Welcome to Rob and Candy's Blog

We are going PINK- we are adopting a little girl from Ethiopia. We'll be sharing our journey to adopt our daughter!

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Look who is Two!!

We celebrated Merone turning 2 years old! 

She was a little overwhelmed by the cake, candles and the singing so Henry helped her out.



Happy Birthday sweet girl! 

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Giardia

This picture says everything if you have ever collected "samples".
Merone did not have any signs of Giardia but I asked the doctor to test for it, just in case. I was shocked when the doctor called last month saying she did have Giardia.  Not only does she have it, she has the most difficult type to kill.  Henry had a different type of Giardia, but it still took several rounds of antibiotics before he was parasite free.  Merone has taken one round of antibiotics.  Rob dropped off her second  "sample" this morning for re-testing.  We are praying that the Giardia is GONE!!

I had to laugh when I saw this website
You can buy all sorts of parasites and microbes, including Giardia. 
He looks so soft and cuddly.... but he really is a pest.  I am looking forward to saying good-bye to Giardia forever.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Merone is talking

I cannot believe it!  We've been home about a month.  Merone is amazing.  Our sweet and shy little girl is becoming more confident and is trying to say words.  To be exact she either screams words or whispers them.  I've looked for volume control on her back but quickly realized she is not a toy but a little girl who wants to be HEARD.  I believe she is quite clever.  When she whispers we all stop to hear what she is saying.  When she screams we cannot help but hear her.  I am trying to teach her "inside voice".  I am certain she understands me because when I talk to her about it she looks at me with a furrowed brow and a pout on her lips as if she is saying- I will be heard!!!  We'll continue working on "inside voice" despite the pout and brow.  

Merone says- Mommy, daddy, no, stop, gog (dog), da (down), up, ticky (icky).  She is very good a getting her point across.  Yesterday Rob had to stifle a laugh when Merone pointed her finger at Henry and said, "No, No!"

Yawn... did I mention we are exhausted?  Henry was a terrible sleeper for MONTHS after he arrived home.  If sleep deprivation was a sport Henry would have been given a gold medal in parental sleep deprivation.  I believe my sweet Henry has been giving Merone tips on how to completely exhaust us. 
Sweet baby girl has had night terrors since the day we took her from the transitional home. She continues to have them.  I have tried waking her up about 2 hours after she goes to sleep.  That worked a couple times but then her night terrors were pushed back a few hours.   It's so hard to watch she struggle as she has the night terrors.  After the night terrors she wakes up 3-6 times per night, crying out for me.  I go and I comfort her and then put her back down.  She has slept through the night, ummm, two times... I'm sooo sleeepy... and so is my dear sweet husband.  Did I mention that Merone gets up around 4:45AM no matter what time she goes to sleep?  Rob is my hero.  He gets up with her every morning and tries to get her back to sleep.  Most mornings he is not successful so they go for long walks while the rest of us sleep.  Rob has logged about 50 miles this month with Merone in the stroller.   I'm hoping her sleep patterns change soon, otherwise, Operation Sleep will be back... but not until Merone knows we are her parents and we will always be there for her. 

Monday, July 18, 2011

Henry's summer time favorites

jumping
water table fun
 lake fun
 puzzles

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Summer time fun

Igor loves summer.  Here's a few reasons why:
 Jumping in the lake off Aunt Jane's dock is always fun
Beating dad at Yahtzee never gets old

puzzles are more fun in the summer time- especially in PJs.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

A new family order

**** I am not an expert on adoption or claim to have all the answers. This post is to share our experiences after adopting three children.***

Every time a new child comes into our family a new order needs to be established. We experienced this with each of our children.  Although, the new order for Igor had the most impact on us, his parents.  We moved to a couple with no children to parents of a 3 1/2 year old.  Wow, did our lives change quickly!  We rejoiced because we were finally parents but there was some grieving for the care-free life style we lived before parenthood.

When we adopted Henry there was  a time of disorder that occurred prior to the "new normal".  It took  months to see the completion of this reordering process but in every family the re-ordering process can look different.  The  months of re-ordering were very hard for Igor who went from an only child to a big brother.  He regressed about a year when Henry came home.  It's hard to watch the regression in your children but it's natural, it happens in most families then something clicks for the child and the child moves forward again. 

The re-ordering process is a very difficult time for each family member because we are all impacted to different degrees.

I have found it difficult to balance Henry's emotional neediness with the minute by minute needs of Merone who has taken barnacle to a new level.   Henry has been regressing before my eyes.... He wants to drink from a bottle, he cries more often, he wants to ride in the stroller, and so on.  Igor less impacted because he remains the "oldest" but he still needs to learn compassion and love for Merone.

Today, I am lowering my expectations of what each child is capable of and of what I can do for each child.  I'm not doing this because I think my children are lazy or have emotionally checked out... it's because family re-ordering has taken an emotional toll on all of us.  Igor is "faking it until" he feels compassion and love for Merone.  Henry is experiencing a loss of his position of being the "baby" and I need to have compassion for him as he sorts out his role in our family.  So for now, he can have a bottle or ride in the stroller.  Yes, some of you are gasping at this thought but I am choosing to meet Henry where is emotionally right now.  I know he won't stay in this place for long.  When I have a few minutes, I am trying to make some special one on one time for Henry and Igor, after all older siblings need mom too.