First Day of School.......

Today Emma started school and it was a successful day! Since we still have the language barrier I asked Thomas from my adoption agency to ride with me to drop her off and explain where she was going and that I would be back to pick her up. Thomas is from Vietnam and visiting the home office of my agency. Although it was obvious she was nervous and scared to get out of the car she did with no tears. School is only for an hour this week. When I came back to pick her up she was walked to my car by one of her teachers who said everything went well. The other teacher gave me two thumbs up. Parents are not allowed to get out of the car, it strictly pull in let your child get out with help from teachers and leave. Emma says school and I have heard this word several times today. Tonight we picked out her clothes for school and she was so excited. She understood exactly what were were doing. I know she misses being around children and the school setting has to be close to her days in the orphanage, or at least closer than spending everyday with me. I put Emma in school so soon for two reasons: 1. I did not want her to start in the middle of school when the other children were already comfortable with each other; and 2. She is 5 1/2 and very social. She has been with me for just 3 weeks and I already know that she is a child that needs to be around other children. School is starting very slowly with this first week at only one hour. Next week will be three hours and then when the teachers think she is ready school will go all day.

She is doing so well I am amazed. She no longer cries at bedtime but tonight did stomp her little leg when I put down our book and turned off the light. Stomping quit and she was asleep in 5 minutes. She loves taking a bath and figured out how to take a bath all on her own. I think it is really a condensed swim lesson as she is floating on her back and pushing off on end to the next most of the time, but still, she loves it. There are sad/tearful times but I am not sure what causes them. Tired? Communication issues? Sad? Probably a mix of all the changes in her little life. The sad/tearful times do not come often.

There are a few things that Emma does that are probably related to orphanage living. I found a banana in the hall closet. She eats like a little pig (but she is eating and I am glad). She is very independant. Although she is sleeping in my bed she wants no covers and does not use the pillow. She is very loud and can be rough if not watched when she is around other kids. When she falls, and she has several times, she laughs. I have never seen her cry from a mishap and some of them have been pretty hard.

Cats are traumatized, dog wonders why on earth this little one has moved in, but all in all we are doing great!