Recent Milestones

So much has happened in the last month! Nearly all of the girls have reached a new milestone!

Heidi celebrated her 5th birthday on October 14th! It's hard to believe she's five because she's so tiny. A few days before her birthday, I went to a local bakery in Ongole to order her cake. I showed the baker a picture of a minion as Despicable Me is Heidi's favorite movie. I was really just hoping they could draw a minion on with some icing.  Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from this Ongole bakery and wasn't going to be surprised if I picked up the cake and it looked like a little yellow peanut. Needless to say, when Abby and I went to get the cake we were shocked! We took Heidi out earlier in the day to pick out a birthday present. She picked a stuffed dog or "kookah" as our girls call them! (Kookah is the Telugu word for dog). She carried her kookah around with her the rest of the day. We had Heidi's party on the roof of our building in Ongole. We celebrated with cake then broke out a parachute to play with! All of the girls loved waving the parachute up and down. After the party we took let Heidi pick one sister to take to dinner. A few minutes later Abby and I were off to our favorite restaurant, Ramya, with Heidi and Chelsea!

Victoria and Phoebe learned to walk with their guide canes before we left Ongole! When they got home from school either Abby or I would take them on a walk down the street. The roads in Ongole are no easy feat. I was so impressed with how well they did! Since moving to Hyderabad they have continued to use their guide canes. Phoebe even got to take her cane with her on a shopping trip!

Chelsea began talking more! She hasn't mastered full control of her tongue yet, so there are several sounds she cannot make. But that doesn't stop her! She has become vocal about her wants and needs. Abby or I will hear her yelling for us saying "Ca-ee! A-ee!" Her favorite song is Every Move I Make and she LOVES to sing it all the time! I bet you've never heard a cuter rendition.

Jeanette has come a long way in her behaviors. She used to shut down every time she did something wrong. If one of her sisters upset her, she would usually hit them. Then when Abby and I pulled her away to talk about what she had just done, she would cry and refuse to say anything. Now Jeanette is learning appropriate ways to deal with her emotions. She rarely hits her sisters and is learning to talk to Abby and I about her feelings when she gets upset. This is huge for Jeanette and I am so proud of her!

Esther has been receiving individual time with her tutor after school. This has been so good for her. Esther really benefits from one on one time and instruction. But with twelve kids, that's been really hard for Abby and I to give. We break the girls up in small groups as often as we can, but one on one instruction for more than a few minutes is a rare thing. Esther has been thriving with her new tutor! Every day she shows us pictures she colored, things she write, and she loves to recite new songs! She is colored inside the line consistently and learning to write small words.

Since moving to Hyderabad, Paula has made huge strides in her independence. We live on the first story of our house which is so much better for Paula than living on the third floor like we did in Ongole! Paula is able to stay in her wheelchair the entire day at home as well as at school. Our house is so big that she has no problem maneuvering wherever she wants to go. Attached to her bedroom is a huge bathroom that is completely wheelchair accessible! She can wheel herself to the toilet as well as the sink without assistance. She's also transferring herself from her chair to bed every night on her own!

Stephanie is so much happier in Hyderabad. She really loves her new school! I have the hardest time getting through to her sometimes. No matter what I say or do some days Stephanie just sits there completely shut down to anything going on around her. Some days she wets her pants and will sit in it until someone notices and takes her to change. This past week has been amazing for her though! She has started taking initiative and telling either the ayahs or Phoebe when she needs to use the bathroom. Then someone will lead her there. She loves sitting with Abby and I and has become more aware and active in what's going on around her. I'm thrilled that she is coming back out of her shell and asserting herself, but I am overjoyed that she is HAPPY. During the evenings I will sneak a glance at her and she's laughing. In the mornings she is so excited to get ready for school. At bedtime when Abby and I tuck the girls in and sing our bedtime song, she is beside herself with giggles! The other night I really thought she was going to flop out of bed because she was laughing so hard. It nearly brought me to tears seeing a genuine and joy-filled smile across her face.

Jackie celebrated her 6th birthday on November 13th! Her favorite thing to do is dance so what better way to celebrate than with a rave?! For her party we turned down the lights and gave all the girls glow sticks. We danced the night away as we celebrated our spunkiest munchkin becoming another year older! Earlier in the day, Abby and I took her shopping and let her pick out two birthday presents. She got a new necklace and a play doctor kit! She also got mehndi on her hand. Jackie has asked about her birthday every day since a week before Heidi had hers. Needless to say, she was ECSTATIC when the day finally came!

So many of the girls have reached new milestones and we couldn't be more proud of them!

We have a new addition! A sweet little boy named Ian joined our family last week! Can't wait to share more of him with you!