5 Months Home

Today our beautiful  daughter has been home for five months. I can't say that the last five months have always been the easiest, but they really have been wonderful and filled with many joyful moments.

I feel like we really turned a corner this month in her attachment. Mia did seem to attach to me quickly which we are very thankful for, but she was so afraid to ever let me out of our site. She screamed even if I left her with Justin for a little while. She would get very anxious if she saw me touch my purse or pick up my keys because she was afraid I would leave. Therapy was becoming so difficult, because she would not get out of my arms without throwing a fit. It's pretty much impossible to do physical therapy in mommy's arms. I really didn't know what to do about this except to try to be patient with her. Anytime I had to leave I said "Mommy always comes back." Justin would tell her this as well when I am gone. When I came back I say, "See, Mommy's back. Mommy always comes back." I want her to know that when I leave I will always return.

We ended up making some changes with her therapy and starting over in a new office. We all felt like she may just need to start fresh in a new place. She was very clingy at first, but I stayed by her side the whole time. Now, she loves going to therapy again. Also, as of this week when I leave her with Justin, she gives me a kiss and a hug and says bye, bye Mommy without tears. This is so huge for us!! She finally trusts her Daddy and knows that Mommy will come back.

For the last 3 months or so we have been going to church together. I take her to her Sunday School class and stay with her the whole time. I wanted to help her get used to the class and her friends. Justin works at our church and we spend a lot of our time there, so I really want her to be comfortable with going. Well, two weeks ago I took her and she went right in and started playing. I decided to go ahead and go to church and told the workers to call me if they needed me. They never had to call me. When church was over I went to pick her up and she was so excited to show me what she had done at church. It made me so happy to see how comfortable she was in her class. Of course I reminded her that Mommy always comes back. When we got home, she gave me a hug and said, "Mommy always back." It almost brought tears to my eyes, because I know she isn't just saying the words, but that she is really starting to believe them.

For most kids this may not seem like a big deal, but for our daughter, who has never had the love and consistency of a family, it is huge.

Last week I went back and watched a video of Mia Grace that was taken when she was at her first orphanage. It was the first video we ever saw of her. It was taken about a year ago, so she was almost 2 and a half years old. The video showed her walking holding on to one of her caregivers fingers. She could only take a few steps by herself before she fell down. She wasn't talking in the video, but she did smile one shy little smile. As we watched, we knew that she was behind in many areas, but there was something about her sweet smile that filled us with great hope. I am thankful we let hope win out instead of our fears as we accepted her referral. She now walks, runs, climb stairs, jumps with two feet off the ground, catches and throws (really well, I might add), swims with floaties, jumps off the diving board, and much more. She has come so far in five months and we are so proud of her. 

We had a follow up appointment with her neurologist this month. It was actually yesterday. I won't go into details here, but I left the doctor's office pretty discouraged. We still don't have the answers we have been looking for regarding her seizure activity. Yesterday was a tough day for me as I struggled with worry and doubts. The Lord reminded me again just how far she has come and I am choosing hope yet again. The Lord has been holding our daughter in the palm of His hands from the time of her conception and He is not letting go of her. We will continue to trust, pray, and seek the best care possible for our girl.

 

She is loved, cherished, and adored by her Heavenly Father and her earthly family. Can you tell by these pictures how much her big brothers love her? Justin took some pictures of the kids and in almost every one the boys are either kissing her, hugging her, or staring at her.

Last week we were riding in the car when Sawyer said out of the blue, "I am so glad God chose Mia for our family." Of course, we all agreed with him.

These past five months have not always been easy, but they have been good and they have been worth it.