Can I Have a Nap Please?

    The sleeping transition has officially begun.  This is Chloe proudly sitting on her new bed next to ours.  It has been over a year that Chloe has slept with us, so this was a big change.  She is very happy to have her own bed and has not fussed about sleeping in it.  However, staying asleep is another story.  Chloe thinks that she has to been touching us at all times to make sure we are still there.  Last night Chloe woke up 3 times before 1:00am.  Come afternoon, I need a nap as badly as she does.  In the long run, learning that we are still there even though she can't feel us will go a long way toward her trust and bonding.  Please just pray for our perseverence in the mean time. 

 

    Last night we played some games as a family.  If you notice, Chloe is not very happy in the background.  She is learning that she is not always the center of attention and she needs to play quietly while Greg and I focus on the other kids sometimes.  So many lessons to learn - so little time.

Chloe and Buddy the cat.  Now that it's cold outside, he seems to slip in whenever the door opens.

Christmas and New Year Fun

We had a great time celebrating Christmas with our families this year.

We spent the day before Christmas with Greg's family.  We were excited to spend some time with his grandparents and sing some songs.  Chloe is showing a picture to her great grandma.

Chloe warmed up to Greg's dad for the first time.  It's fun to watch her begin to accept more people.

We always sleep in the living room as a family on Christmas Eve and these were the 4 smiling faces Christmas morning.

Chloe was a pro at opening gifts this year, but of course being 2, struggled to let others have a turn too.

My family was at our house for the day on Sat. This is the yearly grandchildren picture in front of the tree.

The girls each had a friend over for New Year's Eve, but Chloe had to celebrate a little early and get to bed.

We just had to snap this picture of Chloe on New Years morning.  She was sitting at the table pretending to talk on her cell phone and drink coffee.

    I wanted to take a moment to praise God for the this blessed Holiday Season.  We have had a lot of special family time together and Chloe is beginning to come out of her regression.   Thankfully, time seemed to pass slowly during this school break and we were all healthy.  Our times together were really precious and I pray that we have "filled our tanks" in preparation to head back to the craziness of the girls in school and the regular routine.

  http://www.samesamecd.com/

   As a final note, I wanted to put a plug in for a great cd for adoptive kids. We got it for Chloe for Christmas and I'm absolutely thrilled with it!  Some of the songs include: "This is My Forever Family", "Same/Same", "The Real Deal", and "Mama Always Comes Back."  All the songs address struggles adoptive kids might have in a fun musical way like someone asking where their "real" parents are or why they don't look the "same" as their family.  My favorite and the reason we bought the cd was for "Mama Always Comes Back."  Chloe is always fearful that I won't return and so now I remind her that Mama always comes back and she starts singing the song.  It's a great reminder for her.