Tuesday, June 16, 2009

June 11th was our one month Gotcha Day Anniversary with Lily. This first month has flown by and at times it feels she has been here much longer, perhaps because she was living here in our hearts months before we brought her home.

Lily’s transition has been remarkably easy. All the anticipation we had about potential problems have not been. She is cooperative, obedient, loving, gets along well with her brothers and is nearly always outwardly happy. She has slept in her own bed every night after snuggle time with mom or dad and never gets up during the night. She has been such a joy and we are having a great time growing closer to our daughter.

This month we have stayed close to home. Lily has met all of her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins except for my brother in Arizona. She loves, loves, loves her new family and is always excited to see them. We have taken occasional trips to the store and she is nearly always willing to go shopping. She and I had our first real girl’s day out last weekend and it felt so great. She loves clothes and looks forward to getting dressed each day. I had gotten a little carried away in clothes shopping before she was home and she still had lots of clothes she hasn’t worn and some to grow in to. Many of the clothes I had bought are too big. We are having trouble finding shoes for her, especially because her foot is so narrow.

Lily has tried many new foods but still prefers her egg drop soup, noodles and rice. She has started to eat some different things and will now devour chicken nuggets and fries, something she previously turned her nose up to. She has also taken a liking to ketchup sandwiches, canned tuna and this girl will eat anything chocolate. She drinks very little and we are working on that. It is very hot and humid where we live and we don’t want her dehydrated!

We have spent time working with Lily on school to prepare her to start school next year. She is doing great with math and is quickly learning her letters and can recognize and pronounce most of them. Her English is coming along well. It is obvious her comprehension is far exceeding her ability to speak English. It is amazing how well we are able to communicate with each other but the language barrier at times is frustrating. We have started to use drawing as an effective way to communicate and have been able to explain more complicated matters this way.

Lily’s affection toward us has taken a complete turn. The child, who rejected us in China in public, wouldn’t let us hold or kiss her is now very affectionate. More so with mama than daddy but it is changing every day. She is openly affectionate now and asks for kisses and hugs from mama. She is still more playful with John but since I have gone back to work three days a week they have had a chance to grow closer. She is nearly always within my arms reach when I am home and loves to sit in my lap, cook with me and even likes to help with chores.

The other day I remember looking at her and thinking about how much I love her. She brings us so much joy and laughter. I thank God for her and am so happy God placed adoption in our hearts. I cannot imagine my life without her being in it.