Tarana has been home a month now. She is beautiful. She is brilliant. She is opinionated. She is talented.
We are so thankful for her! I stare at her and the mantra in my mind is "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Jesus."
I love her sweet good morning smiles. I love her loud, joyful laughter. I even love her for her moments of rebellion and defiance because it means she trusts us enough to disagree with us, and she values herself enough to make her preferences known. I love to see her jump on the bed and on the couch, even though she's usually still wearing her shoes and it makes a mess. I love to see her playing with our dogs.
I love her innocence. Other six and seven-year-olds I know are crushing on pop stars and mimicing fashion trends. She is picky about the clothes she chooses each day, but she isn't concerned with fashion trends at all, to be sure. She dresses as she wishes, and we don't interfere!
Tarana is into princesses, nursery songs, animals, books and dolls. She laughs hysterically at Disney movies, and jumps up and down when she hears the Veggie Tales theme song. When we clap, dance and sing at home, she joins in. She is such a joyful child!
She eats a lot! And she's no longer vegetarian! Her choice! She asked for meat about two weeks after being home. To be sure she knew what she was eating, we showed her pictures of the animals before we served her, but she wanted to eat it anyway, and she loves it! So we all eat the same food now, except she loves eggplant (a favorite from India, she says) and I can't eat that. I'm allergic.
She loves interacting with other kids, and mothers the smallest ones. She is so gentle with babies, and delighted to be with them! She comments on their small hands, feet and smiles.
She and Kyle have so much fun together during the day while I'm at work. When I come home, she and I go on walks together and talk about the day. I love the way she uses her developing English to speak her mind.
We have fun with our morning and bedtime routines. Nights can be the hardest times for her, emotionally, but she makes it through, and she loves story time! Sometimes, in the middle of the night, she calls my name. Thank goodness for the baby monitors connecting our bedrooms! Kyle says that Tarana's voice calling out to me is the only sound that will wake me up at night, and I think he's right! She wakes me up because she's cold and needs to be tucked in, or hot and needs the fan turned on, or itchy and needs lotion applied. I've been surprised to discover that I don't mind getting up in the middle of the night for her. I love being able to meet her needs. I love being her mom.
We are so thankful for her! I stare at her and the mantra in my mind is "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Jesus."
I love her sweet good morning smiles. I love her loud, joyful laughter. I even love her for her moments of rebellion and defiance because it means she trusts us enough to disagree with us, and she values herself enough to make her preferences known. I love to see her jump on the bed and on the couch, even though she's usually still wearing her shoes and it makes a mess. I love to see her playing with our dogs.
I love her innocence. Other six and seven-year-olds I know are crushing on pop stars and mimicing fashion trends. She is picky about the clothes she chooses each day, but she isn't concerned with fashion trends at all, to be sure. She dresses as she wishes, and we don't interfere!
Tarana is into princesses, nursery songs, animals, books and dolls. She laughs hysterically at Disney movies, and jumps up and down when she hears the Veggie Tales theme song. When we clap, dance and sing at home, she joins in. She is such a joyful child!
She eats a lot! And she's no longer vegetarian! Her choice! She asked for meat about two weeks after being home. To be sure she knew what she was eating, we showed her pictures of the animals before we served her, but she wanted to eat it anyway, and she loves it! So we all eat the same food now, except she loves eggplant (a favorite from India, she says) and I can't eat that. I'm allergic.
She loves interacting with other kids, and mothers the smallest ones. She is so gentle with babies, and delighted to be with them! She comments on their small hands, feet and smiles.
She and Kyle have so much fun together during the day while I'm at work. When I come home, she and I go on walks together and talk about the day. I love the way she uses her developing English to speak her mind.
We have fun with our morning and bedtime routines. Nights can be the hardest times for her, emotionally, but she makes it through, and she loves story time! Sometimes, in the middle of the night, she calls my name. Thank goodness for the baby monitors connecting our bedrooms! Kyle says that Tarana's voice calling out to me is the only sound that will wake me up at night, and I think he's right! She wakes me up because she's cold and needs to be tucked in, or hot and needs the fan turned on, or itchy and needs lotion applied. I've been surprised to discover that I don't mind getting up in the middle of the night for her. I love being able to meet her needs. I love being her mom.
