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All Kinds of Samples

Today was the big sample day.

I Almost Cried at the Doctor's

Isabelle went for her post-adoption check-up at the doctor (we went to OHSU Family Wellness Center, which has a travel/adoption specialist). Everything went fine and she was charming all the people who saw her until we had the flu shot and TB test. I held her for the nurse for the flu shot and it almost killed me. Then she needed to try the TB test 3 times because Isabelle would move. After the 2nd time, I told her that I couldn't hold Isabelle so she got another nurse to help. When the 3rd time looked like it wasn't going to work, I grabbed Isabelle off the table and said we would try this another day. She was so upset and I couldn't stand it. Thankfully, the nurse had finished the test right before I grabbed her.

When we went down to the car I almost cried while I was giving her a bottle. It's amazing what happens when those Mommy hormones kick in.

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

The good traveler, on her way home.

Home at 2 am. This is all our gear.

Notice the super deluxe blue bag. When we ran short of bags on the morning we were leaving, I ran to the Mercado and haggled a guy who was using it to carry all the socks he'd sell that day down to 60Q ($8). The secure closure is a knot.



First day home, and first day on carpeting.





Hanging with Dad in the morning.

Yummy! Fresh peaches from the farmer's market.
No tengo frio! I am not cold!
This is the beautiful outdoor outfit given to us by Pat and Bill, our neighbors.





New outfit from Aunt Deanna and Uncle Paul.

Letting Aunt Deanna know someone else in the family likes peas cooked the way she does.

First Trip to Babies R Us

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We Can Crawl!

It started last night with two tiny steps towards some papers on the floor, when she wasn't thinking about what she was doing but just what she wanted. She crawled just a step or two two more times last night, when she was distracted.

Today, she's off! She's not very fast but she can move from one side of the room to another after something she wants. She still likes to be carried most of the time. I was hoping it crawling wouldn't really take hold until after the weekend because we still have some child-proofing to do, but she couldn't wait. I know what we're doing this weekend.

Isabelle is a Party Animal

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A Confession

I need to make a confession. It's a tough one for the mother of a baby girl, but it has to be done. All the cute outfits you've seen Isabelle in in pictures are not from the cute clothes I picked out. They're because my sister, Jenni, has a great sense of style. Her daughter, Julie, is about three years older than Isabelle and Jenni gave me Julie's clothes when she outgrew them. All the adorable matching outfits are from her. I loaned them to a friend, Molly, who had twins, and Molly gave them back to me in great shape just in time for me to take them to Guatemala.

In and Out of the Car Seat 15 Times

I understand the need for car seats but both Isabelle and I find them annoying. After not worrying about them for 3 months, they are tedious. Isabelle isn't used to being strapped into anything on her own (just on me, the him sling) and I'm not used to wrestling her in and out of the seat and the car every time I stop somewhere. Of course, it doesn't help that I have a two-door car.

Today we stopped at the Guatemalan restaurant in Hillsboro, Los Chapinos, for lunch. Now I even know what that means - it's the Guatemalan term for Guatemalans (like Guatemaltecos). I tried to practice my Spanish while I was there, but everyone wants to use only English (especially since my Spanish is so bad). It felt really nice to be around the Guatemalan pictures on the wall and the bread. It almost feels like a dream now that we were in Guatemala so it was nice to see the stuff from there and remember it again. The owner of the restaurant came out to talk to me when I was paying the bill, and played with Isabelle like she's used to. I told him about living in Antigua and how I missed things like the bus "callers" and he said he had been one! He even gave me a quiet example :-)

Then we went to the post office two blocks away and mailed Alba's letter to her friend in New York. Even though it took me five days to mail it, it will still get there weeks faster than if she'd mailed it from Guatemala.

Then we went to the vet (two more blocks away) and got Isbre and Tesla's anti-flea and heart-worm medications. The women at the vet loved Isabelle, and always love Isbre. Our vet, Dr. Hunsaker, showed me the picture of her daughter that she and her husband adopted 4 years ago from the Ukraine. Another woman told me that she's in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. Another was asking about the adoption process because she was thinking of adopting. It's amazing what you find out about people!

By this time, with in-and-out-of-the-car-seat 3 times, I was wishing I'd just walked on my errands. Last, we went to Pets Mart. I got Isbre some extra treats as well as her greenies because she is still feeling a little jealous of Isabelle and the attention she gets.

Isabelle has started getting a little bit shy, which is really new. When she meets someone new, she first hides her face in my chest for a few moments before turning to look at them. It's really kind of special, and so different from the way she was in Antigua where she was instant friends with everyone. I don't know whether she's just heading into a new stage, or if the giant change in place has caught up with her. She still feels more clingy than she was in Guatemala, but still has that love of going places.

Kisses, Church, and Grocery Store

Isabelle has started making a new noise. It's something between a kiss and the way you smack your lips when your food is REALLY good. Tommy was doing it before we left Guatemala, and now Isabelle has caught up. I think it's adorable.

We went to church today and introduced Isabelle around and gave the Dean his stole from Guatemala. She is a charmer for sure. She's got this cute little shy smile down pat, and then she'll smile a big smile where her two front teeth show and people are hooked.

We did the big shopping trip to Winco this afternoon. It feels so weird to have so many choices for everything, like 20 kinds of soup and a huge selection of baby food. And, you can take a shopping cart right down the aisle - amazing! In La Bodagona (Antigua's "big" grocery store) I had trouble making it through the aisles with Isabelle in a hip sling and sometimes had to back out of an aisle and try it from the other side.