Straight Into the Looney Bin

As I listen to the interactions of my family behind me, I hope and pray for the relationships that are being forged. It is the prayer of my heart that this family can become so firmly rooted relationally that they can withstand anything together and find a way to laugh through it.

 

Jacie continues to grow daily and I really believe that she is beginning to become comfortable. With that comfortability has come some very bad habits. The first will not come as any surprise to anyone who has raised a child, been in the same room as a child or seen one in the local Wal-Mart...

 

She is now the queen of the whiners. Wow...this gal can whine. She does not hesitate to do so often. I am trying to nip it quickly but am failing.

 

The second habit...? I have mentioned in the past that she eats quite vocally. To a certain extent, that has changed. Unfortunately...it has gotten worse. I now have to sit beside her and monitor what goes in her mouth, how long she chews and when she puts more in. She habitually rams three or four large bites into her mouth, cannot chew the food without her mouth open and stuffs more in. I am afraid that she will choke. It seems that one of us is always correcting her on it. The correction frustrates her but I am not sure what else to do.

 

The other day, I stopped in the middle of eating and said, "Jacie, why are you ramming food into your mouth?"

 

She responded, "Ima hungry..."

 

I then proceeded to try to explain how she shouldn't eat like she was because she would choke.

 

Previously, I talked about how she had five pieces of pizza for supper. On top of eating too quickly and putting too much food in her mouth, she is also over-eating. She will eat until her belly pokes way out. It has got to hurt...

 

I asked her why she eats so much. Her answer made my heart break:

 

"In China, Ima hungry..."

 

I do think that she was fed in China. She came out of the orphanage very healthy. I think that her food was either restricted or not so good. She smells everything obsessively. Perhaps the food was 'rotten' once or twice and she learned to smell before you eat? Whatever the reason, she is in the process of learning how to eat at the table with manners (and safety.) It is such as problem that at this time, I do let her eat anything of substance without me in the room. I truly fear that she will choke.

 

On a lighter note, at church on Sunday, one of the worship songs had the line:

 

"We are hungry, we are hungry, we are hungry for more of you..."

 

Jacie leaned over and whispered in her daddy's ear, "Why is everyone singing that they are hungry...?"

 

For Jacie, hungry means only one thing...bring on the pizza. I am surprised that she has not begun to try to 'sing for her supper' as she witnessed others doing.

 

I have always wondered how church looked through her eyes. Makes you wonder if she thinks she has been dropped straight into the looney bin...

 

Quite likely...she has.

 

I have scanned in a picture that she drew while in China. If you look closely you will see that it is drawn on Holiday Inn (Beijing) note paper. She said that it is of mommy and daddy, the lady who said she could go and her brothers. I recognize the orphanage, the van and the lady at the desk (which is the one who helped us sign the adoption decree.) She is quite the little artist...enjoy.

 

~Angie