It has set in in our house and while some would find the shrieking annoying I LOVE it.
I know weird right but when you are an adoptive parent it is kind of a special moment when you baby has bonded with you and actually misses you if you leave the room. It warms my heart.
Sure when we are at a brunch buffet and I leave and Dave stays with Kiya (or vice versa) and she starts screaming and others are staring it can be a tad much. But I wouldn't change it for the world. Scream away Miss Kiya. We love you too.
I know it is an age appropriate thing but again as adoptive parents we tend to over analyze every little thing. So we kept wondering when and if this stage would set in and were we doing something wrong. Guess not :)
So far she hasn't screamed when Dave drops her off at daycare but she really likes her daycare so that could be part of it. We anticipate at some point though that may change. She will be changing rooms sometime in the next couple of months and that may be the fuel that starts it. We put in a request for a specific room as Kiya has this teacher the first couple months she was at daycare and we really like her. We know that they can't guarantee she gets in that room but we are trying and so is the teacher. As of right now it is a no go as the room is full and the next child to age out doesn't turn 2 until April. Bummer. We know she will do fine in whatever room she goes to but still hoping for our first choice.
But for now...
She likes us. She really likes us.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
I am posting but I don't want to
I committed to posting everyday in November so here it is. I am sick. I spent all day in bed or on the couch in my pajamas or sweats. That's it. Commitment filled and I hope tomorrow can bring an I feel better post or at the very least a cute picture or two of Kiya. For now back to the couch.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Formula, Milk, Sippy cups oh my
Well the time has come that we need to start thinking about transitioning Kiya to whole milk. One problem is, I have no idea how to do that.
1) Do we still warm it up?
2) What if she hates it?
3)Do we mix it with formula at first?
4)Do we go cold turkey?
5) do we give it to her in a sippy cup or a bottle?
Kiya has never been a huge fan of formula. She on a good day will drink 15-17oz of formula but averages closer to 12-13oz. I know shocker. I got some raised eyebrows from some friends who thought I should be concerned and we should talk to our doctor. She should be drinking according to them 20-24oz of formula a day. Not going to happen. Kiya's doctor is well aware and not concerned and neither are we. She is a FABULOUS eater so why mess with a good thing. It just isn't a battle I am willing to fight.
Kiya will eat just about anything. She LOVES cheese which is great since we live in Wisconsin. She also LOVES yogurt. We aren't worried about her calcium levels. And she eats a wide variety of fruits, veggies and meat.
As for the bottle vs. sippy cup. Well Kiya will currently only drink water and maybe some watered down juice from a sippy. She loves water and juice is a treat at daycare every so often. We have tried to put formula in a sippy cup and that was a no go. It was like she knows it is in there and is like "no mommy". She is strong willed that's for sure.
This is something we will start working on in the next week. She just learned how to feed herself her own bottle so we don't want to take that away from her just yet. She is so proud of herself. You can see it on her face.
My baby girl is getting so big.
1) Do we still warm it up?
2) What if she hates it?
3)Do we mix it with formula at first?
4)Do we go cold turkey?
5) do we give it to her in a sippy cup or a bottle?
Kiya has never been a huge fan of formula. She on a good day will drink 15-17oz of formula but averages closer to 12-13oz. I know shocker. I got some raised eyebrows from some friends who thought I should be concerned and we should talk to our doctor. She should be drinking according to them 20-24oz of formula a day. Not going to happen. Kiya's doctor is well aware and not concerned and neither are we. She is a FABULOUS eater so why mess with a good thing. It just isn't a battle I am willing to fight.
Kiya will eat just about anything. She LOVES cheese which is great since we live in Wisconsin. She also LOVES yogurt. We aren't worried about her calcium levels. And she eats a wide variety of fruits, veggies and meat.
As for the bottle vs. sippy cup. Well Kiya will currently only drink water and maybe some watered down juice from a sippy. She loves water and juice is a treat at daycare every so often. We have tried to put formula in a sippy cup and that was a no go. It was like she knows it is in there and is like "no mommy". She is strong willed that's for sure.
This is something we will start working on in the next week. She just learned how to feed herself her own bottle so we don't want to take that away from her just yet. She is so proud of herself. You can see it on her face.
My baby girl is getting so big.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Miss Kiya and our Little Man
Today was a day about both of our sweet children. We had our 6 month post placement meeting with our local social worker. Wow. 6 months and yet it is hard to imagine my life without her.
This was the last post placement report that our social worker will do for Kiya. We are on our own. Every May until Kiya is 18 years old, we will fill out a report and attach pictures and send it off to CHSFS. This is not an agency specific requirement but an Ethiopia requirement.
So come May I will be filling out this report and here is the scary part--Kiya will be almost 18 months old. Wow.
We also spent the morning finishing some paper work that will lead us to our little man. We are mailing application part 2 in today. Our home study is almost done and we are gathering documents for our dossier. It is going to be a whirlwind month for sure.
We are fully anticipating the wait for a referral for our little man to take 18-24 months. Officially our agency is quoting 12-18 months for a referral but having been down this path before we are setting ourselves up for a longer wait. The hardest part about waiting for Kiya was the changing timelines. We were told 6-9 months and waited 11 months, 2 weeks and 1 day. Currently people are waiting 16 or more months for a referral so we are figuring it will be at least 18 month but more likely closer to 24 months.
From there it will be 4-6 months after referral for travel so in our minds we are telling ourselves it will be at least 2 1/2 years before we bring our son home and maybe longer.
So at this point our little man isn't even a glimmer yet but when he is ready we will be too. In the meantime we plan on enjoying every minute with Miss Kiya. She is such a joy to be around so that isn't a hard task at all.
This was the last post placement report that our social worker will do for Kiya. We are on our own. Every May until Kiya is 18 years old, we will fill out a report and attach pictures and send it off to CHSFS. This is not an agency specific requirement but an Ethiopia requirement.
So come May I will be filling out this report and here is the scary part--Kiya will be almost 18 months old. Wow.
We also spent the morning finishing some paper work that will lead us to our little man. We are mailing application part 2 in today. Our home study is almost done and we are gathering documents for our dossier. It is going to be a whirlwind month for sure.
We are fully anticipating the wait for a referral for our little man to take 18-24 months. Officially our agency is quoting 12-18 months for a referral but having been down this path before we are setting ourselves up for a longer wait. The hardest part about waiting for Kiya was the changing timelines. We were told 6-9 months and waited 11 months, 2 weeks and 1 day. Currently people are waiting 16 or more months for a referral so we are figuring it will be at least 18 month but more likely closer to 24 months.
From there it will be 4-6 months after referral for travel so in our minds we are telling ourselves it will be at least 2 1/2 years before we bring our son home and maybe longer.
So at this point our little man isn't even a glimmer yet but when he is ready we will be too. In the meantime we plan on enjoying every minute with Miss Kiya. She is such a joy to be around so that isn't a hard task at all.
Monday, November 2, 2009
27 days
27 days until Miss Kiya's first birthday. :)
And so far 2 days in a row of blog posts :) I am chatty but this may be tough to come up with 30 posts that are even remotely interesting. At least I get Wednesday's off for pictures and you may just see more pictures as time is tight. Of all months for 30 posts this is it. There is a lot going on in our growing family this month. Dossier prep, 1st birthdays, playgroups, Thanksgiving, etc.
So for today's lovely rant: The perfect baby?
Why is it that other parents make assumptions of what kids should be doing and shouldn't be doing based on an age? I know you are probably tired of my complaining about people comparing babies but really enough is enough already. Every kid is different!
Sure I read the charts of developmental milestones. I get my babycenter.com emails and I read my "What to Expect the First Year" book. And yes there are things on all of those lists that say Kiya should be able to do certain things and she has yet to do them. Can she do them, yes I think she can. Why isn't she--ask her.
That said, if I read ahead a few months to see what to expect she is already doing some of those things that are expected of older kids. She can feed herself, she can drink from a cup, she can bend at the waist and pick up a toy. She babbles like it is her own little language. I could go on. She is developing on her timeline so if she skips things now to do other things that is okay. She doesn't have to go in order. It isn't a rule.
I guess my frustration lies in the judgement I sometimes see in other parent's questions that some how Kiya isn't developing well. I on the contrary think she is doing just fine. She has been evaluated by her doctor. Her doctor said most kids don't walk until after they are 1 years old so why does almost everyone expect Kiya to be walking?
Do I think her gross motor skills are delayed--maybe a little. Is she outside the range of normal? No she isn't so therefore I am not concerned. She couldn't stand at all at homecoming and when evaluated by Birth to 3 at 7 months she could for just a little bit so 4 months later for her to be walking while holding our fingers and standing up playing with toys is GREAT.
Why is there so much pressure for kids to exceed all milestones and be super smart? Why are their infomercials selling parents products to make their baby read? Why do babies need to read? I just don't see the need to put so much pressure on little ones. She will do everything she needs to when she wants to and when she is ready. It isn't for me to decide or force on her at this point. If she isn't walking by 18 months then we will intervene. She grew so tall in such a short time the doctor thinks she just has to get used to her new limbs and how to move them all together.
I look at it this way. She has been through so much in such a short time. How she is processing that is hard to say. She has been with us longer than she was in Ethiopia. This is the longest she has been in one place with the same caregivers. She is a strong and stubborn little angel. She has some confidence issues and is learning to trust. She is curious and a daredevil and can be a little shy. We can see the wheels turning and right now that is all that matters.
And so far 2 days in a row of blog posts :) I am chatty but this may be tough to come up with 30 posts that are even remotely interesting. At least I get Wednesday's off for pictures and you may just see more pictures as time is tight. Of all months for 30 posts this is it. There is a lot going on in our growing family this month. Dossier prep, 1st birthdays, playgroups, Thanksgiving, etc.
So for today's lovely rant: The perfect baby?
Why is it that other parents make assumptions of what kids should be doing and shouldn't be doing based on an age? I know you are probably tired of my complaining about people comparing babies but really enough is enough already. Every kid is different!
Sure I read the charts of developmental milestones. I get my babycenter.com emails and I read my "What to Expect the First Year" book. And yes there are things on all of those lists that say Kiya should be able to do certain things and she has yet to do them. Can she do them, yes I think she can. Why isn't she--ask her.
That said, if I read ahead a few months to see what to expect she is already doing some of those things that are expected of older kids. She can feed herself, she can drink from a cup, she can bend at the waist and pick up a toy. She babbles like it is her own little language. I could go on. She is developing on her timeline so if she skips things now to do other things that is okay. She doesn't have to go in order. It isn't a rule.
I guess my frustration lies in the judgement I sometimes see in other parent's questions that some how Kiya isn't developing well. I on the contrary think she is doing just fine. She has been evaluated by her doctor. Her doctor said most kids don't walk until after they are 1 years old so why does almost everyone expect Kiya to be walking?
Do I think her gross motor skills are delayed--maybe a little. Is she outside the range of normal? No she isn't so therefore I am not concerned. She couldn't stand at all at homecoming and when evaluated by Birth to 3 at 7 months she could for just a little bit so 4 months later for her to be walking while holding our fingers and standing up playing with toys is GREAT.
Why is there so much pressure for kids to exceed all milestones and be super smart? Why are their infomercials selling parents products to make their baby read? Why do babies need to read? I just don't see the need to put so much pressure on little ones. She will do everything she needs to when she wants to and when she is ready. It isn't for me to decide or force on her at this point. If she isn't walking by 18 months then we will intervene. She grew so tall in such a short time the doctor thinks she just has to get used to her new limbs and how to move them all together.
I look at it this way. She has been through so much in such a short time. How she is processing that is hard to say. She has been with us longer than she was in Ethiopia. This is the longest she has been in one place with the same caregivers. She is a strong and stubborn little angel. She has some confidence issues and is learning to trust. She is curious and a daredevil and can be a little shy. We can see the wheels turning and right now that is all that matters.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Halloween pictures :)
Well here it is the cutest little butterfly EVER! I mean look at her. So cute. I just wish her attitude had matched her outfit but such is the life of an 11 month old.
She really didn't like the hood of her costume...
Much better:)
Her mood suddenly changed for the better when she started playing with this balloon. Grandma and Grandpa bought it for her and boy did she love it. Prior to this she was held by Grandma playing with it and then over to Grandpa and then to me. We tried to move away from it and she got really mad. Finally Dave got the bright idea to tie it too one of her toys so she could sit on the floor. Here is where she spent a good chunk of trick or treating time.
Her pre-costume Halloween attire :)
And FYI the countdown is officially on. 28 days from today my baby girl turns 1. Four weeks. WOW.
She really didn't like the hood of her costume...
Much better:)
Her mood suddenly changed for the better when she started playing with this balloon. Grandma and Grandpa bought it for her and boy did she love it. Prior to this she was held by Grandma playing with it and then over to Grandpa and then to me. We tried to move away from it and she got really mad. Finally Dave got the bright idea to tie it too one of her toys so she could sit on the floor. Here is where she spent a good chunk of trick or treating time.
Her pre-costume Halloween attire :)
And FYI the countdown is officially on. 28 days from today my baby girl turns 1. Four weeks. WOW.
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