First picture as a family of 7!
I'm going to skip over the events of July 17th, because that is a story in itself. As you can imagine, jet lag was a big challenge for all four of them when they came home. While this was expected, we were not so much expecting the issue that came with the sleeping arrangement for Maddy Bow-Bow: she would not sleep alone. While my parents were gone, my cousin and I decorated Maddy's room for her since we didn't have time to get to that before my parents left. But once she came home, we found she was not a fan of sleeping by herself, which is understandable because she shared a room with many other girl in her home. Eventually, sleeping with Chloe and I in my room fixed the issue and she slept so much better. Once Chloe's room was finished (we added on a room downstairs) Maddy and Chloe moved into that room and the problem was solved.
During the first week or so, Maddy grieved for her life back home. During the day there were distractions, but night time when she was settled down she would often cry. Micah... not so much. Even on Gotcha Day my parents said that he kind of had a "yeah whatever" kind of attitude. I kept waiting for it to crack but it never really did. During the first week or so when he got in trouble of just couldn't understand us he would cry. And not just cry, he would yell. And once he was done with that, he would just sit there and yell "ehhhhhhh" for maybe ten minutes even when there weren't any tears. Let's just say I was glad to have time away at a church conference with my friends almost ten days after my parents came back.
Eventually, the grieving and tantrums slowly went away (although Micah still knows how to throw a fit and will do it occasionally but not near as long). Slowly but surely Maddy's personality came out more and more. I was beyond thankful because she had been very guarded when she came home. Her sweet but very sassy personality came out more and more every day. My parents made the decision to home school them for the first little while and see how they did. They have picked up on so much English it is crazy. Maddy has even begun to read certain words. She also got glasses a few weeks ago.
Isn't she a doll?
Both Micah and Maddy are super tiny due to malnutrition. Maddy was the better of the two. Micah will be 5 next month, and he only weighs a little over thirty pounds. They have both come a long way since they came home, but it will still be a little while before they catch up.
It has been quite the adjustment for all of us adding two new people two are family. We are still searching for, if you will, the "new normal". Life is so much different having a family of seven. There are toys everywhere, and I'm not kidding you. I have found that there is always someone around now- my room is no longer my room. It is Micah's place to hide his stuffed animals sometimes. It is Maddy's place to steal pillows from.
Lately I have seen a shift in Maddy. If she hadn't come completely out of her shell yet, I think she has now. I have begun to see her goofy side- something I wasn't sure she had at first. She is simply hilarious at times, and does the goofiest things to try and make me laugh. Micah, also. While he is a bit behind mentally I have seen his goofy side too. I can't get over his giggle and the sweet things he does. I am training him to be a gentleman already.
I don't know what's up with his face
I get the questions at school a lot sometimes: "Isn't it crazy being the oldest of five?", "Don't you wish you were the only child?", "Isn't it hard?". Yes, life is crazy. There is always something going on around here. Especially when I am watching them sometimes and the three littles are running around like a bunch of wild beasts. But no, I do not wish I was the only child. I can't imagine life without any of my siblings. Yes, are family is not at all what you would consider "normal". But I don't want to be normal. I would be lying if I said it wasn't hard. But this is what God has called my family to, and I cannot be thankful enough for the life He has given me. I love my crazy family, and while it is hard... I wouldn't trade it for anything! =)
Outdoor family movie night
Coloring their Paw Patrol pictures
My mei mei
Banana-eating monster
Transformation of Maddy
Transformation of Micah
