Grateful

Hi, yes, that is our daughter in my wedding dress and no, it doesn't fit either of us, but isn't she lovely?  She says she wants to wear it when she gets married.  I will not hold her to this, in part, because she is likely to be much taller than I am so it probably wouldn't work out anyway, but we can both dream for a minute and I can relish that special smile in her Daddy's eyes when I try it on too.

Meanwhile, yes, I do have a zillion Christmas pictures and memories to write down, add to my December Daily, and share here, but something perhaps even more exciting has happened.

Something has clicked with this wonderful daughter of ours.  Lady M is so different from her brother, but you knew that.  Her brother has this calm and ability to hold still and focus that now seems innate, but probably wasn't always there.  (Yes, he can lose that calm, but that is not today's story).  Miss M has not been one for holding still, or focusing other than when someone is reading to her.  She flits about spins, dances, and moves from one thing to the next.  The lack of focus is often frustrating to those trying to work with her.  Many times, she has seemed to be not listening, not learning, not interested in trying harder to focus and "get" the next lesson most days.

That last bit is suddenly swiftly changing.  Yesterday, for more than an hour, with no prompting or prodding M and I carefully, patiently put together the LEGO Friends set she got for Christmas (more than 400 small pieces).  We discovered she is more of a visual learner than I am.  We discovered that now she can "read" the instructions, focus, accept help, and remain very much "in" the game for the long haul.  At other intervals in the day, she colored carefully in her Nutcracker coloring book for extended periods of time.  Sometimes with me nearby coloring too, but probably more of the time by herself.  Also, even though it seems like in movies or at the ballet that she isn't focused or paying close attention, she is able to explain back the plot and connect moments in the plot to the accompanying music.  She can remember and note what exactly was happening in the Nutcracker or Frozen at nearly any point in the soundtrack (for music with or without words).   I could go on.  

It boggles my mind. I know that for many of you, particularly those used to calm, usually focused,  absorbent sponges like say our older child, these seem normal.  This is not a complete, immediate shift, of course.  The dinner time struggle to get her to focus on eating anything rather than providing dinner entertainment continues, but the struggle throughout the day is decreasing.  She is happier and so are we.  It is so rare to see such a rapid developmental leap that it is extremely exciting.  Today, she cleaned her room by herself, with no supervision. (If you know her, you know this is a big deal).  She stuck with it until it was done.  Asked for help with the last tricky bit and basked in our excitement. 

I am so thankful.  I hope this is real and not just a moment, but whatever Christmas gift this has been over the last few days and to some extent weeks, I will take it.  We are so very lucky to be her parents and are recommitted to patience and learning together.  We are blessed and grateful.   

Merry Christmas indeed!