Feelings after the Court Date . . . November 22, 2011

While Aleeya seemed to be doing great and really enjoyed her field trip on the actual court date, she seemed a little different in the days following.  Our social workers had told us that we should expect some rough times after this date.  Over the weekend, she seemed a little more tired than usual, but sometimes she is tired from her week.  One really cool thing that happened was that the day after the court date (Friday), we received our new "Family Pictures," and put them up in the frames in our living room.  There was one large one of the whole family and two 8x10's of the boys and the girls.  When she came home from school, she just kept looking at them.  We seriously caught her looking at them so often, and she would comment about how good they were.  It was neat that the day after her birth parents rights had been terminated, she could literally see herself in her new family.  We have so many family pictures throughout our home, and now we had a completed one!  While we had hoped to get them earlier, the timing of it all was pretty special.

The next two days of school, she seemed very different.  I especially remember picking her up on that Monday and Tuesday and not seeing her smiling face walking toward our van.  There was a heaviness, a sadness, and yet she seemed ok all at once (I guess that's how most of us are even when some tough stuff is going on inside).  As we worked on some math homework, she seemed to have forgotten so much of what she had been learning the past two months.  It was like there was a blocking out of that information.

Looking back, this was one of those times I wish I would have just understood and let it go.  Instead, I tried to get her to remember, to focus and stay with me.  I felt frustrated and didn't understand what was happening.  Now, I wish I would have just sat with her and read or watched a movie, or just taken a walk.  Maybe my way of getting through things is pushing along and she just needed some time.  I'm learning.

On Wednesday, there was a Thanksgiving Party at school and she seemed a little better.  I was so thankful to not have any homework that weekend and just have some good down time with the family together.  I hoped we would see our Aleeya back to her sweet, smiling self again soon.