Raina has been an absolute joy and we have had more visitors today...no tantrums and totally melting everyone's hearts. She is a very friendly little girl; she wanted to hold her Grandma and Grandad's hands and help them to put their shoes on so we could all go to the park. It will be two weeks tomorrow since Raina came home and it feels like she had always been here and we couldn't imagine her not being here. The first LAC review is taking place tomorrow and we feel that there are no major concerns to report.
Raina has been sleeping better and has done a couple of nights sleeping all the way through...It's a positive sign and she is much calmer in the days. We saw a photograph of her taken during introductions and there are big bags under her eyes and she looks very red-eyed and exhausted. When we look at her now, we don't see the same bags under her eyes and she looks fresh-faced. We have been trying to get Raina into a routine of napping in the morning before lunch (we get a different / demonic child in the afternoon if she doesn't get a sleep in the day) and this has been working reasonably well. She did not take routine naps at her Foster Carers just fell asleep on the spot should she want it.
We are working on trying to keep her dry in the day if we can; cue frequent trips to the toilet.....we have noticed that she really enjoys this and especially hand-washing afterwards. We are using this as a bit of an incentive; so if she does a wee on the toilet then she is then able to wash her hands (otherwise she just gets her hands cleaned with a wipe). The next big challenge is the stinky presents she leaves us in her pull-up's (beautiful but stinky girl!!!) I think she might be on the brink of changing her routine as she asked me today if she could smell her pooey knickers. I willingly obliged and placed them under her nose; as she said "errrrr yucky". I looked her in the eyes (as I lovingly wiped her stinky bottom) and calmly said; "yes, that is very yuckky, but you can go in the toilet whenever you want to; just tell me or Mamma when you want to go." I hope she remembers that and considers this option before too long. She used to get bathed by her Foster Carer when she did a poo; but we just clean her up and send her on her way (shocking parenting!) so I think the fact that she can't be guaranteed her baths anymore will help us in our quest.
Can't believe I just wrote a few hundred words about sleep, wee and poo. The joys of parenthood....is this what I have become?
Happy days
x x x
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