Iris the Traveler, Part 1

We have been a busy family, but I hope to catch us up on the blog, bit by bit.

In mid-March, we went to the San Juan Islands for a scientific conference, and a bit of vacation, and met Charles' friend John and his family, Anne and Zola, in Tacoma. Zola was just over 2 yrs old at the time.

The bottom photo shows Iris' first look at a beach: she signed, "water, mommy" and pretty much wanted to leap into the waves. Other photos show Iris at her first developmental biology meeting, and Iris playing with her new friend, Zola.

Deb

Hat's off to you, baby!

A (largely unplanned) week in Boise

In Boise, Iris finally got to meet her Oma and Gramps (Oma is German for grandmother), and they got some extra, unanticipated time together because our car died an untimely death on our way out of town. We ended up buying another car in Boise, and our old car is now in my brother's driveway, with the engine in a box in the trunk. Oma and Gramps came through like champs with impromptu babysitting, and as a result Iris got a year's supply of hugs and rocking and playing with her grandparents. With all the attention she made some great progress in walking and in using utensils at mealtime (though you wouldn't guess it from the photo).

Iris also got to meet her Uncle Joe and Aunt Tami, and cousins Maddie and Abby. Abby is one month older than Iris, and showed Iris a thing or two about walking and running ... but Iris could probably best her in a wrestling match. Their house was a virtual toy store, and everyone had a great time.

Happy Year of the Pig!

Iris participated in TWO Lunar New Year events in February. The first was in Richland, WA, with her Uncle Jim and Aunt Susie. The event was so well-attended, that they ran out of Chinese food and so we ate pizza and chicken. Ironically, the most abundant fast-food restaurants in China were Pizza Hut and KFC, so it was sort of like eating Chinese food. The weather was great that weekend, and so Iris got to test her outdoor walking skills, and we got to field-test a new jogging stroller.

The second event was in Boise, sponsored by Idaho Families with Children from Asia. Iris liked meeting the older girls, and grew especially fond of Jenny, who lives next door to Deb's parents.

Happy First Birthday!

Iris celebrated her first birthday, January 24, 2007, with a party, presents, and special friends Rufous, Tom, and Kathy (and we were there, too).

Dinner had a 'red' theme and also consisted of Iris' favorite foods: sockeye salmon, pasta with (red) pesto, and little orange chunks (the reddest we could buy). Red is a lucky color in China and is used liberally for events like a birthday party. And of course we had a birthday cake!

Another Chinese tradition is to tell Iris' fortune by plopping her down in front of many items, toys, etc., and the item she selects or reaches for is meaningful. She reached for a pen - perhaps Iris will be a writer.

We finished off the evening by dipping into the Snake Wine we brought back with us from China. Iris will have to wait for a future birthday to join in the drinking of the Snake Wine.

Just a few days later, Iris actually started to walk on her own. At her 1-yr checkup, she weighed 20 lbs 4 oz and is 29 3/4 inches tall.

Christmas with Granny

Iris met her Granny shortly before Christmas. Then on Christmas Day we traveled to McCall, ID, and were lucky that Granny and Iris were good buddies and let Mom and Dad do a bit of skiing!

When we returned, Iris finally got to open her Christmas presents. She received many clothes, books, and toys. The bowl was a gift for Mom and Dad from Oma and Gramps, but Iris thinks it would work for her future haircuts.

Christmas Party

Iris is enjoying a night out at Tom and KP's, along with Granny, who arrived for a nice visit through the holidays. Note the improvised bib. Also note Tom's fingers in the last photo as he directs Iris' attention to the camera.

Ready for Christmas

Christmas tree is safely behind the safety gate (along w/ the cast iron wood burning stove).

Self-feeding

Iris is learning to self-feed and does quite well now w/ finger foods. She especially likes pasta although the sauce can make quite a mess!

Ready for a Walk

Iris bundled up and "hanging out" in her Kelty backpack waiting for Dad to get ready. She still enjoys wandering about on Dad's shoulders but it is getting to be a bit of work!!

Night Out

In December we escorted Iris to many a social occasion for the holidays. This photo is before a University event. Iris is a bit shy at first in a crowded room, but once we find a corner to settle into with a few friends, she loves the attention.

We've also been out without Iris twice. On the first night with a sitter (the UI Dinner/Dance), Mom shed more tears than Iris!

Welcome to Winter

The Palouse saw a good dumping of snow in the past week, and so we are trying to introduce Iris to winter fun. This is not easy - it took some shopping to find warm and practical clothes for her, and then we needed to find appropriate activities. Charles has pulled her around in a sled in the yard, and we've taken her on occasional walks in the backpack/carrier. She seemed to like both, as long as it wasn't too windy.

This is a good place to show off our remodeled house. It looks great in the snow because the lack of landscaping isn't obvious.

Iris FAQs: 4) Health/Pooping [*Disclaimer: those not interested in pooping stories may wish to skip this entry]

Iris visited the pediatrician last Monday. She weighed in at 17.6 lbs and is 28 inches tall. I had planned to provide the doc with a growth chart for Southern Chinese girls but it really didn't matter - Iris is pretty close to the 50% for both weight and height even compared to big American babies. She has a nice, round, Buddha-esce belly.

She has a record of many immunizations in China, but we are considering repeating those - this is recommended by international adoption specialists. Iris has had no major illnesses, and even since we met her has only had the occasional runny nose. She has a scar of unkown origin on one leg.

And yes, she still does poop in the toilet. The photo here is one that I took when we were in China, and Charles was first trying to coax her into making a Ba-Ba. The word "Baba," by the way, can mean either "Daddy" or "Baby" or "Poopy" depending upon the tone and inflection used in pronunciation. I have not been able to hold her quite right for this, myself. But there may be no need anymore; this morning she actually made a Ba-Ba in a child's potty seat! Remarkable. This is not necessarily the same as actual potty training - she still makes Ba-Bas in her diapers if we don't notice that she has some business to take care of.

Iris had a nice Thanksgiving visit with her Uncle Jim and Aunt Susie, and then we observed her 10-month birthday and our 1-month anniversary as a family with some Chinese carry-out.

Deb

Iris FAQs: 3) Communication

Iris is highly vocal around us. Most of it is a language of her own, but a few words do resemble words in English. Her first word appears to be "Yeah," which is generally accompanied by vigorous nodding of the head and is frequently context-dependent. She has also used a word that sounds a lot like "Daddy," (it figures), and a word that sounds like "Kitty-Cat" - "Ah-Gee-Gee-Gah!" Our cats, by the way, give her a wide berth. When eating, she makes noises that sound like the 'yummy sound' from the movie Young Frankenstein.

Charles and I have made regular attempts to teach her sign language, since that can help her communicate with us before her vocal abilities are sufficiently developed. Looks like she MAY understand the sign for "drink" - but it does not have the same effect as if we say "bottle."

Deb

Iris FAQs: 2) Sleeping and Activity

"Is she on a schedule?" "Does she sleep through the night?"

"Sort of," and "No."

Well, it's really not as bad as all that. She kind of has a schedule, now that we're all in the right time zone. We can generally get her to sleep around 8:30. She wakes up at least once per night wanting a bottle (and some nights wakes up again with teething pain -??). She sleeps until 6:30 or 7:00 and enjoys a brief morning nap. She sleeps more during her afternoon nap, but lately has had such fun practicing walking that this one can be difficult to initiate, too.

Iris is a very active baby. When we met her less than a month ago, she was still struggling to roll over. She can now crawl and has learned to handle our various floor surfaces with minimal faceplants. She can get herself into a sitting position with no problems. Iris can pull up to a stand and move about (cruise) grasping furniture or our body parts. She has stood on her own for a few seconds, and knows how to fall on her bottom rather than her head. I think we'd better finish babyproofing!!

She likes fancy toys as well as simple toys. She will 'dance' to kids' music and to our favorite artists. Musical toys are great fun, so are mirrors, cups, and rattles. She also greatly enjoys colorful magazines, the TV remote control, anything with a tag, and anything she can chew (this last category covers all things, so she is not picky about toys).

We took Iris to Hell'sgate State Park on the Snake River today and did a field test of the backpack/carrier. She loved it!!! Daddy makes an excellent horsie.

Deb

Iris FAQs: 1) Eating and Drinking

We've been able to introduce Iris to many friends and family members either in person, or by phone, email, or this Blog. Most of the questions we get are in the following four categories: 1) Eating and Drinking; 2) Sleeping and Activity; 3) Communication; and 4) Health/Pooping. In the next four Blog entries we'll address these in that sequence.

Iris was on a milk-based formula at her orphanage, and we continued to provide this same formula while in China. We supplemented this with solids as best we could, given that a) many foods were unfamiliar to us; b) we ate at restaurants; and c) we had no idea what we were doing. Iris was most helpful, as were our local adoption agency representatives. Some of the foods she had in China, we still feed her, including noodles (which she slurps with gusto), steamed or scrambled egg, tofu, oat or rice cereal, and all sorts of mashed or diced fruits.

She now also eats all types of babyfood fruits or vegetables, and some of the meaty concoctions. She will eat cubed mozzarella, turkey, and ham if they are mixed with the baby food, and likes nearly all forms of complex carbohydrates, including breads, crackers and cereals. She LOVES yogurt. In brief, she is generally easy to feed! Critical readers may note that we have violated several recommendations for things to avoid the first year including dairy and egg whites. Too late now!!!

We have switched her to a soy-based formula and this went over OK, though she still prefers it warm. She can drink from a cup with assistance. The sippy-cup has not been well-received, so she uses a small bottle for water/juice.

Iris has three teeth, and more are certainly on the way soon. She is very fond of Teething Biscuits, and drools constantly.

Deb

Happy Baby

Iris playing w/ Ma Ma in the living room (in her smart denim shirt from Goodwill). 

Out and about

Thursday evening we did our weekly dinner outing to our local funky mediteranean eatery. They have one very nice high chair so we should be able to continue with this tradition! We also visited our local book store next door where this picturer was taken. 

Neighborhood walk

Our first walk around the neighborhood. It's been chilly, windy, and rainy here so a bit of a shock for all of us (the low we experienced on our trip to China was ~65 F and often it was much warmer). Early winter has arrived here on the Palouse since we left on Oct. 24. We have to get acclimatized (and still need to get some winter clothes for Iris!). 

Voting

Although a U.S. citizen, Iris will not get to vote for about 17 years. But she can still accompany us to the polls as we did last Tuesday - our first time out of the house w/ Iris since getting home. It was strange being a room full of white folks (as opposed to a room full of Chinese as we have been for the past couple of weeks!). Iris seemed to enjoy her first outing.