Three week update

It's hard to believe we've had Josie for three full weeks!  I remember clearly November 28.  I remember thinking that a month from that day, we'd be home, our long trip to China would be done, Christmas would be past AND we'd have a new kid in our house!  And here we are on December 28.  It's fairly mind-boggling to try to understand all that has occurred since that calm, quiet, predictable day in November....

So here's the 3-week update.

Our days are no longer calm (o.k., with 3 kids already, our days were never calm), quiet (again, not quiet before but quite a bit louder now...), or predictable.  We are seeing teensy changes for the better every day with Josie.  She has stopped some of the unsettling behaviors we were seeing in China and has gotten more comfortable with us each day.  She's no longer afraid of David.

The communication barrier is still quite high and has caused a lot of frustration on both sides.  It seems like so many of her tantrums would be non-existent if we could just talk to her about what's happening.  But we can't.  While she's not speaking English by any means, she is clearly understanding a few key words.  

She started out very un-affectionate i.e. didn't know how to give or receive hugs, and has now swung to the other end of the pendulum where she wants to hug everyone, from the mailman to the grocery clerk.  We are working on teaching her that we only hug people that live in our house.

Bedtime is slowly, slowly getting better.  In addition to getting Josie used to her new house, room, bed, etc, Megan is getting used to having a roommate--not an easy transition for either of them.  Did we mention that Megan mastered the skill of climbing out of her crib while we were in China?  There's no keeping that girl down. That has provided another "fun" challenge in all of this.

Josie fits right in at mealtimes by eating just about everything I put in front of her.  And she seems to like most of it.  Yay!  She's still skinny as a bean pole but if she keeps eating like this, she should fatten up in no time.

We took her to the doctor yesterday for her first stateside check-up.  He confirmed what we suspected, that she has a genetic disease called TAR syndrome.  Feel free to google it if you want to know more.  Her handicapped arm and hand are symptoms of the disease.  We are scheduled to take her to a pediatric geneticist to find out more and to formulate a plan for the future.  She had to have blood taken at the hospital today to run some tests and she came through it like a champ!  Very brave girl.

My first outing with all 4 by myself was to the gym at the college

A much needed "get-out-of-the-house" time 

It's been a blessing to have the boys home for these first two weeks.  I'm going to really miss them when they have to go back to school.  They have willingly stepped in whenever I need an extra hand or need someone to distract one girl or the other.  They are always cheerful and kind to both sisters and continue to amaze me with their patience and love for the girls (and for me--I'm the luckiest mom in the world!).

Grandma and Josie

Grandpa and Josie

Tea party

Sisters