I thought I'd share a few photos from our first 2 weeks home. We are doing well. We have all finally returned to a normal sleep pattern. Shuangshuang is a great sleeper, still naps...I finally got one that sleeps! She plays great with Shaoey and the boys. Even without language, she manages to get Shaoey to understand what she wants to do. She is learning to sign. She especially likes to sign banana, apple, more, and milk! Notice a trend here? This girl can really put away some food. We'll allow her for now, but as she learns to trust us and learns that there is always food, we will work on that. She can easily eat 3 big bananas as a snack!
Shuangshuang is having a little difficulty in attachment. Nothing earthshattering at the moment. In many ways she is doing great! Unfortunately to those on the outside she looks like she is doing so wonderful--happy, independent, goes with anybody, that they may not see there is a problem. I had some concerns about this even before we traveled. Several people who had gone on mission trips had sent me emails telling me how sweet she was and that she would go with anyone...that sent up red flags to me. It is called indiscriminate affection. We call it mama shopping. She is use to being seen as cute and precious and playing it up to get attention from whomever was around to give it. One of our biggest jobs right now is to reinforce to her that we are her parents, that we are not going anywhere, that we will care for her, love her, and give her lots of attention. We will be laying low for a while, trying to stay close to home and limiting contact with others. We have to be her only caregivers. It is really important that we work on this. While it looks cute at 2, a 13 year old girl seeking attention from whomever will give it is not so cute... It means alot to know that we have our friends' and family's support and understanding. For more ideas on how to help us, don't forget to check out the Do's and Don't for Family and Friends farther down our site.
Enjoy the pictures! |
