"An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break."
--An ancient Chinese belief




Thursday, September 16, 2010

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Having problems posting pictures

I've tried for the past 2 days to post new pictures, but for some reason they're not posting. I will try again later today.

Monday, September 13, 2010

A Great Weekend with Wonderful Friends, and Four Months since Forever Family Day!

I had a wonderful Labor Day weekend with two of my dearest friends! "Aunt" Pat drove up from south Florida and both "Aunt" Pat and "Aunt" Lynn got to meet Lulu for the first time. Lulu had a lot of fun! Pat is quite the nutty comedian, and Lynn is funny as well! They totally entertained Lulu and bought her the most beautiful Princess skirt, tiara, earrings, and wand, as well as some classic games, a number dry erase board, and 2 beautiful Chinese CDs. Lulu loved her gifts and the attention, and could not wait for them to come back over the next day. I was a little worried leaving Lulu home with Brad to go out to dinner with the girls on Saturday night, but Brad and Lulu left to go out to eat themselves, so it worked out great. Pat stayed over and the next morning we got pedicures at the Ponte Vedre Inn and Spa. Afterwards, we went to lunch and later that night my PT friends worked on me at the house and entertained Lulu at the same time. It was such a great weekend and I was sad when it was over. The three of us always have the best time when we're together, and I wish our times together were not so few and far between. On Labor Day, Brad, Lulu and I went to the beach and had a very relaxing day.

It's been four months now since our "gotcha" or Forever Family Day. We have a good routine going now during the week, and Lulu is doing great at preschool. The one thing that I worried the most about before the adoption was how she would do with attachment and bonding. I'm happy to say that she is doing wonderful in that area, and is happy with her life here and continues to tell us she loves us. She still has a hard time though with patience and how to control herself if she does not get her way or has to wait for something. Also, if she is not occupied constantly on the weekends, or becomes tired and does not take a nap, then we have several meltdowns. The tantrums happen during the week as well, but are usually not as bad. I've also noticed when I don't do enough sensory activites with her for a day or two, that she has a hard time controlling herself, and acts out a lot more. Since things are flowing a lot better overall, I have to keep reminding myself when she does have her tantrums, that it's only been four months. What is important is that she is happy, and not once has she ever said she wants to go back to China. Sadly, she does not want to speak Mandarin to anyone who speaks it to her.

Lulu has had 3 tap/ballet classes and continues to enjoy it. She attended PT and OT this morning and did great. She can now ride the big tricycles at preschool without her right foot slipping off and she can steer and go around the track several times at a fairly good speed. She has made so much progress with her motor function and endurance since she's been home. She used to tire easily when we would walk the dogs, but the other morning she jogged just about the whole time!