The Bennington Bunch: February 2014

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

8 months home with MaeLynn

Yayyyy! Our sweet baby girl has turned a corner. Who can explain why last month was such a rough month and this month was so much better? No idea! Maybe she getting more comfortable with us, building a little more trust, realizing we are going to love her no matter what. OR maybe she just got a healthy dose of sunshine when we took our first family of 5 vacation to FLORIDA!!! I know that sure made mommy happy;). Either way, it is so refreshing to see this smile again and watch MaeLynn's spunky personality come through again.
This month was a blast. We were in Destin, Florida on MaeLynn's 8 month anniversary date. On the way down, we stopped at our dear friends house, the Bogue Family, in Columbus, MS. It was nice for the kids to get out and stretch their legs and play with their friends. Scott went with Matt to a BAMA football game and I had the best time catching up with my friend Amy.

Visiting with our friends the Bogue's...

movie night with Bryson Bogue

Bouncing good time with Brooklyn Bogue

We traveled through Mississippi, down Alabama and finally to Florida. The kids did great! As soon as we got to our Miramar Beach house, we quickly unloaded and headed to the beach. MaeLynn was overwhelmed by her surroundings. The wind in her hair, the sound of the waves, the sunshine, the birds, everything was new and exciting. It didn't take too long before we could see her settling in and becoming comfortable. Next, she started to ham it up and show us how much she liked her new surroundings...

Mae loved the week with daddy too..

We had the best time building sandcastles, going to Gator Island, riding on a real pirate ship and half way through the week Nana and Papa flew in while Scott worked the IronMan Triathalon.

Beach time with Nana and Papa...

Exploring in Sea Side and carnaval rides in Panama City Beach...

Ending the day with snuggles from Papa...

Halloween Day, Gulfarium and trick or treating...

Our last day we went to the Bass pro shop and an outdoor mall with fountains...

Best vacation ever!!!!!

In a month of firsts, MaeLynn had her FIRST HAIRCUT! Our little one got the cutest bob to even out her crazy lengths. She is growing so quickly and we are soaking up every minute of it!

7 months home with MaeLynn

Crying...

Sassy attitude...

Teasing...

Happy... (All in a 30 second photo shoot!)

   These pictures are a good summation of our emotional rollacoaster this month with MaeLynn. We have read about these tough months in adoption books and also heard about it from other friends that have adopted before us. MaeLynn officially reached a testing period with us this month. It's almost as though she did everything she humanly knew to push us away. Physically hit us, pushed us away when we tried to snuggle her or comfort her and reverted back to some of her earlier screaming behavior. It was hard not to feel heart broken and rejected. Our friends in the adoption community describe it in simply terms like this...At some point your child may hit a period where they realize how much they love you and that there is still a possiblity that you may abandon them and/or hurt them. So, they do what is logical to them...do everything in their power to push you away and see if you stay.
   God is good and he gave us the strength and patience to persist. I found it a good reminder of my relationship with the Lord. I push the Lord away in my own insecurities but He is always there with a hug and snuggle to pick me back up no matter how I act. Amazing GRACE!
   We tried to keep activities minimal this month so we could allow MaeLynn to feel and act as she needed to express. We did make it back to Wichita for a couple quick days to go to the pumpkin patch with Nana and Papa while daddy caught up on some paperwork back home. This kids loved all the outdoor activities there like the pit filled with corn, slides and tractor train.
   One special time we had this month was hosting an adoption play group for families in the area that had recently adopted from China. We had so much fun connecting with others and sharing stories. The girls were so precious playing with dolls and dressing up. We hope to continue this group so the girls can grow up together. It was also special to meet other Chinese girls that have the same special need as Mae. All of the girls were fascinated with each others "little arm".
   For those of you who walked this month with us daily. Thank you for your prayers and support through this difficult month. We want so badly for MaeLynn to feel our love for her and be confident that she is and will always be apart of this family. Please continue to pray for this ever changing and growing bond!!