Catchup for the lazy writer

Oh, I 've have the worst time sitting down to write that last few days!!! I did add pictures to many old posts and have been putting together pictures for my China Reunion post, but my fingers and head are not quite connected these days.

So quick updates before I forget them all:

- Julia and I are going camping this weekend with our FCC group. I bought a tent and put it up in the backyard on Tuesday. Julia loved our little house and was disappointed to come home yesterday and find that I took it down. We are sharing food with our friends, Cathy and her girls, which is so great for me. I am sure I will forget lots of stuff, even with Cathy's lists. Just haven't done the camping thing for a LONG time -- um, Cheshire was potty training the last time.

- Julia is using both of her legs to walk down stairs. Yahoo! We practiced all summer and since last week, she has been doing it consistently and by herself. She is still unsteady on one leg and needs a hand to hold or the railing, but she doesn't need both, and I know she will get stronger.

- We have changed our listening schedule. Julia will now be listening to a CD that is supposed to enhance her emotions and promote empathy and compassion.

- Julia made it though a good portion of Sunday service at church. She and David went into the baby quiet room for the sermon where, by the way, was a few kids quite past the infant stage.

- We went to kids choir last night. Julia sat with the kids for a little while. She listens only in a vague way. She tried to say something and was told to listen. I started to make noise, stamping her feet, and I went to her and asked her if she wanted to leave. She told me no, and we sat together on a chair. She participated a little bit but did not really sing with the others. Again, my heart broke when I saw other kids watching her in that scared or disapproving way. I don't know whether to keep going or quit but I have a vague feeling that she wil catch on. As long as I can keep her from disrupting the class any more than other kids do, we will go.

- We are going to get an aid to help Julia in swimming class and also supplement her group lessons with private lessons. This way she will hopefully learn the strokes she needs to move on to the next class and be challenged generally. I have to get her to the pool myself at least an additional time a week to do some swimming practice.

- We have been working on -at words -- sat, cat, hat, mat, bat, etc. We make the sounds, do the signs, and use all sorts of things to put the letter in front of us visually. Julia is very complient about learning this. She is participating very well. I can't tell yet if it is really sinking in.

- Julia almost has the first littly book -- Zac the Rate -- memorized.

- Yesterday, Julia needed only 2 more stickers to get her next little pet. I had bought a pet and put it on top of the frig and she was dying to see what pet it was and to get it into her possession. So she had lots and lots of incentive to do work to get the pet. She asked to do her work when we got home from therapy (not a usual request, and frankly, I would have let her skip any home work last night after a day of school and both speech therapy and OT). I told her that if she wanted to work she would have to do it alone and she agreed. I put out three sheets for her -- one connect the dots, one maze, and a writing sheet in which she had to copy words that we've been learning three times each. She has never been able to do that much by herself, but I thought I'd give her the chance since that what's she needed to do to get 2 stickers.

Well, she worked dilligently, if not always correctly, for about 25 minute. She actually did the best on the word copying which really surprised me. She still doesn't get how to do a maze but she tried her best to draw lots of lines from the beginning to the end, so she has that much down. With the dot-to-dot, she started correctly and then got carried away. Instead of a star fish, she drew a shark type fish. I was very impressed with her determination and dedication. And she was rewarded with lots of hugs and kisses and high fives and of course, a new pet!

- I went into Julia's classroom today to talk about our family. I talked about traveling to China and meetng Julia for the first time. I told them how she did not speak English, and I did not speak Chinese. I told them that Julia had two other names before she was named Julia, and that she had a friend in Pennsylvania who knows her longer than we do.

During this time, Julia wanted to interupt and did a few times, telling the class something that was not relevant but something.

- This leads to the next item. What the class was most impressed with was when Julia told them that her mother had bit her on the butt. Yes, indeed, so much for travelling thousands of miles to meet out precious daughter, so much for all that Julia has learned in the past two year, what was really exciting was the Mom bit Julia on the butt last night and that she was never going to do it again!

And oh, no I am not! I did it playfully -- really! for the first time! but I admit to really liking to bite. Anyway, you would have thought I broke the skin, gotten a hunk of muscle and hit bone. She cried, she was angry. I had to put a bandaid on the 'wound', that is the spot where she said I had bitten her. And replace the bandaide this morning.

No, no, no, I will never bite her again.