First Week Home

As I write, it has officially been 1 week with our daughter home. We have had an amazing week. It started off a little tough with the language difference, jet lag and all of the tasks to be done to recover from a month long foreign adventure, but we've ended well.

I'm not super great at remembering to take pictures, but I tried to capture a few of the highlights of the week. Although I do have to say that the biggest highlight of the week cannot be captured by picture. Many people have said that our daughter will catch on to English quickly, but I never imagined that she would already have some English under her belt. I have been amazed to witness how well she understands what is being said to her already. For example, she will put her hands up when asked to (like when I'm helping her get dressed). She understands that if she stays in her bed at nap I will keep the door open, but if she gets out of her bed, I will close the door. She will go get her shoes when I ask her to.

In the last 24 hours, it has gone beyond receptive language to her actually speaking some words/phrases in the appropriate context. She asks to "brush your teeth" at bedtime, knows how to tell her siblings, "Stop (insert name here)!", says "be careful" when caution is needed. We are shocked at it all!

This is what I call, "the two peanuts" playing together. My two youngest have their "moments", but for the most part enjoy playing together. My favorite moment was when I found them curled up together reading a book.

Bath time has become our daughter's favorite time of the day. I've taken to giving her a bath in the morning otherwise she will ride me all day long about taking a bath. Sometimes she even asks me later in the day about taking a bath even though she's already had one. I think she's hoping I've forgotten and will give her another one! The other kids think this is great and take turns bathing with her. Our youngest son who also loves bath time is "in heaven" at all of this tub time!
The two girls are having a fabulous time together. My oldest daughter has owned up the job of big sister more than I've ever seen her step up before. She has been such a great example and teacher to her sister and has totally humored me as I've used her to help "train" her sister as to what needs to be done. For example, when I needed to teach my youngest daughter that I wanted her to lay down in her bed and rest for a bit in the afternoon, my oldest daughter laid in her bed and showed her how it's done. It was so helpful! I don't know how people do this without other kids around to show the new child what to do!

Probably one of the sweetest memories for me of this week was during one of those nap times when I laid in my bed listening to the two girls down the hallway during nap. My oldest daughter,who has struggled with reading, was indeed reading "The Very Hungry Catepillar" to her new sister. I couldn't help but get sappy over that one!

1 Samuel 1:27 "I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.