Two Months Home with Jianna

With all the ups and downs of the past two months, I am happy to report that the "ups" have won out!

Life with these two kiddos is such an adventure! Jianna has decided that she likes us now and has become a velcro child. She is also jealous so she and Nathan compete with each other over every little thing. I've never been so popular. Apart from the slap fights and occasional pelting with small toys, it hasn't deteriorated into violence. Thankfully, they each have their own room or I don't know what would happen!

Jia likes going places and is happiest when we are on the move. It's so interesting the difference between the two children. Nathan talks to everyone about everything but minds pretty well. Jianna is very quiet but touches everything.

The hardest part so far is giving each child the time and attention that he or she wants. There doesn't seem to be enough time in the day and I find myself wondering how people with four or six kids do this. I am starting to learn little tricks for making life easier. For instance, if I try to get two kids ready at once, it doesn't work because they are too easily distracted by what the other is doing. However, if I get only one child dressed, the other is driven by jealousy to get dressed quickly lest he or she miss out on what the other is doing.

Some really good news is that Jianna has been to daycare four times now and really loves it. Starting tomorrow she and Nathan will go for four days. My FMLA is offically over. Maybe she will pick up more language and basic skills while she is there.

We are pleased with how well Jianna is doing. We didn't expect Nathan to struggle so much with the adjustment but little man is working through it. We've had some fun family days. Here are some pictures from our zoo trip on St Patrick's Day.