Home at Last!

It's a very strange feeling; H is here with us now and knowing she does not have to go back. She is here forever barring any unforseen turn of events . The last 3 weeks have had to be very confusing for her. While she has been here she has been sleeping in "her" bed (shown here during her first nap after placement), playing in "her" sandbox, riding "her" bike, and then going back to the foster home where she has to share whatever she has to play with and use loaned possessions.

She seemed as ready as we were; we pulled up to her foster mom's house and she appeared at the front screen door and was calling "Hi Daddy, Hi Mommy" ( in that order, much to Steve's pleasure) to us as we got out of the car. It was a pretty quick goodbye and a couple of snapshots and we were on our way. First day was crazy; she must have sensed the difference between this pickup and past ones and was just totally wired most of the day. It's a good thing we have the rest of our lives to sort this all out with each other.

Day 2
What a difference a day makes. More relaxed, more focused, and once in a while more cuddly. We went to the local Strawberry Festival (she absolutely loves strawberry shortcake, too bad she doesn't feel the same about vegetables), petted some goats and bunnies, and hung out for a while on the local playground. She was much more laid back, especially after a nice 2 1/2 hr nap. Her ability to use language to express her observations has made quantum leaps in just a couple of weeks. It's mind boggling to see what a lot of attention and nurturing can do for a young mind in a very short time. She had already instituted a new family tradition a couple of visits ago and we now can't have dinner without us holding hands while saying grace; and tonight she said her first "AMEN!"

Love is now growing by the minute as this gift from God now feels like our own.