Spring Cleaning the Yard

Doug finally made it home Friday after doing a 10-day stint in Atlanta. He was only here for 24 hours, but it was great to have him around again. We took him back to the airport today and he will be back Monday evening for a couple more days off.

We were afraid that Maddie might have trouble remembering her daddy, but that as not the case. These two picked up right where they left off.

This afternoon, my mom, brother Dave, and some of his kids came over and helped clean up the flower beds and the yard and get ready for the spring. It would have taken me weeks to get that done so I'm very thankful for the help. Libby and Audrey babysat for Maddie while the rest of us worked in the yard.

In true logger fashion, Dave went a little crazy with the chainsaw. Now that it's done, I like what he did. Don't worry Doug, the trees are still standing... there are just fewer branches to contend with! Dave was also in charge of the burn barrels.

I don't know what Cassidy was telling Maddie, but Maddie was obviously agreeing whole-heartedly!

The shrieking has returned. However, the new shrieking is gleeful and happy - not at all like the frightened shrieking we endured when we first met our little Maddie. She loves music, and loves to sing and dance. I was trying to capture some of that, but instead I got this unhibited glee and just had to share it.

The girls must have worn her out because she fell asleep during her 7:00 bottle and is now down for the night. Or, so I thought... As I was writing, she started shrieking in her sleep - the bad kind, not the happy kind. This happens occasionally in the middle of the night. A little rocking, snuggling, and a few I love you's always calm her down and she doesn't even seem to fully wake up when it happens. I wish I knew what causes those bad dreams for her but I'll never know. Based on what I have read in other China adoption blogs, this behavior is not at all unusual. All we can do is just be there to comfort her when these episodes happen.