Life is beginning to "normalize" in the Hubbard house, or perhaps moving into a new "normal". Only time will tell. We are slowly, but surely pressing through our jet lag. The big girls went back to school yesterday. They loved seeing their friends, but were exhausted by the end of the day. Everyone was in bed by 7:45pm. That's a record!
We finally had some progress with the motion sickness today. I gave Mei a full Meclizine tablet, put homeopathic oils behind her ears, sea bands on her wrists, windows down, and Disney music blaring. Somehow the combination worked, and there was no puking! We even had a brief trip to the grocery store. When we arrived and I put the truck in park, Mei held up her hands and said "yeah"! She was so proud of herself, and I was elated!
We're learning so much about Mei.
- her favorite food so far is Slim Jim meat sticks! We have to keep these in the very top of the pantry so she has to ask for them. She plowed through an entire package in one afternoon! Another meat girl. Her daddy bought three more boxes, but we're rationing these out. :)
- she is a girly girl. We sent a little ladybug necklace to her while we were waiting to travel. She asks to put on her necklace every morning, and take it off at night. She loves to wear fancy clothes, and is so proud of her new light up tennis shoes.
- she is not shy! If you need an opinion, ask her a question. If she doesn't understand you, the automatic answer is "no". Dialogue with her is like talking to a two year old, but with the brain of a very bright seven year old. We will surely be on the losing side of the dialogues soon. ha!
- she doesn't want to hear Chinese anymore. Jad and I took her to the local Chinese buffet for lunch yesterday. The waiter talked to her in Chinese. She barely answered in Chinese, and wouldn't look at him. Her answer to everything was "no". I think she is just totally ready to move on, beyond China. She is using more English words each day.
- She loves the dogs and gives them lots of forced affection. Thankfully, they seem to tolerate it well.
- The bravery during shots was a one-time event. She received three injections at the pediatrician yesterday. She cried through each. When I hugged her later, she pushed me off. She was mad at me. Mean mom. :(
- Daddy is not allowed to kiss her unless he is clean shaven. She doesn't like any scruff!
- She is more calm and quiet (unless visitors arrive, then she puts on a show!). I know this is because she is settling in. It warms my soul!
- She loves her sisters. Mei and Jaci didn't get to spend as much time together in China because Jaci was sick. They seem to be making up for that now. Mei teases her, calling her every name she can think of except "Jaci".
- Her special need doesn't slow her down. Mei found inline skates in the closet. She tried on one skate and quickly figured out that they wouldn't work with her feet. So she coerced Lainie into putting them on, then pulled and pushed her all over the house. It doesn't matter that she can't skate yet, there is still fun to be had!
- Mei is my helper. She loves to help load/unload the dishwasher. Maybe washing dishes was one of her chores in China?
- Her mouth is full of cavities. She started complaining about a tooth, so I scheduled a dental visit for early next week (first available appointment). The next month is full of appointments. Thankfully, we already have the pediatrician visit (and shots) behind us. I've also scheduled her first visit with the orthopedic surgeon. We're anxious for him to see her and hear the plan to correct her feet and hand. I'd like to put off treatment until later in the summer, until we can communicate and explain what is going on. Hopefully the doctor's plans will align with that thinking. How fortunate we are to have access to doctors! There are definitely flaws in our healthcare system, but compared to third world countries, we are blessed.
I have yet to hear those three little words - I love you. I tell her this every day, in both Chinese and English. She understands and smiles when she hears the words, but has yet to return the phrase. That's okay. I'll wait as long as it takes. Jad reminds me that we are still taking baby steps. We're just so fortunate that she was ready to join our family. She is a huge ray of sunshine, and a blessing to all. Thank you Jesus for our little Mei Mei.
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