One Month in Our Arms

It's hard to believe Emalyn has been in our arms for a month now, but, at the same time, I feel like she's been with us forever. Quite a phenomenon, right?

When I reflect back to her Gotcha Day...her lack of trust, her developmental level, her lack of interaction with us those first days...I see so much progress! Several sweet friends who have been down this road have encouraged us to look at the bigger picture. To look for progress over the period of a week or a month at a time. What great advice, because there are certainly ups and downs on this road, but when I look at the bigger picture of the last month, Emalyn has come SO far.

We have made great strides in many areas! Her development has grown by leaps and bounds. We have seen her do so many things she had probably never even attempted before.

She is babbling more every day. And is rapidly learning to communicate with us. She waves and says 'hi' and 'bye bye'. She says 'dada' and associates it with Hank. She points to Adair and says something I can't spell, but it's the same every time. She gives hugs and kisses when prompted and just out of the blue. She has learned several signs and uses those, pointing and shaking her head to communicate what she does or doesn't want. She understands everything we say to her and follows a lot of commands and requests.

She is extremely active and loves to climb. Adair is continuously alerting us that she is headed up the stairs. She has climbed all the way to the top multiple times (with supervision, of course). (Not to worry, the gate is being installed this weekend.)

She loves being outside! It took some getting used to, but she loves to swing, play with a ball in the grass and ride the little bouncy horse at the park. She also loves stroller rides and walks around the neighborhood. I can't help but think about how many new things she sees when we are outside!

She loves baby dolls. She and Adair both love to feed their babies. I'm hoping this new play will lead to the nurturing of Myla Grant when she arrives.

She has learned what it means and what to do when we say "let's say the blessing" when we sit down for a meal.  She always puts down her fork, spoon or food and folds her hands.  It is the cutest thing!

She loves to mimic me when I am getting dressed in the mornings.  She will pretend to put on makeup and loves to brush her hair.

She can almost buckle the top buckle on her carseat all by herself.

She loves to take her shoes off and thinks it is so funny when she does so and then hands them to us...thankfully we have come a long way since she took her shoe off and threw it across the table on morning at breakfast in China.

She has developed quite the favor for Hank.  She runs to greet him when he comes home from work and loves to play with him.  A definite 180 degrees from a little over a week ago!

We are definitely still working on many things, too. But it is so encouraging to see her grow so much so quickly!

She has reached for a couple of other women, that she didn't know, in the last few days, so we are still working on learning about family boundaries. And I am still getting comfortable with what to say when she attempts to let someone else hold her and they don't know the "rules".  I know it may sound crazy to someone who hasn't been in through this process, but it is crucial that no one other than Hank and me hold her and meet her needs until she thoroughly understands that we are her parents, that we are permanent and will love her forever. 

She does seem to be taking well to my parents. We have spent a good bit of time with them over the last two weeks and will eventually let them keep her for an hour or so without us, as we try to prepare her for Myla Grant's arrival. I am thankful that she already seems comfortable with them. It definitely helps that she sees how much her big sister loves them!

Sleep is still somewhat of a struggle for her, especially at nap time. She only sleeps for a short 45 minutes and wakes up tired and sad, but her crying spells are becoming shorter and she is becoming easier to comfort. At night she sleeps well, but wakes up like clock work between 2:30-4:00 am. She goes back to sleep once she lays down with me, but never goes back to her crib. I think this will get better as she becomes even more secure and trusts us even more. I know she will eventually be able to self soothe, but we're not pushing it right now. I enjoy the snuggle time as much as she does, although, I'd prefer it during the daylight hours.

We are so thankful that the dream we had of holding her in our arms came true a month ago.  We count our blessings daily and thank God for the unconventional way our family is growing.  While the transition to three daughters may not be easy, we know that God is sovereign, that He will provide and that He will not give us more than we can handle.  We can't wait to meet our third daughter and for Emalyn to becoming a big sister and for Adair to become a big sister again.  Hopefully, we still have several weeks to bond and attach with Emalyn before Myla Grant arrives, but we joyfully anticipate her birth!  Three sweet girls!  What more could we ask for!

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