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Friday, July 28, 2006

Sophie has been home with us for just over two months now. Wow, she has settled in perfectly. She is even comfortable enough to throw a good, old fashioned, two-year old fit! She doesn't do it often, but when she is upset over a perceived slight, she lets me know, big time. She has one particular cry saved for this occasion, one that is piercing and loud, that is her signature sound when she wants me to know she's upset. Then she starts running in place, stomping her feet and flailing her arms, to show her displeasure. But as suddenly as she starts, she's done and then she's ready for whatever is next. Her favorite thing is to GO! She loves when it's time to go 'bye bye' and if I put her shoes on before I'm ready to walk out the door, she reminds me over and over that it's time to go! She points toward the garage and repeats "Car!" until finally I can get everyone's teeth brushed, hair fixed, diaper bag packed and then we're off. I have, I think, learned the art of taking multiple children places. The grocery store used to be a nightmare, an event I would just as soon skip. Kids everywhere, me trying to coerce the boys back to the cart without sounding like a tyrant. Well, my secret isn't about how to keep them all well behaved and contained. It is feeding them lost of sugary snacks while the girls ride in the cart and getting comfortable with occasional humiliation when one of them does something embarrassing. Sometimes my girls cry and fuss for things they just can't have. Sometimes my boys start chasing each other and run into displays or other people. I've just learned to keep on keepin' on, no matter what. Just say, "Oh, I'm sorry" and move on. When we're out we do get a lot of questions about the girls such as "Are they twins?" and "Are they sisters?" I try to explain that they are sisters now, but that they were adopted separately from China. The most outrageous questions I've entertained so far are, "What is their daddy?" and "What are they mixed with?" When this happens I try to remain calm and polite, but I hope no one asks me a question like that when I am having a bad day! Thankfully the girls are too young to understand so I have some time to come up with a good reply that will protect them and satisfy others curiosity.

Sophie continues to eat, sleep and play well. She isn't eating nearly as much as she was when she first came home and, thankfully, seems to understand that there will always be more food when she is hungry. Her favorite foods are still noodles, eggs and hot dogs but she has also added Vienna Sausages (a big departure), granola bars, chicken noodle soup, yogurt raisins and popcorn to her list of favorites. We went to our first movie together yesterday, The Wild was playing at the $1.00 theater, and she loved it! She had a death grip on the tub of popcorn and after 1 1/2 tubs (shared between all of us) she was still going strong. She had the best time watching the movie and made sure that I was watching too by shouting "mama!!" and pointing every few seconds. She even laughed out loud several times. It was really cute to see her so excited. When we first walked into the theater there was only one family there, two parents with one older child. They gave us the kind of look you get when you bring a baby onto an airplane full of businessmen. I must admit, I was a bit nervous taking all of them to the theater without another adult to help. But in the end, my fears were unnecessary. I was so proud of my girls, neither of them ended up crying or rolling around on the floor and I didn't even have to leave the theater, except to get our free refill on our tub of popcorn :)

Sophie and Isabelle have really begun to form a wonderful relationship. We still have bouts of jealousy, Sophie usually crying when I am holding Isabelle when she wants me to hold her. But they often play together, serving play food in our unused formal dining room seems to be the favorite for now. They also follow each others cues to decide what to play. Surprisingly it is Sophie that often follows Isabelle to see what she is up to. I am not thrilled about this since Isabelle is my trouble maker. I have to watch them constantly to make sure Isabelle hasn't talked Sophie into teaching her how to turn the door knob to the bathroom.

Sophie and sibs, all smiles!

Sophie & Belle sharing the rocking horse

"Don't Asher and I look cool?"

The face that says "I want that now!"

Vienna Sausage: A new favorite

Sophie loves family fun night

Sophie has recently decided that her brothers are okay, too. Asher is her current favorite. He has won her over with his quiet, gentle nature. When Isabelle is napping or down for the night, she'll go find Asher and take him by the hand to get him to play with her. When she does this, the smile on Asher's face is priceless. All the boys are so crazy about her. The other night they got into the hats and mittens and played dress up. They each topped their outfits off with a pair of Nerf protective glasses. Yea, we got the good dress up stuff at our house. I think I'll have to invest in some princess costumes before long ;)

Sophie is learning English at an very impressive rate. She is learning to use words or signs instead of fussing for what she wants. She knows the names of everyone in the family well enough to name each person's clothes as I fold the laundry. And, amazingly, she's right about 90% of the time. She's like a sponge, taking in everything around her, even things I wouldn't expect her to notice. She says a few words very clearly now, her favorite being "baby pool". She loves to get in and splash around whenever she gets the chance. Other outdoor favorites are the little car and tricycle which she and Isabelle constantly fight over. Part of our routine of going outside always ends up including popsicles, which Sophie never fails to remind me of if I forget. She comes up and acts like she's licking something in her hand, like a popsicle, and does her best to say "popsicle" even though it sounds more like "pokle". Regardless, she gets her point across and a frosty, colored tube of sugary ice is soon perched in her little hand. How can one say no to a child this sweet?

Sophie has endured numerous dentist and doctor appointments in the last month. Last week we had her teeth checked and it seems that the discoloration on a few of her teeth is here to stay. The lack of brushing at the SWI has caused her enamel to erode but, thankfully, has not formed a cavity yet. We have started fluoride treatments to keep the erosion from getting any more significant. The poor baby has had to have her blood drawn on two separate occasions and did so with barely more than a whimper. She was behind on a few immunizations and had to receive 5 shots in one day, but the good news is that she is now caught up. When we were waiting on the doctor, a rare moment with just Sophie and me, we were looking through my bag o' tricks aka the diaper bag. In it was the photo album I had sent to Sophie while she was still at the SWI. Her nanny had enclosed a photo of Sophie and herself, that I had hidden while we were still in China, back behind another picture. Well, Sophie found it and without having much time to think about it, I let her take it out. She studied it and asked me who was in the picture with her. I told her "Ju Jia", her nanny's name, and then she asked about the cake she was eating in the picture. We talked about the picture a bit and she seemed neither upset nor anxious about her discovery. After a moment of quiet contemplation she reached her arms for me and declared, "Mama". Then she thoughtfully turned and, with picture in hand, walked across the room to the trash can. She quietly placed the picture on the lid of the trash can and started to come back towards me. My heart stopped, realizing the significance of this bittersweet moment. She hesitated for a few moments and then went back for the picture, brought it back to me and placed it in it's original spot, behind a picture of our family. I was so touched and humbled that she has now decided that I am her mama. I am also incredibly proud of her and that she has decided not to reject her past. With a heart the size of Sophie's, there is room for all of us :)

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