Finding our groove...

Time here seems to be quickly slipping away. How is it Tuesday night already?! The days have been so busy that by the time the kids go to bed, we are done for the day and I haven’t been able to get to the computer. But – just had to catch up! So here goes…

Yesterday we left early in the morning to go to the SOS clinic for the girls’ medical check-up. Going to the clinic brought back so many memories of our trip two years ago on our journey to Maelyn. We have been thinking about the McDonalds and the other families that travelled with us – we miss you guys!

Maelyn and Kyle stayed back at the hotel with Kyle’s grandparents while the rest of us went to the clinic. The older kids have been doing fabulously on this trip, but they have had it with the hours of waiting in lines and for paperwork to be done.

Ailee and Gwen spent time playing together in the playroom and it was nice to see the girls interacting together. It made me think of Jennie and Maelyn and the beginning of their friendship.

Ailee wasn’t impressed with the clinic visit. She wanted no part of it! We had the same doctor as the last time and she is very kind. The wonderful news is that Ailee’s bronchitis is finally clearing up (no more nighttime choking episodes) and her eye infection is almost all gone. She has a mild ear infection, but we will have that looked at again once we return home.

Our little monkey is very healthy and in the 80th percentile for height! Wow – we have such tall girlies!

Back at the hotel, we put Ailee down for a nap and I took advantage of it by spending time with Maelyn. I am trying my best to spend as much one on one time with her as I can. I am honestly surprised at how understanding and patient Maelyn has been. She used to dominate all of my time and now it is Ailee who spends every waking minute with me. I honestly miss my ‘little miss’ – I am also used to spending all of my time with her. We are working at finding our new groove.

After Ailee’s nap we decided to brave the silk market on our own. I was positive that my mom would pumped about this outing. She has been dying to spend her money and there is no better place than the silk market! In the beginning, my mom had a hard time getting over the amount of people in such small booths and hallways and the number of people bugging you to buy their merchandise.

Looking back at this outing, I can’t believe that we decided to shop in a crowded area in the afternoon with two active kids. What were we thinking?!! Both girls had meltdowns and were not easy to care for while we were trying to bargain and shop. We convinced my mom to give the shopping a chance and Paul and I survived the shopping experience by laughing (rather than crying), when both girls would be crying in unison. In the end, we had a great time buying art, kids’ stuff, and a new winter coat for my mom. She decided that the bargaining wasn’t too bad after all – and we are returning to the silk market tomorrow afternoon.

Ailee continues to blossom each and every day. She is such a calm, happy little girl. Although, if you try and take food from her for any reason, she lets you know that she is not happy! Ailee has begun to get off my lap to explore more and more and her giggles are more frequently the sound we hear when we are with her.

We are falling head over heels for our little monkey – how could we not?? :)