Two Months

Yes, this is our little ham Briana. She is so funny and loves to laugh. Briana was placed in our arms July 30 and today is September 30. She has been in our lives two whole months - I can't believe it. This past week has been like a new world for me - I am not 100% physically, but I would say I am 95%. I love motherhood and I think I am getting the hang of it - ha! I think Briana can tell I am feeling better too. She seems so much more relaxed and happy this past week. The week before last, she was waking up every night two or three times a night. Once I got better, she started sleeping through the night like a champ. I really believe that babies can sense when something is wrong.

She babbles all the time and can say "bye" (with a little southern accent - wonder where she is gettin' that from - ha!). She also said "Mama" to me the other day. She has said it to me before, but only when she was crying. She looked up at me from her high chair the other day and simply said "Mama". I was so excited! She absolutely loves picture books and looks at them all the time. And she is walking all over the place. She got her check up at the pediatrician on Tuesday and she gained one whole pound and grew 3/4 of an inch! The doctor is so pleased and says she looks great!

Wednesday night, Doug, Briana and I had dinner at Longhorn with Georgia and Jeff - which was a blast! And on Friday, Briana and I had lunch with Miss Kathy - who should be getting her referral this week - woo hoo! We are soooo excited for her! It was so nice to be able to get out this week and feel like a human being again!

Here are a few pics from the week (and from the potluck last Saturday)!

Silly Briana...

Walkin', walkin', walkin'...

Clowning around with daddy!

Saying "bye" with a southern accent. This is the adorable outfit that Catherine and Stacy gave me for Briana at the Georgia bloggy bash - thanks girls!

Love the shades!

Briana before her first potluck - looking in the mirror.

Can't wait to go to my first potluck! And I let Mom put a barrett in my hair!

This is Briana and Claire (Cindy and Brent's little girl - what a doll by the way!) Briana loves feeding Claire goldfish crackers!

Alive and Kickin'

Here is our little "geek in training" and her geek daddy couldn't be happier...

I am FINALLY feeling better. I can't believe I am saying those words. Right after my last post about coming down with pneumonia, I realized I was coming down with the head cold that Briana had as well. I couldn't breathe through my mouth or my nose last week. I felt like I was gonna die. My mom came to my rescue every day last week except for one - and that was the day I forced myself to take Briana to the music class we signed up for a few weeks before. That is the only thing I did last week outside of the house. I am really glad I managed to get to the class because Briana really enjoyed it. Oh - and I am so glad I made it to the Georgia Waiting Families potluck dinner this past Saturday. I was feeling a lot better that day. I will post about that in a day or two, but for now check out Kathy's website for pics!

I was beginning to believe I was never going to get better. I am learning to be a mom for the first time, and for weeks, I have been trying to do it as a very sick person. There have been moments these past few weeks that I thought I just couldn't do it or I wasn't cut out to be a mom. I was pushing myself to take care of the baby and finding myself getting sicker. And when I wasn't taking care of the baby, I felt guilty that I wasn't taking care of the baby. But now that I am feeling better, I know can do this. Motherhood is a hard job, a hard job when you are well. I need to stop beating myself up for getting sick and having those moments of doubt and fear. Even though I have been sick, I have managed to get Briana into a routine (with the help of Doug and my mom) and she seems to be thriving. She is happy, strong and full of spirit. She walks all over the house now - and the falling down is getting less and less. That is the part that makes me nervous. It is not the walking - it is the falling because she is so wobbly. I am so looking forward to the day that she can walk and not fall down.

Now that I am on the mend (finally), I am going to try to return to blogland. I won't be able to blog like I did before because Briana doesn't allow that to happen! If I am on the computer, she wants to be on the computer - smashing the keys. So I will be limited to nights and naps. It stinks that sometimes I am just too tired to blog after a long day. But, I am going to do my best to keep you all up to date! And I will try to look in on your blogs every chance I get!

Anyway, here are a few pictures that I have been wanting to post since before I knew I was coming down with pneumonia.

Aunt Ann and Uncle Wes (Doug's brother) flew in from Colorado on Sept 5 to visit Miss Briana. We had a wonderful time!

Uncle Wes and Briana have quite a connection!

Here is Briana with my mom on her first Grandparent's Day!

Briana with Grandma and Grandpa on Grandparent's Day!

Here is Briana getting ready to go to her first birthday party!

Briana after her first birthday party! Ha!

A lastly - here is a video of the 2007 Bloggy Bash!



Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Pneumonia

Yep - that is what I have. In my last post on Sunday, I thought once again I was feeling better. Then Monday came. I felt like I was relapsing. I broke down and went to the doctor yesterday. I am in the early stages of pneumonia.

I have never had pneumonia in my life. But I guess when you go to China sick, come home from China and get the stomach flu, then get a chest cold two weeks later - the body starts to break down.

I am on antibiotics and have an inhaler, and I have to stay in bed now. I must get better to take care of Briana. My mom and Doug are really stepping up to help me, but I feel so guilty. I want to take care of Briana myself - I just physically can't right now.

I will post again when I am feeling much better...

Yes - I Am Alive

Wow - I can't believe how sick I have been. In my last blog, I thought I was turning a corner. Well, I wasn't. I don't think I turned the corner until this past Wednesday. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law came to visit and I was actually able to enjoy the visit (I will write about their visit in my next blog entry). I canceled every plan I had for the Labor Day weekend and I literally have been just miserable. I still have a lingering cough, but I hope that ends very soon.

Before I got sick (Aug 28), my sister came over to the house to spend the day with me and Briana. We had a great time! We hung out, went to Steak and Shake and Target - it was a blast. Briana LOVES Aunt Amy! The next day, Doug's friend Jimmie and his mom Ginny came to visit for the afternoon. We had a lovely time. Unfortunately after they left - I could tell I wasn't feeling well. From that time on I went straight downhill, and I have been down and out ever since. Even today, I walk up the stairs and I feel so winded. I can't wait until I feel 100% again.

As for Briana, she is amazing. I can't believe she has been with us a whole month and that she turned 13 months old on Thursday. She is really walking now. She falls a lot, but she can take 10 to 15 steps across the room with no problem. I can't believe how quickly she has changed. She is so strong and she babbles all the time. She now says git gat for kitty cat. It is so dang cute! I will say she is very, very active. A real wiggle worm. Never stops moving. Just goes from one thing to the next. It is exhausting for me, but I am so glad she seems to want to just see and learn everything. I believe she is brilliant - LOL! I am not biased or anything - ha, ha!

I want to thank my mom and dad for all of their help in helping me take care of Briana. There were a couple of days I really needed a few extra pair of hands and they came to the rescue!

Well, I still have a lot to write about (Grandparent's Day, Briana's first birthday party), but I am so tired. I just got Miss Briana to bed and now it is my turn. Even though I was sick, I did manage to take some pictures for your viewing pleasure!

Miss Briana in her groovy t-shirt.

Briana and Aunt Amy
Briana loves Aunt Amy!

Don't tease me with that rattle!

Too cute! Dancing girls!

Briana visiting with Miss Ginny

Briana loves her mailbox - score!

Peek A Boo!

Sick Again, Naturally

This is why I haven't blogged...

I am so sick. Chest cold, coughing until your head comes off cold since Wednesday. Doug has it too. Not really good when you have a brand new one year old. My mother came over to my house on Thursday and Friday to help me with Briana because I didn't have the strength to take care of her myself. I am that weak. And my parents came over again today to help out. I don't know what we would have done without them these last couple of days.

Tonight, I may have started to turn a corner. I feel good enough to at least post this.

BTW, Briana is not sick - thank goodness. She is thriving and happy. Giggles and laughs all the time, even with a sick mom and dad. Now she points at everything - every picture on the wall, everything. She is also a huge wiggle worm. Always moving, never stops. (Also tough when mama is sick). And she just started to really babble. She found her inner "g" and "d" with goo, goo and gaa, gaa and daa, daa. She is talking all the time. And we are so in love with her.

I promise I have not left blogland forever. Just until I can breathe again.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Boy, it has been a crazy busy week and a half! Life with a one year old is just plain busy! I am trying very hard to get Briana into a routine, and so far, we have been very successful. Since I posted last, we only had one night that Briana had a tummy ache and did not sleep well, but other than that, she is sleeping though the night like a champ! She also takes one nap a day - usually around 1 or 1:30. The one day she refused to take a nap, she literally was falling asleep in her dinner - ha!

Briana is such a happy baby. She laughs and smiles all the time - she is quite the character! I am so relieved because the most important thing I wanted for her was to be happy. Doug and I took her away from everything she was ever familiar with, and I was so worried I would not see smiles for a long time. She is so attached to Doug and me just after a few weeks. I love that she lets me comfort her when she is sad or tired. And when Doug gets home from work, she sees him and literally starts jumping up and down she is so excited. It makes my heart melt...

What has been going on in Briana land? Well, too much to let me blog very much. I hope that changes in a few weeks because I really miss blogging. The Wednesday before last, Briana went with my mom and I for lunch to Steak and Shake and then we ran to JCPenney to pick up a birthday gift for my grandmother. Briana enjoyed it and she really loves my mom! It was a very short trip to the mall, but very significant - ha, ha! Briana's first mall experience - oh boy!

Then Friday before last, Lisa S., Maisie and Kathy came to visit Miss Briana for the first time. Briana let both Kathy and Lisa hold her and let Maisie give her a kiss! So sweet! And Lisa brought dinner for Doug and me to warm up that night - pork loin, potatoes and peach cobbler. Lisa - you rock!

Saturday was my grandmother's 85 birthday, so we took Briana over to my uncle and aunt's house for a few hours to meet family and celebrate with my grandma. My sister Amy was so excited when Briana let her hold her! She is an awesome aunt already!

Sunday, Doug, Briana and I spent the day together on our own - except my parents did drop off our kitty Asia who had been staying with them while we were in China. Asia is still not sure about Briana and vice versa. This will take some getting used to!

And Monday and Tuesday was just me and Briana. It was my first real couple of days without Doug (who was a work) and without the help of my mom or friends. I was pretty nervous (being a first time mom and all), but we had two really good quiet mother/daughter bonding days. I went to Walmart with her all by myself. Now, you experienced moms are probably laughing at me right now, but I was pretty excited. It's the little things you know. But I will say I was VERY tired by the end of those two mother/daughter bonding days!! Briana is still pretty clingy! But I even managed to cook an easy dinner one of those nights - woohoo!

This past Wednesday, my mom came over and help out again so I could get some errands (both in and out of the house) done. Thursday, Randi and Jack, Kathy, and Ann and Katie brought over some lunch for me and Briana. It was so thoughtful! I really enjoyed having lunch with everyone - thanks so much! And it was the first time I got to meet Miss Katie. She was adopted by Ann from China a month before I adopted Briana. And Katie is a real beauty!

And yesterday, my friend and neighbor Amy B. brought me over some Mexican food for lunch and we got to do some girl chat. Yum - O! Thanks so much Amy! And in the evening, Doug's best friend Jimmie stopped by to see Briana for the first time. He is a contractor in Afghanistan and will be going back in about a week. We really wanted him to meet her before he heads back for a few more months of work.

Here are a few pictures of our last week and a half...

Grandma (my mom) and me at the mall with Briana. (Yes, I grabbed the China stroller to use! I have a better one for long mall days!)

Briana and Maisie meet.

Kathy holding Briana.

Lisa S. and Briana

Oh, I love my chair and my snack trap!

Aunt Amy admiring Briana

Briana laughing again.

Briana and Jack playing.

Briana and Katie.

Briana and Asia getting to know each other.

Briana loves the telephone!

Looking outside!

Sleeping Briana

I did not want to get too excited and post this too soon, but I feel I can now! Briana has been sleeping through the night! Woohoo! The past four nights! She does wake for a few minutes during the night. She starts to lightly cry, I go in her room, pat and rub her back a few minutes and she is back out like a light. She just wants to know that I am there, and then she can go back to dreamland. I can't tell you how much better I feel now that I can catch a few zzzz's at night. I am a new woman - ha!

Here is a little video I put together in honor of Briana sleeping through the night. These are most of the sleeping pics we took since China. Enjoy! (It takes a few seconds for the music to really get going!)

Strides...

Well, we have been home a week and we have made great strides in certain areas and not so great strides in others. Unfortunately, my mother got my flu last Friday and wasn't able to help Doug and I over the weekend, but she has made it to the house a couple of days this week. I miss blogging so much and I miss checking in on my blog buddies. As soon as we get Briana on a semi-schedule, I will be able to check in on you all again!

Let's start with the great strides...I am starting to feel better! Yeah! About time, huh? Briana nows loves bath time! She HATED the bath at first in China. Now she has a ball. Briana loves to go out. She is such an angel when she is out and about. She likes to people watch when we are in restaurants or at the store. She eats like a horse - so we are so glad she has an appetite! We had our first doctor's appointment and she got 5 immunizations and got blood work done. She cried, but she did so well - no real kicking or screaming. Briana is very attached to Doug and me. She is always looking for us and cries when we leave the room. And she calls me "mama" when she is upset. Not that I like seeing her upset, but I like her calling me mama.

Ok, now not so great strides. She doesn't sleep at night. She takes lots of cat naps in the day. We will put her down in her crib at night and she falls asleep with no problem. But, she wakes up about two hours later screaming. Sometimes she falls back asleep after rocking, but most of the time she doesn't. And if she does, she wakes up about an hour later. Her clock is still really messed up. Even if we bring her in the bed with us, she has a hard time falling back asleep. And Briana doesn't want me to put her down - ever. If I have to do a chore in the same room as her, she often gets upset if she is not sitting right on or next to me. Makes it hard to go to the bathroom!!! It is wonderful she is attached, but makes for a very tired mama!

So, I better run now and grab a shower. Hopefully Briana will sleep a few hours tonight. Oh please!

Briana loves her bath!

Sleeping in her crib...

I love my snack trap!

Daddy making Briana do belly laughs!

Adjustment Period

Another quick blog update. I am still under the weather. My system is all screwed up due to the flu and lack of sleep. Briana was up crying 4 times last night. Doug and I are exhausted. Briana is very attached to me - which is good - and bad. At least when you are sick like me. Sometimes I need to walk away for a minute, and she screams and cries every time I do. I just wish I felt better. It is hard enough dealing with a new infant and jet lag - being sick doesn't make it any easier.

She doesn't like to play by herself at all right now and likes to be entertained. It is just so hard to do that when I am so sick. I am trying to play with her as much as I can, and Doug is amazing. He is really stepping up to help me out. I feel bad for him because he is so dang tired too, and he is going back to work soon.

I am sure this will get easier. I just need to feel better. I am so run down right now. Not sure when I will blog again, but hopefully in a day or two.

We're Home, But...

I have been sick. I mean REALLY sick. Stomach flu, throwing up sick. My parents picked us up at the airport Thursday afternoon. We got Briana to sleep at 10:00PM that night and we thought we were golden. At midnight, she woke up screaming. SCREAMED for hours. About 1AM, my stomach started to turn. Yep, I started coming down with something. Doug and I finally got her to sleep at around 4 and I was on the floor dying - not able to stop getting sick to my stomach. Doug had to call my doctor to get them to call in some medicine to keep me from getting sick. My poor dad went and picked up my meds at 5 in the morning because if Briana woke up, I was too sick to pick her up. My wonderful mom came over to the house yesterday at 8AM to help Doug out with Briana. I stayed in the guest room semi conscious all day.

Briana woke up again at 2 this morning screaming (Doug had her sleeping in the pack and play in our room). Her nights and days are all screwed up. I was still in the guest room sleeping but I felt good enough to go in our bedroom and try to help him out around 4AM. We gave her some goldfish crackers and I sat and watched Teletubbies with her until she fell asleep about a half an hour ago. Doug fell asleep around 5AM. He had a long tough day without me yesterday. I can't believe this happened. This stomach flu hit me bad - I thought I was dying! I finally feel sort of decent enough to write a blog post.

So, that is what is going on. I am trying to get better and we are desperately trying to get Briana on a schedule. Boy - this is tough. Wish us luck!