Two-Timing Mommy

I am going to ramble.  I don't have time not to ramble.  Okay, where to start?  Noey is quite something, just like her sister!  She has only been with us 2 months, but I am amazed at how she takes everything in stride.  Her, Emma and I went shopping yesterday and Noey acted like she had been shopping many times before - she was going through the racks of clothes, pulling things off the shelf and showing them to me like she wanted me to get them for her.  How did she know this?!   She is very different from Emma in a lot of ways.  Emma is more of a thinker and then doer - Noelle does and then thinks.  Not good all the time!  Ha!  She is into everything and I mean everything.  Climbing, opening and shutting doors, climbing into bathtubs and not afraid of our pets or any of the neighbors' pets.  She is built like a little Sherman tank!  She is solid and sooooo strong.  When she gets mad and doesn't want put back in her carseat, it takes all my strength and willpower to get her in there!  Emma, again, was always very placid upon being put in her carseat, even riding backwards, which is how Noelle rides in her carseat right now.  Even though Noelle is almost 21-1/2 pounds now and we can turn her carseat around.  We have been advised not to but honestly Emma only weighs around 26-1/2 pounds and she is facing forward.  A car is so dangerous no matter what direction kids are facing.  :( You would never know it by how Noelle is such a rough and tumble kid, but she also loves dolls, baby dolls and will cuddle them and I have sat and watched her with a doll and it is so cute - she will put the baby up high on her shoulder and sit back and pat its back.  Emma was not into dolls and still is not - she is getting somewhat interested in Barbies and dollhouses but I can't say she loves them.  Noelle got the female "shoe gene" also.  The kid loves her shoes.  Not so with Emma, although I wonder sometimes if Emma just has a different way of showing her love for shoes - whereas Noelle loves ALL shoes, Emma has her personal favorites and will wear only those shoes.  It makes me crazy!!  Same goes with clothes.  Noelle is already delighted with clothes and loves looking at them and trying them on.  Emma loves her clothes but only certain ones.  Again, sigh....

Noelle will copy everything Emma is doing - she wants to climb the monkey bars, ride a bike with training wheels (forget the baby cars and tricycles) and just mimic Emma's every facial expression and every movement.  Emma will also copy what Noelle is doing, thinking it will get her attention like Noelle is getting.  It is kinda exhausting a lot of the time trying to give both girls attention.

Noelle is attaching beautifully and has of course bonded long ago.  She now is always crying to be picked up and will cry when you walk away from her and want to be picked up.  She was more independent when we first brought her home.  Now she knows who feeds her and loves her and she wants that all the time.  She still wakes up in the night at times and there have been nights she has slept through.  Her schedule is still pretty much the same as it was in the orphanage - she is an early riser, takes late morning/noontime naps and is VERY anxious to get in bed by 9 p.m.  That is late, but that is closer to the rest of our household's schedule.   She prefers me over Wayne still most of the time but Wayne is very much involved in her care with our schedules being the way they are and both Emma and Noelle are enjoying a lot of Daddy time.  Noelle is getting more used to being rocked in the rocker.  She falls asleep best when you are walking with her cradled in your arms (as I am sure it was done in the orphanage when they had the time to give her that kind of attention).  When she does fall asleep that way, I sit down in the rocker and cuddle her as she sleeps for as long as I can until I have to go back to work or else Noelle gives the signal that she wants to be laid down on the bed.  Again, she is independent in a lot of ways - she already pretty much knows how to dress herself.  Emma still does not know how to dress herself.   Our bad as she should know how to .  Can you say "coddle?"  ;D

When Noelle smiles, she uses her whole face!  I smile when I see her smile.  She loves to be chased and has a belly laugh that is adorable.  She gets attention wherever we go but Emma does, too.  Wayne is always coming home and telling me all the people he sees pointing to the girls as they are walking along or at the supermarket.  He is very proud of both of them. 

There were a lot of twists and turns to get to Noelle but we did it and she was meant to be with us.  If we had gone to China sooner or later, we wouldn't have our Noey.  Oh and as for the sibling rivalry, I have bought some books and I am trying.  It is exasperating (sp?) at times as Emma can be mean to Noey, but other times she is so tender and you can tell she just loves having a sister.  In fact, when Noey is sleeping, Emma wants her to hurry up and wake up so they can play.  It is a work in progress, these 2 siblings!!  :D

We are pretty much sticking close to home with Noelle, but she does go grocery shopping with us and to church of course.  We have to remember she is so new to this different life of hers and we have to step back and take things slower, always remmebering to meet her every whim and need, even when she wants that third marshmallow (she is alike in that respect wiht her sister!).  I stare at her and try to imagine Noelle in the orphanage but I cannot.  It is like she has always been here, with us.  I "compare" the 2 girls, but they are 2 different little souls and we have to make them both feel special and loved for who they are as individuals. 

This Mommy is a "two-timer" as I am in love with both of these girls.  They have me hook, line and sinker.  They had me "at hello."  :D

Our neighbors' beautiful yard and that is our cat, Sam, sitting there. 

She loves crawling up on this bench in our front yard.  Why I don't know but it makes a GREAT place for photos as she is content to sit for a while on the bench.

Emma loves Daddy's new phone.

Trying on shoes - some girlfriend time.

I am the Imelda Marcos of children's shoes and Emma hardly wore any of them, so now I have a second chance to get a child to wear them with Noelle.  Come on Noelle, make this mommy happy!  :D  Ironically (I) am not a shoe person - I missed that gene, but I love buying shoes for the girls.

 She has decided the dollhouse makes a good sitting place.    She will throw all the furniture off of there and plop down!

 I am pretty sure she is right handed, not left handed as Wayne first thought.

 Look at that whole-hearted smile.  It just makes me so happy to make this child happy.

Noey has her little spots she sits at in the house - this is one of them.  She will back her little bum up to the stereo on the floor and take a seat.  So cute.

She is always busy-busy. 

Noelle will go to people but as you can see she is very fearful and wants back in my arms.  I am always testing her to see how she is doing with her attachment.  It is a healthy attachment thus far.  This is my friend Karen - we met as coworkers in Denver and figured we have known each other now almost 20 years.   Where does the time go?  :(

There's no stopping this kid!

 Right after they had their bangs cut.  :D

 Noelle and Emma both love homemade Jello popsicles.  Any popsicles.  More so than ice cream.