So we've survived week one in the "big bed" only a little worse for the wear. A few tears, a lot (A LOT) of giggling, one surprise early morning visit, and a lot of time spent guarding Simon's door. In fact, I am coming to you, once again, live from the floor outside his room. Good times.
As expected, the excitement of being able to get in and out of bed on his own has kept Simon from a few good nights of sleep. There has been an interesting progression as we moved from anxiety and frustration, as Simon seemed to know he was capable of getting out of bed, but understood this was not what he was "supposed" to do, to sheer pleasure at the idea of surprising Mommy and Daddy with a visit an hour after climbing into bed. No more tears. Not even real fighting when we tell him he has to go back to bed. But absolute determination to stay up as late as possible, playing and laughing behind a door that he tries to open just a little... to let us know he's there and that he thinks that is pretty cool.
I'm told the novelty will wear off, and we are trying our best not to react, not to engage too much, lest Simon thinks this is a game and we end up inadvertently encouraging him to stay up even longer. But still.... a night off from door-sitting on a cold, hard floor would be nice.
In other news, I know some are wondering about adoption round 2. Admittedly, we do not talk about it much here these days, even though it is a huge part of why we keep guzo in the first place. It is a strange thing - even for us.
With Simon's adoption, things moved so quickly (until they didn't) and everything was a new experience, sometimes so good that we were excited to share and sometimes so bad that we needed to vent. This time around has been quite different. Fairly uneventful (so far). Much slower (our expected wait time for a referral is approx 8-9 months; when we adopted Simon, the entire process was not even taking 9 months from start to finish for many families). At over 2 months into the wait for Simon (i.e. where we are now!), we could reasonably start anticipating our referral and imagining the next steps. Today, we are looking at another 6 or 7 months until a referral... and likely several more until we travel (for trip #1, not even thinking about trip #2...). And, of course, as we are now also parenting a 2.5 year old, the opportunity to sit and blog is less frequent.
But I would hate for anyone (including our children who I hope will be able to read these posts one day) to think that the lack of posting is in any way indicative of a lack of passion and desire and excitement for this next adoption. That would be completely, absolutely, ridiculously wrong.
We are as excited, as happy, as open, and filled with as much love and joy this time around as we were two years ago. It is true we are more guarded, more cautious, perhaps even more realistic (or at least trying to be more prepared for the inevitable curve balls that will be thrown our way). And so we struggle a bit to keep track of our progress on guzo. For now, anyway.
But we are still completely engaged in this process. And, we may already have made it through a good 25% of the wait to a referral. So, lack of posting aside, we are very well aware of each and every milestone, and quietly celebrating them all.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
live from the lving room...
8:03pm
It's a pretty big night for us: Simon's first night in a bed!
Some might say we waited too long; some think we should stick with the crib as long as we can... guess we'll find out soon enough.
Figuring that night one would be a rough night, we actually meant to change out his crib on Friday (so we'd have the weekend to catch up on the sleep lost due to someone not sleeping and/or coming and visiting us in the middle of the night now that he can...), but we were so tired, we didn't get around to it. Then last night, my parents babysat for us and we thought it would just be cruel to make them deal with night one in the bed, so we waited again. Today, we thought "we should probably not do this on a Sunday, because we may pay for it Monday morning (and Monday mornings are already hard enough)...." But since we seem to like the chaos of life, we are going for it anyway.
Simon seems pretty excited about this new setup and EJ has already found his spot in the bed, so we're off to a good start. Bedtime is approaching and I have decided to record the events of the night live on guzo. I'm thinking it could be a pretty interesting night here. So stay tuned for updates as we document the events of "The Bed - Night 1."
Oh - and keep your fingers crossed that we all actually get some sleep.
8:24
And we're off... Simon is in bed.
8:27
A giggling Simon has emerged from his room. He returned to his room quickly, but is now standing at the door, giggling wildly. This might be a very long night.
8:36
After Daddy holds the door closed while Simon makes multiple escape attempts, Mommy takes a turn (re)tucking in.
8:39
Mommy emerges. All is quiet. Mommy turns and stares at the shut door.
8:40
The sound of the sliding door and the giggle.
8:43
Mommy is back in. Lots of negotiating taking place.
8:48
Ry's turn. Too hard not giggling along with Simon. Ugh!
8:50
The giggling is getting even louder. Crib!! Crib!! Come baaaccckkkk!!
8:57
Daddy tags out, Mommy tries again. This whole thing is just way too fun for Mr Si.
9:04
"Si, do you want a time out?"... "Yeah, ok." Giggle.
9:09
It's been quiet for 3 minutes. Mommy still on the inside.
9:11
Spoke too soon.
9:20
Simon in his room and mommy and daddy in the living room (guarding the door, but still, we're on the outside).
9:22
Pretty quiet. Daddy sitting outside Si's door. No one is saying a word.
9:23
Make that Mommy and Daddy not saying a word. Chants of "no sleep, no sleep" are coming from Simon's bedroom. EJ is bored.
9:30
Simon getting a bit quieter, but not giving up just yet. Still making visits to the door to see if we're watching. We are.
9:36
Tears.
9:50
Think Simon might actually be in his bed now, but he's still not happy. So setting up camp - pillows, blankets -outside Simon's door. Why not get comfy?? EJ is helping to guard the door.
9:54
Uh oh! Neighbor's dog in the hallway barking. EJ goes crazy!!!!
10:02
Definite signs of tiredness, but Simon's not giving up just yet. Poor guy. He's supposed to be happy to be in a "big kid" bed.
10:09
Is 5 minutes of uninterrupted silence enough to call it?? The floor is getting to be a bit uncomfortable, even with my blanket and pillow.
10:10
Apparently not. More chants of "no sleep, no sleep, no sleep."
10:16
5 more minutes of silence. I'm taking the leap and moving to the couch. I think EJ might be disappointed. He was starting to enjoy this adventure.
10:29
Still pretty quiet and it's been about an hour since Simon's last escape attempt. I think we've turned a corner. There is still hope for a good night's sleep.
11:03
Just checked in and we have a sleeping Simon. Hoping to have a sleeping Mer & Ry soon too. Will let you know in the morning if my alarm clock wakes me up or if Simon does first! Good night to all.
8:07am, August 23
We did it. We made it through the rest of the night with no problems. Well, Simon did. Ry and I might have had a little trouble sleeping as we listened for sounds of someone sneaking out of bed, falling out of bed, getting into trouble, crying, giggling, playing, etc. But night one in the bed turned out to be incident free (that is, if you don't count the first 2 hours of trying to get someone to actually stay in the bed). Probably nothing to get too excited about at this point. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before I find myself face to face with a giggling toddler standing by my bed at 3am. But on this Monday morning, I will just be happy to have slept the night before.
It's a pretty big night for us: Simon's first night in a bed!
Some might say we waited too long; some think we should stick with the crib as long as we can... guess we'll find out soon enough.
Figuring that night one would be a rough night, we actually meant to change out his crib on Friday (so we'd have the weekend to catch up on the sleep lost due to someone not sleeping and/or coming and visiting us in the middle of the night now that he can...), but we were so tired, we didn't get around to it. Then last night, my parents babysat for us and we thought it would just be cruel to make them deal with night one in the bed, so we waited again. Today, we thought "we should probably not do this on a Sunday, because we may pay for it Monday morning (and Monday mornings are already hard enough)...." But since we seem to like the chaos of life, we are going for it anyway.
Simon seems pretty excited about this new setup and EJ has already found his spot in the bed, so we're off to a good start. Bedtime is approaching and I have decided to record the events of the night live on guzo. I'm thinking it could be a pretty interesting night here. So stay tuned for updates as we document the events of "The Bed - Night 1."
Oh - and keep your fingers crossed that we all actually get some sleep.
8:24
And we're off... Simon is in bed.
8:27
A giggling Simon has emerged from his room. He returned to his room quickly, but is now standing at the door, giggling wildly. This might be a very long night.
8:36
After Daddy holds the door closed while Simon makes multiple escape attempts, Mommy takes a turn (re)tucking in.
8:39
Mommy emerges. All is quiet. Mommy turns and stares at the shut door.
8:40
The sound of the sliding door and the giggle.
8:43
Mommy is back in. Lots of negotiating taking place.
8:48
Ry's turn. Too hard not giggling along with Simon. Ugh!
8:50
The giggling is getting even louder. Crib!! Crib!! Come baaaccckkkk!!
8:57
Daddy tags out, Mommy tries again. This whole thing is just way too fun for Mr Si.
9:04
"Si, do you want a time out?"... "Yeah, ok." Giggle.
9:09
It's been quiet for 3 minutes. Mommy still on the inside.
9:11
Spoke too soon.
9:20
Simon in his room and mommy and daddy in the living room (guarding the door, but still, we're on the outside).
9:22
Pretty quiet. Daddy sitting outside Si's door. No one is saying a word.
9:23
Make that Mommy and Daddy not saying a word. Chants of "no sleep, no sleep" are coming from Simon's bedroom. EJ is bored.
9:30
Simon getting a bit quieter, but not giving up just yet. Still making visits to the door to see if we're watching. We are.
9:36
Tears.
9:50
Think Simon might actually be in his bed now, but he's still not happy. So setting up camp - pillows, blankets -outside Simon's door. Why not get comfy?? EJ is helping to guard the door.
9:54
Uh oh! Neighbor's dog in the hallway barking. EJ goes crazy!!!!
10:02
Definite signs of tiredness, but Simon's not giving up just yet. Poor guy. He's supposed to be happy to be in a "big kid" bed.
10:09
Is 5 minutes of uninterrupted silence enough to call it?? The floor is getting to be a bit uncomfortable, even with my blanket and pillow.
10:10
Apparently not. More chants of "no sleep, no sleep, no sleep."
10:16
5 more minutes of silence. I'm taking the leap and moving to the couch. I think EJ might be disappointed. He was starting to enjoy this adventure.
10:29
Still pretty quiet and it's been about an hour since Simon's last escape attempt. I think we've turned a corner. There is still hope for a good night's sleep.
11:03
Just checked in and we have a sleeping Simon. Hoping to have a sleeping Mer & Ry soon too. Will let you know in the morning if my alarm clock wakes me up or if Simon does first! Good night to all.
8:07am, August 23
We did it. We made it through the rest of the night with no problems. Well, Simon did. Ry and I might have had a little trouble sleeping as we listened for sounds of someone sneaking out of bed, falling out of bed, getting into trouble, crying, giggling, playing, etc. But night one in the bed turned out to be incident free (that is, if you don't count the first 2 hours of trying to get someone to actually stay in the bed). Probably nothing to get too excited about at this point. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before I find myself face to face with a giggling toddler standing by my bed at 3am. But on this Monday morning, I will just be happy to have slept the night before.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
simon time
Should I just start every post with my new "I am a bad blogger" mantra?
There are actually tons of blog post thoughts and ideas running through my mind all the time, but it seems that I continue to be unable to translate those thoughts and ideas into actual posts. Sometimes it's just a time thing (i.e. there is no time) and sometimes I just don't know how to put my thoughts and feelings into words.
Today is one of those days where I actually have the time to write, but I don't really have it in me to write a particularly deep or thoughtful post. One is coming... I feel it. But today I will be keeping it simple.
As I've noted before, in addition to being a great way to keep family and friends up-to-date on our adoption processes, guzo has also been a sort of journal for our family and one of the best records we have of Simon's first couple of years. We're both pretty nuts with our cameras (we took about 3000 photos on our honeymoon), so I know we will have a zillion pictures of Simon to help us remember all of the great moments - big and small - that we share together. But this blog lets me record all of the things the pictures can't capture, like his favorite music (Black Eyed Peas, Elmo's Alphabet Rap, a Nick Jr. song about cows, chickens and pigs - yes, he has very eclectic taste!), his favorite activities (cooking still reigns supreme, anything letter oriented is also very cool) and whatever else he's up to (swimming lessons, tricycle riding)....
So I hope you will indulge me once again as I take this opportunity to record some of our current life with Simon.
In no particular order...
Favorite words/phrases: bumblebee, bagel shop, mac-y-mole (guacamole), basco (tabasco), Si do it, cooking class, ride train, ride plane, World Trade Center, dancing feet, why sleep?? (this last one is a bit problematic).
Things Simon is doing that I think are so cute and brilliant (and they are), but are probably the things all 2.5 year olds do: narrating TV shows (either he has memorized them or he repeats every line), "reading" books on his own, dancing along to videos, tv, and movies, climbing on everything, telling us how to cook ("make pasta... need pan... need water... need oil...."), trying to be like Mommy and Daddy (wearing our shoes, carrying our bags, eating our food (off our plates -so much better than eating off his own plate), trying to be like EJ ("digging" on the carpet while saying "no digging EJ" and laughing - I know I need to put a stop to this one!)...
Always enjoys: COOKING!!, cookie ice cream, playgrounds and water parks, his cousin Matthew (and Matthew's house, which is understandable, because cousin Matthew's house has way more toys than Simon's house!), Little Bear, birthday cake (doesn't matter whose), riding in the car (unless the ride exceeds an hour or two), doing things that he knows he is not supposed to do (can you say rebel??).
On the horizon: nursery school starting in a few weeks, and, of course, a little sister he has no idea about yet!
What a great journey we are on!!
There are actually tons of blog post thoughts and ideas running through my mind all the time, but it seems that I continue to be unable to translate those thoughts and ideas into actual posts. Sometimes it's just a time thing (i.e. there is no time) and sometimes I just don't know how to put my thoughts and feelings into words.
Today is one of those days where I actually have the time to write, but I don't really have it in me to write a particularly deep or thoughtful post. One is coming... I feel it. But today I will be keeping it simple.
As I've noted before, in addition to being a great way to keep family and friends up-to-date on our adoption processes, guzo has also been a sort of journal for our family and one of the best records we have of Simon's first couple of years. We're both pretty nuts with our cameras (we took about 3000 photos on our honeymoon), so I know we will have a zillion pictures of Simon to help us remember all of the great moments - big and small - that we share together. But this blog lets me record all of the things the pictures can't capture, like his favorite music (Black Eyed Peas, Elmo's Alphabet Rap, a Nick Jr. song about cows, chickens and pigs - yes, he has very eclectic taste!), his favorite activities (cooking still reigns supreme, anything letter oriented is also very cool) and whatever else he's up to (swimming lessons, tricycle riding)....
So I hope you will indulge me once again as I take this opportunity to record some of our current life with Simon.
In no particular order...
Favorite words/phrases: bumblebee, bagel shop, mac-y-mole (guacamole), basco (tabasco), Si do it, cooking class, ride train, ride plane, World Trade Center, dancing feet, why sleep?? (this last one is a bit problematic).
Things Simon is doing that I think are so cute and brilliant (and they are), but are probably the things all 2.5 year olds do: narrating TV shows (either he has memorized them or he repeats every line), "reading" books on his own, dancing along to videos, tv, and movies, climbing on everything, telling us how to cook ("make pasta... need pan... need water... need oil...."), trying to be like Mommy and Daddy (wearing our shoes, carrying our bags, eating our food (off our plates -so much better than eating off his own plate), trying to be like EJ ("digging" on the carpet while saying "no digging EJ" and laughing - I know I need to put a stop to this one!)...
Always enjoys: COOKING!!, cookie ice cream, playgrounds and water parks, his cousin Matthew (and Matthew's house, which is understandable, because cousin Matthew's house has way more toys than Simon's house!), Little Bear, birthday cake (doesn't matter whose), riding in the car (unless the ride exceeds an hour or two), doing things that he knows he is not supposed to do (can you say rebel??).
On the horizon: nursery school starting in a few weeks, and, of course, a little sister he has no idea about yet!
What a great journey we are on!!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
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