One Week Home

Avery and me at the White Swan

Yes, we are doing well. I am sorry there have been no posts this week. We arrived here last Saturday and hit the ground running. Sarah swam in the final meet of the season about 6 hours after we landed...yes, I did go watch her swim. Afterwards we took Avery for her first Chick-Fil-A. We did try to keep things low-key after that so most of the week we were at home. Not that we were resting, mind you. Oh no, Anna Grace decided THIS was the week she would potty train. And since I had decided 6 month ago that I would let her train when she was ready, I had to go with her. I am happy to tell you that she has only had 2 accidents all week and I have declared her trained! SUPER easy!!! Of course, once you've trained a little girl with Rett syndrome, most kids would be easy!

Anna Grace reading Dr. Dobson's Bringing Up Girls(thought that was a more appropriate photo that one of her on the potty!)

Avery....let's see....she is very sweet and helpful. She seems happy. The language barrier is HUGE and makes it hard to know exactly what she is thinking. She is trying hard to say more English words and Sarah is fantastic at repeating words for her over and over. We've played lots of games and the Wii, we've been to the pool, and even ventured out to Target one afternoon. This morning we went to church for the first time as a family of seven. Before leaving home Avery ate leftover pizza for breakfast and then chose a skirt and tee-shirt for church. It was an outfit that any other teen girl might have been wearing so she fit in nicely....flip flops and all! As I watched her eating this morning I thought, "Yes, she is adjusting pretty well I'd say." Church went well although I think it was a little overwhelming for Avery to have so many people coming to talk to her and welcome her. We slid out a side door and made a beeline for the car as soon as the service ended.

This morning at breakfast--Pizza and yogurt!

Sisters watching a movie

This afternoon we went on a family bike ride. We had so much fun riding through the trails in the shade. We stopped for a break at a playground and the little girls played. As we were riding home I was in the back making sure everyone was accounted for and as I looked ahead of me at my family, I thanked God for these gifts He has given me. I honestly never thought I would have 5 children, let alone 5 girls with 2 being born in China! I am so thankful for a Heavenly Father that gives us even more than we could ever imagine. As is typical in our family, we couldn't just enjoy a beautiful day on our bikes. Oh no....Emily decided to add some excitement to the day by falling in the gravel and tearing up her knee. We added more excitement to the crash when Avery ran into Emily as she lay on the ground. (Yeah, we need more lessons on following at a safe distance....that language barrier again!) We really thought her knee was fine but did have the doctor from up the street come take a look. He suggested we go to the ER so Shawn and Emily spent the evening there. Always excitement around here!



Overall Avery is doing well. She really wants to play with Anna Grace and hold her. Anna is not going for it yet. And unfortunately, Anna Grace's personality is such that the more Avery tries to hold her, the more Anna doesn't want her to be anywhere near. It is a hard balance to find and again, the language barrier makes it hard. Tonight Avery saw Anna's mongolian spot that is on her lower back. She pointed to it and did her hand as if to say it was from a spanking that Anna had gotten. Holy Cow! Someone get the electronic translator. Some things just can't be misunderstood! We quickly shared with her about mongolian spots and how many Asian children have them. I also made sure she understood it had been there since Anna Grace was born; that it was not something we put there. Whew! Talk about bad for the attachment and bonding!!! But she did understand what I was saying because she showed me a birthmark on her leg as if to say, "Yes, I have one too." So I am glad we were able to work around the language issue in that instance. We are hoping to get Rosetta Stone this week so Avery can start lessons on the computer. I think it will get easier once she has a little more English under her belt.

I couldn't leave one of my girls out! Lauren LOVES the pool. Shawn throws her out into the water and she goes under and then comes up smiling. What a precious child she is!

Please keep praying for Avery and the rest of us as we adjust to life as a family of 7. I know we will have ups and downs as we navigate the days ahead and I'm so thankful we know Who is in control. **Next post will be back on our family blog!**