Ellie has slept through the night the past two nights. Heaven.
Shhh... :)
Friday, August 26, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
One month home
We've reached the one-month mark, and things are starting to settle in. Life with two toddlers is a challenge, and we definitely have our moments of feeling tired, stressed and overwhelmed. (Especially me.) But Ellie is doing great, and every day we can see that she's becoming more and more comfortable with us. Her diet has advanced amazingly fast - she's gone from gagging on small pieces of watermelon in China to eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and hot dogs. She is active, inquisitive and affectionate. She uses several signs to communicate, and is babbling constantly now. Her pediatrician gave her a clean bill of health, with all of her blood work and stool studies coming back normal. We can't wait to see what the next few months will bring!
Here's one of my favorite pics of our cute girl, who is 19 months old today. :)
Here's one of my favorite pics of our cute girl, who is 19 months old today. :)
 |
| Our little ladybug |
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
On a lighter note...
 |
| Starting to (sort of) enjoy being a big brother... |
 |
| They always do this right when I'm about to start making dinner. |
 |
| Loves spaghetti! |
 |
| Playing nice... |
 |
| Still playing nice... |
 |
| A visit from my sister's family - what a crew! |
 | |
| Fun with Daddy and cousin Jason |
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
The Summer of our Discontent
It's hot. We're all tired. The house is cluttered, which drives me nuts. The kids are cranky and bored. We could all use a vacation, but I'm afraid that's not going to happen anytime soon. Blah.
I think no matter how you add a child to your family, the first few months really suck. Sure, there are lots of happy firsts, and we've certainly had our share of smiles getting to know Ellie and enjoying our three children. But there's still a lot of adjusting to do, and quite honestly I have never worked harder in my life than I have these past few weeks. And there is no sign of a break.
Samuel continues to struggle mightily in his new position as middle child, and while it's totally normal and assuredly temporary, it is hard to watch him be so miserable. Not to mention listen to all the whining. He is acting out in every possible way, including being aggressive toward Ellie which is hard to deal with. I miss my smiley, goofy, happy-go-lucky boy. Patrick is great with Ellie and generally tries to be helpful, but he seems to have decided to spend the last few weeks of summer honing his debating skills in preparation for first grade. He really, really needs to go back to school. Ellie is doing incredibly well, but has started getting up really early in the morning (a Warren trait she's quickly acquired), so I'm starting each day with a child in my arms before I've even had a chance to brush my teeth. I haven't had a full, hot cup of coffee in weeks.
One bright spot in our efforts to survive these first few weeks has been the tremendous blessing of food from our friends and family. My mom and mother-in-law left food in the freezer for us, and a number of friends have brought us dinner since we've been home. What a great gift in the midst of our own little chaos every evening.
Without wishing away the time completely, I do have to try to look forward a little just to keep my sanity. In the short term, I'm looking forward to my dad's visit this coming week, school starting for Patrick and Samuel, and Ellie getting more and more comfortable every day. Maybe even sleeping in a little once again. In the long term, I think our spirits will lift once the temperatures begin to drop and we can spend more time outdoors. Fall is such a fun time of year, and we'll get some family time at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Seems like a long way off right now, but as they say, the days are long but the years are short when your children are young, and someday soon this time of adjustment will seem like a dream - and a not-so-bad one at that.
I think no matter how you add a child to your family, the first few months really suck. Sure, there are lots of happy firsts, and we've certainly had our share of smiles getting to know Ellie and enjoying our three children. But there's still a lot of adjusting to do, and quite honestly I have never worked harder in my life than I have these past few weeks. And there is no sign of a break.
Samuel continues to struggle mightily in his new position as middle child, and while it's totally normal and assuredly temporary, it is hard to watch him be so miserable. Not to mention listen to all the whining. He is acting out in every possible way, including being aggressive toward Ellie which is hard to deal with. I miss my smiley, goofy, happy-go-lucky boy. Patrick is great with Ellie and generally tries to be helpful, but he seems to have decided to spend the last few weeks of summer honing his debating skills in preparation for first grade. He really, really needs to go back to school. Ellie is doing incredibly well, but has started getting up really early in the morning (a Warren trait she's quickly acquired), so I'm starting each day with a child in my arms before I've even had a chance to brush my teeth. I haven't had a full, hot cup of coffee in weeks.
One bright spot in our efforts to survive these first few weeks has been the tremendous blessing of food from our friends and family. My mom and mother-in-law left food in the freezer for us, and a number of friends have brought us dinner since we've been home. What a great gift in the midst of our own little chaos every evening.
Without wishing away the time completely, I do have to try to look forward a little just to keep my sanity. In the short term, I'm looking forward to my dad's visit this coming week, school starting for Patrick and Samuel, and Ellie getting more and more comfortable every day. Maybe even sleeping in a little once again. In the long term, I think our spirits will lift once the temperatures begin to drop and we can spend more time outdoors. Fall is such a fun time of year, and we'll get some family time at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Seems like a long way off right now, but as they say, the days are long but the years are short when your children are young, and someday soon this time of adjustment will seem like a dream - and a not-so-bad one at that.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
"What happened to her parents?"
Wow. Wasn't really ready for someone I'd JUST MET to ask me that question about Ellie. The answer I gave - "We don't know" - is true, and frankly about as much as this person was entitled to hear even if it weren't. (I suppose a snarky, adoption-minded reply would have been, "Why, nothing has happened to her parents - her dad is at work and I'm right here." But I never think of those zingers at the right time, and even if I did I'd probably be too chicken to use them. Damn.)
The sad fact is that we don't have any information about Ellie's birth parents. There is no legal channel for parents to place their children for adoption in China. The children are relinquished anonymously - in other words, they are abandoned.
We know some details of how Ellie came to be cared for by the Jiaozuo Social Welfare Institute, but as far as we're concerned, that information belongs to her and isn't ours to share. This is a great article explaining the importance of privacy in matters related to adoption. I'm going to re-read it and start working on my standard, gracious-but-assertive reply to nosy, annoying questions.
The sad fact is that we don't have any information about Ellie's birth parents. There is no legal channel for parents to place their children for adoption in China. The children are relinquished anonymously - in other words, they are abandoned.
We know some details of how Ellie came to be cared for by the Jiaozuo Social Welfare Institute, but as far as we're concerned, that information belongs to her and isn't ours to share. This is a great article explaining the importance of privacy in matters related to adoption. I'm going to re-read it and start working on my standard, gracious-but-assertive reply to nosy, annoying questions.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)