Recent Quotes from Maya

In the dressing room at Target with me: " Can't you just put on the dress so I can tell you that you look pretty and we can go home?" (to which Sean later agreed with a resounding, "AMEN!"

After Sean lectured Maya about leaving the house without one of us with her: "Dear God, thank you for giving me daddy to keep me safe. Amen."

Maya: Mommy, I love you bigger than the whole wide world! (pause) What's the world?
Me: Well, it's the whole big place where everyone lives, far away and really close by. (inadequate response, I realize)
Maya: okay...what's "wide"?
Me: Really big.
Maya: Like the Poky Little Puppy going for a walk in the wide wide world?
Me: Yes.
Maya: Ok. I do love you bigger than the whole wide world.

Maya: Mommy, you know why I love you so much?
Me: Why?
Maya: Because your arms are so squishy!
Me: (no response)

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Homecoming Day!

Yesterday, July 15, was our one year anniversary of bringing Maya home to Minnesota! This was the end of not only our 2+ year wait for our girl but also to the excruciatingly long four weeks spent in Port-au-Prince.

We're celebrating together in Vail, CO, where two of Sean's very generous board members have given their condo to us for a few days. Maya is loving the mountains especially from the view of the gondola, which we took up and down and up and down and up and down. Another big highlight for her here is the bedroom with not one, but two sets of bunk beds! Each night she's tried out a different bed. :) And then there's the rental car. To keep her from breaking down in the airport while waiting for the rental car shuttle we started guessing what color it might be. We told the rental car attendant this and he gave Maya a choice of colors. We are now driving around Vail in the brightest yellow car you've ever seen (pink wasn't an option or I'm sure that's what we'd be sporting).

Speaking of the airport...when we were landing in Chicago, Maya said she had to use the bathroom. Well, we all know you can't get up during landing. Then as soon as we landed everyone stood up, trapping us in our seats. We ran off the plane and into the airport and as we stood searching for the closest restroom, Maya stood peeing on the carpet of O'Hare. We did our best to use the hand driers, but they were not going to do the trick. Maya walked around with her little blanket tied around her waist like a towel for quite a while, of course dropping it here and there to show her business to the world. There were no kids' clothing stores to be found and so our girl ended up wearing an adult sized Chicago t-shirt for the rest of the day. I don't think I've ever said, "Keep your arms down!" so many times in one day.

Another recent first for Maya was her first long road trip. Her 92.5-year-old great-grandfather passed away on July 8 in Indiana. We are so grateful that she got to meet him twice and vice versa! And so it was that we packed up our car and drove the ten hours from MN to IN. She handled it very well, only yelling, "I. WANT. TO. GET. OUT. OF. THE. CAR!" once or twice, many times fewer than I thought it!

Did I mention that she sleeps now??? Two weeks ago I was talking to some Early Childhood Special Ed friends and explaining the sleeping struggles we've had for the last year. They said that they think we've gone beyond attachment issues and have moved into a bad pattern. They suggested a no-nonsense method, one that we'd been discouraged from in the beginning, assuring us that she's attached enough to us now to try it. So we did. And now she sleeps. Not only sleeps, but puts herself to sleep, sleeps alone, and sleeps through the night. I cannot explain how much my life has changed. I have HOURS more time each day and am sleeping so well now that I'm in my room and in my bed. Hallelujah!

We continue to be amazed at what a wonderful child Maya is and have been loving these days of vacation together. Just now at breakfast Maya was asking what "believe" means (prompted by me saying, "I love you more than you can even believe!"). She didn't like my explanation and said, "No, it's like when I give you a present and you say, 'I can't believe it!'. You say that every time, mom." What a girl.

Summer with Maya

Sorry blog followers for the six week lapse in posts! Don't think for a second that it's because nothing has been going on with our girl, because believe me-she never stops moving.

Maya has been growing faster than the weeds in our overgrown yard. She is daily mistaken for a 4- or 5-year-old and weighs so much that I can hardly carry her anymore. Her recent favorite pasttimes all involve the outdoors: riding her red trike 'round and 'round the neighborhood, swimming in the blow-up pool in the backyard, playing "pink ball", digging in the sand, visiting every park in the area, swimming at any pool that invites us, etc. "Wild Water Wednesday" was a huge hit at child care last week, where she got to try out a slip and slide! She is happiest when active and lately we've been outside so much that she's deliriously chipper.

She went to her first parade on the 4th and continued to be amazed at each new piece of the procession, saying, "More parade? Really?!?" Very surreal to see her waving an American flag in each hand, remembering that one year ago we were still stranded in Port-au-Prince.

Remembering where we were one year ago has been interesting these past weeks. It was June 16, 2009 that we left here with a one week plane ticket and hopes to inch the progress along by showing our faces at the Embassy. Four weeks later, on July 15 we arrived home with our girl in tow. I have been struck many times in the past weeks with the stark contrast of her life then and now. A week ago we had a major storm and the three of us sat on the porch with the door open a crack, watching the rain come down sideways, giggling and laughing. A year ago Maya and her birth family had to endure many hurricanes in a structure that was not stable enough to do so and the roof there collapsed. The things we take for granted...

I know that people enjoyed the Maya quotes in May, so here are a few more:

Me: I think we need a new rug in our kitchen.
Maya: Uh, mom, IKEA!

Maya: Today at naptime I couldn't get to sleep so I asked God to help me.
Me: Then what happened?
Maya: I fell asleep. God's my favorite.

We went to a restaurant where kids got a bowl of ice cream and then got to go with the waitress up to a sundae bar, where they loaded the ice cream up with goodies. After taking one bite of her sundae, Maya sighed and said, "This restaurant is BEAUTIFUL!"

Happy Summer!

Artichokes

At only her first attempt at steamed artichokes, Maya realizes the real reason we eat them...for the butter.

Mother's Day

After all these years of dreading this holiday, avoiding church with its inevitable mention of mothers and restaurants with their banners and such, I AM A MOTHER on Mother's Day!

Last year I was legally a mother. Maya had the last name "Breininger" and the adoption was finalized, but it still stung to be wished "Happy Mother's Day!" as being a mom on paper doesn't count.

The last eleven months of motherhood have been everything but boring. We've slept very little, laughed more than ever, softened in so many ways, become multi-tasking attempters, lost a bunch of battles to a three-year-old, spent countless hours rocking, both to sleep and to any kind of music that's on, frequented family-friendly chain restaurants that were previously at the bottom of our list, lapped our block following a little red trike dozens of times and much much much more.

One of the things that has consumed most of our time, conversations and reading has been trying to get our girl to sleep. As if on cue, she slept in her own room all through the night for the very first time last night. Happy Mother's Day to me!!! We can only hope that this is the start of a long-lasting pattern.

To show the joy and humor that our girl has brought into our lives, here are a few of her recent quotes. Enjoy and Happy Mother's Day!

Me: What would you like for breakfast today?
Maya: Ice cream.
Me: We don't eat ice cream for breakfast.
Maya: Then I'd like lunch, please.


Maya: I'm trying to see what you're thinking.
Me: You can't see what I'm thinking, just like I can't see what you're thinking.
Maya: Yeah, my forehead's in the way.

Maya to a man whose name I won't mention: You have a beard in your nose!

Me: Maya, look at the clock and tell me what time it is please.
Maya: Seven oh-ty three. (7:03)

5k Success

Maya has been counting down the days to "Running Day" and woke up this morning talking about how today is the day that the police officers will say, "Sorry cars. You don't get to go on the streets today. Only friends."

She was right. The streets were blocked off and the morning began with a 1/4 mile kid run, which she whole heartedly participated in (photos at left). Then she hopped into the jogging stroller and we strolled the 5k. The weather was perfect, the turnout was great and thanks to a last minute donor I ended up in third place for fundraising, winning me a prize!

The exact total isn't in yet, but it's estimated that more than $15,000 was raised for Friends of the Orphans. Thanks for your support!