Bonding as a Family

We have been so enjoying having Hope as a part of our family. She really is a treasure, and we have really been enjoying our time back in the United States. We still have total jet lag, and the kids have been going to bed at midnight and sleeping until 11am. Todd had his first day back at work today, and he is soo tired! It seems that Hope feels more centered and settled, and she is really starting to bloom. She has been so much more at peace, and the hitting and head butting have almost subsided. Her kisses are now gentle. She loves to be held, and she has learned how to say Daddy, Mommy, God, GuGa(brother in Chinese) and Doggy. Its beautiful to hear this little voice speaking, because up until now in her life, she didnt speak. I think she is feeling safe, and I get the general sense that she feels that she belongs. My heart just wells up with so much joy and pride when I think of this brave girl, who went halfway around the world with a family that doesnt speak her language, to a whole new reality. She truly is a strong soul, and it comes out in the way she explores her world. She is really nimble, and can scout out a new enviroment really quickly. When she falls, she doesnt cry much, she just gets up and tries again.

Today was her first doctor visit. She definately didnt like it, but the BEST part of all was after they injected her for her TB test, she started screaming, and she yelled out, “Mah-MEEEEE!!!” and clutched me so tight. It was a really neat moment for me, because although she would repeat “Mommy” if you tell her to say it, this was the first time, she called out to me using my name. I was so choked up, it was a great moment! The doctor and nurse both said that Hope appears to be 3 years old, not 2 1/2 like her medical reports from China. She was abandoned later in her life, and the orphanage just guessed her age was 8 months at that time, and gave her a birthdate of 10/01/2005. I have always suspected she was older, so it was a good confirmation today for the doctor to say the same thing. She is really tall for her age, but VERY skinny. Only 23 pounds. We will be working to fatten her up by giving her lots of avocado and other high calorie foods.

As far as her vision goes, it seems like she can see a little out of her left eye, but has trouble with the right. Its hard to tell how much vision she has. At times, when the sun is out, she navigates really well around things, and avoids tripping and bumping into things. When the lighting is dim, then she tends to bump into things. She always turns her head to look at lights, and she enjoys waving her fingers in front of her eyes. Because she has nystagmus, her eyes move back and forth, but its not as fast as typical cases of nystagmus. We think she might have a combination of nystagmus and strabismus, but thats just a guess. We will be going to a pediatric opthamologist in 2 weeks, and we are really looking forward to getting more information on what we can do to help her!

It has been really great to be back home, and we appreciate all the love and support you all have given to our family. It has been fun hearing from people we have never met who have somehow found our blog, and we are so thankful for new friendships we have made through this amazing journey.

We will post updates later!

Love,

Kim