REFLECTIONS....... TEN MORE THINGS I'VE LEARNED ABOUT AND FROM EILEY JOY

It's hard to believe that it was a month ago today that we left on our journey to China to get our precious Eiley Joy. Even though we had made the trip twice before, and knew the whole drill quite well, there was still the unknown about what it was going to be like to have a third daughter, and how she was going to react to us. The thing we were absolutely CERTAIN about, though, was regardless of all the unknowns, we KNEW that we already loved her with all our heart and soul.

I know I've said this a million times before, but it is just mindboggling, yet SO simple of an act for our GREAT GOD to take a child on the other side of the world who needs a mama and a daddy, and plant in the heart of a couple of old codgers (we may be old in age, but not in spirit) the desire to have another child----and then put those two miracles together. It is just the ULTIMATE of ULTIMATES of blessings. And when I hold Eiley Joy in my arms, and she just melts there----and I place my face against her little head, I just see God EVERYWHERE. All three of our girls are gifts from him, and we just can't imagine life without them added to the blessings of three sons.

I know I shared some things in a previous entry that I had learned about Eiley Joy, but I would like to share a few more. Some may be ones I mentioned before, but please know they are now MAGNIFIED!!!

1. Eiley Joy is a TOUGH little girl. In the almost month we have had her, I have NEVER seen her cry when she has fallen or run into something. She just always gets up and keeps going. I guess you might say, she demonstrates GREAT perseverance.

2. She is a very MISCHIEVOUS little girl!!! She knows what the word NO means, but likes to hear it several times before she acknowledges her understanding of it---the whole time having a sly little smile on her face.

3. She has the cutest little giggle, that we are hearing more and more each day. It's not a belly laugh-----it's just a sweet, quiet little sound that warms our hearts!!!

4. Her crying is MUCH louder than her giggles. In fact, she sounds a lot like a sick elephant when she cries when she is wanting something.

5. The TERRIBLE tantrums that she threw when we first got her are no more!!!! She still gets mad sometimes and cries, but the head throwing back and forth and the scratching and biting were left behind in China. PRAISE THE LORD!!!!

6. We are beginning to get into a really decent sleep routine. (ANOTHER PRAISE THE LORD!!!) During our time here in Florida, she hasn't been going to bed until around midnight because we have been about and about late each night. HOWEVER, when I get ready to put her to bed, she lets me hold her, and she snuggles up close to me. When she falls asleep, I am able to lay her in her pack 'n play, and even if she wakes up, she puts her little hands in a praying position under her face, and sticks her little bottom up in the air, and goes back to sleep. AND, she sleeps for at least 9 to 10 hours!!!

7. She LOVES music!!! When she hears it playing, she either sways from side to side, or actually does some pretty serious little baby dance moves. It puts a SMILE on her face!!!

8. She LOVES, LOVES, LOVES water!!!! We have been AMAZED at her this week in the pool, and then today at the beach. She has NO FEAR of water (or anything else, for that matter). She LOVES to put her face in it, and to be dunked under. She can float on her stomach with her face in the water, and when we pull her off the side into the pool and put her under, when she comes up, she turns toward the side and actually helps to pull herself up to do it again. They must have done some powerful swimming lessons in those sinks at SHH where they gave her a bath daily!!!!

9. She is really beginning to pay attention to her two sweet big sisters. I have been taking pictures of the girls each day out on our condo deck. She knows exactly what I'm going to do, and will now stand against the screen and reach out for Molly Kate's and Callie Beth's hands to hold. Tonight, she let Molly Kate feed her ice cream, and she has NEVER eaten it before when Roger and I have offered it to her. And even though she is often like a little bull in a China shop, going through their blocks or other things the girls might be playing with on the floor, they are sweet and understanding with her.

10. She is the most loving, cuddly, sweet baby girl we could ever ask for----and even though we still have a long way to go and lots of things to learn, she KNOWS who her mama and daddy are, and she loves us and trusts us. She is OUR girl.

This Sunday will mark the anniversary of when we first saw Eiley Joy's profile on CCAI's Waiting Child link. We were at a hotel in Columbia, Tennessee on our way home from vacation here in Florida, and I just happened to open the daily Yahoo shared list of available children to adopt. CCAI listings are rarely included in that list, but they were that day, and there she was. When I saw her picture, I was drawn to her. She was NOT anywhere close to the age range of the child we thought we were looking for. Her special needs were NOT special needs we had checked on our medical needs checklist that we felt comfortable with or would be willing to accept. AND, the likelihood of her file not already having a long waiting list of requests to review it was rather dim. YET, I sent the email to CCAI, and asked to be put on the list. Four days later, her file was in our hands, and 11 months later, she was in our arms.

I just can't say it enough.......WE ARE BLESSED!!!!!

Vicki :)