Life with our Daughter

Good Sunday morning!

I am sitting in the McDonald’s in Danville early this morning as my son, Jonathan, is practicing with the worship band at Southland Christian Church.  He is singing in their worship service this morning and had to be there to practice at 7:00 am.  ouch. 

Luckily, there is a McDonald’s across the street, so I decided to bring my computer with me to get some work done while I waited for the service to start at 9:15. 

It is rare that I am able to sit alone and work on my computer, so I am loving this time to myself. 

School has started in these parts which means some sleepy and grumpy boys, and one lonely girl.  

Sania Louise is NOT liking that her brothers are gone all day, “Por 5 days?!” she says.  It’s just her and mama during the day, and let’s just say, well…i’m boring.  ha!

I haven’t started homeschooling her yet, but I know that she will enjoy having a more structured day when I do.  For now, we are just enjoying our time together, and I am still trying to get my bearings after this crazy summer (well, year!) that we have had. 

Thank you for all of your prayers for Sania Louise!!  In my last post about her, I told you that I wasn’t going to sugarcoat our adoption experience, and I shared with you how difficult it can be at times. 

Well, I am happy to tell you that each day, it has gotten better and better with Sania Louise.  She is so incredibly smart and is picking up English so quickly.  She LOVES learning, and I have been wearing out our old Leap Frog videos to help her learn our alphabet letters and sounds.  

Sania Louise is a HUGE daddy’s girl!  She loves him so much and he ADORES her.  We go and see him almost every single day at the bank, and there are lots of hugs and kisses.  You would think she hadn’t seen him for months!

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She is a VERY loving little girl.  And her smile melts our hearts.

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She got her first American Girl doll (Thank you PaPa and MeMaw!)  Of course, she has no idea how much these dolls are loved by little girls here in America, but she has had fun brushing her hair and playing with her.  :)  I showed her the magazine where you can get your doll different outfits and such, and she was very excited about that.

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She got to go to Georgia and spend time with my husband’s side of the family.   She loves her Pop and Grammaw!  She got to meet Cy’s grandmother, hang out with all of her boy cousins, sleep over with Aunt Sarah, and share her love for Hello Kitty with Aunt Ida!  (Did I tell you that Sania Louise is the only granddaughter on my husband’s side of the family?!  Yep.  She has 6 boy cousins on that side, so she is a little spoiled to say the least!)  :)

Jonathan and Luke took her “fishing” one day.  Well, they tried to fish, and she just played in the creek.  She got soaking wet and LOVED it!  She is a little tomboy and loves playing outside with her brothers.

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I know I have told you before, but my favorite part of each day is tucking her in bed at night.  I tell her how much we love her and how she is always “drošs,” which means SAFE.  And she smiles.  She’ll look at me and say “Family forever?”  Always with a question mark.  I know that it will take a long while before she can securely and confidently say “family forever!”  But we will get there.  :)

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She loves to tell “scary stories” with her brothers at night.  They will each tell her one, and then she will try to do the same in her broken English.  She uses a lot of hand motions to tell her stories, and we all pretend to be really scared, and then we all hug and laugh.  She loves it.  I wonder if she knows how adored she is by her brothers?

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I am so proud of my sweet boys.  Their patience.  Their love.  Their selflessness.  Sania Louise is not easy.  She has anger issues.  Sensory issues.  Emotional issues.  But they know they love her.  And they feel the same as Cy and I….SHE’S WORTH IT.

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I can’t imagine life without her.  She is ours.  Period.

I have no doubt that God is going to do great big things in her life, and of course, change all of ours for the better in the process.

God is so good like that. 

Have a blessed day!

41 Comments

  1. Praying for you guys and especially little Sania Louise. Your right, God is good like that! :) Hope you have a fantastic week!

  2. Oh, my goodness, she is just such a beautiful little girl and I’m sure the Lord, does indeed, have great things in store for her. His first great thing was joining her with your family. Praying the adjustment for all just continues to get better and better.

  3. Thank you so much for the update. I look for them all the time. She has a special place in my heart as I have raised and loved 2 adopted children. God blessed me with their lives and I am sure you feel the same. Hugs!

  4. It sounds like you’re all settling in very well! I’m sure Sania Louise misses her brothers when they’re at school but it’s great that you’re getting some one-on-one time with her. You must really be proud of your boys for adjusting so well. Your hubby looks very happy, too!

  5. She is so adorable & I’m thanking God for working all things together so she could be yours forever. Your boys are amazing, too. God bless y’all :)

  6. What a joy for everyone to have a little girl, especially when she is so cute. Praying she is able to overcome her anger issues and feel true security.

  7. Thank you for writing and letting us know the happenings. I love reading about your family and love the stories about your daughter. She is so blessed to have y’all and one day she’ll be able to express that to you. God Bless you and your family and I will keep you in my prayers. I feel like I’m apart of your family. 😍

    1. Aw, thank you, Amy! You may recant your comment if you had seen the drama in our house tonight! ha! :) We do our best, but we have a long way to go! By God’s grace…

  8. Thanks for the update! What precious boys you have! Your baby girl is so blessed to have such a loving family and I know all of you are being blessed in return! She’s adorable!

  9. Well, I can’t comprehend how a little girl goes from being a Latvian orphan for so many years then adopted into a huge & very loving extended American family. I am surprised her heart hasn’t burst with joy. You & your entire family are amazing, Traci, and its been a blessing to share this journey with you. Is there a Latvian immigrant community within driving distance to give her a bit of her birth home culture once in a while? That may be too much, and I’m sure you and Cy are acting upon the professionals advice in all things Sania Louise. Take care, God Bless & thanks for all the updates.

    1. Hi Doni! We have heard that there is a large Latvian population in Cincinnati which is a little over an hour away from us, so we are going to check on that. I think they have Latvian festivals and such that she would love to attend. I am hoping to make her Latvian culture a part of her homeschool curriculum. That is very important to us. :) Thank you for your love and encouragement!

  10. God bless you and your family! I just pray for God’s blessings on your sweet family. it takes a lot to take in a child. You’re boys are awesome and you and Cy are such a God send for her. Thank you so much for bringing this beautiful little girl in to your home and leading her to God’s love and salvation.

  11. I think everyone has already commented my thoughts. Thank you for the updates, sharing the joys and trials, and we will keep praying for you all and thanking God for this lovely young lady and your family that has committed to making her a part of your family.

  12. Awwwww… So sweet! Cute that she has an American Girl doll, too. My 7yr old adopted daughter got an American Girl Bitty Baby from a relative last Xmas. I’m not sure it’s been out of its “bed” aka the box it came in even 10 times. She has no interest in dolls.

  13. Traci, Thank you for sharing your family’s story. How blessed Sania is to be one of the Hutchersons!! You can see all the love all around in the photos…and on the harder days that and a prayer will see you through. Thank God you saved her! We look forward to more of your beautiful family and home..Bless you…

  14. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!! It’s so good to see progress forward & know that Gods hand is in all of this!!! Sania Louise has been placed in a family of angels…I pray that God will help her to continue to receive His love through you guys & that He would give you & your family devine guidance in every situation…Our God is a God of restoration & He will make all things possible to those who believe!!! God Bless You All!!!

  15. So beautiful Traci! God had a plan all along. He’s so faithful!! Thank you so much for sharing your story with us. It’s been my pleasure to pray for you all. It’s been awesome to see Gods hand of blessing over your girl and her story. :-)

  16. Such a beautiful & precious Love Story……I am so very happy & excited for you and your family…God has Truly Blessed you all. She is such a beauty and I know there are many “adjustments” to be made but you guys are the perfect ones to love & cherish God’s Love & Gift to you.

    Sending my love & prayers daily. Sania Louise is so beautiful just like your entire family and Our God knew just which family would love and cherish this precious child. I always think about the little poem from years back that said “Children Learn What They Live” and I know she will learn all about the True Meaning of Love & Family from you all..
    To God Be The Glory….May your day & week be Blessed.

  17. I’ve said this before…this is a lucky little girl. I believe your family has been handpicked for this child.

    I had a little sister that was mentally handicapped….my mother and dad were the perfect people/ parents to raise her….I believe they were hand picked also.

    As you may know already , a special child in the family makes for special family.

  18. Traci, my niece (who herself is adopted) and her husband have a biological son and an adopted daughter (who was five when she became their child). The day they were going to court to finalize the adoption, their daughter said to her dad, “After today I’m yours forever, right?” to which he replied, “Yes.” Then she said, “Forever and ever?” to which he replied, “Yes, forever and ever.” And then she said, “Forever and ever and ever?” to which he replied, “Yes, forever and ever and ever!” There is so much more to this sweet story and the Hand of God throughout the entire process, but there isn’t space for me to share it.

  19. So happy things are going well with your family. Thanks for sharing your lives with us. My sister adopted a little girl from Kazakhstan eight years ago. She is a complete joy. Prayers and blessings. Tina Louise McNamara

  20. Oh, my goodness, what a sweet post! I have been praying for your family to be whole for so long, and updates like these just melt my heart. All those boys (and Daddy) loving on your sweet girl!! What a blessing that you all are together. <3

  21. Seeing your boys with her at Haven was so sweet – everything you say here was evident as I caught glimpses of them with her. She was meant to be part of your family, and you’ll all be better for it. :-)

  22. I can’t say anything that hasn’t already been said in the previous comments other than wow; what an amazing family.

  23. That pic of your boys with her totally made me cry! Love and prayers and may God bless your wonderful family. So inspired by each of you!!!

  24. Ahh it takes time, who doesn’t have that? It took six months for our first little doll from China. She spoke no English ~ she was angry some, she had melt downs, she did all the above, but looking back I really believe that it was the language barrier, and trying to find her way in the new family. Learning what love really is, fighting the fear of losing her new family. But, we met her needs a thousand times a day, and it just clicked with her after the first six months of being home. She turned the corner. She no longer is angry, emotional, or sulking…she is a beautiful happy teenager. Blessings to your new family.

  25. Congrats in bringing your girl home, forever! She’s blessed, as are y’all! I look forward to watching her blossom and grow. She’s a beautiful child. Love the blue polka dot bedding. Looks so cozy. I hope you don’t mind me asking, but where did you get the bedding?

  26. Traci, I just want to let you know that God has used your adoption story to remind me that He loves me and has adopted me into His family even though I have issues in my heart. And that He has prepared a place for me in Heaven like you prepared a place for your sweet little girl. Thank you for sharing your heart with us Traci! God bless you and your family!!!!

    1. Karen, what a precious comment! Thank you so much for taking the time to share it with me. And you are so right! Adoption is such a clear picture of God’s love for us. I pray that you will always know The Father’s unconditional love for you. :)

      Have a blessed weekend!
      Traci

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