Home 6 months!

We had our 6 month post placement meeting with our social worker last week.  She could tell that Anna is more animated, as she described it.  We met at a restuarant with a play area, so Anna and the boys played and occasionally made funny faces at us through the glass.  It was a really nice visit.  She has already sent me a copy of the report.  She was under a time crunch since she was preparing to leave for Taiwan to adopt her 8 month old son!  We will see her again at 1 year post placement.

  

Anna is doing great.  She still is not saying many words which concerns me, but our ped. told me to wait another 3 months to see how she progresses.  Thomas is just now starting to really talk so we can understand him, so I guess waiting is okay.  She walks with a strut that is adorable.  I call Anna and Thomas my 2 tornados or Princess and Precious depending on the time of day!  Homeschooling with them around is very interesting.

We went camping last weekend, and Anna was pulling stuff out of the boxes faster than we could keep up.  We rode bikes one day, and she and Luke rode in the trailer behind Matt's bike while Thomas rode in the baby seat on my bike.  Joshua and Caleb rode on their own bikes.  We did a 7 mile mountain bike trail.  Matt said Anna spent most of her time going "ah-ah-ah-ah breathe ah-ah-ah-ah" as they bumped along the trail.  Luke tried to tell her to be quiet, but it didn't work until she finally fell asleep.  I had a cute sleeping picture, but my SD card is corrupt, so I lost the pictures on it, grrrr.

Anna is still waking up once a night needing attention but going back to sleep easily.  She is still whiny, but that is also getting better.  I think once she starts talking, her frustration will lessen and hopefully the whining too.  We try to give her what she wants as often as we can, but she is very demanding, especially about food (a common adoption issue, so we are trying to take it in stride).  She wants every item that everyone else has, but then she rarely eats all that she has.  I think it a control issue, but I hate to see food wasted when she pitched a fit to have it.  I try to only give her a bite of everything that way so much doesn't get wasted.

We are so much futher along than we were six months ago.  It's easier to write about it now that we are over the rough stuff, but our time in China and first few weeks home were very difficult emotionally for me.  I knew there was a possibility that Anna would reject me but living it was a totally different matter.  It was not just a matter of "Daddy's girl" but screaming-crying-terrified rejection.  I look back at the few pictures I have of me holding her in China, and I can just see how scared she was (and I can't believe that we actually have any pictures of me holding her).  Now, she rests on my shoulder like the boys always did, and she will even let me hold her in the cradle position and look into her eyes and hold her sippy cup for her.  I never imagined that she would be this comfortable in six months.  What a blessing!  She still uses her shirt for comfort, and we willingly help get it to her face when she's having a meltdown.  It reminds me of sticking a pacifier in a baby's mouth.

In China

She loves to explore and I also try to encourage that, even if I have a mess to clean up.  For example, while I sat typing this post, she has filled five cups with water from the refrigerator and managed to spill little puddles in the kitchen and living room (wood floors).  I tried to encourage her to continue to explore with a towel and clean up the water, but she isn't interested.  I have heard her slip three times, good thing she has a diaper to pad her bottom.  Thomas is now walking around with an armful of towels, so I guess he is helping with the clean up.  Anna is probably thinking, SUCKER!  ;-)

Six months home, she is watching her brothers play and wondering when she can get down to join them.