Imagine

This week has been full of imaginary play in our home! I just love watching the boys go from being bored stiff to being immersed in their own creative play. It started early this week when I asked the boys to please entertain MK for a moment. They decided to open their own business, a dumping site. Mason-Kate had the pleasure of being a "dumper" for their company. Mid-week they went back to one of their old games of Narnia. My mother gave them each a sword (I promptly had them sawed off at the top to avoid an unfortunate injury) and they have battled the creatures of Narnia for several days now....the playset in the backyard is the castle, one side of the house is the wardrobe entrance, the other side is the wardrobe exit....thankfully the boys are battling on the same side so we haven't had a sword injury to date. They have summed up their week today by being Kings....they have even built thrones around the house to "rule" from. In between all of this, they have opened a book store and they have become used car dealers (hmmm, could it be that the talk of buying a new car around here is getting to them???). Imagination is a wonderful thing....in fact, I have begun to use that as a coping technique myself. I just imagine that there is someone out there who knows the answers to all of my questions (this stems from the fact that I have called two state agencies today and neither one has had a concrete answer to what I have asked - again, hmmmm), I imagine that MK does not cry EVERY time that I choose to put her down, I imagine that my house is clean despite the boys clothes/toys are on the floor, etc., etc., etc. Imagination, it is a wonderful thing! On another note, Mason-Kate continues to amaze us. I visited a toy store with her this week. She immediately started "uhhhing" for me to get this one toy on the shelf for her to play with. I sat there in amazement as she proceeded to push and pull this toy as if she had played with it before....this particular toy was not one that was easy to figure out yet she knew exactly how to operate it....so, of course, I wonder, did she play with something like this in China, possibly her foster mother had one? Not sure, but she sure knew how to work it. I have also figured out that she does not like to have people in her space. I have noticed in the past month or so that she will literally swat at people like flies when they get too close to her. I am not used to this. The boys were and have always been so friendly to people, strangers included. I continue to try to mold their friendliness in a safe way. Mason-Kate, on the other hand, may need to be unmolded somewhat of her stranger fetish. I am also learning that sometimes it is just best to let her cry versus me trying to fix everything that is wrong in her world. After her surgery, I carried her most of the 24 hours of the day for about a week. She would still love for me to do this. I can't. This makes her mad. So, now I know that when she arches her back into a perfect "U" shape, there isn't really anything I can do to better things for her...she is just mad and she needs to cry to make it better in her mind. On the other hand, if she sits compliantly and then cries when I walk away, she genuinely needs to be held and comforted. She has also begun to call (really yell) for us and the boys. She will yell "Ma Maaaaa" or "baaa baaa" for the boys or "gaaaa" for daddy. Her little (or should I say large) personality continues to emerge. Mason-Kate's palate is slowly healing. She does have a hole that we do not expect to heal on its own due to the location and size. It is not huge but it does go through every layer of her tissue. She has adjusted well to her liquid diet and remains a healthy girl. "Little lady" describes her best at mealtime. Drinking is sometimes messy so she has begun to lean into me when she needs her face wiped off....or she will politely mash the napkin all together and pretend to wipe herself. She is quite the little fish and is just as happy as a lark floating around the pool in her float. The biggest laughs we have gotten this week have been from playing chase....she loves a good game of cat and mouse! Until next week....

Pryce had his last T-ball game this week. MK liked to hang out in the dugout...

MK enjoying a nice hot day at the pool