Eva's babbas had turned on the tele this morning and this evening so Eva was super distracted. I'm not a huge fan of the tele and young developing brains, but it wasn't really our call. AND I got some good advice from several moms who have adopted for such a time as this: "For now, don't worry about being a "good" parent-you do what you have to do to get your kid home."
Another thing that Daniel and I are learning is that sometimes Eva needs a mental break from us. We're nearly constantly engaging her from the moment we walk in the room till we leave. Literally. When we walk in, we're saying hello and good morning in Russian with bad accents; we've waving; we're smiling; we're trying to set her at ease; and and we're trying to show love and let her know we're there just for her.
Once we get settled, we're either imitating each other (this can be a three-ring circus for sure), playing, cuddling, and sometimes we do nothing but simply let her tolerate touch while she relaxes.
That's a lot of emotional and even physical input for a little miss who was in medical isolation for over two years. She's smart and she is tough.
Today was a day where Eva seemed to need some space from us. You know, "a little less noise, please, a little less noise." So we weren't wild today. No circus and I'm sure her babbas were relieved as well.
I fed her working on lip closure and a more upright posture. She tolerated me holding her close today. And, when she was watching a soap opera I stretched her legs some. She tolerates that much better than her arms (sorry Kati!). I was pleasantly surprised with Eva's knee flexion. They bend more than I thought at first. Praise God.
Confession: that's not my shirt. It has paint on it. I slept in it last night AND wore it today.
