ONE MONTH OURS!

December 28th was officially one month since Sarah became a Stevens! Wow, it has gone quick! Tomorrow will be three weeks since we came home. The craziness in our house is ... well... just plain crazy! We are all continuing to adjust. Things are not always easy but they get better everyday and we are doing well.
Sarah has had many changes in her young life in the last month. One of our first stops once we came home was the doctors. What would have been 7-9 shots in China was only 3 shots in the US! Her chest xray was completely normal. What ever was showing up in China must have been from the pollution and smoke..... What did show up was that her bones are not dense like a kids should be. The doctor did some extra blood work and she has a vitamin D deficiency. She is now on Tums and a multivitamin. We did have to push the milk issue sooner than we wanted but is now fine drinking chocolate milk 3 times a day. She did loose one pound at first but has since gained it back. She is getting better at eating but meal time is not one of her happier times. I am happy to report it is getting better recently.
Sarah started fourth grade on the 20th and went for three days before vacation. She received English as a Second Language for half a day each day. Once they return to school she should receive it for 70 minutes a day. We are hoping to hear from her ESL teacher after vacation. I am hoping she has some suggestions that we can work on at home with Sarah. Her understanding of English is coming along quickly BUT her speech is not. Some things she is saying are: "Stop Manon", "Look at me Manon", "No Manon" "Its okay Manon", etc. So, you can see she is talking to Manon but not really us... Ron picked up a Chinese to English dictionary at Alex's suggestion (thanks Alex!) and it is helping. We use it when we need to explain something to her or she is upset and we are trying to find out why. She will occasionally show us something in the dictionary but I am hoping she will use it more soon. We are trying to encourage her to speak more but she will talk when she is ready. She likes to shake her head or use hand motions instead of talking...Bedtime has been another difficult time. She was very tearful at bedtime and would fall asleep crying a few times. These things have been tough on our hearts! We do understand that the only control she has had left in her life is what goes in or out of her mouth and when she opens or closes her eyes. We have tried hard to be patient and understanding and to show her we are safe and love her. The good news is we are seeing lots of progress recently! Last night we had giggles instead of tears at bedtime and mealtime has gone quicker. Ron stayed home with them on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. That really helped Sarah bond with him. It was a little rough for Ron before that. We knew that with Ron staying home with Manon that this could be an issue so it was not a surprise. She is now giving Daddy a thumbs up!
Sarah and Manon are getting along very well MOST of the time. I am happy to report they are NORMAL sisters and have their moments! Manon has been so patient and understanding with Sarah but has been a little annoyed when her father or brothers pay attention to Sarah!!! They play well together and are LEARNING to share! Since Sarah came home, Manon has been sleeping in her room instead of ours! I am HAPPY to report I have lost my little room mate! They both like their new beds. One night after they fell asleep, we found Manon in Sarah's bed with her. Very sweet! Manon was sleeping with her arm around Sarah.
Sarah is SLOWING warming up to our dogs Macy and Molly. It is a work in progress....
We kept Christmas simple and quiet this year. It was difficult to explain the real reason behind Christmas but that will come. She was very happy with her gifts and keeps track of whose is whose! Alex and Pitsa came home on Thursday and spent most of Friday with us. Nate, Kristen and Kelsey came home Christmas afternoon and spent most of Sunday here. I would say her brothers and their girls are a hit! Nick and Cynthia did not come home due to Nick's work schedule but then due to the snow storm, his work was closed. We were all disappointed we did not get to see them! We are hoping they make it up soon! Sarah did meet them at the airport but just for a short time.
Ron and his sister Dee were able to take the girls to meet him mom yesterday and that was very nice for them. He used the dictionary to show her grandmother so she would understand. She is very shy at first when meeting new people but warms up eventually.
She has only seen my parents on Skype and we are hoping they make it up from Florida in the spring (or sooner!). She did get to meet her uncle John and aunt Peggy at the school concert for a quick minute but was pretty tired and shy that night. We are hoping to get over to their house soon so she can get to know them better. She has yet to meet aunt Heidi and her family or uncle Jeff and his family but we are hoping to see them soon! She did get to see her aunt Pam and cousin Andrew on skype.
Starting December 20th, I have taken on a larger office at work so my work schedule and job are another new adjustment for us. I am hoping to keep it all manageable. It is not the time I would have chosen to do this but not all things are when we plan them! Having my family life and job change at the same time is a challenge but I think it will all work out.... I am so lucky to have such a wonderful and supportive husband/best friend! January 6th will be our ten year anniversary!
The beginning of December was one year since we first saw Sarah's picture and began the journey to make her our daughter. I can not wait to see what 2011 will bring for her and our family. She is a true blessing and worth every minute! We wish you all a safe, happy and blessed new year!
I will update the blog as often as my schedule and family allow!!!! Enjoy the pictures!
Brenda, Ron, MAnon and Sarah