Today was the first day of school for the boys and a busy day for two thirds of the family. We sent the boys off on the bus at about 7:20 a.m. Lucy was awake and had a chance to say goodbye to the boys. Isabelle was not and I had a sad little girl when she woke up. The first thing she asked me, in a panic I might add: "Did the boys already go to school?" I told her yes, but she will have plenty of other mornings to watch the boys get on the bus.
The second grader and the third grader ready for school
Lucy getting a good bye hug before big brother went to school
Where has the time gone? I remember when he could not open a door by himself (sniff, sniff)
So, once we did all the traditional pick-your-breakfast-of-choice for the first day of school (Ian's choice - breakfast burrito with egg and cheese. Aiden's choice - pancakes with peanut butter and syrup) and morning devotions and prayer, the boys were off. It was just me and girls and I could now get back into a "normal" routine. Well, today was not a normal routine day. It was the dreaded dentist day for the rest of us. I dread the dentist. All that poking and prodding on my teeth and them reminding me to floss my back teeth and oh, the bad news is I have to get a crown on one of my teeth because the filling in that tooth has caused it to fracture. I didn't know teeth could fracture. Well now I know and I get to experience having a crown on my tooth. Ugh! Isabelle was a trooper and has been told to stop the thumb sucking. : ) We may be visiting the orthodontist when she is older because of her habit. Hey, did I mention children cost a lot of money! ha, ha! Oh, but they are worth it. Our dentist took a quick look at Lucy's teeth and referred us onto a pediatric dentist in Mankato. She has some issues with her teeth that he thinks needs to be seen by a specialist so more trips to doctors is in our near future.
After our dentist appointments the girls and I stopped at the county courthouse to straighten out a mix up in some adoption paperwork and then we headed home. I had about an hour of quiet until the boys came home so I cleaned up the house because our social worker came for another post adoption visit. This time she had to visit because of Minnesota state requirements. She just has to make sure everything is going well and we do not have any concerns. It was a quick visit. No issues to report and we are set to see her back at our house in November for China's post adoption requirements. I am glad she is keeping this all straight because I don't think I could.
After school special treat.....Root Beer Floats : )
Tomorrow Lucy and I will go to Sioux Falls to spend the night for her early morning procedure on Wednesday. I am glad we decided to spend the night. We have to be at the hospital at 6:15 a.m. I didn't think the "nothing to eat or drink after midnight" would go over so well if I had to wake her up at 3 a.m. and drive a couple hours away. This is such a quick and minor procedure (getting tubes put in), but working in surgery and knowing all the "what could go wrong in pediatric surgery" things, I get a little anxious. So, if you are reading this and think of it, pray for Lucy Wednesday morning. I am thankful to God for his provision in her life this far. She could be having a much bigger surgery, as some in our China travel group will or already have dealt with, but she has been through those surgeries already and His hand was over her during those surgeries. I know He will be with her on Wednesday too.
"If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love."
1 Corinthians 13:1-7, The Message
I have been asked these questions, "now that I have gone through this whole adoption process, would I go through it again and what have I learned through it?" These are the two questions I have been pondering for quite sometime. I am going to be brutally honest here......this entire process was a huge step in going deeper in my relationship with my Savior. I had never been so incredibly close to Jesus as I was going through all that we went through to bring Lucy home. Now, sadly, I am having a hard time getting back to that closeness. It is as if when we came home from China, the stress of having a newly adopted child in our house along with everyone needing to adjust to our new reality has made that relationship lose it's depth. (Stress that I think only other adoptive parents can truly understand. Similar to how parents of special needs children can truly understand the stress of having a special needs child or fill in the blank of whatever situation you find yourself in. ) It breaks my heart. I want more. I want more of that deepness that I had several months ago.
Recently I heard a new song on the radio. It convicted me and nearly stopped me in my tracks when I heard the words, "If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but don't love, I've gotten nowhere." I was being spoken to through this song.
Shortly after I heard this song, I was on the Butterfield trail and this is the conversation I had with my Lord. I said, "What now? I want more of you." You see, and I will be the first to admit that this is not right, but going through the adoption process was a "spiritual high" and after coming home from China and becoming face to face with real life, I felt/continue to feel lost. After such an experience how do you live life like the rest of America knowing there are more needs out there. There are millions of orphans all over the world that need families. There are more needy people out there that need help. How do I live this life knowing all this? I just started reading a book called "Wrecked: When a Broken World Slams into Your Comfortable Life" by Jeff Goins. Jeff describes being wrecked this way,
"This is what I mean by being "wrecked." To be wrecked is to be disabused of the status quo. It means to have a transformation that goes beyond mere words - to be introduced to another way of life, to follow in the footsteps of a teacher who is calling you through the eye of a needle. Often it involves being catalyzed by an encounter with pain. The process is horrible and ugly and completely gut-wrenching - and at the same time, beautiful. It is real and hard and true. Most of all, it is necessary."
What I heard in response from my questions while running was this: "Love my children." At first when I continued running I was thinking of the children in my immediate family: Ian, Aiden, Isabelle and Lucy. As time went on I asked myself, who are God's children? He said love MY children, not my (Laura's) children. This is what I believe I am being asked to focus on now. What does true genuine biblical love look like in my life? I ask this over and over, especially when it comes to my own family because this is where I believe it needs to start. I can care for an orphan. I can give money to the poor. I can DO all these things for other people, but if I am not even loving my family or............loving people at all, I "gain NOTHING"! (see 1 Corinthians 13:2) Let's face it, some people are much easier to love than others. We have days in our family that there is not a whole lot of love being shared or shown to one another and I am pretty sure those are the days that my focus is on the wrong thing. It all comes down to me being selfish, wanting MY time, wanting MY comforts. The focus is on ME. After a conversation with a friend about this topic I came across this quote from Beth Moore:
"I look back on the whole child-raising process now with total awe and wonder. I really didn’t have a clue what I was doing. Had I really understood the life-altering power parents have to help or to hinder, it would have scared me half to death. I’m so thankful that God knew what He was doing. I made so many mistakes. I missed so many cues. I didn’t always seize golden opportunities. Sometimes I was so exhausted that our bedtime prayers were pitifully brief, but to the grace of God, what we did sincerely attempt in His name worked.
In retrospect I am utterly convinced that the most powerful key to positively influencing my children came from something I sought not for them, but for me. I came to a place in my life where I wanted – more than anything else in the whole world – to love God. As a woman in my mid-twenties, I met someone who really did have a romance with God. Then I knew without a doubt it was possible, not just religiously hypothetical. I told God over and over that I wanted to love him ‘like that’. He whispered two words into my spirit that totally transformed my life. Two words that I have shared many times in my messages: Pray to. And I did. Over and over and over… Through countless mistakes a parent inevitably makes, the children knew I loved Him. And love covers a multitude of sins.”
What does true genuine biblical love look like for me as a wife, a mother, a sister, a daughter, a friend, an acquaintance, a member of this community, a citizen of the U.S? Just look at who love is......God.
"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." -1 John 4:7-8
So with all this being said, I am being thrown back into a cocoon (as Del Tackett calls it in The Truth Project, and the last time I was thrown in a cocoon I ended up in China bringing home a beautiful little girl....HA!). I am learning all about love and focusing on what that truly looks like in this life. And not just loving the "easy to love" people, but also those that are......let's say.....a bit of a challenge to love. :) I am a work in progress. I just finished the book Loving God by Chuck Colson. I am amazed at how much the stories and insight that Chuck shares in this book relates so much to today and the book was written over 30 years ago. A timeless book. Another timeless book is the B-I-B-L-E yes that's the book for me.......oh sorry, got sidetracked.......I am rereading 1 Corinthians 13 over and over. One day I looked at the very top of the page before chapter 13 starts. It is kind of weird, must be part of Chapter 12, but under the heading of Love in my bible. It says, "And now I will show you the most excellent way." I am searching for true genuine biblical love and BAM! right in front of me it says......I will show you the most excellent way! I want to see the most excellent way. : )
"If I give to a needy soul
But don't have love then who is poor
It seems all the poverty
Is found in me" -For King and Country in the song Proof of Your Love
So, that is where I am in my walk with my Heavenly Father. Update on little Lucy Fei, for those that think this blog is only about her. : ) We went to see her ENT/cleft specialist in Sioux Falls about a week ago and she had her hearing tested. I enjoy seeing how you meet other adoptive parents when you become one. The audiologist that tested Lucy's hearing has a China doll that is 7 years old so we chatted all about our experiences. I hope I didn't delay someone else's appointment. Bottom line from the hearing test is Lucy seems to hear fine but her eardrum is not moving like it should, probably from fluid behind her ears. So after the hearing test we traveled across the hall to see Dr. Munson, who I found out is an adoptive father. He adopted a little boy from the U.S. foster system. He has 3 biological children and adopted this little boy. So we talked adoption a little. He checked Lucy's ears and said she would need tubes put in because of the fluid. So, next Wednesday morning (the 29th) Lucy has a little procedure to have tubes placed in both ears in Sioux Falls. Since it is nearly 2 hours away, I will be staying overnight with Lucy for an early morning procedure. Dr. Munson then said he would wait on speech therapy until she has had tubes in for a while and continues to learn the English language. So that will not start until next spring or summer. I am trusting the doctor on this. I was a little surprised he wanted to wait so long for speech therapy, but he has had experience with adoptions from China when he did his fellowship, so I will not question him. I just continue to sit down with Lucy and point to pictures and say the word and ask her to repeat it. We can work on it at home. : )
Update on the boys....they start school on Monday. Ian will be in 3rd grade and Aiden in 2nd. I get mixed feelings from them if they are ready to start. They usually say no, but I know once they are with friends and in a routine, they will enjoy it. We went on one last fun summer trip to the water park today. It was wonderful.....no one was there. : )
I have started back to work two days a week and Lucy and Izzy have done great at Miss Sandy's. : ) It is so reassuring going to work and leaving those two girls in the care of a wonderful woman. Izzy loves Miss Sandy and Lucy has done very well her first couple times there. Izzy being there really helps and she is such an excellent big sister to Lucy. I am very proud of her.
Aug. 1, 2012 - We have been enjoying some family time watching the Olympics together. Of course, with Ian's confidence (cough, cough..... OVERconfidence), he says he could learn to swim like Micheal Phelps and Izzy does somersaults (she calls them belly flops???? ha, ha) every time the gymnastics comes on. "Mom, let's do belly flops!" I just laugh and push her over so she can finish her somersault.
Then there is Lucy......here is just an example of how she reacts watching the synchronized diving.
She watches the actual dive, cheers, then watches the replay and cheers again. It is quite entertaining! We have recently discovered that she just cheers whenever she sees anyone dive into the water. We realized this when she was watching a commercial and people were diving into the water. She cheered! Funny girl! We have so much fun with her and yes she is eating popcorn and drinking her juice while watching.
Thanks to Micheal Phelps being the most decorated Olympian, it is fun seeing glimpses of Beijing on TV of places we have been as NBC replays highlights of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. I catch myself saying, hey we were there, hey we were there too. Kind of fun. Do I dare say I miss the Asian culture. Yes, I know, I know I have a blog post of being so homesick while in China, but looking at pictures of China and recently receiving an awesome gift for our family, a National Geographic coffee table book about China, I am starting to miss Lucy's home country.
July 22, 2012 - The busyness of summer continues. We have our good days and some overwhelming days. Here is just a taste of some fun we have had over the past couple weeks.
Holding one of 6 baby kittens born to our cat. Sadly, all 6 have gone missing for a few days now. No where to be found. : (
Izzy and "her" kitty
Mommy and her girls dressed up for church.
First trim. She did pretty well and earned a sucker for sitting so nicely. : )
This is what happens when my boys discover that if you get sidewalk chalk wet you can paint yourself and they discovered that blue stains their skin. : )
The next member of the blue man group
Making our own paint. 1 cup cold water, 1 cup flour and food coloring. Thanks to the idea from my sis in law.
A few Izzy originals. : ) She says these are for Daddy to take to Minn Tex. : )
1st visit to Fairmont Water Park
She loved it and evidence that she has no fear of water anymore!
Izzy going down the slide
My big boy!
And this came in the mail yesterday.....official certificate of citizenship
Tomorrow morning, Ian leaves for his first summer camp experience. He is very excited and has been packing for 3 days now. : ) My little boy isn't so little anymore. Aiden is looking forward to having a friend spend the night while Ian is gone and he has to pick up the slack of Ian and do all the chicken chores. (They are raising broiler chickens this summer for their summer job.) These two boys have taken me out of my comfort zone this summer. They both wanted to find other summer jobs, I think because they want to earn extra money. Ian decided he wanted to ask the librarian if she needed any extra help at the library. I told Ian that he could ask, but to know that this is not a job that he will get paid. He informed me he just wanted to work on building his resume....."WHAT!?", I said, "where did you ever hear about a resume and what do you even know about a resume?" Ian said he has heard about in his Adventures in Odyssey CDs. ha,ha! O.k., well Ian asked and now has a little job at the library helping sort DVDs that are rented out at the library as they come in. He just glows when I take him. I would have never had enough nerve to ask a librarian for a job when I was his age. Well, Aiden decided he wanted a job too. His idea.....to set up a table outside the library and sell baked goods to those patrons using the library. O.k., well he asked the librarian about this possibility and she said he would need to talk to the city of Butterfield to get the o.k. This was a thought that crossed my mind and a fear I had because once Aiden gets an idea he does not let it go until he gets a yes or no answer. So, we went to city hall and asked about his bake sale. The substitute working at city hall that day (THANKFULLY, I knew the lady filling in this day) took Aiden's information down and she said she would relay the message to the proper people. We have not heard back from them yet and yes, Aiden does keep asking. Like I said, this is all way out of my comfort zone, but I do not want to squelch this desire to work and earn money, or build their resumes in Ian's case. Gotta love small towns for these very reasons.
These are the stories I want to return to when I have those overwhelming days and wonder if I was really cut out to be a mom of 4. I am thankful for God's grace and mercy in my insufficiency as a mom. I am thankful for friends and family that continue to encourage me through texts, emails, and chats. I cannot imagine going through this life without such encouragement. I didn't mean for this to end on such a downer, but I want to be real. These pictures I have posted show that life is just wonderful and fun, which it is at times, and other times it is exhausting, overwhelming, frustrating, and tear filled. That is when God's grace and mercy shines through the most. I am working on relying on that more and more.
Oh......and Lucy is doing just fabulous these days. : )
July 11, 2012 - We have had a busy few weeks. Some activities of interest, for those that care about this continued journey, are my parents visit and a trip to Sioux Falls to see the ENT/cleft specialist. First my parents.....they came on Saturday afternoon and stayed until early Tuesday morning, so it was not a long visit. They were able to experience first hand the chaos of the Penner home. Not that they aren't used to 4 kids kind of chaos, but when you are the mother of the kids that cause the chaos it seems to be extra noticeable. Anyway, they came bearing gifts for the kids to enjoy and games to play with the kids. Lucy gave them lots of smiles, blew them kisses, and gave them plenty of hugs. We allowed them to hold her, which for some may seem silly, but up to this point we have not allowed anyone else to hold her except us. She handled it all well. We did not see any signs of attachment issues with us. My mom and I got away to Mankato one afternoon to shop and Jason took my dad golfing on a different afternoon. So Lucy has met her Indiana Grandparents now. : )
The kids enjoying their new water table
Perfect gift for Lucy
Coloring with Grandpa
Great picture of the newest Herman grandchild
We spent some time at Lawcon park while the boys had piano lessons
One last picture before it was time to go
Once my parents left I had some sad kids. They enjoyed seeing their Indiana Grandparents.
The same morning that my parents left, Lucy and I traveled to Sioux Falls for her doctor's appointment. I asked my two good friends/sisters in Christ/accountability and prayer partners if they wanted to take a trip with me promising shopping and lunch. As always, it is such a refreshing time being with these encouraging and wise ladies who are in the same depths of life as myself. We go deep in our conversations and are real with one another. These women are true treasures in my life and I was so glad they made the trip with me. Anyway, back to Lucy.....she was a champ at traveling nearly 2 hours in the van (her longest car ride thus far). She saw an ENT doctor who also specializes in cleft lip/palate repairs. He is the first doctor all new patients see and he makes the decision on what issue needs to be worked on first. We were with his nurse for about 5 minutes. She left and 2 minutes later he walked in. He asked a few questions looked in Lucy's mouth (yes, that is not a fun thing to watch. He had to gag her a few times to get a good look at her palate. I also had to hold her upside down on my lap so he could see her gum line), and ears. He then told me whoever did her surgeries in China did a great job. He is most concerned about her hearing because she has fluid in her ears. He typically puts tubes is his surgical patients' ears at the time of their palate repair. Lucy does not have tubes. So, before starting any kind of speech therapy he first wants to make sure she is hearing correctly.....makes sense. We go back in 6 weeks to see if the fluid in her ears has gone away and Lucy will need a hearing test at that time. If the fluid has not gone away or diminished she will need tubes in her ears. Then, since she is just learning the English language, he wants to wait 6 -9 months before starting speech therapy. Her teeth and flattened nostril will not need anything done until she is about 5 or 6 years old. We will be followed by the cleft team now and a coordinator will keep me in the loop on what the plan of action is each step of the way. This doctor answered all my questions before I even had a chance to ask them. : ) We headed back to the mall for some shopping, dinner, and traveled home. On the way home Lucy did o.k. until the last 45 mins. She was done! She was tired and wanted to be out of her car seat. So, we switched drivers and I sat in the back with her. She fell asleep while I held her. Shhhhh! I know that is totally against the law, but she needed some mama time. : )
Also, Lucy's lab results from her first appointment with the family doctor came back and everything is either negative or normal. Praise the Lord! We are thankful for the wonderful job that whoever did on her mouth in China. We are thankful for and rejoicing for a great first visit with the specialist and we are thankful for Lucy's health which we had been praying for before we even met her.
July 5, 2012 - Lucy saw our family doctor today for a physical and to get updated on all her shots and blood work. She did great considering everything they had to do to her. She really liked when the doctor and the nurse listened to her heart with the stethoscope. She sat quietly and just watched what they were doing. She just takes it all in.
She is in the 90th percentile for height and weight, which doesn't surprise me when you look at her. One thing that did surprise me was that she has not lost any weight since being home. She has stayed pretty much exactly where she was at her U.S. Consulate appointment. She seems to be eating less than she did when we were in China and we think she is outside and more active than she would have been in her orphanage, but those of just assumptions. My theory on the eating less is this: I think, with the size that she was when we first saw her, she was fed....ALOT! I think she may have been fed to keep her happy and content. If she fussed, I am guessing they just gave her a bottle of formula or some snacks (I am basing this on reports that we received from the orphanage). I like to think that since she is not eating as much now, but still is happy and sleeps all night, that maybe we are meeting her needs of affection and attention with ourselves instead of food. The downside of the eating less is she seems to be getting more picky about her food and is rather naughty distracted at the dinner table. So begins the discipline of table manners and telling our other 3 children over and over that their little sister is watching what they do and is mimicking their behavior. So, we are working on table manners a little more this summer. Many adoptive families talk about their children hoarding food after they come home. We have not seen this with Lucy. She does get excited when she sees us setting the table for a meal or when it is snack time, but she doesn't seem to show signs of hoarding.
Anyway, I digress. I didn't want to make this all about food. Back to Lucy's health.....The doctor said she looks healthy. He didn't see any major issues. We are trying to get her caught up on all her vaccinations. Blood was drawn for all the necessary tests including Hepatitis, HIV, and lead levels, just to name a few. We have an appointment to see a specialist in Sioux Falls to discuss her palate and lip next Tuesday. I will have a lot more questions to ask him at this appointment pertaining to her speech development, her dental issues, and what needs to be done in the future as her mouth grows. I am pretty excited that we have an appointment so soon. I was expecting it to be much later in the summer. I want to get as many doctor visits taken care of while I am on maternity leave from work as I can.
She had to get three immunizations today and blood work. She was just about to fall asleep on my shoulder when they came in for the blood draw. Then, once she finally calmed down from that trauma, she did fall asleep on my shoulder and in came the nurses with the shots. Poor girl! She was a trooper and earned a cookie for what she went through.
I think Lucy is feeling more and more at home with us. She lights up and gets so excited when she sees Jason's pick up drive onto the yard. She runs up to me and gives my leg hugs almost daily now. We have a shapes toy that as soon as I ask, "Lucy, do you want to do shapes?" she runs over to me and sits down and dumps the shapes out and we work on our shapes together. Like I said before, she just takes it all in and now seems to be absorbing it all. She brings so much energy to our house that I am exhausted by the end of the day, but it is so worth it.
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. : )
