We make sure her home country is in our home, and we will be totally open with her on where she came from, and everything she wants to know about her birth place. There are a few words that we still say in Russian, that the boys have picked up and now we say them regularly. We probably always will. Like yes, no, thank you, bye bye, we say in Russian now. She has an American and Ukrainian flag in her room. Along with some Ukraine money daddy saved for her.
Of course she has her little Ukraine dolls on her dresser as well!
You noticed from the last post her dry face. We know that is a DS thing, Jax gets it too, especially in the winter. Hers has been particularly bad the last couple of weeks, and I think I know why.See that beautiful spit hanging from her lip?
She is slobbering like crazy right now. It looks like she is getting both bottom teeth pushing through, and I think that is why she is so drippy! I don't like the thick creams for excema, especially on the face. The hospital always has their concoctions that they mix and think is so great, but I like plain old aquaphor by Eucerin. It really makes it better, and I can put it on their face and even lips.She is healthy, and she learns so quickly I can't even believe it. Some things she has already learned since being home..she can now push herself up to sitting from her belly. She is a pro at that. She has pulled herself to standing, and after one time showing her, she holds her bottle herself.
I'm trying to get her off the bottle and on a cup. I'm also trying to get her to eat more food and need less milk, so milk isn't her primary nutrition anymore. I don't think that will be difficult, she eats anything you put in front of her. Its the cup I'm worried about, and this is where I need advice.
I've given her the cup a few times. I usually do it while she is eating baby food. Give her a few bites, and then let her take a drink. She knows how to suck out of the cup, she has a great suck. Its just different, and sometimes she will drink some, and then let it dribble out of her mouth. Its so funny because the milk tastes the same! I'm also trying to get her off the need to have her milk warmed. She'll take it lukewarm now, but she still won't drink it cold!
This is the cup I use. Its one that I got at her shower.
I can't wait for her to go to preschool, because she loves to learn. I may try to find a baby class for her to participate in. I want to get some Signing Time videos for her and get started on signing. Her fine motor skills are really lacking. She won't wave or clap or do anything with her hands besides play with toys.She loves her piggies, and one of my favorite things is how she crosses her feet when she sits!
I get a lot of comments on her when we go out. I get a ton of comments on her beautiful blue eyes. But she is so social and interactive, that she lures people to her. I've only gotten postitive feedback so far on her adoption from a foreign country. Most people gasp when they hear that she would have gone to an institution in a few years!She is just an amazing little person!
Oh and of course momma is having a ball playing with her hair and dressing her up!
*by the way, I'm answering all your questions in the Q&A tab!
I was hoping to have Max totally on the sippy by his birthday in March, but the bottle is so much easier! He will drink out of a soft spout sippy just fine now, but he drinks more and faster out of the bottle. I can't tell from the picture - is that sippy spout soft? He won't drink out of a hard spout yet. He used to also let the milk dribble back out, but he doesn't anymore, unless he's just being silly.
ReplyDeleteAs for warming, Max still likes his a tiny bit warm too. I have been slowly microwaving for fewer and fewer seconds, hoping to get to straight out of the fridge cold. Ironically, if he's stealing his sister's milk - cold is just fine! Haha :)
Lacey ~ I can't get over how great she looks. I too am a big fan of aquaphor for chapped skin, sore bottoms, or any other skin irritation. Just curious, is there a reason why Arina needs to quit taking the bottle? I do not have a child with Ds, so excuse me if that sounds like a strange question.
ReplyDeleteWe started using Aquaphor for Samantha when she needs it, too, and other than the greasiness, it definitely does the trick. What sweet photos of your princess, Lacey!!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, have you considered skipping the sippy and going straight to a straw cup with a valve? I've been told that sippy cups can be bad for our kiddos - something to do with how they use their tongues on it, I think. We had Samantha on a bottle until she was 2 (bad, I know), then went pretty much straight to a straw as soon as we realized that she knew how to use one!
Lucas used to dribble fluid too but we thicken it now and he is 100% better. Something about not feeling the fluid in his mouth when it's thin. He also stuffs his mouth for the same reasons. Motor input, I guess. Otherwise I've heard it's just a stage in learning.
ReplyDeleteI can see why you get a ton of comments, she's so beautiful.
I can't believe it has been 3 months! She looks so cute..as usual! I love the flags and nesting dolls....it all makes me more and more excited!
ReplyDeletewe use aquafor all the time and it works so well.
ReplyDeletesuch cute pics.
OOO I can't wait to get Dariya home. Then we are coming out to Ca sometime when you get moved to meet your princess and all the other bloggy friends.!
ReplyDeleteOur process is going really smoothly almost done with the homestudy!
This little beautiful girl of yours!! What a blessing. She is adorable!!! I can't believe its been 3 months. I feel like you've always had her, and at the same time like you just got her and I only know you via your blog! LOL!
ReplyDeleteShe is doing so well. I was going to mention a straw as well. M had no problem figuring it out and once he did, there was no longer a need for his bottle. She is so stinking cute...and I agree, those eyes would melt anyone's heart. Hugs
ReplyDeletebtw - check my blog out today and see what I'm up too. Kinda scary and is going to totally stretch me, however I can't wait to see how it all turns out.
she is beautiful and so amazing! I am so glad y'all went through all that craziness and brought her home for me to enjoy ;) I love seeing her on the blog.
ReplyDeleteYou've only had her home for 3 months?! It seems like she's been with your family forever! She is such a little doll and such a blessing!
ReplyDeleteAs for sippy cups....I was going to suggest what Kristin said. My boys wouldn't take a hard spout one at first, so I always had to start them with a soft, squishy one. She'll get the hang of it soon I bet!
Was offline for awhile, Mikes laptop broke, then mine and we live in the middle of nowhere so have to order through old snail mail didnt even offer overnight lol I will have to catch up but I wanted to tell you that my sister started Aiden with that type of sippy cup and he would drink water out of it but not milk because he associated milk with a bottle so she got the extra long sippy cup with no handles so it feels more like a bottle to them. Just a little tip, hope it all goes well for you.
ReplyDeleteYou have a beautiful family! I have a little guy with special needs and he struggled with sippy cups with harder spouts - he can now use the kind you showed fine, but he did better in the transition with a softer spout. I still use the softer spout for milk because he'll drink more out of it. This is what we use:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001QXCF12/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B001THVDSQ&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0X0HY9MYJ8RK6XSRJSZX
The Princess is so stinkin CUTE!!! I wish we were closer so I come over and hold her and Jax. Okay, I have a question. Is it me or is Jax just a little more perky with little sister around? I have really studied some of the pics of them together, and it looks like he is really soaking up her presence. Your such an awesome mom. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteShonda (Tx)
Beautiful little princess!!
ReplyDeleteTry and get her off the sippy and onto the straw, the sippy cup encourages them to suck in the same way as they would such the bottle which in turn encourages tongue protrusion. The straw is what you should be working on eventually. Get her on the straw heirachy from Talk tools, it's great as it works on all the muscles of the tongue. Saira's tongue is hardly ever out anymore, except when her mouth is open because of mouth breathing during colds. If you get her to drink from the cup get a cut out cup which makes it so much easier to drink without tilting their heads back. But I still feel get her on the straw first even before the cup. That sippy cup you are using seems to have a very big spout which would mean she's probably sucking on it the same way she would a bottle. Hope this makes some sense. I'm no expert but from whatever I have been doing for Saira I seem to see results.
Did I mention what absolutely wonderful pictures of Arina these are, the first two had me really smiling, she is such a cutie and makes the funniest faces! Love her
I can't believe it's only been 3 months! And if you figure out the cup let me know! Brooke weaned herself off the breast last week, she would never take a bottle and really hates the cup..we have about 1 soaking diaper a day now, but as long as she keeps that up we're okay. Stubborn girl, cuz she knows how to do it. We got the soft nuby cup from target and she lets us put it in her mouth, which is a huge improvement...maybe that for Arina?
ReplyDeleteSorry I didn't get an email out to you. Since you are talking cups, I'll just respond here. I don't use a sippy with Claire at all, just straws or open cups. Sippys encourage tongue protrusion, and straws don't. It's just the different way to suck on them.
ReplyDeleteWe started with the honey bear cup and now use this one, http://www.rubbermaid.com/Category/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?Prod_ID=RP091206, and the take and toss straw cups. The honey bear and the rubbermaid cups are great as you can squeeze them to get the liquid into the mouth. It didn't take Claire long to get the hang of it.
When we use an open cup, we support her chin and just pour a very small amount into her mouth. You don't really want more than a swallow or two at a time. We actually use a shot glass for this as the small size works well.
Oh, I'm so glad he is home with you. She is doing such amazing things, and I know she will just continue to amaze everyone!
I totally love those cups! She is changing so much. Just goes to show what love of a family can do!
ReplyDeleteWhat darling kids you have!!! I had no idea that the chapped cheeks were a Ds thing. I use Aquaphor on Frankie everyday and I just LOVE it!
ReplyDelete