Baby Steps

I have learned a lot from our fostering experience, and one day "soon" I would love to blog about the journey we have taken over the last 8 months.  Meanwhile, I decided not to let the burden of catching up my blog keep me from posting what is currently happening.

One of the MANY things I have learned about being a foster parent is to rejoice in the small victories.  It keeps you from going crazy, and helps you remember to thank the Lord for progress.  In the last 3 days, we have rejoiced in two such victories concerning our three year old little girl who came in September.

Miss A hears "I love you" and other affectionate phrases frequently throughout the day, and we all make it a point to give her physical affection.  She reciprocates with physical affection, and it is obvious  she truly appreciates it.  However, when verbal affection is given, she frequently responds with an adamant "no" or the averting of eyes.  VERY RARELY does she respond positively or say anything on her own.  Saturday she was playing independently and Hannah heard her talking to her baby dolls, saying, "My mommy… My mommy loves me."

May seem small, but it meant the world to me.

Yesterday night we had a similar moment.  In September we received a little girl who refused to eat healthy food, especially wheat bread.  She had been fed a steady diet of fast food and could recognize signs and tell you what she wanted from the menu of each and every fast food place as we drove across town.  Passing Taco Bell she would shout, "Want soft taco!!" Upon seeing the yellow arches she would cry for "Chicken nuggets!!!"  While getting gas she would cry for pop and ice cream, and so it went.  Needless to say, her system faced quite a shock when she began eating "real food," most frequently NOT by her free choice.

I'm not sure where this little girl went, but last night our 3 year old ate a decent dinner, ASKED for apple slices (ate them), and then ASKED for a piece of homemade wheat bread.  As she took the first bite of bread, she declared, "YUM! Good!"

In that split second, flashing back to battles over meals in September, I realized that we have come a long, long way.  It gives me hope for tomorrow!