$5 from 4,000 Update

Since last report, we have had the equivalent of 6 people give us $5 for a total of $30.  That means that so far, we have had the equivalent of 237 people decide to give us 5.  Thank you!

M2 and I plan to drop the home study application paperwork into the mail in the morning along with our application fee.  Then, we will set about cleaning this house from top to bottom and bottom to top.  Nothing like having a social worker coming to your house to make you look at things with a microscope!

Amritas, a faithful friend and reader, posed a question in comments that may be interesting to you as well.  Amritas wondered what language Hope speaks now and how we plan to help her adapt to English.

Hope's native language is Amharic.  In reading and learning about language development in children as well as children adopted internationally, I know certain aspects of this process can be most frustrating.  I have thought about meeting these challenges in several ways.

First, I have made contact with a some students who are studying at our local university.  They are native Ethiopians and have been most gracious about offering me information prior to and after Hope arrives in the States.  I'm most interested in learning certain phrases from them and perhaps a song or two.  I'd also like to have their help in explaining a dentist visit or a doctor visit to Hope prior to taking her.

Second, I know that there will come a time when Hope will lose enough Amharic, but not know enough English to make herself understood verbally.  This language gap can last a short period or a long period and it can cause a great deal of frustration and anxiety for all involved.  This phenomenon reminded me a great deal of the reasoning behind teaching an infant sign language.  Infants and small children understand language long before they are physically able to make the sounds necessary to form words.

I taught M1 sign language when she was around 9 months old and M2 a bit earlier than that.  M1 picked up on it well, used it often and it did not seem to delay her use of language at all.  I would like to provide Hope with basic signs for things like hungry, thirsty, snack, bathroom, book, etc. so that she can make herself understood when she wants to.  Of course, at 4, she will have a strong enough will that she may not wish to a) learn or b) use any signs.  I'm going to try,though. 

We are also reviewing and looking into different language products that might be useful to her.  I don't want to overexpose her to media, however, but if something might be helpful, I'm all for it. 

This will just require lots of patience and understanding of what this entire move will be like for her.

Thanks for the questions!  Keep them coming!  We are always looking for new ideas and researching other families' experiences so we do not have to reinvent the wheel as we go along.

Comments

[Amritas]

And thanks for answering my question in a full-length post! Wow!

You're fortunate to live near a university with helpful speakers of Hope's language.

What are your thoughts about trying to maintain ties with Hope's birth culture? From what I've read, it's easier said than done, and different children have different degrees of interest in their heritage at different ages, so I'm guessing you'll have to play it by ear.

[Jen Maco]

My next door neighbors adopted their daughter from China when she was two. She was very quiet when they first adopted her, and obv. she didn't understand English, but they taught her sign language and it worked really well for them to communicate with her. Eventually they didn't need sign language, but it was very useful at first. It is so fun to hear her happy little voice over the fence now! By the way, the mom is also a lawyer like you!

It sounds like you have already thought about so much and have some wonderful ideas!