Seven Months - Then and Now

Seven months ago today, Miss Maia Anastacia Hansen arrived home. I don't always take time to appreciate how far she has come in that seven months. Yesterday, I was looking at pictures of those first few days. Can you believe this is the same girl??



THEN

NOW

How I love that little girl!!! One of the biggest blessings of our trip to bring Matthew home (besides bringing Matthew home - lol) was the time that I was able to spend with Maia. She has just blossomed over the past six weeks. There are so many changes that I see in her. It's hard to describe, but she seems more relaxed and at ease - as if she is starting to feel secure. Her speech continues to develop, although we are concerned that she may have a speech impairment. We plan on mentioning this at her upcoming doctor's appointment. She is starting to recognize some letters when she sees them and can point them out when asked. She is grasping the concept of quantities/numbers - such as she has 2 cherries and shows this holding up 2 fingers, when she eats one, she will then hold up one finger to indicate that is what she has left. She is doing a great job with helping to set/clear the table at mealtimes. Maia is seeking and giving more affection, as well as showing a little shyness with strangers. And I am amazed at the changes in her intake. We're still struggling with getting her to drink fluids. If she had her way, she would probably drink about 2 ounces of liquid/day. She won't drink anything other than water and milk, under much protest. Before our trip, she was a very fussy eater. Now, she is trying many new things. She is eating cantelope, cherries, grapes, cottage cheese, pizza, stir-fry. We haven't put her on the scale since getting home, but I'm guessing she has gained a few pounds.

While we were in Ukraine, we asked Olga what, if any, feedback the orphanage staff had about how Maia was doing. Olga told us that they did not have one thing they could find fault with and that everyone feels like she is doing very well. It was nice to hear that they were pleased with her progress since being home. Olga also said, "Maia is an American girl now." Yep - seven months home with her forever family!!! Thanks to God for blessing us with her!