Two Weeks, Two Months, Two Years

I've read somewhere that two weeks, two months, and two years are good times to look back on the changes of your child and of your family since you first came home.  That they are points when you can look back and appreciate some noticeable change.  This weekend marked two weeks for us.  So, here goes:

We are still adjusting, but we are very most-certainly going to make it.

Baby A is a good little sleeper.  Even when we first took her from the orphanage and she had that terrible cough, she never woke during the night (she sure woke us about every 20 minutes with her hacking and whooping, but she slept through it undisturbed).  These days she naps twice (morning and afternoon) and sleeps from about 8pm to 7am.  I know.  It's beautiful.

Baby A is eating well.  We've fed her about 3000 new foods in the past two weeks, and she's happily (and non-anaphylactically) accepted all we've offered.  We're still figuring out what agrees and what disagrees with her little tummy (we've had some major situations in the diaper department), but through it all she has never acted uncomfortable or ill.  We've got her taking four bottles per day (she was taking two at the orphanage), and she eats "meals" with us at the table.  She's getting good with finger foods, and seems particularly fond of peas, corn, and those weird apple-cinnamon baby puffs that they make now.

We've visited the pediatrician for some blood work and some baseline measurements.  A's not on the growth chart yet for weight (though that's actually nothing new for us...perhaps you've met our eldest string bean).  Baby A was a cooperative patient and the doctor was able to help us clear up the nasty cold and cough that had been plaguing us for some time (compared with two weeks ago, A sounds much less like a snuffly pig when she takes a bottle).

Baby A LOVES her siblings.  I am so grateful that we have other kids at home to welcome this sweet girl.  I didn't think through how difficult it might be for a little one to go from a orphanage full of children to being an only child with two bewildered parents staring at her.  Well Baby A still has two bewildered parents, but at least she has several other small smiling faces ready to play and cuddly and giggle with her at all times.

A is getting more and more comfortable around here.  She will often crawl away from me to explore another part of the room (or house).  She's getting more willing to have me put her down and walk away to do something (on those rare occasions when my work requires the use of both hands simultaneously).  Though she continues to prefer mommy, she is getting more and more fond of her daddy.  She's so happy to see Ryan when he gets home from work in the evenings.  He usually giver her that last bottle and puts her down for the night, and that has become special time for them.

Our family systems and routines have needed some tweaking, but we are finding some work-ability.  We had a decent week of school this week...skipped one 2nd grade science experiment and one day of writing.  That's passable, right?  I ran about 12 loads of laundry (remember the diaper situations referenced above??).   People got to their respective appointments and out-of-the-house commitments.  I generally spent 15-20 minutes on A's hair in the morning (which is 14 minutes more than I spend on my own each day), but we managed to fit that in to our morning routine even when we need to leave the house by 8:30am.  You'll notice nothing here about food preparation.  Mercifully, our dear friends and neighbors have been bringing us dinner on M,W,F and it's absolutely been saving my life (generally at 5pm each day, I'm changing crib sheets and trying to decrustify a baby after a horrible...well, you get the picture).  I hope these meals continue forever.  I never want to cook again.

So, that's how it is.  At two weeks, there are a lot of good days.  There are a lot of smiles and giggles.  There is a lot of sleeping.  There is a lot of poop.  There is a lot of happiness.  There is a lot of work, but thankfully there are a lot of helpful hands (ones that reside under this roof and ones that stop by to bless those that do).  There are a lot of milestones.  There is a lot of noise.  There is a lot of gratitude for the chance to live this good life.  We are very most-certainly going to make it.
  

PS--A note to my loyal reader(s).  I predict that my remaining blog days are growing few.  If you'll remember, I was effectively pushed into this endeavor kicking and screaming all those years ago.  And, while I think there's been some value in chronicling our journey, I'll be glad to retire our adoption blog and re-focus my writing efforts on a once-a-year Christmas letter.  I may post a few times here and there, but as I have mentioned previously (like a few weeks ago when I just had three kids and they could all speak fluently and use the bathroom)...I really don't have time to blog.