Today we visited a beautiful little island in Guangzhou called Shamian Island. It had fun shops where we could buy little silk Asian dresses for Selah for $5 each. We also ate some American food at a great little diner called Lucy's Cafe. Selah had such a fun time playing in the garden area with the leaves and her doll. As we get to know her heart more and more, we are learning that mealtime and sleeping schedules are incredibly important to her. (Which is very typical for kiddos who have lived in orphanages.) We continue to try to build trust with her to reassure her that we will feed her, care for her, and provide breaks for her to rest and recharge. All of these needs can sometimes feel overwhelming at times to us, because things can change very quickly if she senses that her needs aren't going to be met. We have found this especially while traveling and being on a set schedule that is crucial to getting in needed appointments, and to attend outings that were arranged for all of the traveling families to enjoy. As she gets more and more comfortable with us, we are seeing more of her needs being expressed. This is all a part of the bonding process, as many adoptive families refer to as the "trenches". ;) Sometimes it's pretty, sometimes it's not. Overall, we understand that bonding and attachment will not happen overnight, and that it will take years of building trust with her for a secure healthy expression of needs to be the norm. For now, we are just taking each moment as they come, desiring to show her that she can count on us to meet her needs as much as we are able to. We want her to always know that we care, and that we have compassion for the last several years when her needs were not always attended to. It helps us to keep this in mind when we have tough moments. We were able to capture several pictures of her in the garden today, reflecting several of her moods! She is our delight! Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment