For those of you who are still following, I thought I'd spend just a minute (yes, this one will be much shorter than most) sharing Lily's updates. The biggest update is that each day now, we are seeing improvements in how Lily is responding to both the animals and Tim - Meg's prayer (and ours) is being answered. She seems to be letting Tim fill the role of Daddy, and his heart is melting. Yesterday, Tim gave her a makeover, and she LOVED it!!!! Tim and I both think the child pageant thing is pretty grotesque, but he turned Lily into a child diva, and you would have thought he'd just purchased her a candy store by the look on her face! (One expert in adoption bonding suggests that if a child is not bonding, do things that require some physical interaction that is welcomed by the child - this worked.) Tim got several big hugs and a gigantic grin. Lily is also now allowing Tim to hold her, kiss her, tuck her in at night, etc. Sweet. And, she's also warming up to Maggie, our aging dog, and Batsy, our cat. (They would probably prefer that she didn't bond with them, but it seems to be important to the girls that this bonding take place too.)
This child is a fast learner. She knows all our names, the names of our parents (Nana, Daddo, MaMaw and PaPaw), how to count to 10, apple, banana, uh-oh, bath, brush teeth, ...and she knows a lot of words when I say them, like, "Which one is the circle?" She can point it out, but if I had said, "What is this shape?" she might not have remembered the word "circle."
We are all enjoying being home SO much. I have only left the house 4 times since getting home Sunday evening. I've had one quick run to Wal-Mart, a trip to the dentist office w/ the whole family - Lily has 6 cavities-, my parents' house for swimming, which Lily loves, and a visit to Tim's parents' house this evening.
I had told a few friends my next blog entry was going to be titled "5 is a lot" but I didn't have the energy for that blog entry tonight. Maybe it'll come later.
“Lily is a fast learner” – I love that phrase, and also the subsequent words how she remembers things, and names and progression of starting numbers. But there's something invisible, that is subservient to higher grounds, – and didactic – because you are injecting good memories in her ever fast learning cycle of remembering. That is something recyclable, unforgettable, that will help her remember how loving are you into her. And of how you lay down stories through writing is inspiring, from her simple beginnings to first time visits to dentists. In Hattiesburg ms, your home, is a real place of a couple loving a sweet girl. What more can I say? Just continue things, and I'll be continuing reading and enjoying.
ReplyDeleteWelcome home to Hattiesburg! – Dentist stories and her comeback is still a suspense, but I'll definitely look forward and stay reading!