Points to Ponder

Not much to tell, but my agency called to schedule a time to talk about the Russian Travel Check List. So, that sounds like....something. I think they are just checking on me to make sure I'm not freaking out. I'm not, but alot of parents waiting to adopt are. There are all these yahoo groups and websites dedicated to Russian adoption and they can sometimes stress you out. I've read about some really tragic journeys. So, I just check them out from time to time, but don't get too involved.

Anyway, I've been talking to mother's about raising children, reading lots and lots of books, and speaking with my international adoption pediatrician. Bringing home your newborn child from the hospital and bringing home your newly internationally adopted baby are hardly the same. Parenting institutionalized children is differnt from parenting a baby you've bonded with since they came into this world. Here are some things I've been thinking on:

1) Where will baby sleep when she gets home. It's been suggested that I put the crib in my bedroom or co-sleep with my baby because she will be used to sleeping with lots of people around. Putting her in a room by herself will stress her out. If she wakes in the middle of the night and can't see me, she may think she's been abandoned again.

2) Picking out a stroller isn't as easy as it may seem. I need one that will have my daughter facing me for a while.... because she may be afraid to be pushed first into a world she has never experienced....hotels, airports, restaurants, walks in the park, etc. She needs to see me. They don't make many strollers like that for older babies.

3) My daughter may eat like a linebacker when she gets home. Food is at a premium in orphanages. When internationally adopted children come to their new homes, they may eat everything in sight or they may grab that box of Twinkies in the cabinet and hide it in their cribs or pockets. My docs say to let her hoard or overeat and not stop her.....unless she is making herself sick. Eventually, she will realize that she will be fed on a regular basis.

4) Bouncy seats and walkers are not good ideas because babies are put in these contraptions all day long in orphanages. A friends child who came to her from Korea has permanent marks on her body from being hung in a walker that was too big for her for days on end. My baby will probably be self rocking anyway....no need to encourage this self-soothing. She needs human contact.

Lots and lots to think about........