HUGE

Xia actually hugged Lu before bed last night. They’ve had a rocky relationship from the beginning because of their similar firey personalities and because they’re both trying to be the biggest sister. (We saw this coming a thousand miles off, by the way, knew it even before we committed to adopt Xia.) Even when they’re not getting along, Lu tries very hard to make overtures of friendliness, and has offered hugs before but been shunned. Xia has not yet learned the family rhythm of conflict-resolve-forgive-reconcile, and she is quick to hold grudges. She told us in China that she never had to tell anyone sorry before. Fortunately, Lu is a very forgiving person and can be very empathetic when she’s not angry, so she has been trying to not take the grudge personally and has demonstrated some surprising patience and maturity with her new sister’s “grumpiness,” as she calls it.

Home three months and that hug was the first.

Thank you, God!!!