Some helpful sites

As we started our journey to adopt, we knew that our daughter had achondroplasia. We spent weeks (and still do) researching ways to make her life better/more accessable. We also needed to know all we could about Achondroplasia and how it affected her and how it was going to affect our family. What kind of special care would she need (if any)? What things did we need to do around the house to make it safer for her to live there? Even things as basic as what kind of clothes does she need. I've read research. I've devoured blogs written by LPs and POLP (parents of little people). We also research many topics on adoption in general (attachment was the big one). Here are some resources that have helped us and I'm sure we'll go back to on a regular basis. If you are around our family, please help and educate yourself on these topics too.
LPA online (this one is for parents and teachers)
LPA online (home page)
Jaime Murphy (my cyber BFF) I have learned so much about being a parent of a little person from her.
MaryLeigh Brown (a real-life friend). Wonderful adoption resource!!!

Feel free to add your own resources in the comments. I'll update as I have time.

Over a Month Home



Where has the month gone??? It seems like yesterday that we were stepping off the plane to see all our family and friends, and here it's been over a month since we brought a little three year old home. Some things from this past month:

• about four weeks in, Louba started going to bed without crying any!!! She would lay in her bed and play with a doll for about 20 mins then go to sleep. About a week ago, she started getting out of her bed. Never being loud enough for us to hear, but out playing with things in her room. When we would check on her, she would run and jump in bed, pull the covers up tight, and squish her eyes closed as tight as she could. Our routine is this, we talk about going to bed for about an hour, she puts on pjs, turns off her own lights, turns on her sound machine to the one she wants, and gets in bed. We tried having a "better" routine with bath, and books, and brushing teeth, but it just put her in a terrible mood. We also started napping when the big kids went back to school on January 4th. Sometimes she just lays in her room, sometimes she sleeps. She sometimes cries out in her sleep, but quickly goes back to sleep.

• She loves french fries, mashed potatoes, sataka (spelling? It's a pickled cabbage, pepper mixture we got from the Eastern European store in Nashville (Alesky's)), cookies, m&m's, pickles, chef=boy-r-dee, nutella, juice boxes (aka capri-sun). She still won't try meat. Maybe one day she'll give up that control too. We don't force food. For breakfast and lunch she can eat what she wants, but for dinner she has to take one bite of whatever we are having. She usually ends up eating at least one of the things on the table.



• About two weeks ago, she slept alot one day. 12-13 hours that night, woke up and snuggled on the couch for a couple hours, a 2 hour nap, and 12-13 hours the next night. Talking to other adoption parents, it may be a way for her to deal with her grief.
• She loves Backyardigans (but just the opening sequence)

• Loves Playdoh
• Her hair has gotten noticably thicker in the past month. We started her on a gummy vitamin right after getting home since she's not eating a big variety of foods, and it has made her hair and nails thicken up.
• The girl LOVES baths and would take two a day if I would let her (or we had time).
• She's super happy when she wakes up. All smiles and kisses.
• New words:
• "That's enough"
• "Come here"
• "tickle ears...belly...feet"
• "brush your teeth?"
• "go to school"
• "no balloon" (she's terrified of a remote control shark balloon JD has)
• "kisses" and "I love you" go together. I know she doesn't completly know what she's saying here, but she knows you get a hug and kiss when you say it.
• "good morning"
• "cheerios and milk" her favorite breakfast and snack
• car, fork, spoon, plate, cup (she can identify each in English)