Our First Week at Home

Tonight marks one week home for us. All three of us have been transitioning well even though Steve and I have been sick. Natalie continues to be a good sleeper. She goes down for her two naps without a problem and then sleeps thru the night at bedtime. What a blessing! When she wakes up, she is happy to see us and ready to play. The only time she is grumpy is when she doesn't feel well or if she doesn't get her way. Wednesday was 'defiance' day and I am glad that she is displaying the normal testing of boundaries typical of a 20 month old. Thursday was our 9th wedding anniversary and we were so blessed be a family---she is the best present we could give each other. Truly a gift from God!

Natalie loves to eat peanut butter crackers and cookies. I am also feeding her nutritious baby cereals and organic baby foods. She is picky about the texture of her food and so we are working on expanding her menu. Natalie has gained 1.5 pounds since she's been with us, so I guess we are on the right track. Her favorite thing is to ride in the wagon her Aunt Becky bought her. We pull her all around the neighborhood. She loves being outside, touching things, playing the piano, taking apart legos, watching Little Einsteins and saying 'hey' to everyone. Bath time is NOT her favorite thing but today we are going to try the neighborhood pool---we'll see how that goes. Her cousins, JP and Jake are in love with her and I believe it is mutual. They follow her around as she plays and babbles to them. She also loves to play with Deacon, Aunt Chelle's dog. He is a patient pet lets Natalie play with his toys and smack, I mean pet him.

So far she has mastered saying "mama", "dada" and "hey". She also learned how to turn around and back down the stairs in one day. I am trying to teach her baby sign language for things like: eat, more, finished and help---we'll see how it goes. Natalie picks things up quickly, but it has to be on her terms, in her time. She is a strong child; she had to be to survive. Natalie also loves kisses, especially on her hand and her belly (anything around her face is not tolerated). I am anxious to see what the doctors say when we go for her pediatric and adoption specialist appointments. It will feel good to get her evaluated and on the road to better health and development.

We have taken her to several restaurants this week, to Target, the mall and the church where I work. She loves riding in the carts and does really well eating out and even enjoys her car seat. Overall, we couldn't be happier or feel more blessed. She is a happy girl and we know that love can create miracles. Natalie is blessing our days beyond what we could imagine.

With our love,
Karen