Communication Barrier

Sunday we spent around the house just the three of us. It was a long day the day before and Kassie seemed tired all day and just a little off again. We were planning to visit the Duhaimes and see their new house but we just felt she needed to be home after her big day on Saturday. We played blocks, dress up, ball and much more between small tantrums all day. Of course she wouldn't take a nap even though she was so tired. In the early evening she was out on the deck blowing bubbles and our dog Bella was chasing them. They were having a great time until Kassie spilled her bottle of bubbles. Jeff washed all the bubbles off the deck with my watering jug and Kassie started freaking out again. This time much harder and much louder. We made her come inside so she didn't disrupt the neighbors although I bet they could all still hear her. She was stomping her feet, punching the couch, kicking her legs in the air and Jeff and I kept trying to ask her to show us what she needed. Then we would walk away because we didn't want to feed into it. After a few minutes when one or the other couldn't take it anymore we'd try to pick her up or try and console her and she would kick and scream louder. I ended up leaving the room and bursting into tears. It is such a helpless feeling when your child needs something and you can't even understand the language she is speaking. I imagined all sorts of things going through her little head. I felt like she was just angry at us for taking her from Ethiopia, mad at her family for leaving her and all sorts of other issues. She kept yelling the same thing over and over. After a few minutes I pulled myself together and went back into the living room where she was still hysterically crying and squirming all over the couch and floor. I firmly told her it was OK and that she needed to show me what she needed. I moved my arms out in a big circle like I was just not knowing what it could be. And suddenly she stopped crying, took my hand and walked me upstairs to her bedroom and got her pink crocs. And then she was off... Fine, no more crying, it was done and over. It felt completely ridiculous, we spent the last hour and half in such drama and all she wanted were her crocs. I do think she is set off much easier because she has been through so many scary things lately but oh my gosh... If I had only known she just wanted her shoes. Her feet probably got wet from the bubbles spilling on the deck and wanted her shoes. How simple. Each day we are learning more and more how to communicate and bond. I love her more and more each minute that goes by. I know she loves us more and more too. That night when we put Kassie to bed, we were all laying on our bed after doing her tubby and reading books (the one thing I couldn't wait to do with her), and she took Jeff's hand and pushed all his fingers in to make a fist and then she did the same to mine and put mine and Jeff's fists against each others. Then she did her own and put it with ours. It was strange because then she pointed to Jeff's mouth and her fist and made a gulp sound, she did the same to me and pointed to Jeff's fist and made a gulping sound and then she started doing it to my fist almost like we were all pretending to eat off each others fists that were still touching each other. It was quite strange. Possibly a game? I don't know but whatever she was having us do was very serious and emotional to her. I want to learn, learn, learn about the Sidami culture!