I'm a few days late at this post but what do you expect with 5 kids!!!! Overall it is going great!!! They act like they have been here forever...they miss their brother and sisters when they are at school though. We are starting to get into a routine and setting our boundaries so they start to understand right and wrong. I really expected them to get into everything because it all is new but they haven't! Tamirat is very interested in Everything especially electronics just like his brother..he already figured out how to call grandma:) Both of them are very independent and very stubborn..so they fit in rather well here! Tommy is quite specific about what he wants to wear everyday but after our first 45min cry-a-thon he realized mom doesn't give into everything! Having 3 children already has helped tremendously I think I would be curled up in a ball somewhere had I never experienced some of these things before. Temper tantrums...throwing things when mad..refusing to eat certain foods( this is not much) not liking bed time alot and so on.. I have to say I am exhausted I pretty much go to bed at night when they do! It has been awhile since ours were little and I never had 2 little ones at once! The toy thing that is new too..Matteo never played with them so the fact that my house is full of them well..we are lucky they already know the Barney " Clean up" song! Tamirat is probably the more difficult one but I think only because he is a boy and he is older. He also has more of a memory of his past even though truthfully they have not shown any signs of being sad or withdrawn or missing anyone. They do love to look at the pictures of their friends from the orphanage(TH). Bedtime for Milly is getting a little more difficult at night, she likes to have someone lay with her and usually not me! she really loves her sister Francesca so when she is mad at me she goes to her. I do not want them to get used to someone laying with them every night but it has only been a week so I am picking my battles! It is a huge adjustment for them. We had a busy first week with visits from family and friends and school functions for their siblings. For the most part they handled it all great but we forget little people tire more easily than we do! Tamirat does Not like large crowds and tends to get quiet or act up when lots of people are around. He takes a while to warm up to new people but then his true colors come out and you see his sweet side! Milly loves to be the center of attention she is our silly girl! They DO NOT like the snow and say "Yuck" everytime we are out and it is snowing! It took them awhile but they have warmed up to the dog for the most part..I spied Tommy snuggling him earlier today, even though he still had a disgusted look on his face..it was quite funny! Here are just a few from their first week home..
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| Our handsome boy |
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| Our sassy girl |
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| playtime with their big brother Matteo |
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| A fast favorite..Cariboo |
When they are laughing and I am snuggling them I find that my heart hurts. It breaks for them and their biological family, how hard it must have been to give them up..how much they must have loved them. When I kiss them I wonder how many times their Mom kissed their cheeks before she passed away. They are both bright lights that brighten our home I cant imagine the sacrifice. I wish we could send video back to their dad so he could hear them laughing..it is an amazing sound. All the heartache is so worth it to know what an incredibly blessed future they will have. One week down a lifetime to go...
A year and a half in the making...We are finally all together!!!! Dec. 11 2010
Love from our Xtreme family!!
Brothers...
Hugs from Aunt Jodi
Love from Big sister!
Balloons from Aunt Jill
Meeting Grandma!
Leaving the orphanage for good!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our first day as a family!!!!!!!
