Back to Work

Monday, August 16th was Mike's first day back at work and my first full day at home alone with three children.  I must admit I was a little scared to juggle the needs and wants of all three kids on my own.  And of course, Mike didn't want to go back to work after a great month off, but it had to be done to pay the bills!  The first day went pretty well.  I handled the boys' swimming lessons by putting Lauren in the carrier so I could keep her away from the water, and we mostly just played around the house.  The following day was pretty rough on Lauren as she missed her daddy and the undivided attention that one of us could always give her when both of us were at home. 

Mike took Wednesday off so he could stay at home with the boys while I took Lauren to her first doctor's appointment in the US.  Lauren did great with the doctor until the shots.  Poor girl screamed!  Overall, Lauren was given a clean bill of health by the doctor.  She weighed in at 21.7 pounds (38.8%) and her height was 2'6.5" (69.96%).  One thing we need to be on the lookout for is the way that she is sitting.  The doctor noted that she has too much rotation in her thighs and hips.  This is something that should resolve on its own but we need to encourage her to sit on her bottom cross-legged or with her feet out, instead of on her knees with her legs sticking out like a W. 

Thursday, August 19th was the last day of swimming lessons for the boys.  Kyle passed his level but Cameron did not despite the fact that he did everything on the required list!  He was so disappointed as he did it all and tried so hard.  We are so proud of both boys and the progress they made in the water.  Way to go Cam and Ky. 

Friday brought us back to the doctor's office for the dreaded blood draw.  Lets not sugar-coat it...it was HORRIBLE.  They could not find a good vein on my baby girl and poked around in both arms for about 20 minutes while I had to hold her down and cry with her.  Lauren screamed the entire time and eventually exhausted herself and slept.  That was one of my toughest mommy moments. 

On Saturday, August 21st we hit the lake for some more water fun.  Lauren loved exploring the sand and water with daddy.  The boys loved "swimming" and playing football with mommy.  What a beautiful day.

Sunday was a pretty special day as we introduced Lauren to Grandma Judy, Grandpa Al, and Great Grandma Betty.  We enjoyed a nice breakfast and some playtime.  At first Lauren wasn't so sure about these new visitors in our home.  They had been the first visitors into the house since we came home.  But soon enough Lauren decided that Grandpa Al looked like he might have a comfortable lap and climbed up to check him out.  She loved the extra attention.  Now she just needs to meet her other grandparents and aunts and uncles. 

We enjoyed three nice playdates this past week and Lauren got to meet some my friends and their children.  Thanks to Amy, Nancy, Jody and Ann for the fun.  Lauren loved the other kids but liked to stay close by me.

School will be starting soon here.  On Tuesday, August 24th I had to attend a parent information night for Kyle's preschool.   The start of school also means fall soccer for Cameron.  He had his first practice on Thursday and already loves it. 

Mike also took Wednesday, August 25th off to spend the day with the kids and help me out with some scheduling conflicts.  Cameron had a friends' birthday party that day, Lauren had her first dentist appointment, and in the morning we had our first post placement visit (one month) with our social worker.  Can't believe Lauren has been home a whole month now!  Our social worker thought that Lauren's attachment was going well and she seemed really at home with us.  She also agreed with us that she is super smart and cute. 

Here are some more random photos from the past two weeks: 

This teddy bear tastes good.

Kyle and his three year old sense of style.

My three babies!

Lovely! Go Sox!

Goofing off in the backyard.

A family portrait!

         

Korean Independence Day Festival

Yes, we are a little behind in updating our blog but better late than never, right?  On Saturday, August 14th went attended a local Korean Independence Day Festival that was put on by the Sejong Academy (this is a new Korean language immersion school that will be starting in Minnesota in 2012).  We had a great day at the festival.  We met up with some friends and their children (other adoptive parents with children from South Korea).  We enjoyed wonderful Korean food and entertainment.  The boys participated in an arts and craft project that was taught completely in Korean.  Lauren loved the dancers and was wiggling her little body and clapping non-stop for them.  What a fun day!

Kyle now LOVES being a big brother.  He is such a big helper.  Here he is helping Lauren with her snack.

                       

On Sunday, August 15th we finally decided to give Lauren those birthday presents we picked out for her back in June.  Lauren loved opening the pretty pink wrapping with a little help from her older brothers.  The bath toys were a big hit. 

  

Our Little Parrot

Well, we have been a family of five for three weeks now.  Where has the time gone? 

Mommy discovered a new game that Lauren loves to play.  We'll call it the parrot game.  Mommy and Lauren sit on the floor and lock eyes, then one of us will make a funny sound and the other repeats it.  Sometimes we use stacking cups to make the sound distorted and it's a big hit.  Lauren could play this for hours on end.  It is so cute how much she likes to mimic others.  A few days ago the boys were talking about the grocery store and asked if we'd go down every aisle in the store.  Lauren responded with "every aisle".  She is also saying more English words, such as dada, momma, kitty, up, again, ball, hi, and goodbye.   We think she has also "signed" a few words to us, like putting her hands together to say "more". Amazing how fast this little girl can learn. 

Lauren is also now loving to feed us her food.  We certainly don't mind and it's actually a great attachment sign, but we could do without the chewed up food from her mouth that she insists (with a big smile) that we eat.  So far we have not found a food that this girl doesn't like, although she certainly has her favorites like yogurt, fruits, and vegetables, We have found a sippy cup that she has taken to, allowing us to drop a few of her daytime bottles.  She is now down to only 3 bottles a day and those happen around her sleeping schedule.  Since her homecoming, Lauren has three new teeth and is working on a 4th new one.  Now we just need those one year old molars!  

Speaking of sleep, things are going pretty well.  She is sleeping in her crib with daddy on the futon on the floor.  She is only waking up once or twice a night now and goes back to sleep with some comforting hugs and patting, sometimes even less.  Naps are a bit trickier as she seems to be a short napper (3o to 45 minutes) but she will go back down after some patting and catch another 30 to 45 minutes.  The boys love to play with her in the crib. 

Lauren is now loving to play outside and in the grass.  She is really active and running all over the yard.  She is also a big climber.  We are surprised (and a little worried!) by how quickly she can climb onto a chair or lego table.  We have to keep a close eye on her at all times.  She continues to chase after the cat and loves to pull her tail.  She has also learned that if she steals a toy away from her brothers, she'd better run away quickly!  She always has a big smile on her face and giggles when she takes a toy from them.  We are working with the boys to offer her a trade for the "stolen" item.  It is usually working (so far). 

Kyle has really come into his role as big brother.  He is now much more engaged with Lauren, not really jealous, and loves to entertain his sister.  This week Kyle has also attempted to ride his bicycle with no training wheels.  He doesn't quite have the hang of it but is learning fast.  So proud of him!

Cameron is also amazing us with his reading this summer.  He is currently tackling his first chapter book "Miss Daisy is Crazy" and loves it.  He hauls that book everywhere in case he has a few minutes to read.  Way to go Cam!

Both boys started swimming lessons this week.  They are excelling and loving it.  The hardest part is keeping Lauren away from the water.  Luckily daddy is still home with us and can walk her around the community center.  Next week might be a challenge, as daddy will be back at work.  Thank goodness she likes to ride in the carrier. 

We celebrated Lauren's birthday a tad late with the cupcakes we made and froze for her back in June.  She loved the cake.  She also experienced her first bike ride and quickly fell asleep. 

    
A wonderful thing happened this week, we heard from Lauren MeeHyeon's foster mother, Mrs. Shin.  We'll call her Omma (Korean word for mother) from now on.  When we were in Korea we gave her our contact information.  This week she sent two emails and of course we responded immediately.  What a blessing!  My friend, Grace, translated for us - thank you again Grace!  Words can not describe what a wonderful and loving woman she is.  We feel so lucky to have contact with her and hope that we can maintain this relationship with her.  What a gift this will be for MeeHyeon.  One day we plan to bring MeeHyeon back to Korea and hope that we will be able to visit with her Omma.  Thank you!   

Here are some more random photos of this past week:

Hard to get all the kids looking at the camera and smiling at once.

Dancing Queen!

What a beautiful smile!

This is my dancing stage.  Ready for the next performance?

What a beauty!

Sweet Laugh

Lauren eating and playing one morning before breakfast.  Check out her wild hair and that sweet breathy laugh.  Lots of energy!

Home Two Weeks

Hard to believe we have now been home with our sweet girl for two weeks.  In some ways its seems like so much longer, but in others like less.  We are still trying to figure out a routine as this little one seems to like to keep us on our toes! 

Sleep is still our biggest issue but getting better.  She is now sleeping in her crib with one of us on the futon mattress on the floor in her room.  Some nights still require a lot of patting to go to sleep with frequent waking, but other nights she'll sleep for hours and hours without waking.  Naps are short with lots of patting but that is to be expected; we don't "co-sleep" with her during naps, since the boys are awake and need our attention. 

Daytime is great joy here for the most part.  Kyle and Lauren are already having the traditional sibling rivalry.  She always wants what he has and he wants her to stay away from his toys and not give him "slimy kisses"!  They already know how to push each other's buttons, in both good and bad ways.  Cameron continues to marvel us with his big brother skills.  Whenever Lauren is upset, he immediately tries to make her feel better and is such a big helper.

On August 1st, Lauren woke up in her crib and looked down at daddy who was still asleep, and said very clearly, "Dada".  She loves to mimic others, but this was done all on her own.  Good job!  She has become a great walker over this past week too, even holding our hands while walking.  Soon she'll be running after her brothers!  She is a very independent girl who wants to do everything on her own, so holding hands was a big step for us.  Lauren loves to torture the cat by pulling her tail and giving it big kisses.  She loves the water and is a little fish - no pool of water is safe with her around!  She is a big dancer too and enjoys it when we clap for her dancing.  She has the sweetest laugh.  When eating, she must have two spoons at all times, or one piece of food for each hand, otherwise screaming could ensue.  She is also one of the messiest eaters we have seen!  Everything must go in her hair and all over her face - amazing how a little squished banana can act as hair gel.  Add in the fact that she hates to have her face washed, and mealtimes can be challenging. Luckily, Robin discovered Lauren likes to do a "yes yes yes" and "no no no" game where she shakes and nods her head - if you distract her with this game, you can usually get a face cleaning accomplished.

Summer camp ended this week for the boys.  Where has the summer gone?  They both had a great time and are already looking forward to next summer.  We have been spending a lot of time going on walks, biking, playing at the park and in the back yard.  We have also ventured out as a family to the grocery store, Target, Dairy Queen, the bookstore, and Como Zoo - many "Minnesota Firsts" for Lauren.  Its so nice to have Mike home with us during these first few weeks home so we can have some quality family time.  Here are some photos of our week:

Lauren loves the kiddie pool.

Time to rest with mommy.

The girls!

Loves the bay window!

Ice cream and smiles at the park!

Fun at Como Zoo.

Cool Boys!

Lovely!

Riding high with daddy.

Checking out the fish...followed shortly by trying to join them.