3 Months Home

Yesterday marked three months since we arrived home with our little girl. I thought this would be a good time for a little update on her.

She started going to physical and occupational therapy at the end of April. For the past month she has been going twice a week to therapy. We love her therapists and it has been awesome to see how much she has developed in the past month. Physically she is getting much stronger. Her balance has improved significantly. When she first came home she was falling at least 10 times a day. I was very concerned about how much she was tripping, running into things, etc. Now she rarely falls and I have seen her on more than one occasion catch herself if she is slipping. She is able to walk up stairs alternating feet  and can now ride a tricycle with only a little help. Her therapist said she can throw and catch a ball on a four year old level.  In OT she has gone from being able to stack 3 blocks to now consistently stacking 7 or 8. She can also string fruit loops all by herself. Her fine motor skills are getting so much better. These things may not seem like a big deal, but for us they are reasons to celebrate.

She was afraid to sit on the swing in therapy until her brothers came one week and showed her how fun it is. Now she loves it! She is not afraid of many things these days.

This month Mia met some of her family members for the first time. She also took her first overnight trip. We went to my parents' house for 4 nights. I was a little worried about how she would do being away from home, but she did great.

 While we were there we went to a state park with a beach and a sprayground.  Mia loved every minute of this outing. She had so much fun playing in the sand, finding shells, and playing in the water.

She loves to be outside. She would play outside all day if I let her. I wish we had a swimming pool because it is hot outside in Louisiana. Her favorite thing to do when we go to the park is swing. She loves, loves, loves, to swing!

On the way home from my parents' house we made a stop to visit some very special friends. Mia and Eve Meaza had a little reunion. It took just a minute for them to warm up to each other and then they were playing just like old times. We couldn't get them to pose together, but I did capture a few pics of them playing.

 Eve Meaza is telling Mia how it is. I love how she is pointing that little finger. She is such a cutie!!

I am so thankful our dear friends live only a couple of hours away. Hopefully this is just the first of many reunions. 

So for the most part we are now out of our cocoon. We are doing lots of fun things and life is pretty normal. We even went to VBS some last week. I try to be really sensitive to her when we are away from home and if we need to leave because she is overwhelmed or tired we do. She is attached to me and Justin and clearly knows we are her parents. We still don't like for others to hold her or hug her too much. Although, she knows who mommy and daddy is we know that attachment is a process and we still have a ways to go. 

Mia is enjoying having her brothers home for the summer for the most part. They constantly make her laugh and she just adores them. It has been a bit of an adjustment though, as she has to learn to take turns and share her toys and her mommy's attention. 

 These two are either best buddies or worst enemies. They love each other very much, but they also both like to get their way. It can be tough on this mama at times. They are both such passionate kids. When they are happy they are oh so happy, but when they are upset they know how to show it.

One thing she is still struggling with is the tantrums. Some days she only has one or two and other days it is much more than that. I know it is somewhat normal for a toddlers to throw fits, but I have never heard a child scream the way she does when she does not get her way. It can be so hard to watch and listen to at times. I would really appreciate your prayers for this. I want to always respond in love and grace, but sometimes it's hard.

These three months home have been wonderful, even with the tough moments. The Lord is healing her body and her heart and I can see growth every day. We are so glad the Lord chose us to be this precious girl's parents. 

So, this ended up being much more than a little update. I guess I am making up for all the time that I haven't blogged in the past month.