On Wednesday a new season began for us. I am no longer homeschooling, and so all of my school-aged children are at school. We made the decision to not have Karleigh Mei go to a mother's day out program for now. 1) because of the $$, but 2) and more importantly, I have this awesome opportunity to spend lots of time, one on one, with Karleigh Mei. I'm praying that this time will really, really, REALLY help her bond even more with me...as her mother.
One way to bond with an adopted child, is to feed them a bottle. The time spent holding/cradling the child and gazing into their eyes is soooo important. I may never know if Karleigh Mei had this kind of bonding with anyone while in the orphanage. I do know that for the first 10 days, Karleigh Mei's mother kept her. I'm sure she either nursed her or gave her a bottle, so I know at one point she did get this, even for just 10 days.
I had never given Karleigh Mei a bottle before, but she's always had a fascination with them. I did buy some and had them with us in China, but she was not interested in them at the time. The past couple of months, Karleigh Mei has talked a lot about how she is my baby. Whenever she sees a child with his/her mother in the store, she's always quick to hug my neck and say that she is my baby and I'm her mother. I love it. I can't get enough of it! We hug and kiss and declare our love for each other wherever it is we are!! She also at times wants me to hold her like a baby. And she has hinted to the fact that she wants me to give her a bottle.
And so today I did. :) We snuggled up on the couch and I held her like the baby that she is. We gazed into each others eyes and talked about how she is my baby and I am her mother. And we were quiet and just gazed at each other as she drank from her bottle. I would kiss her and give her "butterfly" kisses on her nose. And as she was sucking from the bottle, I could hear her drinking and breathing, and for a second I was taken back into time. A time when she was a little, tiny, baby. It was just a glimpse, but I am so very thankful to have that. My sweet little baby Karleigh Mei.
