Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Home

We are Home.

Home in America. 

Home at our own little place in the world.

Home to begin our new normal. 

Home, where routines are created and fostered. Like getting ready for work and school, bath time, specific songs in the car, and bedtime. 

Sometimes its a good night shower and others its a good morning shower, but it always includes all 10 rubber duckies and 2 Barbie dolls. I love that she calls it good night and good morning. She has such a positive attitude!

Bedtime consists of reading 800 books before we sing and pray. Well maybe not 800, but Imani would read/let me read every single book she owns before sleeping each night if she could! Prayers always include thanking God for Farouk and the days people and events. She even thanked Him for the doctors who have filled a cavity, given shots and removed the bead from her ear. This girl knows how to forgive!

When we get into the car Imani requests 'Ethiopia' or 'So Mighty'. Ethiopia means Who Built the Arc (thats what she hears and I admit, I hear that too now) and So Mighty means My God is So Great. They are song number 23 and 3 respectively. 

Mornings usually go fast. Imani wakes up about 7am. If I'm not in sight, I hear "Mommy? Mommy. MOMMY?!" Once her feet hit the floor she's got an agenda, which she wants me to be involved in all of, so she narrates what's next. It involves putting on new/different clothes, "brush brush brushing her teeth" and washing the sleepy seeds from her eyes. Not necessarily fast or in that order, but without interruption. Then she counts me down when I'm trying to get ready. "1-2-3 all done Mommy" when I'm hardly even all wet in the shower or when rinsing my toothbrush after the first go round. "One more time" as she holds her little pointer finger up towards me. Do I really limit her this much I think to myself?!

Get dressed, or change clothes, has been relabeled put new/different clothes on. Imani was hearing 'dress' or 'change' and getting distracted. She doesn't wear dresses anymore so she contests it immediately. Change means coins, and any you have in your possession become hers. She will unabashedly empty your cup holder or pants pockets of all change you have and move it to her basket. Pennies are fine. All change makes her smile. :) 

After her first day of school I asked her if she made new friends. "Friend, FriendFriend, Friend..." she said as she showed me at least 7 of her little fingers. :)

All dogs are named Saige. But this doesn't mean she likes all dogs. Just Saige, who she walks to school in the morning. 

Chicken and rice are still the go to food, but she will try anything and everything off your plate at dinner time. She's a bottomless pit and I seriously don't know where it goes. Breakfast and lunch are small meals, but at dinner she just stores up. 

Her English is exploding. She speaks of herself in third person, which I find so adorable. She LOVES reading books and has a few favorites she has practically memorized. Llama Llama Red Pajama, Are You My Mother and Good Night Maine are three of the books I could recite and draw illustrations for. She labels everything on the pages, imitates the faces of the characters, knows the plot and when oops, I by mistake, miss a page! Stop judgingyou know you've done it too! :) 

Imani loves Jesus, life and learning. She embraces them all everyday and teaches me in the process. I tell her how brave, strong, smart, kind and special she is. I want her to know these things about herself and never question otherwise. She now lists them off on those cute little fingers! 

I had a small plate of food for dinner so I finished first the other night. Imani pushed her plate to me and moved right into my lap. She said "Mommy all done?" as she tried to share hers with me. "Sit down Mommy" she'll say as she pats the table next to her so we can be "togetha!"

She rubs my face and hair and says "Guud Job Mommy" when I read to her.

We looked at a magazine at dinner and talked about what we saw. It had children's winter clothing and I told her I had a jacket for her already. "Show me Mommy" she said as she jumped into my arms. We walked to her closet where there were actually 2 used winter jackets others had given to Imani. She squealed with excitement and hugged me saying thank you!  This makes my mommy heart happy!

She adores her aunts, uncles, and cousins and will do anything for them, especially things she won't do for me. Things like wear a certain outfit or shoes, her hair a certain way, or a certain food.  An aunt suggests it and shes all "yeah!" like its the best idea ever and the first time it's been offered! She wants to go all the time and she makes a liar out of me constantly! Shy? Not since coming to America. She doesn't wear pants? Dresses all the time? Well since coming to America... :)

I'm thoroughly enjoying watching life from Imani's view. She gets ecstatic to just see cows in a pasture or when she makes a connection from a book we've read. She embraces life with all her being and really appreciates the smaller things in it. 

In Uganda, I was careful to say lets go back to the guest house or to the room. I would correct myself if I said home, because I always referenced America as home and said we would go in an airplane to get there. My girl understood. 

She knows we are Home

Home in America. 

Home at our own little place in the world.

Home. Where my heart, and my little girl are! Thank You Jesus!

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