Category Archives: Dagny

by Barbara

Yo… We’ve Been Busy!

I think this will work best in bullet form.

  • I have been on a decluttering kick since the New Year.  It’s spring cleaning at the Johnsons except it’s the middle of winter.  It feels great and anything that makes me feel great is well… great. On the weekends it all about, you guessed it Dagny.
  • She has gone through some pretty amazing milestones this past month.  She is sleeping in a big girl bed and now on the way of being totally potty trained.  She seems to be one of those people that it has to be on her terms and when she decides to do it, it’s done.  From day to night with her. Potty training has been a battle with her, well more for us.  She was not interested in it at all.  We talked with her pediatrician about it and she told us not to worry too much about it, when she is ready we will know.  Easier said then done.  I took it personally and felt like a failure.  I mean what mom can’t teach her child this pretty important life necessity.  What frustrated me the most was I knew she was so ready for it.  She totally got it.  She was just lazy or as Craig put too smart for her own good.  Then finally I looked at her and realized I know my child better then I sometime think I do.  I have noticed she sometimes needs a little push and then watch out there is no turning back with her.  So, Thursday, I finally told her that her Pull-Ups (not a fan) don’t fit her anymore and that she has to wear her underwear .  She looked at me for a second and asked if her Mommy Bear can have them.  I said “Of course!”.  Oh, I forgot to mentioned this all went down right before her nap. Great timing, eh?  As I put her down for her nap, I reminded her that she has underwear on and if she needs to potty to call me.  She told me she won’t potty in her big girl bed. Yet the pessimist in me  still expected a wet bed. About an hour later she called me and when I opened the door she jumped out of bed and ran for the bathroom and went potty.  I was so proud and stunned at the same time.  I think I needed to be ready, just as much a Dagny. She went to preschool Friday with three sets of pants and underwear  (perhaps a bit over precautions) and she had ZERO accidents.  Today, as she was playing hide-and-seek with Craig and with all the fun and running around she had her first accident since Thursday afternoon.  I am so proud of her, but still a little frustrated because this proves my point that she has been ready for quite some time.
  • Dagny has been saying some really funny things lately.  She has been on a baby kick.  One morning as I was getting her ready, she told me that she wants a baby sister.  I must admit I just stood there for a second and let my brain process what she said.  It was so random.  She told me I have a baby in my tummy and it’s her baby sister.  Alright then.  I am assuming this is all coming from preschool.  Her best friend is going to have a baby sister or brother. The whole thing is very sweet.
  • Dance has been going real good.  It started off a little slow.  In her first lesson she kept trying to leave her classroom.  I really thought they were going to ask us not to comeback.  But, I kept reminding myself the class is open to 2.5 year old’s.  How much attention span do kids that age have? With every week that goes by she is getting better and better.  Her teacher told us (Craig and I both go and wait) that she danced the entire class.  She also made some new friends.  This is the reason why we wanted her to start dance.  Not so much for the dancing, but more for the social interaction with others.  To get her out of her safety zone.  The plan is to have her play some form of sports this summer.  She will probably play soccer this summer or t ball.  We might even sign her up this spring for gymnastics.  Her best friend from preschool goes and she keeps asking Dagny to join her.
  • One day I was on Facebook and Dagny came up to me to ask a question.  She looked at my monitor and she saw Max from Max and Ruby.  She asked me if we could go and see him. Max was going to be at the Strong Museum of Play ( I am a fan).  This was a couple of weeks ago. So, we told her we will take her to see Max, if she tries extra hard to pay attention at dance class and especially listen to Miss Megan (her dance teacher).  She said she would and she did.

Max and Dagny

Puzzle time. She actually did this all by herself.

I just really like this one

Are you surprised?

  • Dagny has gotten very much into projects.  She loves to make things.  She made this for Craig and the colors had to be just right.

Working hard

  • Her teacher sent us a note home that she has really gotten into painting.  We get some form of painting project sent home on a daily base.  It’s awesome.

Little artist

  • Last weekend we decided to go to the zoo.  It was great.  We didn’t even mind the cold.  It made up for the fact that no one was there.  This was by far the best visit we have ever had.

My favorite people

The smile of a 3-year-old

Enjoying the space

  • Craig and Dagny decided to go into the cougar den.

Brave

  • Before we left Dagny wanted to go into the den again and again and again. She did all by herself.

Little Miss D

-Barbara

by Barbara

Our Blog History

I am so happy some people decided to delurk and share their stories with me.  It really makes me feel great to know that our blog has inspired others through their adoption process.

I have decided to keep this blog going for now.  When we first started this blog, it was back in 2002 when Craig and I were getting married. (Has it really been nine years?!) It was meant for our families. Both our families are not from the area.  Craig’s parents are from Ohio, my brother and his family from Long Island, and at the time my parents were living in Hungary.

Then late 2007 for about a year we (I) took a hiatus from the blog.  That’s when we were going through the adoption process. I decided against keeping an online journal, instead I kept a paper journal for the daughter that I hadn’t met yet.  I envied other people that were going through the process and could share everything.  I really wished at the time I could do that, but that’s just not me. That’s when I realized that I am in fact a very private person. It wasn’t a secret, we told our families and friends when we decided to move forward with the adoption. But, when you put things online I feel you lose some control, and believe me when I say during an International adoption you hold on to whatever you can, because so much is out of your hands.

When we knew we were getting close to going to Russia, it was time once again to get online and keep our families up to date from far away.  And, now I keep it going for Dagny.  I like to capture as many milestones as I can for her. I am cautions as to what I share. I just hope I don’t embarrass her too much, perhaps when she is a tween I will make the website less about her. But, probably not.

Keep the comments coming.

Barbara

by Barbara

Delicious Autumn!

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.  ~George Eliot

I love Fall!  I love everything about it, from the colors, to the smells, to the chill in the air, and especially all the fun activities that come along with the season.

This past weekend we probably fit in three weekends of activities.  Sometimes it feels like there is not enough time during the day, but this weekend I felt like the days just wouldn’t quit.  It was great.

Saturday morning we went apple picking at Whittier Fruit Farm.  When we got on the wagon, Craig was about to take a photo, when he turned to me and asked me if I had put the memory card back in the camera.  Opps.  So the rest of the time Craig and I were taking turns walking around with a very heavy, expensive necklace.   Yay, for my iPhone.  It saved the morning, we were able to take some photos. Besides, the camera mishap Dagny had a great time picking apples and running after me.

By the time we got home it was time for lunch and for Dagny to take a nap.  When D woke up three hours later… Hello! I love her long naps.  We decided to go to Powers Farm, this time with both camera and memory card in tow. We thought since the weather looked like it was going to rain at any moment, that the place wouldn’t be crowded.  It seemed others had the same idea.

We have a feeling this is probably going to be Miss D’s last hayride at Powers for a few years.  Last year she was oblivious to the things on the ride, this year we could sense that she was very much aware.  We tried to make the ride as positive as possible with spiders dangling from the trees and such.  There were lots of nervous laughs from her, but no cries.

Dagny totally confuses me.  She has entered the phase where she is scared of things.  She is frighten of shadows at night in her room.  We had found ways around that fear to put her at ease, even thou there are nights she wakes up at 3:30 am crying and when I go in to her room she practicality flies into my arms.  We noticed that she was not totally comfortable on the hayride.  But then, and here is where the confusion comes in, she loved the tepee.  Where it’s dark with things dangling, spooky music, and older kids going around screaming “BOO”.  She asked us to go through it countless times.  What I have learned from my daughter is that she is unpredictable.  I will never stand in her way in experiencing things, but will always be there when things get rough. I am just happy that her fears at this point don’t prevent her from trying things.

We were finally able to coax D away from the tepee and visit with the animals.  She loved feeding the deer and so did her Mommy.

Dagny probably picked up 50 percent of the pumpkins that were there.  She really wanted to bring one home.

Little D and I.

Here is a photo of the three of us that I just love.  All the stars lined up for this photo!

Because this is the season for visiting farms, Sunday, we went to Gro-Moore Farms in our old hood.  What a difference a year makes.  Last year we were limited by Dagny’s age.  This year Dagny could participate in most of the activities offered.  For insistence she went down this ridiculously big slide… A LOT!

When she got to the bottom, she was catapulted out.  My heart stopped every time.  She just got right up and went back to Craig so he could help her walk up to the top again.  People around me were laughing at her reaction and told me she was a tough little girl and brave as well.  She amazes me.

This year’s “tattoo”, Dagny picked a spider and decided to put it on her hand.  When we were driving home, she pointed to her hand and said “Look Mommy it looks like the sun.” Later in the night she got scared of the spider and I had to remove it.

We ended our visited with Dagny painting a pumpkin she picked out.  I think it came out great.  It’s currently displayed on our mantle proudly.  She was so excited that I put it there, she ran up to Craig pointing and said “Daddy, look my pumpkin!”

Here it is. I love it. Check out the plate.  I think it looks like a happy face.

Now I am exhausted.   I am going to rest up for the coming weekend.

Barbara

by Barbara

Photo Time

On the days that Dagny is not in preschool I like to take her on some form of adventure.  This week we went to Lollypop Farm to visit with the animals and to Highland Park for a nice walk on the trail.

Here is my little photographer.

My little girl sure looks like a big girl.

Barbara