I had to share an update tonight, I just got some pictures from the mall. To you people who can take pictures of your children with your own camera, and have results that look more like a child and less like an alien, be very happy. I’m trying to weigh how much I care about this. Enough to go buy a big girl camera? As I see it, with my little point and shoot, there is no pressure for stellar pictures. If I buy a dslr then suddenly I have to worry about aperture, exposure, ISO numbers, depth of field and whatnot. I’m not sure that I have the wherewithal to attack that monster right now. However; I am sick of taking tons (literally tons!) of pictures and being disappointed at the alien-ish qualities of my children.
Onward and upward…Jena is doing…good. She is finally eating like a champ. I never realized the stress of trying to get a child to gain weight until now. She keeps me busy, because she is not seeing one doctor but three different doctors. (Family Doc, Feed Specialist, and the NICU miracle Doctor)
We brought her home from the hospital at five weeks, when she was barely 8 lb.
I got to experience the newborn stage for what seems like quite a while. She (in my opinion) was still like a new born when she came home. Her feeding issues resolved themselves, there is nothing “wrong” per say with her palate, it turns out she needed more time to develop those special sucking muscles.
I think she may be one of those children that needs more time to accomplish all those milestones, but she’ll get there at her own pace. She hovered in “my tiny head is much too heavy for my neck so I will let it dangle” status for a long time, but finally has graduated to “bobble-head” status.
She has always been a cuddle bug, but now she is thrilling us with her smiles and giggles. Did I mention she is precious? She is. This child has wiggled her way into my heart, and I love loving on her. I was worried before she was born that she wouldn’t feel like she is mine. My worries are put to rest, when I look at her in the morning, I see my girl. I see someone who brings out the softness in so many different people.
She is a sweetheart. And we love her so much.
Andrea Esh 
She is PRECIOUS. I want to hold her, real bad. I love the update.
AW, what great photos of an angel!!
Awww….she’s adorable.I like my little camera for every day situations. I think your pictures are very nice and your baby doesn’t look a bit like an alien.
so darling! She looks NOTHING like an alien!
The pictures are amazing!! And I love what you wrote about her. Happy to hear about her profess too!
aaa! i want to see her! i want to squish her! your very own baby. i’m so happy it feels that way. 🙂
It makes me tear up to read this. She is a beautiful girl. Im so glad shes doing well
Aw man, it’s killing me that we haven’t made it out there! Give her a squeeze from the auntie and cousins in Ohio!
she. is. ADORABLE! it’s not hard to see you invested a HUGE amount of time & emotions in her & you’re already rewarded! love the yawning one! Esther
she is darling. i love what you said about how your worries are put to rest because when you see her each morning, she is YOUR little girl. so glad she is making such awesome progress. miracles.and i have your same dilemma of big girl camera vs. staying in preschool with the don’t-need-to-read-the-manual kind….every time i see killer shots of kids i say, THIS IS IT!! i am buying a real camera like everyone else. but then i would be forced to to use my brain and prove that i am capable of actually making it take killer pics. what if it was me all along and not my camera?
so glad for the update, and that Jena has laid to rest your fears of maybe feeling differently toward her than your other children. She is so adorable, and she looks so wise for such a little girl if i ever buy a big girl camera, which won’t happen any time soon, i’m sure, i will have to take photography classes just to learn photography language. those camera words you used up there- i don’t understand any of them!! i have an 8-year-old camera that is slightly better than the cheapest ones, and i am pretty sure if i knew what i was doing, i could turn out somewhat decent photos. but i am too lazy and intimidated to learn!
I’m teary. She’s so lucky to have you! Darling pictures! She looks so good and healthy and chubbing right up.I’m kinda jealous that you got to enjoy the newborn stage extra long (I guess it wasn’t always easy for you tho)….my sweet little bebe is growing too fast. too fast.Happy holidays as you enjoy lovin’ up on that ca-utie pie!
@lin789 – I know right? Deep seeded insecurities about my picture-taking ablilities.@we5kings – SHE doesnt look like an alien, but my photography—terrible.@richlyblest – Oh yeah I googled “camera terms” because I couldnt even think of what all the terms were. Hee hee.@pairachopstix – You know, I almost didnt put that in there, that she “feels” like mine. because, I know it doesnt always happen that way. I’ve talked to people that feel terrible, but it just doesnt feel like their own child. Anyway–I’m glad God honored that desire of mine. Me thinks its time for an Pa – Michigan phone call soon!
me thinks you are very right!gonna be in ohio next weekend??
She is absolutely beautiful!! And her little tutu dress… makes me want a little girl. 🙂 And I just love it that she feels like your very own baby. I’ve always wondered what it’s like, and I think God just gives a mother heart to where they are no different from your womb-birthed baby. I LOVE that. Such a beautiful analogy of our adoption with Father God.
Oh, she is so beautiful! I want to read her story. I hope you have it on here. And I love that she feels all yours. She is so lucky to have you guys loving her!
That’s beautiful! What a precious child!
Oh, she’s beautiful! You’re such a good mama. I love all the pictures; the third one down is my favorite. Take care!
I am SO very behind in commenting and reading your whole story.Wow. What an amazing, sweet little girl. She is beautiful and precious.What a blessing your family has received. and what a wonderful family this little peanut gets to be raised in. 🙂
i’m not sure how i missed this post.i’ve thought of you often and wondered how jena was doing~so glad things are going so well. she is just beautiful!and that little tulle skirt- darling!!i got a bit misty eyed when you wrote about seeing her each morning and thinking, “there’s my girl…”so precious.i have another friend that adopted and she’s told me the same – that everyone said it wouldn’t feel like her own and she said it totally does!! i think with all our babies like any other relationship we fall in love the more we know them.~hugs to you both.