~All About Lucy~

On Monday, Lucy will have been with us for 6 weeks (home for 5), so I wanted to do an update on her adjustment and language. I am using this blog in lieu of a scrapbook, so that is why my update is here...and why it is so long :)

~She truly is a joy...I know I say that alot, but it is true. We feel so blessed that her transition into our family has been so smooth. Not once, has she become frustrated or upset when we have misunderstood her...she simply will say it again and try to show us what she wants. So far, I have not seen any attachment issues with her. She was reaching out for everyone when we were in China, but as we have been home she will want others to hold her, but it is never for long, and she always comes back to Baba or I. I do know that this could still become an issue, so I am constantly evaluating


~In the last 2 weeks Lucy's language has taken off. A couple weeks after we came home, I could tell she was understanding what I would tell her (along with gestures), and now she seems to be understanding most everything. She does still understand more than she speaks, but now is constantly repeating everything I say to her in English, and if she says something to me in Chinese...like "ba wah" (phonetically spelled :), she follows it with, "hold me".



It has been such a HUGE help that we have learned so many Chinese phrases, so we are able to understand many of the things she says to us on a daily basis...like "go potty" "drink water" "drink tea" "no time for bed!" "time to eat" "come here" "just a minute" and alot of others. I have found myself not saying some of these things to her in English, 1. because it is just easier to say it in Chinese, but, 2. I have been so worried she is going to lose her Chinese I forget how important it is to learn English too...so that is something I am working on :)



~We do still communicate alot with our own version of "charades".

When it is time for her bath or to tell her I am going to take a shower, we pretend like we are washing our hair and body.

When she wants to go for a walk and ride in the stroller, she pretends like she is pushing a stroller and says "push"



~Here is a list of what she says most often~

How about this one?? - I think I must ask her this alot :)
So cute
Quiet - she says this to the dog...I am starting to realize what I tend to say quite often :)
rice
Grammy , Papa, Powell, Blake, Bennett, and even some of the boy's friends names

I know there are more I can't recall...they seem to be coming very quickly now!



~I did just find her a Chinese teacher. I am determined to help her keep as much of her Chinese as I can. She will go for one hour/one day a week, to more of a playtime with her teacher and her children. We visited one day this week, and Lucy seemed to really enjoy it.

~Things Lucy Loves~

~falling asleep in her bed at night with Baba
~taking baths
~playing memory games
~going on walks in her stroller
~going bye-bye
~playing outside
~eating
~seeing her Baba come home at the end of the day
~greeting her brothers when they come home from school, or picking them up
~playing with her magnadoodle
~pretend cooking - oh how I had dreamed of playing this with my daughter one day!
~writing, drawing, coloring, painting, play-doh...crafts - that's my girl!
~playing with ANYONE's cell phone - she has been doing this since the day we met her, so someone in her SWI started this one :)
~taking pictures with MY camera
~mien (noodles), rice, green beans, dumplings, congee, spicy