Erica has been officially declared a "normal teenager"

Erica had her first visit with her therapist since moving in with us. I went along with her and her mother, since we all agreed it was probably important for him to meet me. As soon as I made eye contact with him, I had a good feeling about him.

She has known him for quite a few years now, having spent some time in a lockup situation and having spent many, many sessions with him in the past. He told her today that he'd never seen her so "normal"... smiling, talkative, etc... and said that it was obviously a good thing for her to continue living with us.

Her mom jabbered in her usual aimless, confused manner. I am continually in awe of her ability to talk incessantly of nothing. Thankfully I am not befuddled by her conversational skilz, and am usually able to redirect or cut it off politely. Mainly, from what I can gather, she is most bothered by how it all "looks" to her "friends". Really and truly, the only reason she ever worries or cares about Erica is with regard to herself. It's all about what people think. This makes her fairly easy to deal with, actually, because you can "guide" the conversations where you want them to go.

As for Erica's fitting into the family, it's been nothing short of remarkable how well it's gone. I'm sure there's still a "honeymoon phase" going on, and that things may not always be lovely, but I do know that she no longer wears that pinched, dull expression on her face that I saw at the beginning of the school year. She's bright-eyed, meets people's gaze, smiles, laughs... it's a good thing to see. She even puts up with Martha's rages and quirks, having been through a few of those herself. I've had people ask me if I think Martha's reacting badly to Erica's presence in the house, and I have to say that I've been watching that angle like a hawk. It's not an issue. Martha is no different now than she was before Erica arrived. If anything, Erica has been a stabilizing influence on her. I will say, though, that Erica now sleeps in the big bedroom with Isaac and Alice, and Martha has her own room alone again, but that's just for Erica's sanity mainly.

God knew we needed her; that's how I see it. People tell me we're so awesome for "taking her in", but I don't really think I did anything that any decent individual wouldn't have done in the same situation. I do see, though, that she has been as much or more of a blessing to me than we've been to her.