Callie has been home for less than two weeks, and already it's as though she's always been here. The adjustment period we keep anticipating simply hasn't been an issue; from the moment we met her she was undeniably ours and we were hers, and strangely enough she seems to know it instinctively. We've felt all along that she was meant to be here, but in reality we knew that when you adopt an older child the road is not always paved with sunshine and roses in the beginning. So imagine our surprise when it HAS been. I know it sounds crazy ; it is not the norm for older child adoptions and no doubt there will be bumps in the road, but for the moment we are just enjoying Callie for who she is, a pint sized powerhouse with a whole lot of love to give and no reservations at all about giving it. We are so very, very blessed.
Already Callie has been very attuned to the fact that she is now part of our family; she checks the walls and fridge to make sure there are photos of herself along with Maili and Holt and claps gleefully when she spots one. The second day she was home, she pointed out the fact that there were no Callie photos in the digital photo frame that scrolls constantly in the living room. I quickly grabbed the camera card and downloaded some family photos from our China trip while she was napping, replaced the card, and waited for her to notice.
When she awoke from her nap we were all in the den and I noticed her watching the photos flashing on the screen again. A few seconds later, a picture of Callie came up and she began clapping and giggling, jumping up and down in her excitement and screaming "Look, Mommy, Callie!" Yes, her English has developed that fast. She uses English phrases sprinkled with Chinese and we have no trouble understanding each other. She can name all of her body parts in English and has been teaching them to us in Chinese. She giggles at our pronunciation and mocks how we say them, laughing hysterically when we get one wrong.
After one week of watching preschool videos and being introduced to a couple of computer programs I used with Maili, she can say her ABC's and recognize quite a few of them, name a handful of letter sounds, and put the fridge magnets in alphabetical order. She wrote her name for the first time today and seems to have no issues with her motor skills that I can see. The orphanage delays we had anticipated simply aren't there; so far there is no evidence that she might require extra help to catch up to her peers, which is very surprising considering the amount of time she has spent in an orphanage. This is both a blessing and a curse; she most likely won't qualify for any additional help in school to help her catch up, but the good news is that she should catch up quickly regardless.
Right now we are planning to start her in kindergarten, since she has had little or no exposure to basic academic skills that we can determine. Even though she should technically be in first grade, we feel that this will give her the best start to her school career and expose her to the skills she has missed. Due to her small size, it is likely that her peers will not realize that she is older unless she chooses to tell them. Had she qualified for any extra services through the school system we would consider placing her in first grade, but since she will basically be on her own we feel that kindergarten will be the best placement for her even though it will put her two grades behind her same age sister.
Speaking of Maili, the two girls have become absolutely inseperable since coming home; they couldn't be closer. Holt left for Boy Scout camp the day after coming home from China and the girls spent the week playing dress up, getting their nails done, and dressing up their dolls together. They actually had their very first sibling squabble yesterday over a toy they both wanted to play with, but it didn't last long and they were both sad when I separated them for awhile to cool off and figure out how to work it out. While they were seated in separate areas of the den to cool off I overheard the following conversation:
Maili: I'm sorry, Callie.
Callie: I'm sorry, Maili.
Maili: I love you, Callie
Callie: I love you, Maili
After they resumed playing Maili came into the kitchen and said "Mom, sisters fight sometimes, don't they?"
Sometimes they do, I replied.
But I don't like to fight with my sister, it makes me feel sad" was her reply, which struck me as kind of funny, since she fights with Holt on a regular basis and rarely shows any remorse..go figure.
Callie met MeMe and Pa, Aunt Kelli and cousin Lacey for the first time this weekend and she was thrilled to make their acquaintance. I think she recognized them from the pictures in the book we had sent her before we traveled. She posed willingly for all of their photos and gave hugs to everyone while they were here. Amazingly enough, she already seems to get that she is part of our family, and when asked her name she will proudly tell you the full name that we have given her. She may not realize yet that we are forever, but she definitely gets the concept of family and she has already become a treasured part of ours.
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