Only 15 days remain in the year 2014. I remember this time last year, as 2014 loomed ahead, fresh and full of promise. I dubbed it the Year of the Baby. We had just finished getting all our paperwork in and were waiting to hear when we'd be officially on the wait list. I had high hopes and dreams for 2014 and it did not disappoint!
Obviously, adopting Aviannah was the highlight of the year, but there were many other good memories, both good and bad, that I don't want to forget from 2014:
- John kicked off the year by turning 31. He's not into birthdays (whatever) but we did sneak in a birthday date.
-went skiing with a group from our church at Table Mountain. It was wickedly cold, but we made the best of it. A friend and I also tried tubing, and were lucky to walk away with no serious injuries (most intense tubing hill EVER!)
-celebrated Cassidy's 3rd birthday with a small get together with family.
- went to visit baby sheep, pigs and chicks at a family friend's farm. Cassidy loved it.
- in May we got THE CALL, followed by the busiest week ever making travel arrangements, and then a 4 week trip in Las Vegas!
- enjoyed an extended summer as our summer was just beginning when we got home.
- got to introduce Aviannah to my Grandma Doerksen, who passed away shortly after she met her. Her funeral was the most God honoring service I have ever attended.
- I directed VBS at our church for the second time. It was busy, tiring and so much fun!
- spent my 27th birthday (August long) at the lake with my family. We had beautiful weather all weekend and the girls did so well!
- weekend trip to Caronport for the Vanstone family reunion.
- John and I went with a group from church to a Rider game in mid-August. We took a bus and had such a fun time (didn't hurt that the Rider's won!)
- Fall kicked off with piano lessons beginning up again and with Leesa moving in to our basement room!
- We attended two family weddings in the fall
- in mid-October I started babysitting Levi three days a week. I have really enjoyed having him and am already quite smitten with him!
- December has been surprisingly low key this year. Cassidy's church Christmas program was yesterday and we've been done our Christmas shopping for awhile now. We are enjoying this season and all that it brings.
That's all up till now. Even though there's only 15 days left in the year, they hold lots of excitement! In 3 days we "go" to court (via telephone) to finalize Aviannah's adoption, John's holidays begin next week and of course, there's Christmas gatherings and family time to look forward too! I can't wait!
I feel like I've grown so much this past year, in so many areas. My relationship with God is ever changing, day by day. It's hard to put into words the things He's been teaching me this past year. I think most of all, He's shown me just how much He can do when I hold out my hands before Him, let go of the things I love and want and just trust Him with it all. I still struggle with this, but it's a work in progress and it's amazing to see what He can do when we decide to let Him. Yesterday we went to an evening church service and sang the song "It Is Well." Even though I've sung the words to this song countless times, I was brought to tears at this verse:
"My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought
My sin, not in part but the whole
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul!"
I can't say it any better then that. My only response is one of immense gratitude and praise to Jesus! Because anything I face in life, whether joy or sorrow, is possible when I remember what Jesus did on that cross for me. How can I do anything else but surrender my life to Him?
Looking ahead to 2015, I don't have any specific dreams or goals like with last year. I want to keep learning how to be a better wife, mother and most of all a better servant for the gospel of Jesus. I'm excited to see what God has in store for our family! 2015, bring it on!!
Monday, 15 December 2014
Friday, 12 December 2014
9 Months
Time for another montly update! Here's what's new in Aviannah's world
- She weighs 14l bs and is 26 inches long. Tiny but feisty!
- She cut her first tooth last week! She was working on it for months so I'm happy it's finally made an appearance and it looks like another one is on it's way.
- She has mastered sitting, to the point where I feel like I can walk away and she'll be ok. She still falls over sometimes, but usually only if she's been sitting for awhile and has gotten tired
- She LOVES her solids! She eats 3-4 times a day and has tried a variety of different foods. It's great because we're finding she's needing less formula as she eats more solids (which means it lasts longer and we're not spending quite as much on it, that stuff is not cheap!) Yogurt is her favorite, she usually eats a whole container of it before bedtime
- She's started to make more sounds that sound like real words and not just baby babble. She can say "mama," but she only says it if she's upset. Not sure if that's a compliment or not! She also says something that sounds alot like "hey." I think she is trying to say hi because she always says it in response to us saying "Hi!" It's really cute!
- Her favorite games are peek-a-boo, patty cake and being thrown in the air. She also loves dancing and getting tickled.
- She is getting close to crawling. She can scooch around and I've seen her trying to get her legs underneath her so I'm thinking it won't be too long until she's mobile! Rolling is still her method of choice when wanting to get somewhere
Healthwise, she's also doing great. We saw her pediatrican last month and she was pleased with how she's doing. She had a nasty cold last week, which really scared me. With her lungs being underdeveloped, we were warned to watch her very closely if she developed a cough. She had a bad cough with this cold but thanks to a humidifier and Vicks it only lasted a couple of days. I'm praying that she makes it through cold and flu season without any major problems.
We have been going to the Kinsmen Children's Centre once a month to see an occupational therapist and a physical therapist. They are keeping taps on her development and making sure she's on track for where she needs to be. With preemies, they always track by their adjusted age rather then their chronological age. Adjusted age is full term. Avi was 7 weeks early so they knock 7 weeks off her chronological age, meaning right now she is actually 7 months 1 week. We had our visit at KCC last week and they scored her on a bunch of things then charted it and she is exactly where she should be developmentally for her adjusted age. This was great to hear! It's hard not to compare her to other babies as she's getting to the age most babies are already crawling and standing, but I have to remind myself that even though we say she's 9 months, she's really only 7 months.
So that's really all for now! We're so excited to celebrate Christmas with her this year, and the icing on the cake is that by then, the adoption will be finalized and she'll be a Letkeman! What a great gift!
Thursday, 20 November 2014
6 Months Later
Yesterday was 6 months to the day that we met Aviannah for the first time. 6 months ago she was this tiny thing hooked up to wires. I remember tears filling my eyes as I looked upon her face for the first time. I remember the nurse scooping her up and placing her in my arms and her feeling so so tiny. I remember asking John to take a picture because I wanted that moment captured forever. Now I'm sitting on the couch with the laptop on my lap and she's sitting beside me, all by herself, playing with her toys and smiling at me. I don't know how it's already been 6 months and I don't know how it's only been 6 months. Part of me feels like she just got home and part of me feels like I've known her forever!
In case you didn't know, Aviannah's adoption was not finalized while we were in Las Vegas. Our agency required that we have 6 post-placement visits with our home study practitioner, one a month, and if those all went well then we would be able to finalize. We've had 5 visits so far and our last one is booked for December 6th. This week I talked to our lawyer's secretary in Nevada and she sent us the adoption order for us to sign and send back to them. Once they've received the report from our last visit, our lawyer will appear in court on our behalf and the judge will (hopefully!) make us legally Aviannah's parents. I'm so glad that we don't have to travel for this last part and that we can send important documents back and forth via email and fax. I like the 21st century. Oh yes, and of course there's another fee. It's only another $1000. Funny how when you pay a gigantic sum of money like $35,000, $1,000 doesn't seem like anything at all. Money has been tight for us lately, but we'll find a way to pay it of course. There's no turning back now!
Each time we've had a visit, she always writes up a report and sends it to me to edit it before she sends it to our agency. Each time I read them I'm always so humbled by the wonderful things she says about us. She makes us sound really good. I don't always feel really good. In fact, most times I feel like it's all I can do to make it though the day. I lose my patience with Cassidy. I let her watch too much TV. I forget to bath them. I just want to be alone sometimes. But I do love them. I love them with an intensity that scares me sometimes. And I guess this comes across because she seems to get that part right.
I can't wait until this is all done and legal. It already feels done. We've been Aviannah's parents for half a year already. A piece of paper isn't going to change that. Sure, it'll change her name and it'll change who has permanent custody of her, but it doesn't change who we are to her and who she is to us. Still though, it's the final FINAL step in her adoption journey. The icing on the cake. And the icing is my favorite part, don't you know!
I get this question alot "Are you going to adopt again?" I usually answer with this "Right now I don't want to, but give me a couple years." I would love more children, I really would. As I've said before, I dread the idea of adopting again now, but I think it's because it's all so fresh. Once we've had a couple years to get used to the idea again, I wouldn't be at all surprised to be found blogging about adoption #3. Of course, everything is up to God. Maybe we'll adopt again in a few years, maybe we'll adopt again next year, maybe we'll never adopt again, who knows? Right now I'm praying about it. I'm praying that God will prepare us for whatever He has in store and that we would be obedient to His voice. I'm looking forward to what's next, but also just really enjoying what's now. God is good, all the time.
In case you didn't know, Aviannah's adoption was not finalized while we were in Las Vegas. Our agency required that we have 6 post-placement visits with our home study practitioner, one a month, and if those all went well then we would be able to finalize. We've had 5 visits so far and our last one is booked for December 6th. This week I talked to our lawyer's secretary in Nevada and she sent us the adoption order for us to sign and send back to them. Once they've received the report from our last visit, our lawyer will appear in court on our behalf and the judge will (hopefully!) make us legally Aviannah's parents. I'm so glad that we don't have to travel for this last part and that we can send important documents back and forth via email and fax. I like the 21st century. Oh yes, and of course there's another fee. It's only another $1000. Funny how when you pay a gigantic sum of money like $35,000, $1,000 doesn't seem like anything at all. Money has been tight for us lately, but we'll find a way to pay it of course. There's no turning back now!
Each time we've had a visit, she always writes up a report and sends it to me to edit it before she sends it to our agency. Each time I read them I'm always so humbled by the wonderful things she says about us. She makes us sound really good. I don't always feel really good. In fact, most times I feel like it's all I can do to make it though the day. I lose my patience with Cassidy. I let her watch too much TV. I forget to bath them. I just want to be alone sometimes. But I do love them. I love them with an intensity that scares me sometimes. And I guess this comes across because she seems to get that part right.
I can't wait until this is all done and legal. It already feels done. We've been Aviannah's parents for half a year already. A piece of paper isn't going to change that. Sure, it'll change her name and it'll change who has permanent custody of her, but it doesn't change who we are to her and who she is to us. Still though, it's the final FINAL step in her adoption journey. The icing on the cake. And the icing is my favorite part, don't you know!
I get this question alot "Are you going to adopt again?" I usually answer with this "Right now I don't want to, but give me a couple years." I would love more children, I really would. As I've said before, I dread the idea of adopting again now, but I think it's because it's all so fresh. Once we've had a couple years to get used to the idea again, I wouldn't be at all surprised to be found blogging about adoption #3. Of course, everything is up to God. Maybe we'll adopt again in a few years, maybe we'll adopt again next year, maybe we'll never adopt again, who knows? Right now I'm praying about it. I'm praying that God will prepare us for whatever He has in store and that we would be obedient to His voice. I'm looking forward to what's next, but also just really enjoying what's now. God is good, all the time.
Wednesday, 12 November 2014
8 Months Old
Another month has FLOWN by. Our little turkey is now 8 months old!
She's changed more over this past month then any other month, in my opinion. I love love love this stage. She's so interactive and fun to be around, her little personality is starting to develop and she's not quite as needy. She's one month shy of the age Cassidy was when we adopted her. It'll be fun to compare how she is compared to her sister. Obviously she won't be quite as advanced but I bet I'll see quite a few similarities.
As of 5 days ago Aviannah was 13 lbs 5 oz and 26 inches long. I can't believe how much she has shot up in length. Her weight gain has stayed around the same percentile this whole time, but in the past 2 months she went from not even being on the charts for length to being in the 20th percentile. Crazy! She might be a tall girl!
At 8 months old Aviannah can:
-sit for short periods on her own (not enough that I can go to far. I made that mistake today and she was quite upset when she fell backwards on her head, even though it was on very soft carpet)
-roll everywhere (and she's getting pretty good at scooching around too)
-eat solids. She eats twice a day now and likes most things we try with her. Her favorites are rice cereal mixed with her formula, yogurt and apples
-wave (sometimes)
-recognize words. She responds to her name and "baba" (bottle) to name a few.
She still has no teeth, even though she's been working on them for quite a while. Her bottom two are both so close. I'm thinking it's going to be any day now. Everything goes in the mouth so I can tell they are bothering her.
Aviannah is still such a happy girl. She has discovered her voice and delights in making very shrill, high pitched screams as a result. Always when she's happy, though. She never cries, except when she gets hurt or startled. Even if she's fussing, she just makes sad, complaining noises but never all out cries. I thought we lucked out with Cassidy, but it seems we've won the baby lottery two times over. I can tell she's got a temper on her though. She could be a difficult toddler, but I keep telling John her attitude can't be worse then Cassidy's (can it??)
Health wise, she's also doing fantastic. We saw her pediatrician last week and she is very pleased at how she is doing. I'm truly amazed at all she has overcome, but like someone told me once "It's amazing what a little love can do." And we're giving her a lot of love, so I'm sure that has something to do with it!
This next month should be very exciting, for two reasons. 1. Christmas is coming 2. Aviannah's adoption is getting finalized! Our lawyer sent us an email asking us to call so we can get things rolling. He is hoping to have it finalized by the end of the year! That would be the best Christmas present!! For now, we're thankful for another month with our little sweetheart. She brings us so much joy!
She's changed more over this past month then any other month, in my opinion. I love love love this stage. She's so interactive and fun to be around, her little personality is starting to develop and she's not quite as needy. She's one month shy of the age Cassidy was when we adopted her. It'll be fun to compare how she is compared to her sister. Obviously she won't be quite as advanced but I bet I'll see quite a few similarities.
As of 5 days ago Aviannah was 13 lbs 5 oz and 26 inches long. I can't believe how much she has shot up in length. Her weight gain has stayed around the same percentile this whole time, but in the past 2 months she went from not even being on the charts for length to being in the 20th percentile. Crazy! She might be a tall girl!
At 8 months old Aviannah can:
-sit for short periods on her own (not enough that I can go to far. I made that mistake today and she was quite upset when she fell backwards on her head, even though it was on very soft carpet)
-roll everywhere (and she's getting pretty good at scooching around too)
-eat solids. She eats twice a day now and likes most things we try with her. Her favorites are rice cereal mixed with her formula, yogurt and apples
-wave (sometimes)
-recognize words. She responds to her name and "baba" (bottle) to name a few.
She still has no teeth, even though she's been working on them for quite a while. Her bottom two are both so close. I'm thinking it's going to be any day now. Everything goes in the mouth so I can tell they are bothering her.
Aviannah is still such a happy girl. She has discovered her voice and delights in making very shrill, high pitched screams as a result. Always when she's happy, though. She never cries, except when she gets hurt or startled. Even if she's fussing, she just makes sad, complaining noises but never all out cries. I thought we lucked out with Cassidy, but it seems we've won the baby lottery two times over. I can tell she's got a temper on her though. She could be a difficult toddler, but I keep telling John her attitude can't be worse then Cassidy's (can it??)
Health wise, she's also doing fantastic. We saw her pediatrician last week and she is very pleased at how she is doing. I'm truly amazed at all she has overcome, but like someone told me once "It's amazing what a little love can do." And we're giving her a lot of love, so I'm sure that has something to do with it!
This next month should be very exciting, for two reasons. 1. Christmas is coming 2. Aviannah's adoption is getting finalized! Our lawyer sent us an email asking us to call so we can get things rolling. He is hoping to have it finalized by the end of the year! That would be the best Christmas present!! For now, we're thankful for another month with our little sweetheart. She brings us so much joy!
Friday, 31 October 2014
Why We're Celebrating Halloween
Halloween is my least favorite holiday. Growing up, we never made a big deal out of Halloween. We were allowed to wear costumes to school but that was the extent of it. We usually went to an alternative fun night at either our church or one of the other churches in town. John was also raised to not celebrate Halloween. I know many Christians avoid this holiday because even though it originated as a Christian holiday, it was become a holiday of darkness and evil. It's frustrating to see all the scary decorations on houses (our street is especially bad), the horror movies on TV and other things that are associated with darkness.
My mindset as an adult was to just ignore Halloween and wait for it to pass so I could get on with celebrating Christmas. Now that we have kids, however, my thinking is a bit different. As Cassidy is getting older John and I have had many discussions about how we are going to handle different things that will come up in her childhood. One of these things is Halloween.
Lately I've been earnestly praying for more opportunities to live out my faith and to spread the gospel. I've been praying for eyes to see people as Jesus sees them and to not just be open to opportunities to share my faith, but to actively seek out ways to show Jesus' love to people. We are called to go and make disciples (Matt. 28) and be a light to the world (Matt 5). John and I want our girls to have this mindset, to be ready to make the most of every opportunity and to always be looking for ways to show Jesus' love to their friends and to anyone they meet. This is why we're choosing to celebrate Halloween. What better time to be a light then on a day of darkness?
John ordered some special Halloween tracts from Christain Book.com. They have a few activities for kids to do and they clearly explain the gospel in kid-friendly terms. We spent one evening this week taping them to full size chocolate bars. When the kids start coming trick or treating, the girls are going to dress up in their tiger costumes and help hand out candy (well, Cassidy will!) After we hopefully get rid of our load, we're going to head over to Valley Christian Academy for Fun Night and spend the rest of the evening there. We are not participating in trick or treating (for one thing, the girls are too young anyway. We haven't discussed what this will look like in future years) or involving ourselves in anything to do with scary creatures or darkness. We are choosing to be a house of light. This morning we spent some time praying over the kids that will be coming to our door and receiving our treats. Our prayer is that God will use these tracts to plant seeds, spark discussions and hopefully lead some to salvation.
Instead of trying to ignore Halloween and shut the lights off and hide out in the basement, we are taking advantage of this holiday to be a light. To show the world that Christians can have fun and to show our girls how to take advantage of any situation and use it as a chance to spread God's love. I realize that this is just a small thing, but I know from experience that it's often small things that God uses to bring great glory to His name. We are called to be a light, every day. This is why and how we're choosing to celebrate Halloween.
Jesus said "I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark."
My mindset as an adult was to just ignore Halloween and wait for it to pass so I could get on with celebrating Christmas. Now that we have kids, however, my thinking is a bit different. As Cassidy is getting older John and I have had many discussions about how we are going to handle different things that will come up in her childhood. One of these things is Halloween.
Lately I've been earnestly praying for more opportunities to live out my faith and to spread the gospel. I've been praying for eyes to see people as Jesus sees them and to not just be open to opportunities to share my faith, but to actively seek out ways to show Jesus' love to people. We are called to go and make disciples (Matt. 28) and be a light to the world (Matt 5). John and I want our girls to have this mindset, to be ready to make the most of every opportunity and to always be looking for ways to show Jesus' love to their friends and to anyone they meet. This is why we're choosing to celebrate Halloween. What better time to be a light then on a day of darkness?
John ordered some special Halloween tracts from Christain Book.com. They have a few activities for kids to do and they clearly explain the gospel in kid-friendly terms. We spent one evening this week taping them to full size chocolate bars. When the kids start coming trick or treating, the girls are going to dress up in their tiger costumes and help hand out candy (well, Cassidy will!) After we hopefully get rid of our load, we're going to head over to Valley Christian Academy for Fun Night and spend the rest of the evening there. We are not participating in trick or treating (for one thing, the girls are too young anyway. We haven't discussed what this will look like in future years) or involving ourselves in anything to do with scary creatures or darkness. We are choosing to be a house of light. This morning we spent some time praying over the kids that will be coming to our door and receiving our treats. Our prayer is that God will use these tracts to plant seeds, spark discussions and hopefully lead some to salvation.
Instead of trying to ignore Halloween and shut the lights off and hide out in the basement, we are taking advantage of this holiday to be a light. To show the world that Christians can have fun and to show our girls how to take advantage of any situation and use it as a chance to spread God's love. I realize that this is just a small thing, but I know from experience that it's often small things that God uses to bring great glory to His name. We are called to be a light, every day. This is why and how we're choosing to celebrate Halloween.
Jesus said "I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark."
Wednesday, 15 October 2014
Thankful Thoughts
I think that, living in a first world country, we take alot of things for granted. Running water, food, a warm bed at night, cars to take us places, and the list goes on and on. I try to remember to be mindful and thankful for all we have here in Canada, but it often goes forgotten until something happens that changes things, like last year when we were under a water advisory in Warman and had to boil all our water for a week. That was an eye opener! It made me realize how lucky we were to have access to water at all. Boiling it seemed like a pain, but at least it was there!
This week I've been thinking about something else we have in Canada that I often take for granted- healthcare. I and my family have always been blessed by good health. We've had the occasional time where we've needed to go to the walk-in to get antibiotics but nothing beyond that, until now. As most of you know, Aviannah has some health issues that seem very minor, but are still things that need to be followed up on. So far we've seen (or will be seeing) a pediatrician, neurologist, ophthalmologist, physical therapist and occupational therapist. That's quite the list of specialists! I've gotten a small taste of what these visits would be costing if we didn't have coverage and it is kind of ridiculous. We just got her health card 2 weeks ago so up until then we've had to pay for all our visits, but we will be getting everything reimbursed. Never before have I been so thankful for health care. When we met with our agency, they mentioned how lucky we were to not have to worry about the costs. They said a child who requires lots of specialists is often a deal breaker for adoptive parents because they can't afford it, but in Canada that's not even an issue. We spent the afternoon at the Kinsmen Children's Centre yesterday and I was thrilled with the people there and how closely they'll be following up on Aviannah. Right now they don't see any problems, but she is at risk for developmental delays so they want to keep seeing her to watch for any future problems. They also put in a referral for her to a program called Early Childhood Intervention which sounds fantastic. Again, they said she might not even need it, but they want to give us that option just in case. If it wasn't for our healthcare system, we might not have been able to utilize these resources. Of course, I hope that we won't need to down the road, but if we do, they are there and I am so thankful for that!
Now if only we could find a way to keep it warm here all year round...then Canada would be just about perfect!
This week I've been thinking about something else we have in Canada that I often take for granted- healthcare. I and my family have always been blessed by good health. We've had the occasional time where we've needed to go to the walk-in to get antibiotics but nothing beyond that, until now. As most of you know, Aviannah has some health issues that seem very minor, but are still things that need to be followed up on. So far we've seen (or will be seeing) a pediatrician, neurologist, ophthalmologist, physical therapist and occupational therapist. That's quite the list of specialists! I've gotten a small taste of what these visits would be costing if we didn't have coverage and it is kind of ridiculous. We just got her health card 2 weeks ago so up until then we've had to pay for all our visits, but we will be getting everything reimbursed. Never before have I been so thankful for health care. When we met with our agency, they mentioned how lucky we were to not have to worry about the costs. They said a child who requires lots of specialists is often a deal breaker for adoptive parents because they can't afford it, but in Canada that's not even an issue. We spent the afternoon at the Kinsmen Children's Centre yesterday and I was thrilled with the people there and how closely they'll be following up on Aviannah. Right now they don't see any problems, but she is at risk for developmental delays so they want to keep seeing her to watch for any future problems. They also put in a referral for her to a program called Early Childhood Intervention which sounds fantastic. Again, they said she might not even need it, but they want to give us that option just in case. If it wasn't for our healthcare system, we might not have been able to utilize these resources. Of course, I hope that we won't need to down the road, but if we do, they are there and I am so thankful for that!
Now if only we could find a way to keep it warm here all year round...then Canada would be just about perfect!
Sunday, 12 October 2014
Being Thankful and my 7 Month Old
It's Thanksgiving, and so of course I, like everyone else, am taking time to think of things I am thankful for, and I don't have to think very hard. We had a sharing time in church this morning and I shared how thankful I was for Aviannah and for our church family and their vital role in getting her home. I just wanted to extend that sentiment out to the rest of you who read this blog and have prayed and paid our baby home. She wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. So from the bottom of my very full heart, thank you. It's amazing to see how many people love her and take interest in her. She is one lucky little girl.
And today she hits another month milestone. Each month seems to come up faster then the one before. Happy 7 months Aviannah!
So far, this month has been the roughest yet. We had gotten into such a nice routine with Avi. She was sleeping through the night, on a good nap schedule and eating bigger amounts and going longer stretches between feeds. Then her teeth decided it was a good time to start causing havoc and all routine flew out the window. Her appetite went down, she started eating smaller amounts more often and waking up at night to eat, she had trouble napping due to fussiness and she's had diarrhea, a bad diaper rash and a cold. It's been so not fun, but it seems there is a lull in the teething. For the last three nights she's slept all night and her happy disposition is back. No teeth have made an appearance, however. I sure hopes she pops 1 or 5 soon!
Other then all of that, she's still doing great! She's rolling both ways and I never find her in the same spot I left her any more. She has decided that she LOVES to talk. Yesterday at my parents house she shrieked and squealed on the floor as we all stuffed ourselves full of Thanksgiving food and today in church she shrieked her way through Sunday school and the service. It's hilarious how vocal she is. Looks like she's going to take after her sister in that regard!
We started on solids this month, and so far she's not a fan. We've tried rice cereal, sweet potatoes and applesauce. Lately it's been going in and staying in but the faces she makes are priceless! We'll keep trying different things and hopefully find something that she likes eventually. I'm having fun with it! She is SO close to sitting on her own. On my lap she can sit for quite a while without help, but she has more trouble on the floor. I'm thinking sometime this next month she'll get the hang out if. She loves toys and grabs on to anything in her reach and immediately sticks it in her mouth.
She sure keeps us on our toes. Just when we think we have something figured out, she throws us for a loop. It's a good thing she's so cute! I can't believe she's only 5 months away from a year. This week marks 5 months since we met her, and those months have FLOWN by so I'm sure before I know it we'll be throwing her a birthday party.
Blessing to you all as you celebrate Thanksgiving. We have much to be thankful for.
And today she hits another month milestone. Each month seems to come up faster then the one before. Happy 7 months Aviannah!
So far, this month has been the roughest yet. We had gotten into such a nice routine with Avi. She was sleeping through the night, on a good nap schedule and eating bigger amounts and going longer stretches between feeds. Then her teeth decided it was a good time to start causing havoc and all routine flew out the window. Her appetite went down, she started eating smaller amounts more often and waking up at night to eat, she had trouble napping due to fussiness and she's had diarrhea, a bad diaper rash and a cold. It's been so not fun, but it seems there is a lull in the teething. For the last three nights she's slept all night and her happy disposition is back. No teeth have made an appearance, however. I sure hopes she pops 1 or 5 soon!
Other then all of that, she's still doing great! She's rolling both ways and I never find her in the same spot I left her any more. She has decided that she LOVES to talk. Yesterday at my parents house she shrieked and squealed on the floor as we all stuffed ourselves full of Thanksgiving food and today in church she shrieked her way through Sunday school and the service. It's hilarious how vocal she is. Looks like she's going to take after her sister in that regard!
We started on solids this month, and so far she's not a fan. We've tried rice cereal, sweet potatoes and applesauce. Lately it's been going in and staying in but the faces she makes are priceless! We'll keep trying different things and hopefully find something that she likes eventually. I'm having fun with it! She is SO close to sitting on her own. On my lap she can sit for quite a while without help, but she has more trouble on the floor. I'm thinking sometime this next month she'll get the hang out if. She loves toys and grabs on to anything in her reach and immediately sticks it in her mouth.
She sure keeps us on our toes. Just when we think we have something figured out, she throws us for a loop. It's a good thing she's so cute! I can't believe she's only 5 months away from a year. This week marks 5 months since we met her, and those months have FLOWN by so I'm sure before I know it we'll be throwing her a birthday party.
Blessing to you all as you celebrate Thanksgiving. We have much to be thankful for.
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