Chinese New Year

I am really trying to come up with things to do that will enhance learning about Chinese culture. It's a little bit tough where we live, but I still try. This weekend we were able to go to a nearby city and experience a Chinese New Year event at a horticultural museum. They had Chinese dancers and musical instrument demonstrations, dumpling making, and crafts. We were able to go with my sister's family; so it was automatically a highly anticipated event. The kids had a great time and so did we. It makes me wish we lived in a city where the girls had more opportunities to learn Mandarin or take a Chinese dance class. I'm still on the lookout for more things to do. If you hear of anything, let me know!

Sleeps Like A Baby?

Let me start with this: I love this little girl with my entire being. Ever since I saw her face last May, I knew that she was my daughter and I would love her and see her through all the challenges in her life. I'm so sad that I wasn't there to hold her in her early months. I wish I could have soothed her to sleep as a newborn. She is the new little love of my life. Please don't think that the rest of this post is negative toward my daughter. It's not. I'm just feeling like we're the only ones who struggle with sleep issues. The following is just a vent.

So, what's the deal? Our thought, when we decided to adopt a second child, was that we went through the worst sleep issues with Adeline and no one else could give us such trouble. WE WERE WRONG. I just don't understand why the adoption blogs I read never mention sleep issues. Do we just adopt kids who don't know how to sleep, or does no one else talk about it? I'm not complaining, I just want to know if we are the only ones. Here's what Ruby does:

Falls asleep in her bed great!

Sleeps for 30 minutes to an hour and then wakes up angry and kicking.

Can fall back asleep in her bed with soothing.

Wakes up again in about 30 minutes to an hour.

By this time she ends up in the guest bed with me or Steve.

Wakes up about 4 more times really mad and kicking.

Sometimes will fall asleep in the bed, sometimes needs to be held in the rocking recliner with each wake.

Up for the day at 6:30.

I am not complaining. I understand that she did not get what she needed as an infant and needs a lot of touch and reassurance to build a bond with us and get caught up emotionally. I don't mind holding her in the night, although I don't like being kicked repeatedly. I just don't understand why it seems like we are the only ones.

Here's a rare photo of peaceful sleep; don't worry, the clicking camera woke her up shortly after.

A Groundhog's Day Tribute

This is Adeline's Groundhog Day Tale. She dictated and I copied it down. She was also dressed as a groundhog and we made dirt cake. Here she is popping out of her hole and seeing her shadow.

Rosebuds and Roses

One lovely day a ground hog walked through the lovely meadows. He spotted something and didn't know what it was until he sniffed it. It smelled terrible. So he said, "This smells like garbage!" So this little groundhog, Phil, ran down the little slopes of the river and down the snowy meadow back to his burrow. It was safe and cozy there. But then he felt something cold. Suddenly there was a huge snow storm that blew down his whole burrow. His bed and lamps and table and chairs and couches too. Phil was very mad so he found another burrow in the middle of the snow storm. He was safe and cozy there because it have a very nice cover and it would show the way back home. There were two little apples on the top of the cover to help him know that it was his home.

This is Serious

I'm not kidding. This is serious stuff. Adeline wants to be a ballerina; actually, she thinks she already is. So, here she is posing in full gear for all the world to see. She's quite excited too since she begins lessons next Saturday. We decided to go through the Rec. Department since she's young and they are much cheaper than studio lessons. If she really does well, though, and wants to continue, I guess we'll have to look for a good place that is affordable. Enough of that; it's time to play another game of Princess Memory Match!

This Face

I feel so blessed today. I look at this face and I think about the miracles God did to bring her to our family. It puts everything else into perspective. This is Ruby at her best! She had just woken from a long nap and was being a bit silly/sleepy.

Fancy Words

Here's some of what Adeline and I get to work on when Ruby is occupied. Adeline loves Fancy Nancy books and all things fancy. So we took a book and did a vocabulary study. We found plain words and fancy words and then Adeline copied them into her book. I love it!

She's Doing Great

Ruby is doing well. She is adjusting just fine in most areas. She actually likes her baths now; of course, she gets to go in with Adeline and that suits her just fine. Ruby loves to be held and cuddled most of the time. I don't mind and just try to remember that her adjustments are more important than whether the living room gets dusted. Her one area where she struggles is, surprise, sleep! She can go to sleep just fine, but staying asleep is really hard for her. She wakes up rather agitated and sometimes it takes a while to get her back to sleep. I am so thankful, that I can keep my tired self at home and focus here rather than try to divide my alertness between my husband, kids and a job. Staying home was a good decision for us.