Growth

*warning... long post

Malia has grown in so many ways the last couple weeks I have just been amazed. Her personality is changing, she is physically getting taller, and she is on a learning jump, and most importantly her bonding with me has grown.

Malia was sick for it seemed like at least a month. First she had a cold then her teeth were really bothering her and then another cold and more teeth. I will admit that I was getting pretty tired and loosing my patience with all the whining and crying, it was very hard but we got through it, there were quite a few nights where I just had to let Rich take over as soon as he got home and I would go grocery shopping whether we needed anything or not. But the last 2 weeks pretty much she has felt so much better and her two last teeth (for now) cut through and she has been just so much happier and funner to be around. She loves to wander around and giggle and play with us all and its so much fun. Now that being said she is definitely getting that toddler tude we all dread. It seems just about anything can make her mad... one second she is so happy and the next she is screaming this new high pitched scream for whatever reason. Today it was a book she reached for a book so I handed it to her she pushed it away and starting reaching and whining for it so I gave it to her again and she pushed it away again and just started screaming! Thankfully she usually recovers pretty quick but WOW sometimes I feel like Im walking on eggshells! I just love watching her little personality continue to bloom. She at times is very reserved but as you will see in some photos in the slide she gets very very silly and laughs and giggles so easily.

She has been really clumbsy all week which I think means shes gotta be getting taller... it sure looks like it. But she sure doesnt seem to coordinated right now which has led to a bloody nose and quite a few bonked heads and slips and falls on the floor.

This girl is one smart cookie, while she was sick she turned into a mute it seemed and I was getting a little concerned, but thankfully she is full on learning more and more words and trying to carry on convos with us. Every morning I read her the same 3 books, shapes, colors, and numbers. With Shapes I trace the shapes, with the colors I point to the pics with the right colors and with the numbers I touch each thing or animal and count... well she has started to copy exactly what I do when she is then reading them by herself.. in the color book there is a black train so I take her arm and do the chuga chuga choo choo with her and today she did it all by herself! It was precious and I will try to get it all on the camera. She whispers to herself dont touch when she is doing something naughty, there are so many new words she says I cant even remember them all but so many of them she uses every day. Its so exciting seeing how smart she is!!

Bonding wise the last couple of weeks have been pretty huge for her and I. I have noticed since she has been home with us that she has always kept me at a bit more of a distance that anyone else emotionally. I of course completely understand this, she was abandoned by a few women in her life and hasnt quite trusted me completely so I have been trying with time and work to earn that trust. Well finally after 4 months she is really starting to cuddle with me!! I just have to take that time and really treasure it, its amazing to me when she comes up and wants up and doesnt want to be put down. A couple days ago she fell on the porch steps scratched and bruised her eye (AGAIN!) and I ran and got her carriend her in and then her nose started to bleed so I rushed and cleaned her up after Maddie and I freaked out even though she was over it pretty quick and when she seemed all happy and ok I put her down to go clean up her shirt and mine and as soon as I put her down she fussed and wanted back up for some more cuddles, I about cried... never has she really allowed me to comfort her when she has been hurt so I without thinking have just not really tried to hard after she pushes away right away but this time was amazing!! Tonight she just wanted me to hold her almost all night after her nap so she helped me make dinner and sat with me and every time I put her down she wanted back up. This is awesome! After dinner she wanted me again so I went and just hung out with her in a chair while Rich cleaned up!!... and she got so silly (we got some AWESOME piccs) I just had to soak it all up.

This being our first adoption, I feel that we were very prepared for bonding issues and really for the most part I feel like she has done amazing really just amazing with everyone and everything but I was the only one she held back on and I feel like her wall is starting to crumble. Tonight at bed time I tried to start a new routine with her by taking her to her room to get her ready and then I read, for the first time one of her adoption books that I had bought her, its a beautiful story about a birth mother and a mom and the little girl and while she sat in my lap while I read I got very teary and started to cry when she looked up at me and smiled OOO my how my heart skipped a beat and I just had to give her a squeeze. This girl is amazing and I just cant wait to see what happens next.... not so much with the tantrums but the rest sure is fun!!

Sorry for such the long post and if anyone is still reading here are some photos from this week. The weather has been amazing so we spent a lot of time outside with bubbles and exploring, the grass creeps her out but she is getting braver with touching it, one of her favorite pastimes lately is picking her nose EWW do I really have a nose picker YUCK we are working on it but I caught her and took some pics when she wouldnt stop.. guess there was something good up there. When she is outside she loves to sit on the steps like a big girl and just kicks her feet, its so cute! And then there are the photos of her and I together tonight when she got super silly and sweet, catching her smile on camera is like spotting a unicorn so to get so many in a row was amazing!