September - 3 months home

After 2 months of trying to find our new groove, we are settling into the new house and feeling pretty comfortable with our new family of 8!  Our journey thus far has honestly been pure joy! Sometimes I feel guilty admitting that because I know many, many adoption journeys are hard work in the beginning.  And, I'm not naïve enough to think that the road won't get harder.  But, for today, we are simply enjoying our little girl and the joy she has brought to our family!  The only hard part so far has been knowing how to correct behaviors or habits that Baby Girl has picked up along the way home.  We haven't had anything major.  No tantrums or even fits to speak of.  More of training issues like throwing food from the high chair and hitting herself in the head trying to be funny. 



We have quickly realized that training a newly adopted child is much different than training a bio child.  We know that we will have a long road ahead of us earning Susie Q's love and proving to her that we love her unconditionally.  One fellow adoptive mom gave me some great advice in training.  She said to remember to always have kind eyes when correcting your children, adopted or bio.  It was helpful advice to make me stop to think about how my eyes can speak love even when I am saying "no, no." For those first couple of months, we really tried not to even say the word" no" to her, but wanted to fill her environment with lots of "yeses".  But, eventually, the time came to start saying no to some things like the throwing food and really just ignoring some things like the hitting herself for laughs.  We even had to tell friends not to laugh but just look away from her so that she didn't get any attention for hitting herself.  By the end of the month, she wasn't hitting herself at all anymore!

It's also hard to hear Susie Q cry! We used a modified Baby Wise approach for our bio kids (some earlier kids got less modification! I'm so sorry MV and Hambone!) so I am used to a  few short sleep training days for babies to sleep well through the night and to develop health naptime routines.  Susie Q started sleeping through the night immediately thanks to some Baby Wise nannies in China! And her naps were 3 hours long just like my Baby Wise bio babies!  But something changed this month and her naps shortened to 1-1.5 hours long.  Now, my Baby Wise degree told me that she would soon fall back into her normal 3 hour routine if I would just leave her alone and let her cry herself back to sleep.  But, my newly acquired Adoption Wise heart told me that she had probably spent far too many days and nights crying alone in her crib.  What she needed now was to know that someone heard her cry and was there to comfort her. So, nap times are shorter these days, but I hope we have a little girl who is beginning to trust us and know that we love and adore her!

Lunch time with turkey, cheese and grapes!

All about Susie Q!
*She loves people and will go to almost anyone.  We have gone back and forth with saying no one but family can hold her and then letting people again.  We think she has attached quickly to us but she's also quick to make friends with strangers and show affection to them.  That's what we don't want!

*She is growing like a weed, but not putting on much weight, just getting longer!
*Her hair is finally long enough to stick a bow in it! For the first time ever, I am using those tiny, clear rubber bands in her hair so that the bow doesn't fall out.  She isn't a fan of rubber bands!
*She loves PB&J!  Just like her Mama!
*She loves to play outside!
*She loves Mac and Cheese!
*She learned to crawl backwards down the steps this month! Best practice is at church when she and Mommy head out during the sermon!

Watching GCA Football with Hambone!

First Fireworks Show for Labor Day!

She loved the swing! And I can't get enough of her smile!

Big time laughing!

GCA's Biggest Fan!  Thanks Cassie for my dress!

She learned to crawl backwards down the steps this month!

Family hike to Burgess Falls!

I LOVE my Daddy!



She loves the outdoors just like the rest of us!