Oh NO!! Bad Mommy!

So today I had planned to catch you up on the last couple of busy days (reconnecting with old friends, family meals going down and coming up--inside joke) or playing tag since I've failed to think of 7 strange facts about myself (or maybe I just can't narrow it down!). However........our life got rudely interrupted.

I was in the middle of laundry and packing (can't believe I'm packing already, after Ethiopia I swore I'd never look at those duffels again) for our trip to KY when disaster struck. Yes, I'm being dramatic for my readers' benefit. It was nap time for Mari and I was looking forward to 2 hours of prep without chasing a crawler...she was very tired but a little resistent to sleep so I decided to rock her...usually this only gets done at night but we had such a nice time in the rocker last night I figured I'd treat her to a midafternoon rocking. Just as she was settling down to sleep (in other words, I was relaxed and not holding real tight) she arched back and flung herself over the arm of the chair (this happens frequently but usually in the middle of a fit and I'm ready). I grabbed for her and caught her left wrist and heard a "lovely" POP. She of course started screaming bloody murder. I knew I had just popped her elbow out (nursemaid's elbow) but of course was very worried that maybe I had snapped her wrist. I got her settled down in her crib, gave her some motrin and was just starting to think maybe she was okay. Then she would try to move in her sleep and her limp left arm wouldn't let her pull her blanket up and she would start screaming. So off to the ER.

Luckily we know everyone there, so they were all sympathetic. My mom came and that made Mari a little happier (actually she was just fine as long as you left her arm alone). One of our great NP's Bob (who just happens to have two little Guatemalan kiddos) popped it back in place with just a little cry and things were all better.

We are now home, fed, afternoon nap completed and all back to normal. Mari is crawling around on that arm, reaching for things, etc. We will see how she feels about the rocking chair at bedtime! Mommy might be a little scared of it.

So Mari is better, I still feel horrible but at least she didn't hit the floor head first. We are hoping to head to KY in the morning (depending on the looming ice storm tonight) so I probably won't be blogging again until Monday night.

So happy together...

No pix tonight, too tired. Weird day, schedule all messed up, lots to catch up on from the last couple days but just too tired tonight (Mari just went down, 2 hours later than usual). But I wanted to post.

4 weeks ago (minus the time difference) I met Miss Mari for the first time. It is kind of surreal to think that that much time has past, it seems like yesterday. But it also seems like we've always been together. I think I was completely emotionally detached in Ethiopia; overwhelmed by the situation, surroundings, etc. It has all hit this week...while I have loved every minute of being a mom, it is really starting to sink in (in a great way). There is nothing better in the world than to walk into Mari's room first thing in the morning (after listening to her happy babble in the baby monitor) and being greeted by the biggest grin in the world. I just know that if she could talk, she would be saying "good morning Mommy!" I wish I could bottle up that first look in the morning and open it for a "pick-me-up" any time during the day.

Tonight,after our somewhat strange day, Mari buried her head in my chest, gripped onto me and just sighed a happy little sigh. Oh the bliss! Then when she started get her tired whimpers, I went and filled her little bath tub. I couldn't hear over the running water but when I came out of the bathroom, she was crying and calling "mamamamamama!" That is the first time I have heard her say MA! (And not from a lack of prompting!). Of course, as soon as she saw me she stopped (and grinned) and I haven't gotten her to say it again. But M's are in her vocabulary now!

Then, when I decided it had to be bedtime (since it was already 2 hours later than normal), I took her into her room and rocked her to the lullaby CD. We usually do this when she is already tired and cranky; most times she will fight me until she goes to sleep...we have never made it past the second song, she can drop off pretty quickly. Tonight, she fought sleep but didn't fight me. We were well into the 4th song on the CD but it was very pleasant, just rocking and staring at each other. Very peaceful.

So now I'm going to bed. Feeling tired but very good.

3 Weeks Home and My Baby's Back!

It is unreal to think that we have been home for 3 weeks. It seems like just yesterday I was fretting about flights and packing and freaking out but yet it seems like Mari and I have been together forever. I thought I would miss some aspects of my old life...laying on the couch with no one to worry about, eating when I wanted, only doing laundry once a week, etc. I don't miss any of that...it just seems natural knowing that there is someone else in the house, someone that needs me. I'm surprised that I have adapted so well to that...I was worried that the "24/7" part of the deal would be the hardest. Thankfully, I was wrong. The only thing I miss so far is the ease of going places...today we ran errands, several which involved literally driving across the street from the last one. What a pain to have to get in and out of a car seat (yes, a carrier type seat would be ideal for this but why invest in something that she will outgrow very quickly). It is also quite a challenge to shop for groceries with an infant...it is getting a little easier since she can sit up better--our first couple trips to the grocery store, I had to keep one hand on her while shopping...let go and kaboom!

So anyway, in my last post I alluded to the fact that Miss Mari was a little cranky. I thought the "honeymoon" was over. The "honeymoon" in adoption is classified as a period where the kids are super good and easygoing because they are afraid that their new situation is not permanent. Once they feel comfortable that they are staying put in a secure environment, then they test their limits and bring out their "other side." I thought this only applied to older kids until this weekend. Mari was very cranky the last two days (I should preface this my saying this is a proportional crankiness because she is never fussy, so her moodiness is probably very mild compared to a lot of other 10 month olds--but it was a big personality change). She would not giggle, barely smiled, wouldn't talk, didn't want to be held but didn't want to be let go of, etc. etc. She was just starting to snuggle and enjoy rocking before this change and then this weekend, she went back to her old ways of arching her back and pulling away from me, often only getting solace by lying quietly in her crib having "alone time." This is hard to know what to do...should I give in to the "alone time" because this seems to encourage the independence and discourage the "need" for me. Or should I force her to stay with me until she calms down, encouraging the "need" to have me help her but possibly building resentment. I'm kind of just meeting her in the middle. If she is only slightly fussy and resistent, then I wrap her up tight and try to calm her down; if she is all-out screaming and arching away, then I give her alone time. She has lived the last 9 months calming herself, getting herself to sleep, and feeding herself (at least the last couple months)...I think it is perfectly natural to need some alone time. She has never in her life had 1-on-1 attention for 24-7 and it is probably overwhelming. Last night, we got so tired of each other's crankiness that I packed her up at dinner time and heading to my parent's house. She enjoyed the change of scenery and faces, I enjoyed a home-cooked meal. We both left happier.

Enough of my dissertation on "Jill's take on the post-adoption cranky temper-tantrums."

With all that being said, the personality switched back today. My giggly, sweet, funny chatterbox is back. I should mention that we were having some problems with constipation (boy does she plug up easy!) that are resolved. She never acted like she was sick or in pain but I'm guessing she wasn't feeling as well as she could have. Nothing like a good poop (or 6 or 8) to make you feel better. Sorry for the poop stories...just trying to keep up with the Mumblerrrs! I should probably defend myself here (since I'm a nurse and should understand these things better) and mention that Mari has prunes every morning for breakfast and straight, undiluted pear juice 1-2 times a day. I think it was the addition of bananas to our menu right after carrots that did it...we moved on to peaches and are back on track. It seems that the key to pooping is eating "P's"...prunes, peas, pears, peaches. Green beans are also good and, per my pediatrician, ground up Wendy's chili (we haven't resorted to that...we want poop, not explosions!).

So Mari is back to being cute and cuddly. She ate fine all day without her post-feeding tantrums that had returned. She ate 5 veggie puffs without my help and didn't choke on any of them (okay, she ate 4 and the other one just disintegrated in her hand). She might have said "kitty-cat." We were playing with the cats and I was saying "kitty-cat" over and over and she whispered "tit-tat" and laughed! I'm taking it. Our first words..."tit-tat."

She also tried a new trick...she was on her hands and knees and straightened her legs so that her butt was up in the air and her weight on her toes. Very impressive given the fact that she has no interest in standing up. She did enjoy herself when I showed her how to stand up in her crib holding onto the side rails...probably not too smart on my part but oh well.

I think that is all that is new. We are gearing up to head to KY this weekend to visit family (as long as the weather holds). Usually, travelling with an infant for the first time is a daunting task...after spending a week in Ethiopia with an infant I had never seen before (not to mention being a first time parent and having to take everything with me) I am not too frightened. There are at least 100 Wal-Marts between here and there, should I forget anything!

Growing Up!

So things are going pretty well here on the home front. My maternity leave is quickly winding down, three weeks left. The time is flying by...wish it would have flown this fast BEFORE, during all the waiting and waiting and waiting.

We went to my brother Todd's turkey plant on Wednesday (not really his plant--he just counts the turkeys and the money they bring in).

Thursday we ran all over town. We dropped our paperwork off at daycare and met some of the caregivers, we made a couple other stops (including seeing Grandma at work) and then headed to Wal-Mart. Mari loves Wal-Mart (super stimulating!) but she was so tired that she slept the entire time. Since I don't have a carrier-type car seat, I had to prop her up in the front of the cart...so cute, snoring all through Wal-Mart.

Thursday Mari turned 10 months old. Nothing exciting happened, it was actually a not great day. Two days of schedule interruptus and we were both a little cranky. Mari would not go to sleep but was too tired to play (very unusual--she can fall asleep at the mere mention of naptime). She also wanted nothing to do with me and the rocking chair...this was especially hard because she is just really starting to get cuddly and want my affection, so this seemed like a setback. So we both went to bed crying and exhausted.

Friday was a much better day. We went to Lowe's to order new carpet for Mari's room (this was originally Ollie's room and we have some "puppy chewing issues" that needed to be resolved--we were waiting on the installation special!) and got to see Granddad and lots of his co-workers. My previous feelings from the night before were washed away. Mari used to flirt with anyone, talk to everyone and charm the socks off people. I think she was used to seeking attention anywhere she could get it. Now she is subdued around strangers, not scared just quiet. As soon as we would walk away, she would start babbling to me and smiling. I think she is finally comfortable with knowing that I will give her the attention she craves and doesn't need to seek it from anyone that is around (maybe I'm reading too much into this--developmental pysch and sociology of the family were over a decade ago!).

After getting home from Lowe's, my friend Heather came over to hang out. Mari was sweet and cute (as usual) and Heather brought us some really neat things. We now have bowls that suction to the highchair (and I mean suction) so, one day soon, we can start feeding ourselves. We have a great new play blanket that has a waterproof back that will be wonderful for trips to the park. And Heather also brought me another set of sippy cups. I'm using Gerber transition bottles and sippy cups. They are triangular shaped for easy holding (Mari is a pro at holding her own bottle) and then you can add handles that adjust to three different angles, and sippy tops that you can exchange for the nipples. All the parts are interchangable so you can transtion to a sippy cup. So here is my blonde moment of the week--I had tried the sippy top a couple weeks ago but it was a disaster. Mari ended up choking on the juice and it poured all over her, so I figured that she just wasn't ready. When I opened the new package and started dismantling the sippy tops to wash, I realized that I had never put the valves back in the other set after washing...no wonder Mari was soaked! So I popped a valave back in, handed her the pear juice and away she went...guzzled out of the sippy top without a second thought. SO SAD!! She's growing up!

We spent the rest of the day having a good time. At bathtime, Mari finally figured out how to splash around and play. This led to a meltdown when I tried to take her out of the tub. Oh well. (BTW...the funny looking thing on the tub is supposed to hold inflatable rings like a stacking toy but they were cheap and wouldn't inflate, so I threw them away. It makes a good handle for Mari to hold on to. Just wanted to clarify what it was; it kind of looks questionable!)

Today, Mom came over and we ran a few errands and then Lesa brought Madi over this afternoon for a playdate. Chad joined us later and Madi was watching her Daddy very closely as he planted kisses on Mari. So cute! We made it through the day with only one fussy patch...after dinner Mari got mad because the food was gone (this used to be an issue but we have since worked through it, until tonight!). This probably had to do with the new food we added--banana yogurt. SUPER YUMMY! We made it through bathtime without pitching a fit when time to get out. She also went to sleep before the first song was done on the lullaby CD and I was able to get out of the rocking chair, turn on the light, change her diaper, cut her nails, and put her to bed without her waking up...that's tired!

Hopefully tomorrow will go as well! Whew, that ended up being a long post! If you are still reading, enjoy some pix!

My new sneakers! I stand up so much better with them on.

The doggie loves me...he just won't let me pet him yet.

Mickey cat wanted my Cheerios something bad!

Sammy cat likes to lay down beside me and I pet him...Mommy says not to pull chunks of his hair out but he doesn't mind.

Here is my first taste of meat...I think I might be a vegetarian. I gagged until I threw up. Mommy tried to get me to eat chicken and beef but they were both yucky. Mommy videoed me but was nice enough not to put it on the blog. She says that we will try again in a couple weeks...ugh!



If you have stuck with me to the end...here is a video treat. Mari loves to be "woofed" at but seems quite worried at meowing. On the other hand, Mari can perfectly mimic Mickey's meow...I actually spun around to tell the cat to be quiet the other day and it was Mari. She sounds just like him!

Playing Catch Up!

So what have we been up to? A little bit of nothing, a little bit of everything.

Friday, cousin Madi came over for a little while to play. The girls got along great rolling over each other, stealing toys, grabbing each other's hair, etc.




Saturday, we ventured to Wal-Mart and bought some shoes! Mari was great and let me try on pair after pair. We decided on size 2's. They were a little roomy but since she is not even standing up yet, they will fit great once she gets to walking. We bought a cute pair of brown suede dress shoes and a pair of pink furry winter boots (they were on clearance!).

Sunday, we got up early and headed to church with Mom & Dad. Mari was awesome, just quietly taking everything in. It did, however, throw off her eating and napping schedule and it caught up to us that evening. She did really well until suppertime and then it was downhill after that.

Aren't I cute in my "going to church outfit"?

Monday was a great day. We played at home all day, ate heartily, had our first true diaper "blow-out" (this was the first time we actually had poop outside the diaper...I know we've been lucky, most everyone else has had this experience on the plane ride home). After her bath (which she loves) I guess she was just so tired, she "snapped." This is the only way to describe her meltdowns. She is giggling and laughing one minute and then screaming like you are cutting off a limb the next minute...and I have no clue what triggers these. They don't happen often and never last long (2 minutes in the rocking chair and she was sound asleep but it was 90 minutes before her normal bedtime).

Today had been a good day so far...she actually played on her blanket in the living room while I spent an hour on the phone with tech support working out some flaws in my new cable/internet. She has gotten less emotionally clingy (I can leave the room or go to the mailbox without a meltdown) but she has gotten more physically clingy, wanting me to hold her and snuggle. This is a great thing (makes laundry a little harder but who cares) and the first physical signs of needing me.

Mari's Milestones:

1. I can crawl, really crawl. Everywhere, anywhere, especially where you don't want me to be!
2. I no longer have food meltdowns. Mommy lets me play with empty cereal bowls and spoons before and after I eat, so I just gnaw away on those.
3. Here are the foods I have mastered...rice, barley, oatmeal cereals (LOVE oatmeal); squash, sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, carrots, pears, prunes. Next on the list Mommy has planned MEATS! And then bananas and apples!
4. I successfully put 1 sweet potato puff in my mouth today by myself (still have a little trouble with the fine motor skill part of it) and I actually chewed it instead of swallowing it whole like last week. Mommy says if I keep doing a good job, she will give me Cheerios and maybe some banana chunks (after I pass the banana baby food test). I can't wait to sink my two bottom teeth into something!
5. I love my pets. The cats come and check on me and sometimes I get to pet them...I really like to pull their whiskers best. The doggy doesn't like me to touch him but he comes and looks in my crib every morning when I wake up. He can't quite see over the bumper pad so he whines until Mommy picks him up where he can see me.
6. My newest trick involves my highchair. Mommy always tells me "arms up" when she snaps the tray in place...I impressed her yesterday when I raised them up on my own. She was so excited, I keep on doing it because she thinks it is so funny.
7. I now say "da" when I see the doggy coming...Mommy thinks this is a good sign. I also say "na-na-na" (but mostly when I'm pooping!) and I'm starting to say "ba." I refuse to say "ma" but I can say "ta" and "ka". Mommy thinks I'm good at these sounds because my native language is so staccato and rhythmic; I have learned the hard sounds before the soft sounds. Hmmm...

Here is Mari chilling with her bowl and spoon.

Close-up of curls, after shampoo and Burt's Bees Apricot Baby Oil (ohh, my head smells SO good!)

Look, I can read! (Don't tell her the book is upside down...I don't want to discourage her reading habits!)

Well, I'll leave you with one last piece of news (permission given by the parties involved). My parents are expecting GRANDCHILD #3!!!! My oldest brother Todd and his wife Diana will be welcoming their first in late summer. It is so exciting!! Babies, babies, babies. Mari says she hopes it's a girl. I'll take whatever but it sure would be nice to know what to do with all this pink stuff that is too little. Congrats!!!!!!

SNOW!!!!!!!!!

It's snowing (and snowing and snowing). We haven't had a good snow in a LONG time. So I just had to go out and enjoy it and give Mari her first looks at the fluffy white stuff. Don't worry, she has fuzzy socks on with her warmest fleece sleeper, gloves, snowsuit that has over-hand sleeves, and her furry hat I knitted. She is sitting on a snowman cookie tray (that would probably make a good snow-saucer when she's a little older!).

My first "taste." Yummy!

Getting ready.

Let's go already!

Mommy likes the snow too.

Me, my house, and SNOW!

Posing on the back porch! Can I get ANY cuter?

Mari Movies!!!

Thanks to my high-speed internet capabilities now, I can now upload videos! So here are some Mari Movies!

This first one was taken at the Hilton in Addis Ababa on January 4. "Ah-Dah" is her favorite phrase and she is just now starting to add in other sounds.

This one was taken today. It features her "happy shake" which she will do for twenty minutes at a time. However, turn on the camera and she gets shy. Notice the distractions...Sesame Street to her left, the dog chasing his Dingo...just too much going on to act for the camera.

Here are some more new pix...no long post though. I stayed up to watch Idol and now I HAVE to get to bed because I know the princess will not sleep in two mornings in a row.

Note the fleecy gloves we bought today (it was COLD). We actually put them on in the checkout line at K-Mart. She loved them because she loves to chew on fleece. Yes, they have paw-prints on them.

My first taste of peas..not too impressed by the taste but I still ate them. At least I didn't pitch a fit when they were done...I was happy they were all gone.

I still won't take a pacifier but I'm certainly trying them all out to make sure.

Yes, we're still here!

Sorry I haven't posted in a couple days...I now have upgraded to digital cable with super-speedy internet (and I mean speedy!) and I also have DVR!!! As my brother says, "Welcome to the 21st Century." This is something I had set up before going to Ethiopia, so now that I'll have an easier time blogging, I promise trip details. I'll probably just do another blog and link it to mine, that way it will be in order and separate.

So what have we been up to? I left off on with us sleeping all night...that is not the case every night but the awakenings are only for a "comfort" bottle (still no luck with pacifier--4 brands, sugar, milk, fruit and still ain't having it!) instead of for playtime.

So Friday morning, we travelled into town to visit Mom and her co-workers...Mom got to babysit Mari while I popped next door for some groceries. After going home for a nap and lunch, we headed to the pediatrician's office for our 1st "well-baby" check-up. Mari is 26 inches long (shorty!) and 17.4 pounds. This is short and lightweight on the growth chart, but when you put them together--yeah, kind of chuncky! She was still wheezing and rashy but overall better. She got 5 shots plus a PPD (TB test), they were also going to prick her for a lead level but since they had ordered a bunch of other labs to be done later, they decided not to assault her and just added it to the list of labs to get. The pediatrician is on top of things and has done a lot of research since our visit on Tuesday. She has a family member that adopted from Ethiopia earlier this year who just happens to be a Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist--so my doc is super-excited to take on Mari.

After the doctor's visit, we spent Friday evening at our friend's house with the first meeting of what will be a little play group. My niece Madi was there and Mari met her newest buddy Will...Will is several months older and QUITE the character. Here is a great picture of him "reading" to the girls.

Mari made herself at home on Madi...good thing she didn't mind!

Saturday we went shopping at Target and got a few essentials we were lacking. Then we to a baby shower at work where Mari got a piece of cake (thanks Leisa!). She did not actually eat any, just made a HUGE mess.

She fell asleep before leaving and slept through going home, changing into a sleeper and then into bed. Sunday morning was a lazy day...Mari never made it out of her sleeper! Bad Mommy! I wanted to switch her bathtime to nights instead of mornings, so why change clothes? Sunday night (after two skipped episodes of applying the cream to Mari's rash) I noticed that her dry, scaly patches look much better. So I'm going to skip treating them for a few more days and see if that helps--if not, back to the cream. I started using Burt's Bee Apricot Baby Oil....OMG does she smell delicious!!!

Today was cable day, so we just hung around home. Several neighbors brought us gifts...super cute outfits! We also made friends with the cats (see pix--these are NOT posed)...the dog is still unsure but getting more relaxed. Mari thinks he is hilarious and is dying to get ahold of his tail, but he is quicker than she is.

Mari's Milestones:

1. Mari can now sit up totally unassisted, nice and straight. Scary what a difference a week makes.
2. Mari can sit in her highchair and play without screaming for food.
3. Mari can SOMETIMES finish eating without screaming for more (doing MUCH better).
4. Mari can bounce her jumparoo like crazy...she finally understands what her feet are for.
5. I can leave the room without Mari getting upset...just don't be gone too long.
6. MARI CAN CRAWL...almost. She can propel forward by pulling her knees up, launching face-first, pulling her knees up and launching forwards...she's getting quite good.
7. Mari understands how to push the buttons on her toys to make music...before there was no correlation between the buttons and the noise. I am already sick of Farmer Tad and his "you've made a match" song and we've only had the toy since Saturday.

Well, more later. Posts will be much better now that I can upload pix so much faster!

Yes, I love my giraffe!!!!!!!!!! Isn't she cute????????

WE DID IT!!!

Hope I'm not jinxing us but WE DID IT! Not only did Mari sleep real night time hours, but she slept the whole night! 7:45pm to 4:45 am, then she played until 5:30 and napped until 6:30. Yea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No bottle in the middle of the night, no playtime at 3am. Just sleep!!

Okay, off to get a shower so we can have a full day...Mari already has eaten breakfast, had a bath and is playing in her jumparoo. I'm a little behind on myself but who cares?

Hanging on tight!

I'm going to try to post while the little diva is napping. We had a total meltdown yesterday evening but I was ready for it. I refused to let her sleep from 3pm to the middle of the night again, so at 5:30pm I woke her up. Oh the agony!!! She screamed through her cereal, she cried through her squash, she wimpered through her bottle (notice--she still ate, nothing stops her appetite) and then finally she turned on the charm. We played for a couple hours and them back to bed by 8pm. Did it work? Yes and no. She slept less but the hours were better. We were up at 1, 3, and then 5:30 for good. But in the meantime, I was able to finish unpacking, do some more laundry, straighten the house. I even got to eat a real dinner (okay, I warmed one of my frozen casseroles but still!) and watch TV. So I fell asleep in the middle of Project Runway but I finished watching it at 3am.

Here are some pix from the trip and homecoming. I have a lot more still in the camera from the last two days which I will try to upload later (including some really cute pix from our meltdown last night--I know, I'm so mean!). I promise that trip info is forthcoming but first I need to catch up on some emails (and of course that depends on the princess who I now here stirring...short nap!).

Gotcha!!!!

I love the closeups! My first set of rings--never leave home without them.

Coming home from the airport. "Didn't mind the carseat since Uncle Chad left Cousin Madi's mirror in the car for me. I don't know who that girl is I'm staring at but she's pretty cute. And everytime I talk, she talks too!"

The first meeting of the cousins. Ebony & Ivory!