Wrestling Matches and Redirection

This is what happens when Mom turns her back for 2 seconds, and I find my brothers markers.

Our niece was baptized today. The addition of 4 extra cousins with my two already active children always brings an element of chaos to the situation. We attend church regularly, as well as our nieces and nephews, but the kids love being together. At one point, I looked over and our 2 year old niece was stuffing cheese crackers into Sidney’s mouth as Sidney encouragingly laughed out loud. This was only before Eli’s cousin, 2 years younger, asked out loud if he could spend the night at our house, arm wrapped tightly around Eli. Eli sat stoically in fear of his mother. This all occurred after the kids came flooding into our bench after communion. Later our newly baptized niece said to the people ahead of us “I pee.” I think I picked up crayons off the floor at least 20 times. Each week there is an element of uncertainty.

Later our kids had a chance to catch up with their cousins and play outside in the scorching heat. It was especially nice to see our nieces and nephews with their family together. So precious to see my niece laying her head on her dads shoulder during church. My brother-in-law is recently returned from Iraq. It never leaves my mind that his service is the reason our children are allowed to sit in church together worshiping God. It also makes me think about the lack of Christianity in Sidney’s life, prior to the adoption, and how little time it took for her to learn simple things like folding her hands for a meal prayer, or standing on the kneeler in our church. Just another big reason I am so thankful she is our daughter. I have read that in an orphanage, kids are taught that God is something that is made up. This makes me sad, knowing that there is little hope, in an environment where they have nowhere to go with their pain and frustration.

I asked Sidney this morning if she had fun with her cousins yesterday, and she nodded her head, yes, enthusiastically. We are noticing her vocabulary increasing, in response to what we are asking or in her ability to speak. Many times people ask me if she spoke any Chinese when she came home. She was almost 15 months when she came home, so I think there were a few times she was trying to communicate something but I obviously did not understand. We continue to use her nickname in the orphanage, “Xia Xia” pronounced “Sha Sha, and she clearly understands this as one of her names. Another cool thing she has retained from China is that that she ends her words with aahhh. So, Mommy is Mommmeeee - ah or Dada is Dada-ah. Tom will tell you I have spent MANY hours reading about China and have heard this from other adoptive parents.

OK, back to digging out my house. We had light colds this week and mom felt good enough to plant herself on the couch in front of a book with a towel over her head as she steamed her sinuses. I am certain the kids thought I was insane. Sidney kept trying to peek inside to make sure I was still there.