Sorry I haven't updated much, as I type I have Grace on my lap and Matt seated closely next to me. Grace is doing well and adjusting more and more. She is doing much better in the sleep department. Right now both Grace and Matt are sleeping in our room, but it's worth it for us to actually sleep. I can actually formulate a clear thought once in and awhile. Grace is the biggest goofball and the funny faces never stop - it makes it hard to take pictures. We have started to be able to go out and join the real world a few times, too.
Two weeks ago, we visited our children's hospital where Grace saw around 25 people from probably 8 specialities. Grace was born with a type of spina bifida called a meningocele. This happens when the outer membrane of the spinal cord slips through the vertebrae during a baby's development in the womb. She received her original repair surgery when she was a month old. Spina bifida can cause a lot of different medical and physical issues through a person's lifetime or sometimes not so many. We still have a lot more testing and a few more specialists to see before we figure out how it affects her. So far the biggest thing we see is her gait. She has "flat foot" (common with sb) due to some muscle weakness, her right foot is much worse. Last week she got casted for a brace for her right foot and an orthotic for her left, we should get them next week. She is very unbalanced and is prone to falling, but that has even been getting better the longer she has been home. She can climb out of a crib in under a minute, so it doesn't hold her back too much. However, the team that saw her was very impressed with her. Other than her repair, she really hasn't received any extra medical care or therapy. So along with living in an institution her whole life, she really is doing very well.
Gracie is on the small side, coupled with her unsteady walking and short haircut - people often think she is a lot younger than she is and/or a boy. Maybe she needs a baby wig ;) I can't seem to keep a bow in her hair very long though. She using more words spontaneously and I caught her speaking to Matt in Chinese (she told him to come with her). It will be so nice when we can understand each other better, she gets very frustrated when we can't figure out what she wants. She has quite a bit of catching up to do, but we have been excited to see her making progress every day.
Matt and Grace are still good buddies most of the team. Matt calls Gracie his best friend and he has been so good to show her how to do things. They fight plenty too, but make a good pair. Shelby loves to dress her up and Robbie can be counted on to share a snack with her or lift her so she can look out the windows. Robbie has been running track and Shelby is getting set to finish her first year of college.
We have been teaching her to pray, too. She has resisted at first, but now she will fold her hands together randomly throughout the day and shout "pay!". Grace has even started to let Jeff put her to bed. She will start yelling "Dada"when she sees him come down the driveway.
I am still adjusting too. My back is a lot better now that I get to sleep in my own bed without my little shadow all over me. I am often overwhelmed with whiny kids one moment and then completely overwhelmed with thankfulness the next that I get to be their mom. God is good like that...
