The Haze Is Beginning To Clear

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 7 Comments

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I knew this transition from one child to two would be hard.  Boy oh boy, did I underestimate just how hard it would be.  I am sure the difficulty is made worse by my own fatigue and stress about about the new baby, etc.  I have found myself completely at my wits end when it comes to dealing with the new baby.  I love her completely, but I just don’t know what she wants half of the time.  I am beginning ot figure it out–if completely by accident–tonight is a perfect example.  I was feeding Peepers her bedtime bottle.  She was falling asleep while eating–YAY–but then would wake up when I put her down.  She’d start kicking her feet and giggle a little.  I was getting so frustrated after three times of this eating, falling asleep, laying down, waking up thing, that I just put her down and walked away.  Well, Hubby went in to check on her three minutes later and she was fast asleep.  Unbelievable.  I was so happy to finally have figured something out. 

Minnow is adjusting better than I could have expected.  Part of his easy adjustment has to be due to the fact that we have not in anyway pressured him to hang out or spend any time with Peepers.  He is beginning to get a lot more curious and interested in her.  It is really cute.  they are going to be buds–someday. 

We are beginning to settle into a routine–a loose routine, but a routine and it is welcome.  Peepers napped twice today for the first time and the naps were of a good length.  I know it will take time, but I am happy to see everything moving towards the direction of manageable. 

I know I haven’t really posted about the trip to Ethiopia but I haven’t had time to really sit down and write.  I have been so tired–which is why I really wish I would have taken my laptop to Ethiopia with me.  I will write about it and post about it soon.  I promise.  In the meantime here are a few pics of Peepers in Ethiopia–I have lots of pictures since we have been home, I just haven’t loaded them onto my computer yet.  I will, I promise.

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But for now–we are just surviving. 

Bad Parenting Moment #15,652

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 5 Comments

So, I go to get Minnow this morning after he wakes up.  I find his bed sheets/pillow and his clothes somewhat covered in puke.  His puke.  Either he did it in his sleep or we just didn’t hear him.  How awful is that? 

On a positive note…Peepers did sleep a lot last night.  This two kid thing is hard and it’s only day 3.  Crap!

Home Loud Home

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 6 Comments

It has been pure chaos here at Casa de Minnow y Peepers.  Minnow is not so sure about this whole baby sister thing.  He wouldn’t really look at her at all on Saturday and has slowly been warming up to her a little bit.  A very little bit.  At this rate, by the time she goes away to college he’ll have fully accepted her. 

She is teething and it is excruciating.  She has been crying for hours today non-stop and isn’t sleep which means I am not sleeping.  So, I am very very crabby and very very tired.  And I don’t have anything really positive to say right now.  I have been told that Minnow was just as bad when he was teething, etc.  But I don’t remember that at all. That must be why I was so excited to have another kid.  I hope to have some time (aka-energy) tomorrow to post pictures, etc. 

We are going to the Dr. tomorrow–Peepers came home with and ear infection and a rash.  It’s been really really fun around here.  More positive and happy updates forthcoming.  I promise.  Okay, I don’t promise, but I certainly hope. 

I Love The French

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 10 Comments

Well our little Peepers was cursed with the ever present diarrhea and it was getting worse.  So, I decided that I would put her back on some other local formula as I didn’t want to have to deal with this on the 17+ hour plane ride home.  So, I went to the little market at the Hilton and all they had was French formula.  Go figure.  No local stuff to be had.  So, as I was looking over the formula I noticed a formula specifically for babies with diarrhea.  I so am not kidding.  I was worried about buying it.  I looked closely over it’s ingredients and compared it to the regular French formula.  Nothing that stood out and it all seemed very run of the mill.

OMG.  It so totally works.  Within hours of the first two bottles her stool was much less runny–still not ideal but not explosive.  Then today even better.  I am worried about it constipating her so am alternating between formulas.  I know this isn’t ideal, but she is responding well.  No spitting up and not outward signs of any ill effects.  I will switch her completely to her American formula well into our flight home.

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Nazret.  The drive was long and the visit to the hospital sad and sobering.  I have many many emotions about it and will post more about that later.  I was able to get some answers to my questions–who named her, how long she was there, etc.  I also got pictures of the room and bed she was in and the intake photo as well as the nurse who named and took care of her for her week there.

I am exhausted–as the trip took nearly 7 hours–roads in Ethiopia aren’t great and we had to pick up other children to bring back to AAI’s care center.  It was an intense and long trip.  More later.

This is my last Ethiopia blog post.  We depart tomorrow at 10:15pm Ethiopia time.  I will post on Monday in depth about my trip with pictures.  Have a great weekend.