It is with great glee that I report that Joy has slept TWO entire nights in her own bed in her own bedroom!!
WHOOHOO!!
Didn't happen with a lot of fanfare. Didn't make a big deal out of it. One morning when she was fighting me particularly hard about getting dressed and ready for school, I said, that's the last night you get to spend in my bedroom. If you're going to have a fit about something we do everyday, I'm not going to give you the privilege of sleeping in my room. Tomorrow night we start back in your room. I'll start in your room with you, then move to the playroom. I'll sleep in the playroom for a week. Then I'll move downstairs.
Tears. Apologies. Drama.
Then a very quiet, okay Mama.
And no tears come bedtime. It helped that she was really really tired!! :)
What was also funny was that the first night, she turns over to look at me (I'm on the floor) and says, "Mama, I'm scared." Of what sweetie? "Of the bad people Zach watches." Of what? "Zach's tv! He MADE me watch it! And now I'm scared!" Oh, well, that's just pretend. Boys sometimes like to watch things that scare them. You don't need to worry about that. It's not for real.
I had to not laugh out loud! I mean, she's only been his little sister for 10 months and she was ENJOYING trying to get him in trouble! She really wanted me to be mad at him for "making" her watch. It was so funny!
So tonight will be night 3. She is going to bed early tonight, as she's been fussy all day. So wish us luck!
And my apologies to her Kindergarten teacher!! I think I've sent her a tired, cranky girl for the last 3 days! We even got our card turned today! Ooops! But it's good that I'm not the only bad cop in the room! :)
I promise that I will get some pictures and a video up of Halloween on tonight! I also have to catch up from the last 2 months! It just flies by!
Here's to sweet dreams that last all night long!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
It's the littlest things sometimes!
Standing the kitchen, after coming home late from Choir rehearsal, Joy is eating a little cereal and I'm getting the dogs their pills. She all of a sudden has a serious face and says, "I'm really sorry mama." I say, about what? "No, Mama," very emphatically, "I'm REALLY sorry and I won't do it again!!"
I can't imagine what's she's done since getting out of the car to warrant such a serious, heartfelt apology, so I ask again, what are you sorry about?
"I gave Katrina a popsicle." You did? When was that?
"I'm really sorry! I was only 5 then, and I was outside sneaking away from you" (I think she means, hiding) "and I was playing with Katrina, and and and.....I was afraid of timeout.....and and and....I'm really sorry!"
The words are just pouring out of her, faster than she can really control, so some of this story is a mystery, but the gist was that she was outside with Katrina and either she gave it to the dog or Katrina took it, but the popsicle ended up in Katrina's stomach, not Joy's. And because she didn't want to get in trouble, she didn't tell me.
So, after stifling a laugh, I told her how proud I was of her for telling me and she wouldn't get in trouble for that. She didn't believe me at first and told me again it was when she was "really little, you know, 5 years old". Uh-huh. It's because you told me that you won't get in trouble. It's okay. Katrina is okay too.
We talked about feeding Katrina people food, with a reminder about grapes (which are very poisonous to dogs), and everything was fine.
In fact, things were so fine that she told me how much she loved me, over and over again! "100 times I love you, Mama! Do you love me that much?" Yes, sweetheart, a hundred, a million, a billion, a trillion times. I hundred billion trillion times! More than you can count! "Why, Mama? Why do you love me so much!?"
Because you're you, my sweetheart!
Makes it all worthwhile, doesn't it?
I can't imagine what's she's done since getting out of the car to warrant such a serious, heartfelt apology, so I ask again, what are you sorry about?
"I gave Katrina a popsicle." You did? When was that?
"I'm really sorry! I was only 5 then, and I was outside sneaking away from you" (I think she means, hiding) "and I was playing with Katrina, and and and.....I was afraid of timeout.....and and and....I'm really sorry!"
The words are just pouring out of her, faster than she can really control, so some of this story is a mystery, but the gist was that she was outside with Katrina and either she gave it to the dog or Katrina took it, but the popsicle ended up in Katrina's stomach, not Joy's. And because she didn't want to get in trouble, she didn't tell me.
So, after stifling a laugh, I told her how proud I was of her for telling me and she wouldn't get in trouble for that. She didn't believe me at first and told me again it was when she was "really little, you know, 5 years old". Uh-huh. It's because you told me that you won't get in trouble. It's okay. Katrina is okay too.
We talked about feeding Katrina people food, with a reminder about grapes (which are very poisonous to dogs), and everything was fine.
In fact, things were so fine that she told me how much she loved me, over and over again! "100 times I love you, Mama! Do you love me that much?" Yes, sweetheart, a hundred, a million, a billion, a trillion times. I hundred billion trillion times! More than you can count! "Why, Mama? Why do you love me so much!?"
Because you're you, my sweetheart!
Makes it all worthwhile, doesn't it?
A Totally Different Child
I just wanted to post that after our trauma with brushing teeth, we had a nearly perfect child for several days! Joy was so funny - the first thing out of her mouth the next morning was, "I'm sorry, Mama!" And then it was, "no tv????" lol!!
Even after a day at school, she said, out of the blue, "I'm really sorry. I was a bad girl, wasn't I?" I guess it's beginning to sink in that she doesn't get her way when she throws a tantrum, it only makes things worse.
And I wanted to let you know that we survived without tv for 3 days too! Just in case you were worried!
Funny Phrases
I wanted to share a few funnies that Joy has said recently. Her understanding of English and the subtleties of words strung together has grown so much recently! I know school has a lot to do with this, but her natural curiosity is at play here too.
She's in the living room, pretending to fight an imaginary enemy with her "stick" and tells me that she's doing "Kung Food"!!
She still says, "hold stiff" for hold still.
She's been worried about Tim and me dying and going to heaven before her, so last night, after telling her we'd watch over her from heaven someday, she says, "Mama, when you go to heaven, can I have a boyfriend?" Oh, it was hard not laugh at that one!
"Why did you lie to me?" (Her favorite phrase right now....) What do you mean, sweetie? "You said I could have 2 candies!" Oh, I said you could have one, TOO. "Why do you make up words?" My explanation of the three to/too/two's didn't hold her attention, but I was proud of her noticing there was a difference.
And one last one for now - Nasty! I wish I hadn't said that, ever! It is now used for ANY response, appropriate or not, complete with various inflections ranging from horror to delight. I know it's a phase, but I'm ready for this one to be over with! ;)
Pictures in the next post!
Margaret
Even after a day at school, she said, out of the blue, "I'm really sorry. I was a bad girl, wasn't I?" I guess it's beginning to sink in that she doesn't get her way when she throws a tantrum, it only makes things worse.
And I wanted to let you know that we survived without tv for 3 days too! Just in case you were worried!
Funny Phrases
I wanted to share a few funnies that Joy has said recently. Her understanding of English and the subtleties of words strung together has grown so much recently! I know school has a lot to do with this, but her natural curiosity is at play here too.
She's in the living room, pretending to fight an imaginary enemy with her "stick" and tells me that she's doing "Kung Food"!!
She still says, "hold stiff" for hold still.
She's been worried about Tim and me dying and going to heaven before her, so last night, after telling her we'd watch over her from heaven someday, she says, "Mama, when you go to heaven, can I have a boyfriend?" Oh, it was hard not laugh at that one!
"Why did you lie to me?" (Her favorite phrase right now....) What do you mean, sweetie? "You said I could have 2 candies!" Oh, I said you could have one, TOO. "Why do you make up words?" My explanation of the three to/too/two's didn't hold her attention, but I was proud of her noticing there was a difference.
And one last one for now - Nasty! I wish I hadn't said that, ever! It is now used for ANY response, appropriate or not, complete with various inflections ranging from horror to delight. I know it's a phase, but I'm ready for this one to be over with! ;)
Pictures in the next post!
Margaret
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Brush Your Teeth, Please!
Who knew that brushing teeth could cause so much angst!? Seriously, we do it every morning and every evening - - - and EVERY morning and EVERY evening, it gets the same response: tears and tantrums.
Why?
She doesn't have any teeth issues and knows how to brush her teeth very well. When I do go upstairs with her, I just stand there and watch. But I'm trying to get her to do it by herself so that the morning and evening runs more smoothly. In the mornings, I carry her up the stairs (from our bedroom where she's still sleeping on the futon), but deposit her in front of the bathroom with instructions to brush her teeth. I have to let the dogs out and will be back to help her dress after that. Tears ensue.
I'm still trying to figure it out, but my guess is that Joy wants to tell me what to do, and this is the last ditch effort each day to accomplish that. She certainly wakes up with that in mind as well!
At least tonight, it felt like a control issue. I guess I need to find new ways of dealing with it. As she is stomping her feet on the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs and crying "mama" like she's being poked with needles, I'm standing at the bottom of the stairs, about 4 feet away from her going, "what are you doing?". I act like I can't believe she's going to be such a little girl. That doesn't work.
I tell her I'm going to ignore her until she stops. That only makes it worse. So, reluctantly, I start counting and taking away things she likes to do. That makes her explode into fits of hitting herself, hitting the wall and trying to hit me. That's enough, I decide, so I scoop her up and hold her, telling her I'll let her go when she stops screaming.
Thirty minutes later, she's still fighting me but calmer. After a bath, some soothing lotion, and a little bit of talking, I think we're fine. Then it starts up again over something silly. I told her new rules - when she is sassy and talks back, she'll have to do jumping jacks. She immediately tries that out and sure enough, she's doing jumping jacks in the bedroom.
It's really funny, in a way because she's screaming and tears are running down her face, and she's trying to do jumping jacks while I count them. If her arms don't go up, I don't count it and she screams louder but does another one perfectly!
We do that about 5 times, and I know she's dead tired, but she won't stop pushing the limits. Eventually, just about 2 hours from when we started, she's in the futon, almost stopped crying, with Tim trying to sleep in the bed.
One of the new rules is bedtime is going to be an hour earlier from now on. And no tv after dinner. I don't know if she got overstimulated and couldn't calm herself or if she was so tired she couldn't stop herself, but in either case, we've got to try to avoid the things that set us up for this kind of bedtime.
I'm writing this, not to show you how bad Joy can be, but because several people have told me recently how much hearing about the reality of life has helped them. Adoption is not for the weak or faint-hearted - you have to be able to stick it out when your child is out of control. And they will be. They need you to be strong and BE there, no matter what!
My thought on what's going on with Joy right now is that she's adjusting really well and very quickly. And every time she gets closer to us, relaxes a little more into our lives together and even realizes that she loves us very much, it terrifies her. It means she can't go back to the life she had before. Ever.
She's old enough to remember both life in her foster family and life at the orphanage. While she almost never talks about life in the orphanage, I know she was aware and watching, and wary, all the time she was there. She got in trouble a lot. She got in trouble for crying, for throwing fits, for doing what she's doing now. They were not always so gentle with her. She keeps expecting us to treat her the way they did. We don't. Part of her is suspicious of us because we don't spank her, I think. She even told me once that her caregiver at the orphanage spanked her ("hard", she said) and "she loved me". Yes, she did, and so do we. And we love you so much, we won't do that.
I'm sure that's confusing to her.
I also think that she was pretty much given her way in her foster family. Joy was so mad the first time she really realized that there were rules here and she had to obey them!! She still is mad, I think, and still testing to see if we mean it.
It is tiring though, to be tested every night! Especially over something as silly as brushing your teeth ---
There are many more moments though, now, when Joy isn't testing us. She is enjoying life with us! And those are precious moments, when we get to see what a lovely, giving and loving child she is in there.
Now, if we could only find that child at night, when it's time to brush her teeth....
Why?
She doesn't have any teeth issues and knows how to brush her teeth very well. When I do go upstairs with her, I just stand there and watch. But I'm trying to get her to do it by herself so that the morning and evening runs more smoothly. In the mornings, I carry her up the stairs (from our bedroom where she's still sleeping on the futon), but deposit her in front of the bathroom with instructions to brush her teeth. I have to let the dogs out and will be back to help her dress after that. Tears ensue.
I'm still trying to figure it out, but my guess is that Joy wants to tell me what to do, and this is the last ditch effort each day to accomplish that. She certainly wakes up with that in mind as well!
At least tonight, it felt like a control issue. I guess I need to find new ways of dealing with it. As she is stomping her feet on the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs and crying "mama" like she's being poked with needles, I'm standing at the bottom of the stairs, about 4 feet away from her going, "what are you doing?". I act like I can't believe she's going to be such a little girl. That doesn't work.
I tell her I'm going to ignore her until she stops. That only makes it worse. So, reluctantly, I start counting and taking away things she likes to do. That makes her explode into fits of hitting herself, hitting the wall and trying to hit me. That's enough, I decide, so I scoop her up and hold her, telling her I'll let her go when she stops screaming.
Thirty minutes later, she's still fighting me but calmer. After a bath, some soothing lotion, and a little bit of talking, I think we're fine. Then it starts up again over something silly. I told her new rules - when she is sassy and talks back, she'll have to do jumping jacks. She immediately tries that out and sure enough, she's doing jumping jacks in the bedroom.
It's really funny, in a way because she's screaming and tears are running down her face, and she's trying to do jumping jacks while I count them. If her arms don't go up, I don't count it and she screams louder but does another one perfectly!
We do that about 5 times, and I know she's dead tired, but she won't stop pushing the limits. Eventually, just about 2 hours from when we started, she's in the futon, almost stopped crying, with Tim trying to sleep in the bed.
One of the new rules is bedtime is going to be an hour earlier from now on. And no tv after dinner. I don't know if she got overstimulated and couldn't calm herself or if she was so tired she couldn't stop herself, but in either case, we've got to try to avoid the things that set us up for this kind of bedtime.
I'm writing this, not to show you how bad Joy can be, but because several people have told me recently how much hearing about the reality of life has helped them. Adoption is not for the weak or faint-hearted - you have to be able to stick it out when your child is out of control. And they will be. They need you to be strong and BE there, no matter what!
My thought on what's going on with Joy right now is that she's adjusting really well and very quickly. And every time she gets closer to us, relaxes a little more into our lives together and even realizes that she loves us very much, it terrifies her. It means she can't go back to the life she had before. Ever.
She's old enough to remember both life in her foster family and life at the orphanage. While she almost never talks about life in the orphanage, I know she was aware and watching, and wary, all the time she was there. She got in trouble a lot. She got in trouble for crying, for throwing fits, for doing what she's doing now. They were not always so gentle with her. She keeps expecting us to treat her the way they did. We don't. Part of her is suspicious of us because we don't spank her, I think. She even told me once that her caregiver at the orphanage spanked her ("hard", she said) and "she loved me". Yes, she did, and so do we. And we love you so much, we won't do that.
I'm sure that's confusing to her.
I also think that she was pretty much given her way in her foster family. Joy was so mad the first time she really realized that there were rules here and she had to obey them!! She still is mad, I think, and still testing to see if we mean it.
It is tiring though, to be tested every night! Especially over something as silly as brushing your teeth ---
There are many more moments though, now, when Joy isn't testing us. She is enjoying life with us! And those are precious moments, when we get to see what a lovely, giving and loving child she is in there.
Now, if we could only find that child at night, when it's time to brush her teeth....
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
The Honeymoon is Over
I know it happens for every adoptive family - that moment when you realize that your child isn't so sure she wanted you for a parent. You can prepare for it, but until it hits you over the head, there's really no way to steal your heart for those words: "I don't like you! I don't want to be here! I want to go HOME!"
It feels like that Honeymoon period of being excited by all these new things - language, food, people, routines, clothes, weather, dogs, and rules - has worn off. Joy is the most angry when she discovers (as she does daily) there are RULES here as well! I don't know what they told her in the orphanage, but she clearly thought there wouldn't be any strictures on her wants here! lol!
We are blessed that Joy is incredibly verbal. She has learned not just the language, but the nuances and the phrases that English is full of very well. She understands there are words that sound alike but mean different things. She knows there are words that are reserved for adults, words that she shouldn't use, and words that mean different things to different people. I'm constantly amazed at what she's learned!
With that proficiency has come an excellerated rebellion against us, I think.
We are having a push-pull relationship right now. She needs me. She wants me to be close (next her at all times sometimes). But at the same time, she resents that she needs me. And she can say it out loud! I know not to take it personally. And I know to be patient and loving, and I am. But it breaks my heart that she's in this place at all!
She has SO much she's dealing with! Here are just some of the things we've talked about:
- No, you did not hurt your mother when you were born. You may have been "cut" out of her tummy, but it didn't hurt her. They have medicine to take that pain away. And no, that's not why she couldn't take care of you forever.
- Your birth mother is too sick to take care of you and she loved you SO much that she wanted you to have a mother and daddy who could take care of you and love you ALL of the time, forever.
- Nothing you can do will make us stop loving you. Nothing you say or do will stop us loving you. (She says - "but I don't want you to love me!") And we will love you even when you don't love yourself and don't want anyone else to love you!
- She says, "You don't have to love me, you know!" We want to love you! We get to love you! There's nothing in the world we want more than to love you!
- Last night she said, as she's pushing me away for the upteenth time, "But I don't need you!" And then cries if I try to leave...So I said to her - Do you know what you need? You need kisses (many kisses applied)! You need hugs (big tight hug)! You need me to love you (I love you whispered in her ear). And you need to love me (she says I love you back). And I need those things too! (She does the same back to me - while I'm trying not to cry!)
So, this little girl, who didn't ask to be adopted, who didn't get to pick her Forever Family, is dealing with her loss of friends and the familiar at the same time she is embracing this new life, these new people and this new language. No wonder she's acting out! ;)
It feels like that Honeymoon period of being excited by all these new things - language, food, people, routines, clothes, weather, dogs, and rules - has worn off. Joy is the most angry when she discovers (as she does daily) there are RULES here as well! I don't know what they told her in the orphanage, but she clearly thought there wouldn't be any strictures on her wants here! lol!
We are blessed that Joy is incredibly verbal. She has learned not just the language, but the nuances and the phrases that English is full of very well. She understands there are words that sound alike but mean different things. She knows there are words that are reserved for adults, words that she shouldn't use, and words that mean different things to different people. I'm constantly amazed at what she's learned!
With that proficiency has come an excellerated rebellion against us, I think.
We are having a push-pull relationship right now. She needs me. She wants me to be close (next her at all times sometimes). But at the same time, she resents that she needs me. And she can say it out loud! I know not to take it personally. And I know to be patient and loving, and I am. But it breaks my heart that she's in this place at all!
She has SO much she's dealing with! Here are just some of the things we've talked about:
- No, you did not hurt your mother when you were born. You may have been "cut" out of her tummy, but it didn't hurt her. They have medicine to take that pain away. And no, that's not why she couldn't take care of you forever.
- Your birth mother is too sick to take care of you and she loved you SO much that she wanted you to have a mother and daddy who could take care of you and love you ALL of the time, forever.
- Nothing you can do will make us stop loving you. Nothing you say or do will stop us loving you. (She says - "but I don't want you to love me!") And we will love you even when you don't love yourself and don't want anyone else to love you!
- She says, "You don't have to love me, you know!" We want to love you! We get to love you! There's nothing in the world we want more than to love you!
- Last night she said, as she's pushing me away for the upteenth time, "But I don't need you!" And then cries if I try to leave...So I said to her - Do you know what you need? You need kisses (many kisses applied)! You need hugs (big tight hug)! You need me to love you (I love you whispered in her ear). And you need to love me (she says I love you back). And I need those things too! (She does the same back to me - while I'm trying not to cry!)
So, this little girl, who didn't ask to be adopted, who didn't get to pick her Forever Family, is dealing with her loss of friends and the familiar at the same time she is embracing this new life, these new people and this new language. No wonder she's acting out! ;)
Catching Up
We've had a busy, fun Summer! Lots of free time to do whatever, whenever! My favorite days were the ones where we had no schedule at all and just created our day, moment by moment!
Joy has grown so much this summer as well! Not just the 2 inches in height, but in her strength and coordination, as well as in her ability to communicate and interact with everything around her. Everyone marvels at her language skills when they meet her for the first time! It's hard to believe she's been here only 8 months!
Along with the increased vocabulary as come the expected frustration at not being able to express EXACTLY what she is feeling. At first, when she had only gestures and a few words, she really didn't get that frustrated. She knew somehow, I guess, that her abilities were limited and so she just went with the flow pretty well. Now, it's a different story!
Partly, it's her increasing need to exert her own will. She gets most upset when she doesn't get what she wants. And add to that her thinking that she's not able to express what she wants well, and we get complete meltdowns!
Starting Kindergarten really brought a lot of this to a head, I believe. As Tim points out, she remembers her friends at the YMCA in Taipei and misses them. She misses knowing the routine and what's expected of her. And while this great adventure as been fun and all, the fear of not measuring up has been pretty present with her.
For example, after the first day at school, she refused to sleep in her bed in her bedroom. She'd been doing that successfully for a couple of months. But worrying about school made her so worked up, she couldn't sleep by herself. She insisted that I sleep with her, which means, go to sleep with her. The first few nights were terribly hard - trying to get her to stop playing, or fighting me, just to lay down and be quiet. She finally said to me that she had "bad dreams" about her teacher being mad at her.
So, we went and talked to her teacher! She handled it beautifully, saying all the things she should have and reassuring Joy that all was fine at school.
Guess what? Joy spent the next 3 days acting out in school! :)
SO, we had another conference with her teacher, explaining that getting in trouble at school is just like getting in trouble with me or Daddy. And we expected her to behave! And just in case that wasn't enough incentive, we reminded her that good things happen for girls who are good. And sure enough, she got to go to the pool with Daddy the first day she had a good day at school!
We are slowly making progress with the sleeping - more on that in the next post though.
For now, here are some pictures from the summer - just random things I like!
Yes, those are Joy's feet in the air above Zach's head! She loves it when he throws her up high! ("Higher" is what she says!)
This is an attempt at a family picture before Zach ships out for the Marines. This is the only one that Joy wasn't MOVING in! She gets so excited when Courtney comes over! She loves having a big sister to play with!
This is Joy on the first day of Kindergarten at her seat. She is definitely claiming it as her own! She has some friends from pre-school and summer care who are in her class, including Sarah and Timmy, who sit at her table. I think they get each other in trouble, mostly! lol
Tim and Joy in front of the "Giant Marine" at the airshow this summer.
Joy has grown so much this summer as well! Not just the 2 inches in height, but in her strength and coordination, as well as in her ability to communicate and interact with everything around her. Everyone marvels at her language skills when they meet her for the first time! It's hard to believe she's been here only 8 months!
Along with the increased vocabulary as come the expected frustration at not being able to express EXACTLY what she is feeling. At first, when she had only gestures and a few words, she really didn't get that frustrated. She knew somehow, I guess, that her abilities were limited and so she just went with the flow pretty well. Now, it's a different story!
Partly, it's her increasing need to exert her own will. She gets most upset when she doesn't get what she wants. And add to that her thinking that she's not able to express what she wants well, and we get complete meltdowns!
Starting Kindergarten really brought a lot of this to a head, I believe. As Tim points out, she remembers her friends at the YMCA in Taipei and misses them. She misses knowing the routine and what's expected of her. And while this great adventure as been fun and all, the fear of not measuring up has been pretty present with her.
For example, after the first day at school, she refused to sleep in her bed in her bedroom. She'd been doing that successfully for a couple of months. But worrying about school made her so worked up, she couldn't sleep by herself. She insisted that I sleep with her, which means, go to sleep with her. The first few nights were terribly hard - trying to get her to stop playing, or fighting me, just to lay down and be quiet. She finally said to me that she had "bad dreams" about her teacher being mad at her.
So, we went and talked to her teacher! She handled it beautifully, saying all the things she should have and reassuring Joy that all was fine at school.
Guess what? Joy spent the next 3 days acting out in school! :)
SO, we had another conference with her teacher, explaining that getting in trouble at school is just like getting in trouble with me or Daddy. And we expected her to behave! And just in case that wasn't enough incentive, we reminded her that good things happen for girls who are good. And sure enough, she got to go to the pool with Daddy the first day she had a good day at school!
We are slowly making progress with the sleeping - more on that in the next post though.
For now, here are some pictures from the summer - just random things I like!
Yes, those are Joy's feet in the air above Zach's head! She loves it when he throws her up high! ("Higher" is what she says!)
This is an attempt at a family picture before Zach ships out for the Marines. This is the only one that Joy wasn't MOVING in! She gets so excited when Courtney comes over! She loves having a big sister to play with!
This is Joy on the first day of Kindergarten at her seat. She is definitely claiming it as her own! She has some friends from pre-school and summer care who are in her class, including Sarah and Timmy, who sit at her table. I think they get each other in trouble, mostly! lol
Tim and Joy in front of the "Giant Marine" at the airshow this summer.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
A little late, but Happy 6th Birthday!
I'm behind - I know! Please forgive!
But here it is! Pictures from Joy's 6th Birthday on July 23rd!
We rented Little Gym for 2 hours and the kids got to run and play on the equipment and try their skills (with the watchful eyes of 2 teachers) on the balance beam, the uneven bars and a bunch of other things! It was a great time, and Joy, while not sure why all this fuss was being made about her, was more than glad to soak it up! The only thing she really didn't like much was being wrapped in the parachute (they twist it up around her in the middle, then everyone pulls and she pops out, and up - she liked the ending better than the beginning!).
Thanks to all who came!
With my mother, who turned 81 the day before Joy turned 6.
But here it is! Pictures from Joy's 6th Birthday on July 23rd!
We rented Little Gym for 2 hours and the kids got to run and play on the equipment and try their skills (with the watchful eyes of 2 teachers) on the balance beam, the uneven bars and a bunch of other things! It was a great time, and Joy, while not sure why all this fuss was being made about her, was more than glad to soak it up! The only thing she really didn't like much was being wrapped in the parachute (they twist it up around her in the middle, then everyone pulls and she pops out, and up - she liked the ending better than the beginning!).
Thanks to all who came!
With my mother, who turned 81 the day before Joy turned 6.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Is It Really Almost July? That Means It's Been 6 Months Home!
I can hardly believe how fast the days have flown around here! I know, I've read other families' blogs and heard them say - it goes by so fast - but when you've been waiting for SO long for this, you secretly just don't believe them. Now, I do! It does fly by! I find myself missing the little girl who didn't understand quite so much English and we acted out whatever it was that we needed to say. I miss the girl who was mesmerized by The Wonder Pets, not asking to watch Hannah Montana! And I miss the days of eating chicken wings and raamen noodles for lunch!
But not really! :)
Joy has grown SO much in the last month, it is just incredible. In every way possible! Not only is her hair longer and she's over 2 inches taller, but her comprehension and ability to say what she means has just bloomed! She's really very clear about how she feels, what she wants, and what she wants you to do as well. We've had the most amazing conversations! I'm just in awe of her wit and her intelligence.
One of the most surprising things is her humor. Now that she can say what she means, it turns out that she's funny! She can make puns now in English, and jokes. She loves to catch me using a word that has 2 meanings and then ask me, with a sly smile, why I said it wrong. She knows it's right - she just likes to show me she's smarter than I am! It's so funny sometimes!
She has so much energy! When she hasn't moved enough during her day full of dance, gymnastics and swimming, she will ask to "run with Katrina". That means, take Katrina's throw toy outside to the golf course and race her back to me or Daddy. She's getting faster everyday! Then, all of a sudden, she'll sit down in the grass and announce, "I'm tired now." And then she'll ask me to carry her upstairs to bed. Ha!
We spent some time in Galveston with family from New Orleans and North Carolina. Joy was SO funny - the first day, she acted like she couldn't speak much at all, and generally stood around with her mouth open, listening and watching these strange people. By the time we left, she was talking up a storm! As one of my cousins said, if she wanted to get a word in edgewise with this group, she was going to have to start talking. And she did!
There's so much more - I know I'm leaving out important milestones here, but I want to get this posted. Here are some pictures:
Joy loves musicals and she's seen almost our entire video library, including "West Side Story". She loves the song, "I want to be in America", which she would sing at random moments for a while. When we were in Steamboat, she started saying, "I belong to America." I couldn't resist getting a picture of her with Ben smiling at her. She does indeed belong here!
Watergun Fight with Dad!! It must be summertime!
Showing off her Gymnastics medal with big sister Courtney
Not too sure about the red tutu at her dance recital.
With Daddy and Baby Garrett, my cousin's adorable little boy. Joy heard my cousin call him "Master Garrett" (she's from New Orleans - she can't help it!) and now when she sees a picture of him, she says, "That's Master Garrett!"
"Mama, carry me!"
Saturday, April 24, 2010
You're Never Too Young for Shakespeare!
Last night, we took Joy to see her big brother play the role of Theseus (The Duke) in Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream" at his high school. I wasn't too sure we'd be able to stay for the entire thing. In fact, I was convinced we wouldn't make it past the first 10 minutes, so I had our seats changed so that we could slip out if we needed to. We also went in 2 cars, so that Tim could stay and see the whole play if we left.
Ha! Little did I know that Shakespeare could hold the attention of a 5 year old!
She sat on my lap the whole time (except when she was trying to escape and go sit on the front row). She was mostly enraptured! It was fun to watch!
I didn't tell her much about the story. I only said that it was a play, it would be dark where we were sitting, and there would be lots of talking and no singing. And that she'd have to be very quiet and if I said we were leaving, she couldn't whine. About 5 minutes into the play, she turns to me and whispers in my ear, "They are talking and talking and talking. Too many words."
But then that scene changed, and the lovers appeared. She was watching everything they did. She would turn and ask, "why is she mad" or "why is she sad" and I'd say, just watch. I couldn't really explain in the middle of things.
When Puck appeared and began climbing on the trapeze they had set up for her (the character was played by a girl), Joy was just frozen watching her! And the fairies came out and all the lights changed. And they sang a song - she looked at me and smiled this big smile, like, see? I knew there would be singing even though you told me there wouldn't be!
She made it all the way through the first half and then wanted to go see where all the actors went backstage.
She did a great job through the second half too! When the two girls fought onstage (Hermia and Helena for those of your following the plot), Joy hid her face in my shoulder. But that was the part she talked about (and talked about, and talked about) all the way home! She wanted to know why they were fighting. I tried to explain they were mad & they were jealous, and that's why we don't hit people when we're mad, which is something she likes to do.
I don't think the play helped my cause though! What she seemed to see was that it was exciting and the audience reacted to it.
The other thing Joy talked about all the way home was why did Zach marry a different girl from Heather, his girlfriend??
She was really quite upset about that!
Well, Heather was playing Titania, the Fairy Queen and Zach was Theseus, so they didn't even have any scenes together. When Zach came out in the last scene with the girl playing the Duchess dressed in white, Joy was upset that it wasn't Heather. I tried to explain that it was all pretend! I thought it was funny that Joy wasn't bothered by Heather as Titania sitting with Bottom (with his Donkey head) - she thought that was just funny!
So, even though we had a tired little girl this morning, she had a great time and really enjoyed getting to see her big brother on the stage. She also got to play on the set after the play, thanks to Mr. Von. She even got to sit on the trapeze!
Oh one more cute thing - when she was on the set, she picked up the fake flower that Puck and Oberon had used to put the love potion on the eyes of the lovers and Titania. She was quite disappointed that it wasn't real. When I said that on stage, we use pretend things, she asked if it was pretend magic too. I said, yes it was. So she said, pretty sure of herself, that there was a flower somewhere with the right magic in it, and they should use that flower the next time!
here's a picture that doesn't really show how nice the set looked
I also wanted to post a few pictures of Joy in her new raincoat. It's been raining here the last few days and she's gotten to wear it, and her rain boots. This picture also shows that she's not afraid of Scarpia, who is barking! We're getting ready to go for a walk, and he's ready to go!
One More picture - think she's comfortable with Katrina too?
Katrina is asleep on Joy's stomach, while Joy watches cartoons upside down, her favorite position!
Ha! Little did I know that Shakespeare could hold the attention of a 5 year old!
She sat on my lap the whole time (except when she was trying to escape and go sit on the front row). She was mostly enraptured! It was fun to watch!
I didn't tell her much about the story. I only said that it was a play, it would be dark where we were sitting, and there would be lots of talking and no singing. And that she'd have to be very quiet and if I said we were leaving, she couldn't whine. About 5 minutes into the play, she turns to me and whispers in my ear, "They are talking and talking and talking. Too many words."
But then that scene changed, and the lovers appeared. She was watching everything they did. She would turn and ask, "why is she mad" or "why is she sad" and I'd say, just watch. I couldn't really explain in the middle of things.
When Puck appeared and began climbing on the trapeze they had set up for her (the character was played by a girl), Joy was just frozen watching her! And the fairies came out and all the lights changed. And they sang a song - she looked at me and smiled this big smile, like, see? I knew there would be singing even though you told me there wouldn't be!
She made it all the way through the first half and then wanted to go see where all the actors went backstage.
She did a great job through the second half too! When the two girls fought onstage (Hermia and Helena for those of your following the plot), Joy hid her face in my shoulder. But that was the part she talked about (and talked about, and talked about) all the way home! She wanted to know why they were fighting. I tried to explain they were mad & they were jealous, and that's why we don't hit people when we're mad, which is something she likes to do.
I don't think the play helped my cause though! What she seemed to see was that it was exciting and the audience reacted to it.
The other thing Joy talked about all the way home was why did Zach marry a different girl from Heather, his girlfriend??
She was really quite upset about that!
Well, Heather was playing Titania, the Fairy Queen and Zach was Theseus, so they didn't even have any scenes together. When Zach came out in the last scene with the girl playing the Duchess dressed in white, Joy was upset that it wasn't Heather. I tried to explain that it was all pretend! I thought it was funny that Joy wasn't bothered by Heather as Titania sitting with Bottom (with his Donkey head) - she thought that was just funny!
So, even though we had a tired little girl this morning, she had a great time and really enjoyed getting to see her big brother on the stage. She also got to play on the set after the play, thanks to Mr. Von. She even got to sit on the trapeze!
Oh one more cute thing - when she was on the set, she picked up the fake flower that Puck and Oberon had used to put the love potion on the eyes of the lovers and Titania. She was quite disappointed that it wasn't real. When I said that on stage, we use pretend things, she asked if it was pretend magic too. I said, yes it was. So she said, pretty sure of herself, that there was a flower somewhere with the right magic in it, and they should use that flower the next time!
here's a picture that doesn't really show how nice the set looked
I also wanted to post a few pictures of Joy in her new raincoat. It's been raining here the last few days and she's gotten to wear it, and her rain boots. This picture also shows that she's not afraid of Scarpia, who is barking! We're getting ready to go for a walk, and he's ready to go!
One More picture - think she's comfortable with Katrina too?
Katrina is asleep on Joy's stomach, while Joy watches cartoons upside down, her favorite position!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Lots of Energy!
Here are some pictures of Joy and her new scooter and bike! Thanks to some wonderful friends who had outgrown their bike, Joy has a new way to burn off some energy! Now, if we could only get her to ride it for 12 hours a day! lol
Thursday, April 8, 2010
You've Got To Be Kidding Me!
"Perfectly Normal?!"
Tim texts me back, and I can hear the laughter in his voice, "You should be thankful that she's a perfectly normal 5 year old!"
That's perfectly normal!??
I'm standing in Super Target, trying to maintain my composure. Joy has just announced, very loudly, to the 5th mother in a row, "I want THAT mama! Not YOU!" This mother looks bemused. She has 3 little ones in tow. The last few mothers looked a little horrified though.
I really was trying to laugh and tell Joy I would be very very sorry to see her go. I tried to point out that those mothers all had children already, but she didn't fall for that one. I decided to get really distracted by looking at all the eggs in the egg case. I made her help me test them to see if they were "okay" for a while.
I then decided on a dozen eggs and put them in the cart. I leaned over her (she's in the cart as well) to kiss her. She says very loudly in her best Don't Do That Voice, "Don't touch me right now! We don't do that!" This is a combination of things I've said to her when she tries to touch me in places she shouldn't in public. I don't think I could hide my reaction to that one, so I'm sure I'll hear that again at some inopportune moment!
Learning the Routines
For my friends who have known me a long time, please keep your laughter to a minimum at this next statement - getting up in the morning has never been a strong point of mine. In fact, keeping the same schedule for more than a few days has usually been a challenge for me. I can keep a teaching schedule, but that's usually been the most my psyche can handle.
So it will come as no surprise that my new little girl needs a more rigorous SCHEDULE! I don't mean the easy things like read a book or two before bed. Or first you brush your teeth, then wash your face, then put on cream, then put on your pajamas. I mean getting up at the same time every morning & going to bed at the same time every night. I know it isn't rocket science, but it sure is hard!
The reason I think she needs more routine than we've had is that we're having little temper tantrums getting up and going to bed. It would be funny....but it isn't when we're running late or when we're all tired.
So, the Marine and the Opera Singer are trying to get up at the same time every morning and go to bed every night. Wish us luck!
Our Third Day of Routine
Well, the first two days were good! But Thursday night, we stayed up too late watching "Enchanted". Joy was loving sitting in her Daddy's lap eating popcorn and even though she and I have seen it a dozen times, Tim hadn't. It is a cute movie, if you haven't seen it. So, you can imagine what Friday morning was like!
I let her sleep an extra 20 minutes or so, since we didn't have school that morning. We worked in the garden in the morning, which means she drew on the sidewalk with her new chalk and ran around while I worked. The dogs were tied to the tree so they were mostly happy to be out and with us.
After we came inside, she plopped down on the couch while I got lunch ready. Before I could even get a simple lunch together, she was asleep. I woke her up, but really probably shouldn't have. I can't believe I used SpongeBob Square Pants as a bribe to get her to eat something! She ate a little bit, played with the dogs outside in the backyard, and then promptly crashed. I checked her and she had a little fever, so I let her sleep. I guess that's one way to get a nap! She's fine now, I think.
So, while trying to establish routines, I'm trying to be flexible! However, I don't need to watch much more SpongeBob....
Speaking Our Own Language
Several people have asked how Joy's language skills are coming. We are just astounded by it, is my answer! We were making a list last month of all the words she knows and stopped at over 250. Now, these are words that she knows what they mean. She can't always find them in her head to say when she needs them, but she's getting better with that. She is learning a few words in past and present tense, although the understanding of yesterday and tomorrow is a little fuzzy.
It's fascinating how she'll work on a word. Once she's got the meaning, she'll go sit next to Scarpia and repeat it a thousand times. Sometimes the way she's using it makes sense, and sometimes not. But we hear the word all day long!
Joy seems to have lost almost all of her Mandarin. But she doesn't know it. She is now telling me what everything in the house is called in Chinese. It's really funny! "Dji-jah" means stool, she'll tell me. Then I'll say it and I'm doing something wrong, and it makes her laugh and laugh! The next day, the word for stool is something different. It's hard to keep up!
I asked her the other day if she was dreaming in English and she said yes. Maybe that's why she's sleeping better these days?
Potty Words are Funny in Every Language
Did you know that "pee-pee" is a funny word? Or "bum-bum"? Or "boo-boo"?
Or any variety of made-up words that might be left-over Chinese or some variation of English words, but if they mean something vaguely naughty, they are funny!
I'm sure that Joy got to laugh at bathroom words when she was 3. And now, happy girl, she gets to laugh about them all over again, this time in English.
Oh, it makes going to public bathrooms so much fun! Since she's tall for her age, she almost looks like she's 6 years old. No one has asked me in public about it, yet, but if we don't get over laughing and saying as loudly as she thinks she can get away with any word that she knows she shouldn't say, I bet someone will!
Toes
I know kids can be cruel, but toes? Honestly!
I have had a hard time getting Joy to take her socks off at the Little Gym. All the other children go barefoot, but not Joy. At first, she would literally scream if I even suggested she take them off. (She's better now - she'll just say, very loudly, no thank you.)
So, I have been a little anxious about summertime and sandals. She had seen the fingernail polish in my makeup drawer and she's been enamored of any woman with painted nails. I thought - aha! Here's a bribe I can use! I've been telling her that when it's summertime and we wear sandals, we can paint her toenails. A smile a mile wide was my reward.
But those cute sandals in the closet didn't even get tried on without socks. So, I was worried about the first day of Sandal-wearing.
As we're putting them on in her room, talking about how hot it was going to be that day and how much fun it would be to wear sandals (and I promise to wear sandals too), I finally hear why she doesn't want to go without socks.
Some kid told her that her toes are too long!
Really!?
She has long toes, like her long fingers. Her second toe is longer than her big toe, and that clearly was what bothered her.
So I got to stifle a few laughs, then tell her about my childhood.
You see, I'm scarred because my mother, who has long toes, used to use them to pinch me! Really! (Where is social services when you need them?) ha!
I'm sure you've never noticed, but my toes are NOT long. In fact, you might say they were "short" and rather "stubby". But they work, so I don't complain!
I showed Joy my little toes and she just giggled and giggled (and giggled and giggled....)! And now, she'll walk up to me if I'm barefoot in the house, hand me my slippers and point to my toes and say, "Your toes are too small!"
Then she'll point to her own toes and exclaim, "My toes are pretty!"
Mission accomplished!
Here are some recent pictures.
Tim texts me back, and I can hear the laughter in his voice, "You should be thankful that she's a perfectly normal 5 year old!"
That's perfectly normal!??
I'm standing in Super Target, trying to maintain my composure. Joy has just announced, very loudly, to the 5th mother in a row, "I want THAT mama! Not YOU!" This mother looks bemused. She has 3 little ones in tow. The last few mothers looked a little horrified though.
I really was trying to laugh and tell Joy I would be very very sorry to see her go. I tried to point out that those mothers all had children already, but she didn't fall for that one. I decided to get really distracted by looking at all the eggs in the egg case. I made her help me test them to see if they were "okay" for a while.
I then decided on a dozen eggs and put them in the cart. I leaned over her (she's in the cart as well) to kiss her. She says very loudly in her best Don't Do That Voice, "Don't touch me right now! We don't do that!" This is a combination of things I've said to her when she tries to touch me in places she shouldn't in public. I don't think I could hide my reaction to that one, so I'm sure I'll hear that again at some inopportune moment!
Learning the Routines
For my friends who have known me a long time, please keep your laughter to a minimum at this next statement - getting up in the morning has never been a strong point of mine. In fact, keeping the same schedule for more than a few days has usually been a challenge for me. I can keep a teaching schedule, but that's usually been the most my psyche can handle.
So it will come as no surprise that my new little girl needs a more rigorous SCHEDULE! I don't mean the easy things like read a book or two before bed. Or first you brush your teeth, then wash your face, then put on cream, then put on your pajamas. I mean getting up at the same time every morning & going to bed at the same time every night. I know it isn't rocket science, but it sure is hard!
The reason I think she needs more routine than we've had is that we're having little temper tantrums getting up and going to bed. It would be funny....but it isn't when we're running late or when we're all tired.
So, the Marine and the Opera Singer are trying to get up at the same time every morning and go to bed every night. Wish us luck!
Our Third Day of Routine
Well, the first two days were good! But Thursday night, we stayed up too late watching "Enchanted". Joy was loving sitting in her Daddy's lap eating popcorn and even though she and I have seen it a dozen times, Tim hadn't. It is a cute movie, if you haven't seen it. So, you can imagine what Friday morning was like!
I let her sleep an extra 20 minutes or so, since we didn't have school that morning. We worked in the garden in the morning, which means she drew on the sidewalk with her new chalk and ran around while I worked. The dogs were tied to the tree so they were mostly happy to be out and with us.
After we came inside, she plopped down on the couch while I got lunch ready. Before I could even get a simple lunch together, she was asleep. I woke her up, but really probably shouldn't have. I can't believe I used SpongeBob Square Pants as a bribe to get her to eat something! She ate a little bit, played with the dogs outside in the backyard, and then promptly crashed. I checked her and she had a little fever, so I let her sleep. I guess that's one way to get a nap! She's fine now, I think.
So, while trying to establish routines, I'm trying to be flexible! However, I don't need to watch much more SpongeBob....
Speaking Our Own Language
Several people have asked how Joy's language skills are coming. We are just astounded by it, is my answer! We were making a list last month of all the words she knows and stopped at over 250. Now, these are words that she knows what they mean. She can't always find them in her head to say when she needs them, but she's getting better with that. She is learning a few words in past and present tense, although the understanding of yesterday and tomorrow is a little fuzzy.
It's fascinating how she'll work on a word. Once she's got the meaning, she'll go sit next to Scarpia and repeat it a thousand times. Sometimes the way she's using it makes sense, and sometimes not. But we hear the word all day long!
Joy seems to have lost almost all of her Mandarin. But she doesn't know it. She is now telling me what everything in the house is called in Chinese. It's really funny! "Dji-jah" means stool, she'll tell me. Then I'll say it and I'm doing something wrong, and it makes her laugh and laugh! The next day, the word for stool is something different. It's hard to keep up!
I asked her the other day if she was dreaming in English and she said yes. Maybe that's why she's sleeping better these days?
Potty Words are Funny in Every Language
Did you know that "pee-pee" is a funny word? Or "bum-bum"? Or "boo-boo"?
Or any variety of made-up words that might be left-over Chinese or some variation of English words, but if they mean something vaguely naughty, they are funny!
I'm sure that Joy got to laugh at bathroom words when she was 3. And now, happy girl, she gets to laugh about them all over again, this time in English.
Oh, it makes going to public bathrooms so much fun! Since she's tall for her age, she almost looks like she's 6 years old. No one has asked me in public about it, yet, but if we don't get over laughing and saying as loudly as she thinks she can get away with any word that she knows she shouldn't say, I bet someone will!
Toes
I know kids can be cruel, but toes? Honestly!
I have had a hard time getting Joy to take her socks off at the Little Gym. All the other children go barefoot, but not Joy. At first, she would literally scream if I even suggested she take them off. (She's better now - she'll just say, very loudly, no thank you.)
So, I have been a little anxious about summertime and sandals. She had seen the fingernail polish in my makeup drawer and she's been enamored of any woman with painted nails. I thought - aha! Here's a bribe I can use! I've been telling her that when it's summertime and we wear sandals, we can paint her toenails. A smile a mile wide was my reward.
But those cute sandals in the closet didn't even get tried on without socks. So, I was worried about the first day of Sandal-wearing.
As we're putting them on in her room, talking about how hot it was going to be that day and how much fun it would be to wear sandals (and I promise to wear sandals too), I finally hear why she doesn't want to go without socks.
Some kid told her that her toes are too long!
Really!?
She has long toes, like her long fingers. Her second toe is longer than her big toe, and that clearly was what bothered her.
So I got to stifle a few laughs, then tell her about my childhood.
You see, I'm scarred because my mother, who has long toes, used to use them to pinch me! Really! (Where is social services when you need them?) ha!
I'm sure you've never noticed, but my toes are NOT long. In fact, you might say they were "short" and rather "stubby". But they work, so I don't complain!
I showed Joy my little toes and she just giggled and giggled (and giggled and giggled....)! And now, she'll walk up to me if I'm barefoot in the house, hand me my slippers and point to my toes and say, "Your toes are too small!"
Then she'll point to her own toes and exclaim, "My toes are pretty!"
Mission accomplished!
Here are some recent pictures.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Our First Easter
Easter Eggs. Bunny Rabbits. Candy. Dressy Dresses. Church Services.
A busy day indeed!
here are some pictures.
Painting Easter eggs last night. Look at the concentration on the faces of these artistes!
And then the family photos after church!
This one with Zach took 6 pictures before she would smile. Joy has developed a habit of looking vacantly at the camera when you want her to smile. She will also do that when you're trying to communicate something important to her. I love this picture - just wish it hadn't taken a battle!
The Easter Egg Hunt!
I'm not sure how much of this Joy really understood (I'll write about the Good Friday service later), but after being a pill most of the morning (without the benefit of sugar even!), she was perfectly happy to be the center of attention hunting eggs and toys in the front yard. (Yes, we had to put the dogs on leashes and take them outside too - she didn't want them to stay inside.) The Hello Kitty eggs were a hit, but the socks inside were only marginably successful. It was interesting that she was more interested in finding the eggs than in seeing what was inside. When we were through, she immediately wanted us to hide them again and start over with the hunting part. She was also content to eat only one piece of candy when we got inside. A small chocolate lamb was all she wanted. The bigger kids didn't do so well with the "one piece" rule! Oh well, there's always next year, ha!
A busy day indeed!
here are some pictures.
Painting Easter eggs last night. Look at the concentration on the faces of these artistes!
And then the family photos after church!
This one with Zach took 6 pictures before she would smile. Joy has developed a habit of looking vacantly at the camera when you want her to smile. She will also do that when you're trying to communicate something important to her. I love this picture - just wish it hadn't taken a battle!
The Easter Egg Hunt!
I'm not sure how much of this Joy really understood (I'll write about the Good Friday service later), but after being a pill most of the morning (without the benefit of sugar even!), she was perfectly happy to be the center of attention hunting eggs and toys in the front yard. (Yes, we had to put the dogs on leashes and take them outside too - she didn't want them to stay inside.) The Hello Kitty eggs were a hit, but the socks inside were only marginably successful. It was interesting that she was more interested in finding the eggs than in seeing what was inside. When we were through, she immediately wanted us to hide them again and start over with the hunting part. She was also content to eat only one piece of candy when we got inside. A small chocolate lamb was all she wanted. The bigger kids didn't do so well with the "one piece" rule! Oh well, there's always next year, ha!
Friday, March 26, 2010
A Busy Week of Playing
We finally got a haircut! I deliberately waited until it was really in her eyes and bothering her. She had told us in the second Skype visit we had that she wanted long hair and didn't want it cut. I'm sure, looking at pictures, that Chung Yi let her grow her hair as long as they could handle it, knowing she was coming with us the end of December. But in the earlier pictures from when she first went there, it was SO short! Basically a boy cut, so she's been very attached to her longer hair.
From the look on her face in the chair, you'd think she was not having a good time, but she was! Anne was wonderful with her and she really did have fun. Not a tear in sight!
Here she is in her car seat, smiling, right afterwards. I had the window down a bit and the wind was blowing in her face, which she loves. She was a happy girl!
This is her proud smile after making her bed by herself (well, with a little help). We're working on the chores chart and getting Awesome stickers. One of those is making the bed. She still isn't sure about the bed. I know she slept on the floor on a mat with a comforter. She still wants to sleep on the floor in her room and has made a pallet with an extra comforter. She tells me her new bed makes her back hurt. Hmmmm....hard to tell if she's heard someone say that or what? I'm still working on sleeping in the bed though, between the sheets (which is only partially successful). We'll see...
Speaking of sleeping - last night was just one of those nights, I suppose. I guess we were too late to bed to begin with, but she was in our room at 2am. I got her back to sleep about 2:50, went back downstairs, but she was screaming by 3:30. This went on all night. I tried everything I could think of, at that time of night. I stayed in her room, with my hand on her back till she went to sleep, then went to the playroom bed (which is on the same floor). That didn't work. I tried sitting in her chair. That didn't work. When she came to the playroom bed for the 3rd time, I just let her sleep there with me.
Which meant that I didn't sleep! She wiggles. She kicks. She squirms. All in her sleep! And she has a way of finding the center of the bed, no matter what size bed it is! So, after an hour of that, I picked her up and put back in her bed. I think she was just so tired, she stayed there. But it was also about 5am by that point.
This morning I let her sleep till 8:00, not necessarily because I wanted to, but because I couldn't get up any earlier!
I think that's what is so wearing - it's not the getting up in the middle of the night to get her back to bed. It's the staying awake for 30-50 minutes in the middle of the night while she goes back to sleep that does it to me! I'm hoping it gets better soon.
I heard this hysterical laughter coming from across the room. When I got up to look, this is what I found. Joy was in Katrina's crate, with her bowl which had cake in it. She had somehow managed to get Katrina to come in with her. I'm sure the cake played a part in that. Don't you think?
These are photos from yesterday after the snow storm. Joy and Tim made a Snow Woman. It's hard to see the detail in the photo, but she's really quite wonderful. It's a Chinese woman, with hair buns on the sides of her head, sitting on her legs. They had a great time!
From the look on her face in the chair, you'd think she was not having a good time, but she was! Anne was wonderful with her and she really did have fun. Not a tear in sight!
Here she is in her car seat, smiling, right afterwards. I had the window down a bit and the wind was blowing in her face, which she loves. She was a happy girl!
This is her proud smile after making her bed by herself (well, with a little help). We're working on the chores chart and getting Awesome stickers. One of those is making the bed. She still isn't sure about the bed. I know she slept on the floor on a mat with a comforter. She still wants to sleep on the floor in her room and has made a pallet with an extra comforter. She tells me her new bed makes her back hurt. Hmmmm....hard to tell if she's heard someone say that or what? I'm still working on sleeping in the bed though, between the sheets (which is only partially successful). We'll see...
Speaking of sleeping - last night was just one of those nights, I suppose. I guess we were too late to bed to begin with, but she was in our room at 2am. I got her back to sleep about 2:50, went back downstairs, but she was screaming by 3:30. This went on all night. I tried everything I could think of, at that time of night. I stayed in her room, with my hand on her back till she went to sleep, then went to the playroom bed (which is on the same floor). That didn't work. I tried sitting in her chair. That didn't work. When she came to the playroom bed for the 3rd time, I just let her sleep there with me.
Which meant that I didn't sleep! She wiggles. She kicks. She squirms. All in her sleep! And she has a way of finding the center of the bed, no matter what size bed it is! So, after an hour of that, I picked her up and put back in her bed. I think she was just so tired, she stayed there. But it was also about 5am by that point.
This morning I let her sleep till 8:00, not necessarily because I wanted to, but because I couldn't get up any earlier!
I think that's what is so wearing - it's not the getting up in the middle of the night to get her back to bed. It's the staying awake for 30-50 minutes in the middle of the night while she goes back to sleep that does it to me! I'm hoping it gets better soon.
I heard this hysterical laughter coming from across the room. When I got up to look, this is what I found. Joy was in Katrina's crate, with her bowl which had cake in it. She had somehow managed to get Katrina to come in with her. I'm sure the cake played a part in that. Don't you think?
These are photos from yesterday after the snow storm. Joy and Tim made a Snow Woman. It's hard to see the detail in the photo, but she's really quite wonderful. It's a Chinese woman, with hair buns on the sides of her head, sitting on her legs. They had a great time!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Albuquerque Zoo
We spent a few hours at the Albuquerque Zoo while Tim was seeing customers this weekend. It is really nice! I highly recommend it if you have kids (even if you don't)! It is structured so that kids can run from exhibit to exhibit without you worrying about them. Lots of little hills so they get worn out! The exhibits almost all have viewing areas where the kids can stand and see inside so you don't have to pick them up at each one.
We had a great time and here are some pictures!
On another zoo train. What you can't see is that the temp had dropped about 20 degrees between when we bought the tickets and when we got on the train. It was really really cold! Joy was so good - she didn't cry or complain. She sat in my lap for the train ride and enjoyed it as best she could. Of course, the parents on the train were grousing because the train went about 10 miles an hour, even past the stuff that was under construction or just plain nothing there! We were asking, rather loudly, for the train to speed up through those spots. Of course they couldn't go any faster, but it made it seem longer and colder than it needed to be! Joy and I were just saying out loud, "I am not cold! I am not cold!" and making the kids in front of us laugh. They soon joined in our chant and the ride went much faster.
The two polar bears were wonderful! You could really see them up close. They were waiting to be fed and pacing back and forth.
We had a great time and here are some pictures!
On another zoo train. What you can't see is that the temp had dropped about 20 degrees between when we bought the tickets and when we got on the train. It was really really cold! Joy was so good - she didn't cry or complain. She sat in my lap for the train ride and enjoyed it as best she could. Of course, the parents on the train were grousing because the train went about 10 miles an hour, even past the stuff that was under construction or just plain nothing there! We were asking, rather loudly, for the train to speed up through those spots. Of course they couldn't go any faster, but it made it seem longer and colder than it needed to be! Joy and I were just saying out loud, "I am not cold! I am not cold!" and making the kids in front of us laugh. They soon joined in our chant and the ride went much faster.
The two polar bears were wonderful! You could really see them up close. They were waiting to be fed and pacing back and forth.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Ellie the Puffer
All it took was a very special humidifier in the shape of an elephant. Who knew?
Last night, Joy spent the night, or most of the night, in her own bed in her own room! Yippee! And we haven’t been home 3 months yet! I was surprised!
We have been working on it, since day one, really, mostly by saying that she isn’t old enough or big enough to spend the night up there by herself. Last week, she started saying that her bed was really nice. Then it was that could she sleep on it during the day? She had spent a few time-outs up there alone where I know she just went to sleep for awhile. Yesterday, she started saying that maybe she’d like it in her room at night. So I was thinking, we need a humidifier for that room if she’s going up there.
We were at Target last night with Daddy, and she saw this cute elephant humidifier, where the steam comes out of its trunk. (Hmmm, wonder how we happened to be down that aisle?) She just lit up and told us she wanted to sleep in her room “tonight with elephant”. Okay-dokey! She also said that she wanted Daddy to sleep in the bed in the playroom and Mama to sleep downstairs. Hmmm – I’d hate to think that a 5 year old could be that manipulative, but I think she wants to keep us separated…
So that’s what we did – she slept in her bed (with me on the floor beside her till she fell asleep) and then Tim went and slept in the playroom bed. Until about 3am.
Then she appeared in my bedroom with tears. She said she was scared. We cuddled a minute and then went back upstairs and got back into her bed. We also had to check in on Daddy and make sure he was still there (and awake, sorry Tim). She fell right back to sleep, with the turtle night light and the cd back to the beginning. Tim said that she was in his bed about an hour later. He came downstairs shortly thereafter.
Joy has the most amazing way of sleeping – she pushes the pillows off to the side, then gets sideways in the center of the bed (no matter how big or small the bed is), and kicks until she’s asleep. Makes it hard to sleep in the same bed with her!
This morning, she was all bright and cheery and happy to be alive. Her elephant was still puffing, and she wanted to show me first thing. I’m hoping that the novelty won’t wear off until we’re happy sleeping in our room alone!!
I'll try to get a picture tomorrow of the humidifier and maybe her in her bed, if I can get her to sit still long enough.
Last night, Joy spent the night, or most of the night, in her own bed in her own room! Yippee! And we haven’t been home 3 months yet! I was surprised!
We have been working on it, since day one, really, mostly by saying that she isn’t old enough or big enough to spend the night up there by herself. Last week, she started saying that her bed was really nice. Then it was that could she sleep on it during the day? She had spent a few time-outs up there alone where I know she just went to sleep for awhile. Yesterday, she started saying that maybe she’d like it in her room at night. So I was thinking, we need a humidifier for that room if she’s going up there.
We were at Target last night with Daddy, and she saw this cute elephant humidifier, where the steam comes out of its trunk. (Hmmm, wonder how we happened to be down that aisle?) She just lit up and told us she wanted to sleep in her room “tonight with elephant”. Okay-dokey! She also said that she wanted Daddy to sleep in the bed in the playroom and Mama to sleep downstairs. Hmmm – I’d hate to think that a 5 year old could be that manipulative, but I think she wants to keep us separated…
So that’s what we did – she slept in her bed (with me on the floor beside her till she fell asleep) and then Tim went and slept in the playroom bed. Until about 3am.
Then she appeared in my bedroom with tears. She said she was scared. We cuddled a minute and then went back upstairs and got back into her bed. We also had to check in on Daddy and make sure he was still there (and awake, sorry Tim). She fell right back to sleep, with the turtle night light and the cd back to the beginning. Tim said that she was in his bed about an hour later. He came downstairs shortly thereafter.
Joy has the most amazing way of sleeping – she pushes the pillows off to the side, then gets sideways in the center of the bed (no matter how big or small the bed is), and kicks until she’s asleep. Makes it hard to sleep in the same bed with her!
This morning, she was all bright and cheery and happy to be alive. Her elephant was still puffing, and she wanted to show me first thing. I’m hoping that the novelty won’t wear off until we’re happy sleeping in our room alone!!
I'll try to get a picture tomorrow of the humidifier and maybe her in her bed, if I can get her to sit still long enough.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
A Spiritual Birthday Party!
Last Saturday was Joy’s baptism. We had told her that we would have a party for her afterwards, and ended up calling it her “Spiritual Birthday Party” because she was so excited about having a cake! Of course, she wasn’t sure if she was going to share any of her cake with the people who would be there…
It was a lovely service and a great party! There were lots of kids to run around with and the church was empty so they pretty much got to play everywhere. Joy told me later that they played hide and seek and she really liked that! She also got to meet more friends and play with cousins. It was very nice and I’m sure she’ll remember it when she’s older.
I think she’ll remember the service too. She loved that Daddy held her over the baptismal font. And she loved the candle too.
It is very clear to both Tim and me that God has already written on her heart. We are blessed that her foster family had already taken her to church. She knows who Jesus is and wants to say grace at meals, reminding us if we forget. Praying clearly calms her and changes her attitude almost instantly. She loves to sit with us in church. Now, if we could get her to go to Sunday School, that would be great!
All in all, it was just want we wanted - surrounded by family and friends. Thank you to all who came, to all who helped get food ready, and everyone who ate enough so that we didn’t take home leftovers! And a special thank you to Jie-jie for coming all the way from NYC and spending time with her - she loved it!
Here are just a few of the pictures we have. If you have some good ones, please send them our way!
With Big Sister
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