I’ve gotten too far behind on posting. It’s been dizzying how much keeps changing and how I can’t keep up with time moving forward. So consider this a drop in the bucket. A collection of moments that I have string together with a few photos.
We are in awe of our little warrior. Every day brings something new I just had to stop writing it all down. Now I have forgotten things I said I would document. But the good news is I have been there for everything and I am so deeply moved by her love for me. We have a very special bond.
It’s not just for me though. Her personality keeps breaking through and she now sees her brother in a way that is closer to the beautifully innocent admiration you see between bigs and littles. She also seems to know who is the boss. She doesn’t shy away from letting him know when he is in her way and an elbow or a grab of hair always gives us a giggle. (We will work on good behavior next year.) Right now we are just proud of our tough sassafras.
Gaining confidence
I think we are also seeing her be a little more sure of her body and her surroundings. We have been able to enjoy the park a little more this fall and she recognizes it now. She got very brave in the photos where she is holding into the rope, she is also standing on a rope. I was propping her back for a while and she was testing her legs and arms. But I could tell she had stopped using me for support and she was really pulling herself to center to hold balance (core tummy muscles) and we grabbed this shot if her being pretty proud of herself.
Independence is another challenging topic with her. Of course we are so excited for her to be understanding some new concepts of life. We are even cautiously trying to give her those moments of exploration and research. Sometimes I feel like she’s in this soundproof glass house and we are supposed to just watch her and not interrupt her little world. But we take every opportunity we can to reinforce communication and the practices we want her to follow.
The ride back from Austin after Thanksgiving was a funny example. D sat in the way back so I didn’t have my usual assistant shuffling things around in the back. Plus, we had too much stuff crammed in around the kids and the dog that My sweet, innocent little girl found herself right next to a big bag of pirates booty. (White cheddar rice puffs) The pic doesn’t do it justice but not only was she reaching in and serving herself handfuls of puffs, she started to put some back when she was done. No matter that a couple were slightly gummy from a test drive in her mouth. All this to say the girl will figure things out her way and we are merely here for supervision and her own protection. Otherwise, it’s best if we just stay out of her way when she gets an idea in her head.
So that’s just a taste of Reesey introducing herself to us. It’s spotty and many times it’s almost like it never happened. She reverts back to a fussy baby in my eyes and I forget she was just climbing on a stool trying to wash her hands. It’s still an emotional ride, but we will take it for sure!
OK With Change 