We are home one month.....

"Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour and my hope is in you all day long" Psalm 25: 4-5

In some ways it is hard to believe that we are now home one month yet in other ways it is like she has been apart of our family forever. Miss Gabriella is truly thriving in her new life - she is growing in her own self confidence and although she will not be left with anyone without one of us being present she is more comfortable with people being around her and interacting with her. Her personality is one of humour and quiet wit....she internalises all things new and then integrates her new learning appropriately into her daily routine. Relationships with grandparents and close family members continues to grow and develop as she begins to trust and show love. Gabriella continues to sleep all night and that in itself is a real blessing since we are able to keep up with her boundless energy during the day. She has wonderful dexterity and loves to utilise her fine motor skills to the maximum...which means that many things go missing during the day and more often than not we find them hidden in her linen basket!

Last week she had her physical measurements taken and to our shock she has grown 8cm in height over the last 12 weeks. Although this significant growth spurt was evident in her clothes and her sitting position within her car seat and high chair, to actually quantify the height change was remarkable and testament to her new nutritious diet and nurture within her new home environment.

Over the last four weeks there have been so many wonderful memories....all of which have embraced the simple things in life:

• A walk in the park with Oscar
• Time with nature - looking at the blackberries as their ripen in the hedgerows, crunching the autumn leaves underfoot, feeling the raindrops on the roses, experiencing the feeling of soft grass. Gabriella loves to be held in her daddy's arms as he runs to the nearest tree and then lifts her high so that she can feel the leaves touch her skin, which itself is like peaches and cream!!
• Blowing out the candles at a recent milestone birthday party (won't let on who's!!)
• Enjoying lunch out at the local Faith Mission...this has become a Saturday regular
• A weekly whiz around M&S....sitting tall in the trolley as mummy browses (honest!)
• Gabriella has also commenced a 'Domestic Goddess' course that is tutored by her mummy....the photos posted below will demonstrate her new skills. The course objectives have been set and it is hoped that core competencies in cleaning, ironing and cooking will be achieved by the end of year one :)!

Next week the dreaded but required vaccines are to be given so we both hope she will cope well with this experience and it will not unsettle her too much. However as a family we are now getting into a good routine and growing in confidence ourselves in our new role as parents. We too are developing our competencies in putting a pram up and down (especially at speed when it is raining), working out different strap systems on high chairs in public places, nappy changing and many more!! Gabriella has transformed our lives and we give God thanks for the miracle of this wonderful little girl.

Will post more photos soon
Caroline, Stephen & Gabriella

Message to Auntie Muriel.....

Hello to you and hope that you are well as you enjoy your time in Ghana. We hope that you enjoy these new photographs. We just love the book that you gave Gabriella before you left and think of you often as we read it and learn all about Kinki's ventures. Take care and will send more photos to you soon. XX

Photographs:

In my last post I indicated that in life I might consider some jobs to suit my developing skills and abilities but one that I forgot to mention was becoming a Jack(ie) in the Box!



Squealing with delight!

Enjoying the feel of grass underfoot - a new experienceEnjoying some bonding time with my Grandpa

The Domestic Goddess course begins......first semester is the operationalization of the washing machine

1. Putting the clothes into the machine




2. Making sure all the clothes are in the machine
 

Ensure the door is firmly closed before starting the wash program....this one is a 40 degree cotton wash

 

 

 

Next course objective was to perfect the cookery skills....I think some more time is required to pass the course!!

Leaf blowing with mummy.....

Concentrating very hard on threading the shapes

C'est La Vie

"There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God" (1 Samuel 2:2)

Well as they say 'All good things must come to an end!' Last Tuesday Stephen returned to work after enjoying one month off and 'us' girls decided to head to M&S to lift our spirits. Miss Gabriella loved the experience and she sat so well in the shopping trolley. I have to say one significant benefit of being a parent is the parent/child car parking spaces - just marvellous! I did take my phone out to capture the moment of heading into the Sprucefield store but the new disorganised mummy had not remembered to charge her phone and there was not sufficient charge to take a photograph :(! Anyway it was just wonderful to have her out shopping but we did miss daddy (....although we are not sure if he would have relished the M&S visit just as much as we did! Daddy will also be glad to know that we did not hit the credit card to compensate for his absence!)

Last week was once again a busy one and we have been overwhelmed by the number of cards, presents and best wishes from everyone. It has been truly remarkable - thank you to you all. Gabriella thankfully continues to make steady progress in her new home life and every day we get to see some more of her witty and impish personality. Gabriella asked if she could post her own wee message to you all.

Gabriella's Post

"Thank you to everyone who has welcomed me home into my new family. I love my mummy and daddy - I love to keep them on their toes and every day I try to discover new things in all the different cupboards and drawers and nooks and crannies. Mummy has introduced all these peculiar looking locks - not sure why but they certainly do not make life as much fun!!!!

However I have to say the dog, and especially the cat are quite antisocial beings. The cat just leaves the room (and rather quickly at that) when I enter it and every time I shriek with excitement the dog heads to his bed and puts his paw over his ears. Oh well, I will just keep trying to make friends with them and hope that one day I will get the chance to stroke their lovely fur.

Everyday is packed with new things to do - eating new foods, bathing, playing especially musical instruments, out for walks in the park, shopping and going and meeting people. I love to visit my grandparents - they really spoil me and when I arrive they have lovely toys for me to play with. In return I give them one of my cute smiles and already I have them around my wee finger. Night time is my best time - I do not know what gets into me but I just come to life and put on 'a show' for my mummy and daddy....however when it gets to bedtime I just get really tired and conk out as soon as my head hits the pillow. I sleep the night through and when it gets to 08:15 I wake up ready to embrace the new day. My mummy and daddy think that this is great since they get a good nights sleep as well. I do like to please!

I love the new world that I live in - there is no much to enjoy and experience, especially nature. I am not familiar with the autumn season and love to watch the leaves rustle on the trees and pick them up when they fall down on the ground. The different leaf textures feel funny on my skin - some leaves are smooth and some are crispy. I also love to smell the flowers and only yesterday I smelt the sweet aroma of an English rose - beautiful.

With all the these new life experiences I really do not know what I will do when I grow up but already I am having a go at all of these new skills so maybe I will become.......

A Piano Maestro!!



A Locksmith!!



An Artist



A Model....Its a 'hat' day



The shoulder bag pose

 

 

A Doctor!! "Can you please take a deep breath for me?"






Anyway it is now my nap time so it is time for me to sign off. I promise I will post soon to update you on all of my new ventures.

Love Gabriella xx