And in Other Vera News...

Some things have happened this week that I must get documented. I don't ever want to forget these subtle, yet so significant, precious moments.

It started Tuesday morning. Vera and I got up and headed to the kitchen for her yogurt and banana and my coffee. We were chit-chatting as usual...well, Vera was chit-chatting like usual. While I sat next to her wishing for two minutes of quiet while I drank my coffee. I do not like talking to people as soon as I wake up. I wouldn't say I'm grumpy (though Jon might). I just like having a few minutes of peace before I have to converse with others. I rarely get that these days. It's one of those things I miss from my former life. Anyway, Vera finished her yogurt and asked me to help her peel her banana. I started it and handed the banana back to Vera. She said 'fank uh, Mama' (thank you, Mama) and before I could say 'you're welcome' she stopped herself. She looked me straight in the eye, pointed to me and said, "No. You Mommy." She said it twice. "You Mommy." Now, that may not seem like a big deal to you. I AM her mommy, afterall. We all know that. But it took this long for Vera to know that.

We haven't pushed Vera calling me Mommy. Jon always refers to me as Mommy and the big kids still call me that. But we've never corrected Vera when she calls me Mama. I knew it was one of those things that would come with time. Well, I believed and hoped and prayed it would eventually happen. And really, with the trouble she has with the long E at the end of words, maybe it never would. Tuesday, almost 6 weeks home, it finally happened. She called me Mommy. And I have been Mommy ever since. So, what changed? What was so special about Tuesday morning? I wish I knew.

I am no longer just a caregiver to Vera. I am no longer one of the countless mamas that Vera has had over the past 6 years. I am Mommy. That is significant. Not just that she's calling me Mommy, but that she consciously, purposefully started calling me Mommy. She made sure I knew...she made sure I heard...twice...I am Mommy. It was significant for both of us. Things have been different between Vera and I since Tuesday. It's like an invisible wall came tumbling down with that one little word. Mommy. Vera will now come give me spontaneous kisses for no reason. She now comes to me, looks up at the ceiling and giggles, which means 'please kiss my neck and tickle me.' On Wednesday after Vera's appointment with the orthopedist, I was laying on the couch. For some reason I was exhausted and just wanted to rest a bit. Vera came into the living room and said, "Mommy, blanket please." Usually that means she wants her own blanket on the couch and she wants to lay somewhere other than where I am. I sat up and reached for the other blanket and asked Vera where she wanted to lay. She said, "Mommy, please" and motioned to my blanket. I lifted it up and invited her to lay next to me. That was what she wanted. She smiled huge and climbed up next to me. We laid there together exchanging kisses on our cheeks and foreheads. We whispered "I love you's" to each other. Our legs intertwined and we shared many smiles and giggles and sweet, precious moments.

Since Tuesday and me becoming Mommy, Vera has become a very thankful little thing. She thanks me for EVERYTHING. She tells me she's thirsty. I get a cup out of the cupboard. "Fank uh, Mommy." I put an ice cube in the cup. "Fank uh, Mommy." I fill the cup with water. "Fank uh, Mommy." I put a straw in the cup. "Fank uh, Mommy." I hand her the cup. "Fank uh, Mommy." Meals are the same. About every 3 or 4 bites she says, "Mmmmmm. Fank uh, Mommy." I help her onto the toilet. "Fank uh, Mommy." I help her wipe. "Fank uh, Mommy." I pull up her shorts. "Fank uh, Mommy." Are you seeing the pattern? Ever since she started calling me Mommy, she thanks me for everything I do. Every little thing. Today I let her help me stock toilet paper in the bathrooms. She thanked me. I let her help me with laundry. She thanked me. I buckled her in the van to take her to see yet another doctor. She thanked me. Something in her changed when she started calling me Mommy. Something I can't quite put my finger on, but something significant. And I am thankful.

Vera has also added lots of new words to her English vocabulary. In addition to what I shared in the Vera's Vocabulary post, she also now says

Excuse me

You're welcome

Ice

Be careful

Eyes

Drink

My room

Towel

Seat

Bone

No lick

Church

God

Bible

Jesus

Juice

Almost

Scrub

Rinse

Splash

Pillow

Blanket

Pocket

Good morning

Thirsty

I'm sure there are more. I always go blank when trying to remember all of her new words.

Once again, I do have more to tell you, but these posts always end up so much longer than what I think they will. Oh well. I am still waiting to tell you that Vera has gone a whole week without a tantrum. We get close and then on the 5th or 6th day...look out! We will have a celebration when we reach that milestone. :)

And what's a good Vera post without photos?

Vera is following in Abbi's footsteps. Abbi usually spends a good bit of time in the mornings laying (lying?) on the couch reading. One day we found Vera doing the same.

Abbi also loves to read while she eats.

She has successfully taught Vera this bad, yet cute, habit.

Vera LOVES dressing up like a princess.

It suits her, don't you think?