We have now had our little girl for over 2 months. I had no idea what to expect at this point other than we would still be adjusting and to just continue to be patient. I am sure that she is still going through a transition, but honestly I feel like I've had this child forever. I felt like she was my own as soon as I saw her and that hasn't changed at all. Here are some of my reflections that have been rolling through my mind:
*Wow a 2 year old is exhausting and a lot of work!
*I love her and enjoy her so much that the blessing of having her far outweighs the extra time and energy that I have to give out each day.
*I laugh and smile about 100x more in a day than I did before.
*I love to pick her up from the gym or church and have her come running to me with her arms up and a huge smile on her face. My older kids sure don't greet me like that anymore. :)
*I love saying that I have 4 kids. I love even numbers and the fact that I now have 2 boys and 2 girls.
*I don't see Natalie as "Chinese." She is just ours.
*I love to watch Luke and Logan and Jenna with her. All three of them are amazing and love her so much. They haven't complained much at all about the extra things they have to help with now, and I couldn't do this without them!
*Although I love all of the responsibilities that I had before (teaching math and volunteering at church), taking care of this child and being home is far more rewarding.
*Even though 4 kids is a lot, it has crossed my mind to adopt again. For someone who loves to be by herself this seems crazy I know, but it is such an amazing experience to bring a child into your home and give them a family. I have learned to never say never.
As far as Natalie goes, here are some details about her developments and how she is doing:
*She is now sleeping by herself and taking a good 2-3 hour nap and sleeping for about 12 hours at night. She cries when we put her down and sometimes during the night, but gets herself back to sleep pretty quickly.
*She has 3-4 poopy diapers a day which is probably a good thing but I don't especially love it.
*She prefers almond milk to cow's milk. Yay!
*She is small but she is STRONG. She is pretty fearless too and will climb up big ladders and go down big slides. She likes to be active and one of her favorite activities is for someone to chase her around the house.
*She is going to the gym several times a week and to the church nursery on Sundays. She has been crying when dropped off but just this week she has gone in twice without any tears.
*She sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Jesus Love Me. We usually sing those before she goes down to sleep.
*When we are around my whole family, she wants grandpa over anyone else. She actually cried when I took her away from him.
*She prefers to play with anything in the house besides her own toys.
*She hates it when everyone else goes outside and she has to stay in. *She went to the pool for the first time and happily went right in.
*Besides a little temper here and there, she is an easy child. So happy and smiles often. We get many comments a day when we are out, about how cute she is. Well of course.
