Its been a bit longer between posts than usual, I apologize. I just haven't found the time to blog. Lots has happened, I'll do my best to update without making this tooooo long.
First on everyone's minds, I am sure, is Miss Luna. She is doing well. She is back on her acid reflux medication, and it started helping almost instantly. She began sleeping better within two days of being back on it. She has not miraculously started sleeping through the night, but most nights I am only up with her twice, which is fine with me! She
usually sleeps about 12 hours a night, and I feed her before I go to bed and one to two times during the night.
We have introduced new vegetables into her diet, and she has so far tasted carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, and zucchini. She doesn't seem to care much for the broccoli, but she eats it anyway - just cracks me up with her "yuck" faces. She is having trouble with constipation, a common problem after the introduction of solids apparently. We've been giving her glycerine suppositories as necessary (poor thing!), and today we are introducing fruits, which is supposed to help. So starting today, she will get one portion of vegetables mixed with potatoes and olive oil and one portion of fruit mixed with baby cereal and orange juice. And she continues to nurse regularly.
Luna got the last of her shots this past Thursday. She still has one oral immunization left, but that's it until her first birthday. Her height (63 and a half cm) and weight (6.710 kg) are right smack in the middle of the growth charts, so she is growing just right. Her head continues to be on the large side, but its growing at a smooth rate so the doctor is not concerned. Its got to be that big to contain all her brains! She is a little smarty.
Her biggest achievements this month have been perfecting rolling over (she uses it as a means of transportation now) and the
discovery of her feet, which she chews on all the time. The doctor told us babies usually don't discover their feet until five or six months, so we're very proud of our little toe nommer. She has also started laughing big belly laughs now, which is the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. The first time she did it, G and I looked at each other and discovered we both had tears in our eyes. Unfortunately, I haven't caught the belly laughs on video yet, but I will eventually!
As for mama, I've had a rough week. After much discussion, we decided its not financially possible for us to visit home this fall as we had hoped. I have been very homesick and the thought of that trip has been keeping me going, so I am struggling pretty hard now. I don't know when we will be able to make it home, and I am extremely saddened that my family and friends will not get to meet Luna while she is a baby. Many thanks to all the family and friends who have sent such touching and heartfelt emails to cheer me up and to remind me that being here is what is best for my family. Special thanks, also, to my friend Ambre here in Belgium, who has been great at helping to cheer me up this week. I will survive, I know, and eventually I will adjust to being so far from home.
In other mama news, we reported to the office regarding my integration classes. We don't know much more than we did before we went, though. I learned that I am required to complete 60 hours of social orientation and 120 hours of Dutch instruction. Which seems like way too much social orientation and way too little Dutch, but nobody asked me. :) Classes are in 3 hour blocks 2 to 4 times a week, so depending on which schedule I choose, I could be doing up to six hours of classes 2 to 4 days a week. Which means that the whole process will be completed within 3 or 4 months, but during that time I will be away from Luna a whole hell of a lot. The next step is to meet with our intake counselor, and our appointment for that isn't until September 20th. At that time we can explain our situation and they will supposedly work with us to find a solution. The woman we met with did say that they will pay for daycare and transportation, and pointed out that the waiting list for government sponsored daycare is so long that we may not have to worry about the breastfeeding issue because she will be weaned before we get a placement. So classes are not imminent. Which is a relief and a frustration all at once, to be honest. I do not want to put Luna in daycare, and I do not want to be away from her for 20 plus hours a week. The thought of that makes me tear up - I would miss so much - she changes so much every day! But, on the other hand, I am also extremely frustrated to not know the language and I will be happy to finally learn it. I wish I could start language classes now, somewhere closer to home for shorter intervals, and wait for the ridiculous social integration classes when Luna starts school. (Kids start school at two and a half here.) But again, nobody asked me. I will have to do whatever they tell me, unfortunately. I had all I could do to not roll my eyes when the woman we spoke with said, "So, I understand you received an invitation from us?" I think the word she was looking for was ultimatum.
G's toes are still giving him trouble, but he is back to work. He is not happy about that - he had gotten used to the extra time with Luna and is convinced she is already becoming less interested in him now that he is not here as much. I'm not sure if that is true, but I do pity him having to be away from her so much. I am very lucky to be able to stay home with her!
Enough for one post, I don't want to put anyone to sleep. I could write four more pages about the new things Luna has been doing every day, but I'll resist. Will try to update a little sooner next time. I hope everyone is doing well!
