Sunday, April 15, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Update time :)
Noemi is 1 1/2 today!! She's getting so big and is semi-starting to calm down a little bit. She has learned to carry her stool around to climb up on things and she is definitely aware of good actions and bad actions. That, of course does not mean it stops her from doing actions she'll have to apologized for later, but it's a start :)
Let's see stat update from today's Dr. Visit:
Height: 2'7"
Weight: 23lbs
We're really working on getting her to learn new words and use them but she seems stuck on her vocabulary and doesn't see the need to use the new words she learns. We've noticed that she can be very indifferent about things which makes it very easy for her to give up instead of try to say the name of what she wants. Rosita was very similar. Rosita has a very "oh well; whatever" attitude about things so maybe thats a hereditary trait. Well I guess, you could say Shawn and I are like that too so maybe it's a learned behavior... Either way, it's getting in the way of her getting frustrated enough to try the word out. Does that make sense??
News from the RMI??? None. We have not heard from anyone in Majuro. We're once again getting ready to send a package out but I wish they would tell us what they need. When we asked Peter all said was shoes for him. I'm sure Rosita needs something or Peter's wife but he wouldn't tell us what. Did I mention the birthdate thing yet?? No one in Majuro will tell us Rositas birthdate! I just want to know so we can send her a gift (we're nit even asking for the year), but they either don't reply to us or they'll ignore the question or say," oh I'll ask her later"! A fellow RmI mommy suggested that maybe Rosita doesn't know her birthdate but it sounds to me like she does but for some reason doesn't want us to know it. That's fine, I guess we'll just have to respect that.
Well my IPad is acting funny so I'll call it a day and post some more next week ~SPRING BREAK!! Maybe I'll finally load some videos of this crazy beautiful little girl <3
Let's see stat update from today's Dr. Visit:
Height: 2'7"
Weight: 23lbs
We're really working on getting her to learn new words and use them but she seems stuck on her vocabulary and doesn't see the need to use the new words she learns. We've noticed that she can be very indifferent about things which makes it very easy for her to give up instead of try to say the name of what she wants. Rosita was very similar. Rosita has a very "oh well; whatever" attitude about things so maybe thats a hereditary trait. Well I guess, you could say Shawn and I are like that too so maybe it's a learned behavior... Either way, it's getting in the way of her getting frustrated enough to try the word out. Does that make sense??
News from the RMI??? None. We have not heard from anyone in Majuro. We're once again getting ready to send a package out but I wish they would tell us what they need. When we asked Peter all said was shoes for him. I'm sure Rosita needs something or Peter's wife but he wouldn't tell us what. Did I mention the birthdate thing yet?? No one in Majuro will tell us Rositas birthdate! I just want to know so we can send her a gift (we're nit even asking for the year), but they either don't reply to us or they'll ignore the question or say," oh I'll ask her later"! A fellow RmI mommy suggested that maybe Rosita doesn't know her birthdate but it sounds to me like she does but for some reason doesn't want us to know it. That's fine, I guess we'll just have to respect that.
Well my IPad is acting funny so I'll call it a day and post some more next week ~SPRING BREAK!! Maybe I'll finally load some videos of this crazy beautiful little girl <3
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Details about Noes kemem
Just some more FYI about Noemi's kemem:
We had a picture slideshow of our trip playing with marshallese music.
We had the kids play island inspired games:
Hot Coconut (same as Hot Potato but used a plastic coconut instead)
Island Hopper (We drew a palm tree on an island on 8 sheets of paper. We laid the paper around in a circle and basically played musically chairs but they had to hop from island to island)
Pin the coconut on the Palm tree
We had sea shell baskets as our centerpieces with hibiscus flowers poking out
My nieces learned a Marshallese dance but did not get perform it :(
Anyway, just random thoughts that I forgot to share earlier.
We had a picture slideshow of our trip playing with marshallese music.
We had the kids play island inspired games:
Hot Coconut (same as Hot Potato but used a plastic coconut instead)
Island Hopper (We drew a palm tree on an island on 8 sheets of paper. We laid the paper around in a circle and basically played musically chairs but they had to hop from island to island)
Pin the coconut on the Palm tree
We had sea shell baskets as our centerpieces with hibiscus flowers poking out
My nieces learned a Marshallese dance but did not get perform it :(
Anyway, just random thoughts that I forgot to share earlier.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
I found our packing list- hope this helps
Baby Needs:
Health:
o Aspirator
o Thermometer
o Band-aids
o Bottle brushes
o Wipes
o Baby carrier
o Diaper bag
o Rash ointment
o Baby Tynenol
o Gripe water
o Scabies Meds
o Antibiotics
o Pink eye drops
o Sun Screen
o antifungal cream
o Stomach meds
o Ear infection
o Eye infection
o Baby Tylenol
o Lice
o Vitamins (parents and baby)
o Hydrogen peroxide
Basic Needs:
o Formula
o Bottles
o Pacifiers
o Pacifier clip
o Nipples (different sizes/styles)
o Wash Clothes
o Diapers
o Crib sheet
o Blankets
o Bath towels
o Stuffed animal
o Few toys
Clothing for baby:
o Bibs
o Sleep sacks -long sleeves
o Swaddle Blankets
o Onsies
o Pants
o Sweaters (for airport/plane)
o Long Sleeve top
o Socks
o Sun Hat
o Bathing Suit
o T-shirts
o Shorts
o Outfit for court or Celebration Dinner
Parent needs
Health:
o Shampoo/conditioner
o Razors
o allergy medicine
o Bug spray
o contact lenses/solution/glasses
o feminine products
o lanacain
o Q-tips
o hand and body lotion
o Bath towels
o deodorant
o Soap
o tweezer
o toothbrushes/toothpaste
o hair brush
o hair clips/bands
o hand sanitizer.
o clorox wipes
Basic Needs:
o Flashlight
o DVDS
o tupperware
o laundry bag
o hangers
o ziplop sandwich bags
o gallon ziplock
o Crystal Light
o Sunglasses
o Laptop and charger
o Camera and cords
o Cell phone and charger
o Camcorder, cords and cd’s
o Batteries
o water purification tablets
o Cash
o Roll of quarters
o luggage locks
o breakfast bars
Clothing:
o Long sleeve shirts
o Beach cover up
o Sun hats
o Clothes for court
o Shoes for court
o Flip flops
o Shorts
o T-shirts
o Sweaters
o Socks
o Underwear
o Bras
o Swimming suits
o Skirts
o Pajamas
For Marshallese
o T-shirts
o Photo Album
o Flip Flops
o Necklace
o Toys for kids
o Coffee Table book
o Gourmet treats
o Things to buy in RMI
o Burner
o Hot Pot
o Pan?
o RAID
o Bowls/silverware/cups
Health:
o Aspirator
o Thermometer
o Band-aids
o Bottle brushes
o Wipes
o Baby carrier
o Diaper bag
o Rash ointment
o Baby Tynenol
o Gripe water
o Scabies Meds
o Antibiotics
o Pink eye drops
o Sun Screen
o antifungal cream
o Stomach meds
o Ear infection
o Eye infection
o Baby Tylenol
o Lice
o Vitamins (parents and baby)
o Hydrogen peroxide
Basic Needs:
o Formula
o Bottles
o Pacifiers
o Pacifier clip
o Nipples (different sizes/styles)
o Wash Clothes
o Diapers
o Crib sheet
o Blankets
o Bath towels
o Stuffed animal
o Few toys
Clothing for baby:
o Bibs
o Sleep sacks -long sleeves
o Swaddle Blankets
o Onsies
o Pants
o Sweaters (for airport/plane)
o Long Sleeve top
o Socks
o Sun Hat
o Bathing Suit
o T-shirts
o Shorts
o Outfit for court or Celebration Dinner
Parent needs
Health:
o Shampoo/conditioner
o Razors
o allergy medicine
o Bug spray
o contact lenses/solution/glasses
o feminine products
o lanacain
o Q-tips
o hand and body lotion
o Bath towels
o deodorant
o Soap
o tweezer
o toothbrushes/toothpaste
o hair brush
o hair clips/bands
o hand sanitizer.
o clorox wipes
Basic Needs:
o Flashlight
o DVDS
o tupperware
o laundry bag
o hangers
o ziplop sandwich bags
o gallon ziplock
o Crystal Light
o Sunglasses
o Laptop and charger
o Camera and cords
o Cell phone and charger
o Camcorder, cords and cd’s
o Batteries
o water purification tablets
o Cash
o Roll of quarters
o luggage locks
o breakfast bars
Clothing:
o Long sleeve shirts
o Beach cover up
o Sun hats
o Clothes for court
o Shoes for court
o Flip flops
o Shorts
o T-shirts
o Sweaters
o Socks
o Underwear
o Bras
o Swimming suits
o Skirts
o Pajamas
For Marshallese
o T-shirts
o Photo Album
o Flip Flops
o Necklace
o Toys for kids
o Coffee Table book
o Gourmet treats
o Things to buy in RMI
o Burner
o Hot Pot
o Pan?
o RAID
o Bowls/silverware/cups
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Quick Noemi development update
I thought I'd update everyone on Noemi's stats:
Current Weight: 21lbs
Current Height: 29"
Current head circumference: 2% (small but she's developing normally and it's proportionate to her body so we're ok)
Sat by herself: 5-6 months
Said first words: 7 months, Hola and mas (hello and more in Spanish)
Crawled: 9 months
Walked: 10 months
We're now up to 11 words in her vocabulary that she knows and uses correctly: Dada, mas, agua, Hola, oh oh, bye, night night, yes, no, yay, and hi.
We're focusing on Spanish as her base language and will incorporate more English as the years go on.
Something we also had done that I forgot to mention before, was having her hearing and eye sight tested. Since we don't have a full medical history (from birthdad and very limited from birth mom) our ped. recommended having a baseline in case something came up later. That way we could say,"at 6 months she was here and now she's here."
She loves to sing and dance and climb. She LOVES to climb and has very good balance for her age.
To those looking to adopt in the future: if there is something specific you'd like us to answer, please feel free to ask. I do check the blog comments regularly so please let me know what your questions are.
Thanks and Happy New Year!
Current Weight: 21lbs
Current Height: 29"
Current head circumference: 2% (small but she's developing normally and it's proportionate to her body so we're ok)
Sat by herself: 5-6 months
Said first words: 7 months, Hola and mas (hello and more in Spanish)
Crawled: 9 months
Walked: 10 months
We're now up to 11 words in her vocabulary that she knows and uses correctly: Dada, mas, agua, Hola, oh oh, bye, night night, yes, no, yay, and hi.
We're focusing on Spanish as her base language and will incorporate more English as the years go on.
Something we also had done that I forgot to mention before, was having her hearing and eye sight tested. Since we don't have a full medical history (from birthdad and very limited from birth mom) our ped. recommended having a baseline in case something came up later. That way we could say,"at 6 months she was here and now she's here."
She loves to sing and dance and climb. She LOVES to climb and has very good balance for her age.
To those looking to adopt in the future: if there is something specific you'd like us to answer, please feel free to ask. I do check the blog comments regularly so please let me know what your questions are.
Thanks and Happy New Year!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Has it been a year!?
Where has a year gone? I'll tell you! It's gone in diaper changes, late night cry fests ( baby and mommy), rolling, crawling, walking, running, climbing, biting, talking, kisses, hugs, and many many laughs. Noemi is growing up before our eyes into a beautiful energetic little girl. Shes developing on target and is slightly advanced in her social skills. The Dr even had to give us the "terrible two" talk a year early. Shes learning to sit and play independently and now loves to crawl into our laps with a book. To us, she's absolutely perfect!
With the holidays coming up, I can't help but think of Rosita and our Christmas last year. This will be a very difficult Christmas without her. She shared with us the greatest gift a mother could give and we gave her our assurance that Noemi will grow up loved and cared for. Although we had our moments with Rosita, we know she loved her dearly and would do anything in the world if she thought it would be best for her.
As Noemi personality develops, we've definitely seeing Rosita in her! It's amazing how simple things from a raised eyebrow or a smirk to a full defiant stare makes you think you're staring straight at Rosita. As odd as it sounds, sometimes I even do a quick double take, because she looks so much like her in those moments!
We've sent a few packages and know she's received them through the CAA and have also sent items to Grandpa Peter. Usually we just send pictures and household items; sponges, hair brushes, hair clips, towels, tape, toys, and for Rosita makeup :-). She loved my makeup when we were there so I always try to include a little something to keep that bond going. It was really the only thing we knew we had in common. We hear she's doing well and had a job at a take out (a walk up convenience store). we have not had any contact with her directly but others have seen her around and peter tells us about her.
To our surprise, we HAVE received a couple phone calls from Peter lately! He's been calling to let us know that he received the packages. He told us they've been using the mosquito netting we sent on the children and that no one in the family has gotten "the sickness". Its still strange to think that we have family half way around the world that we barely met/heard about a little over a year ago.
Maybe its because we're approaching the year mark or maybe its because of the stresses of everyday life but Shawn and I really miss the Marshall Islands and are constantly talking about our return trip or how feasible would it really be to move there for a year or two. We even looked into employment and housing in Kwajalien! I think its just the slow island time that we miss the most. The ocean sets the pace for life not the clock. But then of course reality sinks in and we know it wouldn't be the best situation for us or Rosita. So we just keep countimg down to our return trip, approx. 4 more years.
We've decided to do our return trip when Noemis around 5-6years old so she can have memories of the island and is still innocent enough to freely ask questions but also young enough where the concepts of what a family is are still being formed. We talk to her about Rosita and about the island far far away and we're anxious for the day when the questions will start but hopefully we'll be ready and she'll understand that everything done in her life was for love. Rosita loved her so much she allowed us to parent her and we loved her so much we accepted.
Well my plan for next year to is try to write once a month and share more about her culture, RMI history, memories from the island that we havent shared, and of course Noe's growth and development. I know future RMI families are reading this blog and i also know many blogs (like mine!) sort of end once we arrive home and no more is shared on development or growth concerns. There is very little out there medically on marshallese children so i will try my best to research ans share what i learn. Also with Noe's privacy in mind, i will share what we feel is appropriate for the public.
If you're in Mn and would like to meet little Ms. Noemi or have questions regarding the adoption decision/process/travel, please feel free to contact us. As you can tell we love sharing our story and what we've learned. I also plan on polling the other families that have returned and asking for their tips and advice for all you still in the process.
Take care, thanks for reading and Happy Holidays!
With the holidays coming up, I can't help but think of Rosita and our Christmas last year. This will be a very difficult Christmas without her. She shared with us the greatest gift a mother could give and we gave her our assurance that Noemi will grow up loved and cared for. Although we had our moments with Rosita, we know she loved her dearly and would do anything in the world if she thought it would be best for her.
As Noemi personality develops, we've definitely seeing Rosita in her! It's amazing how simple things from a raised eyebrow or a smirk to a full defiant stare makes you think you're staring straight at Rosita. As odd as it sounds, sometimes I even do a quick double take, because she looks so much like her in those moments!
We've sent a few packages and know she's received them through the CAA and have also sent items to Grandpa Peter. Usually we just send pictures and household items; sponges, hair brushes, hair clips, towels, tape, toys, and for Rosita makeup :-). She loved my makeup when we were there so I always try to include a little something to keep that bond going. It was really the only thing we knew we had in common. We hear she's doing well and had a job at a take out (a walk up convenience store). we have not had any contact with her directly but others have seen her around and peter tells us about her.
To our surprise, we HAVE received a couple phone calls from Peter lately! He's been calling to let us know that he received the packages. He told us they've been using the mosquito netting we sent on the children and that no one in the family has gotten "the sickness". Its still strange to think that we have family half way around the world that we barely met/heard about a little over a year ago.
Maybe its because we're approaching the year mark or maybe its because of the stresses of everyday life but Shawn and I really miss the Marshall Islands and are constantly talking about our return trip or how feasible would it really be to move there for a year or two. We even looked into employment and housing in Kwajalien! I think its just the slow island time that we miss the most. The ocean sets the pace for life not the clock. But then of course reality sinks in and we know it wouldn't be the best situation for us or Rosita. So we just keep countimg down to our return trip, approx. 4 more years.
We've decided to do our return trip when Noemis around 5-6years old so she can have memories of the island and is still innocent enough to freely ask questions but also young enough where the concepts of what a family is are still being formed. We talk to her about Rosita and about the island far far away and we're anxious for the day when the questions will start but hopefully we'll be ready and she'll understand that everything done in her life was for love. Rosita loved her so much she allowed us to parent her and we loved her so much we accepted.
Well my plan for next year to is try to write once a month and share more about her culture, RMI history, memories from the island that we havent shared, and of course Noe's growth and development. I know future RMI families are reading this blog and i also know many blogs (like mine!) sort of end once we arrive home and no more is shared on development or growth concerns. There is very little out there medically on marshallese children so i will try my best to research ans share what i learn. Also with Noe's privacy in mind, i will share what we feel is appropriate for the public.
If you're in Mn and would like to meet little Ms. Noemi or have questions regarding the adoption decision/process/travel, please feel free to contact us. As you can tell we love sharing our story and what we've learned. I also plan on polling the other families that have returned and asking for their tips and advice for all you still in the process.
Take care, thanks for reading and Happy Holidays!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
NOE'S KEMEM!!
Well the big day came and went (although her birthday is tomorrow). We celebrated Noe's 1st Birthday surrounded with lots (lots!) of family and friends. Not everyone could make it and we completely understand being that it was Labor Day weekend and all.
Kemem's are celebrated in the Marshall Island's to wish a child a long and healthy life. The belief is that if an infant makes it to its 1st birthday, they will live a long life. I think this is due to the very high infant mortality rate (close to 30/1000, compared to 7/1000 in the US).
Since we are a tri-cultural family we decided to have 3 food stations (my dad's a chef so it was semi-affordable!) We had a Marshallese station with a Roast Pig, noodle salad and a lo mein type dish, a Mexican station with rice and beans and a pulled pork dish and an American station with baked beans, potato salad and hot dogs =9 Yummy. Here are a few pics from the party. My BIL took some great pictures for us and as soon as those are ready i'll put them up.
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