Lessons learned

OH my gosh, where to start.

Even though our new family member has no trouble sleeping through the night I am EXHAUSTED! I blame some of the fatigue on the general new feeling that is still hovering around us. Some moments it feels like we're babysitting, which forces me to feel "on" in that job interview way.

Lesson One: The other cause of the fatigue is how Rosie does constantly challenge us on just about everything. I mean everything--even putting on socks. I find myself staring into the eyes of a child and having to constantly think through my next move because she's really smart and picks up on any sign of inconsistency.

Lesson Two: Sounds cheesy, but bribes, incentives and positive reinforcements really work. This weekend we started a reward system where if Rosie did what we asked the first time we asked it, she got a sticker. Then we created daily goals. Today if she earned 7 stickers, we would play Guitar Hero, World Tour--which was decided by her.

If she failed to get 7, we would watch a movie instead. She earned her stickers. She seemed pleased with herself and life did seem a little easier sometimes thanks to those simple stickers. Plus, if she earns a specific number of stickers she can get a bigger reward of her choosing (within limits).

I worried that she would always expect to get a sticker for doing basic things, but my fears were short lived. Over time, I am guessing the reward system will fade away but the behavior will stay. Although, in training they never touched on that.

Lesson 3: Doubt is normal. At 4:30 this afternoon I was starting to panic that maybe this whole adoption was a mistake. Thoughts racing through my head included: "what did we do?" "I am not doing very good at this parenting stuff." "It's too late to get out now."

Lesson 4: Just six hours later, I'm feeling sad about her leaving tomorrow. What caused the change? My first parent lesson of the day: when I'm feeling worn out, Rosie is probably, too, and that's the best time to just head home. We got groceries, I made spaghetti while Rosie and Mike studied for her state capitol test, and we all seemed less stressed.

A Hallmark moments:
As we put Rosie to bed, I asked if we should all read a book. She said, "I want you to read me a story."  Brilliant! That's just what I meant. So I read a chapter of "Matilda" (her choice), with Mike sitting and listening while she fell asleep.