Finding her Voice

Its been two weeks since Wu Yi came home from the hospital and she has been doing amazingly well.  She continues to eat like crazy, has gained back her weight, and got the "all clear" from her Dr to eat whatever she wants.  The only thing she struggles with is figuring out how to suck through a straw, which is completely backwards from what you would expect with a cleft palate repair!  We met with a speech therapist, and will take her in for her initial evaluation later this month.

She has returned to school and is going everyday with my friend Cheryl for two hours.  She spends the last 45 minutes of this time in a regular 2nd grade classroom.  It has been amazing to watch her gain confidence at school.  For a long time, she would ignore the kids and teachers, and only look at the floor while she was in the building.  Now, she is starting to cautiously look at the kids and the classroom and she is giving an occasional smile to familiar adults.  She has been studying Evan's yearbook carefully and I think this gives her a better feel for the school hierarchy.  She has some understanding of telling time and watching the clock for when she will be picked up, and that gives her more confidence too.  We also decided to hold her back and keep her in this same 2nd grade class in the fall, as well as have a tutor work with her at home this summer.

She started speaking some English in the past two weeks ~ mostly repeating short words and phrases from her favorite Barbie cartoons.  She has been most confident doing this in front of my mom, who babysits Wu Yi while I am at work.  (I went back 1/2 time two weeks ago, and go back full time next week).  Yesterday and today, however, she began speaking conversational English!!  And its not just random words, its complete sentences!  Today she said to me in the car "Grandma's house is that way", "Lets have lunch with Grandma at the park with the big slide", and "Mrs Jensen's little boy got hit and broke his teeth" (that from a story she heard about a teachers son having a baseball accident).  Other new phrases today include "follow me", "catch me",  "push me" (on the swing), "Sami, get your leash", and "let's skip".  What an absolutely delightful girl who continues to laugh and laugh when we play at the park.

She has also been more open and trusting in sharing her photos and treasured China backpack.  She "tells" me (through gestures and miming) about her friends, nannies, and teachers in China.  She considered her closest friends at the orphanage to be her brothers and sisters, and called many nannies "mama".  Because she was in a special needs orphanage, she described to me the various ailments of her friends.  It is heartbreaking to me that she seems to feel defined by her cleft issues.  She asks me regularly when will the Dr fix her nose (she can't have reconstructive surgery until her teens).  People made fun of her nose, and despite having just gone through a very difficult surgery, she is eager to do it again.  It makes me so angry that an 8 year old has been made to feel this way.  She has not given me any clue as to why she avoids having a relationship with Don, but she did point out a picture of a female teacher she had who hit her hands with a ruler and twisted her ear in school.

Along with all of these milestones, she has also become very physically affectionate with me.  She usually likes to act as though she hates to get a hug, but more and more she finds a way to throw herself in my arms, hold my hand, ask for a piggyback ride, or even not pull away when I give her a raspberry kiss on her neck.  I am so proud of all she has overcome.  Summer vacation starts in 4 weeks and Don will be home with her while I am at work.  Lets hope the two of them will find a way into each others hearts.  :)