Naive Parenting…

I’m sure all of you parents out there will laugh at this ‘realization’ for us but parenting is busy!! Journaling & preparing blog entries has been a bit of a challenge as we’re constantly doing stuff for, about, around, in preparation-for Maya. Even with both of us here, it’s VERY BUSY but dull at the same time. Maya’s nap & bed times happen when we’re normally eating so we’ve missed many lunches (or have had to snack on Arrowroot cookies or handfuls of Cheerios) and our dinners are now starting around 4 or 5pm. The most excitement we get in a day is a walk or play-time in the baby room. If we’re not too exhausted by bed-time (~9pm) we’ll watch part of a movie on John’s laptop before one of us (usually Christine) falls asleep.

Maya is sleeping 10-12 hours a night plus about 2 hours in the afternoon (we’re the lucky parents here) but its not completely restful sleep. She wakes every 1.5-2 hours in a whine/cry but once you comfort her, she falls back to sleep. Her crib is beside Christine’s bed so she’s the lucky one who gets to do all of the over-night comforting which is why she’s falling asleep at 9pm. Christine also has to do all of the feedings (to try to develop bonding) which occur every 2.5 hours at this point.

Daddy is still the parent of choice. We were prepared for this as women are usually the one rejected in adoptions but it doesn’t make it any less difficult for either of us. John is tired as he has this permanent appendage clinging to him – he can’t eat, shower, use the bathroom or anything without having Maya attached to him. If he pulls her off to have Christine take over, Maya usually just screams and resists being held until John returns. It’s getting better each day but it’s still a challenge.