Week 2: Recap

Again, this more for me than you but here it is...

Day 8 - First day all alone with the new fam. She's eating a bit better, which is good. Her appetite was down for the travel day and the following day at home. We even went on a family outing to Chik-Fil-A for a school fundraiser. She did great! Rode in the back with her siblings without even rocking in her seat. She ate very well - lots of chicken noodle soup. Her notable new skill for the day was a tantrum. Her version of a tantrum is to throw herself down on her butt -hard- and scream and kick and throw herself backward. She threw it because I didn't walk her around when she wanted me to because I was trying to play with her and Baby Girl at the same time. So perhaps I should be glad that she shows a will. Sleep was more of the same and we are utterly exhausted. Something's gotta give, so we are dragging her bed into our room to put her to sleep in it.

Day 9 - First day of trying to put her in her own bed in our room. For the record, co-sleeping in a queen sized bed with a 3-year-old is a dumb idea destined for failure. Just saying is all. At any rate, could NOT get her to take a nap in it, no way no how. Tried for a solid hour and half and got nowhere. As a result, she was exhausted and fell asleep quickly... at 6:30. Putting a kid to bed at 6:30 scares me because I know what's coming at 3 am. Today, in the new developments department, she stood independently for a couple of seconds.

Day 10 - Sleeping in her own bed is awesome, but waking up at 3:30 is not. After an hour I got her back to sleep until around 7. Today we all took a walk to the park. She liked the swing, but was oddly unenthusiastic about it. Walked around on the uneven grass with only one hand for support. Threw a small fit when I made her sit on the ground with me, but calmed when I sat her in my lap facing me and then explored sand with me for a few minutes. Tonight she threw another set of tantrums because Daddy and I weren't walking her around like she wanted. After a few tantrums and some cuddling we had another breakthrough - cruising. She was holding the table and making her way around it alone. Lots of one-handed walking tonight, too. I make her do it by hiding the other hand behind my back! Fell asleep fast at 7:30 in her bed. Oh, and today I said to her "Diaper, Geri. Time to change your diaper." and she walked to the edge of the changing pad we keep on the floor in her room, sat down and laid back to be changed. Smart girl!!

Day 11 - More developments in terms of her balance, gait and ability to entertain herself. Nick did the math - we got about ten minutes of time, total, where she was playing with something instead of walking all around. Most of this was little bits and pieces when one of us sat down on the floor and just refused to walk. After the tantrum, there would be a moment of calm where she might find a toy and amuse herself with it. Brief, but nice. Feels like progress. However, I must admit that the whole thing is draining and we were feeling more than a little stressed tonight. A lot of the trouble is that we have both fallen ill! It was a good night for some Bible study, so we each went off into the Word to find the reassurance we needed. He found it in Matthew, I found it in Psalms. At any rate, it put our hearts back on the right track.

Day 12 - Wow, a day of awesome new developments and the reminder that God is the ultimate Healer!!! Our daughter spoke her first English word - "Up". She said it multiple times and always in the same context - turning to us with her arms outstretched to be picked up. It was amazing! She also stood independently a few more times today. As soon as she realizes she is doing it, she gets scared and drops to her butt and cries. Poor thing has been conditioned for nearly four years to think she can't do anything. By the time we're done with her, she'll be trying to conquer the world!!! But the true gem of the day was a solid 10 minutes of quiet play on the floor with her siblings. How sweet it was to be curled up on the floor with all three kids while they played. Not together so mach as in tandem, but still. It counts. And then, in the afternoon, she spent another 10 minutes or so scooting around her bedroom exploring and playing. So we DOUBLED the amount of quiet playtime today from yesterday!! Oh, and tonight she saw sister and brother take their baths and decided it looked like fun. She cried when I tried to undress her, but she happily sat on the edge of the tub and splashed and kicked in her blue jeans. It's messy, but I'll take it. Baby steps count, no matter how much water they splash around the bathroom. And it was A LOT!!

Day 13 - I can't seem to remember much, but I figure that means it was a good day. We mostly hung around the house. I decided to try to put her down at nap time, since I'm the one who's going to be doing it when Nick goes to work again, and it didn't work out very well. Naptime is the toughie... she doesn't really want it. Bedtime is easier, she's out in about 40 minutes max. Naptime we can easily spend 1 1/2 hours trying before I give up. Sigh. It's worth the effort because eventually she'll learn to expect it and then it might start to work. She needs the sleep, that's for sure.

Day 14 - Sunday... we went to church! It was great! Otherwise, a good day with lots of quiet together play. I'll have to post on that separately to explain....

All in all, we're doing really well. Mommy and Daddy have gotten more sleep and that has a lot to do with out positive outlook. :) As our dear friends Brett and Shanny say "It all comes down to a nap - you or them!"