 |
| Happy girl! |
Overall, she's doing great! She is happy and adjusted. She doesn't appear to be grieving her life back in the orphanage in Shaanxi. It's a thing of the past. She likes to laugh and loves being tickled. She's quick to come give me a hug and a kiss. She loves her daddy now, despite wanting nothing to do with him when we first came home. She gets along well with her biggest brother C, but she is still jealous over her other big brother Super E. She loves the dogs, the guinea pig and all the stray cats and deer running through the condo complex. She still loves to sing.
 |
| She loves her daddy! |
We continue to battle food issues. While she doesn't always sit and stare at me in the kitchen while I'm preparing food as much (she still does it, just to an ever so slightly less degree), she will still scavenge and scrounge after a meal for any scraps that might have fallen on the floor. Mmmm... floor food. Ick! She'll still cry after eating a full meal if the food is all gone. For a time, I was allowing her to eat as much as she wanted, whenever she wanted, at the advice of adoption physicians who specialize in food issues. I saw my daughter balloon up virtually overnight and it really didn't sit well with me. She could seriously eat a whole box of Cheerios and then come wailing to me for more. I was told that it would be okay if she became obese in the short term as she's learning to deal with food. But when on this blessed earth is it ever okay to become obese? As a mom who admittedly and embarrassingly needs to lose a good 30 pounds, I couldn't watch my daughter become large enough to outgrow her 2T clothes when she's a healthy height and weight on the Asian Growth Charts. So, I carefully monitor how much she eats and I offer healthy meals and snacks.
 |
| Not happy the meal is over. |
Thankfully, her hives are a thing of the past, having linked them not to food but to the pool here at my mother-in-law's condo. She doesn't react to any other pool we have visited. Just this one. So, we've kept her out and no more nasty hives!
 |
| Swimming at Aunt Patti's pool where her skin does NOT break out in hives! |
Although she is doing so well, she is so defiant. Let me retype that. She is SO DEFIANT! You can tell me, "Hey Brooke, she's 2. She's supposed to be defiant," but you haven't seen this girl. Everything out of her mouth is no.
"Don't kick the dog."
"No."
"Don't hit dad's computer."
"No."
"Don't play with electric cords."
"No."
"Don't take dirty laundry out of the hamper."
"No."
"Don't touch the remotes."
"No."
I can try to put a positive spin on things and tell her all the things she is allowed to do and it goes something like this:
"Go play with toys."
"No."
"Let's play chase with your brothers."
"No."
"Give daddy a kiss."
"No."
"Let's change your diaper."
"No."
"You can have a banana after your nap."
"No."
This girl does not know how to say "yes." We started disciplining pretty early after she was home. She has become one with the naughty step and some days she just seems to prefer it there. If she's interrupting while I'm home schooling the boys, I'll tell her to go play with toys. You know her answer. I'll give her the option of playing with toys right next to us or coloring in her high chair or to go sit on the naughty step all by herself and she'll put herself on the step. Every time.
 |
| She loves her big brother C and he's pretty smitten too. |
And it's not just "no." It's also refusing to listen and follow directions. This week alone, she has come into the kitchen while I was taking dinner out of the hot oven and she walked towards me with her hands out, ready to touch the oven or the hot dish. I said, "No! Danger! Hot!" She backed up a few feet and then came right back at me again with hands outstretched as I was closing the oven door. Same thing with the computer. I was on it this afternoon right after lunch and before her nap time and she reached out to touch the computer (this is off limits to her and always has been). I told her, "no touch" and she gave me one look and then whacked it before I could grab her hand. Oh, she is naughty and she is giving me a run for my money! Most days I really, honestly wonder if she'll ever learn. She thinks she has control and she is refusing to give up. Well, you and I know that she won't win. I just hope she learns sooner than later for everyone's sanity! Thankfully, I'm not alone in this venture. My amazing adoption "family" group also reports similar stories in their households. It's good to have people to vent to when you know that they fully understand because they have also adopted.
Her hair is getting just about long enough to pin back into a small clip and she's learning to tolerate "pretties" too. It always looks best when her hair is wet, immediately after her bath. But once it dries, the short hairs tend to slip themselves out and the clip is history. Another inch or so and hopefully they'll really stay in.
 |
| Getting used to "pretties" in her hair. |
She is now sleeping upstairs in her room here at the condo and no longer in our room for bonding's sake. I can't wait to see how she reacts to her own room in our future house! She still HATES blankets though and lately will scream if I pull one out of the drawer on a cool night. Not sure what the hysterics are about. It's not a battle I'm willing to fight, so if she doesn't want any blankets in her crib at night, that's less laundry for me to do during the week. I know my friend Hilary's daughter doesn't care for blankets. Anyone else out there? Why does she freak out over them?
 |
| Home for 4 months! |
It's been rough, I'm not going to lie. Most days I feel like I'm drowning. Our family circumstances are still crazy and time is running out for us here at my mother-in-law's condo. My boys are begging for their belongings still in storage in Nebraska. I'm longing for a place to call home. Jay needs to be in his region for his 10 hour a day job and not commuting 3 hours a day to boot. Please keep us in your prayers for all our general life stuff to iron out and for Miss L to lose the naughty, control-freak behavior and also to overcome her food issues. Somewhere around 6-8 months home, adopted children tend to start showing their true personalities. So, I'm excited to see what the next few months will bring.
No comments:
Post a Comment