Sweet Springtime

I am sitting on my deck looking out over my baby leaves and green, green grass breathing the most amazing spring air. Oh, and birds are tweeting, I have coffee (french vanilla, I love you!), and a coconut chocolate chip cookie from Paradise Bakery (these are amazing, and Vicki knows about my love affair with them and enables me. Thanks Vicki! How do they make them so good?) It is good to sit quietly while a 1 year old naps!

We have had such a fun week! Spring break felt a little more like summer break at times as we had a lot of 70 degree days! That meant a lot of time outside breaking in the new trampoline (birthday gift that I think will keep on giving). We also had the fabulous Zellmann grandparents in for the weekend. Everyone enjoyed this and Lauren, was thrilled (understatement) by the surprise stow aways, Helen and Claire Hale (cousins from Wisconsin).

Sophia has been very busy as well. She has also been enjoying the outside and seems to like everything we introduce...except the second half of the run I took her on last night. For the first 15 minutes she was completely enjoying the novelty of the stroller - talking and laughing and waving at her brother and sister who were on their bikes. Then, she decided it was time to be done. Well, we were, at best, 10 minutes from home. I hope the nice folks in that lovely neighborhood didn't mind the screaming baby in the red stroller. I know I didn't care for it much and sprinting with a stroller wasn't my favorite either. "We're almost home baby!...pant, pant...The itsy-bitsy spider...pant, pant...just a couple more minutes...pant, pant...look at the puppy dog!...pant, pant..." all to the tune of "WAAA, WAAA, WAAAA!" The kids rode on ahead. I think they might have been embarrassed.

Sophia is really walking a lot these days. She even likes to stand up on the trampoline (scary). She loves to bounce, but hasn't mastered the stand and bounce yet. Her lip does seem to be healing slow but sure. We won't see Dr. Sadove until next Monday, but it looks a teeny-tiny bit better every day. Although Sophia did warm up to her grandparents and cousins rather well, she has been pretty needy for me these past few days and hasn't slept well. This, of course, hasn't been my favorite either, but yesterday Marcus said, "maybe she's getting another tooth, Mom." Well, I dismissed it at the time because what does a 7 year old know about these things, right? but this morning, I think I may have spotted something trying to come through on top! We'll see. It also may be my imagination.

I was thinking at the beginning of my time on the deck about the past months. Really, I've never had a time in my otherwise very cushy life that has had as many struggles and stresses. Or perhaps as much joy and pain. Adoption is amazing and trying at the same time. Kind of like a 1 year old in general. I don't think I'm particularly good at 1 year old parenting either. But as I read in the Bible this morning, "To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction." I am so often stupid in this way! Not that I'm being punished with difficult or stressful things, but I have been very aware through this that difficult things are like discipline and they train me. How I respond or react to challenges reveal where I need correcting. It is good. I want to never stop learning even though I sometimes hate the process! As I said at the beginning, it is good to sit quietly while a 1 year old naps!