We've been home three weeks now.
And I cannot even begin to tell you the amazing trasnformation that we have witnessed in our sweet TG.
(Pictured above, with me, in a rather comfy chair in Frankfurt, Germany. But don't be deceived--in spite of the chair comfiness, I am not a fan of that airport. At all.)
But back to the transformation.
When we picked Tigist up from the orphanage, she couldn't put any weight on her legs. Within a week, she could stand holding onto my hands, or onto a table.
As of a week ago, she could not successfully drink water from a sippy cup, bottle, or regular drinking glass! 40-50% of the water would come back out of her mouth and result in her mom clothes or bib being positively drenched. Nor could she hold the cup herself. At all. But now? She's drinking successfully, out of the sippy, and can do so independently.
Until recently she really didn't have much of an attention span for playing with toys. Last night, she sat for a good ten minutes at a toy, playing and chattering and enjoying herself.
It was clear from the day we took custody of Tigist that she had had very little exposure to different food textures. So that, coupled with the characteristic low muscle tone of her tongue, made for extremely messy and stressful meal times. Because everything got pushed out of her mouth and she was frustrated. But now she's eating pizza (cut up in little pieces, of course), PB&J sandwiches (also cut), and oatmeal at breakfast (I spoon feed her.) And most all of it is staying in her mouth.
I realize these may sound like the smallest of things. Like stuff that isn't a big deal for, you know, a two-and-a-half-year-old to do. But for sweet Tigist? It's huge. Without any therapy or professional help, she is making gains. Huge gains. Yes we are still having physical and occupational therapists do evaluations (I'm waiting on their call), but I am just so thrilled for my daughter that with a bit of constancy, stability and love, along with opportunity, she is accomplishing all sorts of things!
What an honor it is to cheer Tigist on, rejoice in her successes, and watch her begin to flourish...right before our very eyes. It's like God is giving us this amazingly precious glimpse into our daughter's potential and strength. Which, in all honestly, is positively limitless.
And for your viewing pleasure, here's a little video of her eating lunch, from a week ago or so. She rocks.
Oh how I love my dear, beautiful TG!
