Totally Fun!

***View from our back yard***

The kids have spent the last 3 days exploring our back yard. We have a creek in the back and right now it isn't very full. They first tried fishing with a walking stick, fishing line and cheese stuck to duct tape! Tetyana has a fishing pole but has absolutely no idea how to use the thing. We have forbidden her to use hooks because we are afraid she is going to take out some one's eye or her own. Next best thing...duct tape! They swear there are fish in there but I've yet to see one!

The second day they got in the freezing cold water and made a slide out of the rocks. The spent hours out there! They were covered in mud but they were really having the time of their lives!

****Creek Slidin'***

***Bridge They Made***
***Vine Swingin'***

Today they worked on covering the rocks with more mud and sliding down even faster! In most spots the water is only up to their ankles. I really hope there isn't anything dangerous in there!

***This is one to frame***

Luke's Cherry Tomato Plant

Before we moved here, Luke and Tetyana went with their God parents to a downtown festival where they had all sorts of plants, fish, a butterfly exhibit and kids stuff. They came home with all kinds of goodies but this cherry tomato plant was the only thing that made it here to Atlanta. Luke has nursed this plant and taken such good care of it. Here is a picture of its first ripe tomato. He and I split the tiny thing and boy was it good!

We were investigating the plant and noticed tons of other little tomatoes that were budding. We are waiting for the four little green ones to ripen up and the four of us will sit down and enjoy them all together. I can't think of one thing in my life that I have grown that I actually ate!

Great job Luke!

Food Issue's

Ok, I have heard from a number of mom's who are saying the same thing as I do about Tetyana and eating. Something just occured to me....what if it is just the freedom of eating when they want instead of being told when and what they are going to eat. When we first came home Tetyana was crazy for button pushing and couldn't control her urge to push buttons anywhere we went. Maybe it is the same with food. Maybe she just wants to eat because she can.

I would hate to ignore a real problem but I don't want to drive myself crazy with worry when it could be nothing...story of a mother's life, isn't it!!!

Follow Up To Food Issues

I have had a couple of comments and emails with some great suggestions and some very scary thoughts. It occurred to me after reading these that I needed to give some more background and have another conversation with T.

First let me describe the transition T has made into our family and into American life. I really can't even call it a transition. It has been so strangely easy. From her perspective it is like she has always been a part of our family we just happened to have picked her up when she was 7 in Ukraine. She has never had sad nights, meltdowns, or times that we thought she was ever unhappy. Everyone makes comments that she is always smiling and happy and seems to not have a care in the world. When we discuss her life in Ukraine she only has happy things to tell us about her family and her time in the orphanage. She had a grandmother whom she adored and lived close by. She lived with her bio family until she was at least 5 so I know her memories are pretty accurate. I have been waiting for this little girl to fall apart and she hasn't. It isn't because she hides her emotions either. She is very open with me about how she feels and sometimes goes a little overboard on the drama! It scares the crap out of me that if we don't resolve this issue it could turn into something bigger when she is older. How can I resolve the issue when I don't have any idea what it is??

If she had any fears it should be abandonment but she is fine. She seems completely attached to us and has never been overly friendly with strangers or even close friends.

We just took her to the doctor and he told us she was 50% for weight and 60% for height so she isn't too thin. I have an extremely high metabolism so I get needing to eat at regular intervals. I eat 3 meals a day, snack in between and usually eat dessert. If she has just had something to eat and someone else is eating she just stares at them like she is starved. It reminds me of a dog begging.

Last night we had a KFC picnic out in our new back yard and I asked Tetyana if she ever went to bed without meals or ever went hungry when she lived with her family. She said she didn't and that her grandmother often cooked for them. I asked her if there was ever a time that she didn't have any food in her house and she told me no. I asked her if she sometimes missed meals in the orphanage and she said no and if they wanted more they were allowed to have seconds. I asked her if she ever thought we may run out of food and she said no. So I don't believe that her food issue stems from ever going hungry.

Like Shari commented, maybe it is deficiency in her body. If that is what is driving the issue how long will it take for her body to feel whole? I make sure her diet is very balanced and supplement her with Instant Breakfast at at least 2 meals.

I just can't figure it out....

Food Issues

Anyone out there know when the food issues go away???? The need to constantly eat and hearing "I'm starving!" is going to drive us nuts. Tetyana eats more than both Luke and I at all meals and has 2 snacks in between each meal. She has to have 2 snacks or she is not happy. I understand where it all stems from but we have fed her consistently for over a year and there is always an over stocked pantry and 2 refrigerators full of food.

Thankfully she does not hoard food but she does sneak food. I was out of town for 2 days and she managed to eat 6 packages of Oreo's without Drew knowing plus her regular diet. I have had her screened for parasites and that is not the issue. I honestly don't think she knows when she is full. After she eats an entire chicken breast, a large helping of a vegetable and a large helping of rice and asks for more food saying she is still hungry we don't let her eat more even though she insists she is still hungry. Even if she wants more to eat she can't be hungry, right?

I am very strict about what my kids eat and they rarely get junk. If there is food out that is at all junk like she will take way more than her share and go back for more if nobody is watching. I am afraid of what she does when she goes over to a friends house. I try to feed her before she goes over and let the parent know.

So when do eating issues go away???

Boxes, boxes and more boxes!!

We have made the move to the Atlanta area!! We arrived here on Sunday evening and checked out our new house. We are a very adventurous family! We had never even seen this house before we moved into it. We have been coming up here since last summer and have looked at two communities that are just amazing. We finally settled on the one we liked better and started looking for homes to rent here till we know the area better.

Our house is still for sale in Orlando. Can I tell you how much stress has been relieved from moving from the house? I am a perfectionist and now I don't have to worry about it anymore! It is empty and clean and as funny as it seems people are more receptive to it now that it is empty. They say it looks lighter. There are things I miss from our perfectly designed and decorated house but not having the stress of it outweighs it by 100%.

So the house we are in now is 9000 square feet!! Yes, you read that correctly. Our home in Orlando was 6200 and we thought we had space but man this place is a mansion! The difference is the basement. We are house managing this house. It is something that is becoming quite popular because the housing market is so bad. This house is also for sale and for a heavily discounted rent we will show the house when necessary. There hasn't been a showing here for 8 weeks. Here in the community where we live there are tons of homes for sale in this price range and many of them being new construction so they will most likely sell first.

We are basically unpacked. I have put out about 1/2 of our things just in case the house sells. Here is what I love about the house besides all of the space...it is a little roughed up and has some quirky things going on. The beautiful wood flooring has some scratches. The laundry room used to house the owners dog and he feasted a little on the trim. Not that I would ever let my kids destroy anyone's home, if they make a little scratch I won't lose my mind. That for me is huge! And for the kids...they don't have to listen to me nag all the time about the walls and messes.

The best part about this house is the back yard. The house sits on about an acre. We back up to a creek and a treed area. Here is a picture of what I see when I look out from my seat where I eat.

The picture doesn't do it justice. After it rains the creek is really full and sounds so nice.

I love listening to the birds. There are a couple of little ones that live above the porch. They are in love...they are so sweet to watch. Problem with them is they are making a mess on the front steps. I am going to try a fake snake to get them to move their little rendezvous area. There isn't a nest there so I am not sure why they like to spend the nights up there.

Did I mention how it smells here? It is like jasmine. There is a walking path across the street that leads over the creek and into a huge open meadow. It is so fragrant. The kids and I were sucking on some Honeysuckle. They had never seen it before. There are walking paths like this all over.

I have let the kids stay home from school since the school here let out 2 weeks after our move date. I am still home schooling Tetyana every day. I will post more about that later...They think it is great except they aren't making any friends. Since Luke was an only for so long he depends on having a social network. He is having a bit of stress over this. We plan to get outside each evening and on the weekends to try and attract kids. I am also going to put them in summer camp at the club so they can meet friends their too. I think it will help all of us! ;)

So our new adventure begins. We love exploring new cities and surroundings!

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!