Adoption

Today I read this post, and said out loud, "adopted." Mollie was looking at the post with me, and she pointed at herself and said, "adopted." Beautiful. I have two friends who are beginning the adoption process, and so many friends who are going though these first few months of adoption with us. It seems like everyday I meet someone new who is adopting, or knows someone who is. Is it becoming more common, or is it like when you're pregnant, and you notice the pregnant women more? I'm not sure...but I am beyond amazed at the power of love.
If you didn't click through to the link above, please go there now. It's a beautiful description of the courage required in the adoption journey. And also a great adoption story. These are friends of friends, I don't know them personally. But many of you probably know them.
And now a few pics of our week. It just keeps getting better!

Making brownies!

Jeepin' it! (thanks Daddy, for installing a 3rd seatbelt in the back!)

"Helping" with dinner

Mollie is a very purposeful little girl. She loves to "help" make dinner, "wash" the dishes, swiffer, clean the house, make the beds, etc. She is very busy, busy, busy! It's exhausting, but so wonderful to watch. She is also getting better about detaching from me when she has to. She tells me "bye-bye" and watches me go, and is excited when I come back, but usually doesn't cry now. This morning at the gym, she played with a friend's little girl and then watched her leave to go to kindergarten kickoff. I said she was going to school, and Mollie said, "me school," then put on her backpack. It won't be long -  she's doing great and I'm so incredibly proud of her!

And one last thing. I've never advocated for a specific child before, but when I saw this video (password quentin1) of "Quentin" on Lifeline's website, I fell in love. He has meningocele, and a quick Google search said that  "As the nervous system remains undamaged, individuals with meningocele are unlikely to suffer long-term health problems." He's so precious, and seems so happy and full of life. I hope he finds his forever family soon.

Blessings.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

A Beautiful Day

I was snuggling Mollie in the bed this morning, and she said "love you Mommy." She melts my heart! She is trying so hard and has shown incredible progress in mobility, strength, behavior, and speech. Her OT says she has seen vast improvement in only 3 weeks. Today a friend at the gym was amazed at her gait, which has evidently improved dramatically since several weeks ago when this friend last saw her.




This morning our awesome gym hosted a run for us and the Richardsons (my cousins who are adopting twins). It was such a fun morning - a beautiful day, lots of friends old and new, and lots of love for these three precious children who have found their forever families. It was a great turnout and we were touched and honored.












Running was followed by lunch at the Tip Top Grill, some outdoor playtime (and reading time), and ice cream with friends. Pretty much a perfect day.












- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

2 Months

It's hard to believe that we've only been home with Mollie for two months. I honestly have a hard time remembering life without her. She has made so much progress and is really figuring it all out, so quickly. I'm amazed by her, and we are so blessed by her joy, her spunkiness, and her determination. She learns more every day, but one thing she knows for sure is that she is loved by us and so many others, and she has found her home.
Now that she has formed a strong bond with us, and especially with me, I'll need to start helping her detach for short periods of time. Last week I went to a friend's house to stuff Easter eggs (and drink margaritas), and left the girls with Perry. Evidently it was pretty rough for him. Mollie had a fit because I wasn't there to put her to bed, and S&A got upset because Mollie was screaming and Perry couldn't read to them. I'm not sure if I shouldn't have tried to get away for a night so soon, or if I should do it more often so it isn't such a big deal. I'm thrilled that she has such a strong attachment in such a short time, but I do think it's important for my mental health, and for Perry's attachment, that she learns to let me leave her occasionally. Not to mention the fact that I want her to go to 4K next year! So this is something we need to work on.
A few fun pics:
Friday night we went to a birthday skating party. Mollie LOVED skating and did really well. One of the kids said that they must have skating rinks in China because Mollie looked like she had skated before!








Saturday we dyed Easter eggs. All the girls love this, and then as soon as we finished, Mollie cracked open an egg and ate it! She prefers real eggs over chocolate ones.









Saturday afternoon we enjoyed time with our wonderful neighbors at the annual Easter egg hunt. I wish the trampoline pics had come out better- Mollie was a total giggle-box jumping with sweet friends!





Sunday was a wonderful Easter day.



We celebrated with our family in church, and then had everyone over for lunch. Mollie slept through most of the service, which was very unlike her, but then she was in a great mood for lunch and socializing with the family! She had a blast playing with "Yanie" and holding the babies.


Today was a hard day. We went to the dentist, and he discovered that the tooth he put a crown on at the last visit had become abscessed. So, he had to pull it. He tried to save the other one that he was working on today, but ultimately had to pull it too. So, now she has 2 fillings and 2 holes. It's a bummer, and we'll have to put in spacers once her 6-year molars come in, but it couldn't be helped. It was a traumatic experience, probably worse for Perry and me than for Mollie since she had the benefit of drugs, but she recovered nicely after a nap and seems to be pain-free now.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

So Many Firsts!

On Sunday, Mollie experienced her first (and second) Easter egg hunt. I'm sure she thinks it's a very odd holiday, but she does like all the candy (well, she gets mad when I take away the sticky stuff, but I don't want her to lose that new crown!) She loved hanging out with S&A's sweet Brownie troop and collecting eggs at Hoover's largest egg hunt!






Yesterday was a tough day for Mollie (and therefore a tough day for Mommy). But after putting her to bed and reflecting on the day, I was encouraged to realize that it was really just a normal toddler bad day, not related to adoption or bonding or anything like that. She was tired because she didn't nap Sunday and didn't sleep well Sunday night. So she was emotional, and had a hard time controlling her temper. The tantrum was long-lasting, but not violent. She is doing a much better job controlling herself, and she has even said "sorry" to me a few times when she has accidentally hurt me. Major progress.
I also saw a social "breakthrough" yesterday at S&A's dance studio. We were in the little playroom, and Mollie was building a Lego tower. A couple of toddlers came in and tried to play at the Lego table with her. Normally this would set her off, and she wouldn't share at all. But this time, she looked at me indignantly (as in, "why are these kids here trying to play with MY toys???), and I said "you need to share." She reached into the Lego bucket and began pulling out Legos and handing them to the other kids. I was so proud I almost cried! It was obvious that she still needed to be in control, and she might have punched one of those little kids if they'd tried to get Legos out of the bucket themselves, but it was definitely a milestone. She still has a long way to go with her social skills, but I'm starting to think that preschool might not be a total disaster next year!
Last night was a great sleeping night. We've been having 3 or 4 great nights every week, which is improving my spirits tremendously.
Today I took her with me to get my hair cut, and she was an angel for almost 2 hours. Perry finally rescued her and took her to Chick-fil-a, where she had another first: she climbed up to the top of the play structure and went down the slide. By herself. Perry was a proud Papa!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad