Spring is Here!

We have really loved this warm weather...I have been trying for 3 days to paint a small storage shed, with Grace's "help." I even got her a tiny roller and paint tray to use. We have been outside blowing bubbles, digging in the garden, and playing on the slide we moved outdoors. We even went to a garage sale and found a couple of pairs of shorts for fifty cents for her to wear while she is painting. It is odd that we don't have any "old" clothes since she has been here such a short time.

Today we went to Scovill Playground again and Grace gets more daring every time. She goes up the climbing wall and the metal ladders alone and loves the big slides. Today she went down one of the tall slides head first, but mom isn't ready for that yet...She loves to swing and says, "Swing too high" which actually means that she wants me to push her higher. The biggest thrill today, though, was that Brooke from Baby Talk and Hannah both were at the playground too. It was so cute watching Grace grab their hands and shriek with delight that she had a friend to play with.

The biggest news for today was that Grace was dry all night, though. I heard her rocking in her bed around 2:00 am and went to her room. She immediately told me, "Potty, potty" so I took her to the bathroom. This morning she woke up around 8:30. It won't be long...

Right now, Blaise is heading to Gainesville, Florida for the Florida Relays. Only 8 members of his team had fast enough times to qualify. The edema on his leg, from a Spring Break injury, has finally healed and he is feeling good again. I am so hopeful that he will have a great weekend. Perhaps if he listens really carefully he will hear me yelling, "Go Blaise" all the way from Illinois.

Vince just was home for a couple of days to interview for a teacher's position with Early Head Start in Decatur. They even called him in for a second interview the same day, so we are really hopeful that he will get the job. They told him that he was the only man to apply out of hundreds of applicants which makes him memorable and unique (as well as sweet, caring, and dedicated). He is currently interning with Head Start in Marion, IN so that helps, but he has had almost no experience with 0-3 year olds which are the focus of this new program. I would have loved to hear his response when they asked him how he felt about changing diapers...He should know something in the next couple of weeks.

Adam and Vince have been looking at houses to buy with a realtor, but I think that they are now leaning toward renting for a while. If Vince gets a job, they are hoping to live together in Decatur which would be a terrific setup for both. It is hard for Adam to live with too many people, because getting sleep on a swing shift requires some extra consideration. They hate the idea of paying rent and would love to have some handy-man work to do, but they have so much uncertainty right now about jobs and their futures that it is making it difficult to decide on a home. They also can't stand the idea of being too far away from Grace. They love her so much and don't want to miss out on being big brothers. It is hard to believe that Vince will graduate in only a month! Time does fly by...

Pieces of the Puzzle

Grace has really enjoyed looking through the photo album from our trip to Bulgaria, and the pictures we took of her with her friend Emanwewe are her favorites. She tells about blowing bubbles with Emanwewe, Mommy, and Daddy in Bulgaria, and has started to make other comments about her "before" experiences. Today she told me, "Emanwewe said, bye, bye, Gracie. Gracie crying. Emanwewe all gone. Leelee pick up Gracie crying." She made a sad face and wiped a tear as it rolled down her cheek. I picked her up and asked her if Emanwewe was sad when she said goodbye, but Gracie told me, "Emanwewe no sad. Gracie sad." We talked for a while and I realized that this beautiful friend of hers was much more than just one of her orphanage buddies. Emanwewe was one of her caretakers. Grace told me that Emanwewe, who was 6 and obviously older than the other children, sat with her at her table for meals, helped her put on her pajamas, and took a bath with her. When I asked what they ate, she told me, "Hliab and chai" which is Bulgarian for bread and tea. She also went to the kitchen utensil drawer, took out a spoon and but it in my hand. Then she put her mouth on it like she was taking a bite. She said, "Emanwewe cut food. Help me eat." It is sometimes hard to figure out what she means but I gathered that the auntie, Leelee, who she frequently talks about helped her eat her meals after Emanwewe was adopted by a Bulgarian family.

We saw Emanwewe care for her some during our visit, but I had thought she was just a sweet natured little girl who felt sorry for tiny little Grace. One time Emanwewe grabbed her around the waist and put her up on a bench. Another time, she helped her get a tricycle to ride. Grace even showed us that the picture that we left with her was taped to the wall behind Emanwewe's bed, since Grace's bed was by the window curtains. Grace would have been able to see it when she layed down to sleep. Grace understands that Emanwewe has a mommy and daddy now, too, but she really wants to go see her and play in the sand. I so wish that we had met her adoptive family so that the girls could stay in touch. As an orphan, Grace really doesn't understand family relationships, so she thinks our names are Mommy and Daddy. I wonder if she thought she would get to see Emanwewe when we picked her up?

Grace loves to go around the house now to tell us what belongs to her. Ownership is a wonderful new concept she enjoys. She opens her closet and says, "Mine clothes, not Mommy and Daddy" and shakes her head. She does the same with her toybox, books, socks, shoes, and crayons. I asked her if she had crayons in Bulgaria and she told me, "No." I figured out that she watched Mickie Mouse and Tom and Jerry on TV, but she said she had a swing when I tried to talk about toys. She also told me that she had clothes, shoes, and a bed in Bulgaria. And she told me, "Gracie Emanwewe sharing bucket and shovel." I wonder if Grace was part of the reason that Emanwewe had not moved to the older orphanage for 4-7 year olds? Would the orphanage director pass along a letter to Emanwewe's parents for us? I would so love to be able to send photos back and forth over the years. Gracie told me several times today, "Go see Emanwewe, tomorrow." I wish that I hadn't had to try to explain that we couldn't go tomorrow, but maybe some day. Mark and I always thought we would take Grace to visit Bulgaria when she was around 10 years old, but I think it might be nice to go back sooner when there is more of a chance that some of her favorite caregivers may still be at the orphanage. I know she needs to be bonded with us and old enough to understand, but summer 2012 sounds good...now to convince Daddy...                   :-)

"Thank you for being my friend."

I've Been Home 3 Months!

It doesn't seem possible that Grace has been her 3 months. In some ways, it seems like she has been with us forever, and in other ways, I am just getting to know her. She has changed so much since the first days when we picked her up and she seemed like such a baby. Here are a few highlights:

1. Grace still loves to announce to the world with pride her bathroom adventures. Strangers often will be told about the little toilet in the family bathroom at Kmart or that she went "aka" all by herself and washed her hands. In the past few weeks, though, she has stopped requiring an audience to go potty. She goes by herself now and then announces to us, "Gracie went potty all by herself!" We also have stopped catering to her bathroom whims like we did when we were transitioning her from the orphanage diapers to big girl underwear. Now, she goes to the bathroom before meals and we don't let her get down during the meals to go again. We finally figured out that it wasn't that she needed to go, but rather, she wanted to be the center of attention and the bathroom always made us focus on her.
2. She doesn't speak in Bulgarian anymore except to say these words: As te obichem, leka noshte, aka, tate, mama." In fact, this week she seemed to actually realize that everything has two names. If we said, "Voda." She would light up with enthusiasm at the Bulgarian word for water and point to her cup, but she can't even tell us the Bulgarian names for things anymore. Just like she understood English before she cold speak it, she has lost her speaking vocabulary in Bulgarian but still understands it. I wish we had taken more videos of her speaking Bulgarian when she was first home. We kept trying to catch her in one of her speeches when she would ramble on for several minutes as if the person understood, but the minute the camera went on, she was done. She still loves listening to the Bulgarian song CD, and she sings the words to some of the songs, but that is the only time we hear her really speak Bulgarian anymore. I was really anxious for her to be able to communicate better with us, but now I miss hearing it. She still has the cutest Bulgarian accent, though.
3. Grace surprises us with her vocabulary everyday. Verbs and pronouns are being used occasionally now and she relays stories adding new words faster than we can keep up. Today she told Adam and Daddy about the trolley that she saw and explained that it was taking the kids home. She asks, "What's that?" and "Where's ____?" all the time, too, even when she knows the answer. I have been turning it around and asking her questions lately, and she has come up with interesting answers. When I asked her "Where's Daddy's truck?" in response to her query she said, "Behind Daddy's car." So I asked, "Where's Daddy's car?" and she said, "Behind the garage." So I asked about Adam's car and was informed that it was behind Daddy's truck. So, she knew exactly where each of them parks everyday in the driveway. She also knows the names of some of the letters and associates them with people's names. So the J is for Aunt Jill, the P is for Paige, the L is for Uncle "Lally", etc. and she can pick them out everytime she notices them on signs, cereal boxes, or in books. Grace hasn't figured out colors yet. She knows Daddy's truck is purple, the grass is green, and school busses are yellow, but she just can't figure out all of the shades and variations.
4. Grace is particular about her clothes and has her definite favorites: jeans with a belt, dresses with tights, and her Minnie Mouse pajamas. We still can't seem to keep most jeans up, even with a belt, but she doesn't seem to mind tugging on them all day so she can dress like Mommy. She also loves pockets and puts little pads of sticky notes and her chapstick in her pockets to carry around.
5. Grace prefers being outdoors all the time and does anything she can think of to delay coming into the house. During this nice weather, she has been trying to befriend the squirrels in our tree. The minute she sees one, she runs over to him and announces, "Hi, Mr. Squirrel, I'm five!" while the poor squirrel is scurrying to safety and she is running around the tree saying, "Hey, Mr. Squirrel, come here!" She also looks through her picture books from Bulgaria and tells Daddy that she wants to go play in the sand. Yes, we have been looking at swingsets and sand boxes.
6. Grace eats very slowly...We wonder if that is part of the reason that she is so small. She loves to talk during meals, gets tired of feeding herself, and wants us to shovel it in for her. She eats a lot if you feed her to finish up, and we have been doing that about half the time just to get her a few extra calories. She also likes the toddler Ensure type drinks and we add that to her daily snack to be sure she gets plenty of vitamins. I'm hoping she learns to eat more quickly before she starts preschool, or she will eat only a few bites for lunch everyday.
7. At night, Grace rocks with Daddy or I before bed, but she only falls asleep in our arms about 3/4 of the time. We have figured out that she will fall asleep without self-soothing (rocking behavior) if we hold her until she is very relaxed. Nearly everynight around 2:00 a.m. she rouses again and we can hear her thrashing around and whining in her bed. If I go in to see her she tells me in a panicked voice, "Potty, potty!" so I rush her into the bathroom. She really is wanting to stay dry at night, but even with the 2:00 a.m. trip to the bathroom she is soaked by morning. I don't think her little bladder can handle sleeping through the night even though she really wants to stay dry, and she wants to drink a small bottle of water right before bed every night.
8. Grace has always liked buttons, computers, and phones so she really likes that Mommy has found a few games for her to play on the computer. She especially likes the alphabet game that says the names of the letters and shows animals for each sound. She tells me, "Don't touch...Gracie computer" and I have to remind her that it is Daddy's computer, which she doesn't like at all.
9. The highlight of most of her weeks is Baby Talk. When we first started attending every Thursday and the lapsits on alternate Fridays, Grace fit in very well developmentally with the 0-3 year olds in attendance, but the last couple of weeks have been different. She is one of the few who will sit during the story time. She will answer requests for songs to sing, and she loves to help Miss Susan pick up shakers and toys. Her favorite toys are these little waffle blocks which she is getting better about sharing. At first she would push the littler children away from "her" toys, but I haven't seen that for a while. Grace likes to be on stage and stands next to Miss Susan sometimes as her little sidekick during her favorite songs, The Wheels on the Bus, Hurry Hurry Drive the Firetruck, I'm a Little Popcorn, and The Shaker Song. She likes shakers so much that we made our own out of plastic Easter Eggs at home. When it is time to color and glue at Lapsits, she really lacks the fine motor skills of many of the 3 year olds, and has a hard time drawing anything but circles. It is amazing how much she has learned in just a few weeks, though, and going to Baby Talk gives me a chance to sit back and really notice her weekly progress. Grace is such a little socialite, that I think she is going to love going to preschool in August, and hopefully she won't be so stressed by the Kindergarten expectations the following year.
10. Anytime that Mark and I are hugging and sometimes just for fun, Grace runs up to us and puts her hand up for her ritual group hug. She puts one arm aroung each of our necks and pulls our faces tight against hers while we all sing the song that she made up, I love you. As te obichem over and over before she showers us with kisses. It melts my heart.

Well, Grace...Happy 3 months home! I hope that you someday will know how blessed we are to have you with us and how thankful we are that God took care of you while we were searching to find you. You have such a wonderful, loving, gentle spirit that amazes us every day.

More Shots

I didn't tell Grace until after breakfast that we were headed to the nurse today. Mark and I decided that it would be best if she didn't associate trips to the doctor with pain, so we always see the nurse for shots. Last time, she didn't understand at all what was coming, but today, she immediately started to fret as we got into the car. I told her that Hannah and KJ had gotten shots, and that all of the kids get shots so they can go to school which helped her to calm a little bit. I guess everybody loves company when they are facing pain. It is always hard to know whether it is better to just spring the shots on the children or prepare them so they know that you will tell them the truth.

Her usual friendly demeanor was really subdued, and she didn't even want to talk to the three nurses who greeted us. Her reluctance turned into whining as soon as I sat her on the table. I can really tell that she is feeling more comfortable with us because today she cried out loud with those big tears during the 2 shots. The magic of stickers and going to Baby Talk turned her right around, but she wanted Mommy to carry her to the car now as soon as the vaccinations were finished.

Later we shopped for a couple of summer outfits at Kohl's. It took a while to figure out that she needs a size 2T shirt and size 12 month shorts, though. I could not find any larger pants that would stay up, so one of the pairs of shorts was supposed to be capri length, but they just go to her knees. Because she has worn so many layers in the winter, it has been easy to dress her so that her chest difference isn't very noticeable. Summer will be a different story, so I looked for some shirts with gathers, a yoke, or ruffles. We could care less, but it would be nice if we could provide her with a little camouflage so that strangers don't make her feel uncomfortable. Right now, she knows that she is beautiful and loves to look at herself in the mirror, especially the tri-fold where she can see 7 Gracies. I just don't want anyone else suggesting otherwise or making her feel self-conscious. (There will be plenty of time for that reality in junior high school.) Her brothers have all said that they will be watching out for her, and that they don't want to ever hear that someone is teasing her. She is going to have a bunch of big protectors looking out for her well-being.

She whined all afternoon, walked with her left leg straight, wimpered to be picked up, and fell asleep sitting on Daddy's lap at 7:30 p.m. after pizza (her request) and a dose of Children's Motrin. I'm sure I will be chided by her brothers for indulging her complaining...I think with them I usually said something like, "Oh, you're not bleeding. It's fine. Go play." I told Mark that we are going to have to toughen up soon. She really loves having "owies" and all the mileage she gets out of going down Poor-Me Road. She doesn't even seem like the same little girl who skinned up her knee in Bulgaria and didn't even notice. But, I think she just likes knowing that someone will take care of her, and if she needs kisses, ice packs, band-aids, and extra attention for pretend pains...that's fine for a season. Her left leg was a little swollen, so today's complaining was not imaginary.

Lentin Lunch

Small towns and small churches have great traditions that make them unique. Mason City has a series of Lentin Lunches at the local legion hall that consist of soup/sandwich and a short devotional time for the community. Adam, Grace, and I joined Mom and Dad for one today. I really enjoyed seeing old friends and singing traditional hymns...I even got to talk to Irma Schusele who babysat for the boys when Adam was 3 and the twins were 2.

Gracie wanted to play with Grandma and Grandpa who she calls "Grandpa Grandpa" sometimes and kept choosing different people to chase her around the playground equipment in the park. It was a hoot watching Adam twisting around to fit down the twisty slide. Grace isn't quite big enough to ride the John Deere tricycle, but it won't be long. Grandpa really tried to get the seat low enough that she could reach the pedals. She also was fascinated by the construction going on in Grandma and Grandpa's bathroom and couldn't figure out what happened to the missing bathtub.  "All gone bathtub!"

Grandma Wharram was especially alert today. She doesn't usually remember my name now and and she asks me repeatedly where I live and what I do, but she held my hand, told us someone had said she was nearly 100 (which is true), and smiled and chatted the entire time we were there. She loved watching "the little girl" push her walker around the lounge area, and she pulled Grace up onto her lap for a while. Grace knows her as Grandma Wharram, recognized her right away and was happy to hug and love on her. She asked Adam about his job and seemed to recognize him as family, too. When Grandma is having a good day, she tells me the same thing when I get ready to leave, "You know, you have always have a special place in my heart. I love you." Even though I know she doesn't really remember how I am related or why she loves me, I can tell she really means it and that is enough. I feel blessed to have heard those words today. She stood at the windows of the nursing home and waved at us as we drove away. I really miss her.

Scovill Playground

Mark finally got off work before dark today, so we met at Scovill Playground. I have wanted to take Grace several times during the day, but Mark so wanted to be there to see her reaction to the equipment that I waited. Of course, she loved it. She scaled up the climbing wall and the big boulder, scooted across the horizontal "swiss cheese" wall, chatted with the dinosaur, pushed herself on the swing, and checked out every slide and climbing apparatus. We only went home because the bathrooms were locked and she was jumping up and down saying, "Potty, potty!" Then Grace and I went to Lifebuilders small group while Mark headed to bed. Tomorrow is another 12 hour shift and he has to get up at 1:30 a.m.  Ugh...

First Play Date

Gracie was so excited for her play date that the first words out of her mouth this morning were, "Mommy Gracie go Hannah's house now." Play dates were a rarity when the boys were little; I guess the boys always had playmates (each other), few people wanted to invite three toddlers to play, and I was too busy to schedule social time. This time around, I am feeling a little secluded with only Grace and being away from other adults, so I was excited for the visit with Audrey and Hannah, too.

Hannah is younger, taller, and much more mature than Gracie. I learned a lot by watching the two of them today. Grace loved driving the car Fred Flinstone style around the basement, swinging, blowing on the recorder, and playing the pink guitar, but she didn't like Hannah's doggy at all. In fact, when the Cocker Spaniel (I think) met her at the door she immediately started squealing, shaking, climbing up Mommy, and crying. Even after a couple of minutes of Hannah telling her that she was a nice dog, the tears still rolled down her cheeks and her body shook anytime the dog came close. She hasn't cried this hard since we refused to let her ride the car/cart at the mall. Finally when the dog was in the bedroom, Gracie was fine and only occasionally asked about him. She loves watching dogs from a distance, talks to them when they are behind fences, and yells at them to "stop barking." But she told Daddy when she got home, "Gracie no like big doggy. Little doggy," and held her fingers up to show that a little doggy was the size of a peanut. She tells us that the doggy bites her hand, so we don't know whether she imagines a dog will bite her or if she has had a traumatic experience with dogs in the past.

We both loved the spinach salad and noodles for lunch, too. Grace loves salad and baby carrots. (So much for the food texture problems we were warned about.) When Hannah was having a chocolate chip cookie, though, Grace took one bite and asked for more noodles. Audry, bless her heart, heated up more noodles for her "dessert" while the rest of us chowed on cookies...

It always surprises me to see Grace with other children, because it really highlights her delays in development. Hannah loves reading books, and she asked me to read some of them to her. Grace has a hard time sitting still for a full story and prefers dancing and singing. Hannah was trying to stack small blocks into a tall tower, and Grace just wanted to knock them over. Hannah actually plays with other children, but Gracie plays next to other children with little interaction. She loves seeing new toys and usually can share if reminded, but she didn't really initiate playing with Hannah at all. In fact, the only area where 5 year old Grace seemed to be more competent than 3 year old Hannah was that she can eat without making hardly any mess at all. I think the girls would love playing together at Scovill playground...

The Children's Museum

The key to a good night's sleep...Make sure Grace is exhausted. Today's plan for wearing her out with a walk downtown was nixed due to the rain, so we headed to Baby Talk and then the Children's Museum. Her developmental progress is so much more obvious at Baby Talk because we do the same kind of activities from week to week. Each day she listens better and remembers more of the songs and activities. Today she even requested to get the shakers and dance to the "Shake It Baby" song when the children were asked for requests. During the owl book, she didn't try to climb up on Susan's lap, and sat on her bottom through the entire story. She did look back at me in amazement at the size of the owl and told me quietly, "Gulyam!" But, most of the time she was focused. She remembered the owl story and said, "Who, who..." while she was making her owl hand puppet. We are still working on helping her to choose a dominant hand, and practiced today. She really shows no preference what-so-ever, so we are trying to encourage eating, coloring, and cutting with her right hand. As a teacher, I know how much easier it is for students to be right-handed. So many things in our world are set up for righties. Mark is a lefty (I tease him about being wrong-handed) and he hopes she will decide to be right-handed, too.

"Big house," the Children's Museum, was also a hit. I had a hard time getting Gracie past the wind tunnels at the front door to even see the rest of the museum..She loved picking up the colored scarves and huge pom-pons to give to the bigger kids who were playing there. During our two hour visit, Grace spent most of her time in the grocery store area, pushing the cart and loading up on the groceries, but she also loved using the washer and dryer in the play kitchen where she made Mommy some tea, and changing the tires in the auto repair area. The climber was fun until the really big kids got on, and then she decided she wanted them to "baby" her. She has this way of looking at people and holding out her hands that makes everyone want to pick her up and help her. It was funny to watch her change from this confident, capable "big" girl who was climbing up and down  by herself into a helpless, needy "baby" in a matter of seconds. She really just wanted the attention of some of the school girls, so we moved along. Two hours was enough chaos for both of us, but we will definitely go back on the next rainy day. Maybe the next time there won't be two bus loads of kids...

Mission accomplished! Grace was nearly asleep when we got home from the museum, a 15 minute drive, and bedtime was a breeze.

The Testing Begins

I expected that eventually the honeymoon phase would pass and the testing would begin...Grace has decided that she likes being able to get adults to do what she wants and being catered to at about the same time that Mark and I are getting tired of her whining. This week we have been hearing her favorite new word, "What?" after nearly every statement and her little grumble, grunt, and point routines have been increasing. She has learned enough English to respond verbally most of the time, so we have been ignoring the charades and responding to her needs when she speaks. It is beginning to work, but we have to remind her to "use her words" (the phrase borrowed from Vince) repeatedly. She also has become more stubborn. She has been ignoring me when I ask her to pick up toys, saying "no" to my lunch choices, refusing to hold my hand sometimes, and telling me what she does and doesn't want to wear every day. She tells me daily that she wants to wear earrings, argues about the color of her socks, and pouts if she can't hold the hairdryer in the morning. Last night, she did not want to quiet down to sleep. She kept talking, kicking her feet, singing, asking for a drink of water, and wiggling around. Finally I sat her on my lap and looked at her seriously while I explained in a firm, but calm, voice that it was time for bed, Mommy was the boss, and Gracie had to do what Mommy and Daddy told her to do. Now Gracie needed to go to sleep, not play.

Grace dropped her head, gave her best pout face, and sighed. I rocked her for a few seconds before she started mumbling quietly, "No Mommy boss. Gracie boss. Gracie boss. No Mommy boss." I'm sure she could feel my body shaking as I tried desperately to hold back my laughing. A few minutes later, she said, "I love Mommy," gave me a kiss, started sucking her thumb, closed her eyes, and went to sleep. I am sure this is only the beginning of the challenges...

Just Like Mommy

It was actually in the 60's today so we spent much of the day outside, walking to the post office, eating lunch in the park and seeing the neighbor's geese, playing on the playground, stopping briefly at the public library, and even painting wooden letters in the backyard. But the highlight of the day was a 30 second conversation while we were waiting in line at the post office.

Grace, of course, greeted a woman who was in line behind us at the counter with, "Hi, I'm five." The woman looked from her to me and commented, "I bet this is your mom...You look just like her!" I grinned and agreed. The workers at the orphanage told us the same thing. They would talk animatedly in Bulgarian, smile, point to me, pat their cheeks and Gracie's, and smile. We truly didn't care what nationality our daughter was or what she looked like, and we expressed that in our adoption request. The fact that God lead us to the other side of the globe to find Gracie and that she looks so much like our family just reminds me of how God gives us more than we could think of or hope for.

Yummy peanut butter and jelly.

I'm So Glad We Found You

This is tonight's conversation with me during the last trip to the bathroom before bed:
Mommy: I'm so glad we found you. (kiss)
Grace: Mommy Daddy sad. Gracie bees a Neska Leelee. Mommy Daddy no find Gracie.
Mommy: Yes, Mommy and Daddy were sad because we couldn't find Gracie. We looked and looked and finally found Gracie all the way in Bulgaria with Neska and Leelee.
Grace: Mommy Daddy find Gracie to home. No Neska Leelee to home. Mommy Daddy to home.
Mommy: Yes, Mommy and Daddy went to Bulgaria on an airplane and brought Gracie home.
Grace: No sad.
Mommy: No we're not sad anymore, we are so happy to have Gracie home with our family. We love Gracie.
Grace: No Gracie sad...Mommy Daddy no find Gracie. Where's Gracie? (She puts her hands up and looks around.) Mommy Daddy find Gracie to home, no sad.
Mommy: Mommy and Daddy are happy because we found Gracie. Do you like being at home with Mommy and Daddy?
Grace: Happy. (smiles and hugs me)
Mommy: Neska and Leelee are happy that Gracie has a family, and Emanwewe has a family, too. Neska and Leelee took care of you until Mommy and Daddy could find you and bring you home.
Grace: Gracie, Mommy Daddy. Emanwewe, Mommy Daddy... Mommy Daddy, as te obichem Gracie. (She puts out her arms to hug Mark and me at the same time and sings, "I love you, as te obichem.")
Mommy: Yes, Mommy and Daddy as te obichem Gracie.
Gracie: Tomorrow, hungry eggs...
Mommy: Oh, you want eggs for breakfast tomorrow?
Grace: Tomorrow...and cereal.

The RIB

The RIB, i.e. Royal International Buffet, is usually our meeting place for Sunday brunch with Mark's family, so Gracie looks forward to "soupa, chicken, noodles, chocolate bananas, green beans, macaroni..." and of course a few sips of Mommy's tea (mixed with water) at the end of the meal. You can tell we are there often because she even knows the owner and some of the waitresses by name. Since Uncle Larry has been out of town, this was his first chance to hold Grace. She kept asking about Aunt Sara, who is really going to be jealous when she sees these pictures...

Hi, Uncle "Lally!"

Spitler Park

It was another great day except that Daddy had to work on a Saturday and then they forced him over for a 12 hour shift. We are thankful for our jobs, but it has been hard for both Grace and Daddy to adjust to being apart everyday. Our original plan was to go to the Scovill Park Playground when he got home from work, but since he couldn't join us we headed for Spitler Park. When we got to the playground one of my previous students and two of her girl friends were riding their bikes in the park, and they immediately were enamored with Grace. They just kept saying, "Ah, she's so cute!" After about 15 minutes of swinging and ordering Mommy to swing, too, she started going down the slides with the girls. Grace's new word for today is "altogether" which she thinks is hysterical for some reason, so she laughs every times she says it or sees the picture of the 3 girls sitting altogether on the slide.

What a Walk

"Dr. Dan! Dr. Dan!" were the first words out of Grace's mouth this morning, because she knew she was going to see her favorite doctor. This was mostly a checkup and an opportunity to review the reports from the specialists and determine whether Grace needs any other evaluations. The minute she walked into the doctor's office, she started asking, "Where's Dr. Dan?" to the receptionist and the nurse.

Good news, she has grown a full inch since December 22 and gained 2 pounds. We were really hoping for more weight gain, but she is now 26.5 pounds and 36.25 inches tall. Dr. Dan is referring us to an orthopedic specialist to evaluate her chest and her flat feet, but besides that he was impressed by her progress. She talks constantly and has started saying words like: actually, talking, put, coughing, and other.

The sun has finally melted almost all of the snow, so Grace and I headed out on a long (gulyam) walk to the Mt. Zion Library complete with sunglasses, tissues, spring jackets, and a bottle of water. Of course I had forgotten how exciting it is to see an ambulance, 12 school buses, a dog in a fence, a fire truck, and five helicopters. Grace learned the word "loud" and yells it at the top of her lungs now after 5 National Guard helicopters flew overhead to demonstrate this new word so she could understand. She also is fascinated by schoolbuses so everytime she saw one coming we had to stop walking, wait to see if it would come past us, and wave at the driver. Next time we'll have to take a walk before 2:30 p.m. if we are in a hurry. Today she also discovered her shadow, so people in the neighborhood were probably looking out their windows and laughing as we danced around, kicked our feet, and played "Where's Gracie?" with our shadows. She was fascinated that her shadow could disappear behind mine and she could jump out and her shadow was still there. About halfway home, she wanted me to carry her, but I told her I was too tired and she made it all the way back home. She was laying down sucking her thumb at 7:00 p.m. so I think I wore her out today.

The "D" Word

It is times like this when I am glad I kept this blog private, and I have the opportunity to reread and edit before I print this into book format for Gracie.

Just as a couple who is engaged never expects to get a divorce, neither do adoptive parents consider the "d" word--disruption--when they are preparing for the home visit from the social worker, notarizing mountains of documents, and putting cardboard outlines of little feet into dozens of pairs of shoes in order to find just the right size. They expect to be parents forever. But sometimes, I guess, parents find that they can't love or don't want to care for their children even after traveling halfway around the world to find them. It breaks my heart, but it is reality.

Nearly a year ago now, our paperwork was stuck at the Department of Homeland Security and we were unsure that we were going to be able to continue adopting from Bulgaria. During those anxious months our agency continued to send us photos, videos, and medical reports for some of the children who had special needs. Mark and I remember clearly the sweet video of two little sisters smiling and playing with blocks and hoped that they would find a family. We knew that our homestudy would approve us for two girls and we would have requested their files if our paperwork had not been in limbo at the time. We loved getting updates on the children we had seen who had found forever families and rejoiced when we learned these girls had found theirs, too. When our paperwork hassle was finally rectified, we knew that God had orchestrated our adoption process, and even delayed our paperwork in Chicago, so that we would find Grace, who was meant to be with us. She is absolutely perfect for our family.

Today we found out from our agency that the two sweeties from the video are losing their family. Their adoption is being...disrupted. My heart has been aching as I think about the children and the parents. Obviously their family didn't bond like they had expected. Perhaps there are behavior or emotional problems that were unexpected. Maybe the parents were not equipped to love unconditionally. But I just want to jump in and fix it. I told Mark that I wanted to call and take them, too. He assured me that God had a perfect family for them, and I asked, "But what if that family is ours?" Yes, I logically know that adopting two more children now is a bad idea. In fact, the information on Tree of Life's website suggested that these two girls join a family that did not have younger siblings, but my heart breaks for these two little girls. They have faced so much turmoil and uncertainty in their short lives. I'd like to think that we could love the problems away.

I think this disruption seems personal because of our shared experiences. You see, I know how hard these parents worked to complete this adoption, the anticipation they felt as they waited, and the preparations that they made before they brought the girls home. I know how they shared with their extended families and co-workers about their plans and the flurry of excitement during the first days together as a family. So what happened to their dreams, and now what will they do? How must it feel to look at your daughters every day and know you are hoping they will leave soon? What kinds of behaviors could cause these once optimistic parents to make this decision? Usually parents who disrupt are attacked on list serves and Yahoo groups for being heartless, but I am praying for them, too. Yes, they are making this choice, but can you imagine their feelings of regret? The ridicule they will endure from friends and family? The empty house they will face every day? The family dreams that will never be fulfilled?

I gave Grace extra hugs tonight after we talked about our day...photos at Olan Mills, going to the Social Security Office with "Gracie's special papers," playing at the mall playground, shopping, Mommy's haircut...because I love being her mama. As I tucked her in I sang her the little verse from the book I'll Love You Forever, that Adam, Blaise, and Vince heard over and over when I tucked them in:

"I'll love you forever. I'll like you for always. As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be."

And I meant every word...Please be praying that those two beautiful little sisters find a family that feels the same way about them.

Chestita Baba Marta!

Chestita Baba Marta! Happy Grandma March! Bulgarians celebrate March 1 with an unusual tradition that reminds me of the May baskets that we used to give and get when I was a little girl. (Aunt Irene always had the most beautiful ones.) Anyway, in Bulgaria on March 1 children collect martenitsas, which are usually red and white cords to signal the return of spring.   So, this morning Grace, Adam, and I put our red and white bracelets on, and as soon as I told Grace, "Chestida Baba Marta" she said, "It's coming!" I think she heard the grandma part and was just hopeful to see her grandma today. (She struggles with pronouns so when she finds her sunglasses she says, "There she is!" and when she points to her home she says, "There I are!")
Here is the article about it from the Sofia Morning News at http://www.novinite.com/ :

BABA MARTA GREETS BULGARIANS WITH MILD WEATHER

All Bulgarians celebrate on March 1 a centuries-old tradition and exchange martenitsas on what is called the day of Baba Marta, which this year dawned with a shy sun, spelling relatively nice weather ahead.

Eagerly followed on March 1 every single year, the tradition of giving your friends red-and-white interwoven strings brings health and happiness during the year and is a reminder that spring is near.


Celebrated on March 1, Baba Marta (Grandma March) is believed to be a feisty lady who always seems to be grudging at her two brothers, while the sun only comes out when she smiles.


As folklore often goes there are different versions of the Baba Marta tale. One says that on that day she does her pre-spring cleaning and shakes her mattress for the last time before the next winter - all the feathers that come out of it pour on Earth like snow - the last snow of the year.


The martenitsa tradition is thought to have been inspired by Bulgaria's first Khan Asparuh, who sent a white string to his wife to tell her he survived a battle.


People are supposed to take off their martenitsas when they see the first signs that spring has already come - a blooming tree or a stork.


When the martenitsa is taken off some tie it to a tree - one that they'd like to be especially fruitful. Others place it under a rock and based on what they find there the next morning guess what kind of a year this one would be.

The martenitsa now comes in all shapes and sizes - from Guiness-worth giant building packages to two tiny simple strings gently placed on a newborn's arm. Children usually compete who will get the most and often walk around more ornate than a Christmas tree.


However, it always bears the same meaning - a lucky charm against the evil spirits of the world, a token for health and a sign of appreciation.

Then to top it off, the CD of children's songs that Mark ordered from Bulgaria arrived and Grace loved hearing the songs. You could see her face light up as she heard the voices of the little children singing the songs she used to sing. Three of the songs on the CD are the ones we recognized her singing when she first came home, but I haven't heard her singing those songs for a couple of weeks. Now she is always singing Jesus Loves Me; Twinkle Twinkle Little Star; B-I-N-G-O; and the ABC's. We want to play the CD every day for a week or so and see if Grace will remember the songs...I hope so. I'm already starting to miss her little Bulgarian phrases and songs. We found the CD at: http://www.bulgariancds.com/c/sl-e/cid-18/p-p/id-1020/dvg-morski-pesychinki-nezabravimi-detski-pesnichki-1.html , and it only cost $15.00 including shipping from Bulgaria. I really wish we had ordered this before we picked up Gracie! I know she won't keep much of her first language, if any, but we would love for her to remember a few songs and phrases...

Vince's Guitara

Vince was home for a short spring break between IWU's break and the break for Head Start where he is an intern. Grace missed both Vince and his guitara. She loves music and her brother as you can tell from the pictures, and Vince is so patient and sweet with her. You can tell he works with children because he kept saying things to her like, "Use your words," when she would point to try to get what she wanted. He is going to be a great social worker. I would love to see him in action at Head Start.

Kindergarten Screening

I was so happy to see Sharon Cole when we arrived at Kindergarten screening on Wednesday. Grace went with her easily and I had time to explain a little bit about our concerns. Sharon was great, and told us what we anticipated. Grace is not ready for Kindergarten. Here were her strengths:
1. Cut with scissors.
2. Say her name and age.
3. Draw a circle, line, and plus sign.
4. Walk on a line, catch a ball, throw a ball, and jump on two feet.
5. Choose symbols that match, such as numbers and shapes. (She missed 184, because she chose the one with the 4 written backwards, but all of the others were correct.)
6. Count to eight. (This is all she would do for Sharon, but we have heard her count to 13.)

These are a few of things we need to work on:
1. Grace's address and telephone number
2. Identifying colors (Grace said all of them were yellow. Can you tell what we have been working on at home?)
3. Jumping on one foot.
4. Coloring a shape. (Grace tried, but only put a few marks in the shape.)
5. Identifying letters
6. Identifying numbers.
7. Counting to 25.
8. Follow directions so they can test vision and hearing. (She didn't understand and just smiled because she could hear sounds in the headset. When they asked her if she still heard the sound, she said, "All gone.") She needs to raise her hand when she can hear it.

I'm actually relieved that we have support from this screening for placing Gracie in pre-K. I have read several articles on Cumulative Cognitive Deficit and I don't want to advance her to quickly and have the deficiencies show up later on when her reading comprehension is affected. I think it will be better for her if she is successful and prepared for Kindergarten.

We met with the speech therapist at McGaughey, Ms. Born, on Friday to talk about our concerns. This domains meeting is required to test Grace for speech therapy. We are hoping that since she is just learning English she will qualify for some speech and language therapy during the next year. She also suggested summer school in June for a couple of hours, 4 days a week, but we aren't sure about that. We take Grace  back at the end of March to complete the testing.

I was a star today!

I've Been Home for 2 Months!

Time  is passing so quickly. I can't even believe that Grace has been home for 2 months! After raising 3 sons, I realize how easy it is to get so busy as a parent that you forget to stop and appreciate the blessings that are all around you. Today, I just want to take note of what makes Grace extra special:

1. She is a survivor. Through the past 2 months I have started to really realize how much Grace has fought to overcome, and I marvel daily at her zest for living. I sometimes watch her and wonder about her experiences during the past 5 years. In my heart I know that there were angels watching over her and she was not ever alone, but this week I wondered if anyone here on earth loved her during those long months when she was in the hospital. Somehow against all odds, she kept a gentle spirit.
2. She has a way of making everyone she meets smile. At times I wondered if this was a survival mechanism...being cute and lovable helps you to get what you need in an orphanage...but I truly think that she just has a loving heart. I hope that she is learning to trust family, and I hope that some day she will distinguish between the loving care of her family and the temporary attention of strangers. I don't want to stifle her energy and overflowing love, but it is important for her to form a special bond with us.
3. For a child who has lived with lack, she is very generous. Even when we were in Bulgaria, she would offer us bites of her food, help us finish our work, and share. She doesn't know the word "share," but she does it naturally. She will give her shakers to kids who are crying at Baby Talk, hand buckets to Mommy and Daddy from the bathtub to play with, and give gifts without concern for herself..
4. Grace has a servant heart. She wipes off the table, covers up her dolls and family members with blankets, pushes the snow shovel with Daddy, helps to fix broken toys, sets the table, folds the clothes, makes her bed, helps Adam sort his laundry, tries to get uncooperative children to sit on the rug in Sunday School, is troubled by crying babies and says "ne plachi" with a sad look on her face, reminds people to put on hats and button up their coats when they go outside, and likes to help make dinner.
5. She doesn't like for people to leave. She walks outside, even when it is freezing to say, "It's cold outside, as te obichem, Gracie wave, die me kiss, and I love you," as Adam leaves for work or relatives come to visit. She stands at the window watching every car leave, talks about when that person will return and where they are going, and asks over and over about where they are going. Sometimes she sounds like a worried mother asking 100 questions before her teenager leaves for the evening. She remembers the special people in her life and still talks about Leelee and Neska from the orphanage, her friend Emanwewe, and her aunts, uncles, and cousins that she sees infrequently.
6. She is observant. She knows when we are headed to church and even plays a game of "Where is it?" She knows that she sees K.J. at church and looks for him, she identifies the UPS, FedEx, and the daily mail vehicles as mail trucks, notices every truck, car, and schoolbus on the road, can walk directly to any restroom that she has previously visited without taking a wrong turn, and puts her toys and clothes in exactly the same place everyday. When the trash gets close to the top of the can, she pulls out the bag, picks up all of the cans around the house and empties them into the kitchen bag so it is ready to take to the garage. I never have to remember when to clean anymore, because Grace will notice and tell me if something is dirty.
7. She shows her love freely. She throws her arms wide and says, "Die me kiss" so that Mommy and Daddy will kiss her cheeks simultaneously while she sings, "I love you. As te obichem" over and over with us. She meets Daddy at the door with shouts of "Daddy's home, Daddy's home" and squeezes in between us anytime we kiss. She smiles back at me when she is sucking her thumb and rocking with me in the chair before bed as if she just can't contain all of her joy. 
8. She is very polite. She says, "Bless you" anytime you sneeze, and says, "Thank you" without prompting. She even says, "Thank you" when she hands you something as if to remind you that you should say it to her. When I help her get dressed in the morning she says, "Thank you, Mommy!" and reminds us to say, "You're welcome" if we forget.
9. She learns quickly. Already she uses over 300 English words and will repeat nearly anything that you say to her. She has the cutest Bulgarian accent, though, so it is difficult for others to understand her sometimes as some of the sounds, like long o, seem to come from deep in her throat. She also pronounces some English words like our translators in Bulgaria did, such as "shoes" with the /s/ sound instead of /z/ at the end. I also like the way she uses Bulgarian and English words contiguously in her sentences. She will say, "Tichay running," or "Iash eat," like she is making those language connections all the time. We spent a week trying to keep track of all the words that she knows and uses and her vocabulary exceeds 300 words. Here is our list:

Cutting...paper, not hair!

When we bought the scissors, I didn't expect her to love them so much. She loves cutting on straight and curvy lines, chopping paper into miniscule little pieces, and then using the dustpan and hand broom to sweep them up. I am really trying to help her develop a dominant hand, her right, since she shows absolutely no preference for coloring, eating, or sucking her thumb. Once I showed her how to hold the scissors, she always has tried to use her right hand. Yesterday we cut out a yellow circle, drew a lion's face on it with crayons, glued it to a paper plate and cut out about 15 strips of paper to attach for his mane. Yes, I once taught Kindergarten, ages ago. She loved it and stayed with the task until it was complete.

Today, though, I noticed that her bangs were hanging down in her eyes...I bet you can already guess where this is headed...As soon as I got out my large scissors, she said, "Gracie cutting" and tried to grab the scissors. I told her, "No!" and explained that Mommy cuts hair, not Gracie. Even though she was disappointed she told me, "Gracie no cut hair." When she started using her scissors, though, I kept a watchful eye. She was great. You knew she was thinking about it when she kept telling me, "Mommy cut hair, Gracie no. Gracie cut paper."

It wasn't until Mark came home from work that she appeared proudly from the bathroom saying, "Gracie beautiful" and holding the scissors up in the air with a devious smile. We knew immediately and the chunk of hair on the bathroom floor was proof. It isn't very noticeable, though. She just has a few short layers on top now.

We sat her on the couch and she did her usual head hanging routine. We took her scissors and put them away out of her reach and told her that she couldn't have her scissors now because she cut her hair. After about 5 minutes she told us, "Grace cut hair. I sorry," and gave this huge forced grin with her arms stretched out. We hugged her, of course. Then she asked, "Where scissors?" and we told her that Gracie didn't get scissors because she cut hair. When it finally sunk in, a tear rolled down her face and I thought I would have to tie Mark up in the other room to keep him from giving in to those sad eyes. Mom is an old pro at ignoring those begging eyes...

Maybe we will try cutting paper with scissors, tomorrow...at least that is what Gracie keeps telling us. "Scissors, ootray. Gracie no cutting hair."

Robot Party

When Grace was handed an invitation to Karson's birthday party at church, she thought the "little book" folded paper invitation was a treat. She carried it around all day long and asked to look at it even after we posted it on the refrigerator as a reminder. Personally, I have never liked big groups of screaming, out-of-control kids (especially after dealing with them at school), but I thought this would be a great opportunity for Grace to spend some time with other kids closerto her age.

Well, after the first hurdle of picking out a gift and trying to explain to Grace that it wasn't for her, we were off to the party. But, the blue man (Karson's dad) dressed as a robot and greeting the guests outside on the sidewalk was the first distraction. She had no idea what a robot was and second, the only other person she had ever seen in a costume was dressed as a pizza slice at Walmart. Since this robot had his head covered, she was really confused. She just stood looking out the storm door of the house while I peeled off her coat and shoes.

When the robot finally came inside, Grace followed him and the other 3 robot family members for the first 10 minutes and kept telling everyone, "Robot, robot!" There was a lego building game, and every child got a helmet and breast plate to wear that made them look like robots, too. By the time all of the kids and adults arrived, there were about 15 kids and 20 adults all talking (adults of course) and running around screaming (mostly kids). Grace just sat wide-eyed and overwhelmed at the table while they all sang "Happy Birthday" in robot fashion and ate cupcakes. At one point, Grace climbed into my lap and started sucking her thumb. After two bathroom trips in less than an hour, she wet her pants. It was just too much commotion for her. Even though I had a change of clothes for her in the car, we said our thank-yous and headed home. She didn't fuss about it at all. Maybe a girl's party, where kids weren't pitching toys over the balcony and fighting each other with fake swords, would have been easier for her to handle...

A Shower--No Bath

Today we were honored with a shower at Mt. Zion Intermediate and we visited my students, too. Grace was all dressed up and excited  to go to "Mommy's school." We took candy for Grace to give to the children, so she walked around asking each child, "Hungry?" before she would give them a valentine package of Sweet Tarts. Two of my students had made drawings for me and two others made a bead necklace and bracelet for Grace. The students seemed so big to me. I don't know whether they have grown or I have gotten used to tiny little Gracie, though.

I was hoping to get a chance to talk to some of the teachers since I am really missing adult conversation (not that Mark and Adam aren't adults), but I spend most of my days clapping when Grace potties all by herself and talking about colors, animals, and play-doh. Even though we were only at school for about an hour and a half, it felt great to see everyone. I think I'll be ready to go back to school in August. They are all gearing up for ISAT testing, though, and truthfully I don't miss that stressful time at all.

Grace and I were overwhelmed with books, stuffed animals, children's song tapes and CD's , activities, and sweet notes to add to Grace's scrapbook. The cake was so cute, and there were so many gifts that she got tired of opening them! She has a great little library now. I don't think she will want to go to the public library for a while, since we have plenty of new and exciting reading material to keep us busy.

It seemed a little strange to be guests at a shower, but we really enjoyed ourselves. Although all teachers will tell you that teaching is harder than they imagined it would be, today reminded me of how blessed I am to have a job that I often enjoy; working with people who I like and respect. Yes, teaching has its difficult days (and sometimes years) but some of the most amazing people I know I met in the Mt. Zion School District. I am thankful for every one of them.

When we got home, I was telling Mark about the shower and unloading the presents from the van when Grace said, "Gracie and Mommy shower...No bath!" No wonder English is such a hard language to learn...

The Glider Is Here

The glider and ottoman finally arrived so Grace and I went to Springfield to pick them up. I have been really excited to try one more way to reduce the self-comforting, rocking behaviors that we still see at night and to encourage her to snuggle and relax in our arms. It breaks my heart every time I see her turning rhythmically with her arm over her head and her thumb in her mouth. It reminds me that she wasn't comforted enough by her caregivers and learned to withdraw into her own movements.We have found that if we hold her close and pat her back/stroke her hair, she will fall asleep easily, but she still rocks anytime she rouses slightly during the night.

Anyway, back to the chair...The first obstacle, of course, was getting the rocker from the van into the house with all of that extra help, but I finally was able to muscle it in the front door. Then Grace had to hold the flashlight (which was totally unnecessary, but kept her busy) while I put in the four bolts. She was completely uninterested in the box and was only mildly interested in the chair. In a rerun of Christmas morning, she just picked up after me and threw away the packing and the directions.

I tried to get her to play in the box, but she just acted confused. I modeled for her, climbed inside, added pillows and a blanket, went with her to get Mr. Feet and Kukla, and even pretended to take a nap, but she really didn't care about it. Later we moved it next to the slide in the family room like a makeshift room addition, but the only thing she really liked about it was the hand holds in the sides which she uses as little peep holes when she hides inside waiting for Mommy and Daddy to find her during hide and seek.

So what do I do with this box?

Valentine's Day

Adam told us that the Valentine's Day Dinner Theater at the church would be hilarious, and he was right. We had a wonderful evening. Gracie made a heart pin out of perler beads for Grandma's birthday, and she even helped by unwrapping Grandma's gift for her. We finally decided to let family hold Gracie once in a while earlier this week, so Terri and Grandma and Grandpa took full advantage while Gracie fidgeted from one person to the next. I was hoping that she would enjoy the drama since brother Adam was one of the characters, but I'm sure it is like watching a foreign film that lacks subtitles...She really didn't care about it except to point at Adam on stage.

During the last intermission, Mark received a phone call from his friend, Doug, who was calling from the Chinese New Year celebration at our favorite Chinese Buffet. We have really gotten to be friends with the owners who invited us to join their family last year for the after hours celebration, and they wanted us to stop by on our way home. It was getting really late, but we stopped just long enough to say "hello" to their family and for Gracie to get her first "lucky money" in the red envelope which is a traditional Chinese custom. What an exciting day.

Grace has had a cold this week, complete with the discomfort of a stuffy nose that makes thumb sucking nearly impossible. I also found out that cold medicine is no longer given to children under age 6. (Things have really changed in the last 20 years...) We moved Grace back into our room this week so that I could keep an eye on her during the night when she is fussy. She has been really tired, sleeping about 12 hours a day, but she isn't running a fever and doesn't really act sick. I hope we didn't overdo with all of the excitement tonight since she was feeling a lot better today...I guess we will know tomorrow.

I finally get to hold my niece!

The Dentist

No cavities! Gracie loves people and the dentist is no exception. She was so cooperative that the hygienist even scraped plaque off of the backs of her front teeth that had built up over the past 5 years, flossed her teeth, and gave her a flouride treatment.

So Much to Learn

Everyday is a new adventure...I stopped at McGaughey School to see if I could set up a Kindergarten Screening appointment and talked briefly with some of the Pre-K teachers. Bad news...Even though Grace is English Second Language, she is too old to go to the Early Childhood class in Mt. Zion next year, which was our plan. Her only options now are to start Kindergarten or to go to a private preschool somewhere. I talked to the interim principal, Mrs. Zinn, and she is going to check on the regulations for me, but it doesn't look promising. So, I need to check out some Pre-K programs and soon...

Grace has been learning more every day. I have really been trying to help her learn how to pretend, so we push the stuffed animals around in the wagon, make pretend food out of playdoh, and jump like the monkeys on the movies. I have been trying to work on some of the skills she will need for school next year, too, but it is so hard to figure out what is most important right now. She now says that she is "Gracie Daniela Dunham" and that she is 5. We glued macaroni onto some paper to make her name (but she doesn't like to get anything on her fingers) and have been trying to learn a few new songs. She has been making things out of perler beads as we practice her colors, but she doesn't remember the color names yet. She really likes the Eensie Weensie Spider (Mark says its Itsy Bitsy...), 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, and Jesus Loves Me. She likes gluing paper shapes into lines on paper and she knows that the letters on the pages of books are the words. She points to them when she "reads" to Mommy and Daddy and tells us to "Listen!" Her favorite thing to do, though, is taking pictures. She begs to use our camera, tells everyone to smile, and clicks away. She really is pretty good and doesn't cut off our heads too often. We really need to get her a cheap camera of her own so she won't end up breaking ours...Maybe tomorrow.

Pizza, green beans, pretzels, apples, and corn...Yummy!

My First Tricycle

Mark decided that Grace needed a Radio Flyer tricycle with a step on the back like he had when he was a little boy, so he shopped around and found them at Rural King. Gracie, of course, chose pink over red for the color and she was really disappointed when she helped Daddy cut the tape off of the box and the bicycle was all "broken." (She learned that word a couple of days ago when Adam's car was broken...) She had more fun putting it together than she did riding it. We were really worried that she was too small or the tricycle was too big, but a few adjustments to the seat put her feet on the pedals. Now the only problems are chairs that are not pushed in around the kitchen table and poor steering that pinches little fingers between the handlebars and the hallway walls. Usually she will come to show us her "boli" and beg for ice and a band-aid.

She rides the same path over and over--around the kitchen table, down the hall, around the sofa and past the computer desk, back down the hallway and into the kitchen--again and again. Of course, sometimes she takes Mr. Feet (the orange guy from the Foot Book by Dr. Seuss) and Kukla (her doll) for rides, too, usually to "church" or the "library."

Gracie, some men actually read directions...

"Gracie fix"

Now, if you hold your tongue like this...

Grace and Mr. Feet on the way to sing at church.