Catch Up - September & October

These past 2 months have gone very quickly. Back to school for Joseph, Dad arriving for a visit on Sept. 14 and leaving on the 28th. Mom arriving for a visit on the 30th and leaving October 16th. And of course, it's budget time at JHHLS with the customary bloodbath.

School DaysAfter the Montauk trip Katerina started going to a daycare center for socialization (Sept 12) 2 mornings a week and the Rising Star program in Ardsley for Chinese language (Sept 16) on Saturday mornings. Her daycare program is for 2-year-olds and has only 3 other kids in the class. One of the kids, John, is an adoptee from China and is in our playgroup that meets at Kathy Miller's house. The first week or two she was fine going to school; just a little whimpering when I or Constantin would leave. But she has become increasingly upset each time we go to the school. According to teacher Laurie, she's fine when we leave, but now when we turn the car into the lot she starts with the "No, No, No". This morning, 10/31 she started acting out at home and was throwing fits about everything after I mentioned we were getting dressed for school. It's too bad she missed the Halloween parade. I am trying to get her into the Briarcliff Nursery School which I much prefer and should hear in January if she's been accepted for next fall. We are currently attending a Mommy & Me class at BNS on Saturdays, after Chinese class, and supposedly that will give us more of an edge of getting in. Can you believe we have to think of these things for a 2-year-old?? We decided to discontinue swimming lessons until the spring or summer and replaced the time slot with the Mommy & Me class.

Joe's Birthday Party - September. 22
Katerina experienced her first birthday party and was quite delighted with the candles and the singing. Joe's birthday is the 22nd and we had a nice dinner & cake. He celebrated on Sunday, the 24th with his friends, brother, and grandmother and we had another cake. He is 17 now. We gave him $ to put towards a new iPod nano.








Mom's Birthday Party - October 1
Mom came up for a visit on September 30th and we celebrated her birthday that night at La Panetiere with Lou, Dale, Bobby & Susie, and again the following night at home. Katerina once again enjoyed the birthday cake and candles and has begun to sing the song or some facsimile of the song.

















Autumn Moon Festival - October 6
We celebrated Autumn Moon festival at Kathy Miller's house. Although we could not see the moon that night - too cloudy - we did eat mooncakes. They sound better than they taste! There are many different ways to celebrate during the Autumn Moon Festival but "whenever the festival sets in, people will look up at the full silver moon, drinking wine to celebrate their happy life or thinking of their relatives and friends far from home, and extending all of their best wishes to them. "

The nicest celebration I read about on my Yahoo Listservs was an FCC group in South Beach Florida who went out to dinner and then walked 10 blocks to the beach holding balloons and lanterns and with glow sticks inside. At the beach, they released the balloons to send good wishes to the birth families in China.



            Katerina's Birthday - October 13th
Yes, it was finally Katerina's birthday and she was primed for candles, singing, and cake. We did so on her birthday, Friday night with just us and then had a birthday party for her on Saturday. It was kind of a last minute idea to have a big bash and we invited family, of course, her playgroup, Chris, Kate, Tess & Finn, George & Deb. We re-arranged the dining/living room so that there was a big play area for the kids. All told, we had 6 kids (not counting Finn) and 12 adults.


Birthday Friends:  Katie, Sonia, Dani, Ally






















Fall Fun
Had a few opportunities for fall fun over the past month. On the morning of Katerina's birthday party, we attended an open house/fall festival at the Briarcliff Nursery School. On the day after, we went pumpkin picking with George & Deb, Mom & Aunt Susie. On Oct. 22 we attended a "Build your own scarecrow" event to benefit White Plains Hospital pediatric waiting room. At home, we carved 2 jack-o-lanterns and painted pumpkins.

Health & Behavior

Speech: There is progress, but not as much as I had hoped. She's starting to put 2 words together and getting good at the word, please. "Open please", "Up please". She's also fond of saying "Stop it" when she's not in the mood for something like tickling.

Growth: She is 30.5" and 21.5 lbs. She is starting to grow out of the 6 to 12 & 9 to 12-month clothes. Doing very well in 12 to 18months, but your straight 18months or 18 to 24 months are too big. Her shoe size has grown from size 3 to size 4.5 or 5.

Sleeping: She's been great going to sleep at night, although she stays up for quite a while "chatting" with her crib pals; Elmo, Chickoree Chick, and Baby Tad are still her favorites. She really really loves anything Elmo! Basically, we put her in the crib after story time somewhere between 8:30 and 9pm. On occasion, she is still up at 10pm. She wakes between 7 and 8. She has still been taking a 1-hour nap in the afternoon up until recently because it's been too cold for Nancy to take her for a walk in the stroller, which lulls her to sleep.

Behavior: Someone must have told her that she's now 2 years old because the terrible two's are upon us. She is very obstinate and throws a minor fit when she doesn't get her way about anything. I'm not sure how to best handle this. I keep reading that we should choose our battles and that toddlers need to be able to feel in control, but what about the making of a brat where they think that if they throw a tantrum they can get what they want? I really need to research this carefully, because I think the way it is handled now, will set the stage for a long time to come.

Naughty Stool: One of her favorite tricks is flinging food off the high chair or table. We have decided to focus on correcting this particular behavior and have begun putting her on the "naughty" stool when she does it. It's amazing how quickly she understood what the naughty stool is all about. She knows she must sit there and she now whimpers, keeps her hands in her lap and waits to be released. We have her sit for 2 minutes - I read the time should = the age and then we have her say I'm sorry, give her a hug and a kiss and she helps clean up the mess. It seems to have diminished since we've invoked the naughty stool and when she does it, she does it with full knowledge that she shouldn't. She looks at us with a defiant face, flings the food or drink and then gives us a "so there" look. And it's off to the naughty stool.

Eating: We are trying to introduce new foods with iron. I think she's ok with protein because she has a lot of dairy; cheese, milk, pudding. She eats a tremendous amount of fruit, some veggies and she continues to love macaroni and cheese, any kind of pasta and rice. She's hip to the mix up the meat with rice or pasta and proceeds to push the meat to one side. We tried lentils one night and she tolerated them. The doctor emphasized that she should be eating meat, chicken, and spinach for iron.

Other Activities
10/7 - Nancy & I took an Infant/Toddler CPR class
10/17 - Went to Baltimore for a 2-day conference. The first time away from Katerina overnight.

First Trip to Montauk 9/8 to 9/10

Montauk is absolutely our most favorite place. I grew up loving Montauk and have over forty years (YIPES) of memories. Constantin independently developed a strong attachment to it as well before we met and even purchased a timeshare at Gurney's Inn while my father was heading up that effort, and prior to our meeting. We have had some of our best times out there and spent many weeks in spring & summer with Promise whose ashes have been scattered from a jetty into the inlet dividing Gin Beach and Gossman's. And so it was especially exciting to introduce Katerina to Montauk and vice versa. It was love at first sight.

Joseph is also a devotee. Before he moved in with us (probably 7 or 8 years ago when he was 9 or 10) I took him out there for a weekend; just me & him. We had a blast riding bikes, sailing on the lake, sitting around a bonfire at night on the beach, eating clams, kicking our shoes off and seeing if we could get them over the high wire, blasting music with the moonroof open - TubThumping by Chumbawamba was our favorite.

Fun around the pool area.






Katerina had her first experience at "Lunch". We stopped both on our way out and on our way back.

Labor Day Weekend

For people with no plans this weekend we certainly were extremely busy. We started out on Friday night going to Kryssy and Richard Egnor’s for dinner. This was our first dinner out at a friend’s house with Katerina. Although we all intended it to be an early evening, we didn’t get home until after 11pm. Kryssy and Richard are definitely “kids” people and Katerina (and Joseph) had a great time. She was performing – dancing, hopping in circles, giggling – all those things we adore. It was a delightful, comfortable and fun evening; great dinner, too.

Saturday was a miserable, rainy day. And what do your typical All American (or Greek American or Chinese American) families do on a rainy day? They go to the mall. I never knew what a great place malls are for kids, but next to a playground, it’s the best! So off we went to the Westchester and dined in the food court on vegetable lo mein. We strolled the promenade sometimes with K in the stroller and sometimes walking, running &/or falling down. As you can see, she fit in rather nicely with the mall sculpture. She’s quite a poser!


Sunday, unexpectedly, Aunt Kay called and was in town for a few days visiting with Tommy & Janis. She and Ray were on their way back to Florida after spending 3 weeks in Europe. They wanted to come see the newest addition to the family. Aunt Kay’s niece has 4 kids from various Asian countries; Korea, Vietnam, and China. Janis’ sister has 2 girls from China. Even Ray’s cousin’s daughter is in the process of adopting from China. It’s funny how many of us are out there. Even in our own family! It was a beautiful day and we sat in the backyard having coffee and cake. They only stayed a short time but it was a great visit. Katerina took to Aunt Kay right away and brought her in to see her room.

On Monday, Christopher and Kate called and were suffering from cabin fever. They jumped (figure of speech when you have a 2-year-old and a 6-week old) into the car and drove up from Merrick, Long Island. Another beautiful day. We went to Muscoot Farm for a while, had some take out and then the girls began their meltdown from not having naps. Finn, the 6-week old, was precious although he doesn’t do much yet. I’m glad we skipped that real early time and jumped right into the terrible two’s.






Are they just the cutest??



































Katerina is definitely enjoying her ice cream. And here's Joseph sneaking some bites on the way to the trash can. BUSTED!



























Has anyone seen the limo?

Back to work on Tuesday, unfortunately, but looking forward to the upcoming weekend in Montauk. We’re taking advantage of off-season prices and got a 1 bedroom townhouse, oceanfront at the surf club. Chris & Kate may come out as well, which would be a lot of fun.

Genius Child Alert 9/5/06: Katerina has just understood the relationship been the computer mouse and cursor, and when she did, she let out a delighted WOW! She’s fascinated with the computer and loves to sit on our laps when we are working on one, so I bought a couple of educational games and we were playing one last evening where the mouse moves the boat in the water and she got the hang of it.
Another notable event 9/7/06: We’ve been trying to get Katerina acclimated to the toilet and bought her a small potty. Yesterday, Nancy had her sit on it for ½ hour and she left us a little pellet. Nancy saved it for us until we got home from work. We made a big fuss. At least she knows what the potty is for; however, I believe she thinks of it as an interesting alternative, not as the primary objective.


Katerina getting cozy with all her pals. That's Elmo, Chickoree Chick and Baby Tad in case you were unfamiliar with the clique.

Just Some Cute Pictures

Fourth of July - All American Girl

This is out of order chronologically, but I thought I'd post it anyway.

We celebrated the 4th of July twice this year, as usual, at George and Debs. July 1st with the usual suspects; Betty, Marilyn, Chris, Kate & Tess and new this year were their neighbors. A nice couple. On the 4th itself, we were with Deb's family which of course included Paige (adopted last year from Russia) who is adorable. Katerina had a great time with both Tess & Paige. She loved playing in the pool as well.

Summer Update

We've had a great summer and look forward to the fall. She'll begin 2 mornings (Tues & Thurs) of nursery school around the corner. The same week she will begin a 12-week session for adoptees from China (2 to 3 years old) and their parents to expose them to Chinese culture, 
language, and dance. I'm looking forward to it. We want very much to keep her connected to her culture until she's old enough to make her own decision on how much she wants to be involved.

Attachment & Adjustment
Katerina appears to be happy and well-adjusted. She is definitely bossy and likes to be in control. I'm learning to avoid power struggles where they don't matter. She laughs a lot, particularly with Joseph. There's nothing I love more than to hear her giggle.

She's getting too used to me not being around during the week. I get to spend about 20 minutes with her when she wakes up before I have to leave for work. In the evening I get home around 7pm or 7:30pm. "BaBa" is her main man. He does the whole morning routine; breakfast, diaper change, etc. He also has been coming home early most evenings because he can't wait to see her. As a result, she always chooses him over me. There are mornings where I'll go into her room to pick her up and she's standing in the crib; when she sees me she flings herself on the mattress and wails "BaBa". Although one morning when I had to leave early, before she woke up, Constantin tells me she looked for me in the bed, said "MaMa" and then looked for me in the bathroom. I' m rethinking my schedule at work and instead of staying home on Fridays, maybe I'll come home early a few days a week.

Play Dates
Katerina & I have joined a playgroup hosted by Kathy Miller. We've gotten together several times to date and the kids have a blast. They vary in ages; Katerina & Sonia are within a couple of months of each other; Ally is almost a year older; Katie and Jenny are 3 1/2. Kathy's house is a regular playground. They have a bouncing castle, rubber mats, a parachute for Gymboree style activities, a fabulous playroom with a kid roller coaster, every toy you can imagine, in the playroom. We meet every two weeks and plan to get together for Autumn Moon Festival where we will look at the full moon and eat mooncakes.

During the Yuan dynasty (A.D.1280-1368) China was ruled by the Mongolian people. Leaders from the preceding Sung dynasty (A.D.960-1280) were unhappy at submitting to foreign rule and set how to coordinate the rebellion without it being discovered. The leaders of the rebellion, knowing that the Moon Festival was drawing near, ordered the making of special cakes. Backed into each moon cake was a message with the outline of the attack. On the night of the Moon Festival, the rebels successfully attacked and overthrew the government. What followed was the establishment of the Ming dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644). Today, moon cakes are eaten to commemorate this legend. 

Health & Behavior

Speech: She's repeating every word she hears and starting very slightly to put two words together. "More please". When Constantin couldn't find the Mei Mei DVD that she was requesting in the bedroom, she led him to the stairs, pointed to the family room and said: "Mei Mei down". When he went downstairs she led him right to the DVD case that was on the divider between the office & the family room. She then pointed to her chair and said: "Chair up". She has really perfected NO. Sometimes she makes it 3 syllables: Nooooooooo. Sometimes it's in clipped repetition: No, no, no, no, no.

Growth: She saw the doctor July 17th and is healthy. She grew 1" and gained 1lb. She's still in the 15th percentile for height & 5th percentile for weight. By now (August 31) I'm sure she's grown more. She looks taller. Her foot size seems to have grown to size 4.5 from size 3 at the beginning of the summer.
Eating: She still eats like a champ. In the mornings she has cereal or eggs, after which she has fruit. Her favorites are blueberries, melon, and apples. We had a terrible scare one afternoon when she was choking on a grape. Constantin (I wasn't there) said she was turning blue and no sound was coming out. He did the Heimlich maneuver and it worked the 2nd time he applied. The grape came shooting out. We've since done research on foods that can choke and are making sure that one of us is always around her when she eats.
Sleeping: She goes to bed between 8:30 and 9pm. She recently started asking for a pillow so I went to Buy Buy Baby the other night and got her "Toddler's First Pillow". It's a hypoallergenic pillow that is "breathable"; you can't smother if you put your face in it. She's so proud to have her pillow and actually smiles when we put her in the crib. I wonder how long that will last!

Outings and Fun Time
Katerina took swimming lessons this summer and will begin again in mid-September. She's a natural and loves the water. Even in the bathtub she turns over on her stomach and kicks her legs while moving with her arms.







JHHLS Employee Picnic was held at Hollybrook Hill which is like a day camp for kids of all ages. They have all sorts of activities. She was a star, of course.





Sunset Fun - A few times we packed up sandwiches and went to Croton Point Park to watch the sunset or to Playland Park to watch the fireworks. She loves these outings. Joseph's friend Addie has joined us a couple of times.







Blessings - Our adoption was blessed by Father Costas during Sunday mass on 8/6 in St. Basil's chapel. Constantin takes Katerina to church quite often and she has the run of the place. She's greatly improved since the time she blew raspberries during a Holy Week service and we've learned not to bring potato chips with us.







Companions - In addition to Nancy, we have Angela 14 years old come over a couple of times a week for a few hours to play with her. Nancy and Katerina have also made friends with another babysitter and her 2 kids (girl's name is Katerina!) from around the block. They go to the playground together, have had a picnic at Katerina's house and have gone to the library together.



Musical Munchkins - Almost every week we designate a night where Constantin, Joseph, Katerina and I get musical instruments (2 wooden spoons, for example), put on about 45 minutes of children's music and dance around the family room. She loves it.

Beach: Several times to Oakland beach and once to the Connecticut shore to visit Michael & Mary.
Sesame Place: See separate post.
4th of July: See separate post

Notable moments:

• She learned how to jump and jumps constantly; even from a throw rug to the floor!
• She discovered Barney. Gail claims Barney has gotten a bad rap, but I don't know, there's only so much of him I can take.
• We can now read an entire children's book without her grabbing the book and playing with it. Her two favorites at bedtime are: Goodnight Moon and Goodnight Kiss.
• She likes to walk down steps without help or holding on. We are not too comfortable with that however and put ourselves in front of her to protect if she stumbles.
• She puts on her shoes (and takes them off). She even secures the ones with velcro. The other day she put on a pair of my flip flops correctly. She sometimes puts on my high heels; a classic toddler activity. She tries to put on her clothes as well.
  
  Parent Milestone: We had our first night out without her. We went to a friends party and asked Nancy to sit for the evening. We came home at 10:30 and she was still up running Nancy ragged. She wouldn't go to sleep until we got home.