Bell Gets Comfortable

Though the jet lag continues to kick our asses - things are getting better and better.  Bell is relaxing and maybe even seems to know that she is home for good now.  Today she spent the day exploring her new environment.  She played her brother's drums (I think she has exquisite rhythm) enjoyed her brother's bath (apparently baths are great if she is fully dressed and having one from outside the tub) met one of her brother's best friends Mattison, and generally spent the day busy and happy and cheerful.  She is babbling non-stop.  She now has a vocabulary of four signs ("More, Eat, Milk, and Water") and is adding more every day.  She slips into sleep easily.  She eats and eats and eats.  And smiles and smiles.  And laughs and plays and hugs and kisses.   I don't want to jinx anything by saying that it's all going so incredibly smoothly, but... 

Oh, and I think that what I assumed was a fistula in her palate repair is actually a hole left there on purpose that will be fixed when she gets the cleft in her gums done when she is four or five.  Apparently surgeons generally leave a space at the front of the child's mouth so that her gums are able to grow as she grows.  Of course, I won't know for certain until we see the plastic surgeon next week - but this could be great news indeed.  It could mean that her repair was entirely successful!

 

She really is the most joyful, smart, funny little girl. 

I want to add, because I haven't had time to answer many emails or make many calls yet - that we have so, so appreciated everyone's great comments and emails and words of support that have been pouring in as we have gone through this process.  Every morning in China we would wake up and read all the wonderful things that everyone had to say.  I save every word and I know that someday Fang Fang will read them all and it will be such an amazing thing to see how many people out there were watching this journey, and cheering her on. 

Also, special big thanks to Aunties Gina and Ren who stayed through the weekend and cooked and cleaned for us and held Fang Fang's hand as she went up and down the stairs fifty million times, and doted on their nephew, and were just generally fun to have around.  I am very grateful to have sisters (all of them - even the ones who couldn't be here yet).  And even bigger thanks goes to Auntie Ren for all her devoted posting to the blog while we were in China.  We couldn't have made our way around the Great Firewall of China and shared the journey with everyone if Ren hadn't been willing to receive our emails and pictures and sort them all out and post them to the blog - all while she was being a busy college student - so big huge huzzahs to devoted and faithful Auntie Ren the Tireless Blog Poster!

  

When I have the time, I will write a post on the differences between adopting a child and having one biologically - and, obviously, there are some - especially on a purely practical level - but I just want to say now that, for me, emotionally - there is no difference.  I am being as plain and honest as I can possibly be when I say that the moment this little girl was put into my arms I was overwhelmed with all the same familiar feelings that came to me when her newborn brother was placed squirming onto my chest eight years ago.  And that the instant, ferocious, all consuming mother love washed over me just like it did back then.  Ryan and I were talking about this today - I asked him if he felt any differences between our two children - how the process is going for him - and he said, "Loving her?  That's the easiest thing in the world."