Thursday, June 17, 2010

Meeting Great Grandma!


Yohanna was finally able to meet one of her three living great grandmas this past weekend. Grandma didn't really get a chance to hold Yohanna as she was VERY active exploring her surroundings at our cousin's house, playing with baby Dean, and teasing a very large lab.

Yohanna is talking like crazy! She says so many words and phrases in English now - her brain is a little sponge soaking up everything it can. She says "I love you" but it actually comes out "I lo lu." A few of her other cute words are "Amen," "Good Girl," and "Puppy No."

Nap time remains preceded by a ride home in the car from a strategically scheduled errand or a stroller ride down the street. The other day I decided I was going to get her to sleep without the car or stoller.....well....over 1.5 later I gave up. I put her in the stroller and she was asleep by the time I got 6 houses away from my house! Bedtime is improving....usually she is asleep within 30 minutes now and resists much less!

Monday, June 7, 2010

Friends are fun and so is the dog water bowl!


Yohanna had her first photo shoot thanks to the youth group photo day. She had fun playing in the park with 5 wonderful children that belong to our dear, dear friends! Of course, all the attention from the teens was a blast!

Yohanna is really starting to enjoy the dogs.....well, a little too much. Today she managed to start playing in the outside dog bowl! Yuck! But before I could get her hands out of it she managed to dunk her face in the water! The girl LOVES water! At least it was bath time soon!

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Adjusting well...I think


It has been a fun week. I am trying to adjust to being home all day long with a toddler. The day goes by soooo much quicker when I actually get out of the house! So far, I have found that she likes water, slides, swings, trampolines, and stroller rides. She went on 2 runs with Daddy this week. She also loves young people - other toddlers all the way to high schoolers! They captivate her and make her giggle. She experienced her first small group bible study at our house this week.
Yes, Yohanna is adjusting well to home, mommy and daddy, meeting lots of new people and the dogs! No, she doesn't like naptime, bedtime, or food being rationed or taken away from her. Sometimes she falls asleep well. Other times it turns into a 2-3 hour ritual. BUT, praise the Lord that she sleeps well through the night once she is asleep. We put the highchair away in the closet between meal times to avoid major meltdowns due to food - seems to be a good trick so far. Yohanna now allows the dogs to be nearby while she plays and occassionally tries to give "tea" to them - even including a slurping noise. Her favorite words right now are "Arni" and "Daddy." She is quite a climber as I have already witnessed her jump from a chair to a bed (Yes, I am an alert Mommy but that one got away from me) and stand on the dining room table (YIKES!) So far she hasn't climbed over baby gates so I can contain her a bit. Let's pray she never learns that trick. So, from what we can see....she will either be a runner or a gymnast. Ha, Ha! She has to learn to run without falling first!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Drew and Dinky in Chicago


Yohanna Dinknesh finally got to meet Aunt Carrie, Uncle D, and cousin Drew....of course, it had to happen with a fabulous trip to Chicago. Drew and Dinky had fun playing in the hotel, playing at the park, walking Navy Pier, and riding around in strollers! Aren't they sooooo cute in their Cubs floppy hats???? We can't wait to play with cousin Drew again!
Dinky's doctor's appointment went well - she is a healthy girl who just needs nutrition! By the way, she LOVES the swimming pool. Daddy took her swimming and she just wanted to stick her head in the water face first!