We are very fortunate to be able to have C. at home full-time now. She is really enjoying being a "stay-at-home mommy" now. With this major transition that N. has gone through in the past two months, it is pretty essential. We are hoping to be able to continue on one-salary, and we're willing to make the sacrifices that it may take. Reminds me of the line from a Jonathan Coulton song "we're gonna need more money...".
I came across this interesting article in the NY Times related to behavior and day care. I'm sure there is a lot of validity to the story, but as it states in the beginning, parental guidance was still the largest factor in good child behavior.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
Sleep
...or the lack thereof. Sleep has become a luxury we can no longer afford. I read on someone else's blog that their baby was perfect, except for her sleeping habits. How true for us, too. I guess it's really not that bad most of the time, but she does have her nights. And it's so hard to figure out a pattern or a cause and effect for the good sleep nights vs. the "up every other hour crying until you pick me up for a couple of minutes" nights. Those with biological children would probably say to just let her cry herself to sleep. "If you keep picking her up, she's going to keep expecting that". But, of course, that's not the same for adopted children. We need to keep fostering her dependence on us so it strengthens her bonds with us. She needs to know that if she needs anything, even if it's 3am and we are sound asleep, we will be there to comfort her. Unfortunately, I don't think we've let her down yet.
She is very good at going to sleep. We try to have a routine (eat, play, bath, reading, bottle), and usually by the end of her bottle she is pretty much asleep and all we have to do is lay her down in her crib until she falls asleep. Some nights she is ready by 7:30 or 8:00, other nights it is 9:30 until she is ready (haven't quite figured that one out yet). But when she is ready to sleep, it is easy to put her down. When she's not tired yet, it becomes a battle. So we take the easy road and just extend her playtime or reading time until she is ready.
The other night she did wake up screaming at about 10:30pm, which was scary. Luckily we weren't really asleep yet (10:30 on a Saturday night, and we're in bed, what have we become?). She was almost inconsolable for about 20 minutes, it was so sad.
I think a lot of her waking up has to do with her eczema and itching. She seems fine during the day and doesn't scratch that much, but when she gets tired she scratches. And when she wakes up in the middle of the night she seems agitated, and scratches.
Alright, she must have known I was writing this, she just woke up crying...
She is very good at going to sleep. We try to have a routine (eat, play, bath, reading, bottle), and usually by the end of her bottle she is pretty much asleep and all we have to do is lay her down in her crib until she falls asleep. Some nights she is ready by 7:30 or 8:00, other nights it is 9:30 until she is ready (haven't quite figured that one out yet). But when she is ready to sleep, it is easy to put her down. When she's not tired yet, it becomes a battle. So we take the easy road and just extend her playtime or reading time until she is ready.
The other night she did wake up screaming at about 10:30pm, which was scary. Luckily we weren't really asleep yet (10:30 on a Saturday night, and we're in bed, what have we become?). She was almost inconsolable for about 20 minutes, it was so sad.
I think a lot of her waking up has to do with her eczema and itching. She seems fine during the day and doesn't scratch that much, but when she gets tired she scratches. And when she wakes up in the middle of the night she seems agitated, and scratches.
Alright, she must have known I was writing this, she just woke up crying...
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Adoption Articles
Articles about adoption, orphanages, and China in general obviously immediately catch my attention now. I came across these two articles in the NY Times recently, and I thought they were interesting.
This first article addresses some of the new restrictions that China has placed on potential adopters, and the supposed effect this is and will have on the number of children being adopted. The author suggests, as I have thought, that the slow-down in adoptions in the recent 18+ months is due more to politics than to an actual "baby shortage", or more people wanting to adopt than there are babies to adopt. According to the US State Department, there was a decrease of 18% in 2006 in the number of Americans who adopted from China. And although China does not publish how many children are in orphanages waiting to be adopted, there is not a slow-down in the applications.
The second article is about a young girl, adopted by Jewish parents, who has integrated into their Jewish traditions and is grappling with her identity. Although she looks Chinese, she is practicing the Jewish traditions and acts very American. (And incidentally, their family structure would be precluded from adopting through China under the new guidelines. But that is a whole other topic.) This is something we'll eventually have to deal with, especially already being a multi-cultural family. She'll look Chinese, speak Spanish with a Puerto Rican accent, and have an American father. Sounds like an identity crisis in the making to me.
This first article addresses some of the new restrictions that China has placed on potential adopters, and the supposed effect this is and will have on the number of children being adopted. The author suggests, as I have thought, that the slow-down in adoptions in the recent 18+ months is due more to politics than to an actual "baby shortage", or more people wanting to adopt than there are babies to adopt. According to the US State Department, there was a decrease of 18% in 2006 in the number of Americans who adopted from China. And although China does not publish how many children are in orphanages waiting to be adopted, there is not a slow-down in the applications.
The second article is about a young girl, adopted by Jewish parents, who has integrated into their Jewish traditions and is grappling with her identity. Although she looks Chinese, she is practicing the Jewish traditions and acts very American. (And incidentally, their family structure would be precluded from adopting through China under the new guidelines. But that is a whole other topic.) This is something we'll eventually have to deal with, especially already being a multi-cultural family. She'll look Chinese, speak Spanish with a Puerto Rican accent, and have an American father. Sounds like an identity crisis in the making to me.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Her first hike
The weather has finally turned significantly warmer (50 degrees is warm, right?), so we took advantage of it and went out for a hike at Sleeping Giant on Sunday. This was a first, so we weren't quite sure how she would handle it, but considering how we like to hike...she better get used to it! My sister gave us a baby backpack that they used to use, so we gave that a try. We did a dry run at home on the floor, and after putting her into it and strapping her in, she really didn't like it and wanted to get out. So we weren't quite sure how she'd take it.
But, once we got to the park and got her into it and on my shoulders, she really started liking it. When she got the hang of it and more comfortable, she started smiling, laughing, and doing her trademark excited 'porpoise' kick. She was able to watch the other hikers and the occasional dogs from a new vantage point.Monday, March 05, 2007
It was Busy...
...in baby land this weekend. I'm looking forward to a distant weekend where nothing is planned and we can just stay home and relax and enjoy each other. I'm sure it will come eventually.
On Saturday, we had N's baby dedication at church. (where else would you dedicate a baby, I suppose?). It was very nice, and the Pastor did a very nice job of explaining the meaning of a baby dedication (for us), and he related it to our own personal situation. We then had my parents, grandfather, and C's mother come up front with us.
A baby dedication is similar to other church's baby baptisms, but our church doesn't actually baptize people until they are old enough to decide for themselves that they want to be baptized. So instead, it is a dedication service with no water involved (other than the crying grandmothers, I guess). It is really more of a dedication and commitment service for the parents. We dedicated ourselves to raising this child in a Christian home and environment.
On Sunday, N. turned 1 year old! What a milestone, huh? It is so nice to have just 1 candle on your birthday cake. Much easier to light, much easier to blow out, just simpler all around. Those were the days.
We kept the birthday simple, and just invited family over. Of course there were a BUNCH of family that came over! It was really nice, almost everyone showed up that was in town. I think we had over 25 people in the house, so it was a little cozy. N. seemed to really enjoy the attention, and loved playing with her new cousins. She really is interested in children, much more than adults, which I guess is normal and makes sense. Even at church she will stop and stare at the kids or babies.
After a little birthday cake, we showed everyone the DVD and slideshows of our trip. I think it will be helpful for the family to understand where N came from and some of the background and experiences she's had already in her life. They will shape who she is and her personality to a certain extent in the future. There isn't a more accepting family to bring an adopted child into, so she is very fortunate and blessed, as are we.
On Saturday, we had N's baby dedication at church. (where else would you dedicate a baby, I suppose?). It was very nice, and the Pastor did a very nice job of explaining the meaning of a baby dedication (for us), and he related it to our own personal situation. We then had my parents, grandfather, and C's mother come up front with us.
A baby dedication is similar to other church's baby baptisms, but our church doesn't actually baptize people until they are old enough to decide for themselves that they want to be baptized. So instead, it is a dedication service with no water involved (other than the crying grandmothers, I guess). It is really more of a dedication and commitment service for the parents. We dedicated ourselves to raising this child in a Christian home and environment.
On Sunday, N. turned 1 year old! What a milestone, huh? It is so nice to have just 1 candle on your birthday cake. Much easier to light, much easier to blow out, just simpler all around. Those were the days.We kept the birthday simple, and just invited family over. Of course there were a BUNCH of family that came over! It was really nice, almost everyone showed up that was in town. I think we had over 25 people in the house, so it was a little cozy. N. seemed to really enjoy the attention, and loved playing with her new cousins. She really is interested in children, much more than adults, which I guess is normal and makes sense. Even at church she will stop and stare at the kids or babies.
After a little birthday cake, we showed everyone the DVD and slideshows of our trip. I think it will be helpful for the family to understand where N came from and some of the background and experiences she's had already in her life. They will shape who she is and her personality to a certain extent in the future. There isn't a more accepting family to bring an adopted child into, so she is very fortunate and blessed, as are we.Friday, March 02, 2007
Spamalot
...the infamous american wonder meat. Not the email junk.
Look what I inadvertently found while looking for the 'canning' link below. Not that this is all that exciting, but I've actually been here, believe it or not. Well, not actually inside the museum, but I did drive by it. Not on purpose, mind you, just by coincidence. Really. I swear. Mannaseh goes to school near here, too. Know him? Maybe he's been inside? Can you believe there is a whole museum dedicated to SPAM?
Sorry. We now return you to your regularly scheduled baby blog.
PS. My favorite SPAM dish: Lobster thermidor aux crevettes with a Mornay sauce garnished with truffle paté, brandy fried egg on top and spam.
Second Generation Chair
When C. was a little girl (and too little to sit in a chair by herself, incidently), her father bought her this rocking chair in Puerto Rico. It survived C.'s childhood, and they recently had it refinished and recaned (is that a word? not what you do in the fall with tomatoes, by the way). Now N., who is also (almost) too little to sit in the chair by herself, will be able to use it.I guess I need to get C. to pose in it now. She still fits in it, by the way. Or maybe both of them together?
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Mimi & Abuela
As if one grandmother wasn't enough to start spoiling Natalia, her Abuela from Puerto Rico flew up to help with the spoilage. M. arrived last week to lend a hand to C. during her transition to motherhood. At one point last week, we came to the conclusion that our house won't be clean again until N. goes off to college.But we are slowly getting into a routine, and we aren't quite as exhausted at night, so things are slowly getting back to normal.
There have actually been a couple nights when N. slept 7 hours straight! There are many stories about the challenges that adopted children face with going to sleep, but thankfully N. is a good sleeper. Although she fights going to sleep sometimes, for the most part she's very ready after her bath, books & bottle. C., who is renown for her need for sleep, is doing quite well too. I now have a great deal more respect for parents who have a newborn in the house with an aversion to sleep. Being able to function during the day after 4-5 hrs of interrupted sleep is a skill we'd rather not have to master in our lives!Baby of the month
...or Baby of the Year, but I'm biased.If you don't have a church family that is as close and friendly and caring and generous as our New Haven church is, I suggest you run out and find yourself one this weekend. You don't know what you are missing.
It is the Year of the Pig. Our church threw us a shower on Chinese New Years, and I think it was the shower to end all showers. Not that I've frequented many showers in my life, but I can't imagine a nicer one. The Platts hosted the shower at their home, and it was obvious the amount of work that was put into it by many in the church. 
There were decorations with a Chinese theme in every directions, and the amount of food was astounding! The generosity of our church is amazing, and it just complements all the support and prayers we've received over this long adoption process.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
