Holy temper tantrum!

It may come as a shock to you, but my little RP is not perfect. Sure, she is utterly adorable and she has shiny brown eyes and a HUGE crooked grin, and for the most part is pretty happy-go-lucky, but she has her moments. Today she had a HUGE "moment."

I'll back up. RP has been battling a pre-spring cold for almost a week now. For the most part she is doing pretty good, although she sounds really congested in her nose, and there are nights I can hear her snoring across the house. Yesterday she seemed to be almost past said cold and was not only in pretty good spirits, but the nose seemed to have stopped running as much which is a good thing (because, really - yuck!). We had a birthday party to go to yesterday afternoon so I gave RP an early lunch and settled her in for an early nap, which surprisingly she took. She slept for about 75 minutes or so, then I had to get her up to get showered, dressed, and ready to leave, and although at first she was clingy and grouchy, when she fully woke up she was in high spirits and ready for the party!

After the party was over we went to visit Nana, who had been in the hospital since the middle of last week. While RP at a sandwich, some chips, and crackers at the party, she was running a bit "high" on the LARGE piece of cake someone slipped her when I wasn't watching, so I knew that she wasn't going to go to bed anytime soon and Nana could use some cheering up, so we headed to the hospital even though it would put us getting home past RP's bedtime. We had a really nice visit with Nana and Papa, and headed home for the night, where RP went to bed about 90 minutes after her normal bedtime.

Today RP woke at her normal time and seemed in pretty good spirits. We ran some errands, had lunch out, and the whole time RP behaved VERY well - listened nicely, behaved and did as she was told, etc. She fell asleep in the car for about 20 minutes or so, then decided that she absolutely could NOT nap any more today. Even without a nap she played pretty nicely for a while, but things got ugly when she decided that she wanted to color on herself with the blue dry erase marker instead of her easel, so Mommy took the marker away and told her she would have to use one of the SIX other available markers for her artwork since she didn't listen to directions on only using the markers ON the easel. The simple act of me taking the marker away launched her into a fit of epic proportions - screaming bloody murder as her face turned purple, throwing herself on the ground and flailing every limb she had in directions I didn't know the human body could go, and jumping up and down as rapidly as her little legs would allow. This raged on for about 20 minutes during which time she also tried to scale the kitchen cabinets to get to the marker, attempting to scale ME to get to the same marker, and dragging along behind as I put the easel and the rest of the markers away in the other room.

I won't lie - I was so stunned at the sight of my sweet little girl losing her mind that I laughed - out loud - during a bulk of her tantrum. It was really the craziest sight I've ever seen, and I witnessed a few doozies of tantrums from her in the past, including the one when I first met her and she screamed so loud and so hard that she knocked herself over backwards. This surpassed them all, and for all her efforts she DIDN'T get the marker back, she had to stand in the "naughty corner," eat and early dinner, take an early bath, and go to bed early.

I asked her WHY she pitched such a fit while she was in the bathtub, and she very sweetly told me "Me wanted marker Mommy." When I asked her if it worked, she shook her head sadly and said, "Noooo...." Let's hope she learned a valuable lesson from this because I really don't want to see a replay of this ever again. Ever.

Wow.

A taste of spring

Yes, it's true - today was truly a quick taste of spring. The temperatures here hit over 60 degrees, so RP and I took full advantage of them to spend some time outside before the temps dipped back down to "normal" (aka - cold!). After trying unsuccessfully for a half hour to get RP to take her nap this afternoon - unsuccessful because my crazy neighbors were already outside taking full advantage of the weather and find it completely necessary to have conversations at volumes which allow me to hear every word they are saying... while I am still inside, and allow their children to clamour around outside like the untamed banshees they have proven themselves to be - I gave up, told RP to put her coat and shoes on, and we ventured out to take the puppies for a walk around the block. After that, we spent about an hour or so playing in the backyard and just enjoying the mild temperatures and the break between rain systems!

In three and a half weeks we will be headed to Disney World, and I can't wait, so much so that I pulled out the suitcase today and started putting the stuff that I had been setting aside INTO the suitcase. I know I shouldn't be packing so early, but I haven't had a vacation in over 3 years and I am really looking forward to enjoying all Disney has to offer with my family. RP may still be a bit too young to appreciate everything she will experience at Disney, but seeing her face light up the first time she sees Mickey Mouse will be priceless AND it gives me a really good excuse to plan to go back with her someday when she is a little bit older!

Our little excursion outside today came at the expense of nap time, for which I paid dearly later as RP was out of pocket from dinner time to bed time. I'm considering this a good test of what will happen while we are in Florida and strengthens my resolve to try to find time each day for her to rest and take a quick nap, even if it means we have to leave the park and return to meet up with everyone later - isn't that why they invented the "park hopper" in the first place? :) At least I was able to test this here, and didn't wait until we were in Orlando to figure it out!

Video montage - Home, months 7-12

This one is quite long (approximately 45 minutes, give or take a few) but sums up the second half of our first year home quite nicely. I can hardly believe it's been a year, and I'm looking forward to the memories we will make year after year!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Celebrating one year home

Yes, I know I'm posting this early, but RP and I will be visiting her godparents out of town tomorrow, which is thoroughly exciting to me! A year ago at this time we were climbing into bed (keeping in mind that Moscow is 9 hours ahead of us!) and trying to get a few winks of sleep before a VERY long day of travel. As I recall I didn't sleep a wink, and therefore was up for over 24 hours before I stumbled into my house, and RP refused to sleep in her crib that night. Therefore, I laid in bed with her on my chest, where she woke up every half hour or so just to check if I was still there and pinch my cheeks like she was confirming for herself that I was really real.

So many "best laid plans" went by the wayside on the trek home. RP had her own seat paid for, but sat on my lap for all but about 20 minutes of the ENTIRE journey, and slept for maybe an hour of it. I really wanted to get pictures on the plane, at the airports, and coming through Customs and Immigration, but couldn't get to the camera, nor had the presence of mind to even try. RP fell asleep about 5 minutes after meeting Papa and being strapped into her car seat, and woke up when we got home, only to be greeted by two crazed puppies who literally were howling and jumping up and down to see us after I had been gone for two whole weeks.


I still vividly remember the "holy crap - NOW what" thoughts going through my mind when we walked in the door. The luggage sat in the kitchen for almost two whole days, and I scrambled to find something for RP to eat, since she barely ate anything on our flights and looked as if she was about to scream bloody murder at any moment. I remember finding oatmeal in the cabinet for her and feeding her, changing her, and putting her to bed, and then I barely remember anything else for the next week or so - it's all still such a blur!


Today I can't imagine life BEFORE RP came home. While it sounds cliche', I truly believe she has been in my heart since before I even saw her picture, or knew of her existence. The road to our becoming a family wasn't short, wasn't easy, and was full of detours, but in the end we are the family we were always meant to be. Never has a year been so full of change, nor has one gone by so quickly than this past one, and I wouldn't change a moment of it for the world.

Asleep in the car after a long journey home

First meal home - oatmeal! (and doesn't she look thrilled?!?)

Same outfit, bigger size - one year later (and all smiles!!!)

My little Russian princess

Gotcha Day - One year later

I can hardly believe that one year ago today I picked up my little RP and we walked out of the orphanage in St. Petersburg for good. So much has happened in the last year, yet the memory of that day and time is still so fresh that it is almost surreal to me. I have never wanted anything more, yet more nervous and anxious about anything in my entire life. My family and friends could not possibly have been more supportive, or more excited for us, and I remain thankful every day that RP and I have them in our lives.

Today I took RP to get her one-year adoption pictures taken, along with her third birthday pictures. I had been gearing her up for the picture appointment, and god love her, she was VERY excited about the prospect - not because she likes having her picture taken (she doesn't), not because she got to wear her pretty new "princess dress" (which is doubling this year for her Easter dress), and not because we were headed to the mall to shop (she hates sitting in the stroller and wants to walk around). Nope - she was excited because posing for pictures, and doing a good job, means a handful of M&M's.

Imagine my surprise when I walked into her room this morning to get her up and lo and behold she was already up and VERY excited about something. She kept jabbering on and on about pottying, and I, naively, thought that perhaps she had a dry night and wanted to get on the potty right away. THEN I stopped to listen to what she was saying. "No pee-pee on Mommy's floor, Mommy - ME potty." She then grabbed me by the hand and led me around her bed and pointed to the floor. I think all the potty training is starting to stick because apparently before I got up little Miss RP woke up and discovered she had to go to potty. Apparently not wanting to wet an already wet pull-up she took off her pajamas AND the wet pull-up, peed on the floor, then redressed herself, happy as a lark at her accomplishment (and also apparently not truly understanding my messaging about "NO pee-pee on Mommy's floor"). I couldn't help it and laughed out loud, even despite the fact that I had quite a mess on my hands to clean up.

After that we took showers, got dressed, and headed over for pictures where RP did a GREAT job cooperating with the photographer. I would have posted the pictures online except that in my excitement of seeing all the prints I completely forgot to ask for the picture CD with all the prints on it, which means we have to head back to the mall before I can post them. On February 24 last year I was in Russia and spent the day going from the hotel to the orphanage, to the airport, on a flight to Moscow, and then trying to settle in to a new city over there with a scared and less-than-happy toddler. This year I woke up to "Hi Mommy!" and a big snuggle (followed by cleaning up that big mess!), pictures, shopping, and lunch with my munchkin, followed by playtime, story time, and more snuggles as she got ready for bed.

I won't lie - I broke down several times today for no reason at all other than feeling so grateful and so fulfilled at having RP in my life. Yes, there were times I never thought this would actually happen. Yes, there have been days I have been at my wit's end, and yes, I anticipate there will be many more. A lot of people today have commented as to how lucky RP is and I can't help but think that it is actually just the opposite - I am the lucky one, lucky that she is in my life and lucky to have her call me "Mommy." There has simply been no greater feeling in the world.

So yes, to sum it all up - today was a good day. A VERY good day....

Jedi Mind Trick...

I didn't get to see much of RP today as she went to pre-school this morning, then spent the afternoon at her grandparents so I could get some errands done. I am happy to report that I FINALLY took care of getting RP a social security number - AND that it only took me a 10-minute visit to the Social Security office to do so (I had allotted HOURS to the process and was pleasantly surprised by this turn of events!). By the time all the errands were done, it was time for dinner at Nana and Papa's house, which then led to RP and I coming straight home and her pretty much going straight to bed.

The past few nights RP has wanted NO part of going to bed. Last night she talked, played, and sang in her bed until I finally took away her favorite toy of the day - a toy school bus (or "bool-bus" as RP calls it), which then led to almost 20 minutes of screaming, crying, and carrying on until she wore herself out and fell fast asleep. Tonight I was prepared for more of the same, but RP chose a simpler route...

RP (standing at baby gate in her room talking to me while I worked on the computer which is directly outside her room): Me no sleepy Mommy.

Me: Yes, you are sleepy RP. Get that tushie back in bed.

RP: Otay Mommy. (Heads back to bed...)

** 30 second pause in the drama**

RP (back at gate): Me no sleepy Mommy.

Me: Yes, you ARE sleepy RP. Get back in bed... now.

RP: No Mommy - me no sleepy.

Me: Yes you are RP. Get that tushie BACK. IN. BED.

RP: Otay Mommy. (Heads back to bed...)

RP (yelling from bed): Me still no sleepy Mommy. Me pay now (pay=play in RP-speak).

Me: No, you will NOT play now RP. You need to go to sleep. You are sleepy.

RP: Otay Mommy.

You get the idea. This went on for 20 minutes until I finally smartened up and went downstairs, where she proceeded to yell down to me every 3 minutes that she wasn't sleepy yet, until I finally threatened to remove all of her books and toys from her room unless she closed her "pretty brown eyes" and went to sleep. This led her to inform me that Mommy has blue eyes, Nana has green eyes, Papa has blue eyes, and RP has brown eyes, but after getting that out of her system, she toddled back off to bed and finally fell asleep.

On the plus side here, at least everything was "Otay Mommy" and not "Otay guy..."

The countdown begins...

I can hardly believe that a mere 24 hours from now RP and I will be "celebrating" our first "Gotcha Day" anniversary! I still remember being SO anxious to get to the orphanage and walk out with her as a family, yet SO scared about what would come next. For as long as I waited and anticipated that day coming, I was also really sensitive that this would be a life-altering event for RP, disrupting the only life and only home she had ever known. I remember packing and unpacking her stuff for the trip, packing and repacking my suitcase in an attempt to keep myself busy (and hold on to what was, by that time, left of my sanity!), and worrying about our flight from St. Petersburg to Moscow. I am surprised that the outfit she wore out of the orphanage that day didn't have huge holes in it because I swear I held it, folded and refolded it, and just stared at it a million times while I waited to go and get her.

Today RP and I spent a "girls-day-out" at the mall, shopping for a dress for her. Thursday (our Gotcha Day anniversary!) I am having her one-year adoption pictures taken as well as her third-birthday pictures. For her one-year adoption pictures I actually found the exact same outfit she wore home to the US in her size, and I can't help but marvel as to how much she has grown. The original outfit she wore home was a size 6-9 months (yes, she was 22 months old at the time!) and the outfit she is wearing in the pictures is a size 24 month. For her third birthday pictures I wanted a really girly dress, so it was off to the mall we went to find the perfect one (which, by the way, will also serve as her Easter dress this year - yay for multi-purposing!). We found a beautiful pale pink silk dress that I call her "princess dress" and I can't WAIT for her to wear it, although I will have to be sure that she partakes of her "picture day M&M's far from this dress if I have any hopes of her wearing it for Easter in April. The dress is actually a size 2T which both thrills me (because she has truly thrived since arriving home with me) and saddens me (because I really can't call her my "baby" anymore - no more shopping in the baby section!).

Gotcha Day will be spent snuggling with RP and cherishing the day we truly became a family - not just on paper, but being together and growing and developing as a family unit. This year we are doing pictures on that day, and probably a nice lunch/dinner out along with lots of one-on-one time as a family. This is such a special day for us that I want to set the precedent, even before she truly comprehends what it means, that we spend this day reflecting on what we have, cherishing our time together, and relishing the fact that we found one another and can celebrate our love as a family. After all, that's what it's all about!