Inside the Chaos of Normal Life

I haven’t completely forgotten about the blogging world. I have been caught up in extra tae kwon do practices, spelling lists, and Tom hovering over me on the internet, attempting to determine our next summer vacation destination. He has become a bit obsessed. We are not touristy people. We like to get away from the noise of regular life, throw a line in the water fishing, read uninterrupted, or sit around on a lazy afternoon with Tom by the grill. Tom is less than fast paced, and I am learning. I am somewhere in between with the need to stay in touch with real life. My only stipulation on our destination is wireless access. That and he is taking me to the urban sprawl in a couple of weeks, to satisfy his wife’s need to get outside of rural America.

Inside the chaos of daily life, orneriness has reached its highest level.  A combination of cold weather and Sidney’s decision to discontinue her normal nap schedule, have brought a new dynamic to our house.  I say Sidney’s decision, facetiously. A solid block of two uninterrupted hours have dwindled to just over an hour.  I remember this phase well with Eli. It is the phase causing my friend to grimace aloud upon hearing the news. On the positive side, bedtime is a dream with little fuss.

This new schedule has made “playtime” or three hours of daycare per week very necessary.  I can’t believe how much this burst of sanity helps. I also think it is good for so many other reasons. One of them being new friends in her age group.  Some of her new found playmates have been spoken of in a positive nature while others have received the name “icky man.” I have yet to uncover the identity of “icky man.” She typically charges in, diving into whatever activity might be going on without so much as a glance back. 

Her independence typically comes out in situations around other children. It makes complete sense, considering the environment of an orphanage. For this reason, I feel we passed a major milestone this week. I was upstairs folding laundry, and she went into her room and played for at least a solid hour by herself. At one point, I came to check on her, and she told me “alone.” She contentedly chatted aloud, enjoying this time with zero anxiety.  What a very different little girl.  

I can also tell she is changing physically. I have written extensively on her bout with giardia and ridding her body of the parasite. We assume she contracted the parasite very early in her time in Chenzhou. As a result her growth was stunted. She is catching up, growing an inch this month.  This is amazing. We monitor her growth, but we do get overly wrapped up in numbers. She had no time to grow until now, getting over the parasite and two surgeries in the first six months home. It is great to see her respond so positively to proper nutrition.

OK, I am off to start making phone calls for carpet tubing. I am directing vacation Bible school this year, so there will be any number of obscure calls and activities going on in my house at any one time. I really enjoy doing this, and it makes me feel good to give back.