Summer

This sure has been a different summer. It seems to be flying by but it also seems like we haven't done much. We have taken a couple of trip up north but day to day... we are kind of stuck. Having a baby at home sure changes things. Usually the boys and I have a jam packed schedule... swimming, nature trails, library, picnics, play dates, etc. This summer I find it difficult to do much at all. Our beloved trips to the library where we could spend hours reading and browsing have turned into mad grab and go dashes. Let's just say that Eden isn't exactly a quiet child. Swimming and spending time outside need to be scheduled around naps/lunch/and Eden's daily mood. Trips to the movies or shopping need to be scheduled prior with a babysitter. Soooo most days are spent at home. It is just so much work to prepare and take her places. She HATES her stroller and has only fell asleep in it once (our trip to the zoo.) Most of the time she spends shriek screaming to get out. She has figured out how to get out of her stroller even with the five point harness. She can also wiggle out of a shopping cart belt in two second flat (all the while screaming and people staring.) My sister and I have dubbed her the new David Blaine. She would rather be carried but once she gets tired of being in the Ergo she will scratch, pull my hair and bite me in order to get down... and once you do let her down she refuses to hold your hand or walk in whatever direction your would like her to. My independent shrieking contortionist. It is out of control. I am not saying that she does this EVERY time we go out... but it has happened enough to make me really evaluate if a particular trip is worth the risk. Keep in mind too that all the while I also have a very active/distractable/no-fear six year old that I can't take my eyes off of for a second. Ugh.

I am board. My boys are board.

At the same time we have made such strides in attachment this summer. I love not working and being able to spend so much time with Eden (and my boys.) I feel like she has bonded so much more with me. It isn't until she starts doing things that she hasn't done before that I really see how far we have come. She is so much more affectionate with me now. She now "melts" into me when I hold her and will lay her head on my shoulder. I am able to calm and soothe her much more quickly now as well. When I was working it seemed that the minute I would walk in the door she would start to fuss. My mom would say, "she has been good all day, so happy, she is such an easy baby." The total opposite of what she would be like for me. I HATED it. Now that I am home with her I can see that from about 5:00 - 8:00 she is just fussy. I hate that I am not home during her happy hours of the day while I am working. I am DREADING going back to work. I worry that all the progress she has made with me is going to disappear. I worry about yet another change for her.

We have about one month left of summer vacation. Today we have a trip to the library planned after Eden wakes from her nap. We have our books already requested and on hold (via the library website) so that we can just drop off the old and grab the new if we need to. :) We will just have to see.

Wordless Wednesday... Recent Favorite Photos

Flashback Friday- Poo Poo Edition

Yup, that's poop. Luca was/is always full of surprises.

Wordless Wednesday... Heat Wave

15 Months

Our girl is 15 months old! Each month she amazes me with how much she has grown and changed.

* A lot of teeth have come in within the past month. She has several molars now and the two teeth on either side of her top front teeth are in as well.

* Her vocabulary is growing. She has added "Daaayeee" (Daddy) which I love! She also says "Uhhh Ohhhhh" when she drops her food/juice. Sometimes she says it and then drops the juice. She also says "oowww." She will pinch or scratch and then say "oowww." This is one that I don't care for. She now uses about four words regularly. I am told that four words is fine at this age especially with her only hearing English for six months. She understands a lot more language than she can express.

* She LOVES swimming. She can't get enough of the water... which makes her bath time screams even more confusing for me.

* She loves the outdoors

* We continue making strides with attachment. The ability to comfort her when she is hurt is something that until recently hasn't happened. She walks pretty well, but on occasion she will fall. This leads to some tears. When I would pick her up to comfort her she would stiffen and cry loudly as though it wasn't soothing. She wouldn't protest or cry harder, but it just didn't seem to make any difference that I was trying to make her feel better. About two weeks ago she fell into the windowsill and hurt her eye.. poor baby. She stood and cried loudly. I went and picked her up and she relaxed in my arms and put her head on my chest. I spoke softly to her and she stopped crying. I felt like that was a big step in our attachment process.

* It is amazing that at 15 months of age that she has such a point of view.. she has her own ideas and her own wants. She wants to run the show. :)

* She loves to blow raspberries and laughs her Woody the Woodpecker laugh after each one she blows. She finds it wildly entertaining and gets such a kick out of making you laugh with this special trick. She will soak the entire front of her shirt blowing raspberries. Why do they call is blowing raspberries anyway??? Hmmmm.

* She is still screaming/shrieking but less than before. She still does it daily though. Just today she was up in her crib making that obnoxious noise and I thought to myself that is doesn't even sound like a sound a human being can make. It really is quite ridiculous. It sounds more like a whistle or the sound your car makes when it needs new breaks.

* She will sleep just about anywhere. When we were up north she went right to sleep and slept through the night in her portable crib... thank goodness!!!!

* She will try to wink! She cracks up if you wink at her and then she tries to do it and just blinks kind of hard and laughs. I have to get it on video!

* She is BUSY BUSY BUSY. She doesn't quit! Always on the move!

* She still loves food. I have found that she will eat until she vomits. I don't know if this is normal... I am thinking not. For now, I am just monitoring the amount of food she is eating. Not sure if this is adoption related or just age or what. She loves food. She can't stand to see someone eating or drinking ANYTHING in front of her. It doesn't matter if she just ate or if she has a different food in front of her. She wants all the food. That means at dinner time she wants whatever is on the table... even stuff she can't have. She could have a tray full of food and you could be across the room and pull out a cracker... she will want it and scream.

* This morning she while eating breakfast she burped loudly. Well, the boys started cracking up so guess what happened.... she started fake burping and then laughing. Oh boy. It actually was pretty funny... but I hope it doesn't become one of her new tricks to get people to laugh.

Time is flying by. I can't believe how much she has changed since we brought her home. Ron and I were just looking at pictures the other night from the night we arrived home. She is so small. I'm trying to enjoy every moment because it does go by so fast.

Finalization Court Date!!!!!!!

Our social worker just called and said that she received word from the Macomb County Court that we will finalize on August 6th!!!!!! I am so excited! It will finally be official... what we have known in our hearts since the day we held her picture in our hand... she will be ours forever.

Summer Vacation

Hurray!!!! Summer vacation is finally here!!! We finally have time to do the things we really enjoy or better yet... nothing at all! This morning I walked by Adrian's bedroom and he called out, "Where do we have to go today?" It was so great to reply, "Nowhere!" We got up and I had time to make pancakes, sausage, and eggs for breakfast. I also actually had time to sit and eat with the boys... a luxury that I am not afforded while working. My house is relatively clean, we stayed up late and watched a movie last night, it's 10:30am and only Eden is dressed, and even with the rainy forecast I know that we will still have fun today. Ahhhh... summer.

Last weekend we made our first of several trips to northern Michigan. This trip we hit Lake Michigan, Charlevoix, and Traverse City. The cabin where we stay has a stream and the boys enjoy fly fishing, catching bugs and frogs, and just plain getting dirty. We had a really great time. Eden LOVED it and was easier than she is at home. She is such a little adventurer. She slept through the night and was so happy the whole time. Hero came too... he loves it the most!


Charlevoix







Lake Michigan






The Lodge