Our middle girl has been amusing today. This morning began with some funny Jenisms! It started at breakfast. We've been teaching the girls how to make requests politely. You know... "May I...... please?" So this morning Jen asked, "May I have more cereal?"
And I replied, "What do you say?"
Her answer - "Yeah!" Guess I need to work a little more on the please thing....
BUT, she is catching on to something I'm telling her, even if she isn't actually doing it. Jen frequently grasps the front bar on her walker which of course causes it to fall over. This morning as she crashed onto the floor again, and I looked to see if she was ok she said, "Hold the handles." Sigh.
Jennifer has been our child that was the most affected by institutional care. While the other two royalty had the benefit of spending some time with a foster family, Jen never did. Seven years of being basically invisible (as near as I can tell she wasn't special to anyone) left her with little trust in people, and really having no idea of how to function in a family. She also doesn't know how to cope with changes in her schedule or routine.
Another BIG problem has been receiving medical care. She has been so terrified that even seeing a sign to any of the doctor offices we go to has often resulted in screaming and big crocodile tears. She has told me on numerous occasions, "Doctor hurt me." There was some kind of bad experience in her past, for sure.
Jen has made great strides as she has begun to trust us. After delaying some appointments and tests for several months to give her the time she needed to adjust, we are at last able to go to a doctor without her going into a panic. Yesterday she had a renal scan (kidneys) and did SUPER! I'm a huge believer in reinforcing and rewarding good behavior, so she got to choose what we had for lunch. She chose a hamburger and fries in case you are curious, and also got a chocolate Frosty. We followed this kid approved lunch with an afternoon at the park. Yay for progress!
