Dedication

I’d like to dedicate a full post to my wonderful parents, Charlie’s doting and loving grandparents, who drove 16 hours to babysit for her while I went away on my training for a week. I was able to get 30 CEU’s for my licenses, and have a nice break from diapers for 5 days, without paying anyone or worrying about Charlie’s care.

It’s also just so nice to be around them. When I got back on Friday, we spent time at a bar-b-que that weekend, and at a park, getting take out Thai food and seeing Avatar 3-D (which was AMAZING!! And that coming from someone who dislikes science fiction! Go see it in the theater! You will not regret it!) They always help me around the house. One of my birthday gifts was they hired gardeners to come and ready my garden for spring (a job I was dreading and seriously wondering how I would get done with Charlie to watch 24/7). My yard looks great! My mom is so thoughtful, she bought me pretty new towels to match my bathroom, which I would never do for myself. I would use the old ones until they fell apart. And she knows that. So now I have fluffy, soft, rose-colored towels to envelop me.

My dad replaced all the burnt out light bulbs in the house, including the fluorescent ones and the motion-detector ones, which require ladders and trips to the hardware store. Of course, laundry, grocery shopping and cooking are done. All three dogs are walked, one at a time, by my dad. It’s just so nice. Then they leave and it’s quiet, and the easy life is OVER. No more naps for me. The diapers are back with a vengeance. The adult conversation and companionship… poof! Gone! It’s amazing that these are the same parents I fought with constantly when I was a teenager: we get along well now for the most part and enjoy each other’s company. Boy, they sure have changed. ;-)

Thanks Mom and Dad! See you soon!

Besotted

Being grandparents sufficiently removes us from the responsibilities so that we can be friends. ~Allan Frome

I find it somewhat amusing that my mother (heretofore known as “Babcia”, the Polish word for “grandma”) is so completely besotted by Charlie that she is blind to any faults or less than perfect moments Charlie may have.

I’m wondering if most grandmothers are like that… or grandparents.Or perhaps it's just with the first grandchild?

Am I supposed to be like that? As Charlie’s mother? I know I’m supposed to be biased towards thinking she is wonderful, and I am and I do. But I’m not "blind" to her challenging moments.

The other day we were at Wal-Mart and Charlie had not had her nap. For the most part she was patient and good, but she had a meltdown in the cashier line. When we got home, Babcia described her behavior as “angelic. She was a perfect little angel. And without any nap too, can you believe it?”

Meanwhile, I’m thinking to myself: “Hmmm. Did I IMAGINE that shrieking, stiff-backed, head fling that caught me in the nose??? Nope… nose still sore… it happened….”

Or yesterday, when we were going through the toddler book, and Babcia was convinced my 16 month old was way ahead of her peers: “Charlie is at a 20 month level. She is sooo precocious!” I note that yes, she is very verbal and stringing along up to 3 words on a good day. But she is also not doing everything listed at the 17 month level, her next bench mark. Which is fine. There’s no hurry. Not a race.

The video of Charlie saying “thank you” is a good example of what I’m talking about… In the video, Charlie absolutely does NOT say “thank you” the first time, but Babcia hears “thank you, Babcia, for that succulent tangerine segment” quite clearly. Her Opa (grandfather) is also convinced she is a little genius. Which is cute.

And probably true ;-)

Are the grandparents in your family like that?

Manners

I already wrote about how impressed Charlie's extended family was over Christmas when she started saying "tank chew" after someone gave her something. Now I'm going to show off to the blog world ;-)

Here she is on video showing off her mad skills. Notice how her grandmother is ready to let her off the hook so easily? That is going to be the subject of a future post, coming up soon....





She also says "please" in sign language. Apparently I taught her the wrong sign for the world "please": it looks like she is scratching under her arms like a monkey whenever she signs "please".

Which is hilarious.

To me, at least. I will not be correcting her any time soon. As long as she's not doing that when she graduates high school, I'm going to enjoy a chuckle every time she asks for something.

So, is this advanced (as far as development goes) to be saying thank you? She is 16 months. Or is this "average"? When did your child start saying thank you or using manners in any way?

Putting the dog.... should I say it? ...putting the dog "to sleep".

Charlie and her Opa (grandfather) have a blast together. She ADORES him. They play together every day, ALL DAY, when her grandparents visit, and Opa has a great imagination. He comes up with all kinds of games that are exactly age appropriate for her, and help her learn a few skills beyond her level. But they are also tons of fun for her.

Here she is "putting the dog to sleep".

Notice the cuteness of the way she "shakes out the blanket" before laying it on the dog. Opa says Charlie came up with that detail on her own.

So this is a video of that game. Of course, as soon as the video appears, everything stops, or becomes hesitant, or distracted, even after she just did the whole thing 5 times in a row. But I still think I was able to capture most of this game.

Enjoy!

Biggest, bestest, most exciting news YET!!!!!

I remember special ordering a sweatshirt for my mom years ago for Christmas, that had a picture of my dog Hannah on it. This was when I first adopted Hannah, in 2001. The shirt had a caption that said: "You mean to tell me I'm the proud grandmother of a.... dog??!!??" My mom loved that sweatshirt and wore it with pride until the picture faded.... Well, it's time to get a NEW sweatshirt people because......

My mom landed in Addis 2 hours ago!!!

Tomorrow, she will be going to the care center to meet my (soon to be) daughter, her (soon to be) first granddaughter of the human species!!!

She is bringing a video camera!!!

The reason my mom gets to do this is because, way before I even mentioned the word "adoption", she had accepted a job in Ethiopia. She is an "educational tour guide" and takes people to really neat places on tours for the Smithsonian Museum, where they hear lectures and visit ruins and so forth. She usually goes to Thailand, Egypt, Oxford and such. This is her first trip to Ethiopia.

Originally, we had discussed my going along with her, as the airfare on Ethiopian Airways was two-for one during the month of March. Unfortunately, because of my surgery, it worked out that I couldn't go. Both because I'm still healing (and in pain) and also because I can't take so much time off of work. My team already covered for me while I was out on sick leave, and they will be covering for me during my maternity leave also. I just couldn't ask them, nor do I have that much time accrued, to cover for me for yet another week.

But my mother getting to go is the next best thing.

I have sent her with a list of questions to ask about my daughter, as well as strict instructions not to be the "pushy American". I read somewhere that the Ethiopians are a quieter type inter personally and sometimes see Americans as loud and obnoxious (they wouldn't be the only culture to view us as such, frankly...). My mom (who for her job has learned to get things done and be assertive) is going to have to be the utmost of diplomatic and charming - traits she is also blessed to have.

She will be calling me tomorrow morning after having met her granddaughter for the first time! This will be my first information of what her little personality is like. I wonder.... is she a happy baby? A scared or anxious baby? From the pictures she looks alert and curious, yet almost zen-like in her expression. How accurate is my reading on her from just some pictures?

I can't wait for the video!!!!!

So mom will be all over Ethiopia for 2 weeks. She gets to spend time tomorrow at the care center, and then the next day takes her group of participants to various different locations and tribes. After about 14 days, she will return to Addis for 2 more days, and hopefully get to be with my daughter some more. She is bringing one suitcase for herself, and one suitcase full of donations for various orphanages. Thanks to all those who donated!

I' ll be posting as soon as I can on what her little personality is like..... tomorrow morning, tune in.