Who is that doggie in the window?

Hi Everyone-

So today was my first completely full day away from the kiddos. I had to leave the house at 6am to go up to B'ham to get some work done and I was gone from 6am to 7pm. I have been on a modified schedule to give Aaron a bit of respite in the afternoons and today was a real test of his stamina. The kids were a bit put off that I was not there when they woke up but they rallied well with a song about their new shoes that they sang over the phone to me at breakfast time. So cute.

Apparently the rest of the day went pretty well- a visit from Aunt Marion, Uncle Jim and Baby Mitzi was well received and everyone had good times. I got home just in time for dinner and Sasha had me hold him on my lap to feed him- he was in need of a little 'baby' time and I was more than happy to oblige. For those of you not well versed in 'attachment adoption parenting' if the kiddos tell you they need to be babied- they do! It is because they did not get the baby time when they were physically babies and this helps them feel secure and loved. So if he needs to be fed on my lap occassionally and is aware enough to know this and ask for it then woo-hoo we will do it his way!

We are having some bed time trauma (or Aaron is, they still dont like me in the room at bedtime due to bad memories of bed time) and they are not interested in sleep tonight- more so than usual it seems. But I am SURE we will prevail in this and Aaron will get them settled and off to dream land, where they will stay for at least 3 hours if we are lucky!

But the really good news from today is that we decided to pursue the whole kid-doggie connection a bit more agressively. We have been very diligent about the kids and the dog being very very separated- because the kids are scared. We have done everything you are supposed to do with the dog play outside and kids watching inside from the window and vice versa. We have watched videos of Aga, we have watched Mama play with Aga, Papa play with Aga. We even have the kids playing "Aga Sabaka" with each other where they pretend to be dogs and run around "arfing" and giving doggie kisses. But this has not translated to them being willing to be anywhere near her- to date we have always needed a real door or a window between them or there have been terrified tears and screams.

So, due to that fact and because it was pouring and Aga couldnt stay outside for long periods of time today we decided that if we just put her in the laundry room/office area and put a bigger baby gate up between there and the play room then the kids would eventually deal with her being that close. Aaron just refused to shut the big door and said that's it- the giant baby gate is safe and you will be fine. It worked! They were not thrilled to say the least but they do seem a little less averse at the end of the day. I think maybe in a couple of days they may even let her in the same room. It was also good for Aga- she got to watch them more closely and get more used to their sounds and actions- always a good thing. I think she honestly is waiting for them to go home so she can have her mommy and daddy back - but she will be fine once everyone starts loving each other! So YAY- maybe by next week we will be one big happy family and Aga will be able to sleep in our room again and not be shuttled around the house based on where the kids are moving to each moment. She will be so much happier and so will we!

I mean, look at the pictures above, is this a dog you couldnt just want to cuddle up too??

SKB