Bella, Post-Adoption: Month 8

When I sat down to write this post, I had to look back at last month's because I couldn't remember how long we've had our sweet girl. It's crazy because I feel like we've had Bels forever but also like we were just in China last week. But it's been eight months now. Two-thirds of a year. And I am so thankful for each day, no matter how hard some may be. This girl has blessed our family in ways I cannot even begin to describe.

And now, onto our Bella and all that she has conquered over the last 30 days, with her biggest supporters standing behind her:

Language: Bella is working hard in her weekly speech therapy but this definitely remains an area where we see significant delay. We are making progress for sure, albeit sloooow progress, day by day. Luckily, we have the best speech therapist in all the land, whom Bella just adores! And receptively, Bella continues to soar. I would say she is now pretty proficient in understanding the English language and is increasingly able to follow simple commands. So, while the language gains aren't as overtly evident, we have great hope that Bella will continue to find her voice and use her words. <3 

Motor: Bella is getting stronger by the month! Her most favorite thing to do is to walk from person to person. Often, she gets in the way of her own progress by lacking confidence in what she can do, but we believe in her! And we know this girl is going to move mountains one day. She has walked as far as one side of the playroom to the other (maybe 12-15 feet), but these days, she prefers shorter distances - she is just not as sure of herself when she perceives the distance to be too long. Well, she did, until she did a huge trek all around the downstairs the other night while following her daddy! Yay! We are trying to encourage her to slow down when walking because she always gets so excited that she basically runs and lunges into the arms of whoever she is walking to. :) 

On several occasions, she has stood steady and made little steps to pivot her body in the direction she wanted to go before taking off. And just this week, she stood herself up from a squatting position, without holding on, nor pushing off of, anything. This requires significant strength and balance, which shows us just how far she has come in just a month's time! 

And Bels is doing really well with her fine motor skills! She LOVES to color, cut, and craft (girl after my own heart :) ). She often uses a developmentally appropriate tripod grasp when holding her writing utensil and is able to draw both horizontal and vertical lines now. Yay! We are working on circles. :) 

Cognition. Bella's cognitive development continues to grow. She is getting better and better at puzzles and was able to problem-solve several tricky, novel questions during her recent preschool evaluations (more on those in a minute). 

Out and About/Playing. As always, what a busy month it was for Bella and the rest of our Crew! This month, Bella got to join Raleigh and me for our third annual Red Carpet Viewing Party, where we get all glam and have snacks and watch the red carpet coverage of the beautiful Oscar's dresses. Bella also experienced her first St. Patrick's Day, which coincided with our sweet town's Spring Fling. 

And of course, tomorrow is Easter. It brings me to tears knowing that our daughter is being raised to know and love Jesus Christ. In China, Christians are being persecuted, their churches destroyed. But now that our Bella is home, she goes to church every Sunday to learn about the love of God our Father, so much so that he sacrificed His own Son to save us. I would like to think Bella's birth mom knows that her own sacrifice resulted in a life for her daughter in which she is loved beyond measure, a treasured daughter and sister of a family who ADORES her, and living a life where she will learn of the love of our Heavenly Father. Happy [almost] 1st Easter, sweet Bella. <3

Etc. We had several big appointments this month, including having Bella fitted for a hearing aid (which we will hopefully have by the next post-adoption post!), having her evaluated by our local school to determine eligibility for the preschool program (this involved having speech, cognitive, fine motor, and gross motor evals done at our beloved elementary school) - we'll find out the results at the start of May, and seeing a pediatric rheumatologist just a few days ago. Regarding the latter, I am so, so happy to share that the doctor ruled out any underlying autoimmune/rheumatological disease as being the cause for the constant edema she has in her hands and feet,  intermittent, painful inflammation she experiences in her arms, and infections she has gotten in her fingers. Unless certain symptoms worsen, we'll be able to steer clear of medication management.  Instead, we will continue to focus on improving her strength and muscle tone, which will hopefully improve her circulation, which we now believe is the cause for these symptoms.

And now, we march into April, looking forward to the memories we'll make as a family of six. Bella, we are so proud of you for so many reasons and are so very thankful to call you ours. Happy 8 months post-Gotcha Day, baby girl. We love you with all our hearts.

Cheers to the Weekend, Spring Break Edition

F.I.N.A.L.L.Y. 

It has been way too many days since we have had a day off of school thanks to weather make-up days (including today. Banks and Rals are at school to make up one of the snow days); so, I don't know that we've ever been more excited for Spring Break - ha! 

That being said, I'll have one more post out by the end of this weekend, and then I'll be taking off from blog writing next week to spend time with my Lu Crew. I'm sure y'all will be waiting on pins and needles for the Spring Break recap. ;) ;) But I am SO looking forward to some downtime with my s{quad}. :) 

On that note, here's what we're saying CHEERS to this week/end: 

Easter celebrations and school fun. Harrison had his Easter party at school on Wednesday (since today is a preschool teacher workday). He had a blast and just had to get a little snazzied up for the occasion (and I had to snag a pic with him before he left for school). :) 

Also that day, I got to go to the sweetest event in Raleigh's class. They started with a Writer's Celebration, wherein each kiddo was seated around the room, ready to read the "How To" books they had written to the parents, as we rotated around the room from student to student. Raleigh's book? How to Pour a Bowl of Cereal. Haha! Loved it. She did GREAT! I was almost in tears, I was so proud of her and her sweet friends. And the fun continued out on the playground, with their class' Easter egg hunt! I had planned to just leave after that and see her again after school, but the Momma Guilt won: I ended up checking her out of school early so we could spend a couple hours, just the two of us. It was so much fun to get in a little extra girl time with my Rals. And what did we do? Bake of course! Easter cupcakes to be exact. :) 

P200. I am so, so proud of my hub. This was his second year doing the Palmetto 200, a 200-mile race that goes non-stop from Columbia to Charleston. BUT this year, he was on an "Ultra Team" (aka only six runners total), which meant he ran a total of 35 miles. Holy cow. But he and his team finished and did GREAT, and I am so proud of them! And my hub ran a personal best-pace, absolutely killing the pace he averaged during training! After a trip to China and back in less than four days, and then a 35-mile run, it was no surprise he was out cold and snoring by 8:00 pm Saturday night - ha! Not going to lie, I wasn't far behind him. :) 

Action shot taken by a teammate

Ultra Team Finisher!

 The sweetest welcoming committee, waiting for their Daddy to return home!

Pediatric rheumatology. After several months of waiting, our appointment with the pediatric rheumatologist finally arrived yesterday! And praise the Lord, we received some answered prayers. More on that in the next post, but for now, we are celebrating this precious girl and how much of a sweet, compliant, and well-behaved patient she is during every.single.appointment.<3

Baseball marches on. After one of the games last week was cancelled, we were back to our regular baseball schedule of two games this week, the latest of which was last night. Banks' team is now 0-3, BUT he is having a good time at least. And Bammy even came up to surprise him for last night's game (which was against a team that two of his closest buddies are on). So, it was a fun night for all!

And that's all I've got. I've got four kiddos with me this morning as I am hanging with my niece and nephew along with my littlest two. We have dinner plans tonight, a birthday party for Banks to attend tomorrow, and some furniture shopping (siiigh...more on that in a future post) and flower planting to cross off the to-do list. Then, we'll anxiously await Easter's arrival on Sunday! Like I said, I'll be posting once more by the end of the weekend but after that, I'm taking a break for Spring Break. Woohoo!! Have a great one, y'all! :) And Happy Good Friday and Easter weekend. <3

I see you

Dear Momma,

I see you. 

I see you in the earliest hours - your heart drops as you hear the first wails of the day erupt. You just needed a moment of peace. Just one more moment of solitude.

I see you in the quiet of the morning, trying to remain calm while attempting to dress your toddler, who has now decided she is allergic to clothing. 

I see you on your hands and knees, picking up the remains of the crushed Cheerio on the floor before noticing the army of crumbs standing at attention beneath your kitchen table. 

I see you, sweating and swearing under your breath, trying to buckle your little one into his carseat  as he battles you. Clearly, his title of WWE Champ is on the line. 

I see you, sighing deeply as yet another cry of "Moooo-oooom" echoes through the house, undoubtedly the start of the 5,678th tattle of the day

I see you in the stillness of the night, your eyes popping open as you hold your breath, praying the cries you heard in the silence were only a dream. You just wanted one full night of sleep. 

I see you coming down on yourself for losing your patience, again; for raising your voice, again; for wondering why it isn't so hard for others, again; for wanting a break from the madness of it all, again.

Yes, Momma. I see you. And I know you. 

Because I am you. 

I lie awake and let the guilt wash over me, time and again, over what I said, over what I didn't. 

I am you. I wish the hard moments away but cry when yet another birthday arrives, knowing another year has passed, these precious years slipping away despite my attempts to hold tight as fiercely as I can.

I am you. I worry. Oh, how I worry. I worry over worrying. I worry I am worrying too much. I worry I am not worrying enough.

I am you. I wonder how to balance it all - family and friendships, they time and me time. I wonder how to protect my heart but lend it out, too. 

I know you. Because I am you. 

Know that you are not alone. Know that mommahood is often punctuated by the moments no one sees. It is the sweat and the swears. It is the unknown and the fears. It is the battle and the victory. It is the lonely and the tears. It is the worry and the guilt. It is the hard-earned journey and the long road ahead.

It may be so worth it all, but that doesn't always make it easy.  

And I see you, there, amongst it all.<3

Her children rise up and call her blessed. Proverbs 31:28.

 

Cheers to the Weekend, Hello Spring??? Edition

Friends, I have one question: Where is Spring?! Ugh! You guys - one of the (many!) reasons I love living in the South is the beautiful, sunny weather we get to enjoy during the Spring and Summer seasons. But it has decided to delay it's arrival this year. Fashionably late, Spring? We're ready for you. Feel free to show up now. Bleh!

Anyway, I am SO glad it's Friday!!! Remember how I mentioned this was going to be an especially nutty week 'round these parts? Well, it's because my hub spent most of the week flying to and from China. Yes, back to Bella's roots. And get this: he flew all the way to the other side of the world, to Beijing specifically, for...a three hour meeting. Yep. Three hours. So, I was flying solo with my Lu Crew this week. His flight landed back in Charlotte at 7:00 am yesterday. And of course, he had to bring the kids back a few China souvenirs. Here's what he brought for this littlest lady: 

She was SO excited, as were the rest of the kiddos for their China loot. :) 

Anywho, my hub was able to get a little work done yesterday and see the kids before heading back out of town last night for the big P200 race I referenced in my post earlier this week. So, he is currently, literally, running to Charleston. He'll be back sometime tomorrow night. 

Meanwhile, life doesn't stop just 'cause things get busy, right? On top of our usual weekly schedule, and Clay being out of town, Banks had two (make that one after last night's game was cancelled due to poor field conditions) baseball game, Bella had two evaluations at our elementary school, I had lunch with a dear friend, LifeGroup, etc. SO, I am very much looking forward to my couch time tonight (aka falling asleep on the couch before 9:00 pm - ha!). 

Finally, now that all that blabbering is out of the way, here are some things we're saying CHEERS to this week/end:

St. Patty's Day/Spring Fling. Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day, y'all! Harrison and his sweet friends had a fun preschool party at school on Friday, and then we celebrated as a family by donning our green and heading out to our sweet town's Spring Fling. But ohmydearLord. It was a ZOO. Interestingly, last year, I went to it alone, as my hub was on a guy's weekend and my parents took my (then three!) kiddos for the weekend. I leisurely strolled around the Spring Fling, sipping a glass of wine, enjoying a nice book, and visiting each of the booths supporting local entrepreneurs. I was expecting the same sort of low-key time this year, albeit with my whole Crew in town to enjoy the festive fun. But it was NUTS. Probably 10x the amount of people as were there last year. So, we met up with family and friends, roamed for a bit, and then got the heck out of there, bribing our kids by promising our first stop of the 2018 year at Pelican's for a Snow Ball. It was fun but man, was it chaotic!

 Pumped for the preschool par-tay!

 Afternoon Shamrock Shakes with his sweet friend

Spring Fling time!

 Had to snap a pic with Elsa at my sister's orthodontic practice's booth

My beautiful, ridiculously adorable niece <3

 We love Thomas Leitner Orthodontics...and our friends do, too!

Happy St. Pat's from the Lu Crew!

Barre3 fun. Last weekend I got to take in two special Barre3 workouts: one being my hundredth class and another being a special "Unbreakable Core" workshop by a talented trainer who specializes in helping post-partum women strengthen their core muscles. Loved it all! Especially when I get to workout alongside sweet friends and instructors. :)

Seamless. Our couples LifeGroup started this new study last week, and y'all? It is absolutely FANTASTIC!!!! One of my favorite studies I have ever done, and we're only two weeks into it. Already I can tell you that I couldn't recommend it any more highly! So, so, so good!!! (And don't let the pink cover fool you - it is awesome for women AND men).

Baseball madness. Banks had his first baseball game of the season this week, and while it end in a loss, I just love watching him out there, playing his heart out. And, while y'all know I'll be a hardcore Clemson fan until the day I die, I was proud to boast some A&M wear to support his team, the Aggies! Two more games next week - let's see if we can pull out a W! Go Aggies! (and thank you, dear Melissa and fam, for letting me raid your Aggie closet). :)  

FMES love. I absolutely love where my kiddos attend school - the York County school system was the primary reason we chose to move to, and live in, our sweet town when we left Atlanta 5.5 years ago. And after this week, I love it even more! 

First, this week, author Jerry Pallotta, well-known for his children's series Who Would Win...?, visited the school. AND Banks' class won a school-wide contest, resulting in Mr. Pallotta coming to their classroom for a special visit. Y'all. You would have thought Banks was lunching with the biggest A-list celeb on the planet. He bounded in my room at 6:00 am sharp, dressed for school (in a shirt "with animals on it, Mom! Because his books are about animals!"), and holding the 12 original books Banks has created himself, also of the Who Would Win...? variety. He was PUMPED! And then, he got Mr. Pallotta to sign his books. Day.Made.

And then, yesterday morning and this morning, Bella was/is being evaluated by the district preschool program at our very own FMES to determine her eligibility for specialized preschool placement this year. It just felt so neat to walk her into our beloved FMES for her evals, knowing we are working collaboratively with her psychoeducational team to get a good plan in place to help her achieve her potential. <3

And that's that, friends! Like I said, I'll undoubtedly be snoozing moments after my kiddos hit the hay tonight, in anticipation of a weekend filled with baseball team pictures, teeball practice, a birthday party, a baseball clinic at the high school, church volunteering, and LifeGroup. Oh yeah, and cheering on our Tigers tonight as they take on Kansas in the Sweet Sixteen (Go Tigers!). Luckily, only one more week until our Spring Break begins and we will finalllllllly have a few days off from school to rest up and recover! Have a great weekend, all!