So how has our girl been doing over the last few weeks? Really good. I keep telling people that Vivi is the poster child for how well international adoption can go. It's true. She has fit right into our family and she hasn't looked back. She eats (everything) like a dream and sleeps like a dream. She's fun and funny and a loud barrel of laughs.
She LOVES accessories, just like we were told in an update that came while we were waiting for her. She loves to try on hats. Whether it's mine,
her own,
or, um, her brother's underwear. Which, for the record, was clean and being folded to be put away when she grabbed it. And really, who doesn't need to make all of their phone calls with an underwear hat?
Vivi has learned to hold hands - with Liam,
Micah,
or a random statue in a park.
She has totally conquered the playground in her own way.
She got her braces! I know that a lot of parents aren't excited that their child will need to wear braces but we are so so so grateful for her to get them, and for what they will do for her ability to walk on her own. Here she is trying them out for the first time and checking herself out in the mirror.
We brought Liam along to the appointment because we needed to be there prior to pre-school drop-off time, and since Vivi just adores him, we thought he might be a good motivator for her while she was trying out her new braces. He totally was. Check out the only person she would walk to at the end of the parallel bars for her first few tries.
Later that same day, after a nap and an outfit change, we took her walker outside and watched a stronger, tougher Vivi just take off. Look at the excitement all over that face!!
There's almost no stopping her now. She has an evaluation for a walker next Thursday, and we are thrilled for that too, as it will give her the independence that she clearly craves. It will also help her start to keep up with her brothers, which I think is the ultimate goal!
She had to have some tests done at All Children's Hospital. She is attempting to fill out some of her forms while we wait for one of the tests.
No one can rock a hospital gown quite like Vivienne!
Passed out in between tests. It was a long day for both of us.
Because of her spina bifida and because she is new to us, we are in the process of getting "baseline" readings for so many different things for her - hearing, vision, vaccinations, neurosurgery, etc. It's rough for a little girl who doesn't understand why people keep poking and prodding her, and why it's happening so often. She is seriously handling it like a champ though. She'll cry, as anyone would, through a lot of the procedures, and often console herself by repeating the phrase, "Almost done", kind of like a mantra. But the second it's over and she's safe in my or Tim's arms again, she is her usual sunny self, all smiles and giggles and yelling all the words she knows.
We knew she was special, but this girl is something else. We got a lot of paperwork on her both during and after her adoption. The medical foundation that treated her in China said that she was "one of their stars". We believed that, but now we see it. There is literally NOTHING that will keep our girl down.
We're so grateful for that spirit, as we know it will serve her well, not only through these current trials, but for the rest of her life.
