Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Another Visit from Emily, Omar, and Sophia
Don's daughter Emily, her husband Omar, and their daughter Sophia visited us again this weekend. It was great to have them back only a few weeks after Sarah's baptism! Sarah was quite comfortable with them from the start, although she still liked having Don or me in the room on Saturday. By Sunday, she was letting Emily read to her and walking around the yard holding hands with her new buddy Omar. She warms up to people pretty quickly these days.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Such a Sweetheart
Don went fishing up north with a friend for a few days this week, and Sarah missed him. She would sign "Daddy," asking where he was. I'd say he'd gone fishing, and she'd sign "fish" then say "bo" (boat). At bedtime, she'd mime kissing him while we were reading, when he usually comes in to say "goodnight." Last night, she had a minor meltdown during bath time, which is unusual. I think it was because she missed him so.
Don got home this afternoon, and Sarah was all smiles. She reached her arms up to be picked up and gave him a big kiss. Then, she motioned for me to join in a group hug. She took turns kissing him, then me, grinning broadly the whole time. She repeated the whole scene two or three more times. She was obviously thrilled that the three of us were back together, where we belong.
Don got home this afternoon, and Sarah was all smiles. She reached her arms up to be picked up and gave him a big kiss. Then, she motioned for me to join in a group hug. She took turns kissing him, then me, grinning broadly the whole time. She repeated the whole scene two or three more times. She was obviously thrilled that the three of us were back together, where we belong.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
They're not kestrels, but...
...they're still pretty cool. Soon after our broken hearts mended from being jilted by the kestrels, a pair of killdeer nested in the landscaped island on our front lawn. From our picture window, we've watched them take turns incubating the four speckled eggs for a little over a month.
The eggs started to hatch Saturday, just as it began to rain. One little puffball scampered around the mulch pecking at who-knows-what, before squeezing himself back under the parent on the nest for warmth. By Sunday morning, all four eggs had hatched. These are some of the cutest babies you've ever seen. But don't take my word for it, check out this video Don shot from the garage:
The eggs started to hatch Saturday, just as it began to rain. One little puffball scampered around the mulch pecking at who-knows-what, before squeezing himself back under the parent on the nest for warmth. By Sunday morning, all four eggs had hatched. These are some of the cutest babies you've ever seen. But don't take my word for it, check out this video Don shot from the garage:
Monday, June 7, 2010
Final Trip to the IAC
On Friday, we took the long drive to Minneapolis for Sarah's final visit to the University of Minnesota International Adoption Clinic. This isn't one of Sarah's favorite trips, with good reason. She was cheery, though, and so much more relaxed than the previous times.
There were no tears or whimpers during the height and weight measuring, which was a refreshing change. They let her keep her clothes on this time, so she was able to maintain her dignity, which helped a lot. She is now 34 3/4" tall and weighs 29.3 lbs. At 22 months old, that keeps her right on the 90th percentile curve, where she's been for all three visits.
While we waited in the exam room, Sarah drew on the chalkboard. When the doctor, her assistant, and the occupational therapist all walked in, I thought it was a little overwhelming, but Sarah didn't flinch. She proudly showed them her artwork.
The occupational therapist started by bouncing a playground ball to Sarah. Sarah bounced it right back, which the OT pronounced "quite advanced." I was relieved, since it occurred to me the other day that we haven't been playing ball with Sarah much lately. I guess she remembers the games she played with Don in the basement this winter. She didn't seem to get the idea of kicking the ball, so we'll have to work on that.
We then went out in the hallway, and the OT rolled a tennis ball for Sarah to run after. Sarah doesn't really run; she walks fast (like her mom). This is a bit delayed for her age. I asked the OT if she had any concerns about how Sarah walks. She had me take off Sarah's shoes and pants so she could get a better look. She said Sarah pronates a little, and her knees hyperextend some. She suggested getting her some athletic shoes with tapered soles and encouraging her to ride her bike and climb. Guess it's no great loss that she won't wear flip flops.
The next "test" was stacking 1" blocks. Sarah went right to it, building a seven-block tower (the goal was six), then looked for more. She got "extra credit" for doing it on a sloping chair seat.
When it came to the shape puzzle, Sarah seemed disappointed with just a circle, square, and triangle. She's used to doing her puzzle, which has a rectangle, trapezoid, hexagon, octagon, and oval. She looked at the OT as if to say, "Is that all you've got?"
On top of being smart as a whip, Sarah was very outgoing and charming. She was a totally different girl from six months ago. She had the three women in the palm of her hand.
Unfortunately, she couldn't charm her way out of the physical exam. She tolerated being picked up by the assistant and placed on the table, which she never would have done before, and was intrigued by the stethoscope. After a few minutes, though, she became concerned and cried, "Mama!"
If we could have stopped there, it would have been a pretty enjoyable visit for all of us, but we still had to do the blood draw and TB test. The doctor wanted to re-run tests that were done in September, just to be sure Sarah is negative for things like HIV and Hepatitis B and to check her iron levels.
Following a tip from a fellow mom (I love saying that!), I asked the doctor to put numbing cream on Sarah's arms 20-30 minutes before the blood draw to minimize the trauma. She was fascinated by the big dollops of cream, which the nurses covered with clear bandages (I need to post about her lotion fetish one of these days).
It was hard to tell if the cream made any difference. She still screamed and cried during the blood draw, which broke my heart. I got Don to hold her this time, since I felt like a traitor doing it before. I tried to comfort her, but it was impossible. Fortunately, the technician didn't have much trouble finding the vein, so it wasn't as agonizing as last time.
Just as she recovered from the blood draw (she's so cute -- whenever she cries, she signs "tissue" by pretending to wipe her nose; it's so ladylike!), it was on to the TB test. That was almost as bad, since two nurses held her down on the table and pricked her arm. Sarah had to be wondering why her fun visit with the OT had taken such a terrible turn.
We were done with the appointment in a little more than an hour, which was a record. On our long walk through the hospital back to the parking garage, we searched for vending machines to make good on the candy I impulsively promised uring the blood draw. Once we found some M&Ms, Sarah held one in each hand like tiny talismans, instead of eating them. I always knew M&Ms had magical powers.
After the appointment, we visited Grandma and Grandpa, then headed south. Sarah still doesn't like long rides, and she lost patience with about 45 minutes to go. When our house finally came into view, she let out a squeal of delight. Sarah loves her home as much as her parents do.
There were no tears or whimpers during the height and weight measuring, which was a refreshing change. They let her keep her clothes on this time, so she was able to maintain her dignity, which helped a lot. She is now 34 3/4" tall and weighs 29.3 lbs. At 22 months old, that keeps her right on the 90th percentile curve, where she's been for all three visits.
While we waited in the exam room, Sarah drew on the chalkboard. When the doctor, her assistant, and the occupational therapist all walked in, I thought it was a little overwhelming, but Sarah didn't flinch. She proudly showed them her artwork.
The occupational therapist started by bouncing a playground ball to Sarah. Sarah bounced it right back, which the OT pronounced "quite advanced." I was relieved, since it occurred to me the other day that we haven't been playing ball with Sarah much lately. I guess she remembers the games she played with Don in the basement this winter. She didn't seem to get the idea of kicking the ball, so we'll have to work on that.
We then went out in the hallway, and the OT rolled a tennis ball for Sarah to run after. Sarah doesn't really run; she walks fast (like her mom). This is a bit delayed for her age. I asked the OT if she had any concerns about how Sarah walks. She had me take off Sarah's shoes and pants so she could get a better look. She said Sarah pronates a little, and her knees hyperextend some. She suggested getting her some athletic shoes with tapered soles and encouraging her to ride her bike and climb. Guess it's no great loss that she won't wear flip flops.
The next "test" was stacking 1" blocks. Sarah went right to it, building a seven-block tower (the goal was six), then looked for more. She got "extra credit" for doing it on a sloping chair seat.
When it came to the shape puzzle, Sarah seemed disappointed with just a circle, square, and triangle. She's used to doing her puzzle, which has a rectangle, trapezoid, hexagon, octagon, and oval. She looked at the OT as if to say, "Is that all you've got?"
On top of being smart as a whip, Sarah was very outgoing and charming. She was a totally different girl from six months ago. She had the three women in the palm of her hand.
Unfortunately, she couldn't charm her way out of the physical exam. She tolerated being picked up by the assistant and placed on the table, which she never would have done before, and was intrigued by the stethoscope. After a few minutes, though, she became concerned and cried, "Mama!"
If we could have stopped there, it would have been a pretty enjoyable visit for all of us, but we still had to do the blood draw and TB test. The doctor wanted to re-run tests that were done in September, just to be sure Sarah is negative for things like HIV and Hepatitis B and to check her iron levels.
Following a tip from a fellow mom (I love saying that!), I asked the doctor to put numbing cream on Sarah's arms 20-30 minutes before the blood draw to minimize the trauma. She was fascinated by the big dollops of cream, which the nurses covered with clear bandages (I need to post about her lotion fetish one of these days).
It was hard to tell if the cream made any difference. She still screamed and cried during the blood draw, which broke my heart. I got Don to hold her this time, since I felt like a traitor doing it before. I tried to comfort her, but it was impossible. Fortunately, the technician didn't have much trouble finding the vein, so it wasn't as agonizing as last time.
Just as she recovered from the blood draw (she's so cute -- whenever she cries, she signs "tissue" by pretending to wipe her nose; it's so ladylike!), it was on to the TB test. That was almost as bad, since two nurses held her down on the table and pricked her arm. Sarah had to be wondering why her fun visit with the OT had taken such a terrible turn.
We were done with the appointment in a little more than an hour, which was a record. On our long walk through the hospital back to the parking garage, we searched for vending machines to make good on the candy I impulsively promised uring the blood draw. Once we found some M&Ms, Sarah held one in each hand like tiny talismans, instead of eating them. I always knew M&Ms had magical powers.
After the appointment, we visited Grandma and Grandpa, then headed south. Sarah still doesn't like long rides, and she lost patience with about 45 minutes to go. When our house finally came into view, she let out a squeal of delight. Sarah loves her home as much as her parents do.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Praying for a Parade
When I told Sarah we were going to a parade on Monday, she folded her hands under her chin and looked up at me, ready to "pray." I guess I need to work on my enunciation.
It was a short procession, even by small-town standards. There was the VFW, the high school and middle school marching bands, the Girl Scouts, and the Boy Scouts -- that's it. It lasted about five minutes. By the time she figured out what it was all about, it was over.
We'll pray for a longer one on the 4th of July....
It was a short procession, even by small-town standards. There was the VFW, the high school and middle school marching bands, the Girl Scouts, and the Boy Scouts -- that's it. It lasted about five minutes. By the time she figured out what it was all about, it was over.
We'll pray for a longer one on the 4th of July....
Va-va-voom!
Sarah received two stuffed dogs as gifts last fall -- one from my mom and one from my uncle and his girlfriend. She liked them both from the start, but recently, she's become quite attached to them. Because I've always played with them saying, "Ruff, ruff, ruff, ruff, ruff" very fast, she has come to call them (and all dogs) "va-vas," so we have Big Va-va and Little Va-va. Big Va-va is definitely more huggable, but Little Va-va is more portable, so she gets to go more places with us.
A Special Season
Last June, as I waited anxiously for our referral, I kept myself busy by picking strawberries in our backyard patch -- 65 quarts in all. For me, they will always represent the sweetness of becoming a mom.
I froze most of the berries, and Don, Sarah, and I have enjoyed them all winter. There's nothing like feeding your daughter fruit you've grown organically on your own land!
I froze most of the berries, and Don, Sarah, and I have enjoyed them all winter. There's nothing like feeding your daughter fruit you've grown organically on your own land!
On Monday, we picked the first berry of the season. Guess who got to enjoy it! The picking is going much more slowly this year, as I have to keep stopping to give Sarah another choice berry to munch on (only the biggest and reddest for my girl). I may have to turn her loose in the patch pretty soon and let her forage for herself.
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