Hard Days at Work and Other Nonsense
Sunita goes with me to work. Sometimes, I suppose work is just too hard and you gotta nap wherever you land. Can I get an amen?!? =D (By the way – this is under my workspace amid various science related artifacts.)
The other nonsense…
Would this be the princess or the evil witch?
I think evil witch… Hmm, or big bad wolf with those teeth.
In the end there is no doubt about it, she’s a princess through and through.
If you are wondering (not that you are, but I needed a reason to write about it) about the adorable little yellow sweater she is wearing, it is from her great-grandma Ruth. Grandma Ruth has been gone for quite some time but I know she would be thrilled to see Sunita wearing this sweater. She gave ME this sweater when I was just a babe. And as much as I wish Grandma Ruth and my sweet babe could have met, this tangible piece of her love is a small reminder of the care she gave me, and I am thankful for it.
Filed under Home life | Comments (4)Backyard Birds
We feed and encourage as many feathered friends and beneficial insects in our backyard as possible, and it often pays off with great views for us. Most of these are regular visitors along with a few others who aren’t shown.
Anna’s Hummingbird
Northern Flicker
House Finch
House Sparrows and Mourning Dove
Dark-eyed Junco
Varied Thrush
But today, we had a somewhat rare visitor. This is a Sharp-shinned Hawk. This photo was taken about 15 feet from our slider door. It is here to eat the buffet of other birds that enjoy the feeders we set out. And although it’s a joy to see it, hopefully it will move on soon so we can see some other birds again.
UPDATE: The Sharp-shinned Hawk got its lunch!
The Results are In
Most of Sunita’s bloodwork and various other tests came back normal. She is a little low on iron so the doctor recommended a liquid vitamin with iron. Otherwise, she had Giardia, an intestinal microscopic parasite (a protist for those of you who remember biology) which comes from contaminated water (usually from feces). This is not unusual for international adoptees.
Although it is a communicable disease, the doctor said it was highly unlikely we would get it and she didn’t think we needed to be tested. Then Yamhill County Health Department called. Because this can be pretty nasty if lots of kids share the same space and people caring for them (think daycare) they wanted to be sure she isn’t in daycare. She isn’t, so they couldn’t care less, but they suggested we be tested. The treatment was a dropper-full of antibiotic three times a day for five days. We never forgot or skipped (amazingly!) and she is finished with that. So all should be well on the health front.
I would have posted this sooner but I was so sick last week. I was the kind of sick where I all I could do is lay on the floor and wish I had the energy to get up so I could go to the bathroom. Husband was also sick and missed work all last week. On top of all that, our dear sweet peanut is no longer convinced 2 to 4 am is sleep time. In fact, she seems pretty sure its PLAY TIME!! This does not in ANY WAY mean she sleeps the rest of the night peacefully or goes down well.
But all in all, things have smoothed out tremendously of late and we were given much help from many sources (THANK YOU!!). Her sleep schedule is still completely messed up and we are working on a solution, but for now we are managing. And as someone once told me – just as soon as we find a solution the rules will change…and we will start over again.
For today I am thankful! I am THANKFUL for our daughter, and I am thankful she is healthy. We waited and prayed for her (specifically) for about 6 months and now here she is thriving. We love her and she loves us. How great is that?!? I am THANKFUL for an (almost) healthy husband, a way to get through the night with at least two hours of sleep back to back, for a hugely, tremendously wonderful support system, but most of all I am thankful that there is a God deep enough that I will never run out of Him in my life.
Filed under Adoption, Home life | Comment (0)Swiss Cheese Sunita
One of the special moments in every parent’s life is their child’s first vaccinations… what a HORRID event. And even though you realize it’s for the best, you still HATE IT (as does your baby). Today was Sunita’s first vaccinations with us as her parents, although it wasn’t her first vaccinations ever.
This is after our now poked and prodded girl only has cry eyes instead of sobbing mess eyes. Her snack helped mellow her out a bit.
One of the distinctive *joys* of adopting is being able to re-vaccinate your child. There is no guarantee an adopted child (especially internationally) has been given the right kind of vaccinations, the right way, in the right amount of time. So we pretty much get to redo them, and she had 5 new ones today (in the legs).
But to make sure she doesn’t get more then she needs (along with testing for nutritional needs and some other tests), Sunita also got to have blood drawn today – I wanted to bawl after that was done. We weren’t done yet; she still had to have a TB (I think) test because she is coming from India (another poke in the arm opposite of the blood draw). The cherry on top was this was all happening when her regularly scheduled nap was airing. Lucky for me, Jared was able to come along. I really am not looking forward to doing all that again, EVER.
Alas, if her blood shows that she doesn’t have the antibodies for any vaccines then she will need up to three more, before a month passes. Blech!
Sunita did like the band aids though, until we pulled them off. =(
On the brighter side, she has slept the last two nights clear through without making a peep. I still wake up, just expecting it. The first night I actually wondered if she died and had to go check on her several times to assure myself she really was just sleeping peacefully. She also went to sleep tonight like an angel. God is good, all the time – but especially when he comforts her sleep =D
Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (2)Why does everyone think they are Dr. Spock?
Yesterday I was sitting in the back with baby while hubby was driving us through the drive-thru Starbucks. Now baby really doesn’t like to stop during her naps if we have been driving, so I was rocking her car seat back and forth to try to keep her asleep. She quieted down so I put my hand on her chest and eagerly anticipated this special treat. A moment later a tap, tap, tap was heard on the window. An older woman was motioning for me to roll down the window. Hubby did so for I, startled by her presence, stared blankly at her. Once my window was down she launched into her diatribe; “that was far too violent of rocking, you should NEVER do that again; that scared me”. She continued, but after that I was no longer listening because of my total and complete shock and horror. I could think of nothing to say to her (I blame the suprising nature of her visit). Instead of saying what I should have, I said “Oh, okay”. I was flabbergasted, embarrassed, and most of all humilated (even though I know I had NO, ABOSOLUTELY NO, reason to feel that way)! It was one of those times, when you think of SO many comebacks later, much much too late. Jared was appalled. He, as well as a friend who was with us, assured me I did nothing wrong or even close to wrong. (Just in case you are trying to picture it, I was pulling and pushing the bar of her seat back and forth, not jerking). I was hurt, I know I shouldn’t have been, but oh how it stung. I tried to let it go but I am such a baby when it comes to that stuff. I’m sure I’m not the only one to have had this happen, if you’d like to share stories I’d love to hear them.
Filed under Home life | Comments (7)The Many Faces
(Don’t worry, she didn’t actually crash, although it does look like it.)
Farts are Ageless and Other Parenting Updates
Sunita has been with us for a little over a month and will be 13 months old on the 6th of January. During that time my husband said (to describe our daughter), “Voices change, looks change, so many other things change, but farts are ageless”. The quote has stuck with me and now anytime our dearest little princess rips one, I think – that really COULD be an old man fart. Good luck getting that out of your head.
Those of you who were so kind as to pray for us while our daughter was not sleeping, we would like to take this very public opportunity to thank you. Though the nightmares continue, Sunita has made it 4 nights in her crib in her own room (rather than being in the playpen in our room). We are still getting up for her 3-5 times per night but getting her back to sleep is going much smoother. We are slowly being able to reduce our involvement (from a 2 hour put down to a much more reasonable half hour) with her falling asleep.
Sunita has fully moved into being a mommy’s girl. She is not content to play on the floor next to me; no she would much prefer to be on me. Adorable and tiring. I love it (at least the thought of it, if not the actuality), and it shows a great deal of healthy bonding.
She is really cruising … hello getting into everything before mommy or daddy have realized it. She is also starting to open doors on cupboards and the TV stand. Anything with buttons or knobs is like candy. She can pull herself onto her knees and sit very well now and she is so close to pulling herself all the way up. She locks her legs now (on occasion) and will stand with a prop.
She points with her finger when you ask, “Where’s mommy?” How cute is that?
It all seems so NORMAL. She is right on track for developmental milestones and has a charming personality. She seems to be bonding better then we dared to dream. Yet, I don’t want to get caught up believing in a story of my making. How do you really know if the little person really understands that you will never leave her, that we are her forever family? How can I be sure she feels the same love, and more importantly, trust that I do? This is a strange conflict my friends.
Filed under Adoption, Home life | Comments (2)