Early on, we were given the routine and schedule that Nora is used to. Wake up around 6:30 to 7, take a bottle and eat breakfast a little while later. At noon, she has lunch and them goes down for nap. Another bottle when she wakes up from nap. Dinner is around 6:00 and then a 3rd bottle and bedtime around 8:00. Since having her, we have interjected what I refer to as a designated ‘crazy time’ into the evening. This is a clothing optional time of singing, music, games, bed jumping, and few consequences.
There has been a bit of trial and error as we have gotten everything fine-tuned. The first night, Linda rocked her and gave her a bottle. When that was done, we put her in her crib. And she SCREAMED. Probably nothing too unusual for a 2 year old, but we haven’t been at this stage of parenting for a while. She calmed down after 5 minutes or so and fell asleep. We learned that they give the bottle to her in the crib. When we do this, she just sits down, drinks it, and lies down to sleep. No fussing or crying.
Nap time too. No real fussing or crying. She just knows the drill and does what is expected. Give her a bottle and she chugs it down. When she wakes up, she just lies there and waits for us to get things going. It really is just about the ideal that most parents strive for. She knows the routine, what is expected of her, and complies pretty easily. I must admit, it’s pretty great.
But, then I consider the environment that caused her to adopt these behaviors. We visited the orphanage. It was brightly colored, very clean, music was playing, children had toys to play with and were interacting. The nannys were caring, devoted, and did all that they could for the children. But this was still institutionalized care. There were 7 nannys in rotation to serve 30 children in her room. There is an amount of efficiency that must be kept up.
The kids need to be pretty independent. They need to eat and drink quickly. They need to be moved along to the next person / area. With 30 kids, crying and fussing won’t get you any extra attention. There is only so much to go around and it is already accounted for.
While I appreciate the habits and behaviors that she has developed, I must also acknowledge the challenges that were endured to get to this point. We have some ground to make up, but we are starting from a great point. And we know and appreciate all of the help and support that is surrounding us!
CoulsonFamily 