Oh, beautiful rest time, how I love you! I started pushing back our rest time until 1:30 or so which gives less time between rest time and Jason getting home (the hardest time of the day). Today we put on our coats, went outside after lunch and headed for the park. This is the second day in a row I have walked the kids to one of the nearby parks by myself. We look like a circus - I'm not going to lie! Claire Muad is loving trying to ride her bike on her own, so she takes her bike (and I give her pushes when I can – she can ride but can’t get started 100% on her own yet). Zoe Mujinga, of course, is riding the little Diego plastic toddler trike – always out in front of the rest of us . . . and today she was wearing capris! Isaiah started off on the little scooter and Abram rode in a stroller – the boys switched off between the stroller and the scooter. We are never all together on the sidewalk – there is always a good distance between some of us, which even more so creates the circus/parade effect. The girls are good about stopping at the end of most of the streets and waiting to go until I can see them, so that is good. I’m just thankful that we can get outside for an hour or so – it is so good for all of us.
The morning was a normal, hard – but not terrible – morning. Lots of structure needing to be implemented (read: discipline). J I have been struggling to know what to do with the girls if they don’t obey and today I put one of the girls on the bench (in the same room that the rest of us were in) for five minutes. She was not being quiet like I asked, so I added two minutes to her time. She had to sit on the bench a second time and the other one had to do it once, too. It seemed to work pretty well, so I am thankful to have a starting point for consequences for disobedience (without using much language at all). I also had some good connection times with the girls. I straightened Claire Muad’s hair (in the back room) this morning while Zoe Mujinga did Rosetta Stone and the boys played. Later, while Claire Muad was doing Rosetta Stone, Zoe and I played badminton with a balloon and she loved it. Later in the afternoon the girls helped me cut apples and make applesauce (or "saucy apple" as one of the girls said!). Abram is starting to do better than the first few weeks – yay!
The girls have just started calling Isaiah, “Isaiah,” instead of Lee. They still call him Lee sometimes and every once in a while they call him Munanga. I also heard Zoe call Claire Muad, “Claire” for the first time this morning at breakfast. It is good to hear them call each other by the names we (or they) have given them(selves). I have been wondering when they would start making the transition. We’ll see if the transition has really started or if it was just a fluke.
While the girls still did not score very well on Rosetta Stone today, it was fun during lunch to hear them pointing out the “boys” and then them as the “girls” (which was part of the lesson) . . . so clearly they are learning a little! It is a totally different way of learning for them, I’m sure, so I imagine it will take some time for them to get the hang of it.
The afternoon included a battle with one of the girls. Needing to obey mom and trust me but not wanting to struck some very deep chords and caused a lot of tears and hiding (of the face). Though so painful to go through (for her even more so than for me I am sure), having those deep chords struck is good. I can only think that it means she is beginning to realize that she doesn’t have to be in control of herself anymore . . . she has a mom now to trust and who will care for her. But how scary . . . when former caretakers have left. I’ll say it again: Oh, the distress of a (former) orphan. I tried to “be” with her as much as I could and I prayed out loud for her while I was with her.
There are many other things I am thinking about and trying to process, but I’m too tired to try to get any of it out. And my throat is beginning to feel like knives are inhabiting it. So, I should go to bed. Thanks for continuing to pray for us.
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