Is the Honeymoon Period Over?

It's April 21 here at 2 am and I can't sleep. After 5 nights of sleeping like a champ and through the night Nina woke up crying at midnight.

Yesterday was kind of tense here. It was our first full day in Moscow and after having a nice morning out (well, nice for Diego since we went to a park for him to play, but Nina missed part of her morning nap!) we all came home, had lunch, Nina went down for a nap, but Diego was just like a tornado! We are really trying to stay positive and apply some redirection for him, but he just starts crying and whining the first second he doesn't get what he wants! So our poor girl either get's woken up by her brother screaming or when she is awake she may be feeling the tension in the air when we are asking him to chill and he just doesn't want! And to top things, she is teething BIG TIME and to top things ever more yesterday while she was crawling (which she is getting really fast at) she fell on her face and busted her upper lip!

So, going back to tonight and actually, the last 5 nights since Gotcha Day. The first night we were all in the same bed and it was just crowded. It took her a while to fall asleep, but she did it without any tears or fuss. Once we got the crib, we tried to snuggle a bit with her, give her few kisses, put her in the crib with her little blanket and a soft toy and just leave the room. What we noticed is that after playing a bit she would fall asleep without "our assistance". We were like, WOOW!! After 2 years with us, Diego still needs one of us to stay in his room until he falls asleep, and even though we are OK doing that (until we get the guts try other ways), we were wondering what would we do if Nina also needed help. So, we have continued with this little routine for all the naps and at night. Is it OK or are we missing the chance for more bonding time? Any thoughts?

But tonight was just different. I picked her up, sat on the bed, and started cradling her while supporting her bottom on my knees. After a while I heard some gas, so I started rubbing her tummy in circular motion and after a bit she calmed down and seemed falling asleep, but the second I put her in the playpen she started crying again! Mark took her then and I prepared couple of onces of milk. Finally, after finishing the milk and crying some more, she passed another gas and little by little settled down... Then, was it just the gas, or the stress of the day or it is finally settling in her head that we are in her life for good?

She is still eating well, but we have noticed that even though the previous days she spent quite some time playing with us, looking straight at our eyes and giving tons of laughs (I am not lying, I know it sounds like a dream, but she was), now she gives us tons of alligators (when she arches her back and pushes us away from her body) if we hold her in our arms for too long or too often. Is it that she is just enjoying all the space in the apartment and is excited about her chances to crawl? I know the alligators are just a common reaction because our kiddos are not used to being held almost at all while at the baby home, so yesterday was a big reminder of how important will be to do many hours of Ergo/holding time once we are at home (which I did for several months with Diego and now he loves his uppa time in his mommy's arms).

But it's all cool, she is our sweet girl, or "girly-girl" as Diego calls her and we will do anything to make her feel (and of course the rest of the family) comfortable and loved. We didn't have a honeymoon period with Diego - it all felt tough from the beginning. We were such a rockies and made so many mistakes, but thank's to Diego and many advices/books, we know better now.

So, tomorrow we will submit the application for her visa and hopefully if the weather is not terrible (it may rain) we will all head to the zoo! Then Thursday will be the interview at the Embassy and on Friday her passport will be registered at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I remember bugging Carol about getting things done quicker and flying on Friday, but now I get it why she kept saying that things have changed and slowed down a bit since we adopted Diego.

And now, pictures!

Few smiles while waiting for her passport in Kaluga

Saying Goodbye to the Kaluga Team

Sleepy heads in Moscow

Diego playing at the park before the light rain came

the whole family with monastery in the background

Please, keep us in your prayers so in 3 more days we can fly home (no more volcano eruptions!)!