Home Base

Amy and Jada hang out with some other moms and kids from our church about once a week. The play group is a parenting free-for-all, in that the moms collectively look out for all the kids. And while Amy and I would easily be voted "least likely to join a commune," she does enjoy this communal time with the other moms.

What's been especially neat to see is how comfortable Jada is in all this. She's still at the age where she's parallel playing more than interacting with other kids. But she's gotten to know the other moms that are Amy's friends, and she's at ease around them; she's even been known to dispense hugs and kisses. More importantly (as we are hoping to soon bring home a sibling for Jada from China), she's at ease when Amy is affectionate with the other kids -- not jealous or threatened or confused.

In fact, when we're out and about in mixed company, Jada spends very little time with Amy, choosing instead to play by herself or endear herself to other adult friends and family of ours. Of course, when everyone's gone home and it's just Amy and Jada, that's when Jada returns to the "nest" that is her mommy.

It's really touching to see how content Jada seems, just sitting at Amy's feet and playing with toys, or wanting to be in the same room as Amy and doing the same thing she's doing. You can tell she knows that her mommy loves her and loves being with her, and you can tell she feels the same. I love that Amy is home base for Jada.