Miriam

Miriam joined our family, and I became a mother. It was one of the most wonderful days of my life. She was asleep, and they woke her up and handed her to me. She was so sweet and so beautiful.... and she still is! I could not have asked for a more wonderful or perfect daughter. I love you Pookie!

Miriam did it. She read her first word today!! Brian wrote "eggs" on a piece of paper, held it up, and ask, "what does this say?" She immediately answered, "eh-guh-guh-sssss".  Brian said, "put it together." And she said, "eh-guhguhsss...EGGS!!!
I'm so proud!!

It is with a bit of sadness that I report one more piece of evidence that my baby girl is growing up. Miriam can now correctly say her name. So good-bye "Mee-uhm", I miss you alrerady.

I'm really almost afraid to say it.... BUT Miriam is finally daytime potty trained.  Praise the Lord!!! WOOOHOOO!!

Last Monday night she just decided she wanted to sit on the potty and she did every 15 minutes for about 2 hours... then SUCCESS, for the first time since that wonderful day the end of June! The rest of the week she went at least once or twice a day, but we also had a few accidents and I didn't think she really knew when she needed to go. Then Saturday the light went on... she went to the potty all by herself. I didn't even know she was in there until I heard "MOMMA!! I PEED!!" Then half an hour later she also put poopoo in the potty all on her own.  We have not had an accident since then.

Poor Evan.  He learned his first lesson about female behavior today.

Miriam woke up today rather grumpy.  Evan had two books of hers and was running around with them.  I asked him to return them to her room where they belong.  As he was doing this, she called after him, "One book, Please!!"  He kept going and yelled "NO!!" over his shoulder.  Immediately, she turned on the tears... full out fake crying!  Poor Evan fell for it.  He came back and offered her both books. While she DID stop crying, she humphed and turned away refusing to take either book.  Evan offered each book in turn and each time she humphed and turned away.  Poor Evan. He looked at me with a look of complete confusion and exasperation.  Sorry dude... it just gets worse.  As your father said, "You're never going to understand and you're rarely going to win!" (Hummm... should I be offended by that???)

Because I'm a bad mother a bad blogger, I am just now writing the kids' 2 & 3 year updates or as the case really is 2.2 and 3.2 year update!

Evan at 2 (and 2 months): weight 33 pounds ( 94 percentile) and height 34.5 inches ( 46 percentile).  Evan is starting to talk more finally.  I really think he just has no need to talk with M always talking.  He is now saying two word phrases/ sentences on a regular basic and will repeat things for me now if he's in the mood (ex. tonight I got him to say "napkin please").  He understands about anything I say to him, and he is Momma's little helper!  He is in a whining stage which I will be very glad to get through!! He runs around like a crazy boy and LOVES to jump. He'll go anywhere Sissy goes. :)

Miriam at 3 (and 2 months): weight 34 pounds ( 75 percentile) and height 39.5 inches ( 88 percentile). This girl is nothing but TALK, TALK, TALK! She also has quite the imagination these days and loves to pretend things. She also likes to tell her brother what to do and even tell him what he is feeling! She is getting more and more independent.  She still loves to read and sing and now dance.

So after recovering from the charlie horse from Hell (I could barely walk for 24 hours!), I decided it was time to take back my garden from 2 weeks worth of unchecked weed growth this morning.  So M & E and I headed out the door. Things were going well until I realized they were doing more then "just resting" under the apple tree. The little rascals had helped themselves to the green apples and had taken bites out of 3-4 each before settling on one that was not quite as sour and eating 1/3 of it! Sheeeeee.....

So out of the blue Miriam has started biting! Last Friday we were out in a public place where she couldn't run loose like a wild animal, so I made her hold my hand.  She got tired of the "dead weight game" not working and bit me! Then yesterday she bit poor Evan on the cheek. He came to me crying and holding his cheek, saying "Sissy bie!! Sissy bie!!" And there was the proof of what he was saying for all to see! Then today in the space of 10 minutes she bit him twice, once on the cheek and once on the back! Where did this come from??

at the end of the potty training tunnel!  Oh, please, PLEASE, don't be a train!!!

Miriam kept her panties dry all morning with three pee pees in the potty!!  To be fair, this was the result of Momma putting her on the potty every hour to hour and a half, BUT in the past that never worked. ALSO, she asked to sit on the potty and 5 minutes later we had our first EVER poop in the potty!! WOOOHOOOOOOOOO!! Oh, please let this keep up!! 

Miriam saw a rake the other day.  Not remembering what it was called she came up with a new name: leaf fighter.  Love it!

Yesterday we attended a church pool party with both kids.  It is the first time Miriam had been in a real pool that she could remember.

I have a new song: (sung to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It")

Oh I wish I could kill a mosquito
Oh I wish I could kill a mosquito
For their a bitty and a bitey over everybody's hidy
Oh I wish I could kill a mosquito

Miriam is finally officially a US citizen!!  Well, she has been one technically since Dec 2005 when we re-adopted her here in the US, but the US Government requires that you fill all kinds of crazy paperwork and pay them hundreds of dollars in order to be able to prove that!  I sent off all the paperwork last May...  It just took them all of a year, but today we finally got her Certificate of Citizenship!!  Yea!  All the paperwork for Miriam is FINALLY done.

I was so proud of Miriam today.  I've helped her sit on the "big girl" swing a half dozen times or so, but would only swing her a few feet very slowly... not really swing at all.  Today Daddy put her on the swing and started pushing more and more.  By the end of the afternoon, he was pushing her high, not over his head or anything crazy, but MUCH higher then before.  She even started leaning and pumping.  She looked so big. *tear*  My baby is growing up so much!

Let me count the ways! As some have been forced to hear before, potty training is hands down the WORST thing about parenting so far. I hate it. I HATE it. I hate IT! Unfortunately I also am tired of changing diapers... and washing them... and folding them... and changing them... and washing them... etc. I truly am at a loss to understand how a child as intelligent as my almost three year old can be so at lost as to what to do on a potty. La sigh.

Conversation with Miriam last week.

Miriam: "Who this?" (points to self)

Mommy: "Miriam?"

Miriam: "No!  I Sissy! That's Brother." (points to Evan)

Mommy: "That's right Miriam.  Evan is your little brother and you are his big sister."

Mommy: "Do you want a little sister?"

Miriam: (pause) "Not really." 

Miriam is refusing to has no interest in potty training... other then getting a "mallow" (marshmallow) for sitting on the potty.  Once in a great while we get a little pee-pee in the potty, but that's rare.

The other day I heard loud crying coming from the other room. In runs Evan sobbing and rubbing his head, followed by Miriam.  After picking up Evan, I ask Miriam, "What did you do?"  Very sweetly she replied, "I hit my Evan on the head!"

We had a great Easter this year. We got the kids up and took them to sunrise service like we do every year... not that there was a sunrise that you could see this year! :) Then breakfast with everyone at church. Then home to get ready for the service.

Miriam and Evan created an interesting game tonight. Miriam would fall over and then call out "Evan, you get up." Evan would run over to her, grab her by the shoulders, and while saying "Up, up, up, up" would pull her to her feet. Miriam would then fall over again, and it all repeated. After about the 6th time of hauling his sister to her feet, Evan looked at me and heaved a loud sigh. It was all way too cute. And I still can't believe he actually was able to get pull her up!

and this time he is trying to make Miriam a cannibal... well, maybe.

Miriam has started to pretend that she is making guest appearances on Elmo's World answering Dorothy's questions. For example we often hear this: "Hi, Dor-phee. This is how I jump! (jump) See Dor-phee?"

Well this week Miriam invented a new one. "Hi, Dor-phee! This is how I eat Momma! (bites in Momma's direction) See Dor-phee?"

Yeah, very funny Dor-phee. Just wait, I'll get you and your little red monster friend too!!

Today is one of those days when Miriam's communication seems to take a quantum leap forward. She has been talking so much today with a ton of completely unprompted comment/sentences as well as a number of words I have never heard her say before.  Most notably two three syllable words... used correctly with all three syllables pronounced.

Sleepy was riding in a dump truck and Miriam informed me that "Truck is dangerous, Momma!"

Later something was hurting Miriam's eye.  The following comments were overheard:

You know it's a bad day when your stuffed puppy mauls you!

This little guy has been seen "mauling" Miriam lately. Well, at least, she has been seen running around the house screaming and telling Sleepy to "STOP!" while he continues to attack her face. Seriously, how bad is it when you stuffed puppy turns on you?

P.S. To be fair, it is also possible that Sleepy is simply licking her since she has been known to exclaim during an attack, "No lick you Sleepy!"

Conversation after finishing Miriam's hair today.

Mommy:  You're hair is pretty!

Miriam: My hair is happenin'!!

Mommy: Did you just say your hair is "happenin'"??

Miriam: Yup.

Mommy: Where did you hear that?

Miriam: You said it!

Uh, well, yes, just now I did... LOL 

Heard at our house today..

"It's okay Momma, vacuum cleaner will hurt you." While she meant to say "won't" not "will", her little slip actually reveals her own great fear of the vacuum cleaner. Which explains the loud wailing and gnashing of teeth abundant tears earlier in the day when I ran the vacuum for 2 minutes. And I thought she was finally over this....

Miriam hearts Sesame Street. I mean really really hearts Sesame Street. God forbid you say the "Street" word when the show isn't actually on. You will get a 5 minute tantrum because you can not produce "STREET!!" for the little princess.

So in the process of learning to talk like all kids Miriam says some cute stuff. One of the latest involves diaper rash cream. At first she saw the white stuff going on Evan's bottom and called it "ice cream". I corrected her, but the wires still got crossed. She now talks about "diaper ICE cream"!!
So then I tell Brian the cute little story. He looks at me very seriously and asks. "What do you call diaper ice cream?" His answer? "Frosty!"

My dear, sweet, baby girl,
Time is a funny thing... On one hand it doesn't seem possible that two years have passed since I first saw your beautiful face as you lay sleeping in your crib at the Care Center. You're growing so quickly. The little baby is all gone and in front of me is this sweet, beautiful little girl full of giggles and mischief and silliness.
On the other hand, how can it only be two years since you entered my life? What did I do before my day was full of your happy songs and flying feet? It feels like you've always been here.

It is a sad day at Westhaven today. We lost Sleepy. I don't know how... one minute he was there and 10 minutes later when a tired mommy with a headache finally got both kids strapped into the car I realized we didn't have him. So... I unload both kids and with the headache now at full force headed back into Wal*mart to look for him. I searched for 30 minutes retraced my steps but alas no Sleepy. I fear the lovable little guy is gone for good. It was heart breaking to hear Miriam call for him as if he could answer... "Here Sleepy! Sleepy, where are you?"

So Saturday lunch was a little late since we had been outside dumping sand on each other... I mean, enjoying a nice fall day. Due to the late lunch and/or having to leave the sand pile, both of my children were very whiny. They continued to whine all the way through lunch. At one point, Miriam was whining that she wanted ham not the turkey she had. When I told her I didn't have ham to give her, she REALLY started to whine. At which point, I joked to Brian...

or not.
Well, Evan is finally sleeping through the night. *happy dance* *happy dance*
BUT... Miriam has decided to start waking up at 5 AM and needing Mommy to sleep the rest of the night.
I guess I should be happy it isn't both of them, right?

...or Where in Evan Becomes a Blood Sucker
It started out as a perfectly lovely day. We had just returned home from shopping and the park. I was starting lunch for the three of us, and the children where happily playing with each other.

We're a football family. At least as far as watching sports goes. Brian tends to really get into the games and yell things at the TV. Thankfully nothing bad. :)
Anyway... this last weekend we were able to watch the last Colt's preseason game. Brian did his normal yelling. No one thought more of it. That is until a commercial for the next game came on later.
Miriam took one look at it. And started yelling. "GO!! GO!! GO!! GO!!! YES!! YES!!"
Too cute!

Well, Miriam has been paying attention and something is sinking in!

Miriam (sing): "Daddy! Daddy! God made me!! Mommy! Mommy! God made me!!"
Mommy: "Yes, He did sweetheart, and what a good job He did too!"
Miriam: "Thank you!"

So, what exactly do you do with a child who *likes* timeout?? Miriam has started putting her self in the corner (face to the wall) with a big ol' smile saying "Timeout!!" She also doesn't want to come out of timeout when she has been placed in it by Mommy. Yup, she's a weird kid... but to be in this family she needs to be. :)

Well, it finally happened... I knew it would and it did the other night. To understand this story you need to know that Miriam has her own cell phone given to her by her daddy. It's a real phone, but it doesn't have service so no big deal if she dials a number. Well, except for ONE phone number, have you guessed it yet?

As I watch this little girl grow everyday, I see more and more what an incredible, amazing little person she is. I am blessed beyond words to have been given the honor of being her mother. Here are a few recent Miriam stories.
Their first argument

Miriam is 18 months! She is growing so fast... where has my little girl gone?
She is 23 pounds and 8 ounces, the 45 percentile for weight, and 33 inches which is the 80 percentile for height!
She's our little talker. Here's what she is saying these days:

What Miriam can say these days...
No, hi, hello, bye-bye, peek-bo, thank you, done, more, down, up (comes out "up-ah" often), Mommy, Daddy, Miriam, "Gee" (Grandpa), kitty, pet (the kitty), cracker (food in general), cookie, drink, sippy (cup), (out)side, Bite-bite, Sleepy (her stuffed puppy), book, sock, shoe, apple
She will also try to parrot a lot of other words. Today she tried to count after Brian. If I say "goldfish" she says cracker. :) The other morning she woke me up screaming, "Mommy, upah! Mommy, upah!!"

Miriam is getting a bit of a vocabulary...
Words we hear often:
Hi!! (Said over and over at every POSIBLE moment)
NO!! (*sigh* don't know how she learned that one... she only hears it a few hundred times a day!)
Da-da
Ma-ma
Kitty!! (said at a scream!)
Baby
Words we occasionally hear...
Bye
puppy
bite-bite (when she's hungry)
thank you
ei-ei-o (okay, I know that's not a word exactly but she loves to try to sing Old McDonald)
Miriam
up
baba (bottle)
ouch (yes she said this when she hit her head!)
Yeah!!
Meow (okay, more of a sound then a word, but hey!)

Well, Miriam is now one year old! She has grown so much just in the past few weeks. Besides learning to crawl, she is working on pulling up to stand. She is all over the house now checking our baby proofing skills. The other day, I found her at the gate to the stairs shaking it for all she was worth. Her favorite game besides chewing on the glass! coffee table is chasing the poor cats.
She has great fine motor skills and has started staking two blocks on top of each other. She still wants me to feed her as she doesn't put most things in her mouth... which I'll not complain about!

Yup, if finally happened. Miriam figured out how to get those legs to go forward! She's been crawling backward for a month or so now and also doing this "sit up, lean forward, sit back up, lean forward again" thing to get around. However yesterday she learned how to truly crawl! I saw her move a few inches forward in the afternoon but couldn't get her to do it again... then Daddy came home. Miriam crawled about four feet across the floor to get to her Daddy. So sweet!

Well, it finally happened. After all that chewing and drooling, Miriam has teeth!! In two weeks time she how has three teeth through.
Her hair is just long enough to the top where they didn't shave it to do a little something with so yesterday we tried for the first time. Miriam was not happy about it. :-( After about 15 minutes and a few tears, I got three little pigtails in... but by early evening they were out again. Oh well, I tried. :-)
I'll post pictures of the teeth (like the one to the left) and hair "do" soon.

Miriam is nine months old now. She can sit like a pro, reach all over for toys, pick up little things with her finger and thumb, roll form side to side, stand with something to hold on to, rock from side to side, laugh her little head off, make every sound in the English language, say "mama" and "dada" but is still learning that means us, imitate sounds and expressions, growl and hiss, blow the loudest "raspberries", clap her hands, play "patty cake", and lots of other things!

Can I just say Miriam is getting to be so much fun! Now that she can sit really well, she is much happier to play while I try to get a few things done around the house. I know I know... you're thinking housework can wait... babies grow up... I know this is true but I happen to be one of those people who are emotionally upset by a cluttered and dirty house so getting a little done makes me feel much better about myself and life in general!

We've had Miriam for just over three months now! We have settled into a routine of sorts and Miriam is doing very well. She has finally started to sleep through the night most nights except for waking once or maybe twice. Much better then before!
She is sitting very well these days and plays well with her toys. She still refuses to roll over. She looks at me like I'm nuts when I try to get her to do it.

Today is my last day of maternity leave. I have to return to work tomorrow. I really wish I didn't have to go back to work. I just want to stay home with Miriam, but until Brian gets a job with benefits this is what I have to do.
We are at least lucky enough not to have to hire a babysitter as Brian will be able to watch Miriam since I will only be working weekends.

Wow! How times flies! We've been home for two months as of today.
Miriam has gone from 13 pounds even and 25 inches long on home coming to 16 pounds and 12 ounces and 27 inches long on Wed. She is now wearing her 6-9 month clothes. My little girl is getting so big. :-)

Yesterday we learned that the second urine culture is clear! Yeah!!! No more medications for right now. I can't tell you the relief I feel.

Well, we have been to see our Doctor four times now and have to go back AGAIN tomorow. Miriam was found to have a urinary tract infection (UTI) on her first visit after we returned home. She had no symptoms so we had no idea.

Good morning everyone and HAPPY THANKSGIVING! It is a beautiful day here in east Tennessee... sun shining, baby sleeping :-)... what more can you ask for?

Well, Miriam finally slept through most of the night last night. One of the main reasons Danielle and I haven't posted anything on the website the past few days is our lack of sleep. Last night, though, Miriam slept from midnight to 5am, after a block from 9pm to almost midnight. That allowed Danielle and I to get nearly the same amount of sleep ourselves. We are all in much better moods today.

Today we got a scan of Miriam's birth certificate. It lists us as the adoptive parents, with her name created by the usual Ethiopian formula: the first name is Tideg, which they gave her at the care center, but the middle name comes from her father's first name. So the full name on her birth certificate is Tideg Brian $%^&. Very odd. Her legal name will be changed to the name on this website after we get to the states. Anyway, here is the picture of her from the birth certificate, a "mugshot" of sorts.