4 Months Home

I think that Angelina has gotten to the point where she has realized that we are her parents and are not going to be giving her back, and that we are just not another shift change in her previous life of shift changes. With this realization, we have seen many great attachment strides. However, we have also seen some unfavorable behavior!

The Positives:

• Angelina now will completely hold on to us when we pick her up. She will fold her legs and squeeze us tight and wrap her arms around us. What a wonderful feeling. Also, what a drastic change from just a few months ago when she would hold her arm between me and her.
• Finally, Angelina will let us read books to her. Now, are are nowhere near novels, but that is fine. She will even go to her bookshelf, grab a book, sit in our labs and let us read.
• Angelina no longer cries at my feet when I am preparing her meals. She, actually, will even play while I am getting breakfast ready!
• We are still kissing about 100 boo-boo's a day and when she is really hurt Angelina will run to one of us for comfort.

The Negatives:

• Angelina thinks that nap time is a time for throwing things out of her crib. Of course, she needs to throw these things out of her crib so she can do somersaults and walk around. The other day, she even got hold of her hamper and had dirty clothes in her crib when I went up there. Yesterday, she had her pj's unzipped to her knee and was tugging at her diaper. I hear lots of interesting talking, babbling, blowing zerberts, etc... during her two hour "nap". I refuse to go up there unless she cries! What a difference this is from the first 3.5 months home when Angelina slept perfectly for her nap, I'm hoping this is just a phase.
• Now that Angelina is confident that we feed her on a constant basis, she feels comfortable playing with her food, and sometimes even refusing to eat it. (of course, she only refuses to eat when I refuse to let her chug her whole sippy cup of milk.)
• Angelina loves to ignore the word "no". Sometimes she will listen unless its something that she really wants, then she will ignore us until she is sitting in her time out spot. Along with this, Angelina has recently been protesting using the word (or sign) for please. I ask her to say please, and she will turn her head in disgust. What a diva.

So as you can see, on the attachment front, we have grown leaps and bounds...now I guess I am going to have to start giving updates on the terrible two's. God help me.

Angelina trying on our new Christmas tree skirt.

Playing with Papa during our first snow fall

Trying to get a good picture with Angelina's Christmas dress...didn't go exactly as planned!