Bed without crying

Can't get enough of this umbrella...last night


This morning..

Johnley went to bed last night without crying! It is the first time. Its amazing what little things will thrill you. It is also amazing what little things will do you in. This morning Johnley got mad at breakfast...I'm doing something wrong, I just don't know what. Then after he got dressed he started crying, absolutely inconsolable, I don't know why. No one was around him, nobody knows. But that crying almost did me in. I was finally able to comfort him, tho, and we got our teeth brushed. He wants to go out in the car now, not out back - machine, machine.

So he decide to get himself ready

Not to be outdone...

Getting by

I'm sick today. You are not supposed to get sick when you have little children. You just can't. But I am sick today. I don't have the energy to move. Erin didn't bring her kids today because we were nice enough to get them sick yesterday! And thank God. I did as little as possible. But hey, the kids ate, napped and played. They were alive and healthy (albeit starving) when their father got home, so that's something.

Thank God for Taishauna...she is a lifesaver!

Johnley is doing well. He is understanding more and more, and that is both good and bad! But the crying at bedtime is less, and he lets me comfort him and tuck him in. He is eating really well and even actually helping to clean up sometimes. He and Sammy do best together in the evening. All day they sort of play next to each other, rather than with each other. But in the hours before bedtime, when they get a little crazy, they really connect! You can catch them chasing and tackling each other with lots of giggling thrown in. Its a site to see.

Here is the whole gang last night before bed (only half of them sleep here!)

Johnley is constantly discovering new and amazing things. Tonight it is a spiderman umbrella (he has taken to calling all superheros Spiderman, tho this one actually is). He has been walking around with it for an hour. Christmas is going to be so easy with him!

Routines

Our morning routine: get up, spend some time just waking up, eat breakfast, get dressed, brush teeth, straighten our rooms.
Johnleys routine: wake up, get mad, take pajamas off, freeze, get dressed, brush teeth, eat breakfast.
Our evening routine: take a bath, get pajamas on, brush teeth, read stories, go to bed.
Johnleys routine: take a bath, throw water on Sammy and floor, refuse to put pajamas on, shiver for 5 minutes, put pajamas on, brush teeth, throw toothpaste away, dump out toys, cry for an hour, pass out.

Last night I couldn't take it anymore - Me and Sammy slept in my bed and I left Johnley to Nick. So of course I woke up at 4 (3) and felt like the worlds worst mother, been up since. Nick and I not exactly doing this together, more like side by side.

On the upside, Joe, Dina and the kids came over last night. And true to form, Joe was a major hit with Johnley. You should have seen his face when Joe began playing Old McDonald on the piano. Johnley sat next to him and Joe guided his hands. He was so excited. They used pictures to pick out animals and Johnley had a blast. Maggie spent alot of time playing with Johnley, she was such a good sport. She was chasing the light from Johnleys flashlight, which he still thinks is the greatest toy ever. Jack, Jimmy and Sammy spent most of the time on the trampoline. All of Joes kids were so wonderful with Johnley. Joe and Dina brought a ton of picture cards for us to use.


All of us are getting sick. I am seriously considering taking a bucket of bleach water and washing everything down. It just feels like the germs are everywhere! Taishauna has a church thing till one and its outside. I think she is too sick to go. At least we don't have anything else going on today, we can just chill - and work on those routines!

Johnley is happy now. I have no idea what happened. I just left him to his own devices and he decided he was done crying! He is standing behind me looking out the window. He is delighted with the window blinds! I got a call from Nick, Sammy is pouting...won't play soccer. Ahhh, the joys of motherhood!

Johnley is crying. He has been crying since he woke up. He took his pajamas off and would not get dressed for over 30 minutes. It is 40 degrees outside. There is nothing I can do. I cranked up the heat so he wouldn't freeze. Now he is dressed, but still crying. He slaps my hand away anytime I try to hold him. I don't know why he is crying. Nick took Sammy to soccer and I talked Taishauna into going so Sammy wouldn't be all alone. My heart is breaking.

Trick or Treat Part 2

Halloween was a comedy of errors! Johnley didn't want to wear his costume, Sammy didn't want to wear his face paint, Cara wouldn't get in the picture. My friend Pam and her daughter Rachel came and Rachel soon got bored and didn't want to trick or treat anymore. Max tripped Sammy and he scraped his elbow. Then Max and Owen had to go to the bathroom (they went to Samantha's house - thanks Kelly!) and then Johnley had a complete meltdown and refused to stay with us - Nick had to come get him, (and Nick forgot a carseat so I put Johnley in a back seat with a cop standing right there). Whew! Am I glad that's over! But, hey, the pictures are great!

Everyday life

Wow, I just read this post, from this wonderful blog, and I know it is exactly what Johnley is going through, but it gets lost in the job of living. We are working on getting him to understand the routine, and the rules of our life, and we forget that his life is upside down. We don't forget, technically, but everyday life just gets in the way. Right now he is in the tv room with his brother and sister. His breakfast is on the kids table, right next to Sammy's, but he won't eat. He is mad about something, I think, but I don't know what. Maybe he didn't want waffles this morning, maybe he wanted the pink cup instead of the red one, or maybe his body is full of sadness and confusion. It's not just the language barrier; we communicate okay. A four year old is not equipped to ask the questions that he needs answers too. He was brought to the orphanage at 18mos., Cara's age. And his mother visited every month...until now. I can't fathom what he must be going through. But he needs to eat, and get dressed, and pick up his toys, and stop kicking, and brush his teeth, and let me buckle his seatbelt, and everyday life just gets in the way.

Nicks Pictures

Here are the pictures and videos that Nick took while there. I will try to get him to explain some of them when he gets a chance.

Trick or treat!

Tuesday we went to a party at a local park. We did pumpkin carving, made slime, put our hands in the mystery boxes, ate pizza (and lots of other stuff) and broke TWO pinatas! It was a blast. Johnley stayed on the outskirts a little, but generally did okay. Sharon and Colleen brought him a dump truck and Pam and Rachel brought both Sammy and Johnley spiderman bags full of candy and toys. Pam was a life saver with Johnley, she was able to bring him back into the fold when he was upset. A little candy goes a long way! Here are some pictures of the party. Sammy wanted to be a cop for the party. He talked about for a week and wanted to do it so he could write tickets! Of course, the dollar stores had no police stuff - even though we have seen it there a million times! Had to go to five different stores to get everything and of course as soon as we got there, he took everything off! Oh well, at least it was all dollar store stuff!