BIG day

*We got a letter from our attorney. Our adoption hearing is March 12 at the courthouse! After that Karla's name will officially be spelled with a K, her middle name will officially be changed, she'll have a PA birth certificate, AND everything with her adoption will be COMPLETELY done!! So, anyone interested in coming to the courthouse is welcome. Seriously. We're allowed to invite family and friends and bring cameras! Just let me know...

*The other BIG news is that we took down Karla's crib tonight. She has a twin bed mattress on the floor in her room now. We were kind of desperate for a sleep solution. She seemed interested so we decided to make the change. We'll have to shop for a new bed and rail this weekend (the twin mattress is from a daybed in the guest room). A few weeks ago when Jason brought this up I wasn't ready. That crib sat up there for so long I wanted to get more than 3 months of use out of it - and I didn't want to think I didn't have a little baby - but that has been clear in many ways. :) I was pretty much okay with it today. If it will help us all sleep it'll be good. I was sad taking the crib apart. We were going to leave it together and put it in the guest room (for my sake) but it wouldn't fit through the doorways. I think I "acted" happy and excited for Karla though. I will be completely happy if it helps her sleep better!

*Yesterday Karla went to the doctor. She has been having some strange, vague symptoms - nothing serious but enough for me to know something is going on inside her little body. We went to our new pediatrician and had a great experience. When the doctor wanted to look in Karla's ears, she turned an ear to the doctor. She was such a BIG girl and I was so proud! Maybe the play medical kit has helped. Karla didn't cry at all, not even when she had a strep throat test. The test was negative and the doctor said that she didn't know what was going on but admitted something wasn't quite right. I am to call her tomorrow to tell her how the past two nights have been. The most concerning thing is night sweats and waking up very upset many more times than usual and saying "ouch" at times and not being able to tell us where the "ouch" is. It may very well just be a virus. I was so glad I wasn't brushed off as being an over-worried first time mom (even if I am at times). :) Please pray that whatever is "wrong" goes away soon and that we can all start getting more sleep.

Anybody seen Dora the Explorer bed/sheet sets anywhere??? After Karla did a good job at the doctor the two of us went to JoAnn Fabrics and I bought some Dora fabric to make a pillowcase. I was going to make it for her first night in the "big" bed...but that didn't happen. I plan on doing it but wondered if anyone has seen sheets anywhere in a store. I did see some online.

Good-bye crib!!

Hello "big" bed!!


Don't be fooled - Karla is not this happy in her bed when it is actually time to sleep! Don't let the cute smile fool you!!

Valentines, Singing, and Krazy Glue

Today we worked on some Valentine's cards. We added stickers. Somehow all 3 of us - me, Oso, and Karla - were covered in stickers by the end of our time at the table. Karla even wanted to take the stickers off of the Valentine's so we could put more on us - but I drew the line. :)


Karla was doing so well sitting at the table I decided to take the opportunity to peel some potatoes for dinner. We were listening to music and at times I used the potato peeler as a microphone. Then Karla needed a microphone...then Oso... We all had a fun time singing. Somehow the potatoes got peeled too!


This morning I left for a few hours and Grammy babysat. Neither Karla nor I shed any tears! I think both Karla and Grammy had a great time having the house to themselves!

Our only challenge (and it is a big one) is bedtime and sleeping for more than 3-4 hours at a time!

Oh, and just so you know, Instant Krazy Glue does bond instantly to the skin. I was just trying to fix something with it and held it a little too tight for a little too long. I had to spend a good 10 minutes soaking my finger in warm soapy water and trying to detach the object from my finger. It hurts to type this - it isn't stopping me though as you can see. I couldn't decide if I would rather have something stuck to my skin or be upstairs putting Karla to bed like Jason was. It is a tough call.

Girls size 14 clothes or accessories

Our friends are going back to Guatemala in March to visit. They are willing to take a little bag of things down for us to Karla's foster mother and foster sister. If anyone has any decent (used) girls clothing or accessories please let me know. I know they would be greatly appreciated. I plan on sending lots of pictures to the foster mother and some handmade crafts made by Karla.

Three months at home already!

*We have been home for 3 months now!! I can't believe it. It still feels like we are adjusting a lot. I just can't believe how fast this time at home has gone!!

*Karla had her first trip to the dentist last Wednesday. She had chipped a front tooth just the week before I got to Guatemala and I was never clear on how that happened. She's never acted like it hurt her but we wanted to have it checked out. It is fine although there is no way to tell if the permanent tooth was affected...until the baby tooth falls out. The dentist visit was stressful for both Karla and I. It didn't help that we had to wait an hour before we were seen. The doctor said Karla is "late" in getting her teeth because she still has top and bottom back molars to get and her incisors (i think) are still coming in. She said this could cause her pain in the near future. I asked what it meant to have teeth come in late and the dentist said it just meant that Karla wouldn't be the first kid in kindergarten to lose a tooth. Karla is supposed to go back to have her teeth cleaned in November when she turns 3. I've told Jason he is taking her! :)

*Karla understands "timeout" now and we have to use it occasionally. It has been effective so far.

*The first few days of last week we started yet a new sleeping plan. Her sleeping with us in the wee morning hours isn't ideal. We decided that we had to let her cry. We decided we would go in every 5 minutes (that is all the time we could wait) to tell her to go to sleep and we loved her. The first night there was a total of 13 minutes crying and one wake up in the middle of the night (same approach used then). Second night there were 6 minutes of crying and one middle of the night wake up. Third night - zero minutes of crying and slept all night!! Then sickness hit...... As soon as she gets better, we're going back to this plan.

*Karla all of a sudden started labeling at least 4 shapes. She sees them everywhere - places I'd never even notice. I've noticed more things at Giant Eagle and Target than I ever have before!

*She is playing independently much more frequently now. This makes my life easier. She barely did this at all when she first got home. She always wanted me right next to her.

*She has started telling me again when she goes to the bathroom. She did that when I was in Guatemala and then stopped when we got home. It seems like she usually tells me right after she has done her business. She sits on her little potty probably at least once a day - nothing has been done there though yet and I am not actively working on it yet either. Today she told me when Oso went poo-poo and proceeded to get out a diaper, changing pad, and wipes and laid him down. Turns out he wasn't really the one that went...

*Last week Karla and Jason watched parts of the movie Madagascar in the evening. Now all she wants on TV is "move it, move it". When she says it it sounds like "moo moo". This is the first movie she has shown interest in....and sat still for more than a minute.

*I just hope we can all get some sleep and get healthy. Jason was sick at the beginning of last week and is still congested. I was sick Saturday and feel much better but am still congested. Sorry boring post, I know.

*Since Karla likes, I mean loves, snowmen, Karla and I made a snowman cake last week. I had bought a snowman cake pan years ago and never used it. Here are some pictures:
I'm not sure if I like this on my fingers.

I'm supposed to be frosting the cake??

Don't laugh!!! I think he looks cute.

Mmmm, mmm, mmmm.

Still here

I have been struggling a bit. Karla hasn't been feeling well therefore sleep has been even worse than before - and that makes everything harder and everyone more cranky. I'm thinking about taking her to the doctor tomorrow to see if she has an ear infection. We thought she just had a cold but it is not getting better....at least not as fast as we'd like.

I uploaded some new pictures!

Karla Today

Little Cutie on a sled.


Little Cutie on the go!

ONE YEAR AGO

I met and held Karla for the very first time. She was already almost 15 months old and I had been wanting to meet and hold her for so long! We had a wonderful visit with her in Guatemala.

Karla had fun being silly with her Daddy.

We had our first family photo taken.

She was such a sweet baby girl.

Today, she still is! She is almost 27 months old and we love her more than ever. This transition home has been much harder than I ever expected but we are all working through it together!

Today Karla is giving hugs and kisses to us all the time. She is comfortable in OUR home and is enjoying her very first winter with lots of snow and her first cup of hot chocolate.



She has been welcomed by all of her family! Today I am going to be very thankful...no matter how the Steelers play. :)

We are family!!

Jason uploaded some pictures from their snow adventures today on flickr. I'm going to upload some new baptism pictures I received this week right now.