I got a few requests for what I was using for a leave in conditioner. I went to this website:
http://motowngirl.com
and made the leave in spritz. I took 6 oz of water, 2 oz of Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner, and an ounce of olive oil and put it all in a spray bottle and shook well. It works great to tame the frizziness in Peanut's hair and was super easy to make and really quite cheap.
It does separate so I need to shake well before each use. The best part is that it isn't at all greasy and doesn't have an overwhelming strong scent.
I was going to just buy something at the store but when I walked down the aisle that had African American hair products I was slightly overwhelmed and slightly disgusted. Overwhelmed as I had no idea what to do with some of the cremes and oils and such and then disgusted because a lot as in a majority of the products on the shelf were for relaxing and straightening hair. They even had a kids version of a mild relaxer. I was shocked.
I LOVE Peanut's curly hair and want to maintain it to the best of my ability. If she chooses at some point to want to straighten it we will talk but while I am doing her hair there will be no straightening and definitely no relaxing.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Peanut pictures!!
How could you not fall in love with that smile?? Isn't she sweet? She is hopefully getting over her ear infection on this new medication. She is sleeping through the night 10-12 hours and then has the morning nap thing down. She will go down between 8:30/9am for a nap and then wake up between 10:30/11am for food. Afternoon naps are a work in progress but she will usually take a short one sometime after 1pm and then is in bed by 8pm after a bath of course.
I made up some leave in conditioner for her hair and that works fabulously. I haven't tackled a hairstyle beyond putting a headband in but I will soon. She has so much hair and it is a little intimidating.
We have also filed our court paperwork and are awaiting word on when our hearing will be so things are moving in the right direction.
As I write this Peanut is alternating between sucking her finger and thumb and squealing/laughing in delight while playing in her swing. So very in love with this little girl.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
CONGRATS!!!
I couldn't be happier for these people. We started this process around the same time and they have waited so long and been through so much. Her blog was/is a lifeline for me. I have learned a ton from her and have no doubts that champagne corks are popping around the world. CONGRATS you two. You deserve it and we couldn't be happier for you.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Birthday, paperwork and Birth to 3
Today is my birthday. I am officially 33 years young and finally realizing my dreams of motherhood. I couldn't ask for a greater gift than my beautiful daughter.
I started the morning meeting with our social worker as we have more paperwork to do. We have to readopt Peanut in Wisconsin so our social worker dropped that off today. After a follow up phone call with her, I have it all filled out and just have to take it to the county court house. We are hoping to get a court date in the next 4-8 weeks. Once we are done with that we can apply for a certificate of citizenship and social security number for Peanut. And we can start the paper chase for her little brother. We would like to be back on the wait list sometime this fall since the wait for referral has gotten a lot longer we want to get a jump on it. Maybe by the time Peanut is 3 we will have her little brother home too.
After our meeting, I called the Birth to 3 program to set up an assessment for Peanut. We are a little concerned about how little weight she bears on her legs but she is getting better every day. We figured it doesn't hurt to call and see what they have to say or even offer in terms of one time or continual support. She may not qualify for additional resources but we won't know unless we have her evaluated. I am waiting for them to call me back to set up the appointment. It is great that they will come out to our house even.
You may wonder how so much has been done today, well PEANUT IS NAPPING!!! I can hardly believe it. She was up at 8am took half a bottle and was asleep again a little after 9am and has stayed asleep on her back in her crib. Could this be a sign of a regular nap time??? I sure hope so. Her naps are so all over the place right now. She is teething which isn't helping but maybe just maybe this is progress.
I started the morning meeting with our social worker as we have more paperwork to do. We have to readopt Peanut in Wisconsin so our social worker dropped that off today. After a follow up phone call with her, I have it all filled out and just have to take it to the county court house. We are hoping to get a court date in the next 4-8 weeks. Once we are done with that we can apply for a certificate of citizenship and social security number for Peanut. And we can start the paper chase for her little brother. We would like to be back on the wait list sometime this fall since the wait for referral has gotten a lot longer we want to get a jump on it. Maybe by the time Peanut is 3 we will have her little brother home too.
After our meeting, I called the Birth to 3 program to set up an assessment for Peanut. We are a little concerned about how little weight she bears on her legs but she is getting better every day. We figured it doesn't hurt to call and see what they have to say or even offer in terms of one time or continual support. She may not qualify for additional resources but we won't know unless we have her evaluated. I am waiting for them to call me back to set up the appointment. It is great that they will come out to our house even.
You may wonder how so much has been done today, well PEANUT IS NAPPING!!! I can hardly believe it. She was up at 8am took half a bottle and was asleep again a little after 9am and has stayed asleep on her back in her crib. Could this be a sign of a regular nap time??? I sure hope so. Her naps are so all over the place right now. She is teething which isn't helping but maybe just maybe this is progress.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Hush little baby...
Well, I think I spoke too soon in my previous post. Peanut is still perfect she just doesn't like to nap. First it was a day with no afternoon nap and total meltdown in the evening and then it was no morning nap, a quick snooze on the floor and a nap at 6pm. So we are working on it.
I complained to my husband that she didn't want to nap and this morning he goes and lays her down in her crib for her morning nap and within a minute she is asleep. Now how that differs from what I did yesterday, I have no idea.
We are still having some food issues. I swear if I let her she would eat us out of house and home. She loves to eat. We were trying to stay on the every 3 hour schedule that she was used to but some days she just doesn't make it 3 hours.
She is bearing more and more weight on her legs and can that girl laugh. It is the best sound ever. And the smiles, I just can't get enough of them. You go to get her in the morning and you are greeted with the biggest grin. It melts my heart and never gets old.
She is still sleeping through the night 8-9 plus hours a night. I find that I wake a few times to go check on her just to make sure. Can't help it...
We are definitely starting to settle into our new routine. It is amazing to me how much you can accomplish before 8am. And if she starts taking naps regularly again, watch out world here I come.
We took some family pictures this weekend at church and she was okay for awhile and then was just done. Why? She wanted to sleep of course....We wore traditional Ethiopian garments in the pictures too. We did get some cute pictures and even pictures with just Dave and I. These were the first professional pictures of just the two of us since we got married almost 10 years ago. And we have an awesome family photo of the three of us. Wow, I can't believe we are a family of 3 (5 if you count the pugs). I think someone better pinch me just to make sure I am not dreaming.
I complained to my husband that she didn't want to nap and this morning he goes and lays her down in her crib for her morning nap and within a minute she is asleep. Now how that differs from what I did yesterday, I have no idea.
We are still having some food issues. I swear if I let her she would eat us out of house and home. She loves to eat. We were trying to stay on the every 3 hour schedule that she was used to but some days she just doesn't make it 3 hours.
She is bearing more and more weight on her legs and can that girl laugh. It is the best sound ever. And the smiles, I just can't get enough of them. You go to get her in the morning and you are greeted with the biggest grin. It melts my heart and never gets old.
She is still sleeping through the night 8-9 plus hours a night. I find that I wake a few times to go check on her just to make sure. Can't help it...
We are definitely starting to settle into our new routine. It is amazing to me how much you can accomplish before 8am. And if she starts taking naps regularly again, watch out world here I come.
We took some family pictures this weekend at church and she was okay for awhile and then was just done. Why? She wanted to sleep of course....We wore traditional Ethiopian garments in the pictures too. We did get some cute pictures and even pictures with just Dave and I. These were the first professional pictures of just the two of us since we got married almost 10 years ago. And we have an awesome family photo of the three of us. Wow, I can't believe we are a family of 3 (5 if you count the pugs). I think someone better pinch me just to make sure I am not dreaming.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Perfect baby???
Ok--most mom's will tell you that their child is perfect and yes I am going to be one of them.
We have been home almost a week and things are going WAY better than expected. Sure the first couple of nights took some getting used to and last night both Dave and I were like we have a daughter; this is the real deal no one can take her away. Oh My!
Jet lag seems to be gone. Miss Peanut is sleeping 8-9 hours a night. Some nights she wakes herself at 2am or 4am with a little scream and then back to sleep she goes. The first few times that happened I hopped out of bed to check on her and as I walked into her room she was sucking on her fingers, quiet and asleep.
She eats like a champ. Mostly formula and then rice cereal and baby food to supplement. Carrots are a crowd pleaser; she just loves them. Peaches are a work in progress. We will try squash or sweet potatoes next. It sure will be nice to get a list of foods she can eat. This whole eating the same food for a few days to make sure there isn't an allergy is kind of boring but necessary.
We thought for sure we were going to have sleep issues, food issues and maybe illness/parasite issues when we got home. I would say for now the sleep issues have resolved. The food issues are still there in that she can't eat fast enough but it is getting better. The illness/parasite stuff is a work in progress. She came home with an ear infection (though she was an angel all the way home) and we are testing her still for parasites but from what I read I would think we would be able to smell/tell if she has them and we don't think she does but testing just to be sure.
Our pediatrician is FABULOUS! She was so prepared and knew just what to test for in internationally adopted children. We are catching her up on the pneumonia vaccine but all others are listed as current and received in Ethiopia. We will run titers in July just to make sure since we are doing more blood work in July anyway. Peanut is now 13lbs (or was on Monday) and 25.5 inches long. She is on the CDC growth charts for height and barely for weight and not at all for head circumference. The doctor is not concerned. Peanut's head has followed along the same line since referral so it is growing and may just be a small head. Developmentally, the doc thinks Peanut is doing fabulous. She is a little weak in the legs so she gave us the number for the Birth to 3 program in our state so we can call and have her assessed and maybe start some physical therapy. Nothing terrible just hasn't had a lot of practice using those legs.
We truly have the most wonderful baby. She laughs, smiles, squeals and is most of the time a joy to be around. Beware if she is hungry as she has a set of lungs that are sure to tell you that she needs food and needs it now. Okay time for me to make some coffee while little one is down for her morning nap.
We have been home almost a week and things are going WAY better than expected. Sure the first couple of nights took some getting used to and last night both Dave and I were like we have a daughter; this is the real deal no one can take her away. Oh My!
Jet lag seems to be gone. Miss Peanut is sleeping 8-9 hours a night. Some nights she wakes herself at 2am or 4am with a little scream and then back to sleep she goes. The first few times that happened I hopped out of bed to check on her and as I walked into her room she was sucking on her fingers, quiet and asleep.
She eats like a champ. Mostly formula and then rice cereal and baby food to supplement. Carrots are a crowd pleaser; she just loves them. Peaches are a work in progress. We will try squash or sweet potatoes next. It sure will be nice to get a list of foods she can eat. This whole eating the same food for a few days to make sure there isn't an allergy is kind of boring but necessary.
We thought for sure we were going to have sleep issues, food issues and maybe illness/parasite issues when we got home. I would say for now the sleep issues have resolved. The food issues are still there in that she can't eat fast enough but it is getting better. The illness/parasite stuff is a work in progress. She came home with an ear infection (though she was an angel all the way home) and we are testing her still for parasites but from what I read I would think we would be able to smell/tell if she has them and we don't think she does but testing just to be sure.
Our pediatrician is FABULOUS! She was so prepared and knew just what to test for in internationally adopted children. We are catching her up on the pneumonia vaccine but all others are listed as current and received in Ethiopia. We will run titers in July just to make sure since we are doing more blood work in July anyway. Peanut is now 13lbs (or was on Monday) and 25.5 inches long. She is on the CDC growth charts for height and barely for weight and not at all for head circumference. The doctor is not concerned. Peanut's head has followed along the same line since referral so it is growing and may just be a small head. Developmentally, the doc thinks Peanut is doing fabulous. She is a little weak in the legs so she gave us the number for the Birth to 3 program in our state so we can call and have her assessed and maybe start some physical therapy. Nothing terrible just hasn't had a lot of practice using those legs.
We truly have the most wonderful baby. She laughs, smiles, squeals and is most of the time a joy to be around. Beware if she is hungry as she has a set of lungs that are sure to tell you that she needs food and needs it now. Okay time for me to make some coffee while little one is down for her morning nap.
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