Doesn't she look angelic here, so proper and quiet as she looks through her book? Don't let it fool you. Today was the day Suzannah's inner imp started to come out and play :-)
Daddy left very early this morning (and he's still flying, poor guy). At least it looks like all his flights are going as scheduled. I know he'll be soooooo glad to get home!
So Suzannah and I were on our own for the first time. We made it through the morning routines, managed the breakfast buffet solo, all that. Not a bad start to the day. When we came back after breakfast, she brought me her coat. It was time to get out in the fresh air. So we bundled up and went out to the riverwalk, where there are now 4 women hounding people for money. One has a bundle that's supposed to be a baby, but you know, I've never seen a sign of movement or heard the faintest whimper. Another had a young girl with her, around 7 or 8 I'd guess, and that was hard. Suzannah was fascinated by her, and I didn't want to be rude to the child, but dang, these women are persistent. Why they think I'll give them money today when I haven't any other day is beyond me. (Maybe it's the same stubborn idiocy that keeps me sending books to New York :-)
Anyway, we dodged them and had a lovely half hour in the mild air. Suzannah had a great time staring at all the old men lined up casting giant rods and huge long lines to catch fish that were no more than 6 inches long. Mommy thought that was kind of ironic, too.
Vala picked us up at 10 to continue the quest for an umbrella stroller. Success! It was still a bit more elaborate than I needed, and cost a bit more than I would have preferred, but the heck with it. After all the places we looked, I was just glad to have one. Given the way Suzannah tried to climb into it still in the store, I'd say she was pleased, too.
Next we went on our kettle adventure - also a rousing success. It's silly how something as simple as being able to boil water makes me feel more on top of things, but you know, at least now I can pretend I'm cooking.
Back at the hotel, we christened the new kettle by making the aforementioned Quaker Oat cereal, which was a BIG hit. Then we popped into the stroller for its inaugural run. It was a hit! Suzannah grinned up at me every time I checked on her. And I'm feeling a lot more confident about managing the airports solo with a stroller to strap her in.
After a lovely loooong nap, Miss Suzannah woke up full of P&V. (Well, after she cuddled on my lap for a good 20 minutes, that is.) It was time to start testing Mom. She hauled food out of the fridge, emptied out the diaper bag, banged the bathroom door open and closed, pushed every single button on the TV .... in short, she's looking for the limits in this new place. I don't mind giving her some leeway - after a life in the baby home, she needs to discover internal limits as well as external ones - but there are still some rules that must be obeyed. When you pull Mommy's glasses off her face, you get put down from Mommy's knee. When you drink the soapy bathwater after being told NO twice, you get taken out of the tub. And when you slap Mommy's computer, you get put into your crib for a couple of minutes. Them's the breaks, kiddo!
She surprised me tonight by getting almost scared when I put her doll in the stroller. I thought she might like to push it up and down the hall, but she shied away and was really not happy at the prospect. So we walked the halls by ourselves again tonight.
She's definitely repeating names when I say Poppy, Miriam, Josh, Dan, Noah. Of course, then she tried to rip the pictures, so that was the end of that game.
She feels much older than when we first met her in August. It's astonishing to look at her and remember my first impression of a teeny Cindy Lou Who - type of child, all head and stick arms and twig legs. Maybe it's just that she had a growth spurt (physical plus), or maybe it's the revelation of more and more of her true character, but she's ever so much more focused and attentive now than she seemed back then. She's still not doing things I would expect from a child her age, but she doesn;t feel as overwhelmingly young as she did before. Though maybe it's just me getting used to her abilities .... who knows? In any case, it's very encouraging!
Grapes were a huge hit tonight. So was cream of chicken cup-a-soup, oh boy! She tasted my Pepsi but backed away from it, shaking her head. And after turning her nose up at everything but her fruit at dinner, she had a massive bedtime snack of banana, cheese, grapes, and yogurt. Of course, she wouldn't eat it by herself, but had to sit back and let me feed it to her, piece by piece. Like a queen. I can't wait to see how she gets along with Her Royal Highness Princess Miriam. There may be a royal coup in our future!
Oh, and to answer the questions Phyllis posted in the comments - we're staying at the Azumet, here for another week, and there are no other adoptive families here - at least, not North American ones. Which is why I'll be talking to myself by the end of my time here :-)
Bedtime snack is so much fun!
2 comments:
I love all the photos. It was wonderful coming home from work tonight and finding two entries. She sounds like a normal child and is going to fit in beautifully with the Hooligans at Casa Chaos :-)
The thing with her dolly in the stroller was curious.
Your daughter is beautiful - congratulations! I remember Alex's antics when he was "trapped" in the Azimut with us. We had mostly Germans and French to "talk" to when we were there. For entertainment, sometimes we would hold Alex up to the light switch and let him shut it off and on for a while. Yeah, that's how bored we were! I'm so glad you found an umbrella stroller. It was a lifesaver for us at the airport.
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