Update On Ava

Ava has been home almost 7 months now!!! She is doing very well for the most part.
She is still attaching well, playing well, and fits in perfectly in our family.

Although....I still have some concerns...she has only gained, maybe, two pounds since she's been here and none in height. I know she gained at least 3 lbs, and 3 inches between our visits in Bulgaria, so I'm hoping this is just a lull of sorts. Still wearing 24 mos. clothes and size 6 shoe(and it's a little big)...so stinkin' tiny!!

Her language HAS gotten better, but she continues to speak in third person(i.e., "Ava eat", "Ava drink", etc.). We're really trying to address this, but it's very difficult for her to pronounce certain sounds. Like, short a....she has a very thick accent...which is funny, because we never even heard her say three words the whole time we were visiting last year;).

She follows directions well, if they're short.... Too many words confuses, as you can imagine. She WILL NOT/CANNOT tell me when she has to go to the bathroom....she just waits for me to take her. When I ask her at dinner if she is "all done"(I know, bad grammar, but...), she hands me the plate and shakes her head and says, "No all done"....okay, what's up with THAT!!!

She is the SLOOOOOWWWWEEEESSST eater in the WORLD!!!!(okay, maybe a little over-dramatization there...but not much;)). This drove me bonkers as I spent most of the meal saying "Eat Ava"...now I just take it away, without say much, when the other kids are finished...which honestly, I think she is happy about because she doesn't have to eat any more:), but it's just not a battle I want to fight any more. I mean seriously, this girl could put away the food this time last year!!!! I'm sure it's all still new...after 6 months??????????

She has started some "nonsense chatter" which is a sign of poor attachment, so we're also nipping that in the bud as well.

She loves to read books, and sing songs and play with "doh". Her play is still a little immature for her age, I think. She IS learning to do puzzles...but colors are eluding her...she just doesn't get it... She basically wants to be wherever we are, doing whatever we're doing etc....:)

She wants desperately to have a "conversation", so her newest thing is to walk in the room and say "Wheresa__________", even if said person/thing is right beside her. I still wonder if she has some sort of short term memory issue....;)

We're also working on NOT sucking her thumb....which is going pretty well. She wants to please us, so she's trying to not suck it....and if she's busy, she doesn't need it anyway:)!

She is also learning to "pray"...it is so cute!

As for me.....I refuse to be a hypocrite here...it's still tough....better, but still with some ugly days.....

It's just reeeeeaaallly hard adopting a toddler that you have NO baby history with....apparently I needed that....BUT, we keep moving forward....praying and waiting for that day, when I can look back and say, "Wow, look how far we've come "!:)

Does this scare me as we are moving toward another adoption? YEP!!!! I tremble with fear! A LOT!!! I just have to believe(SOMEHOW!) that God's got this! That he'll bring us to the other side, unscathed and stronger for having been down this road. That HIS Spirit in me is ABLE to do what I cannot seem to do on my own!!