Few words...mostly photos

Today was a pretty good day...wait, pretty much all days are good now that we have Isabel...even with a couple fussy spots. Today many of the kids were pretty crabby. We think the "honeymoon" period has faded and they are starting to realize that we aren't just fun people they are hanging out with...we are forever. And while that is a wonderful thing, sometimes the kiddos go through a type of grieving process. When Isabel woke up this morning she gave us a long look and then seemed a bit sad. She cried and fussed a lot today and would hardly eat for us this morning. Again, we are prepared for this and know it is all part of the bonding process. She has bonded very, very well to both of us. In fact, this afternoon she barely let either of us put her down. So, I think she was just having a fussy day and is still getting used to this new crazy world she is in.

The only thing on the schedule for today was a doctor's visit that our agency sets up. The doctor came to our hotel and met with each family one-on-one. Again....I cannot say enough how wonderfully amazing our agency is. It was so nice to be able to have that piece of comfort. Isabel is in great health except for the fact that she has not been eating nearly as much as what her foster family said she had been eating. Nothing at all to be concerned about. He said it was probably her going through the adjustment period and trying to figure out what this latest change in her life is. Oh...and he also said she seemed cool and that we should be putting her in long sleeves and long pants. Ummm....didn't bring nearly enough of those, looks like we will be doing some shopping. Speaking of which...some of you had asked about her size. I can't get a good read on her weight as she does not want to get on the scale, but I got on with her and subtracted my own weight and we think she is about 19.4 pounds. That being said....she is in pretty tiny clothes. Today I put her in and shirt and jeans that said 6-12 month and they were a little baggy on her. I have tried some of her 9 month stuff on her and she swims in them unless they are onesie type outfits where they can be a bit baggy and still stay on her. So....looks like when we get stuff for her in the next couple of days we should be looking at 6-9 month stuff.

Anyway...we decided to add another bottle to her schedule in order to get all of her formula in for each day. At breakfast she refused to eat anything. This afternoon, she did a little better....but at dinner...yowzers, she made up for it all. We went to a local restaurant that our guide likes. It is regional food and he took care of the ordering so it wouldn't be too "out there" for us. :-) They also brought out all sorts of food for the babies. Steamed bread is a favorite as is watermelon. Both were items that Isabel had loved yesterday but went on strike about eating today. Then...the egg custard arrived. We hadn't seen it served at our hotel yet, but knew that this was an item that was listed as one of the foods her foster family served her. When it arrived at the table, she immediately knew what it was. She literally tried to climb out of her highchair (that was a tall seat without a strap or a front bar mind you...so she was about on top of the table). It looks a lot like an egg flan...but is obviously something I will have to learn how to make. She ate three bowls of it! She was going nuts and everyone at the table was cracking up. Jeff and I were mainly relieved to see that she was finally eating something. Tonight she had her entire bottle before bed, so hopefully she is getting back on track.

Aside from the restaurant meal and the doctor's appointment, there was nothing on the schedule today. Jeff and I took advantage of that and just tried to have a day where we kept her routine as close to what she had been used to as possible. There is a play area on one of the floors here. We take her up there so she can have room to roam. Tonight I took her up there so she could get some energy out before bed. She kept wanting to pull up and stand. So, we did and then she took off! I was only holding one hand and she started walking all around the room....make that running. (Very similar to how Carter and Jon would walk together.) She is almost able to do it on her own. We came downstairs and showed Jeff...it was such a fun moment. We didn't get it on tape, but will try and do so tomorrow.

That pretty much wraps up the day. She was fussy and crabby all morning, but really snapped out of it this evening. Oh...and wanted to also mention that she is doing really well developmentally. She is babbling all sorts of stuff and loves playing with the stacking cups her aunt Karen got for her. She can find Cheerios if I hide them under a cup, she can put them in and out of the cups and even held a bottle on her own today.

Well, I am just going to tag on a few photos here at the end. Besides, that is what y'all want to see anyway right? :-) Since I can't really see much when I load the photos I am trusting you will be able to figure out what most of them are. Most are of dinner tonight, of the restaurant and food, and of us playing with Isabel in the hotel. One is of the bottle making station I have set up in our room. The last one needs no description.