One Month Post Gotcha Day

June 21, 2012 - Today marks one month since holding and meeting Lucy in person for the first time. I cannot believe it has been one month already and the Lord has been faithful to us throughout this month. We are making huge progress in the attachment process. We have limited Lucy's outings, but she has been on outings and there have been a few Lucy spottings in Mt. Lake by a few people. : ) This limited time outside our house has been very beneficial with helping Lucy feel comfortable with her new family. The thing I was most fearful about was Lucy seeing a new face and putting her arms out to them to be held. I remember an evening in China shortly after we met Lucy. We were eating at a restaurant and after our meal was done, Lucy reached out her arms to all the waitresses that were smiling at her and talking to her. She started crying and I could not console her. She wanted to be held by these ladies, not me. This was my fear of introducing her to our friends and family. This fear has not become reality because not once has Lucy reached out her arms to anyone but a member of our immediate family.

Everyday Lucy seems to show me a new action that confirms she is progressing in her attachment to me. Yesterday it was when she ran into the kitchen, threw her arms around my leg, and gave it a squeeze. Now, I am pretty convinced that at this point in her life, she does not understand affection. I do not know if this leg squeeze was just her mimicking something she has seen her sister do, but it was initiated completely by her without any prompting. This morning Lucy woke up about a half hour earlier than the rest of the kids, (at first I was a bit disappointed because she already wakes up pretty early, but it was worth it!) so we had a half hour of snuggle time. She sat on my lap, cuddled with me and even looked me in the eyes and smiled. These are HUGE steps. Throughout the day while we were outside she wanted me to hold her A LOT. I loved every minute of it! The best thing she does now is she holds out her hands to me when it is time to pray before our meal. She wants to pray with our family. Sometimes multiple times during the meal she wants to pray. : ) So many thoughts go through my head when I think about this awesome action. First, I know she does not completely understand what we are doing, but if she were not in our family and still in an orphanage in China, would she even ever see this done to even copy this action? Oh thank you Father for allowing us the ability to show even a 2 year old glimpses of You.

We have our routine down during the day and I once again feel like a normal person. You know, I read about a post adoption depression, kind of like a post partum depression that can occur. Of course it is one of those things a person thinks, "that won't happen to me." Well, I think I suffered a little from that. There is not much that prepares a person to come home from a long journey and just get back into life. I struggled (well still am kind of struggling) with having 4 children NEEDING me all day long and one of those children being a new member of the family so you have to work extra hard to meet all her needs. It was a challenge, but like I said, we are finally into a routine and things are looking better. I told Jason last night, "I now feel like Lucy's mom, not just a babysitter as she waits for her mom to come and get her." : ) Thank you Lord!

The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises
and faithful in all he does.^[c]
14 The Lord upholds all who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
¹⁵ The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
¹⁶ You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

¹⁷ The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and faithful in all he does.
¹⁸ The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
¹⁹ He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.  ~Psalm 145:13b-19

Throughout this time of transition, my perception of what Lucy's "special need" is has changed. She was put on the special needs list because of her cleft lip and palate. As one of the members of our travel group said, "their first special need is they need a family", and I couldn't agree more! This has been our main focus since coming home that I have at times completely forgotten about her lip and palate. She does have a doctor's appointment at the beginning of July which we will then be referred on to a cleft team (several specialty doctors working together in the care of a patient with cleft lip and palate). We do know she will need some orthodontic work done because her teeth look a little out of whack on the top. : )

We have seen so much of Lucy's personality come out. She is such a fun little girl. She has SO MUCH personality. She is very playful and I just found out today that she is a fish in the pool. She loved being in the water. She liked it a little too much. I do not see any fear in her and that makes me nervous. She will have to be watched like a hawk around water. She seems to be fitting into our family just fine. Why do I even doubt!? We are hoping to take her to church on Sunday for the first time. We shall see how that goes. Thank you all for your prayers and support. Thank you, once again, to the MUMS group for setting up meals for us. This is just such a blessing coming from other busy, busy moms.

Here is a glimpse of our month in pictures:

Gotcha Day - May 21, 2012

Day we received the official adoption registration certificate - May 22, 2012

First glimpses of Lucy's personality coming out - May 23, 2012

Not liking being with Mommy too much : ( (In Zhengzhou)

There's some smiles (in Guangzhou)

U.S. Consulate day - May 31, 2012

Red couch (or made up red couch) picture - June 1, 2012

Playing at home (one of the first days home)

Little chef Lucy

Well, what can I say. I told you she has personality. I was folding clothes and she put her brother's underwear on, by herself, and walked around the house for quite a while with it around her legs. : )

Happy 2nd Birthday - June 16, 2012

Playing outside - Lucy's favorite activity - Father's Day 2012

Happy 1 month Gotcha Day anniversary, sweet Lucy! Your family loves you very much! We have come a long way in one month. : )