Our 6 month "Gotcha-versary"

Six months ago today, Lillie and I first met in person. I remember the day so clearly that it is hard to believe it has been half a year! Some things have changed dramatically, others remain the same, but one thing that is certain is that Lillie is a gift from God!

On July 8th, in Fuling, China I was hot, and nervous and trying to figure out how to break the ice with my new daughter! Fruit Chews, Chap Stick and lotion were the three biggest treasures during those first few hours. Today, January 8th, here in Lexington Kentucky it is chilly and I am much more relaxed and really beginning to feel like a mommy! Of course Fruit chews, Chap Stick and lotion are still some of Lillie’s favorite things.

That first night was so scary for me as a new mom. Lillie cried and was so scared when it was time to go to bed. She slept with me, woke up numerous times and tossed and turned a lot! Six months later, Lillie and I are still sleeping together and she is still a bed hog…but we have settled in to our routines and she is much more trusting and confident. She woke up this morning while I was getting ready for work, walked in to the bathroom and said, “ Morning Mommy.”

Six months ago, I received a bottle, formula and cereal with my 25-month-old daughter. She never took the bottle and loved food from the beginning. We ate mostly Congee, steamed egg, chicken noodle soup, grapes and litchi fruit while in China. Six months later and Lillie is a huge fan of almost all things edible! She loves broccoli and oranges and corn and onions! She loves fruits, veggies, cheese, yogurt and meat! She also has a HUGE love of all things candy and popsicles! I have learned these 6 months that you really do need to introduce foods more than once and that what a child doesn’t like this week may be a favorite next week!

Our first week together, Lillie babbled and chatted in Mandarin…often while pretending to talk on the phone. I wondered what was happening in her little world and what she might be thinking. I knew she must be scared and confused but there was no way to know. Now she is speaking in 2 and 3 word phrases, learning new words every day and chatting with family members on our real telephone! She is telling me what she wants, what she needs, and even how she feels. I cannot even explain how full my heart was the other night when she said to me “Lillie happy! Lillie happy, Mommy”. (Even if it was at 10:00 at night and she was still not asleep)

Six months ago, we needed some warmer pajamas for Lillie because the White Swan hotel was chilly. We bought this cute little PJ set with bunnies on it…a little short on her but fit her well. Last Night, we wore the same PJs. (She picked them out). It was clear how much she had grown, since they now come to her elbow and knees! Almost 2 inches and 3 and a half pounds can do that!

Six months ago, our first play date consisted of fearful glances, tears when someone touched her toys, and seldom leaving mommy’s lap…and to share a cookie was not an easy task! This past week we have has so many experiences that reflect the change in her confidence and security. We visited my friend Cissie, whose first visit with us 6 months ago barely prompted a smile. She ran toward Lillie’s front door with a huge smile greeting Cissie, her husband and her daughter Ali. Her buddy Wyatt was over and they played together with her kitchen set, with her toys, with her paints. Although there were occasional disagreements, they were truly playing together! Sunday, Lillie went to the church nursery while I returned to church...no tears, no fear…knowing that I would return soon to get her. What a difference 6 months have made.

Six months ago, Lillie came to me in a sweet little dress and a pair of different sized squeaky shoes. She did not bring other clothes with her, only the clothes she was wearing. She loved those shoes and was very proud of them! She walked and ran and played and was not slowed down at all by her “little foot”. Today she is a clotheshorse…she will try on and take off as many clothes as possible. She loves her every day clothes, her tights, her socks, her dresses, her dress up clothes, her dolly’s clothes…not to mention her shoes! She loves her squeaky shoes still, but now, with the addition of her prosthetic, she can also choose sandals or crocs or boots or tennis shoes…the sky is the limit!

I have seen Lillie blossom these past six months. She loves her mommy and her Nai Nia and Bop bop. She loves her Big E and Cristy. She loves to visit with her cousins and friends, sharing a smile and a hug! She LOVES music and dancing…and has great rhythm. She loves the “steins” (Little Einstein’s) and Elmo and Hannah ‘Tana. She is drawing and cutting and galloping and swinging and doing all of the things that an almost 3 year old loves to do!

A friend shared with me when we returned home that it was normal not to feel completely settled upon first returning. She said that often, when some families first returned from China, they would have moments where she felt like her daughter was still a visitor. She also assured me that this feeling would change and that within about 6 months it would feel like we really were a family. I can never thank her enough for that encouragement…and can say with certainty that she was correct. At 6 months, we really do feel like a family.