One Month Home

Today marks one month of Mercy being a US citizen and living in our home.  I can hardly believe a month has already passed by. 

So what has happened and how has she progressed over the past month?  We have been to CHOP twice.  Once for a medical review and the second time for a development assessment.  We have spent time playing with toys and swimming in the pool.  We have worked with her and the dog who have a love hate relationship.  She now tolerates the dog being close but she will not touch the dog at all.  She will wear her sunglasses for longer stretches of time outside.  She is just starting to try and use a spoon to feed herself.  She is more content in the stroller for longer periods of time as well as a shopping cart.  And while she is still sleeping in our bed and requires someone to lay with her until she is asleep, she is taking regular 2 hour naps and I am proud to say that for the past 5 nights she has slept through the night!!! 

It truly has been a month of growth.  She still continues to amaze us everyday.  She is still our main source of entertainment here and the kids are head over heels gaga for their little sister.  She has all three of them wrapped tightly around her little finger, and her daddy too.  The more comfortable she is becoming here the more she is beginning to act like a 2 year old, a terrible two year old that is.  She is testing us every day to see what she can and can't control and what she can and can't do.  She is testing us with eating, getting dressed and telling us no when she opposes what we are asking her.  She use to be very easy to dress or to change her diaper, I mean easy.  Now she puts her arms behind her back when I'm trying to put her shirt on, she twists her legs to the side during a diaper change.  It's funny and frustrating all at the same time.

She loves water, whether it's the bathtub, her baby pool or swimming in the big pool she will take water play any way she can get it.  She has very little fear, even of our big pool.  She will push herself off the side into my arms, she doesn't mind being dunked under water and she splashes and smiles with great delight.  She laughs in her baby pool when someone dumps a cup of water on her head and she does the same thing in the bathtub when washing her hair.  She flutters about and wipes her eyes and than signs for more.

Her vocabulary is beginning to take off.  She probably has a dozen or more words down.  Most people may not understand her, but we do.  She is signing please, more, all done and cookie, but honestly she speaks most of those words as she signs them.

Overall it's been a fast moving month and she continues to fit right into our family.  We love her and she seems to love us back.  We have been having a ton of fun as we watch her experience new things and we really enjoy teaching her new things too.  It's been a hard, but great month as we have adjusted and worked through some things.  But life is settling into the new normal and we can barley remember what life was like without her.

May 24th at Newark Airport just after getting off the plane.

May 24th Homecoming Welcome

They are going to be best friends some day, but for now this is as close as Lacey can get.

Loves water poured on head.

Wearing her sunglasses with a smile on her face

First time eating a marshmallow.

First time eating a roasted marshmallow.