Their first Parade

Our little town has an "Ole Fashion Festival" celebration every year in July. Now that we have children, I actually was checking out the information about the festival. I was so excited to see that they have a kids parade. So we loaded up the stroller, packed a blanket, chairs and goodies and met friends for the parade.
It is a short, sweet kids parade.  Where people walk, ride with their kids and dogs and throw candy. Haven talked all day about going to the parade (even though she didn't know what that meant). We we got there she was so excited to see all the dogs more than anything else.
It was so sweet to watch their faces as it went by and the big excitement is they got a tootsie pop. Their first one and they both ate it with glee. Haven really cherished hers and made it last a long time. She said her longest sentence yet over that tootsie pop. Alec had finished his and was leaning into check hers out, when she said " No Alec, this is not yours." Wow I was impressed!!!
As we have learned with the potty training, the girl loves candy and is motivated by the opportunity to have some.

Who knows maybe next year we will be in the parade....maybe.

Alec loved the cool old fire truck

Yummy Grape!

Look at the face Daddy taught me!

Summer Fun

Cheese

Pictures of summer fun

Wanting to go down the climbing wall

Favorite things

Haven is now 28 months. Some of her favorite things; DADDY, Tenley, shoes, blueberries, smoothies, her dolly, her chocolate scented teddy bear, swinging, slides and Alec's cars. Her favorite books right now are "The Hungry Caterpillar", "Flap Your Wings", "Go Dog Go", "Dora the Explorer, What will you be when you grow up?", and "You can call me Gorgeous". Her new favorite saying " Ahh Man" (from a Dora toy).

Alec is now 19 months. Some of his favorite things are Mommy, Tenley, his bottle (still), smoothies, applesauce, and bacon ( or as he says is backy). His favorite toys, hands down water and rocks, swings, and slides. But indoors he likes his cars, Haven's talking dolly and Leap the alphabet frog.  His favorite books right now are "Elmo says", "The Belly Book", "The nose book" (still in the top 10 since he came home), "Hop on Pop"( since day 1) and "If you give a pig a party" (or as he calls it the balooon book).
His new favorite saying "I do it!" He wants to dress himself, brush his own teeth, use the baby wipes on himself and change his own diaper. He is trying hard to keep up with Haven and use the potty, but it is hit and miss. He also likes to point out to me when Haven is in trouble that he knows what she did wrong and that is was naughty.

The newest game they both like to play in the car is calling Nyah's name and Marquez's name. They are a friend's children they play with the most. They giggle and call their names when we are driving anywhere.  When I tell them no we aren't going to see Nyah and Marques they laugh more and call their names. At least the both are in on the joke:)

I must admit that bringing two orphans home at once and becoming an instant family was SO HARD. But I can't imagine not having either one of my sweet babies....even though they are not babies any more. It seems like only yesterday we were coming home with our children and then at times it seems so long ago.

I still have days when I think I will never get through to Haven, but those are occurring less and less.

My children's humorous quips

I'm recording these for a book I plan to put together of my children's first year home.

Both of my children are a little confused with what an owl is. Whenever they see a picture of an "owl" they hold their wrist and scream OWWW. I have had tendonitis that is taking a long time to heal, because children reinjure my wrist. When they do that I yell OWWW.

Alec: Yesterday when I was scolding Haven for playing with the blind in their room, Alec kept saying Mommy, Mommy, Mommy. When I finally answered what Alec, he grinned, pointed at the blind and said " No No Haven, bad." (He enjoyed rubbing it in that she was doing something naughty).

Alec: Yesterday when I hit my Dr's fence backing out of the their driveway...yep I hit the fence. Alec said
" Mommy, Mommy BIG bump"

Haven: While trying on shoes that we just got from Krista, Haven said "they perfect blue" they are navy  blue shoes.

Haven: While she was sitting on the potty trying to go, so she can get a piece of candy.  We were playing our version of I spy. We call it, find it. I was saying find the wall, find the ceiling, find a window. When it was her turn she is saying ummmm and thinking of what to say. I asked her what do you want Mommy to find? She smiled and said "CANDY"  and laughed. She is such a hoot!!

Haven's surgery

Last week our girl had ear surgery. She had a tube placed in one ear and a hole in her eardrum of the other ear patched. When we were landing in DC from Addis Haven's ear drum ruptured. OUCH! We having been dealing with ear infections and rupturing ear drums ever since she got on US soil. So enough is enough I asked for her to have the procedures done.
She was so brave. I was very concerned about her having a melt down being separated from me. She can't stand it when I leave a room and has to follow me everywhere. So I asked for some sedation for her before the procedure.
Wow what a difference that made, she just let the nurse carry her to the OR without any crying.
For 30 minutes we waited. I fretted and Naing read. I really wasn't concerned about Haven going under anesthesia. They use SEVO on children and it is the safest thing out there. We used it all the time at the vet clinic so I didn't have the normal fear of most parents. My fear was that she would feel abandoned and freak out not knowing where she was.
She came through surgery fine. But her recovery was hard. She didn't like not being able to control her body's movements, was very mad and expressive about her lack of control. She was crying non-stop in recovery. So we finally convinced them to let us take her home. She cried the whole way home and for a brief moment when we stepped in the door. But after seeing her brother, dogs and toys all was well in the world.
Now the hard part, trying to keep ear plugs in a 2 year old's ears when she is having her hair washed or playing in water.
We go back for our recheck appointment next week to see if the patch is working and hopefully her ear drum will start repairing itself. If that is not happening then she will have to have major surgery when she is older to repair the eardrum.
I can already see a difference in her pronunciation. She now says sorry instead of "orry". Doesn't really seem to listen to me any different when I'm giving her direction, but that is another story.


PS. Hope you like the new format of my blog. I won Christie's give away of a new blog. I love it! So if you need help with a new format check her out.
Her blog is abushelandapeck.

One year ago today. Happy Referralversary

One year ago today my life was changed for the better forever.
After 8 1/2 long torturous months we finally got the call from Tami telling us about our children. A boy Alec (Beri) that was 7 months and a daughter Haven (Amarech) that was 15 months.



On our referral paperwork said that Haven was 19.9# and 29 1/2" tall. She is now 27 # and 36" tall. Just thinking of all she has accomplished since she came home warms my heart. Haven has a huge vocabulary, still says 2 word sometimes 3 word sentences. She is so interested in how things are put together and work. She climbs into her highchair and car seat by herself and buckles herself in. The highchair she can do all by herself. The car seat she can do 1/2 of it by herself. She puts on her shoes, socks, pants and tries the shirts (That is a little more difficult). She sits for me to do "ponies" in her hair. She loves to take a bath and put lotion on after her bath. She is a shoe DIVA. Loves her shoes and wants them when she first gets up. She likes to help pick out her clothes for the day.
Haven has a healthy appetite and will try any food once. She loves fruit and right now blueberries are the new favorite thing. She will go potty on the potty 3-4 times a day so we are close to being potty trained. She can now build large towers with her legos (that her brother likes to knock down). She loves books and will tell herself the story while she flips through the pages waiting for me to read the book. She loves music and now sings along to the song while we are driving. She is still very clingy. Doesn't like to be away from me so she follows me everywhere in the house. Getting her to go to sleep is still a daily struggle and she recently decided that she really doesn't need to nap....(yes she does!). I do have my difficult days with her, but I love her truly and so enjoy her giggle, her silliness and her wild imagination. I love you so much my beautiful, funny girl!



Alec's paperwork said he was 13.22# and 25 3/4" tall. When he first came home he was in the 22% for his height and very skinny! Now he is 25# of muscle and 35" tall. He has shot up to the 90% for height. I'm not exaggerating when I say every time I turn around he has outgrown his shirts or shoes.
He has come so far since he has been home. He really couldn't sit up well when we brought him home. In a short while he was sitting up, crawling and in a few months walking and running. He is very verbal and says 2-3 word sentences. Loves to climb and run. Loves his trucks, cars, rocks and dirt. He has learned to feed himself very well. He is still a picky eater but is starting to try more things. He loves fruit as well and is more adventurist when it comes to trying new fruit. He is very musical. The boy can dance and he sings to along to the music too. He loves Elmo and Sesame Street (more than Haven). He enjoys his books and puzzles. He is finally starting to sleep through the night. He is a very busy boy and doesn't have time to cuddle unless he is tired or cold. He loves to throw the ball for Tenley and run with her in the backyard. He is interested in potty training and has even peed in the toilet once woo hoo. He is my fish, loves, loves water. It doesn't matter if it is bath time, from the hose, sprinkler or in the wadding pool, he can never get enough. He also is a stinker, he bites his sister and likes to sit on her. He is all boy. I miss the cuddle time we had when he woke up in the middle of the night, but so glad he isn't having his night terrors every night. When I think about how sick he was, I just tear up to think that he may not have been our child if he wasn't sick with pneumonia. How I love this little guy. He is our funny, happy boy. He is a very easy going child who is quick to smile. Love you so much Alec.