When we got Evie’s referral last August, we learned of her
age and bits about her living history.
At that time, our main concerns were how a three year old would be able
to detach from her foster mother of nearly three years and attach to our
family. After consulting with very
knowledgeable Holt staff and our social worker, we learned that even though it
will be difficult in the beginning, because she knows what a true bond is with
her foster parents, she will be able to bond with us. The first four days have been tough, I will
admit. It’s hard to see her grieve. It’s frustrating to not see smiles. BUT, it’s so so great to see progress! Yes, they are baby steps, nonetheless we see
a light in her little face that will only get brighter.
Progress in our world as of today means Evie J being in the
same room with Bryan without crying. She
even sat across of the table from him twice today and ate her food! Progress also means showing a natural smile
by watching the boys play. She now looks
around often, points and talks quietly.
Oh she’s so cute! She is a fast
walker, swings her arms and even has a little strut. I love watching her pigtails flop up and down. More progress is allowing Brycen to feed her
AND push her in the stroller! One more
sign…she is able to stay in one room of our hotel suite and wait for me to
return without crying. Yes, baby steps,
but so big for such a little girl.
This morning we boarded our plane in Taiyuan and flew to
Guangzhou. This is our last in-country
flight. Yay!!! The next flight we board will be to go
home! I do my best to not count the
days, but sometimes I just can’t help it.
I’m hoping all of the paperwork in this city goes very smoothly and the
time flies. Yes, of course, I want to
enjoy every moment and we still have lots to do. So, I will do my best to be patient and keep
focus on the baby steps that our newest family member is making daily.
Tomorrow will be a tough day on Evie J. All adopted children applying for U.S. visas must have a medical check before they are granted a visa. Evie J’s medical check is tomorrow and although it is a basic evaluation, we have been told to be prepared for lots of crying and fear. I’m afraid Evie may have a setback, but hopefully she will see that Bryan and I will be there to calm and comfort her when she is scared. It’s so hard to know what is going through her mind. The language barrier is much more difficult than I imagined.
Bryan is leaving China on Monday because he has a meeting in
Chicago. It is going to be very sad to
see him leave, but I’m so fortunate to have my mother here to help. After he leaves, we will only have three more
days in China, but who’s counting?!
Thank you so much for all of the super sweet and encouraging emails and
Facebook messages. I cannot respond to
any Facebook messages because China does not allow Facebook. I can read your FB messages on my email. I also cannot read any blog posts because our
blog is blocked in China. I have gotten
a few messages saying you tried to post a message on my blog and it didn’t show
up. Thank you so much for caring to
follow us and sending us encouragement.
It truly means more than you can imagine! I LOVE opening my email and seeing lots of
messages to read! I miss you guys SO
much! We can’t wait to get back to
Charlotte and show Evie J our “real” day-to-day life. Okay, I better stop before I get too
homesick. It’s 9:50 and I’m going to go
crawl in bed with Evie J on one side of me, Bennett on the other and Bryan
hanging on the edge for dear life. J XXOO
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