What a Difference a Day Makes

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10


Yesterday I was discouraged. It seemed like so many things were going wrong, and it was all much harder than I had expected, and I was exhausted. I just didn't know if I could do it much longer. I know that many of you are thinking, "why didn't she call me? Why didn't she ask me to help?" Or maybe you're thinking, "wait, I called her to see if she needed anything, and she said no!". I'm not very good at asking for help, so I didn't call anyone or reach out to my friends. I really need to get better about that, because I know that Perry and I are blessed to be surrounded by a great community of friends and family who want to help us. I'm praying about that. Anyway, today was so much better, and I think Mollie is making tremendous progress. I'm so proud of her!
Yesterday we sent S&A off to school, prayerful that they would make it through the day despite their jet lag and Abby's bad cold. We had a 10am appointment with Mollie at the International Adoption Clinic. We met with their social worker for an hour, and she was awesome. She was able to give us some advice and lots of insight regarding Mollie's behavior, and she asked questions that helped us think about our short time with Mollie and all the progress we've made. Mollie was an angel during this conversation; she played and had snacks and interacted with us, and the social worker thinks that she's doing great. In terms of emotional development, she said that we should consider Mollie to be about two years old, not four. She will have to learn to focus and play and interact with others, because she hasn't really had the opportunity to practice those skills. That has been obvious to us, so it was great to hear her acknowledge it and tell us that Mollie will probably catch up with her peers in about a year.
Then we met with the international adoption pediatrician. She talked to us about common issues with kids from international orphanages and did a short examination of Mollie. We had been concerned about some spots/scars on her body, and the doctor thinks it was likely chicken pox. The doctor tried to clean Mollie's ears, which are evidently filled with dried ear wax. Poor Mollie screamed and cried, and the sobbing continued for over half an hour while we tried to continue the appointment. It was exhausting and heartbreaking. She also has some rot in her back teeth which we'll have to address pretty soon.
After the doctor, we walked across the hall for an ultrasound. This is routine with kids from China, after the tainted formula a few years ago. They checked her liver and kidneys for any issues. Then we went to the lab, where they drew seven vials of blood. Poor baby. At this point, She was tired, hungry, and hurt. We all were. Such a long day. We'll go back in three weeks to get the results of her bloodwork and talk about her CP and plans for OT.
When we finally left the office around 2:00, we were tired, stressed out, and HUNGRY! But just as we got in the car, we received a call from the school nurse, and we headed to pick up Abby who had fallen asleep in the classroom and just couldn't make it any longer.
We finally got home and got a quick bite to eat. Mollie was crazy from exhaustion, and at 4:00 she put her head on Perry's shoulder and he took her to the bed. A 4:00 nap was far from ideal, but we didn't know what else to do! Her cold was getting worse, she was coughing a lot, and she needed rest. My sweet husband then went to the store to get a few things that were on my list. I had planned to do that after the doctor, but sometimes plans don't work out right!
We put the big girls to bed early and I carried Mollie upstairs, still sleeping from her nap, and put her to bed. I slept in the bed with her, instead of in the other twin bed in her room, because she wanted me. She held my hand and pet my head, and we cuddled up together all night. She was sick, coughing a ton, and I was so happy that she wanted me to comfort her. Another step forward!
Today was great. I was able to work out for the first time in three weeks. Mollie and I went to Target (I forgot to get a picture of her first Target run). She went down for a nap without crying at 11:15, and slept for 2 1/2 hours. I napped for about an hour (with Abby, who came home sick again), and it was glorious! I still have suitcases that need to be unpacked, but I got bills paid and managed to clean up a little bit. My Aunt Sue brought us dinner, with enough for another meal tomorrow night. And after dinner, I gave Mollie a bath, brushed her teeth, read her two books, and turned out the light. No fussing. No screaming. No tantrum whatsoever. It's a miracle, and I'm so incredibly proud of my sweet, precious girl.
Sorry no pics. Tomorrow we're meeting my coffee group of adopting moms, so I'll try to take some Starbucks pics.





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