Six Weeks!!

Today will be six weeks that Eden has been in our home now!!  I enjoy thinking back on the challenges that our first days held with her, especially because of the language barrier.  She was also on overload!  She was easily distracted and was taking EVERYTHING in!!  Eden is so observant.  I was reminded again how we spoke mostly broken English to Eden for the first couple of weeks and she responded in single words, sometimes with hesitancy.  Today she is speaking full sentences.  Her favorite sentence is, "I like this!" and she is usually referring to food, but not always!  She also says, "Oh my goodness!!" a lot (we had to redirect her to saying some different exclamations than what she came here with!!)  Then, the other day I noticed how often I say, "Oh my goodness!"   

The other day when we were driving home from school Katreese was playing a game with Eden.  Katreese asks, "Are you happy (big smile on the face) or are you sad (big frown on the sad), are you hungry, or are you mad(loud grrr)?"  Eden was asking it back to one of the girls and she said "Are you smile-loe?"  It was cute!  One morning we were having pancakes for breakfast and we had pear butter, butter, and peanut butter and she was trying to get those straight!

In Ethiopia I noticed that they use a lot of influctions with their words, so there has been one particular word in Amharic (it means goat) that Cade or I, or the rest of the family for that matter, could not say right!  She would hear us say it and then wave her finger like they do in Ethiopia (and now Bella does too) and say, "No!"  The other day, once again while we were driving, I finally got it right.  Eden said, "Gobez, Mommy!" which means, "Good job, Mommy!" and I decided it was all about the influction of my voice on the right part of the word!!  Anyway, it is interesting!  She loves that we all are learning Amharic too!  I picked up some words along the way, so when she was first home and even now, often times I'll say a word or phrase in Amharic and she is very pleased with me!!

I think of those first days and all that was going on with adjustment / transition in our home!  I don't wish those days back!  I am so happy for where we are now!  Really, I feel like Bella and her are finally able to communicate to one another without getting overly defensive (not always, of course) but it has also been fun watching Bella talk to her these past days and watch her use her hands and try to explain things to her!  Wow, she has come so far!!  Yesterday, Bella told Eden, "I can't share my orange with you because I have the sickENess (like that!!) and you will get my germs!"  Bella also speaks in Amharic, although no one in Ethiopia would understand it!!  It is very funny!  She does a lot of jabber and if the older girls ask her if she is speaking Amharic she responds very seriously, "YES!"

I suppose you could say some of the newness (honeymoon phase) has worn off, especially with the other kids!  Eden can be very demanding with them, "Come here!"  "Sit down."  Anyway, they are more direct with her now about if they don't want to.  The great thing, though, is that Eden has three older kids to spread her time with after school and she enjoys each and every one of them, but even more than the kids, she gets so excited to see her Daddy!!

LOVES playing with Katreese's phone!!

 A different day this week in her love shirt again!!   She has a look on her face like she is wondering what I want her to look for?

 Hair  - 6 weeks makes a difference!!  I am loving it!!!

This girls has already brought so much love and cheer to our family!!  She is such a fun and happy girl!  I am so very thankful for that!!!