Month of May–A Little Bit of This and That

As we prepared for summer Hannah and I spent some special time together getting a pedicure together.  She looked adorable in her little nail polish leggings.

For the past 2 springs the birds have built a nest on the ceiling fan above the deck in mom and dad’s back yard.

Against all odds the birds laid eggs in this precarious spot.  They eventually hatched but unfortunately I didn’t get any pics of the sweet baby birds.

This one makes me laugh.  I sit with Hannah when she practices piano and possibly ‘assist’ her.  LOL – I’m not sure she appreciates my help as much as I enjoy giving it!

We took a day and headed north with Nana and Papa and helped them open their trailer for the summer season.  It was our first time seeing their new room they added to the trailer.  What a beautiful addition!

Seeding the lawn.  Mommy’s big helper!

Time for spring planting.  Hannah loves to pick up the flowers she finds on the floor of the garden centre.

I receive precious notes like this all the time.  She melts my heart!!

Dinner with friends – special times and a rare Mommy’s night out.

When I got home she still wanted some cuddle time.  We cuddled for a bit but she just couldn’t stay awake any longer.  LOL – how can this be comfortable?

Class trip to a local pioneer village.  It was such a treat to share this day with Hannah and her class in spite of the fact that it was stinkin’ hot.  It reminded me that not only did the pioneers not have AC they didn’t even have fans!  So thankful for the pampering options of 2018.

The grade 3 portion of Hannah’s class

One of the extra things I’ve done at work for a number of years is to be a volunteer Fire Warden and First Aid provider.  Wouldn’t you want to be a fire warden too if you got to wear this attractive outfit?!

Celebrating Mommy’s birthday with her favourite person in the whole world!!

Disney 2014, Day 7, Part II (Downtown Disney)

(Friday, September 26, 2014)
After we dried off from our day of fun at Blizzard Beach  we contacted Uncle Dave and Auntie Trish to see if they might like to meet for supper at Downtown Disney.   We were glad to hear they were thinking of heading there too and would like to meet at Wolfgang Puck’s Cafe for supper.
Hannah and Pascal on the bus
While we waited for our meet-up time we took our traditional pics at the Winnie the Pooh statue.


By this point in our trip I realized that we had quick service credits in abundance and the fun of sharing was in full swing!   Sharing our extra credits is one of our favourite ways of sharing Disney Magic with those around us.  (Last year we’d had enough credits left to buy lunch for my cousin and her 6 kiddos who were just starting their vacation.)  At lunch we’d bought lunch for a teen boy who was in line behind us.  He was so thankful and as we ate our lunch he even brought his mom over to us to say thank you. So sweet!
At supper we still had some sharing to do so as we waited in line I began to approach people around us to see if they were on the Disney Dining Plan.  I came across this group of 3 who were preparing to pay cash for their suppers.  It was a treat to offer to buy their meals for them including a drink and dessert.  They were so excited!  It ends up the one gal has just started working for Disney and the 2 in the pic below were friends of hers who had arrived at Disney that day for their very first trip to Disney.  What fun to be able to bless them in this way!  They asked if we could take a picture together so I snapped one too.
After a long week of Disney adventures the kids were pooped and by the end of the meal all 3 were asleep at the table!
One of Hannah’s favourite stores at DD is Goofy’s Candy Store.  I had to snap this pic to show her she’d been there even though she slept through it.
We were glad to share this meal with Dave and Trish as Saturday we had plans that took us in separate directions and we weren’t going to see much more of one another before heading home.
Hannah and I had 2 more park days in front of us and after this day at Blizzard Beach and Downtown Disney we were ready to visit Epcot the next day!

Sweet Dreams Baby Girl

Hannah slept in my bed with me when she first came home from China as I had read a lot about how it would help with attachment.  She would begin each night in her crib but when she woke up I would bring her in bed with me.  This pic was taken the 2nd night we were home together!

At first she liked her own space but soon was most comfortable snuggled up with Mom.  It’s not unusual at night for her to reach out for me and want to hold my had and sometimes when I’m asleep I hear this little ‘Hand?’ and know she is searching for me.  I reach out to her and all is right in her little world as it is in mine too! 

For the first 10 months that we were home I went to bed when she did.  She would fall asleep and I would work on blog posts or watch TV for a few hours.  Whenever she opened her eyes mommy was always right there. 

(May 2010 – Home 6 months)

As we neared the one year mark of her being home I began to venture downstairs when she went to sleep.  I’d listen for her on the baby monitor and the moment she woke I was on my way upstairs to comfort her and help her fall back to sleep.  At first this would happen 3-5 times each night until I went to bed for the night.  As soon as I was in bed with her she settled and rarely woke again until the next morning.  Truly she is an amazing sleeper!

Hannah still wakes a couple of times most nights before I go to bed but now she is sometimes asleep by the time I get up to her and more and more often she’s not waking at all.

One of our more recent challenges was helping her get to sleep.  About 3 months ago she began falling asleep in our bed and not really using her crib at all.  After bedtime prayers and her bottle she’d say, ‘no more sunny’ and I’d turn off the lights with the hopes that she’d fall asleep.  That worked for a while but then she went through a long phase where she would flip and flop all over the bed.  Unfortunately more than once this meant Mommy ended up with an accidental kick in the stomach or a bumped head when she’d sit up and then fall back with her head landing on mine.  Ouch!!  She’d always apologize and it was never purposeful but it was tough.  I’d keep reminding her that it was ‘sleepy time’ and asking her to go to sleep and she always responded with her current fave ‘No!’  When it went on too long we’d see if her ‘comfy place’ was in her crib but this would only last for a few minutes and then she’d be in tears asking to come back into bed.  It was not unusual for her to fight sleep for more than an hour and sometimes and hour and a half.  It was rough as I knew she needed her sleep and truthfully, I had things I wanted to get done downstairs.  I wasn’t always a happy mommy when we were in the midst of these not-sleeping battles.

Last weekend, after trying to think of options, I decided to try something new and see if it might work.  It’s super simple but has worked well for us for an entire week so far!

Our current bedtime conversation after prayers, bottle and turning off ‘sunny’ goes something like this, ‘Hannah, Mommy loves you very, very much.  It’s sleepy time so Mommy is going to go to sleep so won’t be talking any more.  I’ll see you in the morning sweetheart.  I love you!’  A hug and kiss and then I ‘go to sleep’ beside her. 

It’s simple but it’s working like a charm!  Our hour long

Me:  Go to sleep

Hannah:  NO!

Me:  It’s sleepy time

Hannah:  NO!

battles have come to an end and she’s falling asleep quickly and peacefully, normally within 10 short minutes!!   It seems my interacting with her was helping her stay awake and now she’s learned a new, calmer way to put herself to sleep.  Ahhhh…better!

The only night I added some extra interaction this week was the night when she leaned over when I was ‘sleeping’ and whispered, ‘I love you Mommy!’ and placed a sweet little kiss on my forehead.  Oh man….who could resist that?  I had to tell her that I love her too and returned her precious little kiss.  Yes, she still melts me!!

Sleepy XiaoFen

I am so thankful for my parents and the huge role they continue to play in Hannah's life! Each week my mom babysits her for a couple of hours 2 different evenings while I go down the basement and teach piano. The moment they walk in the front door Hannah's face lights up and she can't crawl to them fast enough!

The last Thursday of each month mom has a commitment so dad comes instead. Hannah sure loves him...and the pen he keeps in his shirt pocket. She takes it out over and over and over again every time he holds her. This week she had fought her afternoon nap and I just wasn't able to get her to sleep. When I was on my way downstairs to teach she was looking pretty comfy and sleepy sitting on Grandpa's knee. Her little hand was held up to her face is a sure sign that she's tired. We call it her sleepy hand as it always goes up to her face before she falls asleep.

This is what I found a short time later. So sweet! I love to see them together!!

When It's Time to Nap....It's Time to Nap!!

The other day I wanted to download the Flip and send a quick video off to Grandma so I placed Hannah amongst her toys and went to the table. She was happily playing away and then all was quiet. I glanced over and this is what I saw! My little sweetie had played herself to sleep. Awe!

First Doctor's Appt.

Hannah had her first doctor's appt. on Tuesday and she did great!! When Dr. Fitz walked in to see her he exclaimed how happy he was that she was finally here and she greeted him with a big gummy grin!

We talked about what I'm feeding her (currently formula, rice pablum, mixed fruit, bananas, and egg whites. Veggies were added later that day and more things each day. Peas and carrots were met with disapproval but sweet potatoes rock! (Thanks Deb!) Going to try the peas and carrots again tomorrow and see if they fare any better the 2nd time.) She has started eating in her high chair and quite enjoys herself up there! She seems dwarfed by the size of it but it happy as a clam and sometimes mommy is even able to get a few dishes done or bottles made while she plays before or after a meal.

I'm currently mixing her Chinese formula with a little bit of Canadian and slowly transitioning her to the Canadian brand. Dr, Fitz thought that was good so I'll keep doing it. So far, no complaints from my little love about the changes and truly, she's the one who matters! :o)

He weighed her and at 8 1/2 months she is currently 16lbs. 7.5 oz which is about 50th% on the Asian charts. As we thought, my little sweetie is long, measuring 28 1/2 inches and coming in around the 90th% on the Asian charts!! She was in the 90th% for height when I received updated info on her at 6 1/2 months so she's continuing the trend. Looks like she may be tall. Neat!! Her little legs are quite long and she fills out her 9mos sleepers well! Check out those beautiful long fingers too!

Her immunizations records were well kept and Dr. Fitz contacted a paediatrician who handles a lot of China adoptions and he said normally they just continue the immunizations on from there if they appear to be accurate so that's what we decided to do too. Unfortunately for Hannah that meant 2 boosters on Tuesday. Poor little lamb!! He apologized before giving them to her but she still cried....and mommy did too! It broke my heart to hear her cry but she soon calmed and quickly fell asleep in her car seat.

We booked her next appt. in 2 months so that the doctor could track her growth. We then headed downstairs to pick up containers for urine and poop samples. Welcome to motherhood!!

After stopping at home to grab some infant Tylenol we visited Grandma Perkins at the library for a quick bit while Hannah ate her lunch. She was none the worse for those 2 needles but I still hurt for her.

Fast forward to that night and she had a really rough go for about an hour and a half. Not sure if it was the needles or not but the cries of hurt were enough to break mommy's heart! After more Tylenol, rocking, walking, talking, calming, patting and singing she eventually settled and slept until 10 the next morning! Each night Hannah starts in her crib and wakes a couple of times but normally by about midnight she settles for the night, not making a peep.

We're doing as many have suggested and getting lots of sunlight during the day. She naps with the blinds open and we get out a little bit each day so it will just take time for our sleeping to fully adjust but truly, other than the fact that we're getting up at 10am we're both doing great and truly kicking jet lag in the butt!

The little ladybug blanket she's snuggled up with above has very quickly become her favourite. She doesn't mind others but as soon as I cover her with this one she snuggles in, grabs it and a sweet, sweet smile crosses her face. If her passport is ready by Christmas we'll have to hop across the border and pick up a couple at tar-jay. If not, we'll talk to Auntie M3 and I'm sure she'll be happy to help us out. ;o)

Back to the important stuff....we were successful getting the poop samples that evening but mommy was pretty challenged by those little bags to collect the pee. I tried 3 different ones and each time she ended up with a wet diaper and an empty bag. Heh!

Today as we were playing I had her diaper off and she peed on the change table. I was so happy and quickly got some into her little container and we dropped it off this afternoon. Hannah thought mommy was pretty silly when she was excited that she'd peed on the change table!

As I'm sure you can tell I'm loving, loving, LOVING being a mom and Hannah is the light of my life! I'm trying to get her to bed earlier but am the first to admit that part of the problem is that I hate to put her down each night. I'm working on it and slowly she's getting to bed earlier but I tell you, seeing her precious little face each morning still brings a wave of tears almost every day!

I am so blessed and cannot thank God enough for brining Hannah and I together. Wow.....WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!