What A Difference A Year Makes

It's been a year since Pink Thing came to live with us and be a part of our family. Reflecting on the changes that have happened since then.

Last year--VERY short hair and constantly having to assure people that SHE is a she! :)
This year--No question that she's a she...thank goodness. She loves having long hair and it's becoming more fun to "do her hair".

Last year--very hard of hearing, stuffy, constant sinus infections and ear infections...just one BIG infection everywhere!
This year--thanks to tubes and tonsilectomy and adenoid removal we've had very minimal sickness with this lady! An occasional ear infection or cold but NOTHING like what she had when she moved in with us! And her hearing--oh my! She CAN hear! Her vocabulary is increasing exponentially and she's learning because she can hear. Thank God!

Last year--grades and homework and school in general were very low on the priority pole. Working generally below grade level in all areas. Uncooperative at school. If she didn't feel like it, then she didn't do it. :)
This year--grades, homework and school in general are MUCH improved and at the top of the priority pole! Behavior at school has been a challenge and we've had to stay on top of it, but generally she's doing VERY well. Report cards yesterday....ALL A's and B's with one issue in Writing (D). She brought her math grade up from an F in the first 9 weeks to a B! She is working hard and making progress! Yippee!

Last year--uncoordinated and afraid to try ANYTHING new. The bar stool in the kitchen was too high. Getting into the van was too scary. Walking up and down steps was VERY frightening and difficult! Jumping on the trampoline consisted of sitting in the middle of the trampoline and being bounced like popcorn by the boys!
This year--she's doing ballet moves on the bar stool in the kitchen. Jumping on the trampoline with more ease. Climbing the cabinets in the kitchen to get things she wants.

Last year--played best with kids 3 or 4 years old. She could not relate to children her own age and acted very much like a preschooler.
This year--she has developed socially to the point that she IS able to interact appropriately with her peers her own age! She is playing with the dollhouse and a friend right now and I'm listening to their play and it's A-MAZE-ING! Wow! She's come a LONG way (like 4 year or so!?!).

Last year--she was eating everything in sight. We had to remove the food at the table because as long as there was food, she'd eat it and just KEEP eating.
This year--she still has an appetite like no 8 year old I've ever known, but she doesn't seem to have the same driving force to just keep eating. She's content.

Last year--she was afraid to take a bath and I had to bathe her every morning before school.
This year--she takes a shower every morning on her own, washing herself getting out in a timely manner (read before the hot water runs out!). She also dresses herself and puts on her shoes and socks and TIES her own shoes! Woo Hoo!

Last year--she didn't know how to ride a bike and was VERY scared to try.
This year--she hasn't tried to ride her bike since the fall and I think she's still very scared to try! (Hey, we've gotta have SOME kind of goal right?)

Last year--she came to live with us with no insurance, no birth certificate and no social security number.
This year--she has all the proper i.d. to be able to qualify for health insurance! Yippee!

Last year--she was very skiddish about anything new, had a hard time trusting (ya' think??) and was very emotional.
This year--She trusts us. She believes that when we say we are going to do something that we will (thank God for that--the endless questioning was sometimes maddening!).

Last year--She'd never had the tooth fairy visit. Never had Christmas celebrations with large groups of family. Never been to the YMCA pool. Never been on vacation. Never been to summer camp. Never been a part of a large family.
This year--well, the opposite of all of the above. She has experienced a LOT of new things this past year. Overwhelming to think about. And she's lived to tell the tales of it all. :)

Last year--she was on her way to being removed by CPS and being without a family that would be committed to her for the long haul.
This year--she's attached to us and us to her. She IS a part of a family and we ARE committed to her for the long haul--and we're hoping that that haul isn't as crazy as this past year has been. She's been through so much and she's GREAT and she's GROWING!
Thank you, God!