What have we been up to? Well we have had some good and some bad times. Last night we tried to do bath time and were a little scared how that would work out but surprisingly it went o.k. We had mama and 3 little girls in the shower and papa dressing each one one at a time as they came out. Quite funny except we ran out of hot water and poor Rosita was muy frio not to mention mama too. We meet with the Doctor today at 7:30 pm and all 3 are still coughing. We made it to breakast on time today so that was a great accomplishment and no breakdowns for the past 2 meals! We went for a walk today and played outside since there has been no rain all day we also made necklaces with foam beads which the girls loved! Our sweet daughters continue to stretch us as now they are testing us with discipline. We are open to suggestions on how to begin setting boundaries without being able to communicate. As of right now they have been fooling around in bed for over an hour and not taking a nap. Poor papa is at his wits end. Tomorrow we are going to attempt taking the girls shoe shopping as the need new shoes but are a little scared of a major outing like that. We continue to laugh alot as Angela and Rosa are very funny. Laura is by far our best eater and usually has the least amount of meltdowns except for the bloody nose incident today. Angela and Rosa are definately papa´s girls and have a hard time understanding what the word mama means. They call other woman at the B and B mama. We know it will happen in time and someday we will become a complete family. Bogota is a beautiful city and we will explore it more later this week and next and have more pictures for you. The food has also been very good and the girls love soup for lunch. We will have to have soup for lunch everyday when we come home. It looks like tonight will be rough since still no naps but we are hoping for sweet dreams.
6 comments:
Hi Guys, Welcome to parenthood. Diversion is a good tactic in discipline and letting them know your pleased when they do something that pleses you. My mom's all say discipline and setting limits is the hardest thing they are learning. You'll get it down in no time. Just relax and enjoy. Hope the coughs are cleared up soon. Prayers and love are with you all. I love your blogs and following your journey. Love Annie
Lots of prayers comin your way for healing and bonding.Communication was the most difficult the first few days. It will all get easier as time goes on and God will direct you in how to parent. Things work differently for each child and family, but you will find what works best for you both, and it's tons easier once you get home. I just have to say again...They Are Beautiful!!
What beautiful daughters you have! Just as everyone else says (and it's true) things will get easier. You'll learn to communicate better, learn their personalities, likes and dislikes, how to set limits, etc. Once you get home and get settled into a routine you'll be amazed at the difference. Try hard to enjoy the time you have without the cares of daily life (cooking, cleaning, etc).
You're doing a great job!
Oh my! Your post is like deja vu!!! It took days, absolutely days, for the boys to stop calling every other woman they saw "mama". They have finally come around though. Dave and Sheila Derr sent us this great list of helpful Spanish sayings. I can forward to that you all if you want to email me privately (andrealwe@yahoo.com). The most important thing to do is to follow through. If you say you are going to have to punish them either through time out or taking something away, do it. Also, know that whatever means of discipline you have to use here in Colombia are by no means what you will have to use in your own home. We have found out rather quickly that life here is not "real" life so to speak. This is a pressure cooker and not permanent at that. I am praying for you both and your girls. Again, if you need quick advice or tips, please feel free to email. Also, we can Skype if you have time one night after they go to bed. Oh and if you can, try to put them in separate beds for naps. That often works for the twins when they won't nap and make the room as dark as possible. My Skype name is andrealwe (just in case).
You are not alone. We are totally going through the same things just about 12 days ahead of you!!!
Huge prayers your way!!!
Andrea (Troy, Samuel, Daniel and Luis)
This really dug up memories. I guess the good news is, we are only 2 months into our adoption and life is SOOO different. Those first few days are tough, testing every fiber of patience that you have. And at the same time opening your heart to love like you never knew you could. Definitely separate the girls for naps if you haven't already. We even put blankets/towels over the sides of the crib so our son couldn't look and watch his sister, and we put blankets hanging down from the bunkbed so she felt like she was in a fort and couldn't see her brother. We also made sure all toys were out of sight and reach. It is difficult, especially in the close quarters.
Believe me, your days will get better. We felt like we had to develop a routine that didn't suit us but we had no choice as everything centers around breakfast, lunch, dinner and naps. After a while, we also realized that on days they didn't want to sleep, if one of us laid in the room and took a nap (both of us were willing!!!) they fell asleep too. Eventually, they figured out all was safe and napped with much less effort!
As far as discipline goes, we found this to be the most difficult part, especially since so many others are around and watching what goes on. We gently set boundaries the first few days and gradually became tougher. Toward the last week or so in Bogota, we got to the point that we gave our two year old very short time outs which people from other countries didn't like. But it was very effective and continues to be effective for us at home. Follow your heart. All that you are doing is what you believe to be best. Yes, you will look back and say, "I wish we would've tried. . ." but parenting never achieves perfection. Hang in there!
Traci
You guys are doing great!! We're praying for you every day - as I know many, many others are... we can't wait for the first "Uhlenbrock-Kraynak Girl Party"!!
Love, Mike & Carol
Post a Comment