Crooks Family, A bakers Dozen :): Happy New Year from Wellington!

Today marks one month since sweet Jade came home! What a difference a month makes.... While our time in China was simply amazing, and Jade rallied like the brave little soul she is, there were some very tough and scary times as well... We were very happy to get home with our precious girl, and then we barely survived the jet lag, seriously... it was horrible this time! It gets harder the older I get, uh oh! Just when Jade was finally getting used to the routine at home, this crazy gypsy family she joined up and hit the road to Wellington, Florida for the winter equestrian circuit! Jade did what she does though, and rallied... How strong this tiny sprite of a girl is! She really is tiny... She was just 25 lbs at 6.5 years old on Gotcha Day, thankfully she is already up to 29lbs and gaining!

This has been the most interesting, scary, and heart warming adoption for me to date.... Jade's delays and behaviors, at first, really really scared me.... She was so not what I/we expected... She was/is so delayed.... She had so many scary behaviors those first days (pulling her own hair out, gaging herself, face slapping, rocking, totally checking out, etc) and was so removed emotionally that I was truly terrified... The rest of the gang? No fear at all.... They all fell head over heals for their new little sister in about a day and a half, some sooner. When she freaked out, they acted silly, made her laugh, helped her, hugged her, played with her, etc... My kids met her where she was, and lead her out of her shell.... What an example they were to me those first few days, teaching unconditional love so loudly and clearly, I will never forget their lesson....

I have to say that now, a month into being home, this little girl has the tightest grip on my heart one can imagine... I want to be with her 24/7, I am so in love with her.... We ALL are.... As other adoptive parents and those who understand adoption understand, bonding takes time... Some kids take a long time to bond with their families, some families take a long time to truly bond with their newest child. Each child and family member is different. We have had kids where the bonding has gone smoothly and quickly, and kids where its been a long hard road... Jade's bond to us, and us to her, has I think, been one of the fastest... She is my angel baby, I love her to the moon and back, and will walk to the ends of the earth to help her heal and develop to her fullest potential.

Jade is a little puzzle... In some ways she is like a toddler, in some ways she is like a 6 year old, in some ways she is a very wise old soul... She has stopped 90% of the scary behaviors she came with. She is learning new things every day, its SO exciting to watch her progress and learn! She is dealing with ALL these changes we throw at her, no easy feat...and deals with them with a smile on her face (paired with an occasional tantrum ;) She knows about 15 English words, and is understanding a lot more then that. She is sweet and affectionate, she has learned that she has choices and loves choosing her cloths, shoes, meals etc... she loves to be held and cuddled now :) , she TRUSTS us... and she has ridden her first pony! She is funny... she is coy.... I know there is a lot trapped inside Jade that is now starting to come out, and I am so excited and thankful that we will get to witness this amazing little girl bloom...

Here are some pics from home and also her first few days in Wellington.

Happy New Year!
Love,
Jennifer