Settling In

Our evolution as a family is progressing. An Lin is settling in. We are learning more about our new daughter. She goes to sleep more readily now, reaching for her mother to hold her. Wonderful!! She continues to delight us with her affectionate and fun loving nature and to amaze us with her cleverness. She observes everything! Yesterday An Lin brought me my glasses and pointed to my face that I should put them on. She gets out her new shoes each morning and brings her sister hers. She has figured out the DVD player, the lighting console at the hotel... She walks quickly with gusto for the next adventure, asking her mother for the Guilinese equivalent for "uppy" when it suits her. We have also seen the down side of her orphanage survival skills: last night she flew into a rage at dinner when she didn't get what she wanted immediately. It is clear that this worked well for her in her previous life where there was competition for food and attention. It's more than a little unsettling to witness as her new parents! Sleep deprivation has caught up with me and I'm not functioning so well today. Xing Xing is having fun, but sometimes struggling with sharing her mother. I want her to feel completely loved and secure, but it is sometimes hard to give her the type of attention she is looking for while carrying An Lin. The attachment books counsel fostering the connection with one parent at a time, so I'm it for now. An Lin is pretty much at ease with Chris, but I have to be in sight. I am happy with how the attachment is progressing except that I can't be "off" at any time. Small price to pay!!