Now that we are home...

We are home and settling in.  Things have really been an adjustment for all of us (including Sheba, our dog).  They boys are actually settling in rather well for the circumstances.  Most of the time things are rather 'normal' with some road bumps and tank traps thrown in.

It never ceases to amaze us at how we plan for things then realize after the fact that we need something new or different.  For example, Michael doesn't do well if he has too much space to move around in on the bed.  When we were in Archangelsk, he literally moved all over the king-sized bed we all slept in while staying asleep.  The only time he woke up was when he rolled off the bed onto the floor.  In Moscow, he slept in a standard sized crib and did really well.  He moved around in it, but not as much as the larger bed.  When we tried nap/quiet time on the big bed, he didn't do so well.  We realized that he would need a side rail on his twin bed here at home, so after we unloaded the van, took potty/diaper change breaks and got a drink, we made a list and headed to Wal-Mart.  Definitely a new experience for us all.  Chris commandeered the basket with the boys, while Rachael lead the way with an empty basket for the stuff we needed: side rail for Michael's bed, trashcan with a lid for the dirty pull-ups in the boys' room, more pull-ups for both boys (especially Michael), security lock thingy for the front door (they can open the deadbolt right now; we are going to change it to one that uses a key instead), bibs for Michael (he is a really messy eater, regardless of what he is eating), sippy cups with straws (we are on our second set, the Nuby ones aren't really working well; the Playtex ones seem to be a winner), booster seat for Michael and several other things I can't remember right now.  Needless to say, the basket was rather full by the time we left.  David was asleep in the basket and Michael wasn't far behind him.

So far, they have been to Wal-Mart 5 times, Babies-R-Us once and Kroger's once since we have been home (and we got home last Thursday!).  The original side rail we got didn't work out as good as we hoped.  The twin beds the boys have are storage/platform beds that don't use a box spring under the mattress.  The first side rail we got had a wide base on the post that didn't fit in the space that was available between the mattress and the edge of the platform.  We finally found a 'Cars' side rail at Babies-R-Us that works and fits great!  It is amazing how such a little thing can make a big difference!

Of course when we bought a trashcan for the pull-ups, we totally forgot about something to help with the smell.  Wet ones aren't so bad, but whew!  The dirty ones can make a stench!  Even Sheba turns away when I am taking out the trash bag!  We got a small trashcan so that we won't have too many in there before we have to take the bag outside.  We are trying a box of the Arm-n-Hammer Fridge deodorizer and hope it will work.  We may have to look into other options in the future.  Like I said, even Sheba crinkled her nose when I walked past.  Whatever we are feeding the boy is coming out strong!  We have already figured out that apple juice goes right through him (even watered down!).  Guess we will have to water it down some more or not give him any for a while....

The booster seat for Michael is working out really well.  David is having problems sitting upright on the chair, so we now have 2 pillows behind him and it seems to help a lot.  He still doesn't like to sit up straight in any chair (including the booster seat in the cars; the kind with the high back that is detachable) and we will check with the doctor about any possible back issue that may be causing it.  Or it could be that he is a four-&-a-half year old that wants to do it all his way.

Anyway, there is too much noise coming from their room during 'quiet time' right now (another blog to come all about nap/quiet time) so I had better check it out.

Thanks for the prayers; please keep them coming!