Happy 1/2 Year Gotcha Day!

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I can't believe it was 6 months ago today that Gemma Lu joined our family. That day was surreal in many ways. It was also tough...I.mean.really.tough. But thankfully we can rely on God, and He got us through those first few tough days (and a few more tough days since then) and has been knitting us together as a family ever since.

I am amazed at how well Gemma is doing! Her teachers say she is doing just fine in school; friends/family think she is adjusting very well; we feel that she is as smart as a whip. The biggest hurdle for us? Attachment? No. Emotional "issues"? No. Sibling rivalry? No. Sleep "issues"? No. Language barrier?

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!

I admit...I thought she'd be fluent in English before now. Frankly, she's not there yet. But here's what I'm struggling with the most when it comes to the language barrier--I'm caught between wanting--no, needing--her to be able to communicate with us fluently in English as well as to fully understand what we say to her, while at the same time not wanting--no, dreading--her losing her native language. It's the last thread that connects her to her country of birth and her heritage. Sigh. This is tougher than I thought it would be.

So, for now, we just let her learn at her own pace. And we trust God to bridge the communication gap.

Here are some pics from the last 6 months (you may have seen some already). Thanks for joining us on this journey. :)
Gotcha Day--scared beauty

Gotcha Day evening--bath smile
Adoption finalization day
At the pumpkin patch
Christmas Day dolly
Happy New Year!
Happy Chinese New Year!

Comments

Vicky said…
Wow, I can't believe it's been six months!
February 15, 2012 at 11:58 PM
Gretchen said…
I can not believe how quickly they change once they are home. She is just beautiful!
March 6, 2012 at 4:59 PM
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