First Post Placement!

It is hard to imagine that it is already time for our first post placement report to Russia! Ava has been with us for four months now and it is remarkable to see the changes that have taken place in this little girl .She no longer is a baby. When we first brought Ava home my family was shocked at how little she was. She was wearing a size 6 months and it was big. I had even gone in and bought some onesies in a 3-6 months! She now is filling out and is wearing a 12 month size in most brands. When we first picked her up she weighted about 14 pounds ,Height 27 inches at 14 months old. Now at 18 months old she weights 18 pounds and is almost 30 inches. She eats great but is in constant motion! When kiddos hit the toddler stage they certainly can burn up the calories!She now is walking and into everything!Ava also has developed quite a vocabulary. She was not talking when we picked her up but now has a vocabulary of about 20-25 words.The only issue that has come about is her eye is wondering. She has been evaluted and we found that Ava has a slight stigmatism. The doctor said that we are going to recheck this in one month and then make the decision to wear glasses or eye surgery. If this is the worse case senrio we consider ourselves so lucky!!!! The lord has truly blessed me with a child that loves to wear glasses of anykind! So hopefully, if we need glasses she will leave them on!
We just finished our first post placement vist and our social worker was so pleased with Ava attachment to us. The social worker said Ava returning to me for saftey and comfort several times during the meeting was a great sign.Ava wanted to work on the blinds in her office . When we told her "no" she stuck her bottom lip out and got really sad. She headed right over to me ,crawled up in my arms and laid her head on my shoulder. She said that Ava attachment is really good for such a short time with us.As she could tell we are equally attached to our little girl. She showed S how she feeds her baby doll and then Ava would come and get back in my lap.It is such a great feeling to know that Ava feels secure with us . S told us that Ava must have had someone at the orphanage that she bonded with. She said this would make it easier for her to bond so quickly with us.She also said not to focus so much on the developmental side of this that focusing on the attachment side is so much more important. The other will follow.These are all things that we had read about in preparation for this adoption but it all feels quite surreal when it is your child. I was glad to hear that all of the staying home and keeping her world small is paying off. At times you can feel like you just need to escape the walls of the house. But I have learned that when you slow down a bit you see things that you did not notice before.Through this adoptin we have learned alot about parenting that we did not know before.
Well, thats all for now!If Ava needs glasses I hope they do not show her frames like these ! These are her favorites! We will be in serious trouble!
N