The 3 of us did not really have a great night, but that did not translate into the day. Eli seemed to be even more active this night, and woke us both up a number of times during the night, and woke up pretty early. Neither Hilary or I felt like waking up as early as he did, so I went back to sleep as Hilary took care of Eli during the early morning. Then when I woke up Hilary went and had a nap, while I took Eli for a walk in the carrier. I got looked at funny all the way through. We walked over to Bole Road, and I was shocked to see that there were no vehicles driving on the street, and the people walking were not walking on the street. Seemed quite odd. There were also lots of military type personnel every 30 feet or so down the street. Turns out that there was a African Union conference happening here, so there were lots of important people driving from the airport to wherever the conference was happening. In a stroke of luck, Eli and I witnessed one of these convoys driving by.. Was kinda cool.
We had lunch around noon, and spent some time playing in the hotel room... Eli was mostly happy, but really wanted me to hold him almost all morning. It feels like there is more responsibility here, as Eli now depends on us for everything.
We had a small meltdown as he went down to sleep. He really does not like to sleep. That being said, once he is lying down, he very rarely gets up, and seems to understand that this means he has to go to sleep, and generally falls asleep within a few minutes. (obviously takes after me in the ability to sleep easily :))
After the nap, we hung out, and generally played around. Hilary and Eli went out to watch the rain. Eli loves the rain, and would probably have run out into the rain, if he had been allowed and wasn't in the carrier. He was content to play in the hotel, as we looked forward to supper. Eli and I went down to order supper, and as a result, we decided that we would eat our supper in the lobby area where there were a number of other families and their adopted children hanging out for supper. We enjoyed supper, and visiting with the other families, and just generally feeling a little more settled.
After supper, we came back to our room, and did some reading to Elijah. Here is a picture of Hilary reading to a newly pajama'ed Eli.
Again, tantrum before going to sleep, and it seemed to take a bit longer to fall asleep, but he eventually did, and we spent the rest of the evening killing some time online. It was a good day.
We had lunch around noon, and spent some time playing in the hotel room... Eli was mostly happy, but really wanted me to hold him almost all morning. It feels like there is more responsibility here, as Eli now depends on us for everything.
We had a small meltdown as he went down to sleep. He really does not like to sleep. That being said, once he is lying down, he very rarely gets up, and seems to understand that this means he has to go to sleep, and generally falls asleep within a few minutes. (obviously takes after me in the ability to sleep easily :))
After the nap, we hung out, and generally played around. Hilary and Eli went out to watch the rain. Eli loves the rain, and would probably have run out into the rain, if he had been allowed and wasn't in the carrier. He was content to play in the hotel, as we looked forward to supper. Eli and I went down to order supper, and as a result, we decided that we would eat our supper in the lobby area where there were a number of other families and their adopted children hanging out for supper. We enjoyed supper, and visiting with the other families, and just generally feeling a little more settled.
After supper, we came back to our room, and did some reading to Elijah. Here is a picture of Hilary reading to a newly pajama'ed Eli.
Again, tantrum before going to sleep, and it seemed to take a bit longer to fall asleep, but he eventually did, and we spent the rest of the evening killing some time online. It was a good day.
Great update again...love 'em.
ReplyDeleteMakes perfect sense re: tantrums before sleeping - sleeping (for any children, but even more so for children with attachment issues) means the biggest/longest possible separation from their caregivers and that's a very scary place for kids to be. That's so often why kids resist falling asleep. When my kids struggle with this still on occasion, I'll often give them something of mine to sleep with. This might not mean much for Eli yet b/c he's still getting to know you but you could always try taking off your shirt and giving it to him or tucking it around him...can't hurt to try. When he's older, I've got other strategies for you to try!
You're doing great, Mom & Dad.
Praying for you!! Hugs and love,
Ruth
BTW, congrats on having been there for almost two weeks...you're making it folks!! It must feel nice to be feeling a little more comfortable. Way to go!!
ReplyDeleteRuth
Hi Sheldon & Hilary & Eli, so great to read about the exciting adventure you're on! Sheldon, you resemble Chris O'Dowd, the Irish actor; maybe that's why people were giving you funny looks. Or they thought you two should have been part of the convoy, as part of the Intergenerational Youth Forum. Or both. :) Enjoy every remaining minute out there, even experiences that seem bizarre, knowing you'll be able to share these narratives about Eli's origins with him in time. (Like Mary, Luke 2:19, who treasured/preserved words in her heart.)
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