It's been almost 2 years since we met our darling daughter and I can't believe how much our lives have changed. I speak with our social work from our adoption agency on a weekly basis (down from once a day) since things have improved in the home. Linda has been a tremendous help to me, offering the best support throughout this whole process. She has been there and understands like no other. She has been there through thick and thin. She is my go-to person. Everyone must have a go-to person!!!
We still battle with potty training, though I shouldn't use the word battle, because we have all around given up and let Deeana have control. That is one aspect of R.A.D.. Control. They want to control and manipulate everything and everyone. And Deeana is a pro. But I can breathe better at night now. No more violent screaming fights. No more avoiding Mommy unless she is in a mood.
If she is really upset or having a bad day, she will still pinch or bite herself (usually on her face) leaving a mark/bleeding. We have been working on telling her to take care of her body, love her body. It's a hard lesson for her.
Eating is still an issue. Deeana only weighs about 30 pounds and is 4 and a half years old. She will go through phases where she is not interested in food. We try not to make a big deal about it and always have food on hand for her, but the phases can last for weeks, months even.
She recently got over having H-Pylori, or stomach ulcers... which we thought contributed to the lack of eating, but no such luck.
On the bright side, Deeana is in preschool 3 days a week and loving it! I am so glad to drop her off, for more reasons than one, and see her interact with the other children. She talks for hours, and about the silliest things. She loves people (which isn't the best thing when you are learning stranger danger). She is smart and witty and charms the pants off of everyone in a room. That's our Deeana.
Hayden is practicing the trombone in band. I'm not sure if he will stay on next year, but for now he plays a pretty mean "The Saints Go Marching In". He has been doing well in school and focusing on sleep-overs. It seems like every weekend someone is calling to spend the night, or vice versa. Which is kind of ok. The less kids, the better. ;) Our boy is growing up and will be turning 10 in April. Unbelievable how fast time flies.
Here our some family pictures taken recently to see how much the kids have grown.
We hope everyone is doing well. We miss you!
~Mel
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