Sunday, May 6, 2012

Day 3: part 2


As we enter Day 3, we are getting to know one another a little more and things are improving. Like the Danish spring, the two green parents are getting a few shades darker each day! We chiseled out a rough day plan based on the plan they run at the orphanage and adding a few creative flourishes of our own. It helped that we did not have to have the "what should we do now" conversation all the time and we believe it will help Olivia to relax with us. In fact, there are signs Olivia may even believe that the two bumbling fools she is trapped in this apartment with might be able to do this "Mum and Dad thing" after all.



After breakfast we did bath training,  where Olivia gets to stand in the bath and play with the running water without any expectation of bathing or washing. You could call it good clean fun without the clean.

She is still pretty timid and we do not want to scare her and potentially make bath times hell for the foreseeable future. She seemed to enjoy herself so we will see how this time slot develops over the coming days.
Then the plan is to go out for a walk while she is still fresh. At the moment we spend the whole day hanging out in the apartment. We believe that we need to make her world much smaller so that she can adjust to the big changes she is experiencing. The morning walk on the other hand will try and make her world just a little bit bigger again each day.

Leaving the apartment is a big challenge to her boundaries. All the new sights and sounds caused her to start panting and looking around nervously. For the time being we walked really slowly down to the enclosed pool area and sat there for an hour or so. Today it was  blowing bubbles and a new game: playing with the tap. There was a man there with his daughter who was clowning about in the pool, and Olivia found this very interesting.



Then Rikke and Liv went for a walk around the pool (just to to see what is is like not being stuck to Rikke's lap/shoulder...), and in fact it turned out Liv led Rikke around pulling her hand this way and that. She seems curious to have a look around when she feels safe - and that will come.


The big news this afternoon was that Olivia smiled at Rikke for the first time. Dad was at the shops getting some dinner (I tell her that I am going hunting so that she gets used to that) and while I was out Liv smiled - three times... apparently. I cannot confirm or deny Rikke's extravagant claims as yet, so I hope to have a photo to prove it tomorrow.

Good night...




1 comment:

  1. Dear Aaron n Rikke
    I think the web of security that you are weaving around your beautiful daughter is excellent. Remember that she has two modes of behaviour available to her. Self-protection mode and play mode. Your role is to stay in those same two modes with her. The day she laughs with you is the day that you will have caught her in your web. Play with her, make her laugh. You are beautiful people.
    Love Chas

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