6 Months .. what a ride

6 Months ago, I walked out of the International terminal at Chicago O’hare , and into a completely different life. I was greeted by the most supportive group of friends and family that I could ever have hoped for or imagined. There are some days when it feels like we have been home for 6 years and other days 6 months have felt more like 6 minutes. There have been a LOT of ups and also a lot of downs along this road that we have walked but all in all it has been a crazy awesome 6 months.  I have learned that what I used to think was busy now seems like a slow down, and that sleep is truly over rated. I have come to realize that there are NO words good enough to describe the amount of gratitude, love, and appreciation I have for the friends and family who have been on this journey with us.

It had been almost 5 months since my last blog and that should let you know JUST how busy we have been.  The majority of our summer was spent at Easter Seals getting Lola hooked into an incredible network of supports and therapies. Lola started in physical, occupational, and feeding therapies at the beginning of the summer and they have made an incredible difference in our lives. The child who came home 6 months ago is far from the child we are learning more and more about every day.  SO… it is about time for a catch up.. because 6 months has been a world of difference in SO many ways!!!

 

In the beginning of July Lola and I were blessed with a whirlwind weekend visit from her Aunties. 7 of my roommates from when I lived in Africa the 2^nd time flew into Chicago from 7 different states/countries for a visit. This visit couldn’t have come at a better time because I was having an extremely difficult time handling our new life. The best part about our group is that we have so much fun and it’s like no time passed since we were last together. We pretty much laugh from the time we get off the plane until we get back on them. We did a one day tour of Chicago’s more popular tourist attractions which was awesome but the best part was just being together.  Lola was spoiled rotten and the visit was just plain old good for the soul for both of us.  Lola got presents from her amazing aunties and decided really quickly that life is good!

 

After her Aunties left we spent a lot of time at therapy, but we also spent as much time trying to expose Lola to a life she had missed laying in a crib on her back. We went to the park, the zoo, and on LOTS of walks. We walked a fine line of exposing her to a variety of new things, and overwhelming her with too much and too many people all at once.  It is a fine line and we danced that line daily.

In the beginning of August, Auntie Brooke came to visit for a week. She came to therapy with us, played, and gave a lot of lovin to Lola. It was another MUCH needed visit as anxiety began to rise about going back to work and Lola starting school.

 

We were praying and praying for a spot to open at the preschool program at Easter Seals. After Lola’s evaluation at the preschool program in my school district and looking at her needs vs. what the programs offered, I made the decision that sending her to Easter Seals would be a better choice.  However, we didn’t know until a week before school was going to start, that she would have a spot. Talk about anxiety. When the phone call came through that she would have a spot in the Lily Garden Preschool, there were many tears of joy! That decision turns out to have been the best one since being home because Lola is blossoming … no pun intended! Haha Lola goes to school every day and absolutely loves it. She enjoys being with her friends and has learned a ton of new things. Her therapists come down to the preschool classroom, take her to do her therapy, and then bring her back. It is so cute because when she comes back all of her friends want to know where she was and they want to play with her. They show her books and toys and let her choose what they will play. They understand that she communicates with her eyes and they have NO problem letting the teachers know what she wants.

 

Lola's classroom



The star of the week is Lola's best friend

Therapy has made an unbelievable and visible difference in our lives. Her ability to eat without choking and manage different textures of food has had the largest impact on her daily life. She got a whole new level of motivation for eating when she started school. She actually gained a whole new motivation for everything once she started school. She LOVES to be with the kids and watch what they are doing. Her muscle tone and strength are improving daily. She wears braces on her hands and legs to stretch her muscles and they have made a huge difference. Her head control from the time we came home til now is extremely different and she has increased her stamina for sitting and standing as well. . There is no good way to adequately put into words the new level of appreciation that we feel for things that seem little or insignificant to others…  Such as sitting in a cart at the grocery store, or SITTING ON A BIKE!!!!

 

Most of all, she is developing a VERY strong opinion. She makes choices about everything in her life from her clothes, to her snacks, movies, and books. She may not have words at this point but she uses her eyes to communicate, and there is NO question as to what she thinks. For example, one day I showed her two outfits and asked which she would like to wear to school. Apparently neither were what she had in mind because she rolled her eyes, sighed loudly, and looked at the closet with a huge attitude!!! I looked at her and said you can’t have that big of an attitude, you don’t even talk yet!! AND then I walked over to the closet to get two more options. YES I know… she is going to be spoiled. However, after a few years of being neglected, I feel like she can’t REALLY be spoiled right?! Lola is very well known at Easter Seals for her clothes and hair bows, even by the janitor. WHICH all of you who know me are laughing because in a LOT of ways she has my personality, except for her very pink and girly sense of style! For my little fashionista, the more glitter the better!

In September, Lola participated in a Fashion show for Easter Seals. This is their yearly fundraiser and it was awesome! The theme was “What’s cookin at Easter Seals?” SO Lola of course could not disappoint.  Lola wore clothes from Re:New. WHICH if you don’t know about it, you should! It is an organization that works with Refugee women and helps to empower them by teaching them a trade, having them work while their kids are at school, and paying them to do it. This place is AWESOME! (http://www.renewproject.org/) She was a total poop because she would NOT smile for anything but she still stole the show because lets be serious… she’s adorable!

 

We were SO lucky to be able to have a visit from Ivan as well. Ivan is VERY important to Lola and my story because when I left Africa the first time, (before I was able to admit outloud what I knew in my heart about needing to adopt Lola) Ivan was the first friend I went to for help. The day I was leaving, all while sobbing like a baby, I made him promise to look after her while I was gone and make sure that she was ok.  He looked at me like I was crazy, and so for the three of us to be together in CHICAGO was surreal. He could not believe the difference in Lola since he had seen her the last time in Uganda.

 

Then came October and Lo celebrated her first fall and first Halloween. She was an adorable owl. AND while she did not quite understand the concept of what trick or treating is, or eat any candy, she thought Dressing up was hilarious. We went to a few houses with her friends Jake and Louie then off to Grandma and Grandpa’s to hang out with her cousins.  She also enjoyed her first taste of Grandma’s “witches brew,” or beef stew… a Sender Halloween Tradition. Lola’s adjustment to the cold has been entertaining to say the least. The first time our temp dipped into the 30’s was hilarious. I was getting some serious attitude and her facial expressions were priceless as I put her big winter jacket, mittens, and hat on. The look on her face I could hear her saying really mom… is this necessary! Please refer to the paragraph about strong opinions and communication with her eyes if you don’t believe me… but when we walked out the front door, she picked her head up off my shoulder and shot me a look that was communicating MUCH more clearly that she was wondering just what the heck was going on with the temperature! I got a very distinct “we’re not in Uganda anymore toto” vibe… BUT it was obvious she was NOT a fan! I just smiled and said oh honey.. we live in Chicago.. just wait for February, but one step at a time! Haha.

 

 

 

As we head into the holiday season, we are reminded of how lucky we are and everything just looks better and better. Lola is the most amazing gift and has blessed our family every day. Thank youyou’re your prayers and thoughts. They are appreciated more then you will ever know and your prayers are felt! That is an extremely brief update about our last 6 months. There are moments when our crazy life feels like a tornado but I wouldn’t change it for anything. We are SO grateful for the past 6 months of growth and look forward to seeing what the next 6 months has in store for us.