Ok, since I have a few minutes, here’s an update!!

I will post some pictures of our homecoming, because it was such a fabulous time!!

We were overwhelmed with the show of love and care for our family!!

We had a HUGE welcome in the airport!!

Then, when we got home, our house was completely decorated inside and out with welcome signs!!

Our refrigerator was cleaned out and stocked!!

(BTW, how embarrassing to have someone see your filth!!  But she promised not to tell a soul!!  😉

Then, since we’ve been home, we’ve had wonderful meals brought to us every night!!

Can you feel the love??

Someone should write a song….:)

So that is all the wonderful, amazing, glorious things that have been done for us since coming home….

You are wanting to know more about Mollie Xiu.  Am I right?

Well, this part is not as wonderful, and amazing, and glorious as the first, but it’s getting there…

First, we are/were all on “Ch*na time”……

So our nights were our days and vice versa.

Especially the newest Empress.

She’s lived there for 3 years, of course the girls gonna be turned around.

So we were not sleeping very well those first several nights.

Then she regressed back into some serious grief.

I really didn’t/don’t know if I can handle that grief again.

Like I posted earlier, I think I grieved as hard as she did.

BTW, I haven’t gone back and looked at my blog from our trip.

I don’t want to yet.

Those emotions are still very raw and difficult to process.

Those were literally some of the darkest days of my life…..

I know, I Heart Adoption….

But to be honest, and that’s all I’ve been with this blog….

That was a week from “hell” that I do not wish to revisit.

Slander me all you want, I really don’t care.

My daughter grieved hard, and so did her Mama.

So when we got home and she regressed, I got very upset.

She still didn’t want anything to do with me.

She only liked Kennedy, Baba, and Taylor….in that order.

So add in our Schnauzer, Missy, well, the game has just changed!!

I think she liked Missy less than me, and that’s saying something!!

So the first days were hard.

I didn’t know what I was going to do if I ever had to be alone with this girl.

She didn’t like me!!  She didn’t want to touch me!!

She would, however, look at me.

We tried co-sleeping at first, like we did in Ch*na…..

We were miserable.

She was miserable!!

She didn’t want to touch me, so co-sleeping doesn’t work here.

So we decided to put her to sleep in her bed…..

Good decision for all of us.

We also started her on a routine.

Keep her up as long as possible throughout the day, keep her moving, keep her occupied.

If she’s busy, she does not have time to grieve.

That started working.  Yay!

She still didn’t like me, but oh well, that will come.

I’ve read every article known to man about attachment and bonding and according to the experts, this is normal.

This. Is. Normal.

For your child to hate you, this is normal.

I really hate normal……

There is good news, I promise….

I just have to give you the ugly first…

Because this has been our existence.

The good news…..

Thursday…

I was worried because Jeremy has prayer on Thursday mornings with other area pastor’s.

Well, that leaves me home alone with my kids.  All 3 of them!

Well the older 2, I’m fine with, but that 3rd one, well if you remember, she hates me.

So Kennedy got up with her when Jeremy left.

Ok, all is well in our world.

So what happened on Thursday.

Well, in my humble opinion, the greatest of miracles…..

Mollie, Kennedy, and I bonded.

We stayed home all day, in our pj’s, and just played, laughed, talked, sang, danced, and went for a walk.

We just stayed together.

We didn’t do anything spectacular, we just were.

Well, something spectacular happened in my youngest daughter’s heart.

She started to let me in.

Kennedy went swimming, Baba was putting together her awesome swing set, and she wanted to jump on the neighbor’s trampoline.

Well nobody was there to help her except Mama.

So guess who she let help her?

We had a blast!  She played on their swing set, she let me push her, and she went down the slide several times!!

Every time she did, I cheered like she had just won the Gold Medal in sliding!!

She loved it!!

She cut her toe and she let me take her inside and clean it up and bandage it.

It truly was a miracle!!

She left Kennedy and Baba’s sight and went with Mama!!

I was on cloud 9!!

The day ended as fabulous as it started!!

Then this morning, guess who was sad to see me leave??

I had a budget meeting for the library that I had to attend, so guess who came with me??

Baba and Mollie!!  She even let me sit beside her and put her in her carseat!!

People, I can tell you that prayer works!!

Thursday morning the pastor’s that gathered prayed hard for Mollie and me.

I truly believe that God heard their cries and moved mountains for us!!

I realize we have a road to travel, but this is a victory that I will celebrate!!

This is a glimpse of what God is doing in this precious girl’s heart and I’m so very thankful!!

Enjoy pictures of our homecoming!!

It was wonderful!!