Adjustment

The question we get most often since Mia has been home is how is she adjusting. So, I thought it would be good to write a post about how things are going with all of us.

First, a little update. Mia had her PT and OT evaluation today. Things went well and I am really glad we are about to get started. She basically has very low muscle tone all over her whole body (hypotonia), so we will be working to help her strengthen her muscles. I have to say it was a bit of a reality check for me to see all of the things that she needs help with. We have been focusing on all that she can do, but we still have a long way to go. Thankfully, she is home now and we can begin to help her little body heal.

So, as far as how she is adjusting, I would say she is doing really well for a child whose world has been completely turned upside down. She is doing much better than I expected her to be doing at this point.
She is a great sleeper and has been from the start. I think she goes so much all day that she is just exhausted and ready for nap and bed time each day. She is also a pretty good eater. When she first came home she would eat everything we put in front of her, but she has become a picky eater in the last couple of weeks. She will now only eat her favorite things and turns her nose up at everything else. Hopefully this won't last long.

Attachment and bonding is going well. She is affectionate with Justin and I and loves to be held. When we go somewhere she sticks close to us and looks to us for approval before she tries something new. We have started to venture out of our little "cocoon" and she seems to be doing really well. She loves to go to the park and play on the playground at church. She enjoys being around other children. I always stay close by while she plays and she will check with me every few minutes to get a hug or a word of affirmation. She still seems to be somewhat uncomfortable when adults come to our house. Our home is her safe place and I think she feels somewhat threatened when new people come into her space, so we are still limiting visitors. We just try to be sensitive to her signals as much as possible.

She gets along well with her brothers, but they do aggravate each other sometimes. They are brothers and sister after all. She adores Sawyer and he pretty much lets her do whatever she wants. She thinks Jaxon is hilarious and they play and fight like they have known each other forever. She also loves her daddy! She gets so excited when he gets home from work. She makes sure we all stop whatever we are doing to greet him with hugs and kisses. She will seriously make the boys stop playing their video games to go and greet daddy. Justin has been helping out so much especially with the boys in the evenings and I am so thankful for him.

I feel like my life has changed more than I expected it too. I have been a stay at home mom for almost 5 years now, but I was a stay at home mom who taught mother's day out, went to Bible study, taught Sunday school, and served with our church preschool ministry. I was a stay at home mom who was rarely at home. Now, I am home all the time. It has been great and I'm so thankful for the time alone with my girl, but it has also been lonely and isolating at times. Mia is a toddler who is learning language and learning about her world, so our everyday life is not always easy. She throws tantrums daily and I am trying to show mercy and grace while teaching boundaries at the same time. It's not always easy, but it is worth it. She is such a blessing to us and we are thankful she is doing so well.

Here are some recent pictures of what we have been up to.

 Mia and Jaxon at Sawyer's first t-ball game of the season.

 Justin didn't have to work last Thursday, so we picked up the boys from school early to have some fun family time. We had pizza and icees at the mall and then played at a playground by our house. Mia loved her first icee!

 She loves to swing with mommy.

 Here is a picture of a crazy moment just so you know we are not always smiling and happy. Jax was bugging Mia and she was trying to get out of his grasp. I was just trying to hold on to her so she didn't hurt herself.

 Sweet girl with her daddy.

We love our little Ethiopian princess!!!