Ellie has been tagged a couple of times now, so I thought I would participate. The latest round of tagging involves giving 10 random things about yourself and tag 10 other people. I thought it would be fun to mention 10 ways we have seen Ellie change in the two months we have had her and spare the 10 people I am supposed to tag...but participate if you want. :)
1. Ellie smiles a ton! She is no longer the serious little girl who never shared smiles.
2. She is much less jumpy when we touch her while she sleeps (she used to about jump out of the bed if I rubbed her back or moved her hair out of her face...bad thing about cribs is you cannot give them a kiss without being 10 feet tall)
3. It is like watching a You Tube compilation video of her vocal skills every day! It is amazing how much she is learning to say and how quickly it is happening. Ellie says bye-bye, night-night, hi, bottle, mama, DADADADADA (usually at that volume or louder when we pull into the parking lot of the church or she hears the sump pump thinking it is the garage door opening).
4. Watching her comprehension of English grow is amazing, too.
5. She is crazy smart...this one is cheating a little because the mamas at EN always told us this. For example, she figured out the boys motorized race track right away and also will head for a clean-up towel to start mopping up a spill if it ever occurs in our home (ahh, generally hourly). She instinctively knew how to use a pencil and leaves me little drawings on every sheet of paper I leave on the table. :)
6. I doubt that she had ever seen a dog before coming home, and she is terrified of them! Ellie has left claw marks in my arms when in the presence of a dog.
7. She loves music and has a great dance she goes into whenever she hears it (even at church...oh no! We're Baptist :) )
8. Ellie is not quiet! She is definitely trying to keep up in the noise making race at our house. On the subject of keeping up with siblings, she holds her own in the mischief department. Our toothbrush budget is out the roof, because she finds them and likes to throw them in the toilet!
9. She is no longer scared by the outdoors. Ellie is adventuresome and even tackles the playground ladder and slide alone. She has conquerored her fear of water as well. Ellie will jump into the pool and put her face under water.
10. She eats solid foods. Ellie is a great eater... not too picky, quits when she is full, and works to keep her hands clean...at the cost of wiping them often on her shirt and pants. Bibs are not too helpful, I usually put a kid's apron on her. :)
By the Way... I just finished a great adoption book that I would recommend if you are in process or home with your child. After the Dream Comes True by Michelle Gardner. It is from a Christian prospective and though they have 8 kids (3 bio and 5 adopted) it is not what you would expect from the stereotypical large Christian adoptive family (not a living up in the mountains, home school-only type of book).
From the material we were given with our home study, attachment parenting was described as giving the child everything they wanted, rushing to them every time they cried, carrying them constantly and never getting a babysitter. (Okay, I am over doing it a little, but that is kind of what I took away.) It seemed very unbiblical and I knew there had to be some balance.
We decided to amend (note: I am not against the philosophy, just wanted to look at it from a Biblical world-view) the concept of attachment parenting we were told about and it has ended up looking a lot more like it was described in this book. It was just nice to hear that I was not awful for setting boundaries for Ellie or telling her no when necessary.
I was a little discouraged after our first post-placement visit...I wanted more of an analysis of how things were going, not just "is she sleeping" or "is she eating". I know that many of you in the Birmingham area have a great international adoption clinic you visit, and I admit that I was a some what jealous. Then I realized that we have on of the nation's leading Christian adoption network in our own circle of friends, Amy! If I had any real concerns, she could come over and observe for a while and know just what to do. Things have been going great, so she has only been subject to long phone calls. Thanks for the advice, listening ear, and lending me your book!
After the Dreams Come True is a very easy read, very practical, not an overly-emotional book, if you are worrying that you could not handle much in the midst of the process (she will get you a few times with some stories from her own children...but overall Michelle is not too heavy).
Have a blessed weekend!
What a cuddly bug!
