I had time alone today, me just me for 3 whole hours!!!!

While I love Ciera to pieces, I needed some "just me" time, plus I had to do some gift shopping which is easier by myself.  Irina agreed to meet us at the apt at 4:00 so I could accomplish this, I was THRILLED!!!  I thought Ciera could also do with some time away from me too, she was happy to see me off but when I arrived back 3 hours later she was sad but Irina said she was fine the whole time I was gone.  As it was a sunny and not too cold day I decided to walk through the park to downtown, it felt so good, I saw some people running and I had to hold back not to join them, I really really miss my running.  But I walked at a pretty fast pace and that felt pretty darn good too!   I stopped at the bazaar as I wanted to get another long sleeved onsie for Mr. Baby (you have no idea how hard it is to keep remembering to call her that here, I have started to type her name many times!!!)   I stopped at one booth we had been at last week and was looking at the onsies and the woman started talking to me, so I just looked at her smiled and said "English", she replied, "oh English ok", me "you speak English?" her "yes I teach English" so off we went on a great conversation and if she is as good an English teacher as she is a saleswoman then she is a great teacher!    I bought a very cute hand crocheted red and white jumper dress for Mr. Baby to wear for Christmas it will look so very cute with a turtleneck and tights!!!  Oh and her onesie!   If you are a reader of other Kaz blogs, you know how important hats and scarves are here and holy cow what a selection there is of both.  I am hoping I will be lucky enough to find a winter hat that I do not look totally goofy in, and trust me the women here know their fashion and are very fashionable, I totally feel like a country bumpkin at times!   I continued from there to a jewelry store that I purchased quite a bit of stuff from when I was here 4 years ago and I spent a fair bit of time there purchasing gifts, then I headed to Uym and hit a couple more souvenir stores.   I just have a few more gifts to purchase and then I will be done!!!  I do have a list and am checking things off.  Especially for the gifts for Mr. Baby every year, otherwise I'd never keep track, as it is I had to pull out stuff tonight that I bought last week as I had forgotten what I had, my list is now updated! It's amazing how in just over 2.5 hours I accomplished more than I would have dragging Ciera with me, and she had a fun time here at home with Irina. Let's just say I think Irina will sleep well tonight J

 

Mr. Baby was in with the Dr. when I arrived this morning, she was again listening to her chest and making her cough with the spoon trick.  Mr. Baby seems very happy but hearing her breathe is painful to me, she sounds awful but it does not seem to slow her down and if is it I'm not sure I want to see her at full tilt!   Her cough at least does not sound dry anymore and I got about 10 extra ounces of liquid into her today so I'm hoping that's helping with something.  She totally got her army crawl working today, she was using both elbows and at one point she completely dragged herself right out of her pants.  Ciera is insisting on feeding her a large part of both meals we feed her.  This is a good thing for both of them, I am hoping it makes form a close bond.  Oh Linda, you will be happy to hear that last night Ciera said that Sofie the giraffe could go to the babyhouse today but she did say "My aunt needs to buy me one too".  Mr. Baby quite liked her but M's son really loved her, he would get her (Sofie) grasped in one hand and would crawl across the floor with her and wack her down everytime his hand hit the floor and you could hear her squeak everytime..ok it's not as funny here as it is to see….just try visualizing it…..it was pretty funny!  We may have to give that one to him when M leaves and then pick up 2 more at home for us.  Oh and I've decided Mr. Baby officially hates socks, every single time I go in to get her up now, her socks are off,  I put them back on her and she pulls them right back off, I don't even bother putting them back on her now during our visits, no one is giving me heck for it, so I figure it's ok!  Some days I can only find one sock and I think I turn her bed inside out looking for it, I ask the caretakers and they go in and find it somehow stuffed under something or another, how she does that is beyond me.  This afternoon I had to wake her from her nap and we were sitting cuddling for a few minutes as she was so warm and sleepy and one of the caretakers called out "mama, mama" I looked up and she motioned eating.....so much for the sleepy after nap cuddle.

 

Oh and there was a new arrival into our baby room this afternoon, another gorgeous baby boy he's going to be a big hit with the ladies with those eyes!!!

 

While we have fallen a bit behind on school work (we will catch up on it this weekend, I promise!), this time here is an education in itself for Ciera in many ways.  She is so good with all the babies there, she gives them all toys when they are in bed and when they are in the playpen.  She is forming a larger bond with me, a large bond with her sister, she has learned about cultural difference, different languages, she understands that daytime here is nighttime at home, she has eaten many many different types of food (as have I), but she has also learned (I hope) a lot about her birth country and has a greater understanding of her short time here as a baby.  She certainly has learned a lot and has asked a ton of questions about her adoption and is constantly asking "did you do that when I was a baby".  While she has never been one to play with dolls and pretend they are babies, she is doing so with mama fish and she is mimicking what I do with her sister, right down to burping her.   I think this is all great stuff!!!

 

Pictures today:

-       This is how I find Mr. Baby every time I got to get her up…ok maybe not sleeping but without socks, one easily visible the other not so much

-       Ciera entertaining herself at the babyhouse with the Air Canada earphones that we kept (sssh don't tell Air Canada!)