Many days I wish I had good news to share, but we're still awaiting the birth certificate and letter. We received word today that they will likely come within the next week. Once they do we can purchase plane tickets! ...so you can imagine who anxious we are to get them. Based on that info, we were told we will probably travel in April instead of March as told before. I'm more than a little sad about that news.
In the meantime, it's officially nesting season. I have been washing little girl clothes and freezing meals for K's mom (who will stay with Peanut and Buddy). I remember this time with my first two, and in a small way I wanted them to stay safe inside my belly because I wasn't sure I was completely ready for a new baby. This time I am not sure I'm ready but I sure don't want her staying an extra day in the orphanage.
There's a temptation to be a little fearful about what is to come. I could "what if" the entire trip over to get her for days and it still wouldn't do me any good. There is just no way of knowing whether she will be happy to go with us or if she will scream and cry as she realizes she is being taken from the only place she can remember living. I've prayed over our meeting again and again and am trusting the Lord to show us how best to comfort and calm her if she is scared.
A friend passed on a blog of a family who has adopted three children from different places. Each has a different story about how they attached to the family, and the mom who writes has excellent insight into the topic of attachment for adopted children. You can read the post here. From the reading I have done already about bringing Sweet P into our family, I know things must be done differently. We used the Babywise method of scheduling and teaching self-discipline for Peanut and Buddy. It worked beautifully and they were really easy babies. However, many of my tried-and-true ways with them will just not work if we hope to create the same kind of attachment with our beloved Sweet P. I'm okay with that. I want to do whatever it takes to show her she is ours and we are always going to care for her. We are likely going to make some parenting changes as we seek to show Sweet P that her caretaker won't change from shift to shift... Daddy and Mommy are here for good and (like it or not!) so are these other two kiddos!
I'm so grateful to be a mom again. Blessings, angela
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Congratulations. One thing I have learned as a mom with 3 kids, one with Autism. You have to be flexible enough to tailor your parenting style to each individual child. It took me a couple years to figure it out, so it sounds like you all are ahead of the game. I can't wait for the update when your family is all together at home.
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