Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We stayed home, because Nathan had to work. We had our own little Thanksgiving, though. First, Merrie and I got to go to Jim and Belva's house. They work at the same place we do (their daughter, Mary, and I used to share an office, and I miss her terribly), and they found out we weren't going home for the holiday. So, they graciously lent us their family and delicious food for the day. We had a wonderful time and got home just after Nathan got home from work. All three of us took a nap on the couch and then started cooking! We had cornish game hens, cornbread stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce and collard greens (in honor of Meron, since she used to eat them in Ethiopia). It was all delicious. Then, my family came for a little post Thanksgiving party on Saturday. Meron learned how to exclaim 'Kahn!!!' with the proper hand gesture and has been doing it all day today. I guess maybe we should have worked on Momma instead, because she has stopped saying that. She really only wants to say things that have hand gestures associated with them. We'll need to start working on sign language again, apparently. I don't have any pictures of any of our Thanksgiving celebrations, but have been promised e-mails containing wonderful pictures from a couple of different sources... we'll see...

Notice the barrette in Meron's hair in the above pictures? We're working on her letting me touch her hair for more than 10 seconds at a time, because at some point I'm going to have to start doing her hair. The barrette took 11 seconds... baby steps....

Happy 3 Month Famiversary

If you look closely, you can see Meron's first puff in one of these pictures. You have to blow it up so it is huge and look VERY closely! Plus, new shoes... she is officially a size 3! We're all excited that she's gone up one whole shoe size in 2 1/2 months. We have now been together for 3 months. I should have posted yesterday, but I hadn't seen Merrie for 24 hours, and I decided it was more important to spend time with her than blog about her! Even now, I'm typing with her strapped to my stomach... we're still teething. So, we'll just say that these past three months have been without a doubt the best, scariest, most fun, most tiring, funniest, sweetest three months of my life. We love you, Mer. Thanks for being our daughter. I know what we are thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Hair

I did her hair! Well, kind of. It is just a headband. I do think it makes her look like quite a big girl.

A Tooth?!

I think Meron is actually getting a tooth this time... no teasing! She has been getting terribly swollen gums every once in a while for months... I guess as long as we've known her. So far, the swelling has always gone down and the teeth to be disappeared. Not this time... I hope. One of her top front teeth is almost through. In fact, it is so swollen that it looks like there is a tooth in her mouth. It actually clinks a little when she chews on the spoon, so I thought it might be through completely. Unfortunately, you can still see just a little bit of gum covering it up. Poor girl. She is really, really miserable. I'll try to post a picture some time, but it isn't actually as easy as you might think to get a picture of the inside of a toddler's mouth.
In other news... Merrie will now walk from me to the chair, about 5 steps, with no lunging. She has absolutely no desire to walk at any other time. She likes to crawl, thank you very much. I always wonder how much we can tell now about her future personality. Does this mean she will be a complacent sort of woman? I guess I find that hard to believe, since she is also quite vocal about what she wants (I think that is a nice way of saying she has started screaming at me if I won't give her something). Will curiosity always be part of her nature, or is it just a baby thing? She has started to say 'that' now... well, I guess she says 'dat'. Any time we walk anywhere, even if it is from the living room to the kitchen, she points at everything she sees and says, "Dat?" You'd think she'd get tired of, "That's a pillow. That's mom's brush. That's a dog. That's a window. That's a sock that the previously mentioned dog stole out of the laundry. Bad choice, Stew!"
I think I might yell at the dogs too much. She has been telling them to be quiet for a while now. Only she says it more like 'buy-it' Yesterday Stew was barking at a squirrel on the neighbor's roof and woke us up. She sat straight up and said quite clearly and disdainfully, "Ssstew!" In my defense, who wouldn't yell at a dog if he kept barking and waking up the baby it took me half an hour to get to sleep? Seriously, Stew, it is a SQUIRREL! The outdoors are full of them! We don't have any nuts that we are worried the squirrel might steal! How about you NOT go all crazy and rabid every time you see him! Plus, every time Stew goes outside all he does is stand in the one spot said squirrel has touched on our property and sniff for traces that it left. Then, Rose gets frustrated because Stew won't play with her and SHE starts to bark. She doesn't shut up, either. She is a girl used to getting what she wants from good old Stewart. Can you tell I have a little pent up rage towards the dogs lately? Poor puppies. If only they would let us sleep they would find themselves much happier dogs! Who would ever have thought I'd long for it to be terribly hot outside so that they would resume their summer lethargy?
Anyway... send good thoughts toward Meron's gums... and send calm thoughts toward the dogs.

Bath Time

A long, but very cute video.

New hat...

Merrie got some new shoes and a new hat... I think they're awfully cute. Plus, her new diaper covers came in the mail. They are awfully cute. You can see the red one poking out of the edges of her onesie. We ALSO got her Christmas dress. The hat was originally supposed to go with it, but it doesn't match. I think it is awfully cute, and it is really soft and comfy... which I guess is my main requirement for Merrie's clothes. I mean, I certainly dress comfortably. I don't feel like I can make her wear scratchy stuff.

Post placement report pictures

It is time for us to turn in our first post placement report. I have been trying to figure out which pictures to send for days, because a copy of these pictures will go to Meron's birth mother. I want so much for her to see what Meron's life is like. I want her to know that she is so loved and happy and wonderful. I want her to think she made the right decision in entrusting her beloved daughter to us. It is hard to convey all of that with a 6 picture limit. So these are the 6 pictures we will be sending her. Do you think our message will get through? I wish I could send her videos instead.

Too tired..

To find clean pants for the baby. That's sad... Although, to be fair, this was her 4th outfit of the day, and I do love how we incorporated two different types of water birds.... since there are ducks on the shirt and penguins on the socks. That girl can sure splatter some sweet potatoes! Seriously though, look at the developing chunkiness on the thighs! Pretty exciting, I think. Plus, we have to buy new diaper covers, because she is finally outgrowing the small sizes.

Fuzzy jammies and other cuteness

Some pictures of Meron being cute eating dinner, modeling some new outfits that someone just sent her, and just for Meg... pictures of fuzzy footie pj's... in honor of her finally having a completed homestudy!

Plus, a video of supper tonight. Supper was a lot neater before, but not nearly so exciting! Also, let me just say that Alison, you were right about either eating well or sleeping well! Meron has been sleeping through the night now, but she doesn't want to eat anything except for fruit, cheese, rice rusks, freeze dried yougurt, black olives and chicken... that's an almost balanced diet, right?

Practicing....

Her record is 6 steps before she panics and lunges for safety, but after we turned off the camera she walked 6 steps very calmly right to Nathan... no lunging involved. It won't be long! We get so excited to see her developing, and then every once in a while we think.... you know, maybe it isn't such a bad thing that she can't walk yet....!

Meron Eating Lunch

Happy 13 Month Birthday!

Merrie is 13 months old today. Does it count as a birthday if I count every month? I think so. Seriously, what a big girl. This will be a short post, though, because she hasn't been feeling so well. I'm not sure if it is her teeth or if she is really sick, but she wouldn't eat breakfast or lunch and she took over 5 hours worth of naps today. Unfortunately, she was only willing to sleep on top of me... so I did 5 hours worth of laying on the couch today! It was kind of fun, though. She was awfully sweet and cuddly when she wasn't screaming at me for no apparent reason! I did finally get a little bit done, when I put her in the Ergo and strapped her to my chest. She would eat as long as she was strapped to me, as well. So, I'm hoping she's feeling better. She even ate some of her corn pasta. We think she's allergic to wheat, because last time she ate a bunch of it she got a rash all over. It has made us more creative in the baby snack department. She eats lots and lots of rice, and we found her some rice flour bread and pasta made from corn. Since bread and pasta are her favorite foods, she's pretty relieved. She has also decided she loves cheddar cheese and black olives, and hates mashed potatoes with vegetables in them... although she likes them if it is just plain potatoes. Maybe she just objects at her father's attempt at trickery... The video is of her listening to a little music and dancing on her daddy.

First attempt at scaling the stairs...

Updates...

Okay, I'm a bad blogger. Sorry no updates for a while. Things are going a little bit better with me going to work... I guess. Merrie is really really excited to see me when I get home. She gives me lots and lots of hugs and pats on the back, which is awfully sweet. I just miss her so much. I, unlike her, have a sense of time and how slowly it passes when I'm at work! She is getting braver and braver about trying to stand by herself. I really do think she could walk... but I guess I'm secretly glad she won't yet. It means I get to pretend she is a baby for just a little while longer.

Excuse how messy the living room is in these videos... we clean it up every night, but by the end of the day with Meron on the loose it is pretty well trashed! She got the alligator walker from grandma and grandpa for her birthday. I can't believe how well she walks with it! She is even starting to steer... well, sometimes. She is awfully proud of herself when she realizes how far she has gotten by herself. It is pretty funny.

Merrie has also become and aggressive tickler. She comes up to me and scratches me under the chin while saying, "kl kl kl kl." She doesn't so much say the 'tick' part of tickle... just the 'kle.' She's just being efficient, I guess. She is well on her way to exploring the fine art of tantrum throwing, which is amazing to watch. Why does she think we will give her something if she screams and hits? We don't scream or hit... where did she learn it?! Must be natural, I guess... Needless to say, we are pretty adamant about not giving her whatever it is she wants if she screams and hits us, but that doesn't seem to dissuade her in the least. At first I just thought she didn't know she was hurting us, just reacting out frustration. We always say ouch when she hurts us and tell her to be nice. The other day, she sat down really hard, looked at me and said very clearly, "Ouch!" She knew what we were saying all along! It really is amazing to see more and more of her personality come out. I love how sassy she is! She really is the funniest person I've ever met. Also, I find it very impressive how strong willed and determined she is. It will serve her well someday, but I do find it to be a little terrifying. I mean, we are really in trouble! The girl has moxie. That is one of the first things we said when we looked at her referral picture and saw the little twinkle in her eye, and I think we were right. I'm glad... moxie is a good thing.

I found this video on someone else's blog. I love hearing the Amharic and seeing Ethiopia again. Amharic really is one of the lovliest languages I have ever heard.

We Voted!

Merrie and I cast our votes this morning. I was a little emotional, which surprised me a lot. I was just sitting there, coloring in the appropriate circle, when I was suddenly struck by the enormous change the results of the election could make in the future of this tiny little girl sitting in the voting booth in front of me. In preparation for our adoption, we learned as much as we could about what our brown skinned daughter will be facing in her life in America. There is still so much racism, some subtle and some obvious. If Obama does as well as his supporters hope and lives up to even a fraction of the expectations we have, I can't help but think the opinions some people have about African Americans will be swayed a little. And, if a new generation of children grows up thinking it is normal for a black man to be the president, how might that change the world for Meron? I am so hopeful for the future of our country and for my daughter tonight.

On an entirely different subject...

I just completed my second day of work. It was worse for me and better for Meron than I expected. I think it is probably worst of all for my coworkers. I mean, not everyone knows exactly how to act when they ask me if I'm glad to be back at work and I get all weepy. Plus, I think they are probably looking more for a brief 'good' than the blow by blow account of all of her many talents, pleasant attributes and developmental milestones I give them. I can't help it. She really is the best little person on the planet. Merrie is doing better than I am. She is just really clingy when I am home... but that is okay, because I am really clingy with her when I am home. The part I am really worried about is the 3 times this month that I have to work from 3-11 pm and then be back at work at 6:30am the next morning. I won't see her for 24 hours! It makes me a little nauseous just thinking about it. But, I'm sure we'll make it. Also, it is really hitting me how little I am going to see my husband for a while. We literally will only see each other in the parking lot when we switch... so between 2:58 and 3:01pm every day until Saturday at 3. I guess we see each other for a few minutes when I get home, but Nathan has to be at work at 6:30, so it doesn't really work so well for him to stay up that late... It will be okay. We both decided it is worth it for right now so that Meron doesn't have to go to daycare. When she is older and more used to us, it won't be such a big deal for her to go to daycare a couple of days a week. Until then, we both will get lots of one on one time with her, and I think that is good. So, here is a video of our cute little cruiser, right before we went to vote today. I don't think it will be long before she is walking, do you? It was right before nap time, so she was a little whiny... but still cute. Also, you can see in the pictures that she has scratches all over her nose. Those are from trying to stay up and not sleep last night. She really is a determined sort. She gets scratches a lot, no matter how short we keep her nails. I think it is only fair that I have a daughter so determined to NOT SLEEP at night. At least, that is what my parents say. Apparently, I used to physically hold my eyes open. I think that is preferable to scratching herself to stay awake... but I have to admit that it is quite effective!