6 months in our arms!

6 months, half a year. Kind of crazy.  Kind of seems like just yesterday we were in Fuzhou, China walking into our hotel at the.same.time our brand new daughter was.  Meeting our daughter and checking into our hotel room at the same time.  What a story.  And then it seems like she's been here so much longer.

We are just a regular ole family.  All sorts of girls.  All sorts of drama ;)  It's such a weird thing, this adoption.  I am fully aware that Lily Grace is adopted.  We talk about China frequently.  I think about many things related to her life prior to us, or birth family, or culture, etc.  But then at the same time, when I go to a doctors appointment and see Race: Asian, it seems like the craziest thing to me.  Because I see her and she feels absolutely no differently to me than our other girls.  I don't know, it's hard to explain.  I have heard other friends who have adopted previously say that they sometimes forget their children are adopted.  I never used to understand that.  But now I totally get it.  I just pray that Lily Grace always feels as comfortable and accepted as she grows.  I also want her to feel free to ask questions and explore her heritage and life in China too.

Anywho. . . this last month has been a lot quieter than the prior month.  We got a little winter weather and had a chance to play in the snow.  Our girls are certainly Southerners and lasted about 15 minutes.  We had just enough time for some pictures and a partially built snowman (which momma finished on her own while to girls were inside eating popcorn and drinking hot coccoa by the fire).

We also had her dedication at church.  It was important to us that we do this for her too, so she would have the same experiences as her sisters.  That we could commit to her and our church family to raise her in a loving Christian home and teach her about Jesus and what He did for her.  It was a great day!

Lily Grace continues with medical appointments.  She had a test to evaluate for reflux.  It showed no evidence of severe reflux so we are happy about that!  She will have PE tubes placed in a couple weeks and at the same time have a scope to evaluate for some swallowing difficulties she has had since we got her in China.  She may have to stay overnight in the hospital depending on what they find.  We also had follow up appointments with various other specialists.  She continues weekly visits with developmental therapy and we are waiting to get her into speech therapy as well.  We are so greatly for any additional help she can get to help her reach her maximum potential!

Lily Grace has really increased her vocabulary this last month.  She repeats many things we say!  She definitely has spunk to her and likes to hold up her finger, wave it back and forth, and say "No! No! No! No!"  She will say "I want it!" She loves pointing to her nose.  She can point to other body parts too but her nose is her favorite.  She says "I love you", "cold", "miiiillllk", "booo" for book, and "cooka" for cookie.

She is loving her books-we read each night before bed.  She LOVES her blanket now and is super attached to it.  She likes to watch the iPad with her sisters.  She likes to ride on her giraffe riding stick.  She loves giving kisses.  She continues to climb on everything and really does have no fear.  She will just free fall off of the couch or ottoman. . . that's gonna hurt one day. ;) She is still into electronics-my phone mainly.  I recently had to get my apple watch completely reset because she locked it out by pressing too many buttons and "incorrect passwords".  She is still loving her carbs. .  . current favs are Nutrigran bars, oatmeal, pancakes.  When she branches out we can manage bananas, some chicken nuggets, and yogurt.  No veggies and barley any other fruits.  There's a toddler for ya!

Our family had the chance last weekend to meet with other families who have adopted from China for an early Chinese New Year celebration.  It was fun and we were able to learn some things about Chinese New Year and the culture.  We had silks (or China dresses as the girls call them) we bought while we were in China, and the girls were able to wear them.  We had a great time!  We plan to continue to celebrate this event and look forward to learning more and including our family and friends!  Hopefully one day I will learn to cook some good Chinese food.  I so miss the delicious food in China and crave it all the time!

So we are just trucking along.  Back in the grove again after Christmas.  Lily Grace is just rolling with it.  She is loving life.  She is so fun and happy and joyful.  I wonder if she remembers anything about her life back in China.  We will certainly tell her about it.  This is an amazing journey, this life the Lord has us on.  We are grateful to be a long for the ride!  Happy 6 months home baby girl!