Well, it's been a week and I finally feel like I can take some time to blog for a bit. I'm not sure where to start.....I want to explain more about our trip to Ethiopia, I want to share about Martha's first week at home, I want to share all the feelings and emotions I've felt and seen in my family, I want to express gratitude to so many people for so many reasons, I want to explain how deeply I continue to feel about adoption, I want to share answers to so many questions that we've been asked lately and even more.....
I guess I'll start with Martha's first week in the Jansen Household. It's been better than we could have hoped for! She has been sleeping 10 - 11 hours a night, and has only had one night where she struggled a lot to find her sleep. She has napped once a day - but the time has varied each day. That might be a good thing, because our household schedule tends to change a lot, so this may be good in that she'll have to find her sleep when she can and sometimes be flexible about it. :-) She enjoys playing with her brothers and sisters and they have all taken such a liking to her! She is smiling and laughing and eating like crazy. We are very thankful that her tummy has taken all the new foods she's tried so well. She even had her first tooth come through this past week. We had some toys all ready for her....but so far she's chosen the drawers, cupboards, things on the coffee table and the steps as her favorite play things. All of this is keeping me very busy, as she is all over the place discovering everything and anything.....I had forgotten how very busy these 14 month olds are and how quickly they can make a mess! But, we are so deeply grateful at the same time because she seems so very typical and on target for her age. She did seem to have an ear infection or something similar when we picked her up and after 10 days of antibiotic, that seems to be much better. Later this month, we will be going to the International Adoption Clinic at Children's Hospital, where they will do a very full (3-4 hours) assessment of her. We are looking forward to that visit and getting their opinion on how she is doing.
We have taken her out of the house for some walks and very quick errands. We are being very careful about taking her out too much for two reasons: 1) We don't want to overstimulate her too much - she has been used to pretty much being in just one room for most of her life so far. When you consider that - she's had an awful lot thrown at her little body and brain since we picked her up from the Orphanage. 2) We are working hard at the attachment and bonding process and are trying very hard to only have family members hold her and care for her needs right now. Because she has had a variety of caregivers already in her life, she is very friendly and open to others. We need to work hard at making sure she knows that we are her parents and family now. And, when we do go out - she will probably stay in an infant carrier by either Dave or I, to continue to establish those roles for her. So, please don't be offended if we don't let you hold her or we seem protective for a while....that is a very important part of our role as Martha's parents right now.
Well, that's probably more than enough information for tonight......thanks for checking in. More to come soon!
I guess I'll start with Martha's first week in the Jansen Household. It's been better than we could have hoped for! She has been sleeping 10 - 11 hours a night, and has only had one night where she struggled a lot to find her sleep. She has napped once a day - but the time has varied each day. That might be a good thing, because our household schedule tends to change a lot, so this may be good in that she'll have to find her sleep when she can and sometimes be flexible about it. :-) She enjoys playing with her brothers and sisters and they have all taken such a liking to her! She is smiling and laughing and eating like crazy. We are very thankful that her tummy has taken all the new foods she's tried so well. She even had her first tooth come through this past week. We had some toys all ready for her....but so far she's chosen the drawers, cupboards, things on the coffee table and the steps as her favorite play things. All of this is keeping me very busy, as she is all over the place discovering everything and anything.....I had forgotten how very busy these 14 month olds are and how quickly they can make a mess! But, we are so deeply grateful at the same time because she seems so very typical and on target for her age. She did seem to have an ear infection or something similar when we picked her up and after 10 days of antibiotic, that seems to be much better. Later this month, we will be going to the International Adoption Clinic at Children's Hospital, where they will do a very full (3-4 hours) assessment of her. We are looking forward to that visit and getting their opinion on how she is doing.
We have taken her out of the house for some walks and very quick errands. We are being very careful about taking her out too much for two reasons: 1) We don't want to overstimulate her too much - she has been used to pretty much being in just one room for most of her life so far. When you consider that - she's had an awful lot thrown at her little body and brain since we picked her up from the Orphanage. 2) We are working hard at the attachment and bonding process and are trying very hard to only have family members hold her and care for her needs right now. Because she has had a variety of caregivers already in her life, she is very friendly and open to others. We need to work hard at making sure she knows that we are her parents and family now. And, when we do go out - she will probably stay in an infant carrier by either Dave or I, to continue to establish those roles for her. So, please don't be offended if we don't let you hold her or we seem protective for a while....that is a very important part of our role as Martha's parents right now.
Well, that's probably more than enough information for tonight......thanks for checking in. More to come soon!
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