One Month

This is at the orphanage when she was placed in my arms. This was her main caregiver nanny, a very sweet, little woman, especially compared to me!!


It has been one month since Maelie was placed in my arms in Vietnam. At once, it seems like only yesterday, and that she's always been with us. It's kind of a yin/yang feeling. I've gone from losing my freetime to gaining playtime with Maelie. From eating out in restaurants at the drop of a hat to being happier eating a bowl of soup at home. From relishing sleeping in to enjoying naptime. From reading novels before bed to reading 'Goodnight Moon.' From lying awake at night to falling asleep before my head hits the pillow. I won't lie and say it hasn't been an adjustment for me, Mike, or the Yorkies, but it's been a good transition. Maybe not for the Yorkies who haven't quite figured out what this new four-legged crawling creature is yet!!

I can honestly say I have never felt more complete, more happy. Even with 3:00 a.m. diaper changes, the kind when you wonder, 'How can one baby poop this MUCH???' Even when I end up wearing her dinner attempt at peas. Even when I'm dead tired, in bed, look at the clock and it's only 9:00 p.m. THIS is what I have been waiting for, this indescribable feeling of love and completeness. And not just for Maelie, but for Mike, as well. When he gets up with me every night at 3:00 a.m. to help change and feed Maelie, my heart swells and I couldn't love him more. When he took the day off to watch her because I didn't feel good, it was better than if he had handed me a 5 carat diamond. When he told me just a few days after we got home from Vietnam that he was up on the firetruck and told himself to be careful, because he has a child now, I had to turn away to hide the tears in my eyes. And, yes, he'll deny everything, he'll come up with some silly comment to cover it up, but in this short amount of time, less than a month for him, he is totally wrapped around Maelie's finger, and in love with her. He can't deny what I can see shining in his eyes.

Here are a few statistics on Miss Maelie:

* She is 7 months old
* She weighs 15 lbs 15 ounces
* She is 27 inches long
* She LOVES music and dancing
* She loves lights and motion
* She's not too keen on solid foods yet, but we try. She likes meat!!
* She will go to sleep by herself, after we tuck her in
* She still scratches her ear and pulls her hair when she's tired and falling
asleep
* She has never minded her carseat, or stroller, as long as we're in motion
* She likes her formula warm, and does NOT drink juice
* She wears a size 6 months...some 9 months are even good because of length
* She loves seeing other babies and children, photos of herself, and mirrors
* She has a sweet disposition, babbles a bit now, and seems to learn fast

She is the pride of my life and I love her and my family to the moon and back.