Second Day Together!

This is from yesterday...we didn't get around to posting it last night.

Everything is going great! We were a little worried about what and how much to feed her, are we doing something wrong, etc. but we are so happy to be with her now and are treasuring all the little moments with her. We feel like we know her better now (and she’s more comfortable with us) after a day and a half then all three weeks we were here before. Ava has really taken to us. I don’t know if it’s that she remembers us or she is enjoying all the love and attention. She has also become very attached to me and wants me to hold her a lot. If Jason has her she looks for me. She is so good natured. She was all smiles yesterday! She laughed and played and took a nap for us. We are trying to follow her eating/napping schedule as best we can. We also have a wall in the apartment that is all mirrors and there are mirrors in the bedroom (it’s a real “love shack” in here). You can slide one of the mirrors over to reveal the doorway to the bedroom. Ava loves the mirror, she looks at herself and laughs, squeals and moves her arms and toys in front of the mirror and just stares at the movement. She is fascinated by it! It really keeps her occupied!
There is no crib or playpen in the apartment so we were unsure as to where to put her last night. We decided it would be best to have her sleep in between us with the end of the bed blocked off and a blanket on the floor in case she did make it off the end of the bed. We also put her in her sleep sack so she was less likely to move around (although we found out later she can move and crawl in that fine). At about 9:00pm she fell asleep (in mommy’s arms) and then we all went to bed. She slept well and only woke up two times (one time I think she was just scared and then when it was bottle time) and fell back asleep quickly. She then slept until 6:00am. I thought she did pretty well considering. For her naps we fold a blanket on the floor in the living room and put her on that with a blanket or sheet on top of her. She loves the pacifier and I think it calms her. They give the babies pacifiers at the baby house so if you are adopting you may want to bring some for when you pick up your baby. We do feel stuck in the apartment because we want to make everything as calm as possible for Ava. But it’s not too bad. We’re still getting over jet lag also and Jason is still very tired…which means I get to hold Ava more! We tried giving her a bath last night in the sink, we had toys for her and the camera ready to take some cute pictures…it lasted about 2 minutes. After the initial curiosity she cried and cried until I quickly removed her. Jason bundled her up in a towel and she calmed right down. We felt bad though! Today we went to the Embassy. They gave us Ava’s passport and visa and they told us she will be an American Citizen when we touch down in Boston! We had Ava bundled up in her snowsuit and Jason was carrying her in the baby carrier. It was the cutest sight! We then went to the mall and ate in the food court. They had pizza, Baskin Robins and a Dunkin Donuts. They also had an ice skating rink in the middle of the mall. Ava has learned some new things like kneeling, sucking her thumb and waving. She is also much happier and smiley than she ever was at the baby house. She is really the sweetest baby and we are so in love!!


Julia and Oliver’s parents picked them up as well. Julia has gained 2 pounds! She’s so cute and pudgy! Ava and Oliver look about the same to me. Oliver is still stealing Ava’s toys and is as cute as ever. Ava is the same size as when we left. We will fatten her up though!