Day 5

It's has been 5 days since Bethany's Gotcha Day.   Her world has been turned upside down, and so as ours.   Here are the things we have learn with her so far:

Interesting facts about Bethany

- Oh, boy, she talks!    She still talks in her dialect.   With about 50% of understanding of her ZhoaTung dialect, we tried to respond and interact with her as much as we can.   Sometimes when we are totally stumped, we just respond with "oh, yes....".   One time, Bethany said something to San that he had no clue at all.    San responded with his "Oh, yeah....", and Bethany replied, "So now you go do it!...."  

- She is definitely a people person.  She loves being around people.

- She is very patient and very compliant.   Once we made clear with her what she would expect, she usually does very well.    She usually does extremely well waiting for her food, waiting to be dressed or helped, following instructions and responding to corrections.    She is a very sweet girl.

- She still absolutely refuses to brush her teeth.   I've read about sensory issues in blind children, where they don't adjust to new "feelings" as easily as normal children.     Children learn mostly by watching and imitating.   But blind children do not have that advantage.   Every new experience is an adventure/challenge for them - on their own.

- She loves to play with Faith and Pearl.   They can't really communicate yet, so most of their play is physical so far.   I hope this will slowly change once Bethany pick up English.

Challenges Ahead

- We are still confused about what to expect from her when it comes to her physical development.    She is very delayed in many ways.    Her gross and fine motor skills and cognitive skills are at the level of about a 2-year-old.   We are not sure if this is due to lack of stimulation in her growing up.    We cannot completely rule out the possibility of some level of mental retardation neither.  While we are very concerned, we are also very encouraged to see progress in just 5 days.    She can now take off her own socks and shoes.    She would try to put her socks inside her shoes as instructed, even though she still needs a little help.   She can pull up her pants after using the toilet.   She is drinking from a zippy cup independently.   We are teaching her to put on her socks and shoes by herself.   It''s been difficult, but she is slowly getting the feel of it and is proud of herself.    She is finally able to hop (with both feet off the ground) by herself.   These things are simple for a 2-year-old, but they are milestones for Bethany.  It is very encouraging to see that she is so eager to try new skills and has shown interest in completing tasks on her own.   We are taking one day at a time, one skill at a time. 

- Mannerism/Blindism, repetitive behaviors such as body rocking, head swaying and finger flicking, etc. that are common in blind children, due to the inadequacy of sensory stimulation.  Bethany does has some Mannerism behaviors such as flapping her hands and padding her chest.    It is a very difficult area for us right now.   We have read about it, and have seen it in other blind children.   But when it comes from your own child, it becomes quite embarrassing..... I have to admit.      The first thing comes to mind is taking her to church and school.   How would other children accept her?  Will she scare other children, or be rejected in her class?    Will people misunderstand her?   We constantly remind her of not doing it, and she has responded quite well so far.    But I know this is going to be a long road.  With the help of vision teachers once we get home, we pray that Bethany will slowly improve in this area.

Some Unexpected Surprises

- As long as we keep quite, we can keep the lights on and continue to work on our own thing while she sleeps!   :-)

- I can hide certain food from her easily!   Since she is not brushing her teeth yet, I try to limit the amount of sugary food.   She eats what we feed her, while the rest of us can enjoy desserts on the table.   Ha,Ha.....   

Random Thoughts

 San and I really appreciate our four children in a fresh way in the past few days.    Each one of them has stepped up to help in different ways, to love their new sister and to bravely embrace the unexpected.    Pearl has been a wonderful playmate for Bethany.   Faith is big sister, therapist, teacher and playmate for Bethany.  The boys have been acting as general managers, taking care of everything from carrying Bethany around, taking pictures, entertaining the girls while we rest, to getting me a napkin when I am busy feeding the little mouths.     Because of Bethany's weak leg muscles, she often get tired easily from walking.   Sam, even being sick himself, often offer to carry her for us.  

My Aunt took Sam to the doctor yesterday.   After a day long of examinations, they have determined that he has contracted lung infection.   After receiving IV and antibiotics, he is feeling so much better now.    We believe it is not just a coincidence that Bethany is from KunMing where my aunt lives, it is definitely God's divine plan and providence.     My aunt is like an angel sent from God to us, who is here to calm us, help us, and assure us that everything is going to be okay.    Lord, we are humbled by your grace. 

Next stop - GuiYang.    We are flying to GuiYang this afternoon (Friday 12/23), and looking forward to unwrap another Christmas present the Lord has for us.   We will meet our 1-year-old Ruth on Monday(12/26).   

How are we going to handle one more child?   San and I have been asking ourselves this question in the past few days.    We don't know.    We have no plan now.    We feel like what Jehoshaphat felt in 2 Chronicles 20:12, "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You."  We just move forward to what we have committed to the Lord, and take one day at a time.    For the Lord promised, "Your strength will equal your days" Deuteronomy 33:25b.