handsful

Today . . .

. . . Gotcha Day

3 months since Gotcha…since we heard “here is the one from Bengbu” and we turned to see her coming through the door. Hard to believe the difference 3 months can make. Gotcha day was an amazing day, but the time since has just been extraordinary.

Enjoying her first playtime in the rain today…she marveled at the raindrops hitting her face and arms. We missed a lot of her “firsts”, but the ones we are having with her are extra sweet.

A few notes on Lainey…

she’s no longer scared of Jack, but doesn’t exactly love him. She’d just as soon block him on the head with her shoe as pet him. It’s an interesting relationship.

loves: shoes, pencils, the recycle bin, my purse, running, and food on other people’s plates.

hates: getting licked in the face by Jack, wearing her shoes in the truck, keeping her hair clips in, long rides in the truck, not being picked up when she wants, and just plain hates being still.

she loves helping around the house…she hands me the laundry from the dryer for me to fold; unloads the silverware and throws it in the drawer; holds onto the broom vac while I push; and LOVES throwing her diaper (or anything, really) into the trashcan.

she loves anything that can function as a stool, especially her cube toy (she doesn’t play with this, it’s ONLY her stool). Anything that can make her a little bit taller (and, therefore have access to MORE items on the table) is good with her. Not so good with mama.

she sleeps…I hate to even say this…perfectly. She goes down for her nap and bedtime without fuss, usually waving at us as we leave or just snuggling with her pillow/blanket. She also wakes without fuss…no cry, no demand to get out of her crib. She simply waits until it’s time for us to come and get her, and she smiles as we walk in the door. Effortless. Now, I fully expect this to change as we go through her surgery recovery. For now, I’ll enjoy it.

her favorite activity to do by herself is playing with the plastic cups/plates/bowls in her “allowed” cabinet. She lines them up on the window sill, pretends to eat and drink from them, and loads them into her grocery cart. She also has her own kitchen now (thanks, Angie!) and loves to play there.

she’s making lots of progress in communication! She still uses her signs regularly, but is beginning to copy sounds and mouth movements a lot. Her favorite right now is a growl, when she sees a stuffed animal. So cute! It’s so good to see her opening up with this, and being so willing to try. Receptively, she understands more and more everyday. She knows what so many words mean…for example, she hears “diaper” and she pats her bottom and runs to where we change her. She knows her hair, nose, eyes, ears, bellybutton and understands up and down. It’s such fun to watch her learn!!