Many first time experiences . . .

Sasha has had many first time experiences this week. On Thursday evening she went to her first Rainbow Support Group (run by Cape Town Child Welfare). On Friday she went on her first shopping spree to Blue Route. Her Mommy used the vouchers she got for her on a pretty pink nappy bag and a pretty pink outfit for Ben`s first birthday party. Yesterday was her first Kirstenhof Primary Fun Run (despite the cold & rain). Today she attended her first birthday party to Ben`s first birthday. She had so much fun that she fell asleep on the couch.

Today is 2 weeks since I brought Sasha home . . .

I cant believe its already been 2 weeks . . . but on the other hand so much has happened in the last 2 weeks . . . Friends, family, outings and so on. I have now had to learn to say NO!! Since Sasha has arrived my social life has become super duper hectic . . . but it is all good :-)

New experiences . . .

Sasha is experiencing new and exciting things every day. On Wednesday she went to her first election with Mommy so Mommy could vote. On Thursday she spent time at her Mommy`s school talking to the children and opening presents. Wow! She has been spoilt. On Thursday Mommy also found out that Sasha will be on Mommy`s medical aid from 1 June :-) Yesterday was a big baby shower at Nanna`s house. She is such a lucky girl to get so many presents. Sasha can now hold a rattle, even though she hits herself in the eye every now and then. She hasnt been well but seems to be getting over her chesty cold. I suspect that she has started to teeth as for 2 days now she has put both her hands in her mouth and cried in the evening :-)

Sasha has been with me for a week :-)

I can`t believe Sasha has been with me for a week already. We are bonding so nicely. She knows exactly who her Mommy is. I took her to a baby clinic today as she seems to be getting eczema and has a constant runny nose/chesty cold that could be allergy related. I have decided to change her formula to a very expensive NAN HA so that we can try and nip the allergies in the bud. I also took the precious angel for her vaccinations today. They were due 2 weeks ago. She cried for about 30 seconds . . . then it was all over. What a darling angel :-)

Getting into a routine . . .

This Mommy advocates and believes in the importance of routines for children. I am always telling the parents of the children at school how important this is for the childs sense of security. So now it is time for me to practice what I preach. I do realise that it is not always easy . . . but Sasha is a dream child so far. Credit has to go to Cotlands where she stayed for almost 4 months as they did a fabulous job of getting her into a routine that I just need to maintain. Sasha is in a fabulous routine already. She wakes up at 5am for her bottle, after which she gets one every 4 hours until 9pm . . . Sasha then sleeps all the way through to 5am :-) She is an angel :-)

Bonding with Sasha . . .

Sasha came home on Tuesday evening and it is now very early on Sunday morning. In other words Sasha has been "home" for just over 4 days. We are bonding so beautifully . . . She definitely knows who her Mommy is and is full of smiles :-) The first 3 days were a little hectic with Mommy having to submit her maternity leave, trying to put Sasha onto my medical aid, going to the doctor and apprearing in court. She went with me to all these appointments. Yesterday (Saturday) was the first full day we just stayed at home and relaxed :-) Sasha is such an easy baby. She never cries and is always happy and smiling :-) When she is awake I have been showing her some rattles and giving her a balance of plying in her Fisher Price chair and tummy time. Sasha loves her bathtime and splashes about like a little fish. She still has a bit of a snotty nose but she is getting better :-)

Sasha Alive Theunissen . . .

I have decided to keep Sasha`s birth name Alive (Pronounced A-leave-a) as her second name . . . So her name will be Sasha Alive Theunissen

Khayelitsha Court Appearance . . .

Yesterday Grandpa went with us to Khayelitsha Court to put Sasha into my custody. Before that she was just on holiday leave from Cotlands. Sasha is now legally in my `temporary safe care`. After 6 weeks Child Welfare will do another home visit before applying to Wynberg Court for an Adoption Order.

Sasha`s first visit to the doctor . . .

Sasha woke up with such a chesty cold today. I just could not leave it a day longer. She had a runny nose when I met her last Friday and it seemed like it had gone to her chest. The doctor gave her a full check-up and said that she just had a bad cold and would be fine. We also popped into Munchkins to visit while Aunty Jenny fetched Robbie. Sasha is quite a popular girl :-)

"You will simply call her Mommy"

"They tell me You are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?" God said, "Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you." The baby asked, "Who will protect me?" God said, "Your angel will defend you even if it means… risking her life." The baby said, "God, please tell me my angel's name!" God said, "You will simply call her Mommy"

Sasha`s first night . . .

Good Morning :-) Sasha is such an angel. She slept from 9pm to 4:30am without waking once . . . & when she did wake up she started gurgling loudly in her cot. What a happy little girl. Mommy on the other hand kept waking up to hear if she was awake or not. She has a little cold with a runny nose that we will need to monitor. Today she is already going to be out and about!! Mommy must submit an application for her maternity leave and put her onto her Medical Aid today. Nanna is going to babysit today as Mommy has some things to sort out at Child Welfare at 2:30pm today :-)

My Child . . .

My child,
I carried you in my heart
before you were even born
And dared to dream
... that you were real.

My child,
I carried your picture with me
since the day I received it,
And dared to love
a child I was yet to meet.

My child,
I carried you in my arms at last,
and gazed in helpless wonder
at your face,
And dared to lose
my heart to you.

And now, my child,
a dream fulfilled,
a prayer answered,
a family created,
I have dared to become
a mom.

And so now,
my precious child,
I shall carry you
home.

Copyright Jill Work 1998

Sasha is home . . .

Sasha is home :-) She has had her bath and bottle and she is singing away in her cot. What a delightful little baby :-)

Before I was a Mom . . .

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom

Waiting for a court date . . . still

The social worker said that there is a chance that the court date may only be the end of the month but she is doing all she can to let Sasha come home with me as soon as possible. She is one lucky girl. I am going to see a Day Mom tomorrow very close to school. She comes highly recommended. Sasha is one lucky girl. She already has her first party invite :-)

Waiting for a court date . . .

The only thing preventing me from taking her home now and starting my maternity leave of 45 working days is a court appearance. I need to appear at Khayelitsha court on the set date and then Sasha will be mine to take home. The social worker is going to try and see when she can get a court date today. It could take a week to 3 weeks. Obviously the sooner the better. I have already started looking for Day care or a Day Mom from the middle of August.

Mothers Day - 8 May 2011

Today happens to be Mothers Day :-)

This morning I am going to visit Sasha at Cotlands in Somerset West :-)

Founded in 1936, Cotlands was originally created as a care centre for unwed mothers and their infants, and over the years has evolved into an organisation offering shelter for abused, abandoned, HIV-positive, orphaned and terminally ill children from birth to twelve years of age, as well as community based services to vulnerable children in six provinces of South Africa. I was very impressed during my visit on Friday as to how Cotlands is being run. They are serving the needs of the community in such a fabulous way. They don`t just talk the talk, they walk the walk.

Sasha happened to be placed at Cotlands from a few weeks old as she was born on the 4th of January during the very busy holiday period and there were no foster Moms available. She is a very healthy baby who has been well cared for since birth.

I am taking Nanna and Grandpa to meet her for a little while :-)

The day I met you Sasha . . . 6 May 2011

Today`s meeting went very well!! I first went to Child Welfare where I received some background information on the baby they wanted me to meet. Her name is Alive (pronounced Aleave) but I will call her Sasha Alive Theunissen :-) She has big eyes and is cute and cuddly. I am going to visit her again on Sunday :-) I was extremely excited when we met. She looked at me with her very big eyes which said "Who are you??" lol :-) Then she fell asleep in my arms :-) The law says I cannot upload her photo until I have receive the Adoption Order so you will have to wait to see her. The social worker is trying to get a court date. After apprearing in court I can take her home :-) That will happen within the next few weeks :-)

Going to meet My Precious Gift this morning . . . So exciting!!!

I am going to meet my precious baby angel today. I am first going to Child Welfare at 8am so that the social worker can tell me her background and show me her photo. We will then head to Somerset West to where she is staying in a place of safety for the meeting. I am obviously very excited to see her and hope to have decided on a name for her by the end of the day. Equipped with my brand new camera, I happened to have bought last Saturday for her arrival, and my camera cell I will hopefully be able to take a few photo`s. Something tells me my life is about to change :-) After the visit we will head back to Child Welfare and complete some paper work that needs to be submitted to court. I will then need to wait for the court to give me legal guardianship before I can fetch her. When I have that piece of paper in my hand I will be able to fetch her :-)

Today I received `the call` . . . 4 May 2011

I received 'the call' today. I am going to meet my precious gift on Friday and could be a Mommy by next week. I do know a little about her already, some of which I need to keep confidential. She was born on 4 January 2011 which makes her 4 months old today. I am going to Child Welfare on Friday to get some background which I too need to keep confidential and then driving to Somerset West to meet her. I know there are many excited friends and family out there. I will keep you posted :-)

I am ready for a new chapter in my life to begin . . .

I have a feeling. . . that this year is going to be a memorable year.
I keep wondering if she is out there yet?
What will her date of birth be?
Is she being cared for?
What does she look like?
Waiting for the phone call . . . . .
Baby room ready!
Clothes and nappies ready!
Bottles ready!
Pram and cot ready!
I am ready for a new chapter in my life to begin :-)