when it rains it pours...

...and I'm catching up on my blog!

Here is a photo. This photo inspired my last post "wonder". Along with the photo, my efforts to do what is right as a mother - which isn't always what is nice- also inspired that post.

The photo is of Marie with a dear friend. My friend was blessed to travel to Haiti in October for a Foyer de Sion parent trip. She met her two little girls for the first time. On Sunday, they attended church and my little Marie was there. She picked her up and gave her a kiss and told her "that was from your mamma". I'm very grateful for this picture....because this is the little girl I remember... and she is happy! This helps me to endure the long wait. Unfortunately, Roberto wasn't at church.....but I can guess his picture would be "less happy" because he doesn't like his photo taken and he probably wouldn't be too thrilled with a strange woman picking him up and kissing him!

The other thoughts that inspired the "wonder" post came from mothering Katiana. She is a beautiful and amazing young girl! She is so happy! She sings in the shower! WELL, I THINK THAT is a sign of happiness! She skips, she laughs, she teases, she is just so well adjusted AND...she sometimes pulls a crybaby act that mimicks my 5 year old neice. WELL.....perhaps this behavior worked for her in the past, or she is TESTING me. 2 1/2 times now, she has tried this approach. The 1/2 time I was able to nip it before it made it to tears. The other two times she used this behavior, I had to make a quick descision and it didn't include what seemed the *nice* thing to do. She poured on the tears. I told her she had no reason to cry. Last week I called her bluff when I suggested we talk with our neighbor (who speaks Creole) so I could better understand why she was "sad" and crying. I explained it was ok to be sad and it was ok to cry but she needed to help me understand why....and our neighbor could help. I think when she realized she was pulling the "crybaby, pouty, sulking, you are the meanest person in the world act" because I told her she couldn't do something, she realized she really didn't have a good reason to act this way and she didn't want to have to explain that to our neighbor. Of course, both times she has done this, it was from me telling her she couldn't do something. Both times *I knew* she wasn't really sad. I have seen her sad - and we turn things around very differently when she truly is feeling sad. SO..... I wonder - am I doing this right? I hope so.