Week 19 Potty Time

Gia decided she would like to start using a potty. I had been hoping to delay potty training until she was 3, at least, but she's adamant that NOW is the time, and according to the books....well, you know---the books are always against the parent. In any case, we spend a large part of our day in the bathroom now. Sometimes there's success and sometimes it's a ghost pee or poop. She's doing numero uno and dos. She loves her DORA pull-ups. I secretly despise them because I know they're a huge landfill issue, but I'm too weak to use real underwear. At least not now in the nascent stages of potty training (potty "learning" according to the book). So anyway, all playdates now take place at our house, a mere 10 feet from the bathroom. Talk about cabin fever. There is nothing worse than potting training in the winter, rrrrr.

Week 18 Macy's Holiday Event

This weekend we hooked up with the Stoebner family and visited Macy's annual holiday event. We actually got up early on a Sunday morning to beat the crowd, and while I hate getting up early, it was worth it. We saw lots of stuff, including Santa, again. Santa wasn't nearly as scary as last time, but Gia still wasn't going to touch him. I feel sorry for Santa---all those crying kids, one after another. What a thankless job.

On the other hand, Gia ran into several unexpected cookies at the event and ate every last one of them with her typical gusto. Pasta, pizza, and cookies--the world doesn't get much better than that from her perspective.

I've included a variety of photos. A few from the Macy's event, and one when she was with us less than a month. You'll see she's grown quite a bit. Her face is thinning out, and she's becoming a young girl. It's a happy, sad, and humbling feeling all at the same time.

One final note---Gia and I were the only ones to attend her swimming lesson today! I know it was because the temperature was -3 F, but seriously, I'm getting over the flu and yet we still made it. Total wimps. I bet those other moms never spent their summers teaching canoeing and riflery in the Boundary Waters. Hump! (I say this while Rob's outside shoveling, at 10:30 pm, after a 2-hour commute home in the snow.)

P.S. Does anyone else hate the formatting in blogspot as much as I? (Rrrrrrr)

Week 17&18 Toddleritis

This week was particularily trying and I don't know why. It was full of tantrums, no naps, skipped meals, and clinginess. All my favorite. By Friday I was convinced that I had a sick child on my hands so I took her to the doctor. After a thorough physical examination, which included a blood draw and strep test, he relayed the diagnosis, "Toddleritis...she's about to turn 2." Ah, so it is.

We hobbled onto the weekend where I tried to introduce her to Santa, or "Tanta." Santa was fine from a distance, but up close....not so much. My screaming, twisting, purple face-child was pertrified and it showed in the photo. Not sure that I'll post that photo..... Toddleritis.

On a more positive note, she did eat slices of an apple, and that's good enough to make any dietitian's day complete. Other firsts....hamburger patty, squash, and canned peas (yuk). I did figure out later though it wasn't the peas she liked, but the salty brine they came in. She hasn't eaten a fresh or frozen pea since. Toddleritis.

This week, on the other hand, has been great! She was full of life in swimming class and actually kicked. Normally she just cruises on her floatie or in my hands, but when I yelled "KICK!", she kicked like her life depended upon it. Maybe it was the small toy I threw out in front of her. Hmm, could be.

Her playdates have been great also. She and her friend Tommy yukked it up over a pile of Tupperware. I have pre-approved Thomas as a potential husband. He comes from a good family and from extremely intelligent parents. Tommy loves Gia. He kisses her and hugs often. She's not entirely accepting of his affections but by the time she's 20 she should be convinced. Her other pre-approved husband is a little boy named Senbetu. Senbetu is a toddler who was adopted by another family on our Ethiopian trip. He now resides in Rochester where his mother works at the Mayo Clinic. Clearly he's headed down a path of brilliance as well. We are taking applications for future husbands, but be warned, the criteria are stringent and there are several hurdles along the way.

Today Gia had a blast with her cousin Addison. Aunt Renee found them some sun glasses and they laughed their heads off staring at each other. I wish I could have caught it on tape. It was priceless.

I only have 3 weeks left until my maternity leave is over. I'm really glad I had the 5 months to bond with Gia. I am so worried about going back to work, even though I know Gia is in good hands at Kinderberry Hill. She has been attending daycare three times a week for two hours to help her transition in January and her teachers are great---Norena and Sam. But I'm going to miss her. She's so sweet! And by the way, her little personality is starting to pop out. She LOVES babies. She tries to help the younger children in swimming class get out of the pool, and she pets any baby she sees or tries to hold their hands if they are crying. Needless to say, she is always carrying her baby around the house, along with a wad of Pampers in case they should need a fresh diaper. She is so sweet, we are so lucky. Enjoy the photos!

Week 16 Family Picture

I had no idea how hard it was to get family photos when you have a young child. Here's one we finally managed to squeeze out. We are at Buca's, waiting for our meal to arrive, and struggling to keep her entertained. The glasses, pictured in the forefront, get removed immediately after the photo, but the Parmesan cheese---a goner. She and her cousin Addison empty two cheese shakers in 20 minutes on the table top, and I'm left debating whether or not the label on my sweater which says "dry clean only" is for real.

Week 16 Motorhead

Yes this is my daughter in a Porsche. She is being schooled by her Uncle Jeff and cousins on the intricacies of cars and now hangs out on the weekends in their Garagemahal. I believe she will be the most sought after girl in high school with her good looks and superb car knowledge. She might even be the star of her own show someday, "Gia, the Car Whisperer".

Week 16 Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving weekend was great fun with my Mom's side of the family (about 25 people, a three day event). Gia does not currently eat fruits and vegetables that aren't pureed, and I am only willing to puree one item a day--her morning smoothie (which by the way, contains a full banana, two oranges or strawberries, and 4 oz. of yogurt--a hefty serving of fruit for a toddler!). With that said, I am trying to familiarize her with fruits and vegetables by trying to serve at least one or two F&V at each meal. With Thanksgiving, apples have been in abundance in our household (yes, I make the pies for the Thanksgiving extravaganza). In any case, Gia was fascinated by the fruit, even took a bite of it, but spit it out. We caught it on camera. It's almost a week later and she's still doing the chew and spit technique. I'm hoping she'll get used to the texture soon as we are running out of apples!

Week 15 Growing Tall

Just a quick update on Gia's growth. Her weight has remained the same since coming home. I know, you're thinking, "Wow, they haven't fed her?!" Wait. She's grown 4 inches since August. I double checked it twice in the doctor's office and had a nurse do it a third time. I am trained at this (anthropometrics that is) as it was part of my graduate research. We knew she was getting tall, but this is amazing! We were wondering if something had happened---she can now open the cookie cupboard by herself and this explain why!

Week 14 Naughty'n Nice

This week was particularly trying as Gia's is exerting more and more independence, says "no" to everything, and has strong opinions about what she wants. Thursday I had to say "no" to her at two different times during the day (well, more than that), and at one of those times she slapped me, and at the other, she bit me. I was pretty shocked that my sweet little girl would do this! She redeemed herself later in the day when I was getting my blood drawn at the doctor's office. She sat by me in the chair, leaned over to watch the technician poke the needle in my vein, and whispered, "Owie? Owie!". It was terribly sweet.

This is the week we also started transitioning to daycare. We went for two hours on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Friday was her first day alone. It was so horrible, leaving her at the daycare center, even though it was only for two hours. I was sure she was going to hate me for the rest of her life and it didn't help that I heard her crying for me all the way to the front door. But when we came back to pick her up, she didn't want to go home. So I guess it went okay. I still don't like it, but doing the transition slowly is better than doing it all at once. We are planning on sending her for six hours a week until I go back to work in January. That will be the real test--for all of us. Wish us well.

Happy Thanksgiving! It should go without saying that we are very grateful to all of the people who helped us on our journey to adopt Gia. She is a total doll and at times I still can't believe I get to be her mother. Thank you everyone, here in the U.S. and in Ethiopia.

Week 13 First All Cousins Picture

Conor, Parker, Addison, and Gia, all together for their first cousins picture. When I look at this picture I just laugh and feel good that Gia has 3 older boy cousins to teach her all about cars, soccer, chess, and someday hopefully, about boys. We are inside D'Amico's restaurant and in about 5 minutes we leave because the roughhousing starts to escalate beyond acceptable levels.

Week 13 Coke-tastrophe

I am now following a migraine diet, which means all my Diet Coke is stashed in a secret place to be unleashed when I prove this diet doesn't work. In the meantime, my daughter found the secret place and started carrying two cans of DC around the house, unbeknown to me. How does that happen, you ask? You try carrying a pile of folded laundry from one side of the house to the bedroom with a toddler in tow. Oh sure, I could see her head, but that's it. Nothing else was visible over the mound of freshly folded laundry, and I certainly wasn't going to arch my head to see--that would totally destroy the delicate balance.

In any event, Gia made her way to our bedroom, and I can only deduce by the crime scene, shook up the two cans of DC, clanked them together, at which point, they punctured and exploded onto our white carpet. Smart girl that she is, she quietly resumed her spot at my side, and said nothing.

When I saw the DC carnage (again, on our white carpet), I freaked out!! I was careful to direct my shock to the carpet, and not Gia, but it was complete and totally maniacal moaning and screeching. Then came the race against time---sop up the carpet before it stains. Quick as a cougar I raced to the kitchen, got water and supplies, raced back to the bedroom, and started scrubbing harder than I've ever scrubbed in all my 26 years (oops, did I say 26?). Meanwhile, Gia stood by and stared. And then her compassionate side kicked in and she started rubbing me while I scrubbed the carpet. At this point, the whole thing was so ridiculous that I collapsed on the carpet and started laughing. Gia started laughing too, and we left the the rest of the stain for Daddy to clean up. Which of course he did--meticulously. All told, the carpet doesn't look too bad!

Attached is a picture of my lover, whom I'm sure I'll reunite with soon.

Week 12 Cheesey Self Portraits

In an effort to teach Gia about cameras, Rob and I did some self portraits with her. Cheesey, and not the best pictures of us, but still fun. Apparently she did learn something, and that was to lay on the ground and look at me whenever I whip a camera out. I have no idea where the lay on the ground part came from....maybe it has something to do with me crawling on all fours to get to her eye level???

Week 12

Thought I would show you a few of her play date buddies. The little blond girl is Anya, the strawberry blond boy is Thomas, and of course, the mischevious older boy is her cousin Addison. These are not all of her play date buddies, just the regulars. Moms, I have found, are a tight knit community and do lots of things like play dates, classes, parks, and DVDs, to prevent themselves from going crazy secondary to lack of adult interaction. Gia and Thomas got into a physical fight over a toy on Tuesday. I thought it was hilarious and wanted to see who won, but the other, more responsible mother, stopped them. I guess that's the right thing to do (whatever).

Her big developmental milestone this week is being able to console herself when she wakes from sleeping. This is huge!! At least three times in the past week she's woken up from a nap and managed to fall back asleep on her own. It's always a pins-and-needles game for me, so when she relaxes, it helps me relax.

In other notable news, Gia passed her swimming lesson yesterday and can now move to the Tots 2 class. Yeah for Gia! I've signed her up for the Saturday class so that Rob can take her to class (and I can sleep in). It will be so much fun climbing out of a warm bed, layered in a swimming suit, sweater, and parka, and then back again, only in a wet suit. Rob and Gia are going to really bond!!

She has taken to mimicking our every action. Yesterday I was on the receiving end of her pointing and holding her hand up to me. Something I do every day (I guess) when I tell her, "Wait, hold on, don't move. I'm [fill in the blank]." At first I thought it was a pretty bossy, gutsy thing to do, but then I realized, right, yeah, she learned it from me. Thankfully Rob and her grandparents find it humorous (for now).

A few photos are attached. Don't know if you can tell, but in one photo, I've got eight ponytails in her hair. Wonder how I got them in? Two ten minute sessions separated by an hour of play. Unfortunately it took Rob a half hour tonight to get them out in order to wash her hair. Guess we won't be doing that again for a while. In person, the ponytails were really cute. Enjoy the photos!

Week 11 (and some of 12)

Today is the day after the election and I am very humbled by the outcome. While I know people reading this blog come from various backgrounds and typically I don't share my political views, I am extremely joyful that the first President elected into office on Gia's watch is someone who is not only intelligent, well-educated, and a leader, but has ancestral roots in Kenya, the country south of Ethiopia. I am pleased that she will have a leader that she can look up to in more ways than one. It is a blessing for us.

Last week and the early part of this week has been unusually warm in Minnesota, so Gia and I have been playing outside (nice). Halloween was a bust for us (long story not worth sharing), but we did get a chance to go the Grandma's for some M&M (mixing and mingling) time.

Gia's big developmental news is that she now has latched onto a "thing". We were hoping she would find a favorite blanket, toy, etc., to share her affections with and to help soothe her. For the past four or five days she has had her dolly in tow at all times (not ShangHai Barbie, which is the doll that Gia is dunking in the picture above. We did not buy ShangHai Barbie...a gift from a McDonald's Happy Meal. Pause.....wouldn't ShangHai Barbie have dark hair and skin? Just a question).

Additionally, today she stroked/petted/patted the hair of several children at the gym during playtime (obviously younger children who can't run), and she fed her cousin Addison Cheerios along with holding his hand (at which point Addison noticed that her skin was brown and his was white. I was pretty impressed at his use of PC language to describe her skin color). Her social, empathetic, and caring side is starting to come out. It's very sweet and fun to watch. You'll see it also demonstrated in the picture with Quinn. As always, enjoy!

Week 10 First Time Eating Out!

Our little girl is turning into a toddler! She now runs away and hides whenever I: a) fix her hair; b) put on her jacket; c) put on her jacket; d) all of the above and more. Correct answer: d. But she's still a cuddle bunny so I guess we'll keep her.

Posted are some pictures of her at snack time at ECFE class, supper at McDonald's, her first fancy meal lunch at a restaurant with the extended family, and trick-or-treating at the General Mill's Fall Festival.

More words this week: hug, cookie, cracker, hi, and others that I'm forgetting right now.

Also, big news---in two weeks Gia has her first skills test in swimming class to see if she can move onto the next level. I, and all the other mothers in the class, couldn't hold back our snorts when this was announced. Give us a break....these kids are 8 months old to 2 years old--a test?? We all agreed that staying in the same level would be just fine. We'll let you know how it goes. Gia hates doing the back float. It just could be her Achilles heel.

Week 9

Sorry for the delay in posting. While I have lots to tell you, I have little in the way of photos. You have no idea how hard it is to get a photo of a toddler. In the event that you've forgotten what a toddler is, the definition is "a little human in constant motion." Blurred pictures are the norm, and forget about trying to get her to smile or even look at the camera. So posted are our best attempts--don't laugh.

The words are coming fast and furious. Though I haven't counted I would say we're up to 20+ words. Some of her newer words are airplane, puppy, kitty, ice, nose, ear, eye, elbow, cracker, car, oh-oh (as in woops, mommy made a mistake), banana, bird, duck, quack quack---mostly nouns. No verbs yet.

She has mastered the art of saying no and shaking her head no, to everything we say, albeit to her benefit or not. And she's in constant motion--did I mention that? On a daily basis she empties the tupperware cupboard, napkin cupboard, towel drawer, spoon drawer, utensil drawer, pen drawer, and garbage. And I pretty much let her because usually during these times I'm trying to prepare some new nutritious, tasty meal that she most likely won't eat. Eating has become less important to her and though I wouldn't call her a picky eater, she definitely has her preferences--sweet or salty carbs. So unless it's graham crackers, cake, chips, pasta, or bread, I'll probably only get a bite or two down her bird mouth (hence her learning the word bird). In all fairness, I would add that she loves dairy products--milk, cheese, and oh yeah, YOGURT!! When all else fails, pull out the yogurt--any brand, any flavor, she's not choosey.

The big news for the week is that she got caught up on her immunizations (5 shots--ouch), and, drumroll, she used the potty for Grandma Schryver and myself--twice with a deposit. Not sure I'm ready to potty train her, but she seems interested so I thought I'd give it a try. We've had a lot of false alarms, but the little bit of progress she made was fun.

We also picked out a daycare---might I add, the Taj Mahal of daycare. A brand new Kinderberry Care was built near our home and we toured it last week. It's a beautiful center and Gia seemed to be okay with it. Her teachers seemed very calm and friendly, and the curriculum (what? she's not even 2 years old!) is awesome. So we think we'll be signing up soon, though if you see Rob and I in a soupline, donating plasma, or recycling an unusually large amount of aluminum cans, you'll know it's all meant for the new "curriculum." Feel free to donate to the cause.

That's all for now.

Week 8 Milestones

Week 8! That means two months! Well, big news this week. Rob was able to transfer her to her crib for sleeping at night. This now means we have some privacy at night. I was pretty impressed that he was able to get this done in one week.

We also got our first cold last week--both Gia and I. She did remarkably well, whereas I spent 4 days in bed. Yeah---pretty bad stuff. I would say her cold was mostly cosmetic--snot running out of her nose constantly. She might have been more sick, but great parents that we are, we missed it.

Well, gotta run. Crying toddler. That is the story of our lives. How to keep a toddler entertained.....

Week 7 MileStones

Last Saturday night Rob, Gia and I attended a wedding. Gia did well even with the 300 guests and she was out until 8:30 pm!! (gasp) You'll find our family picture attached.

Words are starting to come now. Daddy, mamma, puppy, Quinn (pronounced "wiiin"), ice, airplane, hug, cacka (for a poopy diaper), okay, up....and a few more. The words aren't always crystal clear, but they're coming. She's so happy when she says a word we recognize---she smiles with satisfaction from ear to ear, so much so that I think her face is going to burst. We're happy with this too because it will make communicating a little easier.

I've been asked a lot how the attachment is going with Rob. It's right on par with biological families, meaning, she still prefers her mama, but she certainly will play with, hug, kiss, and go to Daddy. Rob's been doing weekend shifts to give me some relief and to help the two of them bond. So I think in all actuality, they are probably more bonded than a few biological parents where the mother does the sole parenting. Needless to say, this is a great relief for me.

Thursday we attended a shower for Gia hosted by my manager at work (thanks Indra!). It was very enjoyable, and of course everyone appropriately oo'ed and ah'ed. Up until Thursday, Gia would not go to new people at all (this is a good thing---called "stranger danger"). However, my colleague Ivette cracked the code and became the first new person Gia went to without reservation. What's the secret? Hmmm, Ivette gave Gia her cell phone---complete and full rights to all buttons---no holds bar. A shiny, flashy thing blinded my daughter and caused her to abandon all hesitation. A mama just can't compete!

Feel free to drop a line or post a comment!

Week 6 Mile Stones

Actually, week 6 was pretty rough--for me anyway. I had a migraine and wasn't able to care for Gia Saturday through Wednesday, but between the Grandma's and Rob, Gia was well looked after. Never fear, the Grandma's are here. Might I add, Grandma's are a good invention.

However, that created the major milestone of her feeling more comfortable away from me. She did well with the G's, and did well with Rob, so we think Gia is learning to feel more secure with her immediate family.

The tutu--well, I just couldn't resist buying it. It was on sale, and oh soo cute, oh soo girlie. Enjoy!

Growing Up

I love this picture--she's got her hands in her pocket and she's all grow'd up.

Week 5 MileStones

This was a great week to be a working-at-home-mom (see, I'm learning new phrases). Gia made some major break throughs and we're all feeling more comfortable as a family.

1. Swimming lessons--we love them! Nothing really huge to tell you about unless your familiar with baby swim lessons. We did do our first "zoom" and she can swim on her back (with my assistance). We're working on learning how to get in and out of the pool.

2. ECFE--still ignores the other kids for the most part. I learned this is called "parallel play" and toddlers do it well.

3. Rob took care of her solo Thursday evening, Saturday, and Sunday, while I had a little free time, and well, a migraine (yuk).

4. We had 2 play dates this week, which went really well. Mostly because the weather is fabulous here right now and so we've been outside a lot every day.

In general, her social skills are improving, she's attaching well to Rob, and she's saying a few words. This week was just great and we're looking forward to more like it! Some photos we're posting:

1. I'm trying to fix her hair, and in the process, she wanted to fix my hair. So my hair looks like a bomb hit it, but we manage to get a few pony tails in hers, and I end up saturated with hair product.

2. Rob and Gia enjoying and after-bath moment. Notice her awesome Afro!3. Gia on two of her play dates. In the picture with the little boy, Thomas, they almost look like they are playing together. In the picture with the little girl, Kennedy, Gia is moving so it's blurry. Clearly Kennedy, at 3 yrs, is better at posing for photos.

Enjoy! This weekend Rob and I are going to a wedding.....hotel, ceremony, cake, guests---argh, all this social training is for this weekend! Wish us luck!

Dancing Mama's

What I Like About Being a Mother

Today is our one-month anniversary marking the date we took full custody of Gia. I'm not going to lie--it hasn't been an easy month--lots of ups and downs, but we're starting to see some significant progress in our relationship. For starters, Gia is now letting Rob hold her, kiss her, hug her, and play with her--but still on her terms. We'll take it. Maybe next week or next month there will be more equal play, but for now, it's progress.

For me, though I've weathered many temper tantrums, there are still quite a few things I love. For example:

1. Waking up in the morning with Gia cuddled in the crook of my neck, with her arm wrapped across my chest. (Yes, our family co-sleeps.)

2. Rocking her to sleep--I love the smell of her hair and her warm, cuddly body wrapped in mine.

3. Tickling her and hearing her deep belly laugh.

4. Watching her give commands to the dog in her baby language.

5. Watching her pour a pitcher of water on her head in the bathtub.

6. And even though I complain about her clinginess, I secretly love when she hides behind my legs.

7. Best of all--I love watching her give Rob a kiss--it's the greatest.

More Photos