The Relatives Came

Ivy finally met her cousins this past weekend.  All three cousins were very interested in one another and the big cousins showed Ivy just how much they love her and how glad they are to have her home.

The big cousins brought some of their baby toys to our house to share with Ivy.  They gave us a lot of great stuff and showed Ivy how to play with everything.

Aw, is there anything sweeter than daddies enjoying Sunday mornings with their little girls?  

Holiday spirit

When we started our adoption proceedings last spring I barely allowed myself to imagine the possibility of having our baby home for Christmas.  Well, December is here and our Thanksgiving Baby is settling into her Rusk Street home where she's spreading generous portions of holiday cheer.  We are having a fantastic time preparing for Christmas this year and so far Kevin has not asked me to stop the repeated playings of my Vince Guraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas CD.  Here are a few photos to help all of you get into the Holiday Spirit.

Please take note of the message on this shirt, Grandmas Kathy and Pauline.  Tee-hee - we know that the Grandmas have been doing a little extra shopping this year:

Here is Ivy's tree right after we strung the lights and hung the first ornament of the year.  This is a special ornament that Kai sent to Ivy to celebrate their first Christmas.  The ornament is very significant because it's a painting of a lovely little kestrel that honors Ivy's middle name and her brave spirit.  I especially appreciate how the blue heart on the ornament matches those on her jammies.

And here are Ivy and Kevin looking at her first Christmas tree.  She's been very gentle with the tree and seems most interested in looking at the lights from across the room.  

Happy Holidays, everyone!  

Garden walk

Here's an update and a few photos for Mark Ibach - I just cannot imagine how he's coping at work, knowing that the office next to his, MINE, is going to be empty for several more weeks and that he won't have anyone to tease until February.  Poor fellow.

We live right down the street from Olbrich Gardens and on Friday we took Ivy for a walk through the tropical Bolz Conservatory.  Walking through the balmy conservatory in the middle of winter is a surreal experience and Ivy basked in the warmth, humidity and greenery.  She especially enjoyed watching the waterfalls and indoor birds.  She was a little shy and stayed closely snuggled to me in our Ergo carrier, but she smiled and cooed at a 2-year-old boy who seemed very interested in her.

Oh, and BTW, is someone at SCLS watering my plants for me while I'm away?  Our walk reminded me that I have a few sad houseplants in my office that occasionally need water. 

Ivy loves kitties

This photo was taken on the afternoon of our 2nd full day at home and that day now seems so long ago.  A warning for all of my cat-phobic friends (Roxane), look away now: I will post photos better suited for your delicate sensibilities tomorrow.  The co-producer of this production, Kevin (AKA, Daddy) has requested that I post this photo and I'm obliging.  I know that all my pet-fiend-friends at SCLS will love knowing that the cats really love Ivy and she is very gentle with them.  She has taken a special shine to Edgar, but, then again, everyone does.

I love this photo and Kevin and I think that it's quite hysterical. Edgar gingerly crawled up on the chair, sat in Kevin's lap and stealthily slid a skinny haunch onto Ivy's little leg.  Check out Ivy.  She's all, "Hey Daddy, look at me.  I'm petting the kitty.  Let's do it together, `kay?"

Nine months old and one week a family

Today is a special day; Ivy turns 9 months old and one week ago today Kevin and I were united with her in Detroit.  The last week has been a remarkable one and I'm still processing this amazing experience.  Thank you, Ivy, for helping me begin to see strengths that I never knew I had until I became your mom.  Here are some of my favorite pictures from the last few days:

Ivy loves squash!  And she has a cute little tongue!

Just chillin' in her pink track suit from Siena.  (We'll post some photos soon of Ivy in her sweet outfit from Clara, too!)  She looks like such a big girl in this picture.

Happy baby getting ready for our big trip to Target.

Smiley baby, getting ready for her first experience with Madison snow.

Thank you, everyone, for all your comments and support.  We definitely feel the love and I know that everyone's energy is helping make our transition a gentle and loving one.

Ivy and Mommy take Daddy shopping

This photo is for Jeannie and Roxane and the others who requested that I get in front of the camera rather than hide behind it.  It seems as if I'm wearing the same LaCrosse Oktoberfest sweatshirt from 1991 and "pritty kitty" pajama bottoms in most of the photos of Ivy and me and, believe me, no one besides my immediate family wants to see that sight.  Poor Ivy.  She must think that I have no taste.

Kevin, Ivy and I ventured outside the house today and went to... Target!  We started planning for the outing yesterday afternoon and last night I made a detailed chart of potential oufits for her before settling on a gorgeous little red velour jumpsuit and black mushroom hat.  I packed up a diaper bag containing approximately 3 dozen diapers, 3 books, 2 toys, 1 flannel blanket, 1 pacifier (which she doesn't use, but just in case she decided to use one in the middle of Target), a quart of hand sanitizer and a jumbo tube of Desitin (thanks, Char!) for our half-hour expedition.  I decided at the last minute to leave a change of clothes at home.  We dressed her in new adorable baby boots and a sub-zero baby parka and I wrapped a shawl around her face before we dashed outside into the cold December afternoon.   I sat in the backseat with Ivy and observed all her moves, which were very few because she was so overdressed and securely fastened in her car seat.

An aside: going to Target in the middle of a weekend day or at noon on any weekday is my definition of agony.  I often seem to be in the same aisle with a mother who always seems to be screaming, "Jakey, do you need to go POOP?" or a parent who reminds his/her child that s/he has already received one spanking today and that s/he is going to get another one when they get back to the car or a mother who finds her child to be even more adorable when the urchin continually throws the holiday-themed cookie jars in aisle 11 to the floor.  I become very uppity & pretentious during these moments and often call my sister on my cell phone and hiss, "guessssss where I am?  Just listen to this..."  And she always humors me and tells me that I'm right because that's what sisters do.  I'm sure that I'll pay for my impatience ten-fold and will probably have my own breakdowns in the middle of Target in the years to come.

Ivy fell asleep the minute we got to Target and was an absolute lamb.  She woke up enough for us to snap a few photos of her (yes, we brought the camera to document the trip), and totally made us look like pros.  What a good sport - what a good girl:

Some of you might be wondering why I have so much time to write this very long blog post.  Because she's sleeping!   For the 2nd night in a row Ivy has fallen asleep at 7:00 pm.  She woke up only once for a bottle last night and then slept until nearly 8:00 am this morning.  We hope that this is the beginning of her transition to Madison time and Kevin and I are especially thankful that we were able to get a little more sleep last night.  She continues to amaze us and we marvel at everything she does.

Family visit!

 

Grandma & Grandpa B. and Aunt Kersten came to visit us yesterday and they gave Ivy an amazing pink exersaucer!  She loves her new toy (and so do her parents) and she also fell in love with her Grandma, Grandpa and Auntie.  She did very well meeting everyone and she had no stranger anxiety or confusion.  She loved being held by her adoring relatives, but proved to everyone that she definitely recognizes that Kevin and I are her mommy and daddy.

She also showed everyone how well she's transitioning to Madison time as she took two afternoon naps and then stayed awake for a long time and went to bed shortly after 6 pm.  Every day brings us closer to more sleep and easier nighttime routines.  We are very proud of and amazed by our little girl and we're looking forward to introducing her to Grandpa Frank, Grandma Pauline and Aunt Christine.