Progress

We are delighted to report that Kiana is a fantastic sleeper!!  Our last update was that she was sleeping in the Pack-N-Play in our room... she now sleeps in a crib in her bedroom - yay!!  Kiana typically fights bedtime with some very loud (but short-lived) screaming and crying, then she grabs a blanket, buries her head in it, and resigns herself to sleep:

Once down, Kiana sleeps through the night - we rarely hear a peep from her, we are so fortunate!  Daddy reported his first 'no cry' night tonight when he put her to bed - a big milestone!  We are hoping that the more peaceful retirement becomes the 'new normal.'

We have also made great progress with bathtime!  Kiana's first several baths were all very short with her standing and screaming (did I mention she screams very loudly?) the entire time - it was hard on everyone.  We recently moved the toddler tub to our loft play area and encouraged the kids to play in it - it became 'the boat.'  Kiana slowly warmed up to the tub:

All aboard!

Zander started practicing his evacuation skills - a big leap!



'I'm king of the world!'

We also found that singing to Kiana in the tub often calmed her crying - a fortunate discovery.  Zander has been such a great big brother wanting to keep his sister from feeling sad.  He has been helping carry the tub between the bathroom and play area and has been selecting and singing songs for Kiana - thanks for all your help buddy!

The kids have been enjoying fun 'toddler towels' that their cousins Luke and Brady used to use.  Kiana wears the Froggy:

 And Zander wears the Lion - which can be hilarious at times!

Some evenings, Daddy lifts the kids up for a 'ride':

So fun - and Daddy gets a hefty arm workout - a definite win-win!

Kiana continues to become more and more comfortable in our home.  Here she helps herself to some of Zander's sport-related toys:

Right now, her favorite is to carry around one of Zander's new golf clubs:

She has also enjoyed spending some time on our deck and in our back yard:

 Meanwhile Zander has been working on his balance:

 Ta da!!

On Saturday, we visited the big Maple Grove playground.  We had a fine time riding the bumble bee...

...and the ladybug!

Daddy and Zander climbed to the very top of the slide structure - can you see them waving inside the top level?

The girls:

 Zander enjoyed climbing through the big rope structure:

Whoa, I'm up high!

Climbing up toward Daddy:

We made it!

 After a busy day, Kiana was ready for a drink:

And a rest in the hammock:

This week has been busy - we had our first 'post-placement' check-in meeting with our adoption social worker on Tuesday.  On Wednesday, we spent several hours at the International Adoption Clinic at the University of Minnesota for an assessment... details to follow!