Oh, my! I cannot BELIEVE I have not made a post on here since APRIL!! Life has a way of doing that, I guess-especially with my busy summer schedule. I am home from church tonight with a sick little one-no fun, but I decided now was a perfect time to do a little update on my blog.
Here's what is going on: We FINALLY received the "official" consent to adopt Joy from the I.C.A.B! (Hallelujah. Bless the Lord-as Joy likes to say!) We just today sent in our retainer to our lawyer to get the paperwork finished. I have no idea how long it will take before we are able to finalize the paperwork and officially change Joy's name to Joy Noelle Lewis. I would have loved to complete it before school starts, but that isn't going to happen. Oh well-she is a part of our family and truly our daughter-I don't need the paperwork to tell me that!
Emotionally: Joy is doing AMAZINGLY well. The changes in her even in the last couple months are incredible. She still misses Mama Tine and Papa Aschi (the directors at the orphanage) and prays for them nearly every night-but she rarely cries for them anymore. She will probably always miss them and her Ate's (caregivers) at the orphanage; they were an important part of her life and always will be. She was so blessed to be in a home with so many people who loved her and cared for her! Joy has come to a place where she enjoys being a part of our family and she feels much more secure in her place as our daughter. Seeing the changes and growth in her have been some of the most rewarding parts of this adoption journey.
Language: Joy is doing well with the English language. She is doing speech therapy every week and will go back to speech therapy several times a week once school starts. She is very behind in her language skills, but we have seen huge improvements! She makes us laugh often with the funny things she says. It amazes me how much she is learning on a daily basis.
Academically: Please pray for Joy as we get ready to start back to school in the next few weeks! She is very nervous about going back to school and meeting her new teacher and new classmates. The transition will be tough on her as she has been with Mommy and Daddy all summer. Natalie will also not be at the same school with Joy, since Natalie starts Middle School this year. (Pray for me-the mother of a middle school girl!!!) Please pray with me that the transition will go well and Joy will love her teacher and her classmates. Also pray that she will make leaps and bounds in reading, writing and math this year. It is difficult for this Momma to see her so far behind because I don't want her to ever feel like she is not good enough or not smart enough. I want her to do her best and not get discouraged!
Thank you to everyone for their continued prayers and support! Hopefully, it will not be so long until my next blog update!! :) And hopefully, soon, I can post the pictures of Joy Noelle Lewis at the finalization of her adoption!!! I cannot wait!
