I uploaded some pictures from the past 2 weeks to flickr.
Grammy babysat Karla this morning for 2 or so hours. I didn't cry when I left and Karla was completely fine while I was gone...didn't even ask for me!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Karla and Mommy complete a project
...so I have to blog about it even though I should be folding laundry or cleaning...or sleeping.
I have been wanting to buy some kind of storage for toys for our family room since we got home. I have saved gift cards and looked at lots of options. I finally figured out what I wanted and bought it last week. Once I got the heavy box in my shopping cart, in the trunk, up the stairs, into the family room - I realized it was damaged. So today I was feeling energetic and took it back and got a new one. I don't usually put things together because I don't have much patience with things like that or lots of experience with tools. Today I was determined to do it - with a 2 year old and all! I will not say how long this afternoon we worked on this project because it would be embarrassing. The box claimed "assemble in minutes" but that was not our case!! It is a miracle the thing wasn't damaged by me or Karla during the construction. I actually had to take part of it apart twice because of using the wrong part at the wrong time. But I finally figured it out and I feel proud. Hopefully Karla does too. She was actually good at cheering for me or saying "oh no" when appropriate. She also was good at holding the little dowel rods and putting them in the tiny holes when needed (this kept her occupied for some time because she likes to finish a job and be precise too)!
Here is a picture of the toy section of our family room BEFORE. It is a little embarrassing.
This is a picture DURING construction. Karla loved climbing in and out of the cubes. At one point I was bent over trying to hold two pieces together, put in a screw and she was holding my head for balance. I had to stop and sit down because I was laughing so hard. I think Karla thought I was nuts. I'm glad no one was around to witness the event.
Here is a picture AFTER construction.
I think the room looks better. I did end up taking some toys up to her bedroom but at least things feel a little more organized now...and there is a little more floor space.
*Karla did a great job kicking today at her swimming lessons! Getting a little better every week.
*Her new favorite word is "mine". Ugh...
*We got our final document notarized today so now we just wait for a court date.
*We received ALL of the original paperwork from Karla's adoption/visa/citizenship from the Dept of Homeland Security today! We were expecting to wait months. It was a nice surprise. I need to look at it some more because there is quite a bit of paper but I learned what time of day Karla was born - 10:01pm. We also got a small color picture of Karla's birthmother and birth-grandmother, specifics on where they live(d) and confirmation that they did not have economic means to support a baby. It made me feel sad too for the young birthmother and when I saw that she and her mother gave up all rights early in the year 2007. Doesn't seem right that we had to wait until the end of 2008 to finish this...but I can't dwell on that.
That is it for now. Tomorrow will be another adventure I'm sure.
I have been wanting to buy some kind of storage for toys for our family room since we got home. I have saved gift cards and looked at lots of options. I finally figured out what I wanted and bought it last week. Once I got the heavy box in my shopping cart, in the trunk, up the stairs, into the family room - I realized it was damaged. So today I was feeling energetic and took it back and got a new one. I don't usually put things together because I don't have much patience with things like that or lots of experience with tools. Today I was determined to do it - with a 2 year old and all! I will not say how long this afternoon we worked on this project because it would be embarrassing. The box claimed "assemble in minutes" but that was not our case!! It is a miracle the thing wasn't damaged by me or Karla during the construction. I actually had to take part of it apart twice because of using the wrong part at the wrong time. But I finally figured it out and I feel proud. Hopefully Karla does too. She was actually good at cheering for me or saying "oh no" when appropriate. She also was good at holding the little dowel rods and putting them in the tiny holes when needed (this kept her occupied for some time because she likes to finish a job and be precise too)!
Here is a picture of the toy section of our family room BEFORE. It is a little embarrassing.
This is a picture DURING construction. Karla loved climbing in and out of the cubes. At one point I was bent over trying to hold two pieces together, put in a screw and she was holding my head for balance. I had to stop and sit down because I was laughing so hard. I think Karla thought I was nuts. I'm glad no one was around to witness the event.
Here is a picture AFTER construction.
I think the room looks better. I did end up taking some toys up to her bedroom but at least things feel a little more organized now...and there is a little more floor space.
*Karla did a great job kicking today at her swimming lessons! Getting a little better every week.
*Her new favorite word is "mine". Ugh...
*We got our final document notarized today so now we just wait for a court date.
*We received ALL of the original paperwork from Karla's adoption/visa/citizenship from the Dept of Homeland Security today! We were expecting to wait months. It was a nice surprise. I need to look at it some more because there is quite a bit of paper but I learned what time of day Karla was born - 10:01pm. We also got a small color picture of Karla's birthmother and birth-grandmother, specifics on where they live(d) and confirmation that they did not have economic means to support a baby. It made me feel sad too for the young birthmother and when I saw that she and her mother gave up all rights early in the year 2007. Doesn't seem right that we had to wait until the end of 2008 to finish this...but I can't dwell on that.
That is it for now. Tomorrow will be another adventure I'm sure.
Last Week
*I got to talk to our friend Diana in Guatemala on Skype. It was the first time I have talked to her since we've been back - except for an email or two. I have missed her!
*We had our playgroup again last Tuesday. Karla is getting to know the kids better.
*Our sleep "strategy" failed miserably. We tried. Now we've changed the game plan again. We will try to get her back to sleep in her crib after waking up once. If she wakes up more than once - she gets put in bed with us. I didn't like this idea at first but it seems to be working because none of us are as tired when it happens AND Karla sleeps in a lot longer! I think when we transition her to a bed we will have to make a BIG, HUGE deal of her sleeping in a bed by herself. We'll have to wait a bit longer because I am not sure she would understand that yet....and because I am just not ready to get rid of the crib. We've discussed it and it is probably selfish but I'm not ready to be done with it just yet. I need a baby just a little bit longer.
*Last Thursday I went to bible study again and Karla stayed in the toddler room again for the entire two hours without any problem!
*Our pastor came to our house last Thursday night to meet with us before the baptism yesterday. Karla liked playing with him and giving him shots with her medical kit. She also enjoyed him reading from the "Book of Church Order" to her. He tried getting out a Dora book but there was no distracting her from the book he had brought. She gave him hugs and kisses when he left which was really cute.
*We were waiting to hear from our attorney about when our hearing would be at the court house to finally have this adoption TOTALLY complete. I guess there was a little misunderstanding. We were waiting for her to get back to us and she was waiting for us to get something notarized and give to her before submitting everything for the hearing. So...we probably won't have our hearing until March but that is okay. Karla is here so it doesn't really matter. Jason is very anxious to get it done though (so we won't have to think about it at all anymore). We're going to the notary this evening after he gets home from work.
*Last week I left Karla home with Daddy twice. I cried both times when I left - and of course Karla was totally fine! I'm glad she was fine...now I just need to work on being fine when I leave. :) Tomorrow is Grammy's first official baby-sitting morning. I just have a check-up at a doctor's office in town here. So I will be close by BUT I am sure KARLA will be fine...I should be...
*Saturday morning we had our first official family photo taken!!! I am so excited to get the pictures back because we got a few good ones! Feb 3 we get to go pick them up. We went to JCPenney - which I had heard mixed reviews about but it was a good price - and I was pleasantly surprised. It went well and the photos turned out nice. It was our first trip to the mall together...and the first time in months for me. I haven't been brave enough to take Karla to the mall by myself. I had fun...not sure about the other two. I had gift cards that were burning holes in my pocket. So Karla got a new outfit and more accessories. She is very in to necklaces, hair things, etc. right now. Here is a picture of last week. She actually doesn't have as many barrettes and necklaces on as she had had a few times.
*We had a spontaneous dinner with Rich, Carey, Lola, and Tyler last week. We had fun watching the girls dance together and I enjoyed getting to talk to Carey while the girls and dads played.
*Karla talked to Austin on the phone last week which was pretty darn cute!
*Yesterday's baptism went very well. Karla liked getting the water put on her head (that didn't surprise us!) After the water was put on her head she asked our pastor to put some on "mommy". That was pretty funny. Then when we were listening to the vows and responding to them...Karla ran away. She didn't get too far so that was good. We went to Walnut Grove restaurant after church with family and then came back to our house for cake and ice cream.
*We had our playgroup again last Tuesday. Karla is getting to know the kids better.
*Our sleep "strategy" failed miserably. We tried. Now we've changed the game plan again. We will try to get her back to sleep in her crib after waking up once. If she wakes up more than once - she gets put in bed with us. I didn't like this idea at first but it seems to be working because none of us are as tired when it happens AND Karla sleeps in a lot longer! I think when we transition her to a bed we will have to make a BIG, HUGE deal of her sleeping in a bed by herself. We'll have to wait a bit longer because I am not sure she would understand that yet....and because I am just not ready to get rid of the crib. We've discussed it and it is probably selfish but I'm not ready to be done with it just yet. I need a baby just a little bit longer.
*Last Thursday I went to bible study again and Karla stayed in the toddler room again for the entire two hours without any problem!
*Our pastor came to our house last Thursday night to meet with us before the baptism yesterday. Karla liked playing with him and giving him shots with her medical kit. She also enjoyed him reading from the "Book of Church Order" to her. He tried getting out a Dora book but there was no distracting her from the book he had brought. She gave him hugs and kisses when he left which was really cute.
*We were waiting to hear from our attorney about when our hearing would be at the court house to finally have this adoption TOTALLY complete. I guess there was a little misunderstanding. We were waiting for her to get back to us and she was waiting for us to get something notarized and give to her before submitting everything for the hearing. So...we probably won't have our hearing until March but that is okay. Karla is here so it doesn't really matter. Jason is very anxious to get it done though (so we won't have to think about it at all anymore). We're going to the notary this evening after he gets home from work.
*Last week I left Karla home with Daddy twice. I cried both times when I left - and of course Karla was totally fine! I'm glad she was fine...now I just need to work on being fine when I leave. :) Tomorrow is Grammy's first official baby-sitting morning. I just have a check-up at a doctor's office in town here. So I will be close by BUT I am sure KARLA will be fine...I should be...
*Saturday morning we had our first official family photo taken!!! I am so excited to get the pictures back because we got a few good ones! Feb 3 we get to go pick them up. We went to JCPenney - which I had heard mixed reviews about but it was a good price - and I was pleasantly surprised. It went well and the photos turned out nice. It was our first trip to the mall together...and the first time in months for me. I haven't been brave enough to take Karla to the mall by myself. I had fun...not sure about the other two. I had gift cards that were burning holes in my pocket. So Karla got a new outfit and more accessories. She is very in to necklaces, hair things, etc. right now. Here is a picture of last week. She actually doesn't have as many barrettes and necklaces on as she had had a few times.
*We had a spontaneous dinner with Rich, Carey, Lola, and Tyler last week. We had fun watching the girls dance together and I enjoyed getting to talk to Carey while the girls and dads played.
*Karla talked to Austin on the phone last week which was pretty darn cute!
*Yesterday's baptism went very well. Karla liked getting the water put on her head (that didn't surprise us!) After the water was put on her head she asked our pastor to put some on "mommy". That was pretty funny. Then when we were listening to the vows and responding to them...Karla ran away. She didn't get too far so that was good. We went to Walnut Grove restaurant after church with family and then came back to our house for cake and ice cream.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Special Day
Well, most days are special around here - but today our little girl (okay, my sweet baby) was baptized!!!
Lots of family and friends celebrated the day with us. Jason and I are exhausted but happy. We have had a busy week. I hope I have time to blog about it tomorrow! I'm going to have to bug other people for pictures taken at the church because I didn't get any when we were up front. :) Karla looked beautiful in her white dress (of course)!
Many prayers of thanks were said today! Thank you Lord for Karla and may she grow up to know and love you!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Williams College
Our dear friend Sara is a professor at Williams College and she has bought Karla and I some nice t-shirts to remind us of her. (I think you should have gotten one for Oso too, though) :) We wore our shirts together today!
Karla is ready to take notes (in economics, most likely) with a notebook her Daddy gave her just the other day. Amazing how flipping through little sheets of paper can be so much fun!
On an unrelated note - no, Jason and I NEVER fight over time with Karla. :)
Karla is ready to take notes (in economics, most likely) with a notebook her Daddy gave her just the other day. Amazing how flipping through little sheets of paper can be so much fun!
On an unrelated note - no, Jason and I NEVER fight over time with Karla. :)
Monday, January 19, 2009
Not Monday!!
I think that is how Karla felt this morning. I usually pick out what she wears but today she was quite adamant about what she wanted to wear - clothes that didn't match at all. Here is a picture of her with a pastel sweater, gray/red/black pants, purple socks, followed by pink shoes, and then a t-shirt on her head as a "hat". We were able to get out of the house to the Y without the "hat" and luckily she had a coat on until we got in the Y and put on her bathing suit.
The first night of our new "sleep" plan happened last night. Karla was not too happy with me last night OR this morning. She wanted Daddy before she wanted Mommy today. She woke up once in the night for over an hour. Nap time today was also harder. We're going to give it 3 nights and see if there is any improvement. If not....re-evaluate. Basically we are trying to put her in her crib while she is "drowsy but not asleep" so that she will be able to put herself to sleep without us rocking her. The doctor seemed to think this would allow her to put herself back to sleep in the middle of the night without having to wake us up multiple times.
Mommy is feeling pretty stressed out right now and I am sure it is mainly due to lack of quality sleep.
Karla had another swimming lesson this morning that went well. She was more interested in watching the other kids today than focusing on what she was supposed to be doing. She did try kicking on her own today though.
In the afternoon Heather came over for a playdate. The girls had lots of fun and I had to get a picture of them in Karla's favorite spot - at the bottom of the stairs enjoying clementines.
Jason and Heather's dad work together so the 6 of us had dinner together at one of my favorite restaurants! It was really the first time Karla has been out to eat in the U.S. other than a trip to McDonald's and a family event where we had a whole room to roam around in. She did a great job in her highchair. I have to say I really enjoyed getting to go out to eat again! :)
Saturday, January 17, 2009
The doctor is in!
I got Karla a medical kit this week (so hopefully, maybe future doctor visits won't be so traumatic). She loves it! She played with it most of the day yesterday.
She also surprisingly spent some time in a laundry hamper. I kept asking her if she wanted out and she would say no. She had her doctor kit and Oso - didn't need anything else.
Karla had quite the hairdo when she finally got out of the hamper.
We only had those 3 nights of solid sleep. The problem almost seems to be getting worse. Last night, starting at 11:30 she was getting up every hour until I finally put her in bed with us. And then she was up before 7. Jason and I are going to have to discuss some type of plan because this can't continue - which I'm not looking forward to because it will probably involve more tears (for Karla) and more difficulty before things get better. I'm tired.
And of course now she is looking so cute and dancing around to her own happy beat that I have no choice but to go play with her! Just wish I had more energy!
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