It is amazing to look back at all that has happened this past year. This week will mark one year since we met our youngest daughter, little Ruth. She has been through such a change!
We got the call about her and met her the very next day. 2 days before Christmas Eve! When we met her, she was not the little girl who lives with us today! She was wounded, sad, scared and seemed tired from life at only one year old. Her little whimper of a cry and fear in her eyes, are etched into my memory. She had been through more than we will ever really know. We brought her home, and started the journey of trying to help this little one heal. It was tough to watch. Her little body exaughisted. She would sit and rock with me, but if I put her down, she would walk to the corner, sit and pull her hair. Something we saw her do every time she was scared or stressed. The back of her hair was rough and broken from all the pulling. She would eat and eat and eat. It was a good six weeks until she would stop eating on her own. Till she knew she would for sure be getting more food.
She slowly started to let my husband hold her. He had an uphill battle to teach her she could trust him. She was silent. Never talking or singing, only whimpering when she needed something or was overwhelmed. My focus was on bonding with her, rocking her and holding her close. It was really what we both needed. Just to sit and rock and hold her.
Her first morning in our home was Christmas morning. You would think it would be GREAT for her. But she was still fragile, scared and untrusting. She liked the toys and the gifts and treats, but was guarded. She held back, unsure of herself. Slowly she started to relax. She grew to trust me, and then Dan. She developed relationships with her brother and sister. She stopped pulling her hair. She started eating a normal amounts of food at meal times. She looked to Dan and I to see if a situation was "ok" or not, and began to trust us.
This year, at Christmas, she is a different girl! She is singing ALL THE TIME around the house. She is playing with her baby dolls and hot wheels (she loves cars!). She has healthy, beautiful hair. She states her mind and has determination! She smiles.
I can't wait to see her this Christmas, running, playing, smiling and laughing! Ripping open her presents and enjoying it. This year, there will be no fear and no stress. She can just be a little girl, having a wonderful Christmas with her family.
What a year! I thank God that He brought her through all that pain and fear, to the place she is now. The sparkle in her eyes is priceless. This Christmas I will be most grateful for her "recovery" and her triumph. She has been through a lot and worked so hard. I am so proud of my girl!
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