Category Archives: Everyday Life

Everyday Life

Sleep Help?!

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We had some big problems with getting Lena to go to sleep when she first came home. It stopped after awhile and we’ve had some good months of sleep. Occasionally, she’d wake up in the middle of the night and cry, but we’d just go in and pick her up or touch her and all would be okay again. This is just getting worse. She has started crying every night 10-15 minutes after we say goodnight. She is waking up consistently in the middle of the night, every night and crying until she wakes us up and we go up and comfort her. It has been at different times of the night. She also has started crying when waking up often during naptime. She is also not a huge sleeper to begin with… she wakes Ilya and me up most mornings, long before we are ready by her LOUD, LOUD singing.

Tonight, she has cried 3 times in 3 hours. I get that this is great for attachment, for knowing that we are here and will come running when she cries, but I am worn out! We always tell her we’re right downstairs, we’ll see her in the morning, etc. I try to give her just enough attention that she is calmed down and ready to go back to sleep. My only ideas are to move her back to our room (but I’m not sure what we’d do about Ilya) or try Melatonin again. Ideas, please?

Everyday Life

About Lola

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My mom. She’s pretty awesome, as some of you know.

My mom had no idea we were thinking about adopting. Until I told her we were. I think I may have even said something like “We’re thinking about adopting. ” “Oh wow.” “Actually, we’re going to.” “Oh wow.” “Preschool age.” “Oh wow.” “Two kids.” “Oh wow.” “Special needs.” “Oh wow.” Just kidding, my mom doesn’t say “oh wow” that much, but that’s kind of how the conversation went. My mom has been so supportive the whole time. I think she loved them as soon as I told her about them. That’s the kind of person she is.

And the thing is, my kids love her too. It was over three months since she saw them in January when she came a couple of weeks ago. I had told the kids that she was coming, but I wasn’t sure how they’d react. Ilya and I were ahead of Lena and Aaron walking in to the airport, so we greeted her. Then, Aaron and Lena walked in. My mom got down on her knees and Lena just took off running towards her and leapt into her arms. That girl loves her Lola.

My mom is also smart. “How do I install car seats?” “How do I turn on the child locks on car doors?”  “My garbage disposal won’t work ever since I put a rag in it.” “I just got home and my front door is open!!! What should I do?” Who needs Google or even 911 when you have my mom. She might try to deny it, but she is great at having the answers or knowing the search words to Google them. She is good at all of the traditional domestic tasks– cooking, cleaning, sewing, but she’s also been known to drive a limousine from time to time.

My mom is just a great person. I am pretty sure we would have forced her to stay last week if we could have.

Happy Mother’s Day, Lola!

lolalename

Everyday Life

Photo and Video Overload?

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I was just going to share a couple of videos related to yesterday’s post, but then I found all these forgotten gems on my camera.


Have I showed you this before? My friend Amy‘s parents gave Ilya this tractor when we were over at their house one day and he couldn’t stop playing with it. Well, now, sometimes, he tells us he wants to “read books” instead of going to the playground with Aaron and Lena. “Read books” is code words for play with the tractor.


Here Lena is rocking out the awkward MK&A Olsen look with a strawberry.


Ilya is kind of weird and just a tad gross about eating strawberries. He tries to eat them like an apple.


This is for my weimaraner friends… Josie squishing poor Nina.

I spend quite a bit of time with Ilya practicing different words and sounds. Words that he almost has down, but just can’t quite make out. Lena definitely struggles with speech and I often joke that I am waiting for the day when she breaks out yelling at someone in perfect English.  Well, last week, she had one of those moments when her papa didn’t eat his pizza crusts. She yelled at him “Eat the pizza!” And we were all shocked how easy it was to understand her. This is a little bit afterwards, since I wasn’t able to catch the first time on video.

He really loves this song and just kept telling me “pa-pu-guy” last night so I’d play it for him.

Ilya knows this song well. I think it’s so cute how well he can sing along.

What makes that last video even cuter? Comparing it to this one from Ilya’s birthday…

To answer the questions from my last post, I didn’t realize that song was mostly in German. I thought that, but just shrugged it off thinking that Russian sounds a lot like german, of course know that I watch it again… As for him knowing other songs, these are the only ones I’ve found that he knows. I’ve tried playing other songs on youtube, like the suggestions that come up, but haven’t found other ones he knows. Any suggestions?

Adoption, Everyday Life

Songs to Play for your Little Ukrainian

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Ilya has an incredible musical memory. Seriously. He can hear a song one time and he will sing his own 4 year old version of it weeks later. Erin, an adoptive mom of an adorable 4 year old, posted some songs on Facebook, and I thought I’d try playing them for the kids.

This was the first one I played. The kids usually spin around anytime I play something on the computer and try to watch the video… even if it’s not a video. When this song started playing, they both just froze and stared at the wall. Then Ilya turned and looked at me, I asked him if he knew it. He responded “pa-pu-guy”. Then they both started laughing and dancing. Music was obviously a favorite time at the baby house!

The birthday song… always a favorite here, even when we don’t have a birthday!

When I asked Ilya if he knew this one, he just told me “Bayu”. I’ll take that as a yes!

Everyday Life

One More Drs. Appointment

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First of all, Lena’s hearing appears to be totally fine. They want her retested in 6 weeks to make sure, as she had a bit of a cold last week, but no one is concerned now.

We had another doctor’s appointment today, for Ilya at the pediatrician. This doctor was recommended to me by a fellow adoptive parent, as well as another friend. I think generally we are a pretty mainstream family, but we do sometimes lean to the side of crunchy. One thing, my kids drink Kefir, instead of milk. The doctor mention last week he thought milk was better, in terms of protein and fat. Today, he said he was totally wrong about what it was– thinking it was like a cream soda, but he thinks I should transition my kids to milk. So they don’t stand out when they go to school. Seriously. Now, my kids will drink milk, but they prefer Kefir. Kefir is very similar in protein and fats to milk, but also offers probiotics. But, you know, other kids might think my kids are weird if they like kefir. I mean, what if the other kids find out that my kids don’t know what cheetos are? Or that they eat spinach and broccoli and LOVE all kinds of fruit? Uh-oh. Scarred for life. I also think this is funny because we live in a relatively progressive town, with lots of other families who consume the same sorts of foods. If anyone local wants to recommend a pediatrician or a family practice, please do. 
Lola and Deepa, my parents, left on Sunday. The kids and I are still recovering from them leaving. Lena took it the hardest for sure (mega tears as they drove away), but Ilya and I are also quite bummed and having a hard time returning to the swing of things. This has also brought up the subject of how Aaron and I aren’t ever going to leave them and Lola and Deepa may have gone home but they still miss them and love them. Knowing we can always get them on the phone helps too.