This and That

I have intended on updating a little more, but blogger and I have been in one on one combat for a few days now. Each night/day  I write and then attempt to get it to post. Blogger says it's saved, and then when I click to view it...it's mysteriously disappeared. I've learned to diligently copy and paste, yet after pasting 5 times with no success, I do raise the flag of surrender and go to sleep.

I'm attempting to load some pics now. It's been thirty minutes, and one picture is still trying to load. I really do not know what's up, but I guess simply writing to update will suffice.

Things have really been going well. Camila has been adjusting beautifully. Praise God! She is immensely happy all day long, and only gets grumpy when she wants to eat immediately while she sees me preparing the food, or she wants something she can't have. Those instances aren't very frequent. She is so happy and content to run and play all day, and is even going to bed at night and nap times with a smile on her face. We are getting into a nice routine.

When it's bed time I am able to rock and sing to her, read her a book, and pray over her each night. Then she is quite happy to lay down in her crib with her fluffy, pink, fleece blanket. She loves me to raise it up and down in the air like a parachute, and she grins ear to ear.

Camila loves to eat. I would say it's probably her very favorite thing. When you bring her plate to set in front of her, she begins laughing hysterically, squealing, and clapping her hands. It's rather funny. The boys get a kick out of her excitement to eat. She pretty much uses a spoon or fork the entire time she eats now, and on her own. What an accomplishment!

We still struggle a bit with the times we have had to eat meals with other people. She is happy in that setting, but quickly finishes her plate, and then attempts to go around and grab stuff from everyone else's plate as well. She gets very upset when she can't do this. Her belly can be as tight as a tick and she is still grabbing for more food. It's amazing to watch her drink as well. I can fill up a cup of water or juice, and she bottoms it out. I fill it up again, and it's the same thing again. It's as if she is a bottomless pit! Things are still ions better than they were the first couple of weeks at meal times. We are seeing more progress every day.

We have been able to go swimming the last couple of days. All the Reedlings have enjoyed that. Amaus is swimming still, although a little more shyly than he did in Peru. Perhaps because Grandaddy and Grandmama's pool is a lot larger than the one he had gotten used to swimming in in Iquitos. I'm proud of him though. He learned to swim last summer at 2 1/2 and didn't forget over the winter. That makes me a more relaxed mama at the pool.

Camila also loves the pool. She runs around, jumps, splashes, and plays. Camila attempts to drink the pool water a whole lot, though. I haven't figured out how to get her to stop that. She seems to think it's the greatest thing in the world. She knows the word, "Yucky" now. And I'll tell her the water is yucky. She repeats the word 'Yucky', but then is sipping again a minute later. It's almost like she wants to bottom out the pool like she does her cups of juice and water. When we walk up to the pool she starts saying "Agua!" And is thrilled to see this bountiful supply of water. We don't limit her drinks throughout the day, so this isn't due to any kind of shortage of liquids in her diet.

Anyway, she thinks food, and drinks are just about the best parts of the day, I think.


We are noticing that Camila is starting to attempt to interact more with her brothers and her cousins. She will run up to them and sort of try to join in on what they are doing. That is huge progress.

She is saying more animal sounds now, too. I can call out four or five English words for animals and she'll make the animal sound that goes with the animal. She is also repeating more random words she hears. Although we are still at a point of her usually only repeating that word once randomly, and only retaining a few new ones that are used frequently and understood.

Camila seems to cling to Danny and I more and more. When she gets up in the morning or after a nap, she comes to climb up in the recliner with one of us and snuggle. It's solely her initiative, and we love it. She only gets frustrated with us on occasion. It's usually when she wants to chase her brothers outside and go with them on some adventure catching tadpoles or turtles. She seems to desire the freedom they enjoy to romp around at their own will. She cannot understand why she can't do those same things with them anytime she wants to. She is learning more and more boundaries. I think she is figuring out a little more each day what having a home is all about. And from all appearances, she loves it.

We love it too. It's a joy to be able to be her mommy. She is a jubilant, playful, and giggly little sweetheart, and our family falls more in love with her with each passing day. <3 It really is a great privilege and we are excited about the progress to come!