BUT......
She does NOW!!!
We are SLOWLY finding our groove. 2 weeks home and TRYING to find a routine. Sometimes I feel as if we are simply surviving. I am able to get everyone fed, clothed, bathed, homework done, snuggle time with each kiddo......and that's about it. The dishes are still piling in the sink. The clothes hampers overflowing, and the house "appears" clean on the surface....but....
I haven't had a full night of sleep since the night before we got Mia (probably should get used to that, bc I don't see that changing anytime soon), bathroom breaks have resumed to require the door OPeN at all times, and I now have a jumper-roo standing outside of my shower, so that Mia can see me while Im attempting to stay clean. Maybe by the time Summer rolls around, I will be able to shave a WHOLE leg again.
The Boys are doing amazing. Continuing with Karate. They both earned their next belts, while we were in China. They keep me laughing with the silly things that come out of their mouths. Yesterday, Nick informed we that we needed to go back to China soon, because he needed another Brother to sit in the back of the car with him. He went on to say that he would like this next child to be older and that he would help me with all of the paperwork. ....wow.....pretty amazing thoughts for a 7 year old.
They are just so in love with their Sister and the other day told me they only wished we had found her when she was "just born". Me too, Boys....me too.
This weekend, we traveled to the Coast to fix up the beach house for rental season. Mia got to see the Ocean ,and since it was still much to cold for swimming, the Boys are begging to come back as soon as it warms up.
This week we prepare for Mia's surgery consult with the CleftTeam. In case any of you are unfamiliar with Mia's medical condition; she was born with a congenital cleft lip AND palate (roof of mouth). She basically had no upper lip at birth (which was corrected in China). Her palate is still very open (which essentially means she has no bone in the roof of her mouth. It is completely open and leads straight up to her nose). It makes drinking very difficult and eating nearly impossible. Anything she does eat or drink, eventually comes out of her nose, which makes for one cranky baby. Most cleft babies to not have a suck reflex and have to be fed with special bottles that allow you to squeeze the milk into their mouth for them to swallow. (Kind of like feeding a baby bird). To our surprise, probably as a survival mechanism, Mia can actually suck a bottle. She does need the special nipples that come with the cleft bottles (much wider holes), but she is able to manage to drink on her own. That is a huge plus! We will meet with the Team which consists of a Craniofacial Surgeon (who will close her palate), and ENT and a plastic Surgeon. I have to admit that I am getting very nervous about the visits and even more so, about her impending surgery. She is adjusting so well to her new surroundings, my fear is that we will regress in our attempts to bond with her. It already breaks my heart to know the pain that she will face with the surgery and recovery, but know that these surgeries are needed to improve her quality of life. At least she HAS the opportunity for the repair..and she will have a loving family there to hold her, the whole way through.
We also met with our Social Worker for our first post-adoption visit. Would you believe that China requires that we have home visits with our Social Worker for 6 YEARS?!? I will just keep those thoughts to myself, and smile through the visits. We have a wonderful Social Worker, Jill, who will get us through the visits as painlessly as possible.
So glad there are still some of you out there following along!!!
Next blog will update Mia's surgery plan....
Blessings,
Angie
