Well today marks our first week at home! Overall I have no complaints! Shanti is adjusting very well. She's sleeping well at night. She occasionally wakes up tearful but goes back to sleep quickly with some reassurance. In many ways, Pryce and Knox treat her likes she's been around forever. They are really patient with her (and me)! They enjoy doing puzzles together. It allows them to work on a common goal but doesn't require a common language. So thankful for this discovery!!! They had a fun evening playing in the rain a few nights ago which ended with us literally bathing them outside and sending them back into the rain for a rinse:). We've done some painting together, they love bubbles and today we are going to give the pool another try. Shanti likes to color and craft and she enjoys doing educational workbooks which gives her my undivided attention as she works on letter writing. She knows all her sounds and letters (for the most part) and can count to 100 and backwards from 20. Not bad for a five year old by any standard! Todd's mom came to visit which was a blessing and we've had meal after meal from our church family and other friends. Glorious!
Shanti attended her first American style bday party this week! Pryce was excited to introduce her to all her friends. They were so kind to her! At first she was overwhelmed (or either carsick not sure!) but then she leapt into action and fell right in with the kids and other guests. It's fun to watch her experience so many firsts. Turns out MANY of the people at the party have been praying for her and they watched with joy as she experienced Sweet Frog and her first party! Other firsts include: her first haircut (Chelsea came to us, so sweet) and first trip to the library to name a few!
We've been taking pictures in places and with people we see frequently: church, stores, school etc. Someone gave me the idea to post these pictures on a school calendar so Shanti knows where we are going each day. I thought this was brilliant and I'm getting close to completing the project! I'm also working on another project where I'm placing the faces of the family, along with friends who have been adopted from her orphanage, on the state where they live. Grandma came to visit this week and she's unclear about why she suddenly vanished! She knows what a map is and after explaining it she understands better that we are in GA and BG is in MS. I'm not going to underestimate her ability to get it so we are going to give this a try and see how it goes!
Todd started his first week of work in the civilian world. It's been going really well. We've all missed him so much after having him home between jobs. Shanti is slowly warming up to him. Last night they did a puzzle and he read her books. It's sweet seeing her slowly warm up to him. On the way home from India Todd said something I thought was really profound about this adoption journey. He said something like, "I'm understanding God's unconditional love more now. I love her unconditionally yet she doesn't realize it or trust me yet." It was a statement I will always remember and he was so right. God loves us with an unfailing, unconditional love yet we stand skeptical when we are actually beloved. Beautiful.
So that's our first week in the bag. In many way I know we are still honeymooning. The hard thing is we are at home a lot which isn't really my style! Shanti of course wants a lot of my attention as do Pryce and Knox. I've probably heard mom a zillion times, no y'all, a zillion! I'm working to find joy in this opportunity rather than inconvenience. It hit me this week that I can chose to view this season in one of those two ways. The fact that God would trust me, ME, with these three blows my mind and leaves me humbled at the task.
Love to you all!
G and T
Shanti attended her first American style bday party this week! Pryce was excited to introduce her to all her friends. They were so kind to her! At first she was overwhelmed (or either carsick not sure!) but then she leapt into action and fell right in with the kids and other guests. It's fun to watch her experience so many firsts. Turns out MANY of the people at the party have been praying for her and they watched with joy as she experienced Sweet Frog and her first party! Other firsts include: her first haircut (Chelsea came to us, so sweet) and first trip to the library to name a few!
We've been taking pictures in places and with people we see frequently: church, stores, school etc. Someone gave me the idea to post these pictures on a school calendar so Shanti knows where we are going each day. I thought this was brilliant and I'm getting close to completing the project! I'm also working on another project where I'm placing the faces of the family, along with friends who have been adopted from her orphanage, on the state where they live. Grandma came to visit this week and she's unclear about why she suddenly vanished! She knows what a map is and after explaining it she understands better that we are in GA and BG is in MS. I'm not going to underestimate her ability to get it so we are going to give this a try and see how it goes!
Todd started his first week of work in the civilian world. It's been going really well. We've all missed him so much after having him home between jobs. Shanti is slowly warming up to him. Last night they did a puzzle and he read her books. It's sweet seeing her slowly warm up to him. On the way home from India Todd said something I thought was really profound about this adoption journey. He said something like, "I'm understanding God's unconditional love more now. I love her unconditionally yet she doesn't realize it or trust me yet." It was a statement I will always remember and he was so right. God loves us with an unfailing, unconditional love yet we stand skeptical when we are actually beloved. Beautiful.
So that's our first week in the bag. In many way I know we are still honeymooning. The hard thing is we are at home a lot which isn't really my style! Shanti of course wants a lot of my attention as do Pryce and Knox. I've probably heard mom a zillion times, no y'all, a zillion! I'm working to find joy in this opportunity rather than inconvenience. It hit me this week that I can chose to view this season in one of those two ways. The fact that God would trust me, ME, with these three blows my mind and leaves me humbled at the task.
Love to you all!
G and T
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