Changes to this Blog

Now that Mia is so firmly rooted in our family, it doesn't seem right to call this blog, "Our Adoption Journey" anymore. I'll be changing the title and replacing Mia's referral photos with something more current.

The Seamy Underside of Mothering

I was viewing the blog published by one of the parents we traveled with in China. It was all sweetness and light, everyone is perfect. Not that I don't believe them, of course, but I happen to think that sometimes, talking about my mothering challenges makes for more interesting reading. Or, maybe I'm just trying to measure up to my friends Donna DiMenna and Marlys Aukee, who are so great about sharing the funny little incidents in their lives so that it is like I am right there with them.
I was talking to my friend Linda today when she commented, "Boy, you haven't missed out on any of the trials of parenting yet, have you?" She had just endured my account of today's little poopy adventure. You see, Mia has had diarrhea off and on for the past 6 days (but who's counting?). Since we haven't yet been able to find diapers that don't leak, she goes through (and I do mean "goes through") about 4 pairs of pants per day. I'm doing laundry constantly. Actually, Grandma Neumann has been mostly doing the laundry, but she went back to Minnesota today, so we're on our own.
Anyway, Mia's pediatrician said this could last a while, so today I broke down and went to the Carter's store to buy more pants for our little chickadee. Mia and I were having an enjoyable time in the store. She seemed to like looking up at the racks of colorful clothes from her stroller. I liked asking her, "Would you rather have this top in pink or lavender?" as if she'd express a preference. We'd picked out 4-5 pairs of pants and a 2-piece peach outfit that brings out the color of her big brown eyes. We'd set those things aside at the counter, and as we shopped the clearance rack for bargains, I let Mia hold one of the tops we were buying. Everybody was having fun when I heard that faint squirting sound again. We dashed to the counter and asked the clerk if there was anyplace I could change a baby. The clerk said we could use the employee bathroom, but then I realized the diaper bag was still in the car, so we rushed out to the parking lot to get it. As we left the store, a couple of women who were entering the store stared at us and I realized that Mia was still holding that shirt. We were now shoplifters. I made the snap decision that there wasn't time to go back into the store and assured the ladies, "We're coming back". After retrieving the diaper bag, I could see clear evidence that Mia would be needing a change of clothes, and I hadn't packed one in her diaper bag. Easy solved. As we glided back into the store and past the register, we picked up the peach outfit. The clerk was occupied, but I announced to another customer who was staring at us, "We'll be buying this."
Of course there was no changing table and Mia, whom as we've previously written hates having her diaper changed and despises being dressed, screamed most of the time until I found her musical toy cell phone in the diaper bag. I quickly put the soiled clothes in a ziplock bag and decided to leave the tags on the peach outfit so there'd be no doubt that we intended to pay for it. We quickly finished our shopping and high-tailed it out of there, praying we'd get home before the next diaper was needed. As I discussed the Carter's Caper with Linda, she commented that I have become much more flexible than I used to be. I suspect she is right.

One more story from today. After we got home from the store, I kept thinking I was hearing that sound again, but I kept checking Mia's diaper and it was clean. Eventually, I realized that she has learned how to make the sound with her mouth. You know, blowing little bubbles with her own spit. Really cute.

P.S. We drove Grandma Neumann to the airport this morning. We enjoyed her visit. She helped out in so many ways, including cooking, cleaning, and the aforementioned laundry. I appreciated her very tactful parenting suggestions, and I learned a lot from her. One thing I saw very clearly is that she really knows how to play with a baby, and I will do more of that. Mia loved every minute with her, and so did Jeff and I. Thanks, Mom!

Fun Times

Mia tried out her play tent yesterday. I think she likes it! (Too bad I didn't get a picture of Grandma Neumann and I trying to stuff the tent back into its 18 inch square sack.)

We had planned to go to church today for the first time since returning from China. That is, I had planned to go to church. When I told Jeff, he looked at me and said something to the effect of, "Are you out of your mind?" (He was much kinder than that, but that was the gist of it.) As soon as he said it, I realized how unworkable it would be. Fantasy, meet reality.

Fantasy = I imagine people admiring my darling daughter after the service. (I never considered that we'd have to sit quietly through the service before this could happen.)

Reality = The only time Mia is not moving constantly (and frequently screaming when she is kept from going exactly where she wants to go) is when she is asleep.

At this point, we can't very well put her in the infant care room, assuming such a thing exists. Nor would we want to. And what would be the point? It wouldn't fulfill my fantasy! So, we decided to go to the zoo with Grandma Neumann instead. No "inside voices" required, and the stroller keeps things moving without us having to run after Mia.

The Atlanta zoo is a very nice zoo, not too big for a toddler-centered outing (i.e., about 1 hour). They have a year-old panda named Mei Lan, a nice petting zoo, some adorable little monkeys darting around in the trees right over your head, and a cool covey of meerkats. Mia displayed mild (and brief) interest in a few of the animals, including the flamingoes, sheep (which she petted very tentatively), pigs, and warthogs. But what interested her most was seeing other children; the closer to her age, the better. Clearly we need to get out more often.

Mia's Likes and Dislikes

Mia is a rather intense little girl, and she has strong likes and dislikes. We saw some things right away, while other preferences are still emerging.
Likes: The color blue. Eating. Crackers. Looking at her own toes. Putting her socks in her mouth. Crawling at top speed (aided by her new Stride-Rite "pre-walker" shoes). Listening to music. Taking all the books off the bottom shelf of her book shelf. Chasing after Sam. Taking a bath. Anything electronic that lights up (especially Blackberries and iPods). Her green blankie. The pink stuffed poodle that rattles. The musical toy we call "bride of Chuckie" due to its red blinking eyes.
Dislikes: Being diapered. Getting dressed. Waiting for anything or anyone. Being spoon-fed (she permitted it in China, but once we got home it was all over). Pretending we are torturing her when we are giving her Keflex even though we can tell she likes the taste. Pajamas with feet.

This pajamas with feet thing took us a while to figure out, and it is still a little speculative at this point. Mia hadn't been sleeping through the night as she had in China, and we couldn't figure it out. We tried a lot of different things (including buying a twin bed so one of us could sleep where she could see us), but nothing was working. We did notice that she thrashed around a lot in her crib, and was always stretching out her feet and legs as if she were uncomfortable. Yesterday, Jeff observed that on the nights she'd slept soundly, she was almost always wearing the one pair of pajamas that didn't have feet. I'd been avoiding using those pj's (which had been a desperation purchase at a Wal-Mart in Nanchang) because I was afraid her little tootsies would get cold. Besides, they button up the front, which only lengthens the time Mia struggles against getting dressed. Yesterday, after Jeff advanced his theory, I went right to the Carter's store and bought a couple more pairs of pj's without feet. Guess what? Last night was the first night she didn't wake up in 2 weeks. I have high hopes for tonight.

Perfectly Mia

Here is one last photo from our trip to the backyard. This perfectly captures Mia's curiosity and intensity. Also that she is just adorable.

Mia Meets Her Backyard

Today was a lovely autumn day in Atlanta, sunny and 72 degrees. I took Mia out to the backyard for the first time. We started out in the wagon. When I let her loose, she crawled at top speed toward the steep downhill part of the backyard. She's fast, but I'm faster, so no problem there. She loved the grass, the falling leaves, and watching the dog run around.

Mia's First Week at Home

Mia and her parents had an interesting week. After catching up with our sleep on Sunday, we headed to the pediatrician on Monday morning to have the abscess on Mia's forehead drained. The Dr. said it should be done under sedation, so she sent us to the Emergency Room. That turned into a 7 hour trip. While there, they did a chest X-ray because Mia's breathing was a little wheezy. When we followed up with the Dr.'s office on Wednesday, they sent us to the hospital. Mia had a minor case of pneumonia, but because the risk of TB is high in Mia's former country, they wanted to rule that out. After 3 days of tests including a chest CT scan, Mia was discharged today. The staff Children's Hospital of Atlanta were wonderful, but we were in an isolation ward, which was particularly boring. Did I say boring? Actually, we showered Mia with lots of undivided attention. Jeff and I took turns, so she was never left alone, day or night. I think she liked it. Several of the doctors commented on how well Mia has bonded with us already. Anyway, all three of us (and Sam) are glad to be home and sleeping in our own beds tonight.

Mia's gross motor skills continue to improve at a rapid rate. She crawls very fast, can pull herself up to a standing position even on unstable surfaces (like the couch), and stands for a long time while steadying herself with one hand on a stationary object. She can walk a few wobbly steps with support. Grandma Neumann is coming for a week-long visit on Tuesday, so it is possible she will see Mia's first steps.