Oh my goodness - I am the worst blogger!!! I apologize - some day my life will allow me to blog again! :)
Today marks 2 months home for our girls!! WOW!! So hard to believe that two months have passed since we stepped off that plane in Portland. I have zillions of pictures on facebook -it's so much easier right now to just dump a bunch of photos on there!!
We've been busy over the past couple of months, and the girls are doing GREAT!! We have had several doctors/specialists appointments for both girls - and still have a few more. We saw the Ear, Nose and Throat specialist this week, and learned that Dasha will need to have her tonsils out and tubes put in her ears soon. Emily will likely need tubes before long as well. We were actually pretty positive we would find that out at this appointment, so it wasn't too much of a shock!!
Both girls are growing like weeds and learning new things quicker than we can teach them!!! Dasha has gained about 5-6 pounds since we got home and Emily has gained about 4. They have filled out so much - they look like different kids!! Their hair has grown so much thicker and shinier, Emily has gotten 3 teeth since we got home, and Dasha's adult tooth has started to come in (and her other bottom tooth is starting to get loose!). They've had haircuts once, and are about due for another one! :) Emily is a full-time walker now and has started to run. She really doesn't want to be carried anymore, ESPECIALLY if we're going out the front door, she LOVES to walk out the door and down the steps!
Both girls have been learning sign language like crazy and starting to speak a few words in English as well. Dasha's signs include: eat/food, water, banana, hot, more, please, cat, dog, elephant, giraffe, bird, monkey, frog, fish, coat, bath....there's probably more and I just can't remember them! She is trying more and more to speak. She'll say mama and daddy, Emily, hot and "Pee Yew" when I change Emily's diaper. ;) Emily's list of signs is similar to Dasha's and she has about the same spoken words. I am thrilled with how quickly they are learning!! It's important to remember that neither girl had any real spoken language in Russia - so this is exciting progress!!! Dasha really only had maybe 3 words in Russian that she spoke. She babbles a lot - in her own little language - and I think once we get her tonsils out and her tubes in her ears, she's going to be able to hear so much better (she has 6 1/2 years worth of fluid built up...) and she will start trying to speak even more! This will also help with some of the issues she has with sleep.
The girls still eat really well, although Emily has been going through a pickier phase. Totally normal for a 2 year old! :) Favorite foods include yogurt (they eat plain greek yogurt with just a little fruit in it to sweeten it!), bananas, bagels, lunch meat, string cheese, Emily loves soups! - both girls LOVE those little squeeze pouches of fruits/veggies you can buy - so I bought some re-fillable ones, and have been making fruit/veggie purees at home. They love smoothies (full of spinach!) too. :)
It's hard to believe that the girls have been home for 2 months, yet at the same time it feels like they have always been here!!! They have blossomed so much in just a short amount of time - they are like new children!! We have unlocked their crazy personalities - and our house is a riot! :) It's never quiet around here!! I wish their former caregivers could see them now - I think they'd be in shock! :)
I'll leave you with just a few pictures...
This final picture is a glimpse into how much they've changed. I put the girls in their "gotcha" outfits yesterday - and took pictures to compare to gotcha day. Both girls are fighting little colds this week and weren't super excited to get their picture taken - but you can see the changes in their faces and hair - and how much they've grown!!! These pictures were taken almost exactly 10 weeks apart. Love wins friends - love wins.
Today marks 2 months home for our girls!! WOW!! So hard to believe that two months have passed since we stepped off that plane in Portland. I have zillions of pictures on facebook -it's so much easier right now to just dump a bunch of photos on there!!
We've been busy over the past couple of months, and the girls are doing GREAT!! We have had several doctors/specialists appointments for both girls - and still have a few more. We saw the Ear, Nose and Throat specialist this week, and learned that Dasha will need to have her tonsils out and tubes put in her ears soon. Emily will likely need tubes before long as well. We were actually pretty positive we would find that out at this appointment, so it wasn't too much of a shock!!
Both girls are growing like weeds and learning new things quicker than we can teach them!!! Dasha has gained about 5-6 pounds since we got home and Emily has gained about 4. They have filled out so much - they look like different kids!! Their hair has grown so much thicker and shinier, Emily has gotten 3 teeth since we got home, and Dasha's adult tooth has started to come in (and her other bottom tooth is starting to get loose!). They've had haircuts once, and are about due for another one! :) Emily is a full-time walker now and has started to run. She really doesn't want to be carried anymore, ESPECIALLY if we're going out the front door, she LOVES to walk out the door and down the steps!
Both girls have been learning sign language like crazy and starting to speak a few words in English as well. Dasha's signs include: eat/food, water, banana, hot, more, please, cat, dog, elephant, giraffe, bird, monkey, frog, fish, coat, bath....there's probably more and I just can't remember them! She is trying more and more to speak. She'll say mama and daddy, Emily, hot and "Pee Yew" when I change Emily's diaper. ;) Emily's list of signs is similar to Dasha's and she has about the same spoken words. I am thrilled with how quickly they are learning!! It's important to remember that neither girl had any real spoken language in Russia - so this is exciting progress!!! Dasha really only had maybe 3 words in Russian that she spoke. She babbles a lot - in her own little language - and I think once we get her tonsils out and her tubes in her ears, she's going to be able to hear so much better (she has 6 1/2 years worth of fluid built up...) and she will start trying to speak even more! This will also help with some of the issues she has with sleep.
The girls still eat really well, although Emily has been going through a pickier phase. Totally normal for a 2 year old! :) Favorite foods include yogurt (they eat plain greek yogurt with just a little fruit in it to sweeten it!), bananas, bagels, lunch meat, string cheese, Emily loves soups! - both girls LOVE those little squeeze pouches of fruits/veggies you can buy - so I bought some re-fillable ones, and have been making fruit/veggie purees at home. They love smoothies (full of spinach!) too. :)
It's hard to believe that the girls have been home for 2 months, yet at the same time it feels like they have always been here!!! They have blossomed so much in just a short amount of time - they are like new children!! We have unlocked their crazy personalities - and our house is a riot! :) It's never quiet around here!! I wish their former caregivers could see them now - I think they'd be in shock! :)
I'll leave you with just a few pictures...
This final picture is a glimpse into how much they've changed. I put the girls in their "gotcha" outfits yesterday - and took pictures to compare to gotcha day. Both girls are fighting little colds this week and weren't super excited to get their picture taken - but you can see the changes in their faces and hair - and how much they've grown!!! These pictures were taken almost exactly 10 weeks apart. Love wins friends - love wins.
6 comments:
Thank you for posting about refillable pouches, pure genius! They are so perfect for kids. I had never heard of reusable ones and think that would be perfect for my two year old! Love that you are feeding those girls so well. May God continue to bless your family. Love to see you all enjoying and loving each other! Praise God!
just beautiful - you are doing a great job!
Happy to see an update, and glad everyone is doing so well!
Would you mind sharing where you got the reusable squeezie pouches? I've been looking for something like that.
Loved this update :)
Beautiful girls! Thank you for sharing!
This is amazing, Jennifer! They look like different children, and it's beautiful. Thank you for the update!
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