She'd rather have other food. Since we got her three months ago, she's gained over 3 pds. so now she's up to over 26 pounds and is filling out. She's 33 1/2 inches tall and wears 2T clothes and size 6 shoe. Between her signs and verbiage, she is saying 2 word phrases. She's learned many body parts and animal sounds. It has been clear to us that Grace hadn't encountered so many things we take for granted like stepping over a toy, stepping over a hose laying in the grass, going up or down steps, negotiating a little dip in the road, being able to walk on sand without falling over, holding a crayon, drinking from a cup, and so on. We've done a lot of teaching and she's responding very well. We are so proud that she has mastered most of these. Grace goes to bed between 7:30-7:45 and sleeps until about 7 in the morning. She wakes up 0-2 times during the night. Eric goes over to her bed and gets her repositioned on her pillow and gives her blankets back. She is sleeping in a playpen in our bedroom yet but has thankfully graduated from our bed since she was the only one sleeping in our bed. Her naps are for about 1 1/2 hr. The last few weeks, we have seen a change in Grace. I can tell she is feeling so much more comfortable in our home. She has really started to assume “her” role in our family. We are excited to see her continue to flourish. We are stopped quite often and asked if Kate and Grace are twins. We usually are able to tell both of our adoption stories and feel so very blessed that God has not only given us the opportunity to bring children into our home, but to share our story with others! I have written many things about Grace. What she can or isn't able to do yet, but in a sense I feel; does it really matter. Does it matter what she's able to do or not able to do. Grace doesn't know what milestone she's “suppose” to have accomplished. What she does know is how she FEELS when she's loved, comforted, tickled, tucked into bed, smiled at, and who and what makes her feel loved and secure. It is pure joy to be a part of her life and we love her so very much!

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