Love Internationale

Nope, I didn’t forget the 26 pic. It just took me a few days longer to post it.

My baby on her first sweet sixteen:

It is getting really hard to get a good 26 shot of her now. She’s moving all the time. So from now the 26 shots will be more of the “action” variety, I think. I got lucky on this one.

The trip to Belgium should be interesting. The trip from China with her I anticipated would be bad, but it wasn’t at all. Sophie cried once for like three minutes. The rest of the 24 hour trip she was fine. (Amazing, if you think about it). But she’s older now and won’t stand to be confined to one area, so I expect we’ll be making friends with lots of the other passengers on the plane. We’re going to ask for the bulkhead seats. I hope we get them.

Here’s why I’m the luckiest mama in the whole world. Every morning I get to greet this smiling face (with lion and blanket, her “woobies” and hella lot of teefers!)

She’s been released from PT (No doubt, geeze!) and soon will be released from OT, I think. Her sensory disorder is GONE. She has no more symptoms at all. She never does the bearing down and shaking thing. She doesn’t hit her head when she’s upset anymore (she would do this with her palm, not against the wall or anything) and will touch/play with anything. Eating is no longer an issue like it was before. Now any texture is okay with her.

The sensory thing was why i wanted her in the program to begin with. Now that it’s cleared up, it’s probably time to move her on. The OT is hanging on a bit I think because she likes Sophie (Hey, who wouldn’t? *g*) but she’s talking about releasing her within the next couple of months.

Sophie’s cut two incisors completely and is working on more. Solids are not a problem for her at all and she LOVES Goldfish and graham crackers. If I say, “Sophie, do you want a cookie?” she’ll toddle over to the cabinet where I keep the graham crackers and open it up.

Still not talking much (she’s babbling a lot), but I know that will come in time. She loves to sing. If I sing to her, she’ll sing back in baby talk. She seems to have a preference for music in general.

I’m giggling like an idiot again and the quality is bad (again), but Sophie is cute! That should be reason enough to watch. Oh, and it’s short.

She LOVED it! I actually didn’t think she’d enjoy it as much as she did, but she really, really seemed to have fun. She refused to ride in the stroller. She walked and we carried her most of the way. She rocked out to the piped in music, marveled at the dressed up characters the zoo had milling around, and was very interested in the other children. It was PACKED.

I’m really glad we took her. It was a great experience. And, gosh, I bet she’s going to sleep well tonight.

Sophie’s first halloween costume. Tomorrow we’re taking her trick or treating at the zoo.

And a short video. Ignore me sounding like an idiot.

The FCC…yeah, well. Not much in the way of Chinese culture happening there, of course. Lots of little adopted girls from China, though! We ran into some very nice folks. Also some folks like I was expecting, “So what church do you go to?” But that’s cool.

Sophie was pretty much the youngest one there. And there was some angst because she wanted to PLAY with the little kids, but she’s too little and her legs don’t go that fast yet. She did steal a ball from one little five year old, though. Heh.

Here are some pictures (because you knew there would be):

Peek! Sophie does this all the time. She thinks it’s hilarious.

Wanting to play with the big kids.

In the punkin patch with papa.

At the petting zoo.

In the corn maze. Peace, yo.

Empathy R Us….

I’m following this blog kept by this family who is trying to adopt a little girl about Soph’s age from Guatemala. They’d been living there for six months now, acting as foster parents. I don’t really understand how Guat adoptions work, but their case HAS BEEN DENIED and they’re appealing in the court system. Denied for some stupid reason like they can’t get a signature on some stupid piece of paper. They’ve both quit their jobs in the states and are burning up their savings to be down there with this baby girl.

God. My stomach is in my throat for them. I cannot imagine. I CANNOT. Imagine living with this little girl for six months, thinking she’s going to be your daughter and then…. I don’t know these people, but I am just sick with worry for them all.