Hello everyone! I just thought that I would give an update about Sophie and our family. We've been home now for about two weeks. It really doesn't seem like it! Sophie is doing so well. I was sure that we would be facing so many problems with her adjusting to her new life. I've heard of so many problems that children usually have. I am amazed at how well she has done. Don't get me wrong, the first couple of days were rough on all of us. We were exhausted. Jordan and Chase were very emotional. You could tell that they thought we had really messed up! They have had a year to wait on their little sister. They loved her before they even met her. I know they just thought she'd come off of that airplane and fall in their arms. When that didn't happen, they were upset. As much as we all talked to them about how she would need time, and about how she may not be happy, it was still so hard for them when she did reject them. Luckily, every day she grows closer and closer to them. She showers them with kisses. The only problem is that they are constantly tugging on her or picking her up or in her face saying, "Give me a kiss." She's really good to kiss them until she has had enough. Then she lets them know that she wants them to leave her alone.
Sophie is sleeping very well during nap time and at night. Thanks to the family we stayed with in Ukraine, we know how she was treated in the orphanage. We rocked Jordan and Chase. We soon found out that Sophie isn't used to that. We simply put her in bed, pat her back for a minute, and then walk away. IF she cries, it only lasts about a minute. Usually she goes right off to sleep. I try to sit in a chair close by until she is just about asleep. I'd love to hold her and rock her like I did the boys, but she just wakes up. So, when I do wake her up from naps, I rock her then.
She is also eating very well. I wish my boys would try foods like her. She will eat just about anything. She loves scrambled eggs. We haven't found alot that she won't eat. She definitely has a sweet tooth (just like Chase). Everyone has found out that giving her a piece of candy is a good way to win her over. We're going to have to put a stop to that though. When we have four or five people visiting a day, that's alot of candy!
I've not seen any signs that she is grieving, which I expected. I'm sure that will come. Right now she just seems so happy. She walks around singing all of the time. She is playing with her dolls, riding her new rocking horse, and seems to just love being at home. I can ask, "Where is Sophie?" and she will point to herself. Then I can ask the same thing using her old name and she will still point to herself. She also points to Jordan and Chase, Mom and Dad when asked. Sometimes she will call Lee Daddy, then other times it is Papa. She also knows her Nana and Papas and Bubby.
Alot of people have asked about how she is talking. I really think she understands about 75% of what we say. She will go get diapers if we ask her to. She sits, stands, goes to the bathtub, asks for bites, ... whenever we say so. She still is only saying about 10 words. Mama, Daddy, Dordan (Jordan), Sase (Chase), Alex (my dog), Nana, Papa, No, bite, budder(brother), diaper, and baby. Today she was fussing on her doll for throwing a temper tantrum. She said, "No Baby!" Then she put her baby in the red chair that I've been putting her in for temper tantrums. I guess she knows what time-out is all about!
We have had alot of company. Our local newspaper ran an article about Sophie last Thursday. It has been great to share our story with our community. It seems like everyone knows about Sophie. It's been funny, but it takes twice as long to buy groceries, eat at a resturant.... Everyone wants to meet her. But that's fine because we love showing her off!
If you will look at the previous blog entry, the very bottom picture is one of Sophie after her first visit to church. I think she is beautiful. Her face just looks happy! She is like a totally different child now that we have her home. I know we are treating her differently. In Ukraine, we were trying to win her over. We tried never to tell her, "no". We were just there to play and entertain her. Now, we are treating her like OUR CHILD! I think she likes it better this way! At first, it felt alot like babysitting. Over the last three weeks, she has become my daughter. I love her so much, I can't imagine my life without her in it.
