Aria's 2nd Family Day

Dear Aria,

It has been two years since that August day in Georgetown, Guyana when you were once again placed in my arms. We had been anxiously awaiting that day for what felt like an eternity. Leaving you in Guyana for 2 1/2 months while we waited for the Guyanese court to process our adoption paperwork was one of the hardest things we've ever done. So when we got word that our court documents were finally ready for us to make the August Adoption Committee meeting, we wasted no time. On August 27th, we were once again at your foster home where you were waiting for us. We wrapped you up in our arms, said our "see you laters" to the Williams family whom you had lived with for nearly a year, and drove off to begin our lives together. Never again would we have to leave you behind. By the end of this trip, you would officially be a Slominski and forever our daughter. 

We would spend nearly a month in your birth country as we navigated through the adoption process. With no guidance from our agency and no in-country representative to help us, we'd rely on the kindness of strangers each step of the way. After 25 days in Guyana, we'd finally be ready to make the journey home. We stopped for one last visit at your foster home to say our goodbyes before packing up to take the red eye flight bound for the USA. 

After a journey that was 10 months in the making, we were finally home! 

Since that day, you have made such tremendous strides. You have become a master roller. You can roll over and over across the room. You never stay in the same place I put you. You can roll in both directions and can lift your head up from the ground. You've started this elbow move, a bit of a one armed army crawl, to help propel yourself forward or to turn your body 180 degrees so that you can go in whatever direction you prefer. While it takes much effort and grit, you have some serious motor planning skills and know how to move yourself exactly where you want to go. 

 

You are now a sitter! You can sit up for 20 minutes or even more depending on your motivation to be upright. You are also using both arms to support yourself. A HUGE accomplishment considering how severely your right arm is affected by the Schizencephaly. You can even carefully lower yourself to get out of sitting. Your core has become so strong and you are getting so very close to transitioning into sitting all on your own. Hopefully by this time next year, you will be doing just that.

You love your gait trainer and often reach for it when we walk by. That's your indication that you really want to get your steps in. You figured out how to maneuver throughout the house so, of course, we had to make it a bit harder with less seat support and a more upright torso. Your legs have become so much stronger that you can even walk with no seat support for about 5 laps around the house. Some days you move with ease, but others it's more of a struggle. But knowing you, you will once again master this new positioning and perhaps will be ready to lose the seat support altogether. You love getting into trouble in your gait trainer - tossing trash all over the floor and scattering the all the dishwasher detergent wherever you can throw it. But sometimes you pitch in to help with the cleaning. You are such a big helper!

 

Your non-verbal communication skills have exploded. While we rarely hear a word (although you have said "hi", "yay" and what sounds like "Aria"), I always know exactly what you want. You reach for whatever you'd like and say "ah, ah" while you look at me and wait for me to retrieve your item. And you clearly shake your head 'no' to let us know what you definitely do not want. You recently got a new app called "Fury Friends" that you adore. Whatever you say, the app friend named Lenard repeats. You love talking to Lenard and listening with intent to what he says back to you. It's pretty darn adorable! 

You are the hardest working three year old I know! Your days are packed full of therapies - OT, PT and ST all multiples times a week. And when not working with a therapist, you're stuck at home working with mom on all the things. Between the sitting, the standing, the walking, the eating, and so so much more, you rarely have a spare moment. But it's hard to take a break when you've made so much progress. One of your latest achievements is corner standing. While it's a skill you are far from mastering, you've made it about a minute standing in the corner all on your own. It's a pretty amazing feat considering 2 years ago you could barely hold your head up.

To celebrate your 2nd Family Day, we packed the day full of all your favorites. One of you newfound loves is riding in the bike trailer. As soon as you saw the trailer, you asked to be put down so you could walk (with assistance) to climb in and go for a spin. Once you and Kate were loaded up, we were off!

Your big sisters asked to stop at the gas station for a quick treat and then we journeyed on to the park for another favorite of yours - swinging! You could swing and swing and swing! You love the feeling of going back and forth with the breeze in your face.

The last thing on our agenda for the day was swimming. Oh boy, do you sure love water! Surprisingly you did not like swimming one bit when we were in Guyana. But your love for water has exploded ever since getting you the proper bath chair.  You could sit and splash away for hours, soaking everyone around you.

We are so blessed to celebrate this day with you. You are a joyful spirit. You light up the room with your smile and squeals of delight. You have overcome so much and have grown in ways that we were told impossible. But your fierce determination lights your fire. I have no doubt you will continue to thrive and show everyone what a remarkable young lady with a burning desire to accomplish the impossible can achieve. Happy 2nd Family Day, Aria!