Changes...

I spent some time yesterday looking at pictures from a year ago. I was overwhelmed by a strong sense of compassion for our girls. Not only where they physically unhealthy when they first came here, but they were so awkward. You can see in the pictures that they just don't know what is going on or how to respond. Jenetta and I talked about it, and she said it seems almost like a crime to uproot a child and tell them that they will be living somewhere else now with different parents. How strange and incomprehensible that must have seemed for them!

Recent photos show them just being themselves - normal kids. You can see a clear difference in their body language in photos from them versus now.

This morning I took O with me for a run. We hadn't run together since early April. So I noticed a lot of changes with that, too. First, we were both out of shape. O complained almost right away of being tired and not wanting to run. Our usual competitive games didn't work either. When I would run ahead and encourage her to come catch me, she just screamed and wanted to hold my hand. That need to compete and be in charge seems to have decreased a lot. She just wanted to be with me and enjoy running/walking together.

Maybe I'm reading too much into one morning. But Jenetta and I talked about it, and O's crazy excess energy has definitely decreased over the past few months. She still likes physical activity and loves riding her bike (and she can still be a pain at times), but the overflowing spring of energy and excitement within her seems to have decreased from a raging river to a gurgling stream. Maybe she doesn't need the running as often as possible to calm her down. She doesn't seem to have the excess energy to burn anymore.


Not really related to this post, but noteworthy is our upcoming trip to Las Vegas next weekend. I am part of the team from my work going to a Spa products trade show at the Venetian next Sunday and Monday. I was to go up on Saturday and return on Tuesday. Since I had a hotel room to myself, my boss suggested that I bring the whole family along to play in the pool and to get a vacation. We talked about it, and decided that even though the hotel would be free, the extra expense for eating out just wouldn't fit in our budget.

I was really touched by the response from my boss. She wants me to feel welcome at the company and really wants me to bring my family. She also wants to get to know our girls and Jenetta better, so she would very much like me to bring them. She told me to put their meals on the company expense account for the trade show. I am very grateful for this gesture. Even though I will be busy for much of my time there, it will be great to see my family in the mornings and to be with them for dinner and in the evenings. Vegas, here we come!