Honeymoon?

So the kids have been doing great! Besides my meltdown when I returned to work for a day, they have really been doing well with transitions, school, eating, sleeping, potty-training, and everything else. Yes, they test our boundaries like normal preschoolers. Yes, it is tough to suddenly have three kids vying for your attention. It's not like things are going perfectly here, but they are going really well. This leads lots of people to tell me that this is just the honeymoon and that things are bound to get worse. So here we are waiting for the bottom to fall out.

I thought yesterday was the day. Our kindergartener woke up with a fever, and the little two were testing boundaries all day. I thought this was the beginning of an unraveling. My daughter threw a fit at preschool for the teacher, and then threw a fit when I picked her up. She laid down on the sidewalk and screamed, refusing to leave unless I carried her. I am not very inclined to carry a four-year old, but I am even less inclined when I have two other kids to walk to the car. After all was said and done, we had a decent even, but she was quite cold towards me. I cried before I went to bed, certain that I had ruined her relationship with me over carrying her to the car. It was a hard day.

I woke up refreshed after a great night's sleep, and so did my daughter. We have had a stellar morning, and she is now happily at preschool. I hope she does great when I pick her up :) Maybe we are still in the honeymoon. Or maybe they really are going to adjust well and just have occasional bad days like all children.

One day of work = bad day

I hadn't worked since December 22nd, and then I worked Tuesday evening (a meeting) and all day Wednesday (another meeting). Yes, I am still on leave until February 18th, but I had a couple of meetings that were very important for me to attend. It was a rough day. Things have been going so well, but yesterday was hectic and unpleasant, and I missed my kids. I picked them up after work, made supper, fed them, cleaned up spilled milk, drove to church (late), and then cried in my car after I dropped them off. I felt like I just rushed them around all afternoon and didn't get to spend any time with them. I sure hope I can adjust when I go back to work in a month. It also really made me realize that I need to make the most of my time at home as possible, and that I will have to give myself some time when I go back. At least all the kids are doing great at school and still adjusting well :)

One Week

Well, we made it through the first week! We had some great successes: first week of kindergarten, first time attending Wednesday night church (everyone loved it!), preschool screenings for the little two, and a week of being a stay at home mom while Daddy went back to work. They are such great kids!! They have normal sibling disagreements and age-appropriate issues, but they are pretty wonderful. They are still great sleepers and eaters, and the biggest issue we have is having the kids all vying for our attention at the same time (loudly, I might add). We are ending a great week by pizza, hot wings (yes, they love them), and watching the Lion King. I think this will be a weekly tradition. Dinner and a movie - and I get to watch all my favorites!

Settling In

We have been home now since Wednesday evening. That means we have woken up in our own beds four times as a family of 5! They are great sleepers - 11 hours at night and a two hour nap. We are figuring each other out. Our routines, likes, dislikes, and so much more. It feels like every day is something new to figure out! Bath, supper, weekends, art projects, laundry, and church. There have been almost no tears. In fact, the only tears have been when we have said no to something (I mean, why wouldn't I let my daughter throw play dough, right?). This might still be the honeymoon period, but I am hoping they keep it up! We have an incentive program (a clip chart with colors) that seems to be motivating to all of them, so that is wonderful!

Tomorrow is the first day of school for my kindergartener! He wants to go so he can meet friends and learn, so we are going to send him. I am nervous. I don't want him to leave, but I know he needs to go sometime.  School is a challenge for him, but I am hoping he can do well. He really is a great kid, and he loves to make everyone happy. Now I have to start making arrangements for after school care and daycare/preschool for the other two. I hate to even think about when I go back to school in 6 weeks, but I guess I can't keep them home with me forever. They will be all mine in the summer though :) How surreal is all of this! This might sound strange, but they don't really feel like they are mine yet. I love them, and they love me, but we don't have weeks, months, and years of history yet. We don't know all the details of each others' personalities, and we don't quite know what to expect. I think this will be a great adventure!

2013 - Hopeful beginnings!

We spent the first 11 hours of 2013 with our children. It was our first overnight experience, and it went great! They went to bed very nicely and slept until 7:30! We brought them back to their foster family to spend one more day with them, and then we spent the day relaxing.

Today will be an interesting day because we get to bring them home. There is sure to be lots of excitement as we embark upon our new journey, but there will be some tough stuff too. They will have to leave the home they have been in for two years, and they will be in the car for probably 7 hours. When we do get home, they will want to look around and try out the different toys and things. I will have to go grocery shopping, and there are lots of potential melt-down points. It's probably going to be a tough few days, but we will be patient and pray for the best.

Part of what I did yesterday was to do a bit of shopping (we found some water bottles and divided plates) and to work on the kids' journals I have for them. I found all of these ideas on Pinterest, and I decided to combine them into one leather-bound journal I will give them at some point when they are older. The first idea was a quote book to record all of their precious moments. The second idea was a 20 questions to ask each year on their birthdays (favorite color, what they want to be when they grow up, and so on). The final idea was a journal to write them letters each year on their birthday. Well, I figured I could never keep up with three things, so I combined them all. So far, I have written them each their adoption story, told them about our first meeting and Christmas together, and written down some quotes. I have also started their 20 questions. I know it is none of their birthdays right now, but I wanted an initial starting point. I hope that I can keep this up and have something beautiful and wonderful for them when they are older.

Here's to a great year! 2013 is sure to bring lots of challenges (what year doesn't), but our family is complete, and we are hopeful for our new beginnings. As the saying goes, "Nothing worthwhile comes easily."