I want to thank everyone who shared your heart and wisdom with me after my last post. You are all such a blessing and a wealth of knowledge and experience. I am so thankful for all of you who have so faithfully followed our journey with the girls and have taken time out of your busy schedules to share with me.
We are so very blessed by those of you who have walked this road before us.
As much as I long to really know Eliza, I am not discouraged or disheartened.
Eliza is a sweet presence in our home. She is growing more and more comfortable here each day. She is a quiet observer amidst our loud and rather unstructured days, and she has grown to love the natural rhythms of our family.
She is sweet and precious and ever ready to bless us with that beautiful smile.
She may be mildly developmentally delayed, but if she is, it is by no means severe. Some of you have suggested that she may be on the autistic spectrum. I have wondered that myself. But again, if that is the case, it is very mild.
There is just so much we don’t know about Eliza.
Primarily, I am a caretaker for Eliza right now, but I am thankful for that privilege. I am thankful that she trusts me to meet her needs.
And I love being her mother.
Blessings!
What a beautiful blog! A mother that champions her children and wants their best regardless to their diagnosis!
I love Eliza’s smile and what a joy it must bring to your heart each time she shares it with you and your family!
Vicky Simpson recently posted..Thank You!
It is a joy, Vicki!
Thank yo so much for your comments and your encouragement! I love reading about your girls too!
Blessings!
Diane
(I posted this on your last blog post but wasn’t sure if you would get it after you had posted the next… Be encouraged.)
Diane, there is a scripture running around in my heart for you.
1 John 4:19, We love because he first loved us.
I think there is a BECAUSE coming for your sweet Eliza. You are loving her so well. Until we are truly loved, there can’t possibly be a “because”. She is just getting started.
Stacey recently posted..Lord, If You Are Willing
Stacey,
Thank you. He did love us first! And it is because He loves that we love.
Makes me think of that famous hymn, “Amazing love, how can it be, that thou my God shouldn’t die for me?”
I love the way He loves us! Can’t wait to see how His love blesses our girls!!!
Thank you for every comment!
Love,
Diane
Diane – just catching up now after storm prep. What you are describing sounds very much like what happened when Little Man first came to us. Now that he is more comfortable, I can firmly say that he was suffering from the severe effects of a traumatic removal from his old life and he only came to us from one county over! He had been raised by the same woman since he was 6 months old and, because of her shady past, he was removed from her without warning or transition (not that she didn’t have many chances to make it right) and dropped into out living room. For him, I would imagine it felt like a kidnapping. He walked around in an emotionally-guarded daze for months. The only time were ever saw him come out of his “shell” was when he was playing with our other kids. With me and my husband, he was very closed. Then, around month four or five, it was like a switch flipped and his personality started to emerge. We are still fairly certain that he has a learning disability of some kind but he his memory is working so much better now that he’s not scared/cautious all the time. We took him to grief counseling but because of his processing issues it didn’t really do anything. He didn’t cry AT ALL for four months. He cried for 45 minutes the fourth day he was here because he missed his mom but after that he just kept saying it wasn’t okay to cry. He would get hurt, like REALLY hurt, pinched finger in the deck gate kind of hurt, and he would just show me his finger with no emotion. It was so bizarre! Now, the pendulum has swung and I think he puts a little TOO much effort into crying but that’s okay. I’d rather see over-dramatized emotion than nothing at all! All that say, give it time. It could be months and months before you are able to separate the trauma from legitimate mental delay. They can look very similar. Just keep reaching out. One day, a little a time, she will begin to accept you. I wouldn’t expect anything substantial for at least six months. You’re doing a great job, though. Keep it up and we’ll continue to lift you in prayer. Stay safe in the storm today!
Vertical Mom recently posted..Oh, THE HORROR!
My dear friend, I consider it a privelage to be able to follow your jouney and adventure. I love the girls and the way you share and write your honest feelings that you share. Again thank you for writing what you do. Love and prayers.