some observations about "the girls"

Some friends that have been through the adoption process told us we should be writing down stuff so we don't forget it, so this is just really a list:
--Mutale is non-stop giggling and laughing, always looking to be tickled and roughhoused with; Ethel has a deep raspy chuckle that sounds like a smoker's cough!
-- I'm under the impression that Mutale had never eaten at a table before (at Bill and Bette House they sit on the floor)she spends a lot of time at meals looking under the table at everyone's feet and laughing.
-- Mealtimes are always interesting, the girls can each eat about 5 pieces of fruit everyday. Ethel hates chocolate and baked goods but puts away hard candy like it's going out of style. She also won't eat peanut butter or cheese!! They both pick stuff out of their food they won't eat, Ethel picks all the pickles out of her tuna salad. Mutale won't eat it at all and says "Ndifuna nsomba! I don't want fish!" but also says she likes kapenta (tiny whole dried fish). Ethel will eat yogurt, but not with granola in it, Mutale won't eat most dairy products, including milk. They can both eat their weight in noodles though.
-- They both speak and understand Bemba, Nyanja, and English, but pretend to understand nothing we say in any language most of the time. Ethel is pretty quiet, but Mutale mostly runs around shouting "NO!" and "Stop it!".
-- So funny to see them in the bath - Lucas is all skin and bones scrawny, the girls have big round tummies, thick legs.
-- Mutale is about the most stubborn kid I've seen. She'll pout for an hour if she doesn't get her way. Or she'll throw a face scratching, pinching, shrieking tantrum.
-- Are girls just naturally vain about clothes and shoes or what? Ethel loved trying on all her new clothes and shoes. Mutale pouted for an hour over not being able to wear her dress shoes out to the playground. They both love to be dressed up. Mutale loves anything pink. Today she threw an all out tantrum about having to wear jeans.
-- They are seriously afraid of dogs, pigs, horses and all other animals larger than a cat.
-- Mutale is fond of swearing at me in Nyanja - mostly calling me "chimenso" and "chimutu" which means "big eyes" and "big head" respectively.
-- Lucas is already a great brother; he loves the girls so much and as soon as he wakes up from sleeping he jumps right into their bed and wants to snuggle, waking them up and causing all kinds of trouble.
We already love these girls so much it's crazy. They are amazing and beautiful. We are in so deep over our heads on this one (which is just where we like to be, cause then we can more easily see God at work).

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