Anna Kate - 6 months

We just completed having our second post adoption home study which is at the six month post adoption point.  It seems like we have had her much longer than six months when you consider how much she has grown, developed, and adjusted.  She had done really well with daycare now.  We had the issues with her biting other kids, but that has improved. 

She has really started to talk now.  She can repeat anything you say and now says a number of words and phrases.  I love to hear her say Bennett.  It sounds like Bent-it.  She is still a great eater, although, she does not like to eat first thing when she wakes up.  She has started learning her colors and does well with her animal sounds.  We have a book of pictures of food and she can name the objects in the book.  

We made our first trip to Mississippi with her since we adopted her.  The drive was okay.  It could have been better, but could have been worse.  It was great to finally to have time for some extended family to get to visit with her. 

The most recent issue has been her tantrums.  I don't know if it was part of being almost two, being a girl, attachment issues, etc, but it was hard.  When we would have to discipline her, it became a battle of wills.  The battle continually got worse.  The first incident was about 20 minutes, then 30 minutes, and then 1 1/2 hours.  I was emotionally and physically drained, but stuck to it.  After that grueling week, Anna Kate is a completely different girl.  She seems to know proper behavior and has done much better behaving properly.  She has not been aggressive towards Bennett since then.  She recognizes that she has a choice on how she wants to behave, but if she makes a poor choice there will be consequences.  She will go to "time-in" and she will apologize.  We have gone from 1 1/2 hour battle to get an apology to now she apologizes for Bennett when he has done wrong.

I was reading some of the blogs of others that traveled with us over the last week.  It was encouraging to see that it seems we have all been going through this same struggle.  Attachment is a process.  Sometimes, I am quick to think we are past all the attachment and bonding issues since AK has done so well.  

I am so very proud of Anna Kate.  We are truly so blessed to have her in our family and blessed in how healthy mentally, physically, and developmentally she is.