New additions and transitions

But Jesus said, "Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14 

About a month ago, we received a two-day baby announcement: we were bringing home an eight-month year old! Two days later, we moved the crib, her clothes, some diapers, and a little bit of formula.  We welcomed in our baby girl.  The questions and worries we had during that two-day period faded as we received this tiny but grand blessing.  Ana, which means favor or grace, is truly one of our greatest gifts from God.  How good is He to gift us with this bundle of joy, silly noises, and cuddles (plus some poopy diapers, which aren’t so bad).  We do not have legal foster parent status, but within the institution of the Fundacion, we are her primary caretakers, 24/7.  All cries during the night, all diapers, all meal times, all giggles and milestones, all doctor appointments and court hearings, all of this is our blessing. 

Our life has changed in many ways in this past month, as you can imagine.  From learning about diets of malnourished infants to teething, we have come a far way in our baby know-how. Sweeping more, tiptoeing to the bathroom during nap time, peek-a-boo, and working our blender to the grind is our new normal.  We still have to figure out how to not lose her teeny-tiny socks and how to respectfully navigate parenting advice from others, but overall I think our happy baby approves of our novice parenting skills.  As for our other girls (now 7), they are excellent big sisters, making sure she never puts anything small in her mouth and that she has constant interaction and stimulation (though sometimes I have to tell them to tone it down a little).  It has been especially rewarding to see our youngest 5 year old who has a similar past as Ana, and who is still malnourished and developmentally the size of a 3 year old, grow out of the role of baby into the role of big sister.  More than that, one of our most particularly troubled girls, who previously rejected almost all forms of love, has somehow softened and has had more joy in her attitude and interactions with others since helping take care of Ana.  Grace truly does cover this entire troop of ours.  As for now, we have to get back to the dishes and cleaning before Anna wakes up! 

No pictures of Ana yet (we're terrible at picture taking), but here's three of our girls doing their thing!