Thursday, July 7, 2011
I cannot believe Adelyn has been with us for two weeks now! Where did the time fly? The eighteen months we waited seemed to last five years, yet these two weeks have gone by in a blink of an eye! I just love our little family of five! Carson and Kolby love having a baby sister! Carson often is found kissing her and saying "I just can't get enough of her! I love her soooo much!" They are both wonderful big brothers.
Of course, after six years, getting used to having a baby/almost-toddler in the house again takes some getting used to again! After two weeks, we have finally achieved being able to leave the house with a diaper bag which actually has everything in it that we need! The first few times out, we would look at eachother and say "Did you remember her spoon?" We would have baby food, but no spoon. Or... "Did you remember a toy?" Food, diapers and bottle... but no toy. This was quite comical as it happened over and over. Finally yesterday, we achieved having EVERYTHING we needed!!
We also have managed getting Adelyn on a fairly good schedule. She takes a nap in the morning and a nap in the afternoon. She's even sleeping in her crib for naps! She usually sleeps 1-2 hours (although we have had a few days of only having 30 minute naps! Grrrr!) For the most part, she is sleeping through the night too- sometimes she will sleep in until almost 9:00 if we sleep in too! We have a co-sleeper by the bed which has been awesome, but sometimes she likes to lay by us in bed and snuggle up against us and go to sleep... which of course we don't mind at all! We just wait until she falls asleep, then gently set her in the co-sleeper. She has a little stuffed seahorse thats tummy lights up when you push it and it plays soft classical music (thank you Isabella and Carlos!). She LOVES that little seahorse. We often hear it playing in the middle of the night! In all fairness though... there have been some LOOONG nights too. Not sure if she gets gas and tummy aches or what exactly causes it, but some nights she will wake up on and off and cry and whimper for hours. Its a good thing Jeff and I can switch off trying to comfort her. During nights like that, we usually take shifts in the morning too- one person will get up and get her breakfast and dressed while the other person sleeps in, then the other person gets up to play with her while the other lays down and gets a little more sleep. Having both of us home has been such a blessing during this adjustment!! The good news is that most nights she sleeps through the night without any problem.
Our social worker came yesterday for her first postplacement visit (we need one at arrival, then 8 weeks later, and then another 8 weeks later). These reports will be sent to SWS and shared with the foster family and sometimes birth mother if she comes into SWS and wants to see how Adelyn is doing. Our social worker was astonished at how well she is doing! Adelyn was of course all smiles and played and laughed like she always does. She is our little charmer!
So in two "short" weeks, what has our brave little girl experienced??
* Leaving Korea and the only family, country, smells, sights and sounds she has known
* Being loved to pieces by a very happy new Mommy and Daddy
* Going to a huge aquarium at the COEX mall
* Braving the rain to add a lock to the top of North Seoul Tower
* Braving more rain to get pictures at Gyeongbokgung Palace as a family
* Traveling 16 hours and 6620 miles on a plane!
* Meeting her uncle, aunt and cousins in Chicago!
* Being welcomed home by an AMAZING family celebration at the airport!
* Meeting her big brothers for the first time!
* Exploring a brand new house and toys
* Playing in the kiddie pools
* Meeting her grandma, grandpa, aunt and cousins from across the state
* Opening her first present (American Girl Itty Bitty baby doll!) from grandma and grandpa!
* Surviving her first doctor's appointment including THREE SHOTS and BLOOD TESTS! (Not just a little prick on the foot, but SIX vials drawn from her tiny little arm!! It broke my heart!)
* Loving her first boat ride
* Celebrating her first Fourth of July
* Watching her first fireworks show!
* Playing on the beach of Lake Michigan
* Enjoying her first fudgsicle (in the tub!!)
* Dining out at an Italian restaurant as a family of five! She did AWESOME!
* Eating everything you put in front of her! (Ravioli, bread, watermelon, apricots, meatballs, cantalope, chicken, rice, vegetables, corn, spaghetti, and baby food!)
Our little lady has done so much in just two weeks! And to think this is just the beginning of forever! I'm just so happy she is part of our family!
Of course, after six years, getting used to having a baby/almost-toddler in the house again takes some getting used to again! After two weeks, we have finally achieved being able to leave the house with a diaper bag which actually has everything in it that we need! The first few times out, we would look at eachother and say "Did you remember her spoon?" We would have baby food, but no spoon. Or... "Did you remember a toy?" Food, diapers and bottle... but no toy. This was quite comical as it happened over and over. Finally yesterday, we achieved having EVERYTHING we needed!!
We also have managed getting Adelyn on a fairly good schedule. She takes a nap in the morning and a nap in the afternoon. She's even sleeping in her crib for naps! She usually sleeps 1-2 hours (although we have had a few days of only having 30 minute naps! Grrrr!) For the most part, she is sleeping through the night too- sometimes she will sleep in until almost 9:00 if we sleep in too! We have a co-sleeper by the bed which has been awesome, but sometimes she likes to lay by us in bed and snuggle up against us and go to sleep... which of course we don't mind at all! We just wait until she falls asleep, then gently set her in the co-sleeper. She has a little stuffed seahorse thats tummy lights up when you push it and it plays soft classical music (thank you Isabella and Carlos!). She LOVES that little seahorse. We often hear it playing in the middle of the night! In all fairness though... there have been some LOOONG nights too. Not sure if she gets gas and tummy aches or what exactly causes it, but some nights she will wake up on and off and cry and whimper for hours. Its a good thing Jeff and I can switch off trying to comfort her. During nights like that, we usually take shifts in the morning too- one person will get up and get her breakfast and dressed while the other person sleeps in, then the other person gets up to play with her while the other lays down and gets a little more sleep. Having both of us home has been such a blessing during this adjustment!! The good news is that most nights she sleeps through the night without any problem.
Our social worker came yesterday for her first postplacement visit (we need one at arrival, then 8 weeks later, and then another 8 weeks later). These reports will be sent to SWS and shared with the foster family and sometimes birth mother if she comes into SWS and wants to see how Adelyn is doing. Our social worker was astonished at how well she is doing! Adelyn was of course all smiles and played and laughed like she always does. She is our little charmer!
So in two "short" weeks, what has our brave little girl experienced??
* Leaving Korea and the only family, country, smells, sights and sounds she has known
* Being loved to pieces by a very happy new Mommy and Daddy
* Going to a huge aquarium at the COEX mall
* Braving the rain to add a lock to the top of North Seoul Tower
* Braving more rain to get pictures at Gyeongbokgung Palace as a family
* Traveling 16 hours and 6620 miles on a plane!
* Meeting her uncle, aunt and cousins in Chicago!
* Being welcomed home by an AMAZING family celebration at the airport!
* Meeting her big brothers for the first time!
* Exploring a brand new house and toys
* Playing in the kiddie pools
* Meeting her grandma, grandpa, aunt and cousins from across the state
* Opening her first present (American Girl Itty Bitty baby doll!) from grandma and grandpa!
* Surviving her first doctor's appointment including THREE SHOTS and BLOOD TESTS! (Not just a little prick on the foot, but SIX vials drawn from her tiny little arm!! It broke my heart!)
* Loving her first boat ride
* Celebrating her first Fourth of July
* Watching her first fireworks show!
* Playing on the beach of Lake Michigan
* Enjoying her first fudgsicle (in the tub!!)
* Dining out at an Italian restaurant as a family of five! She did AWESOME!
* Eating everything you put in front of her! (Ravioli, bread, watermelon, apricots, meatballs, cantalope, chicken, rice, vegetables, corn, spaghetti, and baby food!)
Our little lady has done so much in just two weeks! And to think this is just the beginning of forever! I'm just so happy she is part of our family!
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2 comments:
Oh my! So much in such a short time!
I can't wait to have our Adelyn home too <3
Brooke Annessa
www.theannessafamily.blogspot.com
Enjoying all the news since Adelyn has been home and following your journey. We brought our son home just over two months ago and it's been quite an adjustment, but so fun! Not sure where you are located exactly, but I'm thinking we might be somewhat close? We are in Milwaukee. Best of luck!
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