We didn't really need much help in this department when Maeve first arrived home, but boy are we gonna need it during the next few weeks.
I'm starting back to work on Monday and Maeve will be going to Montessori school full time. If that weren't enough of an upheaval...we're moving to our new house Thursday.
So, if any of you would like to make us dinner (casseroles, soups, etc...frozen or not) or would like to order food in for us (pizza, Chinese, etc). We would really appreciate the help.
We'd like to be able to spend the evening hours after work and before Maeve's bed time focusing solely on her as much as possible, trying to make her feel as secure as possible during yet another transition for this little girl.
Please let me know if you are interested.
and she's gettting really good at using her fork.
She found this little sponge, tore in into two pieces, and pretened to put on makeup.
You'd think she learned it by watching me, but I try to wear makeup as little as possible :)
We've heard recently from family that Maeve just looks so happy in all of her pictures.
I thought, "Well of course, we only share the good ones" LOL.
So, just so you all know, she does get upset, but that face is still pretty irresistable.
She loved walking in it, thought it was hiliarious, but didn't like falling in it or getting it on her face.
Pretty stinkin' cute!
I was wondering if they were Ethiopian and they were wondering the same about Maeve. When it came up in conversation, one of them ran to the other boys saying, "See, I told you so!" He'd heard us tell her, "Nay" (come)...and said she looked Ethiopian.They were very sweet to play ball with her, and we were happy to talk about Ethiopia. It turns out they had friends/family at the park...two male all-Ethiopian soccer teams!
I realized that I'm putting most of my pics and updates on Facebook and not here on the blog.
Sorry about that. I'll try to do better :)
We've been doing really well. We're still trying to get into the groove of nap times. She sleeps pretty well at night, but something always seems to throw the schedule off during the day. I've been trying to get her on the one longer afternoon nap like her class at school, but I just don't think she's diggin' it. She definitely needs a mid-morning nap unless we are doing something especially entertaining...even a 30-40 min nap makes a big difference. Unfortunately, Mommy isn't all that entertaining :).
Anyway, our attachment and boding is going really well. She seems to be settling in, trusting us, and really letting her personality show, mostly good, sometimes bad...which is still a good thing. She has recently started to show a real preference for Mark, which makes him a happy daddy. She's especially clingy with him in the morning and of course doesn't want him to go to work. Now, if she would only let him hold her during Mass, I would be a happy mommy.
Our biggest concern right now is that she still has her stomach parasite and didn't gain any weight during the first month home. She took her second round of antibiotics today and we find out in two weeks if that killed them off or not. Please pray that this one does the trick. I can't even begin to transition her to her Montessori school until then, so It's making me pretty nervous...and she really misses being around other kids. :(
Our little miss is 15 months old today. We're certainly not going to celebrate every month with some sort of party, but it is a moment to take a pause and appreciate how far she's come in just six weeks with us...and to appreciate what a joyful and intelligent child she is. We took her for her first visit with her regular pediatrician (15 month old check up) and the doctor was very pleased with her development, noting how very verbal and smart she was, commenting that we are certainly going to have our hands full. (We realized that during our first visit with Maeve). Going through the developmental checklist, the doctor asked if she was speaking 4 to 6 words. We both laughed out loud. She knows a lot more than that and has only been hearing English for 7 weeks. Other people may not be able to perfectly understand all of her new words, but we do for the most part. She uses a lot of the words to communicate and some others she just repeats when we say them. She almost always at least attempts to say the word. So, Mark said that I should write down what she has learned so far. This is as good a place as any :)
Words she knows how to use in context:
Mama & Mommy
DaDa & Daddy
Hi (waves)
Bye Bye
More (wants food)
Up, please
Banana ("na nana") loves it and asks for it.
Diaper Time
Night Night ("ni-ni")
Baby ("Beh bee")
Kah-Kah (trash or dirt)
Happy (wants to sing "If you're Happy and You Know it")
Cheese (for picture, not food)
Vacuum ("vacooom"- she has a love/hate relationship with it)
Elmo
Uh-Oh
The Amharic word for "come" is Ney (pronounced Nay). She'll grab you by the finger and say "Nuh, nuh"
Repeats (still learning):
Milk ("ick")
spoon
shoe
bath
all done
zipper
eye
Games:
The dog says Woof, Woof! ("Woo,woo")
The cow says Moooo
The duck says quack, quack ("Kak, Kak")
Plays Peek a Boo
Where are you're eyes? (points to them)
Where is your nose? (sniffs)
Blows kisses
We count and hold up our finger. "One" (she says "Two"). We say 3, 4, 5..and she gives us a high five.
High and low fives on request.
Loves dancing. Mark taught her to tap her foot, which she does very exaggerated and I call her Irish dancing.
Claps and says "Yea!" when we're all done with food or if she hear applause or cheering.
Helps me put clothes in the dryer and trash in the bin
Likes to draw and hold the pencil perfectly after Mark showing her once.
Maeve pretty much never stops talking/babbling unless she's asleep or had a bottle in her mouth. She is very animated and seems to know perfectly well what she is saying, even if the rest of us don't. :) We just can't wait until we can really understand at least some of what she says.
0