Hope: One Less: Day 21

Overall, today was pretty low-key in comparison to some of our other days. Chris went to work this morning so it was just she and I. Bessie came and got in bed with us about 5:30 when Chris left. She slept until about 7:00 (not near long enough). After breakfast, she realized she had gotten up too early and was still tired. She went back to bed for about an hour. She did a game of wii bowling. She could not quite get the hang of holding and releasing the trigger, but with help, she did fine. She also practiced writing her name, and I saw definite improvement from when she arrived. We tossed a rubber ball back and forth and played Go Fish. I also showed her how to play head, shoulders, knees, and toes which she thought was hilarious. She is really catching on to the English names for her facial features and body parts. We had an early lunch and then got dolled-up for professional pictures. We thought it would be nice to have some good pictures of her by herself and also some of the three of us together. We told her in advance what we were doing and she practiced saying "cheese" and smiling. She was also pretty excited to be coordinating her outfit with Mama.

Chris:
We went and had pictures taken when I got home from work. I can tell you after about 10 minutes the cheese smile was a struggle, and I am pretty sure photographers of kids don't get paid enough. Her eyes were wondering everywhere. You would think this kid had never seen a car or truck. She was worried about everything going on but getting her picture taken. She was still very cooperative and it seems like we got some good ones.

We had a short session with A Thousand Words Photography which worked out well. I am not sure she would have lasted any longer than what we got. Afterwards, we made a quick trip to Champaign to run a few errands. We stopped in to see our good friend, Kyle, at his office. She loved playing with some bubble wrap and spinning in circles in his office chair. We also met his boss, Pat, who is Chinese. Pat tried to talk to her in Mandarin, but she was too shy to talk back.

We heard back from the STL Endocrinologist with the results of the lab work. The good news is that everything came back NORMAL. The bad news is we still have no idea why she is so small for her age. The Endo recommended she continue to have further testing done. I know I feel like it is a result of her environment, but I am no doctor:)

When we arrived back to town, we went to our small group/bible study. She was too nervous to play in the basement with the other kids so she stayed with us. She and baby Kate had fun following each other around. They went back and forth between wanting to sit on my lap at the same time and sharing Kate's chair. She also made herself right at home in the kitchen (which seems to be her favorite room at our house too) and had some snacks.

When we got home, Chris helped her with dinner while I did some work in the basement. It sounded like it was a struggle which seems to be a common theme at mealtime. It is no surprise to us that she is so small because she is such a slow eater. We had hoped that she would gain some weight while she is here, but she has not. Chris gave her a bath and put her to bed. This was also a struggle because she wants Mama to do everything. He laid down with her so that she could fall asleep, but she started crying (*fake tears) because that was not what she wanted. We know she can fall asleep on her own because she does for naptime. So I sent her back to bed alone and I shut her door except for a crack. It wasn't long and we heard something and she had re-opened her door. I finally realized it was because I had failed to turn on her night light. All is well now. Sweet dreams, sweet girl!