Another new blog....

You can now find us here:

http://itishereandnow.blogspot.com/

New Blog...

We have a new blog -

http://www.cracksofsunlight.blogspot.com

See you there!

4+ years later...

Our Aubree is doing great. It's hard to believe it's been over four years since we brought her home! She's a wonderful little girl and she brings us such joy.

Unfortunately, the site we used (Photosite) to post all of our pictures while we were in Ukraine is now discontinued but I hope to get them posted somewhere else soon.

For now - here is a picture of the girls taken over the summer. Brenna (7) on the left and Aubree (4.5) on the right.

Finally an Update!

It has been so long since I've posted! I can't believe that Aubree has been home with us for over a year and half already! It's amazing. Time just flies by! I mean, it's April already!

We celebrated Aubree's 3rd birthday last Sat. She dove right into opening her presents 'tho I don't think she even noticed them. She would just throw stuff off out of the bags and keep digging! She had lots of fun though.

Aubree has come a long way since we brought her home in Aug. of 2004. I look at her sometimes and I just think about how different her life would be right now if she was still in that orphanage. I am just so happy that she is with us!

It has taken Aubree a long time to truly come out of her shell. I would say that in the last few weeks we have really seen a difference. She is really talking now - we can't understand her when she really gets going but she's saying something. I would say she is a little behind in her speech but I'm not worried about it at all.

I think she is almost potty trained! She was playing outside today and she ran to the door to tell me she had to use the bathroom! Yea! What a break through!

Aubree is still very cautious with me and that's hard for me but I know she is not doing it intentionally, obviously. We are not fully attached to one another but I know the day will come. It's been hard but the good moments are so worth it! Her relationship with Dave and Brenna is wonderful! She hasn't had any major attachment issues with them and it's great to see her relationships with them thrive.

Brenna and Aubree have a great time together. It's like they have been sisters forever. Brenna is a mother hen with Aubree - it's funny to watch. They are both girly-girls and can spend hours playing dress up.

Aubree takes a Parent/Tot Tumbling class with Dave and she loves! She's good, too! She loves to swing on the rings.

Aubree is growing like a weed! I think she is going to be tall. And she is very skinny. She can wear size 24 months for pants - the only problem is the length. The size is way too short for her but they fit her perfectly in the waist because she is so thin! So, I am glad summer is here so she can wear shorts in the size she needs and the length doesn't matter.

I guess, that's about it. We are all doing good. I will post a few new pictures of the girls soon.

Shannon

Great Summer!

The summer has flown by so fast! Aubree is doing great. She has been home for a year now and has come so far! She turned two in April. She is really starting to talk now. I would say that she is a little behind in her speech but not too bad. She doesn't talk in sentences yet but she puts two or three words together. She is still a skinny little thing but she is growing in height. I think she is going to be tall. She is very smart and such a sweet little girl.

We had a lot of fun this summer. We took the girls to Wisconsin Dells in June and they had so much fun. We did a little bit of everything...waterpark, boating, swimming at the beach, the Deer Park, amusment park rides, horseback riding. Also, to celebrate our 1st Annual Family Day on Aug. 17th (the one year anniversary of Aubree joining our family) we took the girls boating and swimming. It was a great day. Other than that we have just been enjoying our days swimming and playing.

I have added some pictures to our photosite. Enjoy!
www.damicofamily.photosite.com

I hope everyone had a wonderful summer!

Shannon

Day By Day...

We continue to work with Aubree on her attachment issues...or what we think are attachment issues. The biggest one is that she still clings to almost anyone (especially Dave) and pretty much doesn't want much to do with me (Mama). Some days are better than others but, mostly, she just seems to tolerate me. But I just keep at it. I hug her, kiss her, play with her, care for her, etc. and just hope, eventually, things will fall into place.

Brenna and Aubree continue to form a great relationship. They enjoy each other so much and it's great to watch them together.

So, we are "chugging along" here and doing our best. Adoption has been much more of a challenge then I thought it would be and has been a different experience than I thought it would be but we are grateful and lucky to have Aubree and we enjoy watching her come out of her shell more each day.

Shannon

A GREAT HOLIDAY SEASON...

The girls had a great X-Mas. Brenna couldn't wait for X-Mas to come...it was hard keeping her away from those presents! It was Aubree's first X-Mas ever but she had no trouble diving into her presents and ripping off the wrapping paper! I think her favorite present is a baby doll and doll stroller that my mom got her. She feeds her baby the little bottle and takes such good care of it. And she could push that stroller around all day long. The girls went to see Santa and Aubree was fine once we gave her a cookie to nibble on while she sat in his lap for the picture. That girl will do anything for food.

Aubree is doing good. She still can't get enough food as far as she is concerned. We don't let her get overstuffed though. She is starting to get a little more picky about food which I think is a good thing. Up until just a few weeks ago she would eat absolutely anything. She just wanted food and she would eat it so fast and swallow it whole and she still does this at times. But, for the most part, she is eating more slowly and starting to figure out what she actually likes and doesn't like.

There are some other issues we are working on with her but, mostly, she is doing great and seems really happy. She is exploring more than ever and is quick to smile and giggle. And she is really starting to talk. She says "no Sissy", "no dog", "juice please", "eat please". She will pretty much try out any word we say.

She was just in for another round of vaccinations. Oh my, did she have a fit! Poor little thing. Brenna turned to me and said, "Mama, I can't watch this". She has to go back in a month for more shots and then again 6 months after that. Then I think she will almost be up to date with all her shots.

Brenna is still loving her little sister but, my oh my, is she a bossy big sister. All I here all day is "no Aubree!", "stop Aubree!", "come over here Aubree", "don't touch Aubree". So, we are trying to work on this even though I know it's totally normal. But she has to learn that she is not the Mama!

Oh, and I just have to share that my favorite X-Mas gift was from my dad. He gave us this picture frame/plaque. On one side is Aubree's picture and on the other side it reads:
"To our new little girl. You're the newest shining star on our family tree." Oh, I just teared up. I thought it was so wonderful and touching that my dad thought to get it. Thanks, Dad, I love you.

I've posted some new pictures at: www.damicofamily.photosite.com

A few of the pictures are of a birthday party we had for Aubree. It's wasn't her actual 1st birthday, obviously, but we knew she didn't have a birthday party when she turned one and we wanted her to have one. She had lots of fun!

Happy New Year!

Shannon and Dave