For any who have been wondering about our current foster placement here’s an update: Rose is thriving physically, weighing in at over 14 pounds last month at her six month doctor’s visit! Many of my friends and family members have commented about the improvement and contrast in her appearance (specifically her healthier-looking color and weight gain) since she was first placed into our care, which is good to hear because when you’re with someone all the time such changes might not be as readily apparent.
Her eyelashes and nails are growing like crazy and her hair is finally starting to come in thick, too. Rose is teething, eating solids, babbling, squawking, and ROLLING all over the place. I wish I could report that she’s sleeping through the night- which she did for a couple of blessed weeks- but one look at the bags under my eyes would quickly tell you otherwise. I blame it on a growth spurt which, despite my preference for sleeping through the night, is actually a good thing. At least that’s what I have to remind myself as I drag myself out of bed each morning at 3:30 as soon as I hear my fussy “alarm clock” automatically going off in the nursery!
I am happy to report that Rose’s reflux/spit-up has greatly improved over the past month so that she was taken off her medications and she no longer has to wear a bib at all times during the day. It’s also been nice not to have to change her (or my own) outfit multiple times a day and it has significantly cut down on the laundry.
Rose is a very sociable baby and smiles and coos at just about everyone she sees. Needless to say, she hasn’t quite entered into the stranger anxiety phase yet, but it is clear that she prefers me over others as her primary caregiver. In fact, I’ve had a few awkward moments when I’ve dropped her off or picked her up at visits and rather than looking at her mom who is eager to greet her or say goodbye, Rose keeps her little smile and gaze steadily fixed in my direction. At one such instance I turned to little Rose and with a tone of mock chastisement, I told her, “Look at your MOMMY- not me!” to which she just cooed and smiled. Another time when she wouldn’t stop staring at me her mother said, “You’re gonna’ make me jealous!” I’m not sure if her remark was directed towards her own baby or towards me. Jealousy and possessiveness in foster parent/birthparent relationships or even open adoptions is another topic I’d like to explore further but that will have to wait for another post.
Back to Rose . . . although she seems to prefer me to other caregivers I believe the honor of her favorite person in the world, however, is a title reserved for our daughter. Rose adores her and watches her every move and lights up at the sound of her voice or whenever she enters the room. My favorite part of the day is hearing Rose and my little girl giggle together as they play.
Our daughter has enjoyed Rose for the most part, but she also gets annoyed when she cries too much (thankfully her colicky days are over but now she’s moving on to teething which ushers in its own share of fussiness and tears as well.) Another annoyance for our little girl is when Rose grabs one of her toys with her eager little fingers, sticks it in her mouth (as all babies do), and starts chewing away like a little puppy dog. The result is that my daughter’s toy is covered in slobber, or worst case scenario: spit-up. My little girl takes it personally and is crushed. During one such instance my melodramatic daughter burst into tears and exclaimed “She spit up on my favorite teddy!” (As if the baby intentionally set out to do it). An oft-repeated lecture then ensues on my part about how babies will put anything into their mouths and she should remember to keep her special toys separate from the baby toys and out of the reach of little hands (and mouths).
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