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Lyra,
While you are asleep for your morning nap, I wanted to let you know how your first Christmas went in case you don't remember later on.
On Christmas Eve Day, your Grandma and Grandpa came down to visit. They brought your Aunt Jenny and Uncle Adam, and you got to meet your cousin Isabelle for the first time.You were just finishing your rice cereal after waking up and everyone came in like a storm. You were a bit overwhelmed at first and didn't think too much of Isabelle, although she gave you big smiles.
You and Isabelle opened your presents. You got a lot of cute outfits and some new toys. Then it was time for you and your cousin to take a nap.
After waking up we went to get lunch and headed over to your great-grandma and great-grandpa's house. You met them and your uncle Todd for the first time. I could tell you liked Great-Grandma's house. You seemed very content there and you also liked to watch Uncle Todd. You got a stuffed blue bear and an embroidered bib. You had a quick bite of cereal for dinner before we drove home.
You had a long day and took some extra time calming down for the night. Momma gave you a bottle and rocked you. You were very sleepy, but still thinking about all the fun things that happened during the day. You finally fell asleep snuggled up against me in the rocking chair. I watched you for a few minutes. You were still thinking of happy times in your sleep because you were still smiling. Then, in your happy slumber, you gave me my Christmas gift early. With a big smile on your face, you said in the sweetest voice, "Momma."We woke up on Christmas morning to a White Christmas. We got you up and made some pancakes (you had cereal, but was very interested in our breakfast). Then you opened your three presents from Mom and Dad. You got two rubber duckies for tubber-time, a blue elephant for your car seat, and a book that plays songs as you read.
You had a nice lazy day with Dad while Mom baked the Christmas cookies. Mom also cooked her "good spaghetti" for dinner and we watched Harry Potter 6.
Then you went to bed Christmas night and gave us another great Christmas gift... You slept through the night for the first time!!!
We woke you up, fed you, and jumped in the car to drive to Columbia where you met your Aunt Kris, Uncle Bill, Cousin Zoe, Uncle Scott, Aunt Sally, Grandma Scott, and Kirk for the first time. You really liked your cousin Zoe and spent much of the day with her entertaining you. You got a lot of gifts... toys, dolls, sleepers, outfits, blankets...
Then we packed up and drove home in the snow with happy Christmas memories as you slept.
We are so glad you are home to enjoy the holidays with us. You are the greatest gift we could have asked for.
Love,
Mom & Dad
We never got around to sending Lyra a baby photo book while she was at the orphanage (gee, we only had seven months...). Most people do this so that their baby can see pictures of their parents and maybe get used to seeing their faces before they meet their parents.
I thought she needed a photo book anyway and bought one the other day. I was taking it out of the package and realized that we could easily have bought this photo book to send over to Ethiopia for her. She could very easily have still been over there. Very strange thought. So glad she is home for me to give it to her in person.
I decided to put pictures of her and her nannies and one picture of her best friend from her room at the orphanage. Oh, and a picture of me and Ben on the back. I'm hoping she can keep it in her crib and maybe even look at it when she wakes up in the morning.
The whole time I'm making it I'm wondering if she'll do the baby thing and take one glance at it and move on to something more interesting (like the dirt on the floor).
So I get two pictures in it when she starts fussing. I go ahead and hand it to her and the look on her face was priceless (and, no, I didn't think to video it). She recognized her nanny and best friend immediately. Jaw dropped, eyes huge, holding her breath... then big big smile while she carefully took hold of her book followed by a squeal of happiness.
My sweet baby.
When we were referred a 10 day old baby back in May, we never thought we would be bringing home a 7-month old baby.
I assumed we would be bringing home a 4 or 5 month old. I assumed she would developmentally and emotionally be similar to an infant or newborn. I assumed that she would need to be held, she would need her diaper changed right away and not when a nanny could get to it. I assumed she would be a baby. She would sleep, poop, drink, and sleep some more.
I imagined myself holding and rocking her a lot, putting her to bed next to me in her co-sleeper, tending to her cries for a bottle or for a new diaper. Gaining her trust and love by doing all of these things for her.
Even when we knew she would be 7 months when we would get her, we knew that babies who are in orphanages are not where they should be developmentally or emotionally. We thought she would be more like a 5 month old.
Boy were we surprised! She is definitely a 7 month old. She is an older baby. I thought that by the time she was an older baby we would have already gained her trust and gotten her into a schedule. No idea we would be starting out with an older baby.
I had no idea she would be old enough to need entertaining during every minute of her waking hours. Or that she would not be able to entertain herself with some toys or in her jumper for a few minutes. Or that she would not just need to be held or rocked or cuddled. Or that she would be too big for a co-sleeper or how much room a 7 month old takes up in a king size bed. Or that her cries wouldn't just be for a bottle or a diaper change, or that her cries would become a game. No idea she would have this much trouble sleeping, or would need a bottle in her mouth to fall asleep, instead of me rocking her. No idea she wouldn't be on any type of schedule at the orphanage or that some of the things her nannies were doing for her are not the best for her. No idea we would be changing her formula on day 1 or would need to change her food on day 2. No idea we would need to be transitioning her away from sleeping with a bottle in her mouth or that she would wake up every hour needing that bottle.
Even so, adopting an older baby has been good in some ways. She has personality and a lot of it. She is the happiest baby I've ever seen. She is incredibly smart. She loves music and making noise. She sings and rocks to the beat of any music. She loves being held above our heads or turned upside down.
She is adjusting to her new home and her parents faster than I thought she would. Her attachment and bonding are doing great. She is making eye contact and is starting to get weary of strangers.
She is still testing us everyday, though, and that's fine. She is just making sure we are there and will meet her needs every time. She is also very smart and sometimes cries just to see how fast we'll pick her up, so we need to be careful that we are not fulfilling this need and not her attachment needs.
All in all, we've all had to adjust a lot. The house is a mess and it's killing me. I clean all the time and it's still a mess. Ben and I are completely sleep deprived, but hope to be getting more sleep in the near future. Sleeping while baby sleeps sounded like a good idea, until I realized I can either nap while baby is down for her nap, or I can get her bottles cleaned and ready to go, sweep the floor, get the laundry going again (or we'll run out of sleepers), and make more baby food. All of which is impossible to do while baby is awake. Guess which ones I normally pick.
Things will calm down soon. They already have gotten much better. Just thought I'd share my own experiences and misconceptions about adopting the older baby.
So, apparently there was some concern among those who know our dog, Zora, for how she would adjust to a baby in the house. Ok, maybe I was a bit concerned too.
Zora is an amazing dog, but she is rather rambunctious. We often refer to her as the puppy even though she is three and a half years old. She's a boxer, and therefore, still a huge puppy.
We've been telling her for a while now that she's going to be a Zora mommy soon, and she'll not be a puppy anymore.
Well, from the minute she arrived home after the baby, she has been a great Zora mommy. A complete turn around.
Zora is very careful around the baby, even though she is known to be a huge clumsy oaf. She is mindful of corrections we give her when she gets too close or tries to lick Lyra's face.
If you read anything about boxers, it will say that they are great with kids. They see all kids as part of their pack and are very protective of children. Even so, we made sure she was in a calm state of mind anytime she was around baby toys or in the baby's room. Not sure if it's the genes or the preparations she experienced before the baby came... But, she has been wonderful with Lyra.
And best of all, Lyra loves her puppy too!
And just in case you were wondering, even though Zora has been great, we never leave her unattended with the baby.
