Three weeks!

Wow, it has been three weeks since Gotcha Day and one week without posting anything! Time just flies when you are busy!

Last Friday we received the first family visit from my sister Dusya (her name is Russian). She lives in Houston and has triplets who will be 3 in August. It was great having her visit and giving big time advices/tips for Mark and I. It was also good having her opinion, as a mother of toddlers, of our little Diego. She also brought TONS of clothes, toys, and books, so we are now definitely all set with clothes until Diego becomes 2!

As Mark and I joke around, Diego behaves wonderfully when there are strangers around. Dusya was also playing with him, singing, making funny faces and noises to promote his stimulation, and she thought Diego was very alert, imitated few things right away, and made great eye contact! She thought that with the right stimulation and consistency (in addition to some speech therapy in the near future) he will thrive... I shared with her some of my attachment concerns, but that was not her alley... She thought Diego looked smiley and happy when either Mark or I were approaching to him, and Diego didn't seem too fond of being carried by her if Mark or I were around... So, at least it wasn't like the case when the kid runs to the total stranger to be carried (that could be a sign of some attachment issues).

As first time parents, Mark and I asked her to give us a list of "cool" activities for Diego, so we can keep him entertained and not too bored... Here is the list:

Play ideas
1.Pass the ball (small ball)
2.Roll or bounce on ball (big ball)
3.Parachute play: pull him on a blanket on the floor/grass
4.Bubbles: pop pop / get him to blow bubbles
5.Pillow course (walk on course of pillows)
6.Hats on; dress up
7.Freeze dance
8.Peekaboo (where is Diego? where is Mama/Dada)
9.Look at pictures (right now we are using the little album we took to Russia)
10.Fun-filled jars: place a favorite toy in a jar, close the lid, and ask him to take off the lid and pull out the toy
11.Music instruments (spoons and pans)
12.Funny feet: walk barefoot on warm sand, small pebbles, cool concrete, grass, and mud.
13.Stack blocks
14.Put blocks in and out of bucket
15.Crayons
16.Play-doh

Everyday
1.Singing time
2.Book time
3.Rice box time (big plastic container filled with rice and few toys - for sensory stimulation)
4.Exersaucer time
5.Dancing time
6.Exercise time
7.Mirror time (to make noises and play "this is Diego, this is Mama")
8.Walk around the neighborhood time
9.Video time (only 30 minutes per day maximum)
10.Horsey time
11. Tickle/kiss time
12.Computer time: www.babygamer.com (we have not done that yet)

Now, when my sister was here we overdid it a little with the stimulation, and on Saturday Diego woke up twice screaming and crying horribly and took a while until he calmed down. It was not the first time, though... It seems to be, after the low or no stimulation the kiddos get at the baby homes, our lives (as mundane as they may be sometimes) can be very stimulating, and at night the brain process it and hence the nightmares come if there is too much to process (Thank you Beth of explaining this to me!)... So careful with overstimulating your kiddos!

I wanted to also take few seconds to congratulate a lot of the CSS and non-CSS families who are getting ready for Gotcha Day, Court, and Trip 1 (I am soooooooo happy for you, Becky! It's sooo exciting!

OK, now I gotta go to bed... I will post some pics of Diego tomorrow!