New Leg New Attitude

Hold on to your hair because….my daughter was clingy yesterday! Yes, she actually was following me around and wanting to know where I was at all times. I love a good stalker. Not only that but she is letting me do her hair (for special activities) and assist in picking out her clothes (Thank God). I hear the phrase “What do you think?” a lot now which is basically every mom’s favorite question aside from “Will I ever be as amazing, cool, beautiful, and funny as you?” She watches me do my makeup, loves wearing my perfume, and officially has chosen Simon as her night time sleeping buddy. Let's be honest my girl Sami wouldn't betray me like that anyway. He even has his own dog bed in her room which she thinks is amazing. She lets me tuck her in before bedtime, and it's obvious that she actually looks forward to the moment in the evening when I cocoon her in her favorite blanket. "Snug as a bug in a rug." We’re still working on getting her to sleep under the sheets like a normal homosapien, but who cares! I’m so proud and full of love for her right now I could shoot confetti out of my eyeballs.

After a long week of waiting, recovery, and rest Richa finally got her new prosthetic leg. Last week was ROUGH. But by Saturday morning everything had happened the way her dad and I said it would resulting in a huge deposit in the trust bank of Richa Marie Moore. Aside from being wheeled to watch the homecoming parade down the street our girl did not sit down for 2 days straight. I almost put her on a leash.

It’s hard to notice the small changes that happen daily in a person. For three months, our daughter has been adjusting and assimilating to a new life with a new family. Yesterday felt like we crossed a threshold, and all of a sudden I was aware of how much she has bloomed since coming home. Talking to one of my best friends Saturday night (while Richa waited outside the bedroom door with baited breath hoping to get an invite to join big girl time), I realized I needed a quick documentation of all the tangible milestones that have occurred for her/us as well as the emotional ones.

First and foremost, she reads now!! She can read at a first-grade level (halleluiah!), but most importantly she LOVES it. She read to my friend Saturday night while I took video all teary eyed. “Don’t take!” Sorry Richa…it’s my right to gush over every single thing you do in life. The girl that wouldn’t read or write or color because she thought she would do it wrong is slowly vanishing. In her place is a little girl that loves to color and looks forward to her weekly art class, a little girl that will show her Grandma what she learned at her piano lesson (while the rest of the family watches), a little girl that stood up in front of her class to talk about her fall break, and a little girl that knows it’s safe to try new things because no matter how much she messes up we will still be here cheering her on. Lucky for Richa her mother is the epitome of clumsiness so she witnesses imperfection daily. I’m pretty positive I’ve spilled some form of liquid at each and every restaurant in Cape Girardeau. Sigh…. what can I say…. it’s a gift.

Her English has improved as well. Her favorite phrase right now is “Liar liar the pants are on fire.” THE pants mind you.

3 years ago, (Nov. 5…. same day as our wedding anniversary) Richa had her leg amputated. Some might say that the dates are a coincidence, but I don’t believe in those. I asked her Saturday if she was scared at the hospital and she said "yeah!". Then I connected some mental dots, and asked her if she worried she would have to have something else removed one day. As I thought she might she quietly said yes. Every time she feels pain (even if it's just a sore muscle from walking in her new leg), every time we go to the doctor (even if it's just to say hi to dad at work) the fear starts to rise that she will lose another limb. As a result of this anniversary and my conversation with my friend Saturday night, I started counting all the major losses Richa has had to endure in her short life. She lost her biological family, she lost the trust of caregivers she thought were there to protect her, she lost her leg, and 3 months ago she lost her best friend/home.

Each of us experiences loss, big and small, throughout our life. Whether it be a person, a relationship, a dream, a job, etc.…. not one of us are immune to it. However, my God makes beauty from ashes. He brings life from death. Yes much has been lost in Richa’s life, but I believe and hope that much more has been added.