I took Anju for a speech therapy evaluation this morning. The therapists did not think there was any cause for concern at this time as she was pretty on par in other areas of development. They thought that her speech was behind due to the changes in her environment and also possibly due to the lack of stimulation in the past. One of the big challenges in adoption is that we really don't have information about our child's past. It makes it more complicated to figure out if an issue is due to adoption or because of other health problems. I have to say, I was really relieved to hear that Anjali might not need speech therapy after all. She just said 'eye' this morning and pointed to her eyes so she is making progress.
Progress is what we have seen so much of in the last few weeks. Anjali has really blossomed in the six weeks that she has been with us. During the first few days, Anju would not let us take her shoes or clothes off. As unusual as this sounds, she could not handle it at all. She used to cry so hard if we took them off even for a diaper change. Now, she can hardly wait to get her clothes off and run for a bath. She did not want me to pick her up and would only be happy interacting with me from a distance. This morning, at the therapist's office, she cried for me when the therapist picked her up and also looked me for approval before doing anything. For the first time, she showed me how much she trusted me. It felt so good!! Anjali used to scratch me if she ever saw my bare skin. Now, instead she looks at my skin and thinks for a second before stroking it gently. I think her wounds are healing. Somewhere, the anger or trauma is slowly being replaced with love. I didn't think she could be any happier but she is!
One big change I think in the last week is that Anjali has been trying to engage with me more. She has started to play goofy games like blinking or making a funny sound and wanting for me to mimic her. She even prompts for me to sing "Twinkle Twinkle" to her. It is really cute and I feel that she and I have grown closer.
Anjali continues to amaze us with her acrobatics! She jumps, somesaults, tries to climb onto everything and fit into any space she can find! Her antics make us laugh quite a bit. For such a tiny person, she has a lot of strength and energy! Here are some pics of Anju's stunts!
Progress is what we have seen so much of in the last few weeks. Anjali has really blossomed in the six weeks that she has been with us. During the first few days, Anju would not let us take her shoes or clothes off. As unusual as this sounds, she could not handle it at all. She used to cry so hard if we took them off even for a diaper change. Now, she can hardly wait to get her clothes off and run for a bath. She did not want me to pick her up and would only be happy interacting with me from a distance. This morning, at the therapist's office, she cried for me when the therapist picked her up and also looked me for approval before doing anything. For the first time, she showed me how much she trusted me. It felt so good!! Anjali used to scratch me if she ever saw my bare skin. Now, instead she looks at my skin and thinks for a second before stroking it gently. I think her wounds are healing. Somewhere, the anger or trauma is slowly being replaced with love. I didn't think she could be any happier but she is!
One big change I think in the last week is that Anjali has been trying to engage with me more. She has started to play goofy games like blinking or making a funny sound and wanting for me to mimic her. She even prompts for me to sing "Twinkle Twinkle" to her. It is really cute and I feel that she and I have grown closer.
Anjali continues to amaze us with her acrobatics! She jumps, somesaults, tries to climb onto everything and fit into any space she can find! Her antics make us laugh quite a bit. For such a tiny person, she has a lot of strength and energy! Here are some pics of Anju's stunts!
OMG she is so adorable. I cannot even imagine the joy you felt when you saw that trust in her eyes. She has one of the best parents in the world. I am sure if she already hasn't she is soon going to forget all her sadness from the past and her life is going to be filled with nothing but love. It's so nice to see her turning out to be that naughty. She is going to be one mischievous child :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Anu! She might just win the prize for being the naughtiest ever!
ReplyDelete