3 Years

November 25, 2006 started out like any other day but it was the day that changed my life forever. When I went to a friends wedding I didn't realize that I would meet my husband. I am so grateful that I am married to such an amazing man and I can't wait to see what God has planned for us in the future.

6 Months! (a little late but worth the wait)

I can't believe that William is already 6 months old. I remember thinking when he just came home that 6 months seemed so far away and now it's come and gone.
So much has happened this last month. It amazes me how much he changes every month. We started William on solid food. It took him about two sittings before he realized that he liked the stuff and he's never looked back. He started eating a couple bites once a day. After two days he started eating two jars twice a day. My boy likes his food!
William is now sitting by himself. He definitely doesn't do anything until he is good and ready to. We had been working on him sitting and he could do it but he refused to do it unless we were sitting right behind him. And then one day he just decided to start doing it by himself and hasn't quit. He's still not crawling but he has learned how to roll and is very happy to do that and not crawl. For about three weeks we keep thinking he's going to crawl any minute because he rolls over on his stomach, pushes up on his arms, gets up on his toes and pushes off and that's as far as he gets. After his first initial push off he then rolls over and begins rolling around the house. I'm convinced that this is his form of crawling and he's going to skip over the "normal" way of crawling.
We have had a very busy month. Kyle's dad and step mom came down to visit for 4 days. We all got VERY spoiled with them down here and can't wait to see them again. My mom came for a weekend and took care of William so Kyle and I could go out on a date and stay the night at a hotel for our anniversary. It was very much needed and we enjoyed it. I was surprised at how well I did leaving William for the whole night for the first time. I think it helped that it was mom taking care of him and we were only 5 minutes away. This last weekend my best friend and her husband came to the states from Australia and we met up with them in LA. We spent one day in Santa Monica doing the tourist thing and then we went to the San Diego zoo the next day. William did amazingly well for being drug around everywhere for two days.
*pics to follow shortly*

Adoption (warning: long)

Disclaimer: This post is about adoption so I have used my mom and siblings as examples. Also, I have struggled for almost two weeks to find the words I want to use to write this post so my words might be all over the place.

A couple weeks ago, the Today Show featured a story about a woman who gave her adopted child to another family because they weren't bonding (http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/33089578/ns/today-parenting_and_family/). I DO NOT agree with her decision to adopt the baby in the first place or give him to another family, I am trying not to judge her decision and this post is not about that. The hardest part about the interview was having to hear her be called a hero. I'm sure that the decision she made was a hard one and I'm sure she didn't take it lightly but in my opinion the decision she made does not make her a hero. The people who adopt and deal with attachment disorders and issues daily are the true heroes.

I have three adopted siblings who were adopted as older children and who have attachment issues. Like this woman, my mom did her research before she adopted and knew how to deal with the attachment issues according to the literature and the therapist but until you adopt a child with attachment issues you really don't know how to deal with it and each kid is different. What may work with one child won't work for the next. Like hundreds of parents who have adopted children with attachment disorders, my mom works with my siblings daily and some days are much harder than others. My sister J was 10 when she came home from Guatemala. She lived with her biological mom up until my mom and dad went to pick her up to bring her home. She was old enough to have a bond with her bio mom and she came home with plenty of memories. She formed an attachment with my dad fairly quickly but refused to get close to my mom or I. If my mom told her not to do something she would roll her eyes and stomp off. I remember the first Mother's Day she spent with us she walked right up to my mom and said "I'm not going to get you anything for Mother's Day because you're not my real mom." I could see the hurt on my mom's face but she said "it was ok because even though she wasn't J's bio mom she was still her mom and would be forever."

T was 10 and R was 7 1/2 when they came home from Brazil. They had lived in an orphanage most of their life. T has some memories of her bio family but all R remembers is that his dad was tall. Even though they didn't have a "family life" they were very used to living on the street and doing things on their own and not having someone telling them what to do. Part of the adoption process in Brazil is for the adopted parents to to go there for six weeks to make sure they the family is a good fit. The first day mom met the kids, they went home with her to the hotel and all hell broke loose. Mom had to hide all the knives because R chased her with one. She had to unplug the phone from the wall and hide her cell phone because the kids would call random numbers and tell them they needed help. She couldn't take a shower for three days because they would either destroy the hotel room because they couldn't get out or they would get out and run away. The lawyer finally stepped in and the kids settled down enough for them to get acquainted with mom. When they came home, T & R would talk to each other in Portuguese and would totally ignore mom. T was more receptive to mom's love but is still struggling with trusting her. She constantly has to know what is going on, what the plan for the day is, where mom is going, and when she's going to be home. If they are planning a trip T has to know when they are leaving, what time they are leaving, what they're going to be doing every minute of every day, why they are going, when they are going back, and how far away it is. She has to have complete control because she doesn't trust anyone but herself. When she first came home she would tell mom that Brazil was better than the states and had a fantasy built up in her mind of how life used to be for her. R is probably the most attached of the three but is about three years behind his peers in maturity and development. When he first came home he was prone to violent outbursts that would sometimes last weeks because he was upset about something. When he remembered to put on clean underwear, he would put them on backwards and inside out. He repeatedly told my mom that he hated her and wanted to go back to Brazil.

All three kids are still dealing with attachment disorders but because of my mom's love and hard work, they have made tremendous strides. J now tells mom she loves her daily and will actually talk to mom about her problems. She was the most improved student at school two years ago which is amazing since she never attended school in Guatemala. T still tries to control stuff when she is stressed out but she will talk to mom about it instead of trying to take control which means that she is starting to trust mom. R is still struggling to catch up to his peers but he is doing very well in school and puts his underwear on correctly every day. He still gets upset but reacts like most kids and is only upset for a little bit. He has even started apologizing when he gets upset.

I know that there are many families who are raising adopted kids who have attachment disorders, some worse than my siblings. I also know there are days when those parents feel like they can't continue raising their kids because it's too hard and they feel like they aren't making any progress but they keep loving their kids unconditionally and parenting them with everything they have because they are true heroes.

4-5 Months

William's 5 month birthday was spent at the airport welcoming home our good friend Evan from Iraq. He was there for 6 months as a contractor so it was good to see him get home safe and sound and reunite with his daughter and baby girl and it was a great way to spend the day. William is still sleeping very well and changing everyday. He is growing so much everyday and rapidly growing out of his clothes. He has quite the personality on him and LOVES to be the center of attention. When he's awake, our house is never quite because he is constantly cooing or screeching at the top of his lungs. He is learning how to tripod (sit up) and when he's on his stomach he is pulling his legs up under his stomach which is the start of him learning how to crawl. I'm hoping that he holds off the crawling for a couple more months because I am not ready to try to keep up with him. This month is pretty busy too. We're excited to see Kyle's dad and step-mom in the middle of this month and to celebrate Kyle's birthday. And of course we're excited for William's first Halloween. We still don't have a costume for him because Kyle "can't figure out the best costume for him."
That's about all that's been going on. Hopefully next month I won't wait so long to write an update. Here's some pictures from our trip to Spokane

Meeting Papa for the 1st time
Auntie Sara and William
Meeting Nana

Grandpa Stan

Meeting Uncle Tig for the first time. I love this picture of Tyler. He fell in love with William

Meeting Bobpa

Hanging out with Nana Shirley

Auntie Tati loving on William

Naked Pics

Everyone needs to take naked baby pictures and I am no exception to the rule. I personally think that they are for future blackmail plus they are just so cute. Please don't mind the dirty mirror. I didn't notice how dirty it was until I downloaded the pictures on the computer. Anyways, enjoy!

3 Months

Like true Anna-Lisa style, I'm just now getting to William's 3 month update. At least I'm only a couple days late!
It seems like William has grown up a lot since last month. He has started sleeping about 10 hours at night which is VERY nice for mom and dad. We are now formula feeding him so I'm sure that helps out. He has no interest in rolling over yet, but he loves rolling over to his side just enough to make us think he's going to go all the way and then he stops on his side and lays there. He is still talking up a storm but he is actually talking to more than just the blinds. He weighs about 14 pounds now and for those of you keeping track, that's double his birth weight already! His favorite thing to play with these days are his hands. He spends all day sucking, licking, and trying to put his whole hand in his mouth. He is even willing to try other people's hands and arms if you want to share. He now flirts with any female that wants to pay attention to him which worries his mama just a little but of course his dad encourages. He still is a very easygoing baby and we can take him anywhere with us. We have truly been blessed and I can't wait to see how much he grows over the next month.

My little Aggie
MMM...So good

Yummy

Mom, you're in my way. I can't see the tv

Ugghhh....I hate tummy time!

Happy Birthday to a very special lady

Happy birthday mama!! Today is my mom's birthday and I wish I was there to celebrate with her. My mom is an amazing person and gives everything she has to her kids and never complains. Kyle makes fun of me daily because my mom is one of my best friends and we talk at least once a day every day. I wish that she lived closer so I could see her everyday and she could watch William grow up and help me when I feel like I don't know what I'm doing. I hope that I can be the mom to William that she was to me. I love you mom and I'll see you soon. Have a wonderful birthday and make those siblings of mine take care of you and treat you like the queen you are.

P.S. William says that you are a great grandma but you don't look old enough to be his grandma.

Swimming

I have been dying to get in the pool this summer because it's been so hot but William hasn't been old enough (and I couldn't find a swimsuit that fit..oh the joys of pregnancy :P). I finally caved yesterday and bought him his first swimsuit and today we went to our friend Amanda's house to go swimming. William didn't really care about the whole thing. I was way more excited than he was. He sat on my lap the whole time with his legs in the water and didn't seem to mind it at all. At least he didn't cry the whole time.

Happy birthday to a very special sister

Today is my sister, Johana, 17th birthday. For those of you who don't know, 7 years ago we adopted Johana from Guatemala. We have definitely had our ups and downs but I can't imagine my life without her and I feel like she has been in our family her whole life. I am so lucky to have her as a sister. I wish I could be there to celebrate her birthday with her. I love you very much and I hope you have the best birthday ever!

Pictures

PIMP Suit
I'm this big!

Learned how to smile and hasn't stopped yet

His big boy shoes and AWESOME socks (thank you Aunty Ash for the socks!)

I'm so tired of pictures

Video

We got a video camera last week and I've been trying since then to catch William cooing. I took multiple videos but as soon as I turned the camera on, he became silent. So Kyle decided he would try it and of course he got it on his first try. Here's the link. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZHBBfaZFDw

2 Months!

This is a little late but my baby boy is 2 months old! It's a very odd feeling. On one hand, it seems like he's been around forever and is older than 2 months. On the other hand, it doesn't seem like he's that old. This month has brought quite a bit of changes. He has started smiling as Kyle and I and especially his favorite toy, the window blinds! He has also started cooing and every one in awhile he'll give us a little chuckle. Back to the blinds....William's favorite thing in the house are our blinds. When he's really fussy, Kyle will go lay him down on his changing table which is right by the window in his room, and William instantly stops crying. In the morning when he's laying our bed, he kicks his legs until he's laying sideways and can look at the window. He loves cooing at the blinds, smiling at them, and laughing at them. Its so funny to watch. The other big change this month is William has started SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!! He averages about 6-7 hours a night but has slept up to 8 hours. It is absolutely wonderful. Hopefully he doesn't decide to change and start waking up every couple hours. We had his two month appointment today and he weighs 12.12, he's 24 1/2 in. long. He's in the 75% for weight and the 95% for length.

Reading time with mommy
Happy he's not on his tummy

My favorite boys

HAPPY 4TH

Papa's Day

I wanted to say a Happy Father's Day to my dad and to Kyle. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful father. Thank you so much for everything you have done for me. I am also very blessed to have such an amazing father for my little boy. William is very lucky to have Kyle as his daddy. HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

Mariners Game!

The Seattle Mariners were in town playing the Padres so we took advantage of going to a game (William's first and Kyle's first Padres game) with the Mariners. We sat in the all you can eat section and it's very much all you can eat. We had an amazing time with our friends Mike and Rebekah and very much ate our fill of the food. The Mariners won 5-0 which made the whole night even better. William did great the whole game and actually spent most of it sleeping. I can't wait to go to another game. Someday I'll have to take him to Safeco Park to see a Mariners game in Seattle.Rebekah and I
William very much enjoying his first game

Mike and Rebekah
William and daddy

Our family

6 Weeks

When parents say that their kids grow up in a blink of an eye they are telling the truth. I just thought it was something parents say but it really does happen. I can't believe my little boy is already six weeks old. It seems like just yesterday we brought him home from the hospital although he is very much a different child. We had his one month appointment last week and he weighed in at a whopping 10 pounds 10 ounces. He had gained 44 ounces in exactly 21 days! He is in the 75% for weight and length but only in the 25% for his head size. Apparently our child has a tiny head :) Of course he's starting to stay awake for longer periods of time and has started smiling (not just poo smiles, real ones) and every once in awhile he'll coo at something. He loves lifting his head up and pushing away from us when we hold him. He's even started sleeping for longer periods of time at night. He now wakes up every 4 hours instead of every 3. It doesn't seem like a whole lot but trust me, it is! Maybe he'll start sleeping through the night soon :)

I almsot caught the whole smile

1 month old!

Our computer broke down last week so I couldn't write a post about William's one month birthday so I'm writing it now a little late. I can't believe it's been a month already. What everyone says about time flying with a baby is very true! It might be because my day is on a 3 hour schedule but whatever the reason, I wish time would stop or at least slow down. William is still doing great. He has been nicknamed my sidekick because he goes everywhere with me and he travels so well. I put him in the car seat and away we go. He hardly ever fusses when we're out and if he does fuss, he quickly stops. He is still waking up at night but sometimes he'll sleep for 4 hours in between feedings. I love those nights! He is staying awake longer and is focusing on everything around him. He loves looking at the blinds, the tv, and the design on our futon. Kyle and I are still finding parenting pretty easy (it helps when you have an easy baby). As of today, Kyle is off for 3 weeks! We don't really have any plans except to hang out with each other and enjoy our little man. Mom made a slide show for William's one month birthday and once again I'm going to add a link to her blog because I'm lazy and don't want to do another one. Enjoy! http://lisa-lisasfamily.blogspot.com/2009/06/happy-one-month-birthday-sweet-baby.html

3 weeks

William is peacefully sleeping so I figured I would write a little update. This week has been good and frustrating. William is now quite the chunky monkey and is learning how to hold his up. He is also staying awake for longer periods of time. He has also decided he needs to be fussy from 10 pm to 1 am which, according to my parents, he gets that from me. We are slowly learning how to deal with the fussiness and learning a lot of patience. Other than the fussiness at night, he's still a very easy going baby. Kyle's mom is coming down here on Saturday and will be here for two weeks. It will be nice to have her here to spend time with all of us. Here are pictures I took today. Enjoy!

Jack giving William kisses

Hating tummy time

You can't really tell, but he's holding his head up

Having a whining contest with daddy

Look how big I am

William looks like...

Since my mom already did all the work, I figured I would just post the link to her page. http://lisa-lisasfamily.blogspot.com/2009/05/who-does-william-look-like.html. Thanks mom

William update

William is sleeping with Kyle so I figured I would write a little update. I am so blessed with such a wonderful little boy. He is a great baby. The only time I have heard him cry is when he was first born (I know I just jinxed myself). He whimpers when you change his diaper and all he does is grunt when he's hungry. He is still eating very well and sleeping 4 hours at a time at night. Last night he slept in his bassinet for the first time. It took me three days to get the courage to put him in there all night but I finally did it. Amazingly he slept better in there than in our bed. He's starting to stay awake longer and longer at a time and has started making baby noises even though he doesn't know what he's doing. He's only 11 days old and I don't want him to grow up! As for Kyle and I, we are doing great. He is a wonderful dad and he's taking wonderful care of me. I don't know what I'm going to do when he has to go back to work on Monday :( I'm doing good. I'm still pretty sore but part of that is because I pushed myself a little too much the first couple days because I felt a lot better than I thought I would. I am very ready to feel "normal" again and even start working out. I was very blessed to have both my parents come down to help out last week. Dad was here for 4 days and mom was here for 10. Mom left yesterday and I'm not quite sure what to do with myself. It was great to have both of them down here and for 10 days, mom was the maid and the cook. She is more than welcome to move down here :)

Dad meeting his grandson for the first time

This doesn't look quite right. Good thing I caught it before she got on the plane :)

A week in review

I was going to post this yesterday because William turned a week old yesterday but the day slipped away from me. That seems to be happening more and more lately. This last week has been very surreal and amazing. William is such a good baby. He hardly ever cries. The only time he does is when we're changing his diaper. He doesn't even cry when he's hungry just roots around and grunts. At the beginning of the week we were a little worried about his weight (he lost 13 ounces by Tues.) and he was jaundice. By Saturday his Bili level was coming down and he had gained 9 ounces back. Since then he has been eating quite well and getting fat! He's even sleeping for 4 hours at a time at night which is AWESOME! We have an appointment tomorrow to make sure he's still doing well but I'm sure the doctor will have nothing but good things to say.

William Alfred Parrish

I have finally "allowed" my family to watch William for a bit so I can update everyone about his birth (only 4 days late!)

Saturday, 5/2/09, Kyle had plans to celebrate his best friend Christopher's birthday at the Pizza Port. It had been a very normal day. A few contractions but nothing out of the ordinary. I drove Kyle and Christopher to the Pizza Port around 7:00 pm and went home to enjoy a quiet night to myself. I got home around 8:00 and sat down to the computer with my McDonald's chicken sandwich. I was getting ready to play a nice hand of poker on Facebook and my water broke. Naturally I freaked out a bit. I called Kyle to tell him to quit drinking, get his pizza to go, and get a cab and come home. Him and Christopher came home about 30 mins later totally giddy and high on adrenaline. We got to the hospital around 9:45. We had to wait for a room before they would check me. When they finally checked me, I was still only 2 cm dilated so they wanted me to walk around to see if I could dilate more. I walked around for about an hour and started having really bad contractions. My nurse was amazing. She came and checked me again and I was still only 2 cm but she called the anesthesiologist to give me an epidural so I could try to get some sleep anyway. Around 7 am, the nurse came to check me and I was dilated to 5 cm. My mom showed up around 11:30 and by 12:30 I was fully dilated and started pushing (I apparently was waiting for her so she says). I pushed for about a 1/2 hour and the nurse decided to give me a break while she set up the room. By this time I was getting really uncomfortable on my left side and we realized that my epidural wasn't working. Not fun! We got that all situated and the doctor came in and I started pushing again. 3 1/2 hours later, my epidural started wearing off completely and I still wasn't making any progress. William was laying face up, sideways, and had his hand by his face. They also found out after he was born that his cord was wrapped around his body so every time I pushed, he would be pulled back inside. At this time we decided to use the Hoover Maneuver. It was so painful!! William Alfred Parrish was born at 4:00 pm after 4 hours of pushing. He weighed 7 lbs and was 21 1/4 inches. He was born with quite a cone head but was very healthy. Kyle was absolutely amazing. He was so helpful and was quite the cheerleader. We are very blessed!!