What to be for Halloween?

So, we have been trying to figure out a way to explain Halloween to Saiya in a way that she will understand.  I suggested to my sister that we all go shopping for costumes together with her kids.  Maybe having other kids picking out things to dress up as will prompt her to want to dress up too.  So today, we were coloring together and I was drawing butterflies for her to color.  (What little girl doesnt like Butterflies??)  So, I found a pair of fairy wings that I purchased a couple of years ago for a Halloween party.  I had her put those on and she LOVED them!!!  She ran all around the house flapping her wings and laughing.  So, maybe we will dress her as a butterfly or bumble bee or lady bug or something like that for Halloween.  :)

On to a Normal Routine!!

Chris started back at work this week.  Saiya has finally come around to the idea of daycare during the day.  She walks with me to the classroom and I kiss her goodbye and she runs off to color or play.  We are finally getting into a normal routine.  Yay!!

Saiya is adjusting really well!  She sleeps in her own room, plays with her cousins, and sometimes eats the food we cook for her.  Haha!  I can say that we are really very lucky parents!  She is so easygoing and doesn’t really mind change that much, so putting her on a normal routine was very easy.

We picked her up 5 weeks ago, she has been home for 3 ½ weeks and she is doing amazingly well!  The time is flying by!

Day at the Zoo

Today Uma and Umpa took us all to the Brevard Zoo.  Saiya had a great time!  She loves animals and even got to feed the giraffes.  She is such a trooper.  She wandered around the zoo in the hot sun for four hours with no complaints!  We got to feed the birds in the aviary, brush some pigmy goats in the petting area, and then she played in the wading pool.  The wading pool was hysterical as her Uma had her splashing and dumping water on everyone, even Umpa, who didnt look very happy.  Haha!  I'm so glad she had fun!

The First Night

Wednesday night we put Saiya down to bed as usual and we were hanging around in the computer room (which is on the opposite side of the house) when we heard her calling, "MAMA!  POTTY!"  Up to this point we were wary about putting her to bed in her own room because we were not sure how she would do if she had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  As it turns out, she can be pretty loud if she thinks no one can hear her.  Its funny, she calls and calls, but doesnt move off of the bed.  She only got up when I walked into the room and she went to the toilet and I helped her a little bit, but for the most part, she did it on her own.  It must be left over behavior from the orphanage.  She will stay in her bed and call and call, but not move until an adult gets there.

So, last night we decided to try to put Saiya down to be in her own room.  We went to Walmart and bought her a CD/Alarm clock so that she could fall asleep to "sleepy music" using the "sleep" function so it turns off automatically (which is what we do in our room) and a baby monitor just in case she has to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, we will hear her call for us.  As I was getting her bed ready, she was jumping around and bouncing all over the place.  She had all of her stuffed animals in her arms.  She almost seemed excited about sleeping in her own room.  I piled up the pillows and pulled back the blankets and as soon as I turned off the lights and turned on the night light, she started to cry.  I think it was more because she was tired than because she didnt want to sleep in there.  I rocked her for about ten minutes and then tucked her in bed.  She went down surprisingly easy.  She was asleep in a matter of minutes.

When I got back to our room where Chris was reading, it seemed very empty.  I think she took sleeping in her own room better than we did.  We missed her last night and I was up every few hours to check on her and/or look at the monitor to make sure there was no action on it.  But, she's in her own room, which is better for everyone.  But we still miss her being with us...

Yay!  Progress!

Day 3 of Daycare

Yesterday started off pretty much the same as Monday.  Lots of crying and screaming when I dropped Saiya off at school.  Today, however, was much better.  She walked with me into the classroom and I kissed and hugged her goodbye and she let the teacher take her hand from mine without much of a fight.  She did cry a little bit, but there was no screaming.  I think she is getting better at this!  I hope by next week, she will be used to the fact that she goes to daycare during the day while we are at work.

She was being a bit of a brat last night and I’m not sure if that is because she is now in daycare during the day and doesn’t like the idea or if she was just having an off night.  I was feeling bad enough about the fact that she screams when I drop her off, that she was having an "off" night wasn't helping.  Talk about GUILT!

She has been with us for four weeks and we have made so much progress, I would hate to start going backwards now…  We will see how today goes.

First Day of School

I honestly don’t know how other parents do it.  I got Saiya up early this morning to get ready for my first day back at work and her first day of school.  She woke up really well, I was surprised she wasn’t grumpy.  I packed her back pack last night with a blanket, Yoshi, her favorite book, and a change of clothes.  She put on her back pack and climbed into the car.  She was fairly happy until we pulled into the daycare parking lot.  She hopped out of the car and frowned.  I think she knew what was up.  We met with one of the teachers who showed me how to check her in and stuff and then we took her to the classroom.  I tried to put her down and she didn’t want to stand on her own.  Finally, the teacher took her from me and she started scream “Mama! Mama! Mama!” as I made a break for the door.  I closed it as quickly as I could and headed down the hall to sign her in.  I could hear her screaming for me as I walked to the front of the building.  It took all my willpower and strength to walk out the front doors and not turn around to go get my daughter.

I feel like a horrible parent!  I had to call my sister just for some reassurance.  Haha!  Still feeling pretty bad though.  Maybe tomorrow will be better???

First Boat Ride

Yesterday we went out on a friend’s boat with Saiya.  She did ok.  She hated the life jacket on her, so she cried the whole way out to the islands.  Once we got there and I took her life jacket off, she continued to throw a little temper tantrum for about 20 minutes.  After she calmed down and got used to the idea of being out in the sun, she had a blast.  She played in the water and sand with her cousins.  On the way back to the boat launch, my friend let her steer the boat.  She LOVED it!  She hates having the wind blow in her eyes, so she closed her eyes while she was driving the boat.  We also say a pod of dolphins in the channel on the way back.  She was fascinated with them!  We might have to get her a more comfortable life jacket, but other than that, the boat trip was a success!!