I'm finally catching up on what has been happening in the life of Miss Maleia! At 16 months old I can attempt to describe her as sensitive, content, silly, smart, energetic, independent, athletic (she kicks soccer balls around and throws really well), and this little one knows exactly what she wants and will let you know it! We are so blessed to have her in our family. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't thank God for this wonderful child, that He protected her, and brought her to us. I do think about her birth mom at random times throughout the day. I have a feeling that she thinks of Maleia often as well. I try not to be sad about it because I know that God has a plan for each of His children. This was the plan for Maleia and He is going to do amazing things in her life! I can't wait to see more of the plan unfold!
She is a true joy and brings a smile to anyone who meets her! Maleia is talking! Her little voice is mousy, sometimes almost a breathy whisper. She is able to repeat most words. When she really wants something or doesn't like something she will let you know with her loud voice, "Mama!" "Juice!" and her favorite, "No!" Her receptive language astounds me. Such a smart smart girl. She wants to do everything her big brother and sister do. They adore her and love to tell everybody that she's from Ethiopia. My biggest worry in adopting a child was how she was going to transition into our family. It has been a beautifully loving process that can only be described as natural. I know, weird word, but it really has been very natural for all of us to blend and become a new family. Thank you God.
We go to the doctor this week as we are still catching up on all of her immunizations. I can't wait to see how tall she is and how much she weighs now. She is growing, growing, growing. Maleia likes protein, carbs, milk, and juice! This kid loves meat. She'll eat meatballs like candy. I have found it very interesting when watching Maleia that she usually finds one person in a group of people (sometimes it's me, sometimes it's not) that she focuses on. She'll want that person to hold her and talk to her. If that person isn't giving her enough attention she'll kind of flirt for it, grab their hand, or just push her way into their legs or arms. If the person isn't me then it's usually someone she sees regularly like my mom, sister, or friend. Attachment issues are, of course, what comes to mind. When we are at home she follows me everywhere if she hasn't already insisted on me holding her. She actually says, "Hold me!" I know that quite a few of you who read this blog have also adopted so I'd love any of your input on this one.
Maleia loves books, puzzles, ball toys, dolls, and anything with music! She is very easy to entertain and sometimes gets into "play mode" where she just moves around our family room playing with each toy. Her choice would always be to play with a family member, but it's nice to see that she enjoys playing by herself too. Sleeping is still a bit rocky. I'm very uncomfortable letting my kids cry it out and will definitely not do that with Maleia. After a bunch of reading I came up with a plan that seemed reasonable, gradual, and still comforting. We moved her into Ellie's room which they will share. I spent a week in Ellie's bed and moved Ellie to mine while we were transitioning Maleia to her crib from the pack-n-play next to my bed. The first 2 days I did exactly as I had always done since leaving Hannah's Hope. I got up, offered her a bottle, and held her until she fell back asleep. The following 4 days we worked on not using the bottle. She would wake up, I would hold her for a minute and then put her down in her crib awake. She was REALLY mad about this at first. My goal is for her to begin to self soothe. It's been a few weeks now. Both girls are in the same bedroom. Maleia still wakes up several times a night. I go in and she wants to hold my hand to fall back asleep. I don't hold her or give her a bottle. So....we are making progress. The next step is removing my hands from the equation! Leaning over the crib is tiring! I am ready for a full nights sleep and so is Brendan!
Some of my favorite things Maleia does are: *jump on anybody who lays down on a floor *every once in awhile she'll come up behind me and latch onto my back. *giggle (she loves to be tickled and chased) *she smiles when she toots. She thinks she's so funny. *she loves being naked. *she can't help herself when she hears music. She just HAS to move and groove! *she backs into my lap when she wants to read a book. *she stops at the steps into our family room and says, "Help!" *she is able to get anyone to smile at her. She seeks out people for this! Love, love, love this precious little one!
Here are a few pictures from this summer so far! We've had Cousin Camp, went to Mount Hermon for Family Camp up in the beautiful redwoods, spent a ton of time in the pool, frequented the beach, spent time with family and friends, learned at Discovery Science Center, played at the OC Fair, spent a week in Palm Springs, and celebrated quite a few birthdays!
This shirt is available to purchase. The money supports another family adopting from Ethiopia. I'll post the info sometime this week
7 cousins all in row
