This girl.
She has captured our hearts. I have fallen head-over-heels, deeply in love with this tiny Chinese human. I LOVE HER. Sometime between June 29th and August 29th, my heart has been knit with hers. She is my daughter, I am her mother, one-hundred-and-fifty-million-percent. I can’t imagine our life without her. She is so perfect in every way.
Before we met Lila Mei, the question sometimes came up in my heart if we should have had one more biological child. We went back and forth about it for a few years after Jack was born, but for one reason or another, we just didn’t get pregnant. I have wondered for a while now if I would regret it later and wished we would have had one more. But sitting here, reflecting on our last two months with Lila Mei, it is clear to me. She is our “one more”. If we had a third biological child, Lila Mei would not be here. Would we have adopted at some point? Maybe. But it wouldn’t be our Lila Mei’s belly laugh filling our home. It wouldn’t be her smile capturing our hearts. She was meant to be ours, I just know it.
Each morning, we all fight over who gets to wake her up, so we all end up racing to our room. The minute we open the door and peek over her crib, she gives us the BIGGEST smile you’ve ever seen. It lights up our day! She kicks her feet and claps her hands and is just so, so happy.
She is adjusting so well. I can’t tell you what a blessing it has been to watch her blossom. She is changing every single day! She is constantly discovering new things and saying new words {both signing and spoken!}. She is showing us much love and affection. She gives out kisses and hugs, high fives and fist bumps to anyone that asks. She loves playing with her Baby and her Minnie Mouse, showering them with hugs, strolling them around the house, and feeding them a bottle. Her favorite thing right now is being outside. She loves to go up and down our step off of the patio. She will go back and forth a million times, trying to do it by herself. She is also trying with all her might to jump, and recently she got both feet off the ground at the same time. She was so proud of herself!!
She has started speech and food therapy, and it is going great! I love our therapist and I am learning how to help her in both eating and speaking. Developmentally, her oral motor skills aren’t where they should be, hence the food therapy. Because she only had bottles and congee (a rice porridge) in the orphanage, she never learned to chew. They are hoping that increasing her chewing and tongue skills will help her language develop. Every week when Alex gets here, she comments on how much she has changed and how great she is progressing!
This week the bigs went back to school, and I wondered if she would miss them. She definitely looked around for them, but so far she has been ok with it just being me and her. We had a fun week getting out in the mornings and then getting back home for her nap. I’ve had to wake her most days to go get the kids and so I’ve learned to adjust her nap time so she gets it all in before pick up time. This fall we are going to stay busy with BSF (Bible Study Fellowship), playgroup, volunteering at the kids’ school, and lots of playdates with friends. I am so thankful I have her as my side kick!
It is so crazy to think about just two months ago, this tiny, timid little girl walked over to me and let me hold her for the first time. It seems like it has been so much longer than two months. It honestly feels like she has been ours forever. Adoption truly is a miracle. God has woven the tragedy of Lila’s abandonment into a redemption story for our family. Yes, Lila has gained a family, but we are the ones that have been rescued. She rescued us from a life lived without her in it. Thanks be to God for planning this out from the very beginning. He has blown me away, again, with his perfect plan for my life. It truly is more than I could have ever asked or imagined.
Comments
Oh my Sherrie, I am having so much fun reading your posts. It makes me think how lucky I was 7 decades ago. I wonder what and when I did the required things I’ll never know. Most of what I was told was my mischief making. How gracious is our Lord to bless you with an angel that is anxious to learn everything! The most I remember from my toddler stage is sitting on my grandmothef’s porch swing singing “Heavenly Sunlight” with all the verses and chorus after each verse. We would sing other hymns but that was my favorite. Thank God for my grandmother and her love of singing about Jesus.
Hello and congratulations on your new baby! This blog was so helpful for me to read. Our little girl is age 30 months (still in China) and has not spoken any words yet. Just babble. We have been so scared as to what this could mean for her development. Having read about beautiful Lila, I’m not as nervous. I hope we can get our girl home in the next 4-6 months. Thank you.
Katy, so glad you found the blog and that it was helpful! It is so scary not knowing developmentally where they are and what will happen when they get home. Lila Mei really is coming along in her language, and it is SO FUN hearing her say new words. I bet your little one will be the same- it is amazing how quickly they change once they are home. Keep me posted on your process! I would love to be able to follow along with your story!