At Home

August 16th, 2005

Marissa has been home now for over a week. She is still not sleeping all night. Mommy has to say that God has TRULY been keeping her going. It’s been a month of no sleep now. There’s no way Mommy would still be going if God wasn’t working. We asked God to let us glorify Him through this process. He is at work.

Marissa also probably won’t sleep at night until she decides to eat real food from a spoon. Mommy doesn’t even have to worry about trying to get her used to it - Daddy loves to do it! Each night when he comes home from work, he gets a fruit and spoon out and tries to get Marissa interested. He considers it a victory that she didn’t fight him tonight…she just kept shaking her head “no.” He managed to get a few spoonfuls of peaches in. Mommy managed to get Marissa to swallow a drink of apple juice today. She’s so funny the way she gags afterwards. She’ll get used to it! Daddy is cute the way he buys Marissa treats each time he goes to the store for something. He always does the same thing for Mommy! We’ve got a pretty good guy!
Marissa is learning her name. She has had so many “firsts” that it’s hard to remember everything new she’s doing. She claps her hand against ours when we say to clap. She LOVES music SO MUCH! She listens to her baby CD’s and knows the songs when we sing them to her at other times.

At first, she was terrified of the house and dogs, but is now settled in with them. Spencer (the Golden) keeps watch on her at night and at naptime. Shelbie (the Miniature Schnauzer) gets upset when Marissa cries. She is loved.

Marissa’s personality is emerging more each day. The “quiet and gentle child” has a mind of her own and is very funny. When she laughed with Mommy today, I swear she was trying to kiss. She came at Mommy with her mouth open and deliberately moved it to Mommy’s mouth, then just lay there. It made Mommy laugh more because Marissa wouldn’t move. Oh well, we’re already sharing a cold and cough! That’s probably another reason it’s hard to sleep at night. Pray for her because she seems to have bad dreams and memories of the orphanage sometimes at night. In time, that will improve, but we believe prayer works, so let’s use it.

Marissa has been to church, met many new people, went on many neighborhood walks, got a new swing, went swinging at the school with Mommy, starting taking baths in the kitchen sink (much easier for now) and started enjoying them…and so many more “firsts.” As soon as he can, Daddy will post some of the pictures.