I've been terrible about giving an update on our family. With Facebook it's so easy to post pics and a quickly jotted update that I forget to utilize this blog. I'm actually going to make some changes to this blog to update it to our current situation in our family. It's not just going to be a blog about Ai Lan, since she's one of 7 in this household, so keep an eye out in the future for a new focus. Something is brewing in my mind, so watch out!
As for Ai Lan, however, you should know she's doing amazing. First of all, she's growing like a weed. She has grown 2 inches and two pounds since March. First thing people say when they see her and find our her age is exclaim, "Wow...she's tall!" I never thought I'd say this about our Chinese born daughter, but it looks like we got the tall genes in this one, which is hilarious since we are generally a tall family and figured we'd finally get a shorty. Time will tell!
Ai Lan's language skills surprise us every day. It's been interesting watching the usual language acquisition that my kids began at age 1 bloom in Ai Lan at age 3. Remember when your 2 year old wants to hear herself or himself talk, so they ramble on and on in mostly made up words, throwing in the occasional recognizable word now and then, but acting all the while like they are making perfect sense? I love that. It's so cute! And Ai Lan has a few phrases that crack us up to no end, like, "Don't you dare!" and "Bring me ____, okay?" And just you wait till she grabs a block and "calls you" on it. She nods her head and mutters, "Cool, cool, cool." I die. Her favorite toy is matchbook cars. She has no less than 3 with her at all times. And if you threaten to take one away..."Don't you dare!"
Strong willed. That's her. She's a firecracker, and I'm so glad...usually. I'm glad she can think for herself. I'm glad she tells you what she wants. I'm glad she's mad when you disappoint her. It means she knows how to articulate her needs, that she'll never give up, that she's got the gumption to fight for her rights. I love that about her, unless it's bedtime.
Ai Lan's Sturge-Weber Syndrome is pretty much a non-issue right now. No glaucoma. No seizures. She's bright as the next three year old. No apparent cognitive delays. In fact, she's been turned down by our local resource center and school district for special services because her disability lies only in muscle weakness in her left side, which does not impede her ability to perform in school. This is a good thing, when you think about. My child does not need special ed. No complaints here. She will, however start receiving therapy of OT through our medical insurance this week, so her motor issue will be addressed, have no fear.
In case you wondered, Ai Lan is well loved in so many ways. She's not perfect (refer to the paragraph about being strong willed), but neither is a single person in this family. We love her. We adore in, in fact. She brings out so many good parts of us. I think we bring out the beauty in her as well.
Adoption is not easy. In the midst of the beauty of it all, some days are hard. Some days I have to just stop what I had planned and hold her on my lap for a good part of the day as she touches my face and looks into my eyes. I wonder if she thinks this might come to an end. I tell her every day how much we love her and how she'll always be with us, but some days I think she might be afraid this is a temporary situation. If she could see how I imagine watching her walk down the aisle at her graduation, or wonder what her kids will look like, she'd know this is permanent. But she's too young for me to explain that to her right now. For now, we will just be there every day, rushing her to the potty, laughing at her antics, encouraging her to use that left hand, and loving the gift that God plunked right in our laps. Eventually she'll learn this family is forever.
