Gotcha – One Week Later

Wow, wow, wow! What a difference in seven days!

Just one week ago, this sweet, but very sad little girl was given over to our guardianship and then just 24 hours later she officially became Baby Bray.

At first, we found Lexi to be very compliant and very serious – not a hint of the joy we had seen in her referral and updated photos.  Ever so often we would see her personality peek through, but her smiles were few and far between.

She seemed very determined to keep her little heart guarded and did a very good job of doing so.

Then came Friday. . .

The day started out as usual – a quick bath for Lexi, who at that point despised water and then a bite to eat at the hotel’s breakfast buffet. After breakfast, we returned to our room to pack, which Lexi seemed to enjoy. She definitely helped by taking different items back and forth between mama and baba and throwing away trash as needed.

As the time got closer to leave, we decided to take one more short walk around the city. Numerous stands line the streets of Hangzhou and when a toy kitchen set got Lexi’s attention, Baba immediately agreed to purchase it. (She had previously said no to everything we suggested.)

We went back to the room, where Lexi began to play like we had not seen before. She served us imaginary meals and eventually poured her snacks onto the little plates and fed us those as well. She seemed genuinely happy for the first time.

Soon after we left for the airport, and there, our sweet butterfly began to emerge from her cocoon. She continued to play, began to smile in earnest, and began to act like she genuinely liked us. Then on the plane, she surprised us by giving kisses and tons and tons of smiles.

And she hasn’t stopped yet . . .

Here are a few of the transformations we’ve seen in the last few days:

·      Lexi now takes a bath and gets her hair washed with no whining, no tears.

·      Lexi LOVES lotion. She had previously refused to allow me to get it near her.

·      Lexi prefers a hat to a hairbow! (She really rocks a hat!)

·      Lexi can blow bubbles, which she had previously refused.

·      Lexi can wave, give high five and blow kisses.

·      Lexi is trying really hard to say Emmie (mimi), Will, Jake and Zach.

·      Lexi has mastered the word please and shoes (which she wears religiously!!!)

·      Lexi now openly sucks her thumb. I know I’m asking for braces, but I’m just so thankful that she doesn’t feel like she has to hide it anymore!

·      Lexi is a neat freak -  she throws away every piece of trash, no matter its size and can’t stand a drip on her chin or hands. (Totally opposite from her sister – can’t wait to see how she manages the mess in their bedroom!!!)

·      Lexi is now able to leave the room without her jacket and actually slept without socks last night J. A major victory!

·      Lexi is extremely ticklish, especially when daddy’s whiskers rub the bottom of her feet!

·      Lexi has begun to show that she has an opinion. She does not appreciate that she can’t eat jellybeans and carry around a soda at all hours. However, she seems to take no really well and gets over being upset very quickly.

·      Lexi is absolutely AMAZING!

Every day, really every hour, brings some new discovery, and we are in awe of what God is doing in our midst. He continues to overwhelm us with His goodness, and we can’t wait to see what He has in store for Lexi and our family’s future.

Thanks for joining our journey! We appreciate your overwhelming love and support. To God be the glory for the great things He has done!