Thanks so much for visiting us during our journey, Pete, Kristine, Rachel, Sarah, James, Mark and Anna Mei!!
November Update - Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving and into His courts with praise
It is amazing how the bonds with a child are formed. Before our children were born, it was hard for me to comprehend this strong love and affection. With each pregnancy it was difficult to imagine that each subsequent child would have the same hold on my heart, but then once they would arrive, each one had all of my heart. Anna is no different. Neither the time we missed with her, the fact that she was formed in another womb nor the fact that she was born in China have formed any barrier in our affections or bond with her. It is really quite remarkable. I think it can only be explained by the Amazing Grace of God. She is just as much a part of us as she would have been had she been born to us. I know that we all feel that way. I had been concerned about the attachment issues we read about for adopted children and the loss and related issues that might come from being separated from her foster parents. However, I see that same Grace poured out on her when she looks into our eyes at bedtime and asks us to pray with her and says, “night, night, I lub you.” I know that to her, we are fully her family. It does not matter that our eyes, hair and skin are pale or that we are teaching her a different language in a different house with different food. She clamors in my lap, and gives hugs and kisses and wants to show us all she can do (“mommy, watch this!) just as much as any of our other children. She jumps up and down at the door when daddy comes home just like they did. She loves seeing her Grandparents just as much as they do. And our parents give her all of the warmth and affection that they have given our other children. I love the passages in the Bible that talk about us being adopted into God’s family. To some that might sound like second class citizens but to us who have seen it first hand, we know that it comes with all of the rights, privileges, love and affection of a biological child. What a beautiful picture that is for us.
Anna is doing wonderfully. She is learning English incredibly fast. She is very talkative, so she is practicing all of the time! It is difficult for other people to understand her some of the time, but I can almost always understand what she is saying. She is very observant and pays close attention to how things work in the household. She is always reminding people to take their shoes off and where to put them away and she loves to open the door and tell the dog to stop barking. Like many two year olds, she wants to help with e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. She is a very determined little girl and wants very much to keep up with the older children, especially Mark. When the other kids are doing school work, she also wants to have books and paper. She is especially interested in Mark’s projects. She loves to use glue, scissors, paint and play dough. I’m sure that her determination and desire to keep up with Mark will help her to overcome the challenges she faces with her arms and hands. We have taken her to see a few professionals. Most recently we were able to take her to Seattle to see a specialist in Arthrogryposis. He was very encouraging and positive. He repeatedly called her “a little pistol” and said he was quite sure she would be able to accomplish anything she sets her mind to do. She will most likely always have difficulty moving the joints in her arms and hands, but it is amazing to see all that she is able to do in spite of the limited mobility in her joints. She is very adaptable and persistent. Sometimes it seems like the things that would be most challenging for her to accomplish are the very things she is most determined to try, like tying a shoe or playing the piano. It will be exciting to see what she sets her mind to achieve as she gets older. I’m sure she will inspire and challenge us.
Thank you again to all of you that have encouraged us and prayed for us. We feel so blessed. May you be blessed too!
The Aldrich Family – Pete, Kristine, Rachel, Sarah, James, Mark and Anna
