Home One Month, Already!

Really, its been a month already?!

Things have settled down in our home lately, and we are finally getting into a normal and familiar routine. Angelina (as I'm sure all children from orphanage care) thrives when given a consistent schedule and routine, and we are trying to give that to her with also finding a balance of flexibility.

Still, Angelina's adjustment to her new life amazes me beyond belief. She is such a happy-go-lucky girl and her smiles and giggles light up our home. Besides being sick last week, she eats well and still sleeps through the night. We still struggle with eating fresh fruits and vegetables, and at times, Angelina could win a medal for her dramatics right before bedtime!



I feel that attachment is a two step forward - one step back process. She still is learning to trust us, and still has her guard up most of the time. She is still very comfortable to walk up to strangers, and I don't think she knows yet what mama and papa mean. However, she reaches for us when she wants to be picked up, will cuddle (even if its just for a very short while), will let herself be comforted by us now and then as well. She initiates games and will share her toys and food with us often. She gives us unprompted kisses and will sometimes hold on to us when we pick her up. I feel that her attachment to us is progressing normally, and have realized over the month that it comes much slower than I hoped or expected!

I am amazed by how quickly Angelina learns new things. She loves to study our actions and actions of the dog and even her toys. She mimics everything we do, from sneezing, coughing, stretching, to dancing. It is so fun to watch her figure things out. As far as her language acquisition, Angelina really is starting to understand many of the things we say to her. She follows our directions and commands very well. She knows her name and responds to it most of the time (the other times is when shes being a normal toddler just ignoring their mom!) She is not talking a ton yet. She can say "cracker" and "doggy" very well, and for everything else, she says "dah". For example, I say "Angelina", she says "dah daaaaah da" in the same tone that I use. I think that it will just be a matter of time before she is just chattering away especially since her mimicking skills are so sharp.

We received our certificate of citizenship in the mail on Thursday, so we can now easily prove that Angelina is a citizen! Our other post-adoption paperwork is almost complete. Also, our doctor appointments are wrapping up for now. Its nice to know that we can just start living as normal without this appointment and that paperwork.

Angelina's first ice cream trip! We fed her the ice cream, and she ate an empty cone...it was much, much cleaner that way!

Playing with Papa

Studying the leaf and pine cone

Walking at the park