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Location: Ellensburg, Washington, United States

I am a deputy prosecuting attorney in rural Washington state.

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Day 12: Surprises Never End

Today caught us off guard. We had only just arrived at the Nezabudka Orphanage when our interpreter came to us saying that the coordinator said we should go home now. Candace was convinced that we had yet, again, done something inappropriate. You see, all adoptive families get scolded whenever the children are too loud, put toys in the paths of oncoming caregivers, play with the expensive medical equipment that they won't remove from the visiting room, or when they find boots to carry from the boot cabinet. So, we just thought that we'd gone too far and overlooked something. But, to our surprise, the message was that we were bundling up two little boys to bring to the apartment for the rest of our stay! Oh my gosh! Let me repeat, oh my gosh!

Once home, we then scrambled to babyproof the apartment. A three year old has a good reach and the little one is like a Hoover vacuum. We were to quickly "dismantle" all borrowed clothing (three layers here in winter) and return them to the orphanage staff so that count is correct. For the balance of the afternoon, it was chaos and play and more chaos.

Dinner time and bath time were fine. One little Lonya likes to play in the tub. But it settled them down a bit. Toothbrushing capped it off and then it was time for bed. Lonya is a good sleeper but Sergey screamed solid for two hours. We took turns walking and rocking him. When he was laid down, he'd awake and scream again. Both boys were restless and we basically watched them all through the night. The adults may have gotten two hours of sleep, if lucky.

Now you're saying to yourselves, "I told them that this would change their lives forever! What are they thinking? Toddlers at their age?" Well, we will clear this up now. You all were categorically correct in everything you said. We know that and you know that. So, let's just leave it at that. You win. We're exhausted, but it's a good exhaustion.

Goodnight, friends and family. Oh wait, the kids are up again and ready to play.

5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yeah and everyone told us we were crazy to have five kids. They all wondered what we were thinking, but I couldn't imagine not having them now. Life will be hectic for a while. You may want to sleep with them for a while. You may want to put a mattress right below your bed. From what we have read with other adopted families this is done a lot. They are frightened and really don't know what is happening. Remember that when things are hard. It is a hard thing to remember when all you want to do is blow, but put yourself in their shoes and you will get a different perspective on things. Also, it is like having a baby. There is not much sleep that happens in the first few months and in Kylee's case three years!! Something to remember is ROUTINE,ROUTINE, ROUTINE!!!

Take care,
Hilda :)

8:49 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree with Hilda--I'm constantly reminding myself, "She's just little," "She's not doing this on purpose." Even I, she-who-thought-she-knew-everything-about-raising-children-before-she-had-one, eats crow daily! It is a wonderful crazy.

10:18 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree with both ladies above :-) Many new mothers are having their babies sleep with them these days. It is a completely different mind set than when I raised Roxanne. Back then they encouraged you to get them into their own room before they were a year old. Maritza, my daughter-in-law on the other hand, is doing it the "new" way. Cota slept with she and her husband for the first year and then has gradually been getting used to his own bed the second year. His crib was still in the same room with them though. The idea was very foreign to me but Cota seems to be very well adjusted.

As far as the crying for hours that too is not surprising considering the newness of the situation. When Roxanne was two I and her dad divorced. Every visitation weekend she would scream (cry) at the exchange and scream when she was returned. She just didn't get it at that age. She would settle down in a very short while but if you think about the even bigger change for Sergey, it is a normal reaction.

Well, it's work time -- need to get out of here. Hang in there -- it will get better :-) Nancy

7:45 AM  
Blogger kjorsvik said...

What a wonderful surprise! I'm very excited for you and the boys. I'll bet you never imagined this day would finally arrive - but it has - and enjoy each and every moment of it!! I'm sure you will experience many nights of no sleep, but it is worth every second of it...and besides, when the boys are grown you can catch up on all that sleep! :-) When do you get to come home? Maci is getting excited to meet her new friends!

8:29 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh, Oh, Spaghettio !!!!! No comments for Day 13 must mean one thing.

MOTHERHOOD HAS BEGUN :-)

Nancy

4:41 PM  

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