Out of Control Growth!

I can't believe I forgot to post this. I took Tetyana to the doctor again for some more vaccinations last month. Poor kid has had more shots in the last year than one little girl should! Anyway, she has grown 7 pounds and 4.5 inches in 11 months! It is almost like having an infant who you have to buy a new wardrobe for every three months! Not to mention she is so hard on her shoes and pants.

If she keeps growing at this rate she is going to be a giant! I really noticed the growth when I try to do her hair. I have to have her sit down now because she is too tall. She is still as skinny as a rail and doesn't look like she has gained an ounce but I guess while putting on those inches she has put on some weight too.

Thank God for those little tab things in the waist bands of the pants and shorts. She is really a size 6 in the waist but 10 in the length. I can see her as a runway model with her long, thin legs! She would just like to wear the skimpy clothes!! Yikes!!

Raising Adopted Kids With Bio Children

I am interested to hear from other adoptive parents about how they raise adopted children along with raising bio children. Tetyana doesn't have a lot of "issues". At least no major problems that have surfaced yet. Yes, she was in an orphanage but only for a year and a half. I really think before that her mother and father loved her. Maybe it is what I want to believe but in my gut and from what she has told us I feel this is true. She has really fit right in to family life.

We are raising her the same way we are raising Luke. Same discipline, same everything. I read on other blogs about how adoptive parents are trying to figure out if behavior is normal kid behavior or behavior stemming from their lives in their birth country. I wonder if we should be doing it differently.

I am getting a quick lesson on what you expect from one child you often don't expect from another. I expect Luke to excel in school and I expect Tetyana to be able to clean her room well. I expect Luke to argue every thing we say to him and I expect Tetyana to obey. It is in their personalities. I am sure once Tetyana catches up in school my expectations for her will change. I will never expect Luke will EVER have a clean room! He better make enough money to have a housekeeper! LOL The boy is a tornado!

If you are raising adopted children along with bio children let me know how you are doing it. I don't want to raise Tetyana with her adoption defining her but I don't want to ignore it either.

Back To School!

Thank God the kids are back to school!!! I think one more day would have put me over the edge!! We did something with them nearly every day and they still were bored.

I really wish we lived near a school that was year round. If we move out of state I will be homeschooling them for the last month of school rather than put them in for 45 days. So that means we will have 4 long months together! Good thing is we will be able to explore a new city bad thing is (mostly for Luke) the loss of other playmates. Luckily, they are both very friendly and making friends will be easy in our new community.

Spring Break

Oh boy, I don't think I am going to make it through this week!! The kids have been bored to tears which results in fighting. We have done everything we can to keep them entertained but still the days are long! They swim at least 3 times a day, play on the computer, build forts, eat and eat, change their clothes at least 3 times a day and generally just destroy the house. Sounds like a perfect spring break for an 8 and 9 year old! But still we hear "I'm bored".

Luke had a friend sleep over on Sunday so I took Tetyana to lunch and to see a movie. We saw Monsters vs Aliens. Ok, I must be getting old because sitting through cartoon movies is just not my thing anymore. I am beginning to think maybe I should sit in the back in the corner with a book and book light. I think Tetyana really goes for the popcorn!

Last night we took them bowling. I forget so often that T hasn't always been with us or lived in the US. She has "bowled" on the Wii but has never been to a bowling ally or even seen one on TV. We walked in and started getting shoes, balls and she was totally confused. Then it hit me...she had no idea what we were going to do there. She didn't know we had to put on different shoes or that the ball would feel like it weighed 100 pounds even though it was only 7, or that it didn't bounce. In her experience thus far all balls bounce.

Do you think I brought my camera to capture this fun night? NO!!! I forgot it. I was so mad at myself. It crossed through my mind but I forgot it. I forgot it because I was in a hurry to get out of the house because we were supposed to be showing it and I put the camera away. The people cancelled 30 minutes before they were supposed to show up! Oh, I was so mad I was in tears! It takes me an hour and a half just to vacuum this house and all day to clean it to make it perfect for showing.

Well lets get back to the bowling...T bowled 2 strikes! She did great except the time that she threw the ball and landed on her butt with a marble in her back pocket. Ouch! This girl can howl! Luke was embarrassed at how loud she was crying. She loves the attention!

It turned out to be a fun evening and this morning when they woke up they wanted to know what fun thing we had planned for them today...uggh! I think I will die this summer!