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Note: I started this post June 25, and was interrupted by a call from our worker asking us to take an emergency placement of two girls, thus the interruption of time. Also, things are even more intense and chaotic right now, but we are getting it figured out. I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to introduce you to Busy Boy as well as let you in to the complexity that is life in the Stubborn house right now, and I think what might be effective is to give you a daily breakdown. 7:00 AM – Bitty Babe wakes up. Depending on the kind of day it is, she is either cooing and playing in her crib, or screaming bloody murder. There is no in between. Also, depending on what kind of night it was, I am either well rested and ready to start the day, or am dragging my legs over the edge of the bed trying to explain to my screaming baby why it is taking me so long. “Hold on, Honey!” “I’m almost there, Baby Girl!” “My eyes are having a little trouble opening, Darling. Be patient!” God graciously made me a morning person, so as soon as my feet hit the floor and I start moving, I wake up very quickly and am ready to get things started. I pick up my precious baby girl and greet her with ‘good morning’s’ and lots and lots of kisses. I bring her to the changing area on our living room floor and soak up the love as she coos and smiles at me as I change her butt. I then sit her down (‘cuz she can sit now!) with a couple of toys while I take care of some….ahem…personal business. Then it’s time to get her morning bottle made as well as dose up her morning med. Update: When I originally wrote this, Bitty was not crawling yet. This has since changed in a big way. There is no more sitting her on the floor while she contentedly plays with a toy, because she has figured out very quickly how to climb our sunken living room’s stairs to follow me where ever I go, so now she goes into the bathroom with me and plays with a roll of toilet paper. Feeding Bitty is one of my favorite things. I love how she gazes up at my face and strokes my hair. She still needs to be swaddled to eat effectively most of the time, but she usually works her right arm out, and it goes straight to my hair and face. She has this thing about scratching too, so I really have to stay on top of her nails. 8:00 AM – Busy Boy wakes up. I usually know this because he either knocks on his door, which he can’t open yet, or he cries, which stops as soon as I open the door. He greets me with a smiley “Hi!” and gives me a hug around the legs. I melt. He carries his sippy cup of water and his blanket out with him, but he usually drops them somewhere between his bedroom and the living room. I always give him kisses as soon as I see him, and I ask him how he rested, which he usually replies to in his own lovely little language. Busy Boy, at 29 months of age, has the language skills of an 15-18 month-old, but he makes up for his lack of words with his expressiveness in his own language. He wants to make himself known so much, and we are determined to give him the tools to do that, so the day he moved in I began using sign language with him. He picked it up so quickly those first couple of days that I was convinced that his guardians had been using sign with him, which I found out was not the case. He already knows more than 20 signs, learns new ones instantly, and signs 3 word sentences. He even makes up his own signs to make himself understood. For example, at lunch one day he pointed to the grilled cheese sandwich I had on the stove and he signed “hot cheese.” What I love about the use of sign language with speech-delayed kids is that it gives them a chance to build vocabulary and confidence as they learn to speak. More on that another time. After Busy Boy gets up, I get his butt changed and then wait to see what kind of morning it will be. Sometimes Busy Boy is ready to go right away and immediately wants to go to his high chair and eat breakfast. Other mornings he needs some time to play before he realizes he is hungry. 8:15 AM – Breakfast. I have been enjoying breakfast time so much! This used to be a hard time of the morning for me before Busy Boy came. Most mornings I would spend the first hour sitting on the couch with the babe watching TLC’s morning lineup. Because of Bitty Babe’s high needs, it was just easier to not have any morning expectations. Now that Busy Boy is here, I don’t have a choice. I have to feed the child! I definitely think it helps that Bitty is old enough now that she is interested in playing with things, so she is not needing my constant attention and entertainment. Even though she’s not eating solid food yet, I’ve been putting her in her high chair with some of her favorite toys, or a graham cracker to gnaw on, so she can join us in the breakfast fun. I know I haven’t been writing much about it recently, but I love to cook, and I’ve always thought that cold cereal was more of a snack food than a breakfast food, which leads me to the conclusion that I should make hot breakfast as often as possible. This is actually a very practical thing with two little ones because they eat in the kitchen, and I want to be with them, so cooking for them makes my time well spent. Lately I’ve been making Busy Boy blueberry pancakes and a simple cheese omelette. They are quick, nutritious dishes, and Busy Boy gobbles them up. While I’m making the hot items, I give him him his choice of fruit, which he uses his new found sign language skills to communicate. Busy Boy is a big eater, which is wonderful, because he will try just about anything, but he is also a slow eater, which means that breakfast takes up a good 45 minutes of our morning. 9:00 AM – New butt and play time. This is when I am really glad that Bitty is getting so independent and will play on her own, because this allows me time to get some morning chores done. During this time, Busy Boy is exploring. He is such a thinker. He loves finding out how objects might work together, especially in combinations I would never have thought of, like plastic stacking rings strung onto a wagon handle. 10:00 AM – Snack time for Busy Boy, nap time for Bitty. Yes, you read that right, Bitty is actually going down for regular morning naps! This started about a month ago, and I am loving it! Depending on how she’s feeling, she will sleep anywhere from 1-3 hours. It’s wonderful! Snack time is another time of the day that I am so thankful for my ASL background, because Busy Boy is able to let me know when he is hungry and exactly what he wants. It’s incredible. I seriously almost cried the day when instead of whining and grunting for his hat that he saw in his diaper bag, he signed “hat please.” Amazing. 10:30 AM – More play time. Since Bitty is usually asleep at this time, I try to take this time to spend some good one-on-one time with Busy Boy and work on more specific skills. It’s pretty obvious that Busy Boy was never really read to, as he has no idea what to do with a book, and cannot identify objects in pictures…like any. So this is something I am really trying to work with him on. It’s hard sometimes, because he is so active he doesn’t really want to sit still with me. Now, don’t get me wrong, he is a very cuddly kid, and loves to be rocked and snuggled, but right now reading seems like a waste of good play time to him. So I am trying to read AROUND him a lot, and catch him during his few quiet times. I’ve been collecting children’s books for years, so I am super excited to share these wonderful books with my kiddos. We’ll get there. Update: Since I wrote this, Busy Boy is now choosing to get books off the bookshelf and look at them independently! He has been pointing to pictures and telling me about them, such as pointing to a picture of Elmo taking a bath and signing and saying “bath time,” or “night nights” for Ernie in bed. 11:30 AM – Lunch. More good food. Enough said. 12:15 PM – Busy Boy goes down for his nap. The first few days were rough simply because we had no idea what kind of schedule he was on. Now that we know, and we know how routine oriented he is, nap time is a breeze. After I get him cleaned up from lunch, I change his butt and tell him it’s time for night nights. He grabs his bunny blanket and his sippy cup (with water) and heads to his room. He’s usually fussing as he walks, but it’s so fake it’s hilarious. He puts himself into bed, I give him a kiss, say good night, go out, and shut the door. DONE! Time for Mama ( Äiti) to get busy! This is when I try to get caught up on dishes and laundry. If Bitty is awake, I work in our bedroom putting clothes away, which is my LEAST favorite chore. If Bitty is asleep, I work somewhere else in the house, maybe even getting some deeper sorting and organizing done. If Bitty is really sleeping, I might even lie down for a while, although she has this Äiti radar and has an annoying habit of waking up within minutes of me lying down. 3:00 PM – Busy Boy is up and ready for a new butt and a snack. He always wakes up in good spirits, so I am excited to see him when he wakes up from his nap. Then it’s play time, hopefully including some outside time, especially now that Bitty can sit in the grass and play as well. Our physical therapist blessed us with a playskool turtle sandbox, complete with sand, so Busy Boy has been thoroughly enjoying that along with the inexpensive water table I found earlier this summer. Bitty usually naps at this time too. 5:00 PM – More snack as I start dinner, ‘cuz we always end up eating late. 6:00 PM – Hubby gets home from work and helps with the littles as I try to finish dinner. I love, LOVE, love seeing Hubby in his amazing role as Isä. He and Busy Boy are bonding incredibly well. It helps that Busy Boy is such an easy going, funny, interesting kid of coarse, but he has taken to Hubby in a huge way. 7:00 PM – Dinner. It’s fun eating as a family again. 8:00 PM – Bath time. Busy Boy loves to sit and play in his little tub. He also likes it when Bitty Babe comes to join him. He enjoys helping to wash her and he likes to tickle her belly and her toes. After his bath I rub him down with coconut oil infused with lavender and eucalyptus oils. I started this when Bitty Babe had RSV this past winter, but it’s a great way to get more touch opportunities, as well as check for booboos, and nourish their skin. One of my favorite heart-warming moments included this little ritual. As I rub the oil into his skin, I sing Busy Boy a song, “This is the way we rub the oil, rub the oil, rub the oil, this is the way we rub the oil right before bed time.” One night, Busy Boy got his fingers into the jar and took out a little too much oil, so I asked him if he would rub it on my arm. As he lovingly rubbed the oil in, he sang the song to me in his beautiful little way. It was a great little reward from heaven. 8:15 PM – Bed time for Busy Boy! Just like nap time, Busy Boy gets his blankets and his sippy cup of water, gives Isä kisses, and heads to bed. After I close his curtains, I sit with him on the floor and rock him as I sing my favorite lullaby from Psalty to him. Then I pray over him, thanking God for putting this amazing child in my life. I put him back into his bed, kiss him good night, tell him I love him and leave the room. He might fuss a little, but is usually out before I get to the living room. 8:30 PM – Chill time with Hubby. I might get some dinner clean-up done, but I usually do most of my dishes the next morning during breakfast. I need this time with my sweet husband. Plus, Bitty doesn’t go down until at least 9, and is extra needy in those evening hours. 11:30 PM – Night night! I take the dog out, brush my teeth, crawl between the sheets, read my Bible, turn my music on, and am out! 4:00 AM – Bitty usually wakes up declaring that she is starving to death, so I stumble out of bed, use the facilities as fast as possible, make her a bottle, and try not to fall asleep on my child as I give her the sustenance she so desperately desires. Then back to sleep for as long as possible. Wow. Just writing all that really reminds me of how much life has changed since Jeremiah and Gabe were here. Gabe came to visit last weekend, and he commented multiple times how funny it was to see all the baby stuff around the house. He loves it though, and is so glad to have the opportunity to be big brother to Busy Boy and Bitty. As I said in the last post, we knew that God knew what He was doing, and that even if the sib placement didn’t work out, that He had a reason that He was preparing us. Finally, two weeks after we got the initial referral for the sibling group, our agency gave us a call to tell us that the variance for other family had been approved, so we would not be getting the 4-pack, but before she even took a breath she had something else to ask us. She asked me, because Hubby was at work, if we would consider taking a two year-old boy. She and his assigned worker spent the next few minutes on speaker phone with me telling me the little they knew about him. He had only been in care a few days, and was initially placed with a foster family who decided they couldn’t handle his tantrums. They told me that apparently he tantrums when he hears “No,” hits himself, and hits his head on the floor. All I was thinking at this point was, “Does this family not know ANYTHING about 2 year-olds?” Everything else about the boy was extremely positive, and the tantrums didn’t scare me a bit. I actually really enjoy the strong-willed-ness that comes with toddler-hood. I love how they are developing their sense of self, and literally learning how to be human. I love their creativity and ingenuity, and how they can help you think outside the box, because they do it so naturally. Anywho, I told them that they would most likely get a “Yes,” but I had to call Hubby first, so I called Hubby and gave him the lowdown, and he asked me to give him an hour to think and pray about it. When the hour was up I gave him a buzz, and he said “Yes.” It wasn’t even a tentative “Yes.” It was the kind of answer that comes from knowing true peace. That was Tuesday. He would be coming the next day. We had painting to do. As a not so fun sidebar, I got a really bad case of the stomach flu that previous weekend, so I was not good for anything other than lying on the couch sipping water. That put all of our well-intentioned preparation plans on hold, so when we got the call about the little boy we had no choice but to go into overdrive. Hubby came home from work and got right to painting. I finished up the last coat Wednesday morning, just hours before our new little guy would be arriving. There was such a lack of info on this little one that we really didn’t know what to expect. When our worker pulled into the driveway, I was definitely excited, but not nervous at all. It’s a weird feeling, waiting to see who this little person will be. I’ve never given birth, but I imagine that it’s similar, except we often have mere days or even hours notice to anticipate these new members to our family. This time was particularly strange because, unlike Bright Eyes or Bitty Babe, this boy was already 2 years-old. He had 2 years of history that we were not a part of. 2 full years of experiences that shaped his little personality and his perception of this world of which we would never know the full extent. That is something unique to the foster care and adoption experience that is hard to describe completely. Anywho, the caseworker took him out of his car seat and I got my first glimpse of our new addition. He was tiny for a 27 month-old. He wore a blue camouflage hat that covered his strawberry blond curls. His bright blue eyes sparkled as he pointed at me and smiled and said something in his own little language. He reached up for me and I scooped him up and brought him up the stairs, and together we held the door open for the two workers (his worker and a worker in training) as they brought in his stuff. It only took a few moments for me to think of the perfect nickname for this little dude. As he raced around our house, exploring every detail along the way, I dubbed him “Busy Boy.” The workers (his worker and a workers spent about half an hour with us, answering questions as best they could, and observing his comfort level. They were both impressed at how observant he was and how quickly he figured out the house. One thing that struck me right away was how intelligent Busy Boy was. I showed him his room and told him “This is your room!” and that was that. His sense of humor caught me off guard. At one point, while the workers were still here, he found a small blanket, covered himself up, and pretended to snore. I cracked up! Anywho, I could talk about Busy Boy’s amazing personality all day, and I will definitely be expanding more about his first few days with us, but for now I will say that first impressions were better than I could have imagined. He is definitely strong-willed, and used to getting his way, but his “intense tantrums” were laughable, and he responded immediately to the structured environment we provided. We don’t know what the future holds for either of our little ones, but things are definitely heading toward the long term for both. This is an exciting time for Hubby and myself. We daily put our family in the Lord’s hands, and we are enjoying every moment that we are blessed with these precious little ones. I got this idea from my friend, Leslie, and I thought, “I could write that kind of post! I’m quirky!” And Bitty Babe is sleeping. And so I am going to write this post. In no particular order…. I must have a strong-willed streak, because I WILL NOT re-post statuses on FB that try to guilt you into re-posting. Won’t do it. So, if you post something that implies that I’m not a good Christian, or a good sister, or a good wife etc…. if I don’t re-post it, you can know for sure that it will not show up on my wall. Nope. Not gonna happen. My sleeping blankets and pillows can not touch the floor! It’s a germ thing. It’s a smell thing. It’s a perception thing. I’m very serious about this. A good way to annoy me is to be careless about where you throw my pillows and blankets. Hubby has had to learn this the hard way. (When I read this to him he told me he didn’t realize this and said “So, basically, I’ve been grossing you out for years?” Yup. I still sleep with my baby blanket. It ends up being more of a pillow than a blanket, but it’s the last thing I reach for before I fall asleep. I run its soft corners through my fingers and across my face. When I wake up, I often tickle my hands and arms with the softest corner to wake myself up. If I’m upset, or just need a little comfort fix, I put it up to my face and just breathe in the comforting scent. Hubby occassionally subconsciously steals it from me when he sleeps, but no one else is allowed to touch it. Rachel knew it was something special when I asked her to get my blankie for Bright Eyes to sleep with during her nap. She looked at me and asked “You mean, YOUR pink blankie?” Hehehe. Yeah, I loved that babe alright. A little blankie fashion. I love the smell of my husband so much that I sleep with his worn shirts when he’s away, and will even seek out a quick sniff when I’m missing him during the day. Ask anyone! My hubby smells good! I think peas are a condiment. It’s a family thing, I think, but I like to put peas on other foods, and it makes them taste so much better! My favorites are mac and cheese and cottage cheese. I actually can not eat either of these foods without putting peas on them. Yum! Oh, and a very important detail is that these must be fresh or frozen peas. Canned peas do not enter this house. Ketchup is a food all by itself. There’s a cliche’ saying when people consume what other people think is an unbalanced amount of a condiment or some other side item that goes something like “Would you like some fries with that ketchup?” Why, yes. Yes I would. I LOVE KETCHUP! Specifically Heinz ketchup. No Hunts for me. No thank you. I will actually choose a restaurant based on what ketchup they use, which Hubby finds quite comical. If I’m in a ketchup mood, I will buy French fries or chicken nuggets so that I have something to eat with ketchup. “Hi, I’m Hannah, and I have a ketchup problem.” I asked my husband if I have other quirks, and he said he’s afraid to tell me because I might get mad at him. What I loved about Leslie’s post was that it was such a good discussion starter, so would you please share some of your quirkiness with me? What are the goofy things that make you, you? We are appealing the decision, but I have no confidence. Jeremiah’s situation is so up in the air. Where will he be? Who can help him? What role are we supposed to play? How much can our hearts handle? It’s been hard to be thankful because I’ve been so angry. Angry that we are having to go over yet another hurdle, and another. The past two years have been so hard and it’s just not letting up. We are asking a lot of questions that there just are not easy answers to. It’s hard to breathe. This weight that’s on my heart feels so overwhelming that it makes every breath a conscious effort. Every smile is a decision. My friend Eileen said it so well. “If it looks to you as if I don’t take something seriously enough because you cannot see the blood from my broken heart spilling out all over, ok, that’s good cause that would scare the kids. And maybe what you see is me standing on the rock of my faith – my incredible Father, Who is working things out in our lives. Or, maybe what you are seeing is some therapeutic dancing and singing because we are intentionally choosing not to live in the pain every. moment. You know they say you cannot judge a book by its cover… along those same lines – you cannot always see the brokenness of a life by looking at someones’ face. Imma gonna dance on – with you or without you, it’s ok, I have friends who get it.” But sometimes there are just too many unanswered “what if’s,” and sanity is just not possible. But I am choosing to be thankful. Choosing very carefully what attitudes I hold onto. The emotions and the feelings and the thoughts come like darts and hit at some very inconvenient and even inappropriate times, piercing me to the deepest parts of my…depths, but I choose what stays. Somehow, I’m going to have to choose to say “You give and take away, blessed be Your name.” Somehow. But be patient with me, and remind me gently, and if I yell at you and tell you to shut up, love me anyways, and then try again later. And keep praying for us, ‘cuz none of this makes any flippin’ sense. It is my theory that when you are living in trauma for a really long time, especially when you are required to have extreme self-awareness and self-control during that extended trauma, you start to lose sight of who you really are, because it all becomes a pretending game (AKA “fake it till you make it”). When I went to the amazing Parenting in SPACE conference back in April, ya’ know, right before my life as I knew it collapsed, I conferred with a number of trauma mamas who turned out to also have a background in theater. It’s a good skill to have, to be able to smile and speak calmly when most “normal” people would be frothing at the mouth. But that skill comes with a curse of possibly losing sight of how you truly feel, or even HOW to feel. Anywho, the continual trauma, at least within this household, has been greatly reduced recently. J will finally be getting the help he needs, which means he is not here, which means both we and he are safer, which means less trauma, hopefully, for all involved. With less trauma here, plus the addition of a darn cute baby girl, of whom I am unfortunately not able to write a whole lot about, I am healing. With that healing comes a rediscovery of who this now 27-year-old Hannah Rae person is. Even my sweet hubby has remarked a number of times that he’s starting to see “me” again. So here’s what I’ve discovered so far: I love being Aiti (Mommy in Finnish) to a precious little girl. Her eyes make mine cry with happiness, and her laugh makes anything worth while. I could breathe her in all day (who knew?). And instead of dreading the morning hours, I look forward to getting to see her again, and miss her when she is sleeping. I love to cook and challenge myself to learn new culinary skills. Now, I’ve known for a long time that I am a good cook, but recently I’ve rediscovered the JOY of being good at making quality, tasty food for those I love. It makes me smile when I get hose MMmmm’s and Yums, especially from my hungry FIL. I don’t mind doing dishes. This was a HUGE discovery, because for YEARS I’ve loathed nothing more. It doesn’t help that we live in house that was built by tiny Finnish people, which means that Hubby (6’5″) and myself (6’1″) have suffered many a backache scrubbing those daily dishes. Well, whether by excessive back exercise, (my fellow trauma mamas may be able to relate) or by sheer will, I can now gleefully do the dishes while I am entertained by “The Cosby Show” or “M*A*S*H” DVD’s that my sweet hubby has blessed me with. I joked with him the other day that he didn’t know that getting me those series as birthday gifts would make his house cleaner, did he? He replied with “What other series would you like, dear?” I think he’s just concerned that Juji is learning the theme songs a little too well. I love to laugh and be silly. Okay, I knew this about myself already, but I had forgotten HOW. I had forgotten that it is not only okay, but entirely necessary to be ridiculously silly and let down all guards to just laugh. Now, I did a lot of being silly to help my sons heal, especially during stressful times, but it was an act. I did not enjoy it. It was work. Now, my sister and I can laugh about the silliest of things, just because we want to. Sure, I go through more pairs of underwear, but it is so worth it. I am a romantic. Again, I knew this already, but it is such a joy to rediscover this part of myself as my beloved and I get to know each other again and draw closer to each other as friends and lovers during this time of stress and healing. Yes, it is possible for those two entities to coexist. So this journey takes its twist and turns, far more than I expected to have by this point in my life, but I am starting to see how my Heavenly Father uses them to build true character. I definitely do not like the refiner’s fire at times, but as this new anthem of mine says, He makes all things new….and beautiful. Blessings! Hannah WHOOHOO! Day 2 of successful blogging consistency! And I came up with this one all on my own! Jeremiah is in respite with a good friend who has a therapeutic youth ranch. He’s serving, and hopefully healing. He’s not here. That’s different. Because Jeremiah is not here, I can actually go into the next room without thinking about where everything is and what is missing when I return. I can actually use the bathroom without fear of having to figure out what Jeremiah wants me to “catch him” at when I get done. I don’t have to hold my breath and pretend to not smell urine and intestinal gas that could peel paint. I don’t have to check and double check door locks and alarms and keep track of my keys. It’s quiet. That’s different. I’m hanging out with Baby E, who sleeps a lot and, unless she is hungry, in which case she screams bloody murder, is otherwise content and smiley. Because she sleeps a lot, I get to actually take a nap in the middle of the day if I want to, but I haven’t really needed too because I am getting the time I need for myself, to renew, to do what I WANT to do, and if that’s nothing, well, then I do nothing. I’m rested. That’s different. Hubby and I are spending a lot of good time together. We’re watching a parenting DVD series together and having some great discussions. We’re reading through 1 Corinthians together, and hearing God’s word for us TOGETHER. We’re praying for our marriage, for our sons, for our family TOGETHER. We actually went on 2 dates and talked about things other than our boys’ behaviors! I’m getting time with my best friend. That’s different. Jeremiah will be in respite for a few more days because Hubby has to go on a business trip for a couple of days, and I do not feel safe bringing J back yet. So, I will have a few days where it’s just me and the babe. She has a lot of appointments, so we won’t be just sitting around at home, but it will still be odd. I’m hoping for some productive use of the quiet, and that I can tune out the chaos of my thoughts and hear my Father’s voice. We need some major breakthrough in a lot of areas of our family’s life, and I’m hoping to hear some direction. I want to hear my Father’s heart for us.
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Agus dul mar sin mo laethanta Tabhair faoi deara: Thosaigh mé an post seo 25 Meitheamh, agus cuireadh isteach ag glaoch as ár oibrí ag iarraidh orainn a ghlacadh socrúchán éigeandála beirt chailíní, dá bhrí sin an cur isteach ar an am. Chomh maith leis sin, tá rudaí níos déine agus chaotic ceart anois, ach táimid ag dul figured sé amach. Tá mé ag iarraidh a figiúr amach an bealach is fearr chun tú a thabhairt isteach chun Boy Busy chomh maith le tú a ligean i do chastacht go bhfuil an saol sa teach stubborn ceart anois, agus sílim go d'fhéadfadh a bheith éifeachtach a thabhairt duit briseadh síos laethúil . 07:00 - Bitty Babe wakes suas. Ag brath ar an cineál lae é, tá sí ag crón ré ceachtar agus ag imirt ina crib, nó screadaíl dúnmharú fuilteach. Níl aon i idir. Chomh maith leis sin, ag brath ar cén cineál oíche a bhí sé, tá mé ceachtar rested go maith agus réidh chun tús a chur leis lá, nó tá tarraingt mo chos thar an imeall an leaba ag iarraidh a mhíniú do mo leanbh screadaíl cén fáth go bhfuil sé ag cur fada liom sin a dhéanamh. "Coinnigh ar, Mil!" "Tá mé beagnach ann, Cailín leanbh!" "Tá mo shúile ag oscailt dtrioblóid beag, Darling. Bí othar! " Dia chaoin mé ag duine ar maidin, amhlaidh a luaithe is a bhuail mo chosa ar an urlár agus tús a chur mé ag bogadh, dúisigh mé suas go han-tapa agus táim réidh chun a fháil rudaí a tosaithe. Mé Pioc suas mo cailín leanbh lómhara agus a beannú le 'dea-maidine' agus go leor agus go leor de póga. A thabhairt mé léi go dtí an ceantar atá ag athrú ar ár n-urlár seomra suí agus soak suas an grá mar atá sí COOS agus smiles ag dom mar mé athrú a Butt. Mé ag suí ansin léi síos ('cuz féidir léi suí anois!) Le cúpla bréagáin agus a ghlacadh mé aire a thabhairt ar roinnt .... ahem ... gnó pearsanta. Ansin, tá sé in am a fháil di buidéal maidin a rinneadh chomh maith le dáileog suas a maidin Med Nuashonrú:. Nuair a scríobh mé ar dtús seo, ní raibh Bitty crawling go fóill. Tá sé seo athraithe ó shin ar bhealach mór. Níl aon níos mó ina suí di ar an urlár agus imríonn sí contentedly le bréagán, toisc go bhfuil figured sí amach go han-tapa conas a tóg ár seomra suí bháite ar staighre a leanúint liom nuair a bhí riamh a théann mé, mar sin anois téann sí isteach sa seomra folctha liom agus drámaí le rolla de páipéar leithris. :) Is é Beathú Bitty ceann de mo rudaí is fearr leat. Is breá liom conas gazes sí suas ar mo aghaidh agus strokes mo chuid gruaige. Riachtanais sí fós le swaddled a ithe go héifeachtach is mó den am, ach oibríonn sí de ghnáth a lámh dheis amach, agus téann sé díreach go dtí mo chuid gruaige agus ar aghaidh. Tá sí an rud faoi scratching freisin, mar sin tá mé i ndáiríre chun fanacht ar barr na hingne. 08:00 - Dúisíonn Boy Busy suas. Tá a fhios agam de ghnáth seo toisc go knocks sé chucu ar a doras, nach féidir leis a oscailt go fóill, nó caoineadh sé, a stopann chomh luath agus a oscailt mé an doras. Mbeannaí sé dom le smiley "Dia duit!" Agus tugann dom le barróg ar fud na cosa. I leá. Déanann sé a cupán sippy uisce agus a blaincéad amach leis, ach titeann sé de ghnáth iad áit éigin idir a sheomra leapa agus seomra suí. Mé a thabhairt dó i gcónaí póga chomh luath agus a fheiceáil mé é, agus ceist a chur air agam conas a rested sé, a fhreagraíonn sé de ghnáth i dteanga a beag féin álainn. Boy Busy, ag 29 mhí d'aois, tá na scileanna teanga ar 15-18 mí d'aois, ach déanann sé suas as a chuid easpa focail lena expressiveness ina dteanga féin. Tá sé ag iarraidh a chur in iúl dó féin an méid sin, agus tá rún daingean againn a thabhairt dó na huirlisí sin a dhéanamh, agus mar sin an lá chuaigh sé i thosaigh mé ag baint úsáide as teanga chomharthaíochta leis. Phioc sé suas é chomh tapa sin chéad cúpla lá go raibh mé cinnte go raibh a caomhnóirí ag baint úsáide as comhartha leis, a fuair mé amach nach raibh an cás. Tá a fhios aige cheana féin níos mó ná 20 comhartha, foghlaimíonn cinn nua láithreach, agus a shíníonn 3 abairtí focal. Déanann sé fiú suas a comharthaí féin a dhéanamh thuiscint féin. Mar shampla, ag lón lá amháin dúirt sé leis an ceapaire cáise grilled a bhí agam ar an sorn agus shínigh sé "cáis te." Cad is breá liom mar gheall ar an úsáid a bhaint as teanga comharthaíochta le urlabhra-moillithe páistí is go dtugann sé dóibh an deis a thógáil stór focal agus muinín mar a fhoghlaimíonn siad a labhairt. Níos mó ar an am go chéile. Tar éis a fhaigheann Boy Busy suas, a fháil ar a Butt athrú agus ansin fanacht ar a fheiceáil cén cineál maidin a bheidh sé. Uaireanta is Boy Busy réidh le dul ar an bpointe boise agus láithreach ba mhaith leis dul chuig a chathaoirleach ard agus bricfeasta a ithe. Maidin Eile riachtanais sé roinnt ama a imirt sula tuigeann sé go bhfuil sé ocras. 08:15 - Bricfeasta. Bhí mé ag baint suilt as am bricfeasta an méid sin! Seo a úsáidtear a bheith am deacair ar maidin go dtí mé sular tháinig Boy Busy. Maidin an chuid is mó ba mhaith liom a chaitheamh ar an chéad uair ina suí ar an tolg leis an leanbh breathnú ar lineup maidin TLC ar. Mar gheall ar riachtanais ard Bitty Babe s, go raibh sé ach níos éasca a nach bhfuil aon súil ar maidin. Anois go bhfuil Boy Busy anseo, ní féidir liom a rogha. Tá mé chun beatha an leanbh! I mo thuairimse, cuidíonn sé cinnte go bhfuil Bitty sean go leor anois go bhfuil sí suim i seinm le rudaí, mar sin nach bhfuil gá sí mo aird leanúnach agus siamsaíochta. Cé nach bhfuil sí ag ithe bia soladach go fóill, tá mé ag cur léi ina cuid cathaoir ard le cuid de na h bréagán is fearr leat, nó scáinteoir Graham go gnaw ar, ionas gur féidir léi bheith linn sa spraoi bricfeasta. Tá a fhios agam nach bhfuil mé ag scríobh i bhfad faoi sé le déanaí, ach is breá liom chun cócaireacht, agus mé Shíl i gcónaí go raibh gránaigh fuar níos mó de bhia sneaiceanna ná bia bricfeasta, as a dtagann dom ar an tátal gur chóir dom a dhéanamh te bricfeasta chomh minic agus is féidir. Tá sé seo i ndáiríre an rud an-phraiticiúil le dhá cinn beag mar gheall ar a itheann siad sa chistin, agus ba mhaith liom a bheith leo, mar sin cócaireachta le haghaidh a dhéanann siad mo chuid ama a chaitear go maith. Lately tá mé ag déanamh pancóga fraochán Busy Boy agus cáis simplí omelette. Tá siad tapa, miasa cothaitheach, agus gobbles Boy Busy suas iad. Cé go bhfuil mé ag déanamh na nithe te, a thabhairt mé dó a rogha torthaí, a úsáideann sé a nua aimsithe scileanna teanga comharthaíochta a chur in iúl. Is Boy Busy eater mór, atá iontach, mar go mbeidh sé iarracht díreach faoi aon rud, ach tá sé chomh maith le eater mall, rud a chiallaíonn go dtarlaíonn bricfeasta suas 45 nóiméad maith ar ár maidin. 09:00 - Butt Nua agus am súgartha. Tá sé seo nuair atá mé i ndáiríre sásta go bhfuil Bitty fáil chomh neamhspleách agus beidh ról léi féin, mar is féidir an uair seo dom a fháil ar roinnt chores maidin dhéanamh. Le linn an ama sin, tá Boy Busy iniúchadh. Tá sé den sórt sin a thinker. Is breá leis a fháil amach conas a d'fhéadfadh rudaí ag obair le chéile, go háirithe i teaglaim riamh, ba mhaith liom a shíl de, cosúil le fáinní cruachta plaisteach strung isteach ar láimhseáil wagon. 10:00 - am Snack do Boy Busy, am nap do Bitty. Sea, léann tú an gceart sin, tá Bitty ag dul i ndáiríre síos do NAPS maidin rialta! Seo a thosaigh thart ar mhí ó shin, agus tá mé grámhara é! Ag brath ar conas a sí ag mothú, beidh sí chodladh ó áit ar bith 1-3 uair an chloig. Tá sé iontach! Is am Snack am eile den lá go bhfuil mé chomh buíoch as mo chúlra TCÉ, toisc go bhfuil Boy Busy in ann a in iúl dom nuair a bhíonn sé ocras agus go díreach cad ba mhaith aige. Tá sé dochreidte. Tromchúiseach mé cried beagnach an lá nuair a ionad whining agus grunting dá hata go bhfaca sé ina mála diaper, shínigh sé "hata le do thoil." Iontach. 10:30 - am spraoi níos mó. Ós rud é Bitty de ghnáth ina chodladh ag an am seo, déan iarracht liom an deis seo am a chaitheamh ag roinnt dea-aon-ar-aon am le Boy Busy agus obair a dhéanamh ar scileanna níos sainiúla. Tá sé soiléir go leor riamh go raibh Boy Busy a léamh i ndáiríre, mar tá sé aon smaoineamh cad atá le déanamh le leabhar, agus ní féidir a aithint rudaí i pictiúir ... mar aon. Mar sin, is é an rud Tá mé ag iarraidh i ndáiríre a bheith ag obair leis ar. Tá sé deacair uaireanta, toisc go bhfuil sé chomh gníomhach nach bhfuil sé ag iarraidh i ndáiríre chun suí go fóill liom. Anois, nach fháil dom mícheart, tá sé ina kid an-cuddly, agus loves a bheith rocked agus snuggled, ach anois is cosúil léamh cosúil le dramhaíl ó am spraoi go maith dó. Mar sin, tá mé ag iarraidh a léamh TIMPEALL dó go leor, agus é a ghabháil le linn a amanna ciúin cúpla. Tá mé ag bailiú leabhair do leanaí ar feadh na mblianta, agus mar sin tá mé ar bís Super a roinnt leis na leabhair iontach le mo kiddos. Beidh muid a fháil ann Nuashonrú:. Ós rud é go Scríobh mé seo, Boy Busy roghnú anois chun leabhair a fháil amach an Seilf Leabhar agus breathnú ar iad go neamhspleách! Tá sé ag cur in iúl le pictiúir agus ag insint dom mar gheall orthu, mar shampla dírithe ar pictiúr de Elmo cur le folctha agus a shíniú agus a rá "am folctha," nó "oíche oíche" do Ernie sa leaba. Níos mó bia maith. Go leor sin. 12:15 - Téann Boy Busy síos le haghaidh a chuid nap. An chéad chúpla lá a bhí garbh ach toisc go raibh muid aon smaoineamh cén cineál sceidil a bhí sé ar. Anois go bhfuil a fhios againn, agus tá a fhios againn conas ghnáthamh dírithe ar a bhfuil sé, tá am nap a Breeze. Tar éis a rachaidh mé glanta air suas ó lón, liom a athrú ar a Butt agus inis sé in am le haghaidh oíche oíche dó. Grabs sé a blaincéad Bunny agus a cupán sippy (le uisce) agus tá i gceannas go dtí a sheomra. Tá sé ag fussing de ghnáth mar siúlóidí sé, ach tá sé chomh falsa tá sé hilarious. Cuireann sé é féin isteach sa leaba, mé a thabhairt dó póg, a rá oíche mhaith, dul amach, agus an doras dúnta. ARNA DHÉANAMH! Am le haghaidh Mama (Äiti) a fháil gnóthach! Tá sé seo nuair a thugaim a fháil ghabháil suas ar miasa agus níocháin. Más rud é Bitty dhúiseacht, tá mé ag obair i ár gcuid éadaí seomra leapa a chur ar shiúl, a bhfuil mo chore LAGHAD is fearr leat. Má tá Bitty chodladh, tá mé ag obair áit éigin eile sa teach, b'fhéidir ag fáil fiú roinnt níos doimhne a shórtáil agus a eagrú a dhéanamh. Má tá Bitty codlata i ndáiríre, d'fhéadfadh liom a bheidh fiú síos ar feadh tamaill, cé go bhfuil sí an radar Äiti agus tá an nós annoying de Airdeallach suas laistigh de nóiméad atá suite liom síos. 03:00 - Is Boy Busy suas agus réidh le haghaidh Butt nua agus snack. Dúisíonn sé suas i gcónaí i biotáillí maith, mar sin tá mé excited a fheiceáil dó nuair a wakes sé suas as a nap. Ansin, tá sé in am spraoi, tá súil againn go n-áirítear roinnt ama taobh amuigh, go háirithe anois gur féidir Bitty suí sa bhféar agus spraoi chomh maith. Ár teiripeoir fisiciúil bheannaigh dúinn a turtle playskool bosca gainimh, iomlán, le gaineamh, tá Boy sin Busy ag baint suilt as go maith go maith leis an tábla uisce saor fuair mé níos luaithe an samhradh seo. Bitty NAPS de ghnáth ag an am seo freisin. 05:00 - sneaiceanna níos mó mar a thosaíonn mé dinnéar, 'cuz muid ag deireadh suas i gcónaí ag ithe go déanach. 06:00 - Faigheann Hubby abhaile ón obair agus cabhraíonn sé leis an littles mar iarracht mé an dinnéar a chríochnú. Is breá liom, LOVE, grá bhfaca Hubby ina ról iontach mar Isa. Sé agus Boy Busy ag nascáil incredibly maith. Cabhraíonn sé go bhfuil Boy Busy den sórt sin atá éasca, ag dul greannmhar, kid suimiúla garbh, ach tá sé tar éis glacadh le Hubby ar bhealach mór. 07:00 - Dinnéar. Tá sé an spraoi ag ithe mar theaghlach arís. 20:00 - am folctha. Is breá Boy Busy chun suí agus spraoi ina tub beag. Is maith sé freisin nuair a thagann Bitty Babe chun páirt a dó. Is maith leis ag cuidiú le nigh di agus maith sé chun tickle a bolg agus a bharraicíní. Tar éis a folctha mé rub dó síos leis an ola cnó cócó infused le olaí lavender agus eucalyptus. Thosaigh mé seo nuair a bhí Bitty Babe RSV an geimhreadh seo caite, ach tá sé ina slí iontach a fháil deiseanna dteagmháil níos mó, chomh maith le a sheiceáil le haghaidh booboos, agus a n-craiceann cothaigh. Ceann de mo chroí-téamh chuimhneacháin is fearr leat san áireamh an dóiteán beag. Mar a rub mé an ola isteach ina craiceann, ag canadh mé Boy Busy amhrán, "Is é seo an bealach rub againn ar an ola, rub an ola, an ola rub, is é seo an bealach rub againn an ceart ola roimh am leaba." Oíche amháin , Boy Busy fuair a mhéara isteach sa phróca agus thóg amach ola beag an iomarca, mar sin d'iarr mé air más rud é go mbeadh sé rub sé ar mo lámh. Mar a rubbed sé lovingly an ola i, chan sé an t-amhrán chugam ina bhealach beag álainn. Bhí sé ar luaíocht mór beag ó neamh. 8:15 PM - am le haghaidh Leaba Boy Busy! Díreach cosúil le am nap, faigheann Boy Busy a pluideanna agus a cupán sippy uisce, tugann póga Isa, agus ceannairí a chodladh. Tar éis dom deireadh a chur lena cuirtíní, suí mé leis ar an urlár agus carraig air mar chanadh mé mo lullaby fearr leat ó Psalty dó. Ansin pray mé air, ag gabháil buíochais le Dia as a chur an leanbh seo iontach i mo shaol. Chuir mé ar ais isteach ina leaba, póg dó oíche mhaith, a insint dó Is breá liom é agus fág an seomra. D'fhéadfadh sé fuss beag, ach tá de ghnáth amach sula n-éireoidh mé go dtí an seomra suí. 08:30 - am Chill le Hubby. D'fhéadfadh liom a fháil ar roinnt dinnéar ghlanadh suas a dhéanamh, ach is féidir liom de ghnáth is mó de mo miasa an mhaidin dár gcionn le linn bricfeasta. An gá dom an am seo le mo fhear céile milis. Plus, ní Bitty dul síos go dtí ar a laghad 9, agus tá sé ngéarghátar breise i na n-uaireanta oíche. 23:30 - Oíche na! Mé in ann an madra amach, mo fiacla Scuab, crawl idir na bileoga, mo Bíobla léamh, mo ceol cas ar, agus tá mé amach! 04:00 - Bitty Dúisíonn de ghnáth suas dhearbhú go bhfuil sí ag starving chun báis, mar sin mé stumble amach as an leaba, bain úsáid as na háiseanna chomh tapa agus is féidir, a dhéanamh di buidéal, agus déan iarracht gan titim ina chodladh ar mo pháiste mar a dom a thabhairt an cothú mian sí amhlaidh desperately. Ansin ar ais a chodladh chomh fada agus is féidir. Wow. Just a scríobh go léir go reminds go mór liom cé mhéad saol athraithe ó bhí Jeremiah agus Gabe anseo. Gabe tháinig chun cuairt a thabhairt ar deireadh seachtaine seo caite, agus dúirt sé amanna éagsúla cé chomh greannmhar a bhí sé a fheiceáil go léir an stuif leanbh ar fud an tí. Is breá leis é, áfach, agus mar sin sásta go bhfuil an deis a bheith deartháir mór go Boy Busy agus Bitty. Dia maith. Restores sé. Athnuachan sé. Níos mó ar sin ina dhiaidh sin. Beannachtaí! Hannah