So much has changed...

We have been home for almost four months now and so much has changed since the day we held Annalisa in our arms for the first time on November 7th.

Physical changes!
When we got her at 11 months of age:
She had 8 teeth
She weighed 16 pounds (with clothes and a full diaper on)
3 to 6 months clothing were big on her
Wore size 2 shoes She had very little hair

Now at 14 months of age:
She has 18 teeth
She weighs 21.5 pounds
She just graduated into 6 to 9 month clothing and size 3 shoes
Her hair is almost long enough that it doesn't stick up anymore...Almost!
She finally graduated into a big girl forward/facing car seat which she likes a lot better than the old rear/facing one.

Sleeping Habits!
When we first came home she would wake up every 15/30 minutes needing to be comforted...All night long! Putting her to sleep was a chore. She did not like her crib. We experimented with the family bed, the pack and play next to our bed, the stroller. What finally worked (after about three weeks of sleepless nights and experimenting) was pushing her crib all the way next to the twin bed in her room and me sleeping next to her, holding her hand occasionally to get her to fall back asleep.

Now she is sleeping through the night. She goes down around 7:30 and gets up between 6:30 and 7:00am! I am back in my bed...Most of the nights :)

Bonding!
Annalisa bonded to us right away. She didn't cry on Gotcha Day and cried very little when we were in China. I have to say that I was a little worried about it but, she seemed to really enjoy all the attention we were giving her. She spent the first 8 months of her life in foster care and must have really missed her foster parents during the two months she was in the orphanage. My guess is that when she finally was placed with us she was relieved that she didn't have to share us with all the other children in the orphanage.

Annalisa is very sociable and easily adapted to our big family. She never had any problems being around lots of people and has an independent streak in her. I worried at the beginning that this meant she was displaying attachment issues (by walking around on her own and exploring things) but she always looked back to make sure we were still there and never went to a stranger for longer than a few seconds before reaching for us.

She never had a problem letting us hold her but lately she has become a "cuddler". She'll come to me or John, put her head on our shoulder and pat our back (as we pat hers). She now asks for and gives kisses and hugs, before she enjoyed getting the hugs and kisses but didn't reciprocate. In the morning, when I get her out of the crib we lay down on the twin bed in her nursery for a few minutes and cuddle before we start our day. Her latest "thing" is to make fish lips and give out kisses...Much to our amusement.

Her Health!
Annalisa has been having breathing issues since the day we got her. We believe that she has asthma and has been on medications for the past couple of months to alleviate her labored breathing and cough! I really think that we had so many troubles finding a sleeping routine because we didn't realize that she was sick. When she laid down she was coughing so much that it kept her awake a lot. Since we got her on Singulair she is sleeping much better and her cough has subsided.

Most of you know about her "worm". I am very happy to report that I haven't found any "Live" things in her diaper after that one episode and her tests came back normal. We'll need to re-check her in a few months just in case.

Being a mom!
After waiting for so many years to become a mom I have to confess that I was completely overwhelmed the first few months we were home. For quite a while I asked myself if I had done the right thing by bringing this beautiful child in my life and then not knowing how to properly take care of her. I felt very unqualified for the job!

I now realize that as a 42 years old that has worked all her life I just wasn't prepared for the changes in my life. The biggest thing I had to get used to was that Annalisa required ALL of my attention/energy and then some more. I now have some quiet time after she goes to sleep but for the first two months when she wasn't sleeping at night I had absolutely no down time. I was up worrying and taking care of her all the time.

Life is amazing now! She surprises us every day with all the things she is learning. She learned a few signs (food, drink, more) and is starting to say a few words: Mama, Dada, cacu (cookie) and yesterday she said bubu (balloon). I love this little girl with all my heart and my confidence in my parental skills has gone up considerably since the first few days home.

I think I'll make the cut!