6 months home

Wow! As I sit here watching Zoey eat her cereal, I think back to 6 mths ago! At this time, because China is 13 hours ahead of us, we had already gotten her! We had a rough start of that day! She was older, didn't know us, and was scared to death! THat's NO exaggeration! She cried for about 30 min, a HARD cry and then finally settled on my shoulder and just looked around. She was sweating and I know just wanted to go back to her Chinese people and see us in the rear-view mirror! :) But, we got on that bus and took her to the hotel. Here is where the "Girls" had the first, of I'm sure many, crying times together. Poor Anthony! He didn't know what to do. Olivia was trying to play with Zoey. They were on the floor playing and Olivia wanted sooo badly to hug her (Olivia had in her mind that Zoey was a BABY and she was going to get to carry her all over, tell her what to do and all that jazz) but Zoey SHOVED her away! Well, that BROKE Olivia's heart!! She looked at me and I started to say, "It's okay sweetie, she doesn't know you and hugs aren't okay to her right now" and then continue to tell her something, but she broke out in HUGE TEARS and ran to me!! Oh that broke my heart bc she just wanted to love the sister she traveled all this way to see and that we had built up in her little head! Well, I just started crying!! So now there's two of us crying. Well, I don't know if Zoey was upset bc I was holding Olivia or bc we were crying, but then she started!! So, now we have ALL THREE girls just sobbing! And both my girls were in my lap! Anthony just looked like, What Am I Supposed To Do!!! He said, "Is this how it's going to be?!?!?!" And I just looked at him and said, "Probably!" Well...we have come a long way from this day! I'm not going to say it's been easy, bc it HAS NOT! Zoey was the princess at the home, she got what she wanted, she was VERY loved and was born head strong. Well, that made for a VERY hard adjustment. Plus, I think her age had something to do with it.  She had HUGE fits that lasted atleast  30 min alot of times. Bedtime was Anthony's time...she would just scream if I put her in there. Screaming for food RIGHT when she thought she was hungry, hitting Olivia ALL THE TIME, headbutting us for NO reason, following me from the time she woke to the time she went to bed, WHINNING all the time...out of frustration bc she couldn't speak to us or understand everything, to bc she wanted her way. Pulling out her hair, ringing her hands and feet to the point making blisters on her feet. It's just been a rough time. BUT...
Things are getting much better. Our fits are nearly null and void. She still has them, but they are managed within a few minutes. No more blisters from ringing and if she starts, we just stop her. She STILL follows me everywhere and is still a BIG momma's girl, although I do love that she loves me. Her and Olivia get along really great most of the time. There is always going to be sister issues, but I've known that from the start..it's normal! Bedtime is better although 4-7 nights she stilll has to have daddy go the room to make her stop whinning. His thing he tells her is, "No crying, no whinning!" She repeats it and goes to sleep.
I must say that Anthony has done a great job with her. He sat back, with hurt feelings, for about 3 months and just watched her and tried to love her, but she wouldn't let him. Once she let him, even for a second, he took full advantage of it. He can discipline her where I can't and most of the time it's in such a gentle fashion. She responds to him very well! Now, he can love on her and play with her for about  min atleast. She's not given him her full heart, but most of it. It's still a struggle for him to get really close to her, but he takes full advantage of what she allows him to do. He will keep trying though! But he's been amazing and I WOULD NOT have made it with Zoey if he hadn't been there from start to finish!
We have a LONG way to go still. She's still headstrong, she still fusses if she doesn't get her way until she's disciplined  or we work it out. She still has to be right at my heels. She still won't just go to bed without a little issue most of the time but she's sooo amazing. 
She is one of the smartest things around. I"m not just saying that! She counts to 11 by herself. She has counted to 25 also. She knows her ABC's. She can do puzzles very well. She speakes in sentences of about 5-6 words and she has about a 150 word vocabulary! She LOVES going to church. She LOVES getting dressed. Car seat riding is getting better. She enjoys being outside. She is sooooo loving. She just runs to whoever comes in the door and hugs them! Makes you feel so missed and loved. She gives us kisses and hugs all the time. Tells us she loves us. She's starting to understand clean up instead of just singing the song and watchin everyone else do it! HA
She is our heart. She belongs in our family and we know it. The boys love her to death and them her. Her and Olivia are real sisters and the other day she was upset with me and ran to Olivia who picked her up and comforted her and Zoey was perfect in that! So sweet! We are so blessed to have her and love her with all our heart! God has blessed our family and there's no other way to look at it! He has given us this family, and chosen every one of my kids for me..whether from my body or my heart! I can't express how loved we feel and how amazed we are everyday at our kids and esp our girls who have come so far from being in an orphanage to acclamating into our family like they have.
I know not alot of people read these updates, but for those of you who do, thank you! Please continue to pray for us because although she's our daughter, I think it will take a little while longer for things to be "perfect!"
We love you Zoey! So glad to have been your family for 6 months! You're amazing!!!!
We are currently at my in laws so no way to post a pic right now, but I will later. The change in her looks from 6 months ago is crazy :)