W-Day Minus 2

I go back to work in 2 days. We celebrated by going to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch and to the mall to buy a few pampering items.

What I'm looking forward to in going back to work:
-Talking to adults throughout the day
-My students
-Checking my computer frequently during the day
-Friends and co-workers
-Using my brain to plan, organize, and problem solve
-Going to the bathroom in private
-Constant variety during the day but a structured week
-Being excited to see my kids at the end of the day
-Driving one place in the morning and returning the afternoon
-Getting away from my kids behavior problems, sibling jealousy, and crying

What I am NOT looking forward to:
-Getting up before dawn
-Meetings, meetings, meetings
-Possibly missing cool things my kids are doing or saying during the day
-Behavior problems of my students
-Missing playdates and other fun activities with my kids

I do feel like I have the best of both worlds. I only have 7 weeks of work before the summer break begins. So even when things get hard at work, I know that there will be a big break soon.

Fed herself

We introduced Lissi to Cheerios yesterday. Today, she successfully used an immature pincer grasp to pick up a Cheerio and release it into her mouth. In other words, she fed herself twice (out of about 30 attempts)for the first time. Look out. I'm sure chocolate is next!

Song: My One-Socked Boy

(to the tune of "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison)

Hey where did it go,
Every day when inside
Down on the wood floor,
You play the same game,
Laughing and a running hey, hey
Skipping and a jumping
Through the kitchen, bedroom and hall
Our hearts a thumpin' and you
My one-socked boy,
You my one-socked boy.

Whatever happened
To that silly blue sock
You take it off at once
And drop it where none can find
Standing in the sunlight laughing,
Hiding behind a couch or chair,
Slipping and sliding
All along the house one sock on,
My one-socked boy,
You my one-socked boy.

Do you remember where you put that sock?
Sha la la la la la la la la la la te da

So hard to find the sock,
Now that it’s all on its own.
I saw it just the other day,
Where could it have gone?
Cast my memory back there, Lord
Sometime I'm overcome thinking 'bout
Finding it when we go out
Most wear two or no socks, but you
My one-socked boy
You my one-socked boy

Do you remember where you put that sock?
Sha la la la la la la la la la la te da.

Update on Cal's recovery

He's doing great and back to his normal fun-loving self. We have ALREADY failed to keep his bandage dry. Even wrapping it in bags and holding his arm up in the bath was not good enough.

We went to Costco and Cal was climbing all over the bars in the food area. A man there seemed pretty peeved not only that we were letting him climb the bars, but also that he seemed to be wearing a "cast" while acting like a monkey. He asked us if the injury was from his last fall!

Lissi is climbing DOWN and UP our stairs!

okay, well we only have 2 stairs in our home...but still!! Wowzers. She's only 7.5 months!

Cal however, had a GREAT pincer grasp by this time and I tried giving her Cheerios today (to no avail).... so I guess they each have their own talents.

Cal wouldn't let us take a movie of her going up the stairs because he kept getting in the middle of the movie and showing off HIS skills crawling up the stairs. Grrrrr.

Surgery for trigger thumb is done

Cal did great and came off the Versed really well. No crying at all. Can't say the same about myself when I have come off of that awful medication! He's really frustrated about having a bandage on his hand that we can't take off for 2 weeks. He's definitely a right handed kid and this is on his right hand. I hope he isn't too frustrated! The girl in recovery next to him had the same procedure. She had it done on her left hand in the past and today had her right hand done. Her parents said they put a sock on her hand whenever she ate or did something that would get the hand dirty (in an attempt to keep it somewhat cleaner). So we'll try that idea.

He was super thrilled to go to Burgerville after we finally left the hospital and ate a ton! He didn't want to get dressed, so we left him in his hospital scrub jammies. He sure looked cute.

Another great thing--I can hardly believe this--we put a diaper on him for the procedure. He not only was dry after the whole procedure, but stayed dry until we went to Burgerville, at which point he initiated use of the toliet and emptied his very full bladder! I guess his potty training is going GREAT! :)

Top tooth breaking through

and Lissi is in SO much pain! She cried and cried and cried today. Cal was a great teether (he actually came home with 6 teeth so we didn't have to deal with some of them). I wish we could help more. :( She also had a rough time when her two lower teeth broke through the gum.

Cal is having surgery tomorrow

for a trigger thumb. It was diagnosed last month after we *thought* he had injured it jumping on the bed (insert embarrased face). The doctor said it is a super quick procedure and he'll feel normal right away. There are no restrictions on his activities after surgery except to keep his hand dry for 2 weeks (that will be interesting since I'm OCD about handwashing). He will have to be under general anesthesia. :( And we have to be at the hospital at 7am tomorrow. Yuck! I'm already dreading getting up that early. Wink went to BED at 6am last night/this morning--this will be an interesting shift for him to start getting up in the morning hours instead of going to bed at that time.

Free Cone Day

Today was a really hard day for me emotionally. Nothing happened. The kids weren't especially naughty. I just had very little patience and felt drained most of the day. I angered easily and got frustrated quickly.

I felt much better, however, after getting my free cone at Ben and Jerry's Free Cone Day. I normally let the entire staff know about this annual event. This year, however, I hadn't kept up and had to be called by my friend and told that today was the magical day. We went together with our families and picked up Subway sandwiches after eating our ice cream appetizers. We reconvened at the park to eat the subs and watch the boys play together (their son is almost 2). The yummy food and good company must have helped because I'm feeling quite a bit better now.

Dig dig dig

After extensive digging on Wink's part, we have now moved our pear tree (hope it survives) and planted our very own peach tree! Our pear tree has never produced any fruit so I won't be crushed if it doesn't make it. We are all very excited about the peach tree. While Wink dug and dug, I carried Lissi around the yard on my back while weeding. It's really hard to bend over with a back carrier on so I mostly just scooted on my knees. I had to hope that no neighborhood dogs left any surprises for me as I slid along the lawn.

/b/ sound

Lissi made a /b/ sound today. Hurray! Within a few hours she was saying /ba ba ba/. :)

Cal's current phrases

Ummmmmm......sure!
That's amazing!
Probably....yes
That was exciting
Not really
It's a zoomie car
Thanks for making dinner mommy (this one is the best)
Tell she I sleeping. Tell she I awake. Am I sleeping?
I have to go peep!
I'm a very thirsty guy
How's your day going? Pretty good/pretty bad
We'll see...
We almost forgot! We almost forgot!
That's impressive
Sometimes that happens

Phrases he uses towards Lissi:
It's okay. Mommy's here. Cal's here.
I know little girl. I know you don't like your car seat.
Are you stinky? Yes, she's stinky.

Perfect spring day

What a gorgeous day! It was the perfect day to spend outside in nature. We met other adoptive family friends at the Chinese gardens. This was our first time in the gardens and they were amazing. It is fascinating how much can be fit into one square city block. It felt like another world. Wink said that Chinese gardens often create the illusion of large gardens within a confined space. The main area of the gardens twists and turns around a curvy pond with bridges. But off to the side are several smaller gardens with their own distinctive feel including different walkway patterns, flora, and architecture.

After a spending a (short) time in the gardens we walked to Dim Sum. It has been a very long time since I last had Dim Sum. The food overall was good and the experience of watching two year olds attempt to eat with chopsticks was priceless. :) I noted that this was my first Dim Sum experience in which the majority of the restaurant patrons were not Asian.

On the way back from downtown we stopped by Wink's school for their annual tree and shrub sale. We inevitably buy from this sale. I never would have guessed this growing up, but I am a sucker for a deal on a tree. Who'd have thought?! This year we ended up with three shrubs (2 hibiscus, 1 burning bush), and a peach tree. It is going to be quite a task to plant these. The peach tree is already 8 years old and was delivered to our house via a digger (a huge plus for Cal). It was carried into the backyard by 3 men. In the process of lifting it over the picket fence, part of the fence tips were broken- that is how heavy this tree is. I'm nervous about how we will dig a big enough hole and place it inside with the strengh of two adults, Super Cal, and a baby.

I was able to spend the next 3 hours outside pruning and weeding. I still have so much to do, but the yard is looking better and better. I never knew that I'd like yard work as much as I do. However, I really wish our yard was about half the size that it is. There is never an end to the work that must be done because of the sheer size of the yards. Our trees are in full bloom and the cherry blossoms and dogwood flowers are incredible. I love the spring here. When we are ready to sell this house, we must put it on the market in the spring. Who could resist a home with these flowering trees?

You can comment now!

Wink changed the settings so that anyone can comment now. Please write a comment so I know you are reading! :)

Tulips!

We made it out to the tulip festival today. Wow! The pictures speak for themselves. I wasn't sure how Cal would do, but it turns out there were plenty of things to keep him busy: water pump rubber ducky races, hay playstructure, lots of walking and open space, curly fries... Oh, and the Moo Cow Train! That's all he could talk about the rest of the day. I was lucky enough to ride with him in the cow, since it was too short for Wink to fit. Mooooooooooo!

Attaching

Lissi had many care-takers in Korea. I was really apprehensive as to how well she would attach and bond to us. Thus far, her life experience was that care-givers change every few hours. In efforts to help her attachment we have tried to carry her many of her waking hours, bathe with her, encourage and promote eye-contact activities, and hold her bottle for her. We also have been the only ones to hold her since returning to the US 5 weeks ago. She is a big flirt and loves to smile at others. I have been very nervous that her flirtatious activity would also include going to and being held by others indiscriminately.

Today I was thrilled when she started crying loudly. I had put her in the floor in the bathroom to help Cal use the toliet. My friend picked her up. Immediately she started wailing. I was happy inside that she started crying when another picked her up, but thrilled that when I took her out of my friend's arms she quickly quieted down! I am starting to get more confident that she does see us as her only caregivers and will prefer us to other adults. Hurray!

Gum brushing

When Cal was young, I created a song to sing while brushing his teeth. I knew that as he learned this song, the whole process would get easier because he would anticipate the length of time that we would be brushing. Also, it would give him a self-timer when he learns to brush his own teeth. The song is to the tune of "Allouette" and goes: "Brush you teethies, now we brush your teethies, brush your teethies, make them nice and clean..." When Lissi came home we started to use the toothbrush with her, even though she initially had no teeth. We realized that this song was no longer applicable so we modified the words: "Brush your gummies, now we brush your gummies, brush your gummies, make them nice and clean..." Now Cal likes the song so much that we sing it to him too!

Law Enforcement

Last time Cal and I went to indoor park, I read to him the sign on the back of every ride-in car. It said that children can not "push or pull cars, speed, or crash into others". Although no one enforces these rules, I figure that I should at least *try* to do my part. Today Cal began his play time by pushing one of the big cars. I again read the sign to him and told him that he must ride inside of the car. Twenty minutes later, he drives up to another child who is pushing a car. Cal adamantly started pointing to the sign and said "NO PUSHING! The sign says no pushing! No pushing!" He was so upset that others weren't following the rules. I'm sure that if he could have written this child a ticket he would have! :)

She's sleeping!

Hurray!! For the last 3 nights Lissi has only woken up one time for a feeding and has gone back to sleep within 30 minutes of waking. Praise God! Maybe this will be manageable for going back to work in 2 weeks.

Wink's morning adventure

Today was the first time that Wink had to get out of the house in the morning since we returned from Korea. I was teaching in the 2 year old room at church, so I knew that I couldn't have Felicity--since he would need to be taking care of her regardless... I figured it should be at church on Easter Sunday. The 2 year old room was extremely active today. The church is in a new location and the kids are having a rough time with the transition. We had 17 kids in there and I don't think there was a point at which someone wasn't crying. After church there was a Easter festival, which included a huge air-inflated slide. Cal LOVED the slide and zoomed down it 4 or 5 times with Wink. His face going down this slide was pure delight. Wink was so proud because Cal was able to climb up the very steep "ladder" to the top of the slide.

We attempted pics of the kids in their fabulous Easter clothes. But there was no way that both would look at us and smile at the same time. If I had more time, I'd just photoshop their best individual photos together. We bribed Cal to smile for the camera by saying he couldn't have his Easter egg hunt until we got some decent pictures. Don't laugh. It worked! Eventually, we gave up on the pictures and hid the eggs around the living room (it had started raining). Searching for plastic shells is tremendous fun for a 2 year old. Possibly the thrill of the chase (can you chase an egg?). Shhh! Don't tell him that 3 mini-M&M's is a sorry excuse for "egg loot"! :)

Resurrection Cookies

Cal had a really late nap so we were able to stay up late and do this activity. It was such a great reminder for me (and hopefully him one day) of the events leading up to the first Easter. I really hope this can become one of our family traditions.

Resurrection Cookies

We recommend baking these cookies on the Saturday night before Easter. But before you start, read the full recipe and collect all the materials and ingredients needed. As you make the cookies with your child, read aloud the Scripture story of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection where inserted in the recipe (after each numbered direction).

Ingredients:

1 cup pecan halves
1 teaspoon white vinegar
3 egg whites (room temperature for best results)
pinch of salt
1-cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 300°F degrees. Place the pecans in a plastic freezer bag. Let your child break the pecans into small pieces by beating them with a wooden spoon. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, Roman soldiers beat him. (John 19:1-3)

2. Now, ask your child to smell and taste the vinegar. Add 1 teaspoon vinegar to a bowl. Explain that Jesus was offered vinegar to drink while He hung on the cross. (John 19:28-30)

3. Add the 3 egg whites to the vinegar. Discuss with your child that eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave his life in order to give us life. (John 10:10-11)

4. Sprinkle a pinch of salt into your child’s hands. Allow them to taste a tiny bit and shake the remainder into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus’ followers. (Luke 23:27)

5. Gradually add 1 cup of sugar to the bowl while beating ingredients on high with a mixer. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know we belong to Him. (Psalm 34:8) (John 3:16)

6. Beat eggs for 10-15 minutes. Egg whites are ready when they are glossy, white, and stiff peaks form (peaks stand straight when beaters are removed). Share how the color white represents purity and how Jesus can cleanse us of our sins. (Isaiah 1:18)

7. Now, add the nuts and fold in gently. Drop the mixture by teaspoon on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Explain that these mounds represent the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid. (Matthew 27:57-60)

8. Put the cookie sheet in the oven. Then close the door and turn the oven off immediately.

9. Give your child a piece of tape to seal the tomb (oven door). Explain the fact that Jesus’ tomb was sealed. (Matthew 27:65-66)

10. Go to bed! Explain that your child may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. To a much greater extent Jesus’ friends were sad when He died and was placed in the tomb. (John 16:20 & 22)

11. Do not open the oven until the following morning. Allow your children to examine the cookies. They will form small mounds and have a cracked side. When the children taste them, they will discover that the cookies are hollow representing that on the first Easter, Jesus’ friends were surprised to find the tomb empty. (Matthew 28:1-9)

Operation decrease mess--Stage 2

Step 1: add full-coverage bib

Step 2: try to convince baby to keep shower cap on!

Letter to Lissi on her 7 month bday

Happy 7 month birthday AND happy one month home! One month ago today we were on a big airplane flying across the Pacific Ocean. And now you are sleeping in the room next to me. It’s hard to believe that our baby girl is here at last.

We have all spent this last month adjusting. It took you quite a while to get your days and nights straightened out. For the first two weeks you loved to wake up in the middle of the night and play with daddy for hours. He said that you would sometimes be up for four hours while the rest of us slept. You seem to enjoy your new bed and your familiar blankets. You love sleeping so close to Cal. You look over at him and smile at him. He entertains you and makes faces at you and you laugh and laugh. Although he keeps getting in trouble, he has climbed into your bed several times to play with you.

You are enjoying exploring table food. You practically drool all over your clothes when you watch us eating. So far you have tried the following foods: sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkin, green beans, peas, rice cereal, barley cereal, and carrots. You like to help us feed you and share the yummy food with your face, eyes, hair, and clothes. Some people spend hundreds of dollars on expensive cucumber or other facial masks—but you have determined the economical way to stay beautiful. We have bought a super bib to cover most of your body and are trying to get you to wear a shower cap in an effort to decrease the mess.

You were already able to commando crawl when you came home last month. Since then you have added other gross motor skills to your repertoire. You can get into push-up position, you can stand with finger support for over a minute, you can sit independently for about 30 seconds (but you are very shaky on this one), and you’ve even crawled down our two stairs!

You continue to make many vowel noises. You adore blowing raspberries and can do this for 30 minutes at a time. We’ve heard to make the “b” sounds occasionally. You smile at us and others and give big kisses to the air. You smile and flirt with anyone who will smile back.

Your two bottom teeth have broken through the gums. You don’t seem thrilled with the pains of teething. We aren’t thrilled with your new additions when our fingers are in your mouth because they are very sharp! You put everything into your mouth and gum it. You especially love plastic and other hard things. Your hair is so long! Mommy is trying to learn how to make pony-tails and do other girlie things with your gorgeous hair.

We are so excited that you are home! Mommy makes up silly songs about you and loves to sing them to you. You sleep in the front carrier nestled against mommy for many naps. You give your fingers to daddy to chew on while you drink your bottle.

You are a princess, a super model, and our pretty girl. Welcome home dear seven-month old!

Love, Mommy and Daddy

Costco shopping

Exciting outing to Costco again. I got smart today and put Lissi in the back carrier before entering the store. This is actually quite a feat in and of itself. You have to clip the carrier on around your waist, put her on your hip, bend over, swing her around in back of you, get her other leg around your other side, reach back and put each strap on (like a backpack). Now, just to impress you more....she was sleeping when I took her out of the carseat and slept through this transfer to my back! And just to make your jaw drop....the last time I did this was almost two years ago AND I tried it today without anyone "spotting" her and with pavement under my feet! I think I should get a prize or something! :)

Cal successfully used the public restroom at Costco. This was a huge! We were waiting in line in the food court (what is it with that food court?) when he announced that he needed to go. So we ran a football field length to get there and got him on the seat without him getting scared. Because Lissi was on my back, I could lift him up much easier and plop him on the seat appropriately. In all truth, this was THE reason I put her on my back today.

While we shopped she slept. Have you ever seen a sleeping baby with no head support? It is quite amusing. Her head lay flopped to the back or way over to the side with her little ponytail sticking straight out. It looks terribly uncomfortable and very unnatural. Every step I took made her little head bob up and down. Many people commented because it was just so funny to see this tiny girl's head coming sideways out of my back. I wonder how babies do that? How do they sleep in uncomfortable positions while being bounced around? Why don't we retain this skill later in life? I can't even sleep in a hotel bed!

Public tolieting

With all the stress going on around here, I've gotten really doubtful as to whether or not we should continue with toliet traing. Wink thought we should keep going since this has been a positive thing for Cal. It is one of the things we can really praise him for and focus on, in the midst of having a new baby sister. I asked Wink to gauge cal's interest after his nap. He woke up in a BAD mood and was screaming that he didn't want to wear his underwear when Wink tried. So I thought that was it. But after drinking his milk and cuddling with daddy for 30 minutes or so, he said, "I have to go peep". So he used the toliet and then we put him in underwear! :) Then again before bed we put him in a diaper for sleeping and he said "I have to go peep!" I'm so proud that even though he was in his diaper he STILL initiated! :) So, we are back in potty-training mode.

We had 2 incidents today that I'm not sure how to deal with. Both have to do with being out and about and having Lissi in the front carrier and being unable to help Cal. The first time was in a park and I tried to get him to sit on a curb and just point down. But, I couldn't help very much because of the baby and so he pointed into his pants and they got all wet. The next time was in a restaurant restroom where I could barely hold him on the big seat (we have one of those toddler inserts) and so he was uncomfortable and scared and didn't even want to try to go. Again, I probably could have helped him a lot more if I wasn't holding Lissi. When he says he has to go, we have about 30 seconds or less to do something about it. We had success in a public bathroom tonight. We went out to ice cream and while we were there he said he needed the bathroom. There was only one bathroom (a new fear of mine), but it was vacant. We used a new straddle method and I held him securly and it seemed to work well. I *think* that I can do it again while having Lissi in the front pack as well. "We'll see..." (this is a quote because it a very common phrase of Cal's these days. It is absolutely adorable to hear a two year old say these words!)

We are continuing cautiously on this road. I have no problems going back to diapers if that is what we need to do. But as long as we have success and no tears are shed, I'm going to let Cal do the leading on this one. It's strange to me that he is doing so well with potty training, while also showing more regressive behavior in other ways. He wants to be fed at dinner time, go in the front carrier, etc. I think it may be directly related to missing daddy (these regressive behaviors really come out in the late afternoon and evening when daddy is up). I'm really not sure what to think of this and not sure if we should just ignore it or deal with it. "We'll see..."

Things are getting worse-please send chocolate

Cal (yet AGAIN) climbed into Lissi's crib when he was supposed to be napping. He was found jumping out with one of her binkies. She was awake and confused. As well I would be if a boy twice my size and weight woke me up and absconded with my calming device! I'd had it with this climbing into the crib event so I wordlessly put him downstairs in the hallway and then stormed into our bedroom to wake Wink up and scream. I decided that the more natural consequence of this event would be that Cal would be unable to sleep in his bedroom. So I threw down his pillow, Pooh Bear, and blanket and told him to sleep in the hall. Which (dum dum dum dum) he did! At least until he peed on himself and woke himself up (yes, he did insist that he didn't have to use the toliet before nap even though I had him sit on it for a few minutes).

This crib incident must also be taken in context. Only 30 minutes before this he successfuly climbed into the exersaucer in spite of my week long warnings that there would be a consequence if he did so. He's been working on how to get in and finally figured it out today. But.. (HA!) he couldn't get out (at least for a while). Wink decided that his getting stuck was not enough and he needed an additional time out. Done.

ALSO-Lissi has been sleeping horribly. I mean last night the only time she slept more than an hour was between 6am and 9am. Unfortunetly, Cal woke up in the middle of that. She was up more of the night than she was down. I have no idea how we are going to deal with this. Wink says I should never go back to work because we both need to be getting night time sleep soon! So when Cal woke her up this afternoon, it was during one of her few sleep times in the last 24 hours. And of course she was unable to fall back asleep. Grrrrrrrr!

Oh, our 1st BM in the underwear today too! And we are going to Home Group in 45 minutes and I know there will be at least one tolieting accident while we are on our first outing in 4 days.

Please send chocolate! The ship is going down.

Operation decrease mess

Stage 1: Add shower cap

Stage 2: to be implemented soon!

Monkey boy

Monkey boy was caught climbing into Lissi's crib (while she was sleeping--thus waking her up), throwing her Fisher Price Aquarium out of the crib, jumping on the floor, and getting back into his bed!!!!!!! How many rules did he break in that one-minute sequence of events?

How did we catch him? The huge THUD as the aquarium hit the ground, and then another CRASH as he jumped out of her bed, followed by a WAAAAAAAAAH of the baby probably gave it away! ;)

Potty training day 3

Fantastic potty training day. I even gave Cal an "out" this morning by asking him if he wanted to wear his underwear. He said "yes" and so we were on another bathroom-filled adventure of a day. And the kid is amazing. He only had one accident the entire day and it was while he was standing in front of the toliet and couldn't get his underwear off fast enough. I even stuck him on the seat "mid-stream" and so it was less of a mess to clean. And he works for practically nothing. Everytime the timer goes off he gets to put a sticker on his chart. He decides what the reward will be at the end. Today he chose dried mangoes (before nap), fruit snacks (for staying dry during nap) and lemonade (before bed). Wow! I'm changing the system tomorrow so there will only be one sticker per day and more lemonade throughout the day. The very difficult Love and Logic approach is to give young children lots of opportunites to fail so that they will learn in a safe environment. This is not a potty-training approach, just a general parenting approach. In this case, I am interpreting it as lots of drinks and chances to practice using the toliet. Tomorrow it also means venturing out into the world and (hopefully) not having accidents in the car or in other environments. Eek gads! Can I throw in the towel even if he wants to stay dry?

Thomas Day

This title is somewhat misleading since EVERYDAY is Thomas day in this household. Both Cal and myself have his entire newest Thomas DVD memorized. Unfortunetly, it is full of dialogue that is, well, not full of "gumdrops and lollipops". He runs around the house saying "stinky steamies!" and "I'm not talking to you!". Heck, the video helps you problem solve ways to play tricks on the other engines. Hello?! What non-parent adult is writing these shows? I digress. The reason that today is a Thomas day is because Cal has been wearing his Thomas underwear all day. We had one accident earlier in the day, but only one in the 8 hours that he's been awake. Pretty darn good! He is "napping" right now (aka talking in bed). If he does fall asleep I'm sure that he will have another accident, but at least we have one more pair of Thomas underwear. Hurray for rude talking trains that motivate boys to stay dry!

Nemo underwear

Apparently...we're potty training now. After lunch with his playgroup friends, I talked to Cal about how 2 of his friends wear "big boy" underwear. After he leaked through his clothes (again) I asked Cal if he wanted to put on his diaper, be naked boy, or try his new underwear. He said underwear and away we went..... He brought out his brand new Nemo underwear and we put on a pair. I kept complimenting him and made sure to take his picture modeling his new underwear. He would make a great Calvin Klein model. He had 2 accidents within 40 minutes. I thought it was all over. By then it was time for a nap and we put a diaper on (which he was very distressed about). After his nap we put on his 3rd pair of underwear for the day. He didn't have any accidents all evening and earned 4 stickers (30 min. of dry underwear = one sticker). He was working towards a strawberry milkshake (which he's been wanting since we went to Burgerville for lunch). So not only did we have some great potty success, but he also learned about token reinforcement and delayed rewards! We'll see what tomorrow brings. He is excited since he will get to wear his Thomas underwear.

The food version of crack

at least that's what my husband calls this recipe! Credit must go to my friend Kristine for this addictive treat.

Death by Chocolate Cookies
16 oz semisweet chocolate chips, divided
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 cups chopped nuts OR white chocolate chips (I prefer the white choc. chips!)

Heat oven to 350
Melt 8 oz of the choc. Chips in a large bowl in the microwave for 1-2
minutes, checking frequently. When chocolate is smooth and melted stir in
the brown sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Then add the flour and baking
powder. Finally stir in the nuts and remaining choc. Chips. Drop by 1/4 cup
onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 12-13 minutes or until just set to
the touch. Do not overbake. Cool on the sheet for one minute before
transferring to a rack to cool.

Love these because one bowl and a wooden spoon gets the job done!

Enjoy the buzz

Post-adoption blues?

I don't know why most of the day was such a huge downer to me. I felt like things were happening around me, but I was just an observer. The kids were driving me wild this morning and Lissi refused to take her bottle from me. We were 30 minutes late to playgroup and when we got there I couldn't focus on anything. I felt almost like I was on a pill where "do not operate heavy machinery while taking this medication" is written in bold letters on the bottle. I could not focus on Cal as he ran around. I couldn't hold a conversation because I had no idea what others were saying. There is a condition known within the adoption community as "post-adoption depression". I don't want to know what Tom Cruise would say about this condition (although he is an adoptive father) but it is very real and mostly likely never researched and documented in the medical journals. Could the stress of the entire process and the fears of the future have suddenly weighed me down? Or was it just a bad mental morning? I don't know but I'm praying for the latter.

Vampire Baby

We have apparently brought home a vampire. Vampire baby that is. First she lures you in with adorable smiles and kissing sounds. Then when you are in close reach she sucks on anything she can get her mouth near by- your finger, arm, chest, neck.... Wink swears she says "blood, blood" when she is hungry. She loves to scratch with those little tiny, innocent looking nails. And she growls. I mean really growls. When she's happy, sad, whatever. Finally, our little girl is quite the nocturnal girl. Up 3 times per night (good night) to every hour (bad night). Ah! Life with the Vampire baby! I wonder if she turns into a bat when we aren't looking?

Regression

Our "big boy" has an alias: "big baby". In an effort to be more like his little sister he has started doing some very amusing things--sleeping with (her) binkie, crawling, eating paper, licking toys, fake crying. Today I left her in the crib when I answered the phone. Cal was in the room to "amuse" her (he LOVES this whole captive audience thing). When I came back in the room I found him INSIDE her crib playing with her and imitating her restless sleep. Thank God he is so fond of his sister or else disaster could have really ensued. New note to self: do not leave toddler unsupervised even when there are bars and heights involved.

Caffeine--a girl's best friend

Is it genetic? Lissi seems to know already that she loves all cafeinated items. She lunges (I mean literally tries to jump out of my arms) when I am holding a cup of coffee or Diet Coke. She knocked over my Diet Coke on the ground the other day and got it all over herself. She probably licked up the rest. She dives for chocolate whenever we have some nearby. Now, to the best of my knowledge she has never actually tasted any of these items. As yummy and tempting as green and orange veggies are--they just aren't caffeinated! Is there something about XX that makes us crave these things at only 6 months of age?

Very messy girl

Our little girl LOVES table food. I mean loves to hold it, lick it, smear it, rub it.... Actually, we're pretty sure that when we try to put the spoon in her mouth her instinct is to stop the spoon, slide all the goop off the spoon and onto her hands, then lick said goop. Whatever doesn't make it into her mouth can be placed appropriately on her shirt, pants, forearms, hair, eyes, or ears. What should we do? I'm not sure. I have 2 thoughts--make the poor skinny girl freezing cold and feed her in the buff, OR buy only black clothes for our princess and make her look goth (but not stained with squash and peas).

In the meantime we are considering buying an uber-bib with long sleeves and "full coverage". This will also be handy when she reaches the dating years. :)

No more sleeping through the night

Okay, well that sleeping through the night was obviously a fluke! We're back to several wake ups a night. But at least Cal is usually sleeping through it all.