Growth

I'm increasingly amazed at how far we've come in 2 short (long?) months. Things that used to be cause for tears and screaming for Habtamu are now relegated to "It's ok." and a shrug from him that says "eh, no big deal." H also used the word "delicious" today... I mean Come On... that's a big word!

Both H & Y have been using more and more complete sentences. It's kind of like watching Wheel of Fortune where the words are becoming clear as more letters are added. They showed off to the Grandparents by being model children as they spent the night in the camper (without us!), sleeping 9 1/2 hours like everyone else. I was told they used "please" and "thank you" often and appropriately.

They both are less picky food-wise, and are asking for foods that they previously rejected. H wanted me to get strawberries at the store the other day. I said "but you don't like them." He said he did. Well, when we first got back from Ethiopia, they'd point at them and say "strawberries" then I'd offer one and they'd both say No. Now they claim that they'd eat them all the time in Ethiopia, and that they'd picked them off trees. So.... I'm not sure WHAT fruit they were eating, but probably not strawberries. H did eat a couple of them, Y ate 1/2 of one... but no biggie, as I love them and polished them off just fine.

Lee and I have settled more comfortably into parenthood. We've picked our current battles and are still on the same side. The kids haven't really tried to pull us apart, which I hear can happen. They like to see us hug and kiss. They used to ask things like "hug and kiss, asleep?" I think they may have been asking about s-e-x, as they were used to the family bed with their Mom and Dad in Ethiopia. We're not prudish, but we kind of glossed over that one... not that we have much energy for THAT right now anyway.

Yordi asked about my wedding dress today... I had told her a couple of weeks ago, that Yes, I have the dress and that she could see it sometime. So, I dragged it out of the back of a closet, and she wanted me to put it on. Well, I did not have much confidence that I COULD get it on, but I humored her. It zipped, but was a little shorter than I remembered, so I'll let you do the math on that one. Y kept saying "Oooooh, pretty mommy. Very pretty." She was disappointed that I didn't have the veil anymore. I told her about how Mommy's Mommy made the dress for me, and she seemed pretty impressed with that. In the end, I gave her the crinoline slip that my mom also had made... it's a half slip with netting and lace sewed on it. Y then hiked it and bunched it up on her size 6x hips and flounced around, twirling. H looked at me and I said "It's a girl thing." He shrugged and grinned, shaking his head.