Transition???

On the long plane ride home last Thursday, as I was trying to get over my anxiety about the possibility of hearing Kali scream bloody murder on a packed plane, I was formulating the title of my next blog entry. As I squirmed in my seat every time Kali looked ready to pout, watched one mom follow her 15 month old son up and down the aisle, watched another woman running back and forth to the bathroom with an 8 month old having a terrible bout of diarrhea, I couldn't help but think of our new friends from New Jersey, sitting toward the back of the plane, who were on their way home with their two daughters, ages 13 and 10 (the 10 year old being the newest arrival into their family). I saw the title of my blog so clearly ... "Infant vs. toddler ... go for the 10 year old!" I was jealous that they got to sleep and read and watch movies, and their daughters sat quietly behind them sleeping, reading, watching movies too. What a way to travel!


Well, we are home now. Travel is no longer the only issue at hand. All of my anxiety and questions about what we had gotten ourselves into from last week have vanished. I can't wait for Ryan and Abby to see Kali now! I wish Belay could see her too, but I think he will be in New York with some of the campers and not coming to Dallas/Fort Worth. There is nothing more precious than listening to this little girl giggle and laugh! She is a delight, even if she does insist upon waking up at 5 a.m.! Boy, had we gotten spoiled with Carson, who is quite the late sleeper and will sleep until 8 or 9, even on weekends. Oh well ... if I can just make her stay in bed until 6, we'll be ok.

Kali already adores her big brother, although it's pretty funny to hear her yell at him in her combination of Amharic and two year old babble! And Carson is starting to come around too. The newness of it all started to wear thin about 2 hours into Kali being here with us when he announced to me that he wished he had a baby brother instead. The other evening at dinner, Landree and I were sitting across the table from Carson and Kali. I mentioned (quietly, or so I thought) that Kali's head is bigger than Carson's. Carson looked at us both with hurt in his eyes and said "I want my head to be bigger," and promptly burst into tears. It broke my heart! But all was redeemed today when we took him to daycare. Some of the kids from Carson's class were gathered around the door to his room when we came in. One of them saw Kali and cooed "Hi, baby!" Carson puffed up and told him, "Her name isn't baby, it's Kali, and she is my baby sister. She isn't yours, she's mine!" Ahhh ... just what a mother wants to hear!!

Kali LOVES "Itsy Bitsy Spider". She will put her fingers together as a sign for me to do the hand movements and sing the song. You can hear her trying to sing the words with me as she too tries all the hand gestures. She is just too cute for words! Nothing warms my heart more than when I see my children smile and laugh, and both Kali and Carson are doing a whole bunch of that!

Maybe the other shoe hasn't fallen yet, but I am beginning to wonder "what transition?"