Crawling

The last couple weeks have gone well. I hesitate to post whenever we have an up week or down week because things are ever changing, but I know that several people have been worried, and I want to share the good things as well as the challenges. I'm hoping that this air of goodness will continue here forward (with bumps along the way, of course). It has been three months since we first met Bereket. She has changed so much in that short time. She has gained five pounds and two inches and we are beginning to see a very silly and happy girl emerge after the big adjustment home. I feel more confident as her mother, though I know I have a lot to learn.

After a few rough weeks when we first got home, I made sure that I had the support I needed to feel like the future was do-able. As soon as it was manageable, I backed off on seeking support and doing things for myself. That totally backfired and sent me back into an anxious spiral and I began not sleeping well and over-analyzed everything and began to worry. After revamping the support network and realizing it's necessary for the next months, and accepting my current situation, things have gone much smoother. I've learned so much about myself over the last three months, and discovered strength I didn't know I had. I also connected with so many people who supported me (and continue to)--friendships I cherish so much. I hope someday I have the chance to support and encourage other families going through a post-adoption transition.

The boys have been doing a lot of boundary testing (Torin is in the tantrum 2.5 stage, and Asehn is in the 'talking back' almost 4 stage) and are constantly on the move--keeping me moving with them. Both boys' favorite activity right now is riding their bikes (with training wheels) up and down the sidewalk--for hours sometimes. Ashen says he's ready to go on two wheels--yikes! He looks big enough (often mistaken for a 5-6 year old) but he's still only 3 and it's a big bike! Since we tend to be a bit wild, I'm sure we'll take his training wheels off soon and give it a go. He starts preschool again in a couple weeks, three mornings a week at a new school. I am anxious about it, but I'm sure he'll have a blast and meet great new friends. Torin will join him next year.

Our girl is on the move! This was taken the day she started crawling. Now she's cruising the house, looking for things to pull off shelves. She is definitely seeking out things that the boys didn't so it's time to baby-proof from another angle.