In a Land Far, Far Away...

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

2011-11-15T19:30:00.009-05:00

Between jet lag and the virus the Littles shared with me I don't have much energy, but I wanted to post that we made it home safely and are settling into our new normal.
The journey was looooong but uneventful. After picking up Sprout's visa on Thursday afternoon we said our goodbyes to Guangzhou and headed to the the train station. We took the early evening train to Hong Kong which was actually quite nice. We were seated with several other adoptive families so the two hours passed quickly. The next morning we woke up bright and early and headed to the airport. Anxiety started to quick in as we made it to our terminal. Sprout is a happy little girl and pretty easy to please, but she is in a constant state of motion. Even when she is sleeping her body is moving non-stop. So the thought of trying to keep her calm and happy on a 14 hour flight started to make my heart race. I was relieved to see three other adoptive families were on our flight. It helps just a little bit to know that there would be others that would understand what we were going through. Stu, Sprout and I had the three seats in the middle and Chipmunk had the entire three seats in the aisle across from us. Lucky boy! As we were waiting to push from the gate I was feeling pretty confident that it would be okay. We were in the back with lots of empty seats around us and Sprout was tired so surely she would sleep for some of the flight. Within minutes she started throwing her Cheerios and when I told her no, she started whining. Immediately the old guy in seated in front of us stands up and very loudly says, "Oh God! It's starting already. I can't believe I have to sit through this for the entire plane ride...." He ranted for a full minute but I was in shock to hear much of what he said. Stu and I sat there with our mouths wide open. I mean I know it's not idea for anybody to have a toddler on a 14-hour flight, but it's not like we had any choice. I don't even remember what I said to him. I think it was something like "I'm sorry but we have to get her home and this is the only option." What I really wanted to tell him wouldn't be appropriate for Chipmunk's ears. I could feel my blood boiling as the guy stalked away. Thankfully, the guy sitting behind us jumped up and was incredulous about what the old man said. The girl sitting across from us also said not to worry about it. This was going to be a long flight.
Chipmunk quickly zoned out, watching movies on tv in his seat. He could choose from about 50 movies and he took full advantage of that. He watched movies nonstop for 12 hours; didn't even sleep until the last hour of the flight.
Sprout wasn't so easy. She actually did remarkably well but would not sleep. At all. We could tell she was getting tired about four hours in but she fought it with every ounce of her body. We tried to lay her down in the middle seat and she would have none of that. We walked the aisles a lot. She had an embarrassing amount of suckers. The flight attendants fell in love with her and brought her crackers and bread. A young Chinese woman came and picked her up out of my arms and took her to her seat several rows back (while I'm used to the fact that random people off the street would pick up my child, I was a little freaked out to watch this woman and her husband play with my child like she was theirs - I made Stu go rescue her after a few minutes). We let her destroy most of the magazines in her seat. My favorite game was to let her "accidentally" kick old man's seat in front of us (yes, I am that evil). She finally slept for the last three hours of the flight.
The minutes ticked by slowly but looking back on it she did really good. Only cried maybe 20 minutes total of the flight. And many of the people around us actually complimented her on their way out.
By the time we landed in Detroit, we were all exhausted and wanted to be home. By the time we passed through customs and immigration we only had a couple of hours to wait for our final flight. Stu and Chipmunk made lots of laps with Sprout in her stroller while I caught a little catnap.
The next flight was only about 50 minutes and was a piece of cake. I wanted to cry tears of joy when we arrived and were greeted by so many of our friends and family. Monkey, HD and Pudding ran and almost tackled me to the ground. It was such a relief to finally have all five of my children in my arms! Sprout immediately showed off her goofball personality and was soon laughing and running with all of the kiddos. I'm sure we looked like a three-ring circus but I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.
The car ride home wasn't fun as Sprout was not a fan of the carseat and screamed for most of the 45 minutes home - to which HD proclaimed, "She is NOT my sister." Ha!
Everyone seems to be settling into our new roles. Sprout and HD managed to overcome jetlag within a day. It is taking Stu and me a bit longer. Monkey is in love with his new sister; HD is indifferent; Pudding seems to be having the most trouble, which I expected. He is my shadow and is always in my lap, holding my hand, etc. He is trying to share me with Sprout but it's hard. Sprout is doing great. She thinks her new siblings are hilarious and is slowly warming up to her dad. I thought she would be rather clingy to me for the first few days but she is pretty independent and has explored most of the house. We are still working on some sleep issues and right now she is sleeping in bed with me. It is also going to take her awhile to get used to the way the kiddos "share" their food (as in, the second your head is turned, they grab whatever is available off your plate). Honestly though, this has been the easiest transition so far. I'm sure we will have many more bumps to cross but so far, so good. As I was snuggling with all of my children on the couch tonight, I just kept thinking that I might just be the luckiest mom in the world.

One last snack

My little packing helper

Saying goodbye to our guide/friend, Aron

Ready to jump on the plane

A very tired mommy and Sprout

Happy to be home!

Happy Days

2011-11-08T09:37:00.006-05:00

Not much to say, instead I will fill this post with pictures. We are enjoying these last few relaxing days in Guangzhou. Yesterday we went back to Shamian Island to check Sprout's TB test (she had a reaction but it was under the limit thank goodness). Then we took advantage of our time on the island and went shopping! I bought small gifts for people back home and stocked up on traditional silk dresses for Sprout and HotDog. Sprout definitely enjoyed the beautiful day. She loves being pushed in the stroller by Chipmunk and had fun playing amongst the statutes. The rest of the day was spent lounging around the hotel.
Today it was rainy so we stayed close to the hotel. Stu and kiddos visited a local temple while I stayed back at the hotel with a sinus headache. Tonight we enjoyed a dinner cruise on the Pearl River. Sprout devoured corn on the cob and Chipmunk had a great time looking at the lights on the shore.
Tomorrow is our consulate appointment where we will apply for Sprout's visa. That should be issued on Thursday afternoon and we will take the train to Hong Kong right after that. Friday morning we head home! We have so enjoyed our time in China but are more than ready to come home. Skyping with the kids at home tonight was fantastic but made us realize how much we miss our whole family being together. I can't wait to snuggle with all five of my children together.

A few random notes:
-I have been waking up much earlier than everyone else. I am up by 5:30 (while everybody else sleeps until 8:30ish). I have found that I love to slip over to Starbucks and grab a coffee and then walk the streets of Guangzhou by myself. It is so quiet (relatively speaking) at that time while the city is waking up. The shopkeepers are just opening their doors, schoolchildren are walking to school, older people practicing tai chi in the park. It is such a peaceful way to begin my day.
-Many people have commented on Sprout smiling in every picture. I am telling the truth when I say she is absolutely joyous. She reminds us so much of Pudding in that she always has a smile on her face. As a matter of fact, she said her first unprompted word tonight..."Happy!"
-Little girl also loves to dance. The instant she hears music, she starts shaking her booty. It's absolutely adorable.
-She is becoming quite vocal. Last night she sang cute little tunes for 30 minutes. Tonight she was speaking many Chinese words to our guide Aron.
-Her laugh is hilarious. I'm going to have to post some video of it. It sounds like the Cowardly Lion's laugh in Wizard of Oz. This hoarse, breathy kind of laugh, followed by snorting.
-Chipmunk has amazed me on this trip. I always knew he was a fantastic big brother but he has gone above and beyond during the past week and a half. He is constantly entertaining Sprout, walking the hallways with her, basically being her slave. Whatever she wants he is there to provide in a second. She adores him. He's also been great about our daily scheduleand has really rolled with the punches. He has eaten anything placed in front of him and has willingly tried so many new foods. I seriously couldn't be any prouder of him.

Safari Park

2011-11-06T07:48:00.004-05:00

Today we spent the morning at Safari Park, on the outskirts of Guangzhou. It was fantastic. Initially we planned this excursion as a fun treat for Chipmunk. As it turned out, I think Stu and I had as much fun as him! We were able to take a tram ride through a big section of the park where many varieties of animals are allowed to roam free. We were within feet of giraffes, zebras, lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!). Ostrich walked right up to us on the tram. We were able to see hippos fighting in water that was about 10 feet away. Crazy!
Sprout was a bit unsure at first but she soon got into the spirit of the park and was shouting Meow! at every animal we saw. Evidently the only animal she has ever been exposed to before is cats. She was quite entertaining.
After that we were able to walk along a pedestrian trail where we were up close and personal with the animals. This is one of the biggest breeding centers for tigers in the world so we were able to see many different varieties of tigers: Bengal, Siberian, South China tigers, white tigers. They had more than fifty tigers on display. For 10 yuan (about $1.50), Chipmunk was able to purchase a bag full of raw meat and feed the white tigers...an experience that I don't think he will ever forget.
There was a big exhibit of various monkeys. Chipmunk wasn't as fascinated with this, as our local zoo has a good gorilla exhibit that we visit quite often. There was one baby orangutan that they had dressed in baby clothes and a diaper. He seemed fascinated by Chipmunk and mimicked every move he made. He didn't take his eyes of of him the entire time Chipmunk stood there.
Another highlight of the day was the giraffe area. So many giraffe wandering around. Chipmunk purchased a giant limb full of leaves for 15 yuan (about $2.50) and was able to feed a couple of giraffes. He stood by the wall and shook the branch and they walked right over to us. Sprout and I were able to rub the giraffe's nose while Chipmunk was feeding them which she thought was hilarious!
Of course, the highlight of the trip was a visit to the panda bear sanctuary. They had more than twenty pandas on view in a variety of different habitats. They only have a plastic divider about four feet high so we were able to get within feet of many of the baby pandas. They were so cute! We didn't spend much time with them though because Sprout was scared of them (as was Pudding last year).
Even though it was almost 90 degrees today we ended up spending almost 5 hours wandering around the park. It was seriously an experience we will never forget.
The only downside was the fact that I left my memory card for my camera in the laptop at our hotel room. I didn't think this would be a big problem as Chipmunk always has his camera with him. Not today! I almost cried when I realized I wouldn't be able to take any pictures of our special day. However our trusty guide Aron I(have I mentioned how much we love her!!) came to our rescue and was able to take many pictures for us on her phone. I'll post the pictures as soon as she sends them. We were able to get many good ones. And I did remember to bring our video camera so we should have lots of good footage to watch.
Chipmunk went swimming again in the pool this afternoon while Sprout was "trying" to take a nap. It's been so nice to have an activity for him to do each afternoon so we can keep our hotel room nice and quiet for our sleeping beauty.
Tonight for dinner we went to an awesome restaurant with authentic Chinese food. Many of the restaurants around this area cater to foreigners and make their food to suit a more international palate. We have been craving good authentic Chinese food since we arrived so we asked Aron to give us a few suggestions. We went to a restaurant a block or so from our hotel. We knew we were in the right place when we walked in and the place with packed with Chinese families. We were the only Caucasian faces in the entire place. The menu didn't have any English so we pointed to a few dishes and crossed our fingers. We ended up with barbecue pork, shrimp and vegetables, sweet and sour pork, and chicken feet. Every single dish was delicious. I will admit while I liked the flavor of the chicken feet, I couldn't get over the texture or shape of them in my mouth. You could feel every single little joint of the foot in your mouth. Yuck. Sprout loved every dish and even started to use chopsticks. While she needed a little bit of help picking the food up she managed to get most of it into her mouth. And Chipmunk is an expert at chopsticks now. I have to say that he is even better than Stu and me!
I need to add that I think we are over the worst (for now) with Sprout. She is completely blossoming each day and is full of joy. She wakes up with a smile on her face and it stays there all day. She is attached to me like velcro and adores her big brother. Daddy...not so much. We even received our first kisses from her tonight. So sweet!
Such a fun day full of making memories. Tomorrow we head back to Shamian Island to get Sprout's TB test results and to do a little shopping. I've held back on shopping so far but tomorrow all bets are off!

Switching Cities

2011-11-05T07:41:00.011-05:00

Yesterday was a long day. We started out by doing most of our packing in preparation for our flight at 6:30. We then took a taxi to the Bazaar to do some souvenir shopping. Sitting in front of a taxi in Shanghai is like a ride at Disney World......you think your going to crash or run into a pedestrian about every three seconds only to swerve at the last moment. Very thrilling.
As soon as we got to the Bazaar we ran into a couple from Washington DC who were adopting their second daughter. We discovered they they actually know one of the couples we traveled with to adopt our daughter 3 years ago that live in the DC area. Amazingly small world sometimes.
We picked up our final paperwork and headed for the airport. Due to the timing Sprout skipped her nap. On the plane ride she was very good. Toward the end the lack of a nap kicked in and she got slap happy. Much better than the potential opposite reaction. We got a very pleasant surprise on our way to GZ. We found out our guide this week is the same one we had last year when we adopted Pudding. It is certainly nice having somebody you already know and trust during this adventure.
We also met three of the other families we'll be spending time with this week. Its always fun comparing stories and meeting the other kids.
This morning we all slept until after 8:00! Of course, it is also the morning that we have to meet our guide promptly at 9:00 so we made a mad dash through breakfast. Sprout was not too pleased that we didn't have the usual hour to make our way through the entire breakfast buffet, especially when she discovered they had shrimp dumplings.
We met up with the rest of our group and made our way to Shamian Island for the standard medical exam for the children. We stayed on the island last year so it was nice to go back for a visit. It is so relaxed and laid back (not to mention a great place to shop). When we arrived, the waiting room was empty so we were quickly escorted back to each of the areas (general checkup, ENT, cardiology). It's a good thing too because soon after we got there the waiting room filled with more thirty other families. It was a madhouse full of newly adopted children and their families. One funny tidbit: The doctor doing Sprout's checkup kept looking at her and looking at her chart. He even asked for the Chinese version of her medical files we have. He took them and made copies and studies them intently. I was beginning to worry when our translator came to the room and he quickly asked her a question. He was concerned because her lips were so blue and she doesn't have a heart condition that would do that. Ummm, guess who gave her a blue sucker right before we walked into the appointment?!?! Thank goodness he found that to be funny and we were quickly on our way.
The rest of the day was open so Stu and Sawyer went to the pool while I stayed in the room with Sprout who took a great nap! After that we went exploring in the area around our hotel and bought a new stroller. Sprout does NOT like the baby carrier I brought for her and loves, loves, loves to be in a stroller. I think she would sit in their all day if we let her. Stu is a master bargainer and was able to get a pretty good deal on a nice stroller so we have one happy little girl.
It's amazing how much Sprout is continuing to come out of her shell. We have had a few more brief spells of grief but for the most part she is a very happy little girl. She laughs constantly and finds the most random things absolutely hysterical. She is really starting to mimic words we say and is using "mama" and "papa" regularly. We've started using sign language with her and she has already picked up the signs for "more" and "all finished". I'm quite sure that "food" and "drink" aren't too far behind. We are seeing a lot of typical 2-year-old behavior and a few temper tantrums when she doesn't get her way, but this is reassuring as she feels comfortable enough with to show us her true colors.

Grins and Grief

2011-11-03T05:27:00.008-05:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging yesterday. We made a brief trip to the Shanghai museum and then were stuck inside our tiny hotel room for the rest of the day as it was raining outside. While we weren't very active yesterday, Sprout's personality definitely started to emerge. She woke with a big smile on her face and it stayed there for most of the day. However, as the hours go by we are starting to see quite a bit of "naughty" behavior from her. (I use the term "naughty" as that is how the orphanage described some of her behavior.) It started with her throwing various toys across the hotel room and then laughing hysterically. While we didn't want to encourage that, it was hard to tell her to stop because she was enjoying it so much. Then came the screaming at the top of her lungs for no reason other than it was funny. It's one thing to do that at home, quite another to do it in the middle of a museum. Then came the pinching and pushing of her big brother. Again, she thought it was hilarious and it was hard to convince Chipmunk not to allow her to do that. He was willing to take one for the team if it would make her happy. The final straw came when she was once again screaming in the museum and a security guard came up and tried to tell her to be quiet. She slapped his hand away and then tried to slap his face. I removed her from the situation and tried to apologize but am having a hard time trying to discipline her at this point. In China, I think they allow their toddlers to get away with most anything. You should see the looks I get from many of the older Chinese people when I try to tell her not to do something she so obviously wants to do. Ugh. Not fun.
Other than that, the day was great. She is such a happy girl and seems equally attached to Chipmunk and me (with Stu coming in a close third). Her favorite activity is being pushed in the hallway by her brother. I think she would sit in the stroller for hours if we let her. Looks like we will definitely be purchasing a triple stroller in the near future.
Today has been a much harder day. She woke up early this morning at 6:00 a.m. and was happy through breakfast. On our way to the Jade Buddha Temple she started to get cranky and it went downhill from there. We couldn't bring the stroller in and she didn't want to be held but we couldn't let her walk because there was such a big crowd. She fought with us the through the whole tour. After a brief visit to the French Quarter (where we randomly ran into a group of people from our small college...what a small world!!) we decided to go to the Shanghai Aquarium. Chipmunk has been such a trooper through many of the activities that we wanted to do an activity that he would love. Sprout had a complete and total meltdown while we were standing in line because I wouldn't give her a third sucker (this girl loves her candy). She screamed and wailed and kicked and fought. We had quite the crowd of concerned adults around us, all giving me dirty looks for not giving in to what she wanted. We made it into the aquarium (which was absolutely fantastic...probably the highlight of Chipmunk's trip) but Sprout just seemed really out of sorts. I know she was tired but it was more than that. We arrived back at the hotel and the boys went out for some sight-seeing while I tried to put her down for a nap. All of a sudden the tears just started pouring down her face. Poor girl was grieving hard. She just sobbed non-stop for about 10 minutes. It breaks my heart to see her like this and know there isn't much I can do to make it better. She did let me rock her and give her a bottle but you could just see the sadness in her eyes. Quite the reminder that adoption isn't always the happily-ever-after fairy tale that it might seem. Adoption is hard and it requires work. We took this little girl away from the only world she has ever known and while she seems to be adjusting and bonding with us, she is still missing the life she had. I so wish I could do more for her. Sigh...
She did wake up in a better mood after a short nap and we are starting to hear a few giggles again. Hoping tonight is a little easier for her. Tomorrow evening we are heading to Guangzhou for our last leg of the trip and I'm a little nervous how Sprout is going to do on the flight.

Day Two

2011-11-01T09:09:00.006-05:00

We had a long night last night so Allison is already in bed and left the nightly blogging to her wonderful husband.

So last night we found out Sprout has a bit of a sensitive stomach. I guess we may have overdone it a bit with the first couple meals as she had an upset belly all night so we took turns walking, rocking and changing diapers. She finally passed out and got a couple hours sleep. But she woke up very happy this morning and was in a great mood all day so no harm done.

Luckily today was pretty light on official duties as we took about 2 hours this morning to finalize some documents and get everything notarized and some photos taken. We then came back to the hotel had a quick lunch and then my favorite time of every trip....Family nap time. It was awesome. We made up for the bad night by taking a three hour nap. Well everyone did except Sawyer who did homework and played on the computer while he listened to the three of us snore.

After our nap we took a long walk down to the pedestrian street. It was packed with people and full of energy. We walked down to the Bund to take in the skyline at nighttime (see photo below). We ended up with a late dinner at the noodle restaurant across from our hotel. It is much more of a locals place and needless to say we don't exactly fit in. But I still wasn't expecting the cook to come out and sit down with us. They were all very impressed with Chipmunk's chopstick ability and watching us with Sprout. We were very careful with what we feed her tonight so hopefully we won't have a repeat of last night.

Overall we had a great day with Sprout. She is certainly feeling more comfortable around us. I think I'm starting to regret bringing Chipmunk with us. I am coming in as the third favorite behind Allison and him. They play great together and he certainly is a natural with her. Tomorrow is a sightseeing day so it should be nice and relaxed.

Sprout Day!

2011-10-31T07:25:00.011-05:00

My day began early this morning at 2:00 a.m. I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep...my mind was racing with thoughts about our upcoming day. I was surprisingly calm (I suppose going through this five times does have its advantages); I was trying to envision every possible scenario, from the best to the worst. Soon enough, it was time to meet our guide and head to the office where we would meet our newest daughter! We were led to a tiny conference room where another adoptive couple was preparing to meet their new child. We filled out last minute paperwork and double-checked documents as we waited for the caregivers to bring the children. The other couple's daughter was led into the room; she was about 4 years old and terrified. As the other couple tried to make friends with their new daughter, I felt my anxiety rise as I knew we would be in that position soon. A few minutes later I looked up into the doorway as a young woman brought in the cutest little girl...our Sprout! She quickly handed her to me and then backed away. For a moment Sprout looked stunned and then the grief started. She tried so hard not to cry but the tears poured down her face. I held her close and rocked her but felt so helpless as I was unable to comfort her. But it was Chipmunk to the rescue! He grabbed a sucker out of the diaper bag and brought it to her. She knew exactly what to do with that. She seemed a bit more content with that little piece of candy and we were able to ask her caregiver some details about our new daughter.
A few minutes later we were led out of the office and about thirty minutes later we were dropped off at our hotel. That was it. She was ours!
In our hotel room, I continued to hold her and let her get used to us before I attempted to take off her shoes or coat. She needed a diaper change but as soon as I attempted it, the sobs began again so I quickly stopped. We pulled out a few toys and played quietly on the floor for about an hour or so. I was encouraged because she was making good eye contact with all of us and would get upset the minute any of us was out of her eyesight.
We went out for a quick lunch of shrimp, rice and dumplings. We found out that baby girl likes to eat! She was eating everything as quickly as I could put it in her mouth (which was wasn't too fast considering I was using chopsticks).
Upon returning to the hotel we attempted to put her down for a nap. She would have nothing to do with that. The terrified look came back into her eyes anytime we tried to lay her down. You could feel her little body shake in fear. I felt so bad. We decided to let her play quietly on the floor for awhile, thinking that would calm her down a bit. Wrong! She must have gotten her second wind because after just a little while she was giggling and interacting with us. I guess she thought we were okay people since we let her skip her nap. We've played for the rest of the evening and her personality is really starting to shine through. I think she was a little slap happy for awhile because she would throw all of her toys and laugh hysterically...big belly laughs that would make her roll on the ground! Sawyer would build towers out of stacking cups and silly girl would knock them down immediately. So funny! I think she is going to be quite the character. She's already starting to vocalize a lot and loves to have all eyes in the room on her at all times which, of course, they are.
We are now attempting to lay her down for the night. We've given her a bottle (did I mention that she only drinks out of a bottle?? and is still on formula??) and it seems quiet for now. I'm keeping my finger crossed that everyone gets a good night's sleep as tomorrow we go and officially register her adoption!

Shanghai Sights

2011-10-30T06:10:00.007-05:00

Today we had a fun day of seeing some sights around Shanghai. We began at the Yuyan Gardens, a garden area right in the middle of the city. The sun was out so it was a perfect day to stroll around this beautiful garden for awhile. After that we took advantage of some free time and strolled around the shopping area that surrounds the garden. It was quite busy and took Chipmunk a little while to get used to all of the pushy salespeople following us and trying to get us to buy everything that we glanced at.
We also were able to take a quick trip to the Bund, one of the famous areas of Shanghai. Our walk down on the waterfront nice and relaxing; I can't wait to visit that area at night and view the lights that are on all of the buildings. I've heard it's amazing.
Tonight we strolled down to Nanjing Road, the pedestrian street that is full of shopping and restaurants. It reminded us so much of our time in Beijing and our many walks down the pedestrian street there.
I can't believe in just a little over twelve hours we will finally meet the little girl that captured our hearts almost a year ago! Nervousness is starting to creep in as I'm sure Sprout is not going to be as happy to see us...I can't even begin to imagine how scared and bewildered she is going to be tomorrow. We are taking her from every single thing she has ever known; we look different, sound different, smell different. She is 2 1/2 years old and has lived in the orphanage for her entire life. There is no way that we can explain to her that we will be her family forever and that we will love and cherish her. She has no concept of what a family means. There is a very good chance that our sweet girl will be VERY sad to be placed in our arms and will grieve heavily for awhile. Whatever her reaction, we will deal with it and help her as much as possible. I'm hoping it won't be too long before we see that big smile of hers that we've seen in so many pictures.
Next post will be with Sprout in our arms!!

We're Here!

2011-10-29T08:59:00.003-05:00

Just a quick note to say that we have arrived in Shanghai! We had a quick flight to Detroit and then a direct flight from Detroit to Shanghai. The fourteen hour flight was uneventful (just the way I like them) and quite smooth. Chipmunk was a champion traveler...barely got his nose out of his Nintendo DS (an early 9th birthday present). He slept very little (as opposed to Stu and me) so I'm hoping that means he'll sleep great tonight and get on "China time" easily.
Tomorrow we are doing a little sightseeing around the area and then Monday is Sprout day!! It's a little surreal to know that we are finally in the same city as her after thinking about her being half way around the world for the past ten months.
Only 36 more hours!!
By the way, Chipmunk is keeping his own blog during our travels. He would love it if you read it and leave him comments:
www.sawyersadventuresinchina.blogspot.com

Traveling and Nesting

2011-10-22T06:57:00.000-05:00

It looks like our Halloween will be filled with plenty of treats this year, as that is the day we meet our Sprout! Everything in this adoption has felt like it has moved in slow motion; but now it seems as though time is racing by at the speed of light. We received word last Monday that our travel approval (TA) had arrived...2 to 3 weeks ahead of schedule. Fantastic! We asked for a consulate appointment (when we pick up her visa from the US consulate in China) as soon as possible, keeping our fingers crossed that one would be available before the end of November. Imagine my shock when I woke up on Tuesday morning (at 5:00 a.m.) to an email from our coordinator that our CA had been confirmed for November 9th! I quickly did the math (in my still sleep-hazy mind) - the CA appointment is the last thing we do in China; you usually pick-up the child on the Monday of the week before...putting us as meeting Sprout on Halloween. I couldn't believe it. We would be leaving for China in 10 days!! I was so overcome with excitement I jumped out of bed and did a little happy dance. But then it hit me. We would be leaving for China in 10 days!! Oh my! So much to do. Not only would I have to pack for Stu, myself, Chipmunk and Sprout, I would also have to get our childcare lined up for the 3 kiddos that are staying; arrange plane tickets; talk with Chipmunk's school about his homework during his trip; prepare all Halloween costumes/festivities for Monkey, HotDog and Pudding during our absence; buy birthday presents for Chipmunk, whose 9th birthday is the day we will be flying back home. Did I mention that a few weeks ago I decided to switch all of the children's rooms around? I thought "the girls" (how I do love saying that!!) could be moved to our big playroom thereby moving Pudding from his tiny room to HD's current room and finally moving the playroom into Pudding's former room. Easy enough, right? Of course not. In order for the girls to move to the playroom I've had to strip wallpaper and repaint every square inch of the room. We also have to pull up the old carpet and we have the new carept scheduled to come next week...as in two days before we leave. At this point I'm just hoping that we can get the beds set up and most of the furniture moved back into place before we leave. All of my dreams of spending a quiet few weeks putting the final touches on the room are going to have to wait until things calm down (I'm figuring 2018 or so). My awesome sister-in-law has offered to come over and pull things together as much as possible. We are also getting two of our bathrooms re-tiled while we are away. I'm starting to feel like this is groundhog day. Remember when we moved houses the week before we left to bring Pudding home just last year?? How I vowed never ever to do that to myself again? Ha! Stu is in charge of the kiddos today so I can do all of the shopping for our trip. It is probably the last kid-free day I'll have for a very long time! I'll update with travel details soon.

TA!

2011-10-17T19:57:00.003-05:00

I know I've neglected this blog lately, but I've been doing some major nesting. However I wanted to share that we heard from our coordinator that we received our TA today!! I am completely shocked, as we weren't expecting it for another week or two. Still not sure when we will travel but it should be in mid-November. Hang on baby girl....we'll be there soon!

A Birthday for Pudding

2011-09-01T07:10:00.009-05:00

In all of the LOA excitement, I failed to mention that Pudding's birthday was last week too. It was quite a week for celebration at our house! We had a big party for him last year on his 3rd birthday (the first birthday he celebrated with us), so we kept it low-key this year...well, as low-key as things get around here.
We started the day at a local gymnastics facility for some bouncy fun. HD isn't all that fond of bouncy houses (nor is she a fan of other kids in general) so she stuck close to the ball pit for much of the morning.

They pretended to "swim" in the balls for more than an hour; I pretended not to think about what kind of germs covered those hundreds of plastic balls. We followed that up with a yummy lunch of PB&J before heading home for a quick nap in preparation for their first soccer practice/game of the season.

Yes, Stu signed up the Littles for soccer in the U4 league this fall. I was a little hesitant at first; after all, they are just three- (and a brand new) four-years-old. But the league is all about getting the kids on the field and letting them have fun. Considering they have to sit through their brothers' practices/games, this might be the perfect introduction to the (very) basic fundamentals of the game.

They were both very excited about playing soccer...HD was particularly excited about her pink soccer gear! Their excitement last approximately six minutes.

It started with Pudding getting upset because he had to take turns (very unusual for this kid...I think the long morning was starting to catch up with him). Then HD declared that she was finished because, "It is so very hot." The girl does not like hot weather. And the idea that we wanted her to run in hot weather...ha! She had a meltdown, Pudding had a meltdown; we were quite the spectacle! I learned my lesson though - no busy mornings on the day of soccer for those two. I'm hoping next week's practice/game will be better...otherwise it is going to be a looong six weeks.
Tears were exchanged for big smiles at the suggestion of going home for a little birthday cake. Seriously, does this boy not radiate happiness?!?!

The birthday celebrations didn't end there. We followed that up with a small swim party with Stu's family. I think Pudding was more excited about his dinosaur cake (his newest obsession) than anything else that weekend!

Another birthday in the books. Based on the smiles, I think it was a success.
Happy Fourth Birthday to the Happiest Little Kid I know!

LOA!

2011-08-22T06:50:00.011-05:00

After waiting for 76 days, I am thrilled to say we have received our LOA from China! After being so discouraged about the adoption process last week, today I am positively giddy with excitement. While we still have a few more steps to go before we can travel to pick up our little Sprout, it is such a relief to have this part finished. The LOA is the great mystery of the process; some people receive theirs in 30 days while others wait over 100. The rest of the process is much more streamlined and regimented. If the current averages continue, it looks like we may be in China in mid-November. Chipmunk is beyond excited at the prospect of spending his 9th birthday in China with his new sister. I am just happy that she will be home with her family for the holidays. Not too much longer sweet baby girl!

Life in the Slow Lane

2011-08-15T07:16:00.001-05:00

We have enjoyed a lazy summer. No big and exciting trips; just a lot of lounging by the pool and time spent with family and friends. It was so nice not having to wake to an alarm clock each morning (besides Pudding's early morning shouts from his bedroom) and being able to eat supper together each night without having to race to this practice or that meeting.
But all good things must come to an end and, truth be told, I think we were all ready for school to begin. Chipmunk and Monkey are usually best friends; by the last week of July, they were at each other's throats all day...a sure-fire indicator that it is back-to-school time. Now that school has been back in session for a couple of weeks, I have our peaceful household back. We also decided that Pudding needed to go to preschool a few day a week. We know that he is still quite delayed socially/emotionally, but I didn't realize quite how delayed until I watched him interact with other children his age this summer at our library's summer program. He has made such amazing strides in the 16 months he has been home; never in my wildest dreams did I think he would be at the point where he is now. That being said, he needs a little extra push in learning how to follow rules and play in a group setting (with other children besides his siblings). So last week, he started at the same preschool that Monkey attended. I love this preschool and think it will be a perfect fit for Pudding. The class size is very small and the teachers are amazing. I am sure that he will thrive there.
That leaves HotDog and me with three afternoons all to ourselves!! I'm not sure who is more excited about that...her or me?!? Granted, she takes a nap so her time as the only child at home is limited; still, she is thrilled that we get "girl time" together! If you ask her what we need to do during our girl time, she'll answer "Go shopping. Do our toenails. Eat ice cream." I think I'm going to be in trouble during her teenage years!
HD is excited that Sprout will be able to share in our girl time too. We are still not sure when that will be though. We continue to wait for our much-anticipated LOA (China's official acceptance of our adoption). Most come within 30-60 days; we are at day 68 (I think) and still waiting. We did hear that our dossier made it out of translation and is in the review room, which means it should just be a few more weeks. Initially we had hoped to travel in August; now I'll be thrilled to have her home for Thanksgiving. I find it amazing what we though would be our quickest adoption will now become our longest adoption (almost a year from the time we committed to her). I have no right to complain as there are many other families that have waited a much longer time than us. It's just hard knowing these children are waiting in orphanages while they have families that are so anxious to bring them home. Adoption is definitely not for the faint-hearted.
The one thing that does make this loooong wait a little easier is new pictures of our little Sprout!! We have been so blessed throughout this adoption in getting pictures of our newest little love. It had been a few months since we had gotten a new update on Sprout so I decided it was time to send her a care package and remind her that her family can't wait to bring her home. We also sent a photo book to show her pictures of her new family. I was hoping to get one or two new pictures. Imagine my delight when I received 9 new pictures of her with the photo album we sent. I love, love, love seeing her study the pictures of us...every little connection to her helps.

LID

2011-06-07T14:54:00.002-05:00

I was so happy to wake up with an email from our coordinator informing us that we finally have an LID of 6/7/11. This is about a month later than I expected it, but at this point I'm just happy to be logged into the system. We now wait for our LOA, which is the official paperwork from China saying they have approved us to be Sprout's parents. The average wait for LOA right now is 30-60 days. The program allowing us to reuse our dossier seems like a total mess at this point so I'm going to go ahead and expect a 60+ day wait. I was praying for September travel, but now I'll be happy to have her home by Thanksgiving. No worries though; it is what it is and it is out of our hands. We will be thrilled whenever it is she joins our family. In the meantime, tomorrow is the last day of school for Chipmunk and Monkey so our summer fun can officially begin!!

A Bittersweet Surprise

2011-06-04T09:54:00.005-05:00

While the wait for LID is still dragging on, I was thrilled to see a new message in my inbox. There is a family in Shanghai this week that is adopting a little boy from Sprout's orphanage. They were able to visit the orphanage and check on some of the children with families that are waiting. Sprout is in a different room than their new son, so I was just hoping that they were able to catch a quick glimpse of her and let me know how she looks. Imagine my surprise when I found four new pictures of our little sweetheart, along with two quick video clips!! I always love getting updated pictures of our little girl but the video brought an entirely new level of happiness. Seeing her waving at the camera and saying Mama brought tears to my eyes. After struggling during this looooong wait for an LID, the video was a great reminder that there is a beautiful little girl waiting for her mom and dad. However, it is a little bittersweet to receive new updates on her, as we can see her growing up without us there. Everyday we miss new milestones; everyday she becomes more of toddler and less of a baby; everyday she misses the love and attention that her family is anxious to share with her. The wait is so hard but so worth it.

Pity Party

2011-05-23T19:01:00.002-05:00

I just heard from our coordinator that we still haven't been assigned an LID (our documents logged into the system). We were DTC (the date we sent all of our documents to China) on 4/29 and it usually takes about two weeks to get an LID. Not in our case. Evidently it is taking longer since they have to copy all of the documents from our previous dossier. Sigh...
This isn't a huge deal but it is disappointing. It seems as though everything in this adoption is taking a few weeks longer than it should. This is the part of the adoption process that drives me crazy. We have done everything required and now we have to wait for the various governments to do their part. I can't stand the fact that Sprout is halfway across the world waiting for us and there isn't a single thing we can do to make it go any quicker.
We still have no idea when we'll be traveling; that is all dependent on how longs it takes to get our LOA. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for September travel but it might be late September at this point. My head knows that would be great as we are leaning towards taking Chipmunk with us and that timeframe would fall during his fall break. But my heart just wants to hop on the next plane and hold Sprout in my arms as soon as possible.
And the adoption roller-coaster continues...

Progress!

2011-04-28T21:34:00.002-05:00

I am SO happy to say that we received our I800a approval (US immigration approval) last Saturday and that, as of tomorrow, the last piece of our paperwork will be on its way to China! Woohoo! I am so relieved that our portion of paperwork is finished. Now we begin the wait for LOA. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the rest of the process moves quickly and we will be traveling to pick up our little Sprout sometime in September.
I can't think of a better way to celebrate this little milestone than heading to sunny Key West for a week. After non-stop rain/thunderstorms/tornadoes over the past week, a little fun in the sun will be paradise. Did I mention that the kids aren't going?!?! Yes, Stu and I will on our first kid-free vacation since 2003! I know I'll miss the kids but lounging by the pool, napping, reading and having grown-up conversations and beverages sounds like a little piece of heaven.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T20:41:00.004-05:00

Wishing everyone a very happy Easter!

The Tooth Fairy

2011-04-18T20:05:00.005-05:00

Our household has had a couple of visits by the Tooth Fairy this week. I expected one visit as Monkey has had a loose tooth for the past several weeks; but I never thought that the Tooth Fairy would be visiting my three-year-old!
Last Tuesday Pudding woke up from nap crying and pointing at his mouth. For him to wake up upset is unusual but once he refused to eat/drink I knew there was something really wrong with him. He managed to eat a little bit of rice later in the evening but I could tell he was still uncomfortable and his bottom teeth were bothering him. Bright and early the next morning we made a stop at our regular dentist. Pudding is still terrified of doctors (not that I blame him after his past experiences with heart surgery/tonsillectomy) but I was hoping that Pudding would feel comfortable since Stu's Crazy Aunt Carolyn works there. No surprise, however, that he wouldn't let them anywhere near his mouth. So off to a specialized pediatric dentist we went. I was keeping my fingers crossed that this appointment would be a little easier since they are geared towards working with children. No such luck. He flipped out the second we walked and I could see the terror in his little eyes. I had to hold him down while they took x-rays and the dentist took a quick peek at his teeth. Pudding kept reaching for me to rescue him and I felt so guilty that I couldn't help. I was shocked when the dentist told me that both of his bottom middle teeth needed to come out. I decided to go ahead and have it done then and there since I couldn't imagine bringing him back and putting him through this experience again. Luckily they gave him some medicine that made him groggy and he didn't seem too upset when they took him from my arms to perform the extractions. When they brought him back to me, he was hysterical. He kept pulling at his mouth (the numbness was really bothering him) and blood was everywhere. I was holding back tears as I tried to comfort him; I was literally sick to my stomach with guilt...not that I could have changed anything but it was just another traumatic experience at a doctor's office for him. My poor baby. Thankfully he feel asleep on the way home and woke up in a great mood with no problems at all with the teeth (or lack thereof). Since then he comes up about 5 or 6 times a day and asks "Where's the teeth? Bye bye teeth!" And while he has a big gaping hole in his smile, he is still as cute as ever.

Not to be outdone by his little brother, Monkey immediately started wiggling his loose teeth every second he could. He tried eating apples and even asked for string so he could wrap it around his tooth and a doorknob. I jokingly told him I would use the pliers to pull it and he actually considered it for a minute. After countless tries and wiggles, his grandmother was able to yank it out on Saturday. He was so proud! But then came his big dilemma: He was spending the night with his grandparents and was concerned that the Tooth Fairy wouldn't know where to find him. We were quick to reassure him that the Tooth Fairy is magical and she would know exactly where he was. Chipmunk was still worried that the Tooth Fairy would get confused so he wrote the sweetest note letting the Tooth Fairy know that Monkey wasn't there and providing her with the address where he (and his tooth) was. He made sure to leave it on Monkey's pillow just to be safe. So sweet. I love it that they have each other's back and look out for their siblings. I need to keep reminding myself of that amongst all of the chaos and noise. Despite all of the yelling and fighting, they really do love each other.

Sprout Update!

2011-03-18T13:04:00.004-05:00

The week just keeps getting better. Birthday celebrations, gorgeous weather and now an update on our little Sprout!
I sent a small care package to Sprout last week through Sheri and Katherine at Gifts to China With Love. I tried not to get my hopes up that we would receive any new information on Sprout, as I know her orphanage tends to be a bit closed-mouth. But Katherine worked her magic and yesterday I had new pictures and an update in my inbox!! I was thrilled to see new pictures of our little sweetheart but I was even happier to get new information on her since the referral information is more than six months old. I'm relieved that it sounds like she is doing fantastic. According to the report she is very smart, can say some words but prefers not to talk, is not introverted but not very outgoing, prefers to help the nannies take care of the other children, and is a very good eater. her personality sounds identical to HD - I have a feeling they are either going to be best friends or are going despise each other. I suppose time will tell. Sprout is still a little peanut (probably due her thyroid issue along with orphanage living); at just a little bit over 2-years-old, she is a tiny 22 pounds. Looks like she'll have some catching up to do when she gets home. Speaking of which, while I was keeping my fingers crossed for August travel it is looking more and more like it will be September. We are still waiting for US immigration approval; while it looks like they are speeding up a little bit, it is still much slower than it was during Pudding's adoption. Of course I would be on the next plane out to get her if possible, but I know this is out of my hands. In the meantime we are taking advantage of the spring weather and hitting up the zoo and parks, taking long bike/stroller rides and beginning soccer season. Next week the Bigs and I are heading to Florida for a spring break trip. We will miss Pudding and HD (and Stu too) but I think Monkey and Chipmunk deserve a little one-on-two time with Mommy. They are so good and patient with the Littles; I can't wait to focus all of my attention on them for a change. Honestly, not changing a diaper for more than a week and not having my schedule revolve around the naptimes of toddlers sounds like a little bit of heaven.
Without further ado, here is our newest little love...she is absolutely adorable (despite the horrible haircut). I can't wait to get her in my arms!

2011-03-16T21:38:00.006-05:00

Three years ago a little baby girl was born in a land far, far away. That little girl had a head full of hair and tiny little rosebud lips. That little baby has now turned into a full-fledged toddler. She is sweet, sassy, independent, funny, opinionated, completely lovable, and always full of hugs and kisses (especially for her big brothers). She is a mother hen, constantly making sure the boys are following the rules and quick to let me know when they aren't. She is such a girly-girl - she loves to wear dresses, paint her toenails, wear bows in her hair, and is dying to get her ears pierced (which Daddy has forbid). She also loves to play in the mud with her brothers and can run circles around Monkey and Pudding with a soccer ball. She is everything I've ever dreamed of in a daughter and I can't wait to continue to watch her grow up into a beautiful young woman.
We celebrated her big day by having lunch with Daddy at Chu*ck E. Chee*se. HD had only been once when she was much younger and this was Pudding's first visit. The Littles had fun (though Pudding got WAY overstimulated!) until HD made her way into the tunnel maze. Poor girl couldn't find her way out and became hysterical; adults aren't allowed in (due to weight limits) so I had to wait until a teenager came by and went in to rescue her. I'm pretty sure HD was traumatized and will never go in another tunnel as long as she lives.
We ended the day with a small cake and ice cream. Lucky girl gets to continue the birthday celebration this weekend with our extended family. Happy 3rd Birthday to my sweet little HD!!

The Birthday Girl

Game time

Pudding love

Amazed by the big cheese-eater

So much fun to open presents

Anyone think Monkey is more excited than HD?

Girl loves cake!

One Year

2011-02-28T14:27:00.004-05:00

*I meant to post this Friday (the 25th) but life got in the way.
One year ago in Beijing, China, Stu and I had a quiet, timid little boy placed in our arms. That shyness lasted about ten minutes, until we pulled out the Cheerios. We quickly got our first giggle and the smiles haven't stopped since. Pudding is quite possibly the happiest child I have ever seen. People ask if I have any pictures of Pudding where he is not smiling; the truth is I probably don't. He wakes up (even at 3 a.m.) with a huge grin on his face and it stays there all day long. Even when HD takes his favorite cat, he tries to give her a mean look but dissolves into giggles within seconds. It's a good thing that he is so darn cute, because that smile often keeps me from wringing his little neck. I thought after three kids I would be prepared for almost anything. Wrong! Pudding is constantly demonstrating how inept my child-proofing efforts are; of course, I'm not sure that even Fort Knox is Pudding-proofed. He can find trouble anywhere he goes and leaves a trail of disaster in his wake. I had no idea how much joy this little boy would bring to our family...and I wouldn't change one single second of the past year. I can't wait to see the coming year brings our family.

Pudding enjoying his "Family Day" celebration

Pudding with his very tired, happy Mama

Our Happy Boy

Reactions and Details

2011-02-21T13:35:00.006-05:00

As we have started to share our good news with friends and family, I have been amazed at what a warm welcome our announcement has received. Not that we were expecting people to be rude; but in all honestly, we received a lot of less-than-enthusiastic responses after we announced we started the journey for Pudding. I wrongly assumed that our news about #5 would be met with a similar response. Of course we have received the standard "Are you guys crazy??" question, but most people have been genuinely happy for us and can't wait to meet Sprout. Most family members haven't even seemed too surprised by our news. I've only received two negative responses which, ironically enough, were preceded by "You are such a good mother with an amazing family, but...". If they believe I'm such a good mother then why would they think that Stu or I would make a decision that would be bad for our family? Instead of getting defensive, I've just smiled and said our entire family was very excited about our newest addition and we were doing what feels right to us. The older I get the more I realize that I need to focus on what makes me (and my family) happy and not worry about what others may think. Living in a small town makes that a little difficult at times, but I'm working on it.
Many of you had questions about our little Sprout that I didn't include in the last post.
Sprout turned two-years-old the week of Christmas; Stu is none-too-happy about another Christmas birthday (mine is the week before) but I'm so happy I'll have somebody else with whom to celebrate our "birthday month"! This means she is nine months younger than HotDog and sixteen months younger than Pudding. Yikes! I can't even imagine how busy I'll be with three young toddlers. Amazingly, due to their birthdays they could all be in different grades (though it looks more and more likely that we will be holding Pudding back a year which will put him in the same grade as HD).
Also, our little Sprout is waiting for us in Shanghai. I am SO excited about getting to travel to Shanghai. Stu and I both agreed after Pudding's adoption trip that we would love to visit China again and Shanghai would be our first stop. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that we would be traveling there to pick up our daughter! With Pudding being from Beijing and Sprout waiting for us in Shanghai, I'm a little disappointed that we don't get to see the rural areas of China; we will just have to save that part of sight-seeing when we make a heritage tour when the children are older.
Many of you have asked about Sprout's health. Just like Pudding, we found her on a waiting child list. After talking to our pediatrician, we were open to a wide variety of special needs but thought we would probably pursue another child with heart disease/defect (like Pudding). However, Sprout's special need is one we never even considered; she has an underdeveloped thyroid. That's it. When we found Sprout's file, I was sure that there was something else in her medicals because her special need seemed so minor. But a thyroid defect seems to be her only medical issue. She will be on thyroid medication for the rest of her life and she will have to get a monthly blood draw to check her hormone levels. But it is completely manageable and she should be able to live a long, healthy life.
I'm hoping to send another care package to our cutie soon and am keeping my fingers crossed we will receive and updated picture of her. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a baby picture of our little Sprout.

Here We Grow Again!

2011-02-14T14:42:00.003-05:00

Another three months since my last post, but I have a good reason this time. We have been keeping a big secret and I didn't want to spill the beans before we were ready. Well, now we are ready and I can shout it from the rooftop...we are adding another little one to our family!! I'm sure this may surprise some of you, but no one is more surprised than us.
After Thanksgiving, I began to feel a little tug that our family might not be complete. I couldn't let go of the idea of HotDog having a sister. She adores her brothers and has a lot of fun with them, but a sister relationship is so different. I threw the idea out to Stu, thinking he would immediately dismiss it. Imagine my surprise when, a few days later, he came home and said we should do it! I couldn't believe it. I've been a member of several groups that advocate for waiting/special needs children in China since Pudding's adoption so I immediately started to search. I inquired about one little girl who looked like she would be a perfect fit for our family. Unfortunately I was told she was on hold for another family. I continued to search and looked at a few other files but I couldn't get the first little girl out of my mind. I couldn't believe it when I saw her mentioned again on an advocacy blog. I contacted the agency coordinator (she was on an agency's individual list) who said the other family had declined and she sent us her file. I immediately sent the file to our pediatrician for review but knew in my heart we had found our girl. After getting thumbs-up from our pediatrician the next day, we sent in our LOI and received PA the very next day. Since then we've been busy updating our homestudy and meeting with our social worker. We are thrilled that we can take advantage of China's new rule, allowing us to reuse our old dossier since our last adoption was less than a year ago. It is saving us a little bit of money and a whole lot of hassle. We are now waiting (im)patiently for our I800 approval so we can send all of our paperwork to China and let the real wait for our little sweetie begin. Assuming the rest of our process proceeds smoothly, we are hoping to pick up her up in late summer (I'm keeping my fingers crossed for August).
While I know this sounds like a spontaneous and random decision, this is not something we decided without a lot of soul-searching. We discussed (a lot) whether we had the time and energy for another child, while at the same time making sure that it wouldn't have a negative impact on our four children at home. There were (and still are) moments of pure panic where I think to myself, "What in the world are we doing??!!?" Honestly, at this point our household operates in contained-chaos mode and we usually have extra children in and out of our house. Our house may be loud and messy, but it's fun and full of love.
I'll post another entry soon with updates on the Bigs and the Littles as well as a look back on Pudding's first-year with our family (can you believe it has almost been a year?!?!). But right now, I'd like to introduce you to our newest little girl...affectionately dubbed "Sprout" by her big brothers.

Princess Playdate

2010-11-16T15:08:00.008-05:00

Although Kyrgyzstan has a relatively small IA program, we are lucky that there are many families in our region with children from Kyrg. And it just so happens that HD's best friend, Ellie, only lives about two hours away. We try to meet up every couple of months, but between our crazy schedules it usually ends up being 3-4 months between visits. We were SO happy to figure out that all of our kiddos were out of school for Election Day so we decided to meet up at a fun playplace half way between us. As it turns out, all of the big boys had other plans so it was just the toddlers; but boy-oh-boy did they have fun together. We played for hours; the kids jumped, ran, and played the entire time. They were so tired afterwards that during our quick lunch, we were actually complimented on their behavior. Ha! It was such a fun day. We can't wait for our next playdate and hope many of the other families with Kyrgyz kids can join us.

The girls had so much fun in the bounce house.

The playhouse/kitchen was another hit

Anybody want some eggs?

Ellie, the future musician

Ellie's face in the window cracks me up!

HD loves to slide

Pudding was fascinated by the Lego wall

The girls spent a lot of time at the train table

My little monkey

Smiles at lunch!

Happy Halloween

2010-11-01T14:33:00.000-05:00

My little goblins has such a fun time trick-or-treating. We were a little concerned how HD would react; she has been going through a phase where she is terrified of almost all Halloween decorations. I'm not talking about a little bit scared...she gets absolutely hysterical at the sight of anything the least little bit scary. My big boys were troopers when we couldn't put out our usual Halloween decorations this year so I was keeping my fingers crossed that HD wouldn't cut short our night of fun. I needn't have worried; as soon as HD realized that she received candy at each house, she was a happy camper. Pudding LOVED the night. He would literally run from one house to another, shrieking in joy as his bag filled up with sugar! We could barely keep up with him as he ran from house to house. At almost 8-years-old, Chipmunk is an old pro and thought he was such a big kid as we allowed him to go up to the doors without us. Monkey enjoyed going door-to-door but was much more interested in handing out candy at our house.

The only picture I was able to get of all four together and looking at the camera.

I can't believe how big my first two babies are getting...sniff, sniff...

The cutest little pig ever

I think the monkey costume was very appropriate for Pudding

Mommy and her little goblins

Monkey loves any opportunity to get messy!

A Long-Awaited Catch-Up

2010-10-25T04:28:00.011-05:00

I know I always begin by apologizing for how long it has been since my last post and this time is no exception. I'd like to say the absence is due to some extenuating circumstance but that is not the case. The reality is that being a mom to four kids is wonderfully exhausting and takes up nearly all of my time (not surprising, I know). I usually have an hour to myself in the morning between "the Bigs" going to school and the Littles awaking. I then have another free hour while the Littles are napping before the Bigs get home from school. It seems as if every other waking minute is spent cleaning up a mess, chasing (absolutely adorable) toddlers or chauffeuring the big boys to soccer practice. Understand I am not complaining one bit (okay, maybe a little...but just to Stu!); I just want to apologize for the long time between posts. I usually have great plans to catch up on long-delayed communication (like this blog, for example) during those few free sacred hours in my day, but I tend to just sit on my couch, enjoy the silence and wait for the next round of chaos to begin.
I had plans to try to do a recap of all of our events from the past several months but that will have to wait (as it's 5:00 in the morning and my "official" day will begin soon)...needless to say, it has been busy. Chipmunk and Monkey started back to school, second-grade and kindergarten respectively; Pudding celebrated his 3rd birthday and HotDog celebrated her 2nd Family Day (aka Gotcha Day); we have had several weddings of family members and all of the trappings that surround such celebrations; we have just finished another season of soccer for the big boys; and we are now gearing up for the beginning of the holiday season. As a child, I was never a big fan of Halloween. My-oh-my how that has changed since becoming a mom. I love the crisp fall air that surrounds this time of the year. I love making our annual trek to a local pumpkin patch. I love seeing the excitement in my children's' eyes as they debate for weeks about which costume they are going to choose. It is so much fun. Of course, this year Pudding will be celebrating his first round of holidays as part of our family. I cannot wait to see how much fun he has trick-or-treating around our neighbor!
Speaking of Pudding, may of you have been asking me about his progress. He is doing fantastic! I still cannot believe how easily he transitioned into our family. I was so worried about the difficulties of a toddler adoption but I can honestly say he made the smoothest transition out of all of our kids. He is just the happiest kid I have ever seen. He has been home a little over six-months and the progress he has made is amazing. He is starting to speak in sentences now (although I'm usually the only one that can understand him), but still uses a lot of sign language. He has been going through a huge growth spurt and is now on the charts for height and weight. We just finished a check-up with his cardiologist (all good news) and underwent allergy testing to determine if that is causing his breathing difficulty (of course not...not allergic to anything; the allergist/ENT say he just has the smallest sinus passages they've ever seen and simply can't pull air in through his nose). He has transitioned to his own big-boy bed and I'm thrilled to say sleeping has gotten (a bit) better. He usually falls asleep by himself now and sleeps through the night about 50% of the time. The other nights he tends to toss and turn and will wake up a couple of times during the night. I know it is still not ideal but I am so happy with the improvement he has made it that area.
All in all, life is great. I promise I will try to update on a more regular basis and catch up on all of my favorite blogs. I have missed everyone!
In the meantime, I'll share some pictures of our recent trip to the pumpkin patch.

Fun in the Sun

2010-07-03T22:41:00.008-05:00

We just returned from a fantastic vacation to Florida. We had such a wonderful time; absolutely no plans or schedule....just hanging out and enjoying the beautiful weather with my favorite people. We'd hit the pool in the morning, I'd take the big boys to the ocean while the Littles were napping, and then we'd go to the pool after supper and swim until dark. I was a little unsure of how the the little ones, especially Pudding, would do with the change of location and with the pool. No need to worry at all; they LOVED it! By the second day they were both little fish - putting their faces in the water, swimming around the steps, and jumping into the pool, whether or not Stu or I was there to catch them. Chipmunk would stay in the water all day if we let him. He loved playing with his diving sticks in the deep end and was swimming laps in the pool by the end of the trip. And I was so proud of my little Monkey! He's had basic swimming lessons but has never been very comfortable in a pool. I knew he could swim if he just had a little confidence so I promised him he could pick out any toy he wanted whenever he was able to swim from one side of the pool to the other by himself. I should have known better because five minutes later he did it. (Let me tell you what a long car ride home it was with his new toy accordion that he chose!!) After that, there was no stopping him. He stayed in the shallow end but was swimming, diving and doing flips in the pool. I think Stu had more fun than any of the kids though. He was just like a little boy, playing different games with the Bigs in the pool, challenging Chipmunk to races, and catching the Littles as they jumped in over and over again. By the time night rolled around we were all exhausted and everyone (including Pudding - yeah!!) fell asleep the instant our heads touched the pillows. One afternoon we were lucky enough to have a playdate with two of my blogging friends, Rachel and Jackie that have daughters from Kyrgyzstan (I'll do a blog post on that in a few days because I need to make sure I have all of the pictures downloaded of our adorable kids). Other than that, we simply relaxed and had fun in the sun. I think this will go down as the best vacation ever!

Catch Up

2010-06-09T14:45:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it has been a month since I've updated the blog. But between Pudding's recovery, soccer season, end-of-school year activities for both boys and continuous trips to various doctors, I've had no time to even catch up on reading my favorite blogs, let alone update this one.
So onto Pudding's recovery (or, as it's affectionately known around our household, "Two-Weeks-of-Hell"): it was not fun. Not only was it not fun, it as downright miserable. My poor, sweet boy cried non-stop, 24-hours-a-day, for two entire weeks. He didn't leave my lap for more than two minutes at a time, and that includes during the night. He wouldn't eat or drink and I can't even count how many times I had pain medicine spit back into my face. One of the biggest drawbacks to having this surgery so soon after coming home was that we couldn't communicate to him that drinking would make his throat feel better. He refused all liquids. Our little guy dropped 6 pounds over those two weeks...precious pounds he didn't have to lose. I felt so helpless as he sobbed in my lap all day. While the recovery process left my patience level at an all time low, I'm happy to say that it was a huge step forward in bonding. This kid didn't leave my side for an instant over those two weeks; I now jokingly refer to him as my shadow. It has been such a reversal from our time in China when he had such a preference for Stu. Now he wants me non-stop, all the time. He won't even go to Stu if he knows I'm home. I am also thrilled to say that his surgery was a major success. Not only does he feel so much better but he is SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!! In his own room, no less! He still needs me to lay down with him but after he finishes his bottle (yes, he still gets a nighttime bottle...I don't want to force too many changes right now) he tells me "night-night", turns over and goes right to sleep. Yahoo!! I feel like a brand new woman now that I'm back to getting 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night.
Pudding's adjustment to the language change is amazing. While he is still catching up verbally, he understands probably about 90% of what we say (and I suspect the other 10% is his "selective hearing"). We've also been working on sign language with him and both HD and him are quickly picking it up. He signs more than 20 words without prompting and knows upwards of 40-50 signs! He is definitely able to let us know what he wants. HD is unbelievable at signing. If you show her a sign one time she absorbs it like a sponge. She knows almost 75 signs and her language has exploded alongside of signing. Speaking of HD, she is doing great. Over the past couple of months she has bloomed into such a sweet little girl. Now HD likes to be the life of the party. She is the first out on the dance floor when the music starts playing and is the first to greet guests in our house; such a difference from our shy, bashful toddler who wouldn't look a stranger in the face. She is talking up a storm and finishes almost every sentence with "honey". It is beyond cute. You walk into her room in the morning and she greets me with "Good morning honey." If she sees Pudding upset she'll squat down next to him and ask, "What's wrong honey?" She's turned into such a girly-girl too. She always wants her toenails polished (thanks Puffy!), loves to wear dresses and insists on having her hair pulled back with a bow. Little girl will even smile at the camera now! I'm not sure how long it will last so we're getting some new pictures of her taken tomorrow since she didn't smile in one single picture at her 2-year-portraits.

The Bigs are doing great too. Chipmunk just finished first-grade (how is that possible?!?) and is smart as a whip. He's reading books and doing math that I didn't attempt until I was in 3rd and 4th grade. Multiplication tables in 1st grade? Really? At this rate his schoolwork is going to be over my head by the time he's in middle school. He loves our new neighborhood and is looking forward to a long summer of bike rides and playdates with friends.
Monkey is Monkey. He is the sweetest, funniest and most mischievous little boy ever! He graduated from preschool last week and I still can't believe that he'll be in kindergarten in the fall. He is super-smart and academically ready for it but I still view him as my lovable little toddler. I'm really going to miss having him with me for most of the day. He lost his first tooth last week, followed by another one today. I knew he was nervous when both of his bottom teeth were very loose, so I told him how cool it would be when he lost both of them and he'd have a hole big enough to fit an M&M through it with his teeth closed. He started to get excited about it and was so disappointed when we discovered his permanent teeth were already in place behind his baby ones, so no big hole for him. An ice cream sundae quickly cheered him up though;-)

Okay, I think I've caught up on the last month. Now the challenge is to stay up-to-date which might be a challenge since we'll be lounging around the beach next week! Stu had some downtime in his schedule and I'm desperate for a little vacation (and no, China did NOT count as a vacation) so we've planned a little impromptu trip to my family's condo in Florida. The Bigs are so excited, as am I; not sure how the Littles will do but I think between the beach and the pool that we will all have a good time. We're also hoping to meet up with some blog buddies and have a little Kyrgyz reunion. I cannot wait!

My newest little monkey

Happy in the sunshine

Looks like we'll have another visit from the Tooth Fairy

So proud of my Chipmunk at his school's awards ceremony

Pudding showing off the goofy smile he does everytime he sees a camera!

HD loved the baby bunny my brother rescued from the lawn mower and was so sad when we returned him to his home

Chipmunk cruising in his cousin's Barbie jeep

My little graduate and his proud Papa

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T08:11:00.002-05:00

Since Allison won't let her kids buy her a present for Mother's Day I thought we would hack in to the blog (without her knowledge) and let her know how much we apprecaite all she does.

Chipmonk says "Happy Mother's Day. Your the best mom ever. You can do whatever you want today. I love you."

Monkey says "Happy Mother's Day. You rock. You can read your book today. I love you."

HotDog says "More milk please. I love Momma."

Pudding is just crying. His throat still hurts. But if he could talk I'm sure he would say that he loves Mom too.

Stu says "You are the greatest Mom in the world. You are everthing for the kids from doctor to taxi driver. You always say that you are the lucky one to have four beautiful kids (and you are) but we are also lucky to have someone tat takes care of all of us the way you do. We will never be able to properly tell you how much we love you."

Now me and the boys are going to try to fix something edible for Mom's breakfast - chocolate chip pancakes with strawberries.

While I'm here I want to say thanks to all the other Mother's out there that help all of us out (Nanny, Rosalie, Puffy, Rita, Jen, Dana, etc.) I couldn't manage without the help of all you wonderful ladies. I hope you all have a great Mother's Day.

Stu

A Rough Day

2010-05-03T23:00:00.004-05:00

Early this morning we arrived at the hospital for Pudding's long-awaited tonsillectomy. After a quick registration, it was time for the "goofy juice" (the medicine they give the children to help relax them before surgery). Before Chipmmunk and Monkey's surgeries, this juice made them hilarious...they acted like they were falling down drunk. The funny thing with Pudding was that you couldn't even tell he had taken the meds since he is so happy and goofy on a normal day. The only clue was that he was having trouble holding up his head. Thankfully the surgery itself went great. Tonsils and adenoids were huge so the ENT believes he will feel/sleep much better now. Having been through this previously with both boys, I know the recovery is no walk in the park but I also remembered how easy the first few days were since they are on major pain meds. We had already planned on staying overnight due to Pudding's open-heart surgery history as well as his young age. Good thing we did because poor little guy is having a very rough time. His O2 sat levels keep dropping; we are hoping this is due to him holding in his breath in pain/anger/frustration. Plus we can't get him to drink anything - we've tried a bottle, a sippy cup, a regular cup. I wish we could explain to him how much better he would feel if he would drink something. On top of it all, Pudding does not like any cold food so we are having trouble finding anything he'll eat right now - so far he has eaten a few bites of cantaloupe and yogurt. And I'm sure he is terrified of the hospital setting, all of the strangers constantly poking and prodding him and all of the different sounds around us. We've been in the room for 12 hours now and he hasn't let us put him down one time. I wish I could do something to help him feel better. He just got a new dose of pain meds and he seems to be in resting much better. Guess I better try to catch a cat nap while I can. I'm hoping tomorrow brings a little relief for him.

All smiles after the goofy juice

Quite a fashion statement

Such a long, hard day

A Special Day

2010-05-01T19:54:00.010-05:00

I just have a minute (shocking, I know) but I couldn't let this day pass without mentioning what a sweet memory is attached to May 1st. This time last year I was on my computer looking at a picture of the cutest little Chinese boy and wondering if we would become my son. I remember thinking that it couldn't be this easy; we had just decided two weeks prior to go ahead with another adoption. We knew we wanted a country that required one trip (most likely China); we knew we wanted a toddler-age boy; and we knew we wanted to go the waiting child route, with preference to boys with mild to moderate heart problems. We hadn't started any paperwork, hadn't begun to research agencies, nothing. Then the Friday afternoon of Derby week (those from my area will understand the craziness that surrounds this week), while getting ready for dinner with our dear friends Rachel and Darren
I received an email from an intake coordinator of an adoption agency (with whom I had talked previously about our desire for a toddler sn boy). She mentioned their agency had a new list of waiting children that included many toddler boys and suggested I take a look. She did say that although the list had just been released the previous day, there were already many families in line to review most of the files. I went to the website to glance at the list, expecting to see all of the children that might be a fit for our family to have long waiting lists. I found two little boys that jumped out at me and inquired about the possibility of reviewing the files. Imagine my surprise when she emailed back saying they were both still available and asking which file I would like to review. I immediately told her the number of the little boy that looked so stoic in his picture, but had a little twinkle in his eye. As we were driving to dinner, we received his file and I quickly skimmed through his medicals. I am no doctor but from what I could tell, his sn looked pretty straight-forward and one that we would be able to handle. As luck would have it, Rachel's daughter (adopted from Kyrg like our HD) had the same condition and had just undergone open-heart surgery to correct it. I wasn't ready to share this potentially exciting news until our pediatrician had reviewed the medicals but within five minutes of sitting down to dinner, I was busy picking Rachel's mind about the particulars of this sn and what I could expect. I left feeling little butterflies of excitement in my stomach but trying desperately not to get my hopes up that this might actually work out. I met with our pediatrician that Sunday (so nice having a pedi that is a close family friend) and he thought the medicals looked good but wanted to pass them on to a pediatric cardiologist just to be safe. Waiting to hear back from the cardiologist seemed like the longest three days of my life. I tried desperately not to get attached to the three little pictures we had of him, but it was too late. He had completely captured my heart. I cried tears of joy when our pedi called back and said "Go get that little boy. He looks great." I couldn't believe it. Could it really be that easy? Of course, nothing in adoption is ever that easy when you factor in paperwork, social worker visits, dealing with two different governments, delay after delay. But all in all, it was probably the smoothest adoption we've ever had. Less than ten months later, the little boy that captured my heart become our son. We discovered he is anything but stoic, but he definitely always has that twinkle in his eye. Now one year later, I still am in amazement at how easily everything fell into place. And I still pinch myself everyday to make sure that this is all real and that this sweet little boy is actually my son. Of course it is not all sunshine and rainbows around here...the honeymoon period has started to fade for everybody as we settle down into our everyday life. But I still think that I'm the luckiest girl in the world.

The serious little boy that captured my heart

And, one year later, the sweet little face that I see everyday
,

One Month

2010-04-13T20:26:00.007-05:00

I can't believe that Pudding has been home for one month. In some ways it seems like just yesterday we were in China, slowly getting to know this wild child of ours. But on the other hand, I can't quite remember what life was like without his big smile to brighten my every-waking moment. I was a little nervous that our easy time with Pudding might begin to wear off once the "honeymoon period" started fading. But he is just as happy as he was during our trip. He is really starting to bond with his siblings now too. During our first few weeks at home, Pudding liked Chipmunk and Monkey but never tried to play with them and or even really cared if they were in the same room. Now he shrieks with delight when he sees Chipmunk get off the bus or when we go to pick up Monkey from preschool. He absolutely adores his big brothers and I think the feeling is mutual. The big boys are starting to realize that Pudding is a little more rough-and-tumble than HotDog and have started to (gently) wrestle with him, which he loves. The relationship between HD and Pudding is still evolving too. Some days are good and they play and laugh together. Other days brings a constant battle between the two. I'm sure this will continue for years to come as they are so close in age.
We have slowly started to venture out to a few more places and Pudding seems to be handling it okay. I can tell when he starts to get overstimulated because he'll start to zone out and just kind of shut down. If I see that happening, we leave wherever we are immediately. We spend most of our days taking stroller walks around the neighborhood or playing at the playground while the big boys are at soccer practice. We are definitely taking advantage of this beautiful spring weather.

Sleep is still proving to be our trouble area. He is going to sleep much easier now but still has trouble staying asleep. He is up constantly and never seems to get into a deep sleep. He tosses and turns all night and I know his poor little body isn't getting nearly enough rest. He starts out in a toddler bed in our room. But usually by the middle of the night he ends up in bed with us. I have to admit that I am starting to like co-sleeping with the little guy; he is such a little snuggler. And there is no better way to start the day than to wake up to him rubbing my face and giving me little kisses. Stu and I always swore we would have no children in our bed but that is what works for him right now so we are going with it.

We did go to the ENT today to schedule his upcoming surgery. We have been trying to postpone this as long as possible since he has only been home for such a short period. I was thrilled to find out the ENT also has a daughter he adopted from China, so he agreed that it would be beneficial to wait a few more weeks as to further our bonding and attachment before such a traumatic surgery. So nice to have a doctor that understands exactly what issues we are facing. So his surgery is scheduled for May 3rd; the ENT did agree that the tonsils need to come out ASAP. Evidently they are gigantic and he definitely agrees that Pudding's sleep should greatly improve after the surgery.
Now that things have settled down (a bit) I often wonder how in the world we got so lucky to adopt four amazing children. In light of all the distressing news coming out of Kyrgyzstan over the past week, as well as the sickening story of the adopted child being sent back to Russia, I am finding myself hugging each of my kids a little more often and a little tighter.

Really??

2010-04-06T22:14:00.005-05:00

We wanted to take advantage of the absolutely beautiful weather today so my crew and I, along with my niece and soon-to-be sister-in-law, decided to head to the zoo. We have an annual pass and go at least once a month, but this was going to be Pudding's first time and I was so excited to see his reactions. All of the kids were having such a fun time and enjoying playing on the playground. I had the two Littles at the smaller jungle gym when this older woman walked up to me and asked "Was it a buy-one-get-one free sale?" I looked around, praying she wasn't actually talking about my children; but sure enough, she was looking right at the Littles with a little smile on her face. I have to admit that I couldn't act on my first impulse because there were so many children around. I looked at her with what I'm sure was a look of disbelief on my face and walked away. Seriously? Did she really ask me that? In what world would anybody think that is an acceptable thing to say, even if it was intended as a (horrible) joke?? I'm just happy that Chipmunk wasn't around because he is definitely old enough to catch the gist of what she was implying. Uggh! I've heard my fair share of snarky/stupid/ignorant remarks about my children but the one today absolutely takes the cake. As you can see from the pictures, I didn't let her ruin one single second of fun for the kiddos but for the rest of the afternoon, I kept coming up with different answers I could have given her; of course, none of those would have been acceptable around children either!

Swing!

Hanging out with the gorillas

Maybe piano lessons are in his future?

Still needs to eat a few more bananas to catch up with the gorillas

First time swinging...I think he likes it!

Brothers

P.S. For those of you that have asked, the steroids seem to be helping keep Pudding's tonsils at a manageable level so surgery has been put off until next week.

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T09:11:00.002-05:00

Favorite Fotos Friday

2010-04-01T21:52:00.001-05:00

Not a lot to say this week...not even sure I could put a coherent sentence together (due to sleep deprivation). It's been an, ummm, how to put it??...trying week. Poor Pudding has been sick (more on that in a minute) and the big boys are on spring break so my house is a bit chaotic. But the weather has been absolutely beautiful so we've been spending almost every waking minute outside, which manages to put a smile on everbody's face. Things are still really good, though we've seen many more tantrums out of Pudding and a little more jealousy out of HD. Both of those are to be expected and I'm actually happy to see Pudding's tantrums, as that means he trusts us enough to show us the good, the bad and the ugly. And believe me, we've seen all three from him.
We are gearing up for Easter and Chipmunk and Monkey are SO excited to explain all about the Easter Bunny to the Littles. Of course they don't really understand the idea but they are having fun on the daily Easter egg hunt at our house (the older boys love to hide plastic Easter eggs and let the Littles find them). I'm hoping it will be a wonderful holiday and we will be able to introduce Pudding to more of his extended family. There is a chance he will be having surgery tomorrow but I'm praying that we can hold off until early next week. Yes, that's right - the poor kid has to have surgery. A visit to the pediatrician's office on Monday confirmed my suspicions. Pudding's tonsils are HUGE (the biggest our pediatrician had ever seen in 30+ years of practice). They are literally suffocating him when he lays down; no wonder the poor thing can's sleep! The pediatrician actually wanted him to have emergency surgery that day but we couldn't get a spot at the children's hospital so I opted to wait. He's on antibiotics and steroids which seemed to shrink them enough to get us through the week. We go back tomorrow to see how they look. If they are still gigantic then it's off to surgery we go. If they look a little better then we can wait until next week. Another fun spring break around our house; it was just last spring break that Chipmunk had his tonsillectomy and the previous fall break when Monkey had his. As much as I hate, hate, hate for Pudding to have surgery this soon after coming home, I know he desperately needs it and will feel so much better (and hopefully sleep so much better) once they are removed.
So much for me not having much to say!

Monkey was so happy part of his homework was to find creepy crawlies

Just general cuteness

I got them out of the bath and this is what I came back in the room to discover (I love it that they both put the boots on the wrong feet!)

Chipmunk so proud of his decorated eggs (please ignore the wall behind him - we still haven't gotten around to painting the kitchen in the new house)

Pudding thought the point was to eat the egg

HD so happy to play outside

What a Week

2010-03-21T14:54:00.011-05:00

I can't believe we've been home with Pudding for a week now. We are slowly starting to transition from survival mode into our "new normal". We always try to lay low for awhile after an adoption and let our new child settle into his/her new family. However, between school, soccer practice, field trips, HD's 2nd birthday and doctor's appointments, there has been little hibernation with Pudding. But he has been a trooper and jumped right into all of the action.
One of the biggest challenges I am having is trying to get all of the kiddos ready and out of the door every morning. How in the world do you parents of multiples do it?!? I have to start getting the little ones ready a good 1.5 hours before we are ready to leave. Of course it never fails that one, if not both, will have dirty diapers between the time it takes to get dressed and into the van. Friday morning I thought I was doing great. I had fixed breakfast, gotten Chipmunk out the door for school, given a bath to the "Littles" (as we've taken to calling HD and Pudding), ironed Monkey's clothes for his field trip, and partially dressed myself...all before 9:30!! I was feeling pretty cocky because I was actually ahead of schedule. I had just finished putting HD's shoes on when I went to find Pudding to get him dressed. Our little wild man had managed to go back to the bathroom, open a new bottle of shampoo and empty it on himself and our new hardwood floors. Arggh. So after another bath and a quick mop, I ended up being about twenty minutes behind. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it soon but man-oh-man is it a challenge. I won't even get started on my decision to make a "quick" stop at the grocery with the Littles in tow. I feel like we are a traveling 3-ring circus.
We are still struggling with sleep issues with Pudding too. I have no idea what to do. He is napping better now (thank goodness) but nighttime is a total disaster. He goes to sleep (still laying on our chest) without too much of a fight. But he wakes up about an hour later and then about every 1.5 hours after that, all night long. He just wakes up screaming and is inconsolable. I don't think they are night terrors but I have no idea what it could be. And when he does sleep, he moves constantly. He isn't still for more than 2 minutes at a time. It takes anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes to get him back to sleep so you can see that he (nor Stu and I) are getting much sleep at this point. We've tried a crib, a toddler bed, a couch, our bed...nothing seems to help. We did find out that he has a double ear infection so we are hoping once the antibiotics kick in he'll start to sleep better. We've also removed dairy from his diet, knowing that Asians are typically lactose intolerant. Maybe the bottle before bed is upsetting his stomach?? We'll just keep plodding along, trying different things until we can find a solution that works for him. If anybody has any suggestions I'd love to hear it.
The kids are all still doing great together. Pudding and HD have really started to play together and are constantly by each other's sides. We've had a few jealousy issues when one is sitting with me and the other isn't. But the other is always willing to scoot over and share my lap and the problem is solved. We've been enjoying this beautiful weather and have gone for many long walks this week. The Littles love strolling in the double jogger and tend to hold hands for most of the walk. So sweet! Surprisingly Monkey has had the greatest difficulty adjusting to the new brother. I think it's more an issue of sharing my attention than of the new addition. I already have a "big boy" day planned for next weekend so hopefully having some one-on-one with me will help alleviate some of his attention-seeking behavior.
I took HD and Pudding to the pediatrician this week...what was I thinking when I scheduled an appointment for two 2-year-olds??!?! It was the two-year checkup for HD and she looks great. Holding steady at 34 pounds and 34 inches - my little square:) Most of you know that Pudding was a "special-needs" child, as he had a moderate-to-severe VSD/enlarged heart. We knew this when we accepted his referral and had already consulted with a cardiologist. We anticipated lots of medical treatment/possible surgery when we came home. What we didn't expect was him already having the surgery in China while we were waiting to pick him up. When we picked him up at the orphanage, we met briefly with the caregivers and they never mentioned this. It wasn't until a little while later that day that we saw the big scar on his chest, indicating that he had open-heart surgery at some point. We asked our translator to check with the orphanage to see when he had the surgery/what type of surgery he had. She was able to find out that he had surgery in July 2009. They wouldn't release what type of surgery he had but indicated that his problem was fixed and he was considered 100% healthy. That was good to hear but I wasn't going to feel completely comfortable with that until I heard it from our own doctors. So I was very anxious to hear what our pediatrician would say about Pudding. I am thrilled to report that the doctor said his heart sounded "perfect" and while he advised us to set up an appointment with our cardiologist, there was no need to rush and we could wait several months until things have settled down. What great news!!! Also good to hear is that Pudding is now up to 24 pounds...pretty good considering he was right at 20 pounds when we picked him up 3.5 weeks ago. And I think if he continues to eat like he has been, he'll catch up with HD in no time!
Of course, I can't forget to mention that our little Miss HD celebrated her 2nd birthday on Tuesday! I can't believe my baby is two-years-old. It really seems like just a few months ago I was in Kyrgyzstan picking up our little 6-month-old baby. Now she is such the queen bee of our household and has all of her brothers wrapped around her little (chubby) finger. We were still suffering from jet-lag and being out of the country for 18 days so we didn't do a big party; instead we just had a little celebration at home with a few family members. Thank goodness she's still too little to really care about not having a big bash. I don't think we will be able to get away with that for too many more years. But she had a great time and really enjoyed unwrapping her presents. Her favorite present? Probably the pair of squeaky shoes we brought back from China. She loves to run through the house making tons of noise. Pudding has a pair too. While the sound might drive me crazy, it is nice to know where they are at all times. We can hear their little squeaks a mile away.

So happy in the morning!

Two little monkeys jumping on the bed

Our little birthday girl

Getting the hang of opening presents

Loving her new chair

Home Sweet Home

2010-03-15T13:19:00.002-05:00

I wanted to do a quick post letting everyone know we arrived home on Saturday afternoon. Things here are good and we are slowly settling into being a family of six. The older boys are bouncing with excitement; HD and Pudding are still scoping each other out. HD has been much nicer to him than I ever anticipated. She is such the mother hen, constantly shaking her head and saying "No, no" when he is getting into something he shouldn't, and bringing him his blanket when he is upset. Pudding has been a little aggressive with her - very possessive of toys and food, which is to be expected. He is really enjoying his older brothers though. I feel like I'm living with the Three Stooges since they are constantly doing silly things trying to make the others laugh.
Pudding is having some major problems with jet lag. He tends to fall asleep okay but is wide awake and ready for the day by 1:30 a.m. And we are back to him having to sleep on our chest through the night again. Not an ideal situation, but I know it will get better with a little more time.
Although it is a 3-ring circus around our house, I couldn't be happier. Just to be home with all four of my babies in my lap fills me with such happiness and contentment. Life is good. Now off to prepare for Miss HD's birthday tomorrow!! I can't believe my baby is going to be 2!

Last post from China

2010-03-12T08:03:00.001-05:00

We are (almost) packed and giddy with excitement that we are so close to starting our journey home. We will be checking out of the hotel in a few minutes and killing a couple of hours on the island until it is time to leave for the airport. Our flight leaves GZ at 9:00 pm tonight.
To say we are ready to come home is an understatement. However, it is a little bittersweet, knowing that Pudding is leaving his homeland. China is an amazing country full of rich history and cultural and I am a little sad knowing that when he returns it will be with an Americanized view of the country. But we have so many incredible memories of our time here and will always remember it with great fondness.
Okay, enough for now. Hopefully the next post will be us announcing our arrival home!

New Day, New Attitude

2010-03-11T10:43:00.003-05:00

First, thank you to everyone for all of the encouraging and kind words you offered after my less-than-cheerful post yesterday. It helped to remember that we have so many wonderful people that love and support us.

Today we woke up in MUCH better moods. It was such a great feeling to be able to say that we are leaving tomorrow (albeit at 9:00 p.m). Tomorrow sounds so much more promising than “x” amount of days from now. It also helped that we had a beautiful day, full of sun and blue skies. We had no plans today (other than pick up the all-important visa this afternoon) so we spent the morning at a local park, enjoying the gorgeous day. The kids had such a fun time, playing at a children’s playground and strolling around the grounds. It was great to take a nice leisurely walk and observe the various activities that so many people enjoy at the park: singing, dancing, tai chi, ping pong, exercises… Stu and I both agreed that retirement looks pretty darn good here in China.

The rest of the day was low-key and we were thrilled when we received Pudding’s visa late this afternoon along with all of the other important paperwork needed for immigration. This means that our official trip is over and we can leave at anytime! Yahoo!!! Of course, we have a late flight tomorrow night so we have one more day to spend on the island but it feels so much better to know that we could leave if we wanted to. And tomorrow is supposed to be another beautiful day so we can stroll around the island (and do a little more shopping) and wear Pudding out before our flight. We fly from overnight from GZ to Los Angeles so we are really hoping and praying that he sleeps for the majority of the flight. I’m not sure what we’ll do if he is as active as he was on the flight from Beijing. I have lots of toys and treats packed and if things get too bad I’ll just keep reminding myself that we’ll never see the people on our flight again;)

While he is still incredibly happy and silly, Pudding continues to show us new layers to his personality every day. Several times recently he has become a little aggressive when other children approach him. He is content in the playroom playing by himself and watching the other children. However, if another child comes into his personal space he will slap or push them away. I’ve had to remove him from group play many times over the past few days. This does not bode well for creating a positive relationship between HD and him, as HD can be pretty aggressive herself. I think we might have quite a rough transition ahead for all of us.

We’ve also discovered that we are going to have to maintain a pretty strict schedule for him in the beginning, as well as limit his sugar intake. Yesterday was a long day and we missed napped due to our consulate appointment (by the way, who at the consulate thought it was a good idea to schedule the adoption appointments RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of naptime?!?!? Imagine what a room full of 36 newly adopted children, all missing nap, sounded like yesterday afternoon). On the car ride to dinner afterwards, we gave Pudding a lollipop to keep him quiet in the van. By the time we reached the restaurant he was C-R-A-Z-Y! Seriously, he was more hyped up than our Monkey ever thought of being, and that is saying a lot. He was screaming (happily) at the top of his lungs, throwing chopsticks and plates, banging the table, kicking the chair. He couldn’t sit still for a single second. It was like he was possessed. I have never seen him like that. Stu and I were at a complete loss for how to handle it. Finally after the food arrived and he got his belly full he calmed down a bit, but holy cow that was a crazy thirty minutes. Not sure if was no nap, sugar from the lollipop, being overly hungry or just the perfect storm of everything but we will try to never let those events happen at the same time again.

Okay, off to bed. One more sleep to go until we begin the long

I'm Tired!

2010-03-10T09:08:00.000-05:00

There comes a time during every adoption trip when I hit a wall. Today I hit that wall headfirst. I am tired of traveling and I am ready to come home.

I’m tired of living out of a suitcase.

I’m tired of having to use bottled water to brush my teeth.

I’m tired of having to be quiet after 8:30 p.m. because our son is asleep in a crib next to us in our small hotel room.

I’m tired of having to eat out for every meal.

I’m tired of having my favorite websites blocked (including my blog and facebook).

I’m tired of hard beds.

I’m tired of no ice cubes in drinks.

I’m tired of having to give virtual hugs and kisses through a computer screen to our children at home.

I’m tired of having to haggle over the price of every single thing I want to buy.

I’m tired of watching the same movies on HBO/same news on CNN/soccer on ESPN because they are the only channels in English.

I’m tired of wearing the same clothes every single day.

I’m tired of having to figure out the time difference every time I want to call home.

I’m tired of having to reorganize our hotel room every day after housekeeping cleans.

I’m tired.

I know I sound like a whiny, spoiled American (and maybe I am a little bit). But we left home 16 days ago, we’ve been here for 15 days, had Pudding with us for 14 days, and I am ready to go home. I’m ready for the soft comfy warmth of my own bed. I’m ready to cook my own food (however bad it may be). I’m ready to do my own laundry and have a choice about what to wear every day. I’m ready to have all four of my children with me at the same time.

Don’t get me wrong…this trip has been the experience of a lifetime. We’ve had an amazing time and this has been, by far, the easiest of all of our adoption trips. We have are so blessed to have such a beautiful, happy little boy. We are so happy we’ve been able to spend so much time in our son’s homeland. We met some wonderful people and have made some incredible memories. We will have nothing but good things to say about our time here. But right now, at this moment, I am tired and want to come home.

Just pictures

2010-03-09T10:25:00.005-05:00

Stu and Ally just wanted to share a few pictures from their day. Only four more days until they are home!

Only a few more days....

2010-03-08T10:26:00.005-05:00

Lunchtime with other families

Pudding showing off his muscles

Helping the doctor

Pudding was a little bored with shopping.

This is pudding not smiling for once, but the poor little guy just got four shots!

As Allison and Pudding went to bed early tonight I just wanted to send a quick update.

Today's big accomplishment was completion of the medical exam and vaccinations necessary for him to be allowed into the US. Several of you have commented that he never seems to have an unhappy moment. Well you should have been there for the medical exam. All the doctors had to do was look at him and he broke down in tears. There was no need to test his lungs as everyone in the hospital could hear that they were clear and working fine.

Pudding had to get four vaccinations (don't know which ones - Allison is the medical expert). I thought it was best that Allison held him during the shots for a couple reasons. First I probably would have passed out at the sight of that many needles...... secondly somebody had to be the good guy and rescue him when they were all done. When they came out Pudding wouldn't even look at Allison or our translator for 15 minutes he was so mad at them.

A new part of Pudding's personality has starting developing the past couple of days. He has become quite the organizer. For instance at the doctors today he keep picking up all the toys and putting them away while the other 10 kids were dragging them out. He also lined up all the tables in the hotel play room so they were in a straight line. Some people (my wife) may see this as being an "anal accountant". I see it as being a "highly intelligent and superior " individual. There is a fine line between those two descriptions.....

I'm sitting here now with both Allison and Pudding snoring while I'm watching a James Bond movie in Chinese. I think when we get home me and Allison will sound like a bad James Bond movie when we are splitting the kids up........You take the Russians, I'll take the Asians.

Well only 4 days until we start traveling home and it can't come quick enough. Can't describe how bad we miss our kids. Everything about this trip has gone so well but can't wait to get home. We know they are doing great but I'll certainly be happy to have all four of them surrounding us Saturday night.

2010-03-07T09:38:00.006-05:00

It is amazing what a nice refreshing day at the park can do for your spirits. After an amazing breakfast buffet at the hotel, we met our guide and headed to Yuntai Garden. While it was a little cool (around 60 degrees), it was so nice to go outside without being bundled up. The Garden was beautiful; full of flowers and greenery…so nice to see after the wintery urban streets of Beijing. While I don’t know a lot about landscape architecture, the Garden was pretty amazing. It was also so much fun to have another family with whom to share our day. Although it drizzled a bit, it turned into a really nice morning. It was Pudding’s first adventure in a stroller but he did really well as long as it was moving. The second it stopped he tried to climb out; definitely kept Stu busy.

We had lunch a Lucy’s…yummy! Pudding has his first Western meal: chicken strip, sausage (hot dog), French fries and fruit. He devoured the French fries before he even touched anything else on his plate. He did end up eating everything though. He has already gained a bit of weight and his face is definitely filling out; we can understand why since he eats like this at every meal. The kid’s meal also came with an ice cream sundae at the end. He wasn’t quite sure what to think of it at first – he is not used to cold food/drinks. He took a few bites but wasn’t too interested in it. I’m sure that will change once we get home.

Today was a day of firsts for Pudding. He actually took a nap in the crib today. Yahoo!! While this may not seem like a big deal, this is the first time he has slept anywhere other than in bed on our chest. I am starting to think the problem in Beijing was that it was a pack-n-play. Here we have a traditional (as in from the 1950s) crib and he seems much more comfortable in that. I sure hope so because the beds here are just a bit bigger than a twin and it is NOT fun to sleep in that with a squirming two-year-old. No wonder I look so tired in all of the pictures.

Another big deal was that he watched about ten minutes of a Baby Einstein video (HD’s favorite). Of course I don’t encourage my children to watch a ton of TV but it is nice to have a little break for the continuous destruction of our hotel room.

After today we are feeling so much better and feel like we can power through these last five days. I don’t think Stu and I realized how on edge we were by the end of our Beijing stay. Being able to leisurely stroll outside, having a big play room for Pudding to play, not to mention having clean laundry has helped our attitudes tremendously. And, of course, it is wonderful to be surrounded by so many other adoptive families. The bonds that form during an adoption journey are special; I’ve made some of my best friendships on our adoption trips. You can form instant connections with people with whom you would otherwise have little in common.

So another day winding down….only five more to go. I cannot wait to have all four of my babies together at last!!

Guangzhou

2010-03-06T10:17:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post to let everyone know that we made it safely to GZ. The airplane ride was not fun. After sitting on the runway for an extra thirty minutes, Pudding had eaten his ration of Cheerios. It was a long three hours of keeping him occupied and quiet. Of course, he fell asleep literally three minutes before we landed. But we're here at the White Swan and looking forward to our last week in China. We were excited to find out that we'll be with another family during our week here; it will be nice to have another family to spend time with...not that I'm sick of Stu or anything:) We went for a quick dinner with our guide and the other travel family and got the lay of the island. It was fantastic to let Pudding run some energy off in the playroom tonight.
The temperature here is a humid 75 degrees but it's supposed to rain and get colder tomorrow. Still much warmer than Beijing though. Not having to bundle up in our winter coats ad layers will be a nice change.
Off to bed now; we are all exhausted after our day of travel.

A note from Stu...

2010-03-05T10:11:00.004-05:00

Hey, this is Stuart. Allison is packing up all our stuff so we can fly to Guangzhou first thing tomorrow so I’m doing the updating tonight. So if anyone other than my mother is still here after hearing that, thanks for sticking around.
We made a quick trip to the Beijing Zoo today. It was just me and Pudding as Allison was fighting a headache. This was really a trip for one reason…. Panda Bears. We have a great zoo in Louisville so there really wasn’t anything that could excite me except for the Pandas. Our local guide (who is the Chinese version of Velma from Scooby Doo) assured me that many foreigners go to the zoo just to see the Pandas so there was no harm in going in and getting out. It was also cold and windy this morning so we were motivated to move quickly.
The Bears were worth the trip. They look like huge balls of fur. There were literally the cutest animals I have ever seen. You’ll have to forgive my photography skills as I was juggling Pudding, a diaper bag, and attempting to use the camera (that Allison usually never lets me touch). He loved watching them eat and play around. Velma told us that this was the most active that she had ever seen them in her many trips to the zoo. Good to know they put on a show for me and Pudding.
By the way if you ever come to China I highly advise bringing a spouse who has blonde hair. It makes them easy to spot in large crowds.
We also ran to pick up Pudding’s passport today. So we are now one step closer to being able to come home. We leave a week from today to head home so we feel like we are heading down the backstretch of our trip.
In the time that it has taken me to type this up Allison has completed the packing, cleaned up the room and gotten Pudding to sleep. So now I can stop pretending I’m working hard on this and go to bed.
Thanks to everyone for your support, especially those of you helping take care of our kids. We couldn’t do this without you.

One Week!

2010-03-04T10:31:00.005-05:00

I can’t believe that Pudding has been with us for one week. It some ways it seems like it was yesterday this stoic little boy was being placed in our arms, in other ways it seems like we’ve known him forever. In one short week he has blossomed into a typical two-year-old that can throw one heck of a temper tantrum, loves to make as much mischief as possible and has completely captured our hearts.

I think that Pudding is definitely feeling very comfortable with us now. He has started testing boundaries to see how far he can push us. He throws huge tantrums if he doesn’t get his way – I’m talking about throwing-himself-on the-ground-kicking-and screaming type of tantrums. While these are not fun to deal with when we are being observed by everyone around us, these are great signs of bonding and attachment and we are happy to see them.

We started making good progress in his attachment with me too. He still prefers Stu but he now will allow me to hold him in the van and sometimes carry him for a minute while we’re out. I know these are just baby steps but I am happy to see some progress. I think it has helped that I’ve been trying to feed him more of his meals since I’m getting better at using chopsticks; our guide actually commented that my technique is better than Stu’s. This drives Stu crazy since he’s been using chopsticks for over ten years and I just started this week. Ha!! Finally one thing I’m better at than him.

Pudding has really started communicating with us more too. He has already learned the signs for “more”, “bites”, “ bath”, “all done” and, of course, “candy”. He has picked up a few English words as well. His first word was “hot”. He is also starting to say “Da” for Stu. Just tonight he started saying “no, no”… can you tell he hears that a lot?!? And he loves to say “hi” and wave at every person we pass. He tends to draw a crowd around him anywhere we go. It seems as though there are always three or four (usually) women surrounding us anytime we go out. He is quite the little flirt and wraps them all around his little fingers. We attract attention wherever we go. The younger people pay little attention to us but many of the older people stop in their tracks and stare at us as we pass. People are definitely confused by seeing a Caucasian couple with a Chinese baby. Many come up and ask us if Pudding is indeed Chinese. We answer yes, and then they want to know how we came to have a Chinese son. I think they realize Chinese children are adopted by foreigners but they believe it only happens in the rural areas. They are very surprised when they hear that Pudding is from Beijing. We are more than happy to answer any questions they have and so far we have received good wishes from everyone.

The last two days have been pretty low-key. Yesterday we visited the Temple of Heaven, Beijing’s most holy of imperial temples. Beautiful, amazing architecture but it was so cold we couldn’t stay for long. Today we went to the Capital Museum of Beijing. It was a wonderful museum but we could only cover such a tiny bit of such an ancient culture in the time we had. I really wish we had more time to study Beijing history but chasing around a rambunctious two-year-old really limits our ability to do much sight-seeing. Tomorrow we head to the Beijing Zoo; it is supposed to be very cold again so I think we’ll probably just see the panda bears and call it a day.

Several more families with our agency arrived yesterday so we’re hoping to meet up with them at some point. After a week of just Stu and me, it will be nice to have others to talk with.

Off to bed now…chasing Pudding all day is exhausting!

This and That

2010-03-02T09:13:00.004-05:00

Sorry for no blog post yesterday; it was a pretty boring day filled with more paperwork. The highlight (er, lowlight) of the day was Pudding’s first temper tantrum. Of course, it had to happen while we were at the police station (for paperwork) in front of a police officer and a caregiver from his orphanage. Stu walked away and he threw himself on the floor, busting his nose on a chair. Blood was everywhere. Not a great impression to make, but I guess it is typical 2-year-old behavior. I forgot how fun they can be…sigh. We saw more tantrums today, all involving Stu walking away from him or putting him down. Seems like Pudding has become very attached to his daddy (yeah!!). He is great with me in the hotel room, but once we walk out the door all he wants to do is be in Stu’s arms. He screams and cries if I try to hold him but is still playing games with me and loves to give me kisses. I’m not taking it personally and am thrilled that bonding seems to be going great. I know that attachment to me will come in time; in the meantime, I’m enjoying the break from carrying a toddler in my arms all day long.

Today we visited the Summer Palace and the Olympic Village. The Summer Palace was impressive; the beauty was evident even though most of the landscape architecture (for which it is famous) was covered with snow. We made a quick tour as the wind coming off of the lake was freezing. I would love to come back for a visit in the summer; we hope to come back in the future when Pudding is older. After that we visited a pearl market. Wow. I love pearls so I was in absolute heaven here. I tried to hold myself back but ended up with a necklace, bracelet and ring as well as some gifts for family at home. The prices were very reasonable and the pearls are gorgeous.

We made a quick trip to the Olympic Village before we headed back to the hotel. It was really neat to see the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube up close. They are huge! I saw them both of TV but couldn’t imagine how big they were in reality. I never dreamed when I was watching the Olympics a year and a half ago that I would be visiting the sites in person.

Stu and I decided to take advantage of the warmer weather (meaning the sun was actually out – the temperature was probably in the high 30s) and walk down the street to a very famous shopping area. There are huge department stores, tiny booths, and everything in between. We wanted to do some souvenir shopping (meaning cheap) so we headed to the market down a little alley. It is filled with dozens and dozens of little booths, all selling the same typical Chinese goods. Unfortunately you have to haggle the shopkeepers down on every price and I am horrible at that. We ended up getting a few things but Stu is going to have to go back without me in order to get decent prices. I just can’t offer a ridiculously low price and then work my way up to a reasonable price. It drives Stu crazy so I’ll just make a list and let him return to do some serious haggling.

It was neat to sit back and watch the nightlife. So many different people going in so many different directions. I could people-watch there all night. People continue to stop and stare at us everywhere we go, but I’m getting more used to it now and usually just smile and keep walking.

So far this has been an incredible trip. We have the most adorable, happy little boy and we couldn’t ask for more than that.

Forbidden City

2010-02-28T08:37:00.004-05:00

Today we visited the Forbidden City. Wow. There isn’t much I can say that can adequately describe what it is like to walk through such an unbelievable place of history. It was amazing. The colors, the details, the architecture…everything about it just took our breath away. We weren’t able to stay as long as we would have liked because it was so bitterly cold and we didn’t want to keep Pudding out in the terrible wind. I am just thrilled that we were able to go and visit and show Pudding such a vital piece of his history. I do think he will appreciate seeing these photos of himself at such significant cultural landmarks when he is older.

Today he started showing us so much more of his personality. We are getting unprompted kisses from him…completely melts our hearts. We have gotten the first big belly laughs; he thinks it is hilarious to knock down the tower of blocks before we can even finish building them. He is such a rascal – we’ve discovered he likes to throw things in the trashcan and toilet, things like the remote control and important papers. I think he is going to keep me on my toes when we get home. Many of you have commented on how much he smiles. He is the happiest kid on earth. He wakes up with a smile on his face and it stays there all day. His smile lights up his whole face and brings a little twinkle to his eyes. He is such a flirt too. Everywhere we go, all the woman surround him and take turns holding him. He loves the attention.

As for his relationship with us, he definitely looks to Stu as the nurturer and me as more of a playmate. He wants Stu to carry him all day and is always willing to cuddle up in his arms. When he is in the mood to play, he brings me his toys with a big smile on his face. I think that this is because Stu is the one who feeds him (since he is much better with chopsticks than I am), but it’s such a reversal from our roles with Chipmunk, Monkey and HD. Whatever the reason, I think bonding is going great.

Time for bed now… if we can sleep through the fireworks. Evidently today is the Red Lantern Festival, which marks the end of the Spring Festival here. Fireworks started at about 6:45 and have been going all.day.long. Not sure how long they are going to last but I don’t think it will affect our sleep at all. Jet lag is hitting Stu and me hard and by early afternoon we are struggling to stay awake. Hopefully Pudding will go down soon so we can all get a good night’s sleep.

2010-02-27T09:18:00.001-05:00

Great Wall, great climb!

2010-02-27T09:13:00.000-05:00

Today’s post is going to be short and sweet as we are so tired after our big climb. We started out bright and early with an hour-long drive to the Great Wall of China. I have been fascinated with the Great Wall since I was a young child and had been looking forward to this excursion since we knew we would be coming to China. No amount of research, however, can prepare you for such an amazing sight. The sheer size of the wall is enough to take your breath away.

We began with a rough start. Pudding did NOT like being in the ergo carrier at all. It was the first time we had tried it with him and he let us know immediately that he was not happy. It didn’t help that it was so cold outside; it had snowed earlier in the morning. I’m sure being stuffed into a carrier with a bulky coat on wasn’t fun, but I really wanted him to have the experience of “climbing” the Great Wall so we continued on. Our guide continually asked if we were sure we wanted to climb with him. We quickly found out why she was hesitant within the first couple of stairs. The steps were so uneven and steep. We found a rhythm though (about six steps up and then stop to catch a breath) and before we knew it we had climbed about half way up. We stopped at a landing to take pictures, and to get used to the difference in altitude, and I was suddenly surrounded by tons of people that were anxious to get their picture taken with the blonde woman with the Asian child. It was really the first time we had been approached because of our “western” appearance. We are stared at constantly walking down the streets; older people stop in their tracks to watch us pass with Pudding. But today was the first time people had actually come forward to ask questions about why a Caucasian couple had an Asian baby. Of course, maybe they just wanted their picture taken with the crazy lady who was trying to climb with a baby strapped to her chestJ Whatever the reason, I obliged…a little happy to have an excuse to take a few minutes away from climbing.

The higher we climbed, the harder it became. By this point Pudding was sound asleep and it began to snow. We finally made it to the first guard tower and took the obligatory picture. People everywhere were coming up to congratulate me for making the climb with Pudding. I was happy to begin our descent but soon found out that it is just as hard to climb down. Not only is it jarring to climb down that many uneven steps but by that point your legs feel like jello. We made it down without a fall and took a few minutes to bask in the fact that we had just climbed a (very small) portion of the Great Wall. While many people told me I was crazy, I am so glad that I was able to do that with Pudding. Such a tremendous experience for my little boy. I know he will have no recollection of it, but he will at least have pictures of it and be able to say that he made the trip to the Great Wall. There was no way I could pass up that opportunity for him.

At the end of the climb Stu and I took a picture at the stone with Chairman Mao’s quote “One cannot call oneself a hero until one has climbed the great wall.” Does that make me a super-hero since I climbed for two??!!

Happy Day (Part 2)

2010-02-26T20:14:00.001-05:00

Apparently, not all of Ally's post made it to me last time, so I got the second part tonight. This was written last night there, which was this morning here.

He had his first bath with us tonight too. He liked it a lot I think. He kept trying to pick up and hold the water. He smells so good now; nothing like the smell of a clean baby rubbed down in baby lotion.
The only real issue we've had so far has been sleeping. He sleeps great once asleep: he went to bed last night at 8:30 and he didn't wake up until almost 9:00 this morning. He's taking 2+ hour naps too. But he refuses to have anything to do with his crib. The only time he has cried at all has been when we've laid him down in the crib, then the sobs start immediately. At this point, we can't even lay him down in our bed. He wants to be held to go to sleep and we can't lay him down until he's in a deep sleep. I know co-sleeping is great for bonding and I don't mind it a bit right now, but I can see where this is going to develop into a long-term habit. I suppose we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.
We were also able to skype with Monkey and HotDog today. I was a little worried how HD would do with seeing us but I think she handled it great. I'm not sure she knew exactly what was going on but she did recognize us and blow us kisses. Monkey loved seeing his new baby brother and kept asking when we were coming home. It was so nice talking to them and introducing them to Pudding. We hope to skype with Chipmunk tomorrow when he'll be on the farm with Monkey and HD.
Thanks for all of the comments. While I can't see my blog, I do get to read all of the comments you leave and it's so nice to receive so much support and love from our friends and family.And a big thank you to my favorite sister-in-law Dana for posting to my blog and keeping everyone updated.
Off to sleep now. We are going to the Great Wall tomorrow so I need to make sure I get a good night's sleep.

Oops, I forgot a few...

2010-02-26T10:31:00.002-05:00

Sorry, I forgot a few pictures! Here are a few more!

Happy Day!

2010-02-26T10:11:00.006-05:00

Today was another fantastic day! It was a free day for us so we hung around the hotel all day, just getting to know more about each other. Pudding has really come out of his shell today. He is a funny little boy that loves to smile and laugh. He was a little subdued upon waking; I'm sure he is still very confused about where he is and who is with. After a big breakfast the smiles started and they lasted all day. We pulled out the stacking cups and after he knocked down the tower of cups we got our first real laughs. We made such progress in eye contact with him today too. Yesterday he avoided looking at us in the eye for too long; today he was studying us intently and started to mimic silly faces I was making. I know it's early in the game but I feel like we're making great progress in bonding. Tonight at supper we let him walk around our table and a waitress came over to play with him and pick him up. He played with her for a few minutes but as soon as Stu held out his arms, Pudding came running back to him with a smile. Speaking of supper, I am SO impressed with his appetite. This kid eats anything we put in front of him: congee, fruit, pork ribs, rice, french toast, sausage, celery and onions...the list goes on and on. The only thing that he has turned down so far is a tomato, and I think that is more due to the consistency rather than the taste. Maybe Pudding will teach HotDog how to eat her vegetables.

2010-02-25T12:25:00.009-05:00

So, I am new to actually posting blogs, I am doing the best I can, but here is a run down of the pictures so far of Pudding.
1. Just hanging out...
2. Pudding checks out his new brother's and sister
3. Pudding seems as happy to be with his parents as they are to be with them
4. Having lunch
5. First time Daddy held Pudding
6. Mommy and Pudding, love at first sight

Simply Amazing! 2-25-10

2010-02-25T09:57:00.001-05:00

Such an amazing day! We picked up Pudding this morning and have had a wonderful first day with him. At the orphanage he was a little subdued when they brought him in and we hung back a little bit, as not to overwhelm him. After a few minutes, Stu held out his arms and Pudding went right to him! We had to run several errands around town and he was very quiet in the van, just taking in all the sights. His face lit up when I pulled out a little musical toy and that was the opening we were looking for. He quickly learned how to push the button to make the music play and we started to see brief smiles. The first real smiles happened when I pulled out the Cheerios. He took his time eating the first Cheerio in four bites; about 2 minutes later he was shoving three and four Cheerios into his mouth at a time. Later at lunch, he chowed down on some lemon chicken and a pork dish (thank goodness Stu is an expert with chopsticks; me...not so much. I just about blinded myself the first time I used them). This little guy can eat some serious food...which is good because he is tiny. He is just about 2.5-years-old and the 12-18 month clothes we brought are rather large on him. He definitely has some catching up to do.
After going to the Civil Affairs Office for more paperwork we can back to our room for nap. As soon as I put him in the crib he started crying. Of course I picked him and he snuggled right down on my chest and fell asleep. He ended up sleeping for about 2 hours like thatl anytime I tried to put him down he would start crying again. Not sure how that is going to bode for a good night's sleep tonight but I'm not complaining - I love my little snuggle bug! As I sit here typing, he just finished his bottle of milk and has fallen asleep in Stu's lap. So sweet.
While he has remained fairly quiet and withdrawn today, we've seen brief glimpses into quite a mischievious personality. He loves anything that makes noise or plays music. He's also quite ticklish on his feet and legs. And he LOVES books (a boy after my own heart). He spent about 30 minutes looking at a little photo album we had sent, full of pictures of us and the kids. We are hoping to skype with our little ones tomorrow so they can see each other for the first time.
I can't believe that after almost ten months of waiting, our little Pudding is finally in our arms. It feels like all of our dreams have finally come true. I know it won't always be smooth sailing, and we still have a long journey of bonding and attachment ahead. But everytime he looks up at me with those big black eyes (with such long eyelashes) or offers me a quick smile, my heart just melts and I know he was worth every second of waiting.
Now off to sleep while he sleeps. Good night!

Ok, so this is Dana, I have some pictures to post, but I am having some difficulty at work getting them to upload, but I will have them up for everyone as soon as I can. I am so sorry, but there are pictures on Facebook on my page and Ali's.

THEY ARRIVED!

2010-02-24T13:07:00.001-05:00

We are in China! Our plane landed a couple of hours ago and we are now (at 11:50 p.m.) settling into our hotel room. The flights were great (even arrived early on one leg) and I was able to sleep most of the way.Now I'm going to have to force myself to try to get some more sleep but I have a feeling I'm going to lay awake with excitement for most of the night. We meet Pudding tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. Yahoo!!!!
I'll update when I can.

A Flood of Emotions

2010-02-21T14:37:00.002-05:00

It seems like it was yesterday that I was posting we had two weeks until our trip; now we have less than two days! Between moving, basketball games, snow days and sickness, the time has flown by and we leave in about 40 hours.
The good news is that the move went great. Thanks to help from some incredible family members, we managed to move all of our big furniture on Saturday morning and I had most of our boxes unpacked by Sunday morning. We've settled in and the new house is already starting to feel like home. I am amazed at how well the kids handled the transition too. The boys were so excited about it, and many of their best friends (and cousins) live nearby so they were already familiar with the neighborhood. I was very concerned with how HD was going to take the change. We moved when Chipmunk was right around the same age as HD and he had a very difficult time for the first month or so. HD was a little apprehensive for the first few hours but she quickly found her favorite toys in the playroom and she hasn't looked back since. I think it helped that I had her room set up almost exactly like her old one so there was some familiarity there.
I was hoping that I would be able to focus on getting ready for our travels this week. No such luck. Between snow cancelling two days of school, waiting for the TV guys, Internet guys, and Josie having croup, I got absolutely nothing accomplished this week. We did have a LOT of mommy-and-kids time which is always a good thing.
So now it's Sunday afternoon and I need to start packing. But as I sit here and pack clothes for Pudding, I get lost in my thoughts of the coming weeks. While I am SO, SO, SO excited about finally meeting our little guy, I can't help but think about what a monumental change is about to happen in his life and how scary it is going to be for him. Stu and I know that this is a good thing, but all Pudding will know is that we are strangers that look different, talk different and smell different. We will be taking him away from everything he has known in his life. Even if the caretakers have tried to prepare him, there is no way you can explain the concept of a family to a 2.5-year-old. While I'm hoping and praying for a smooth transition full of hugs and smiles, the reality might be far different. I'm prepared for that (as much as possible). It just breaks my heart to think of the fear and hurt that Pudding is going to experience.
And then there is the fact that Stu and I will both be gone for 18 days. I know that my children will be very well taken care of (to the point of being spoiled) by family members, but 18 days is a long time to be away from my children. While two weeks of traveling to Kyrgyzstan for HD by myself was not ideal, I took great comfort in the fact that Stu was home and my kids had one parent with them. I have to keep reminding myself that this one-on-one time with Pudding will be a great start towards bonding and attachment. I have been joking that just having one child to handle will be a vacation for Stu and me but I know that I'm going to miss my kids tremendously. We will by skyping with them daily (we hope), but I'm not sure how HD will do with that. It might make her separation anxiety worse; I guess we'll play it by ear.
I still can't believe that we are so close. It seems like years ago that we saw his picture and now we are three days away from having him in our arms!! Yes, I did say three days: we leave here early Tuesday morning, arrive in Beijing late, late Wednesday night, and receive Pudding early Thursday morning. Not sure how I'm going to handle that as I am a notoriously bad traveler. I don't mind traveling (Stu might disagree with that point) but it completely knocks my body off kilter. I tend to sleep the entire first day we arrive at our destination; I'm not talking about a light catnap, I'm talking a dead-to-the-world sleep for the first 24 hours. Guess that won't be happening on this trip. Now you are prepared if I happen to look like a zombie in the first pictures we post. Speaking of which, my sweet sister-in-law has volunteered to add my posts to the blog while I'm gone so I hope to have daily updates here, with pictures too. I can't wait for everyone to see how adorable our little Pudding is! Thanks to everyone for all of the support, prayers and good wishes. I can't believe it's finally time...after I finish packing, of course.

Two Weeks!

2010-02-09T20:53:00.003-05:00

I can't believe that in two weeks we will be leaving for China to pick up our Pudding! It has been nine long months since we first saw his little face and dreamed of the day he would become a member of our family. Now, with just 14 days left to go, our days are flying by. Between preparing our new house for the big move (this weekend) and gathering documents/packing for China, I don't seem to have enough hours in my day. Instead of getting as much rest as possible before our trip, I find myself awake at 2:00 in the morning, my mind racing with thoughts of things I need to finish. I have been a bundle of stress and felt so anxious and overwhelmed. And then today it hit me: this is ridiculous. Yes, we are moving to a new house this weekend and we still have work to do before it's ready. But this time should be about Chipmunk, Monkey, HotDog and Pudding. My three children at home are getting ready to have their worlds turned upside down; they will be moving to a new home, having both their mommy and daddy gone for 18 days, and getting a new brother. Pudding deserves for his mommy and daddy to be jumping up and down in joy over our impending travel. I go into total nesting mode before we travel on each of our adoption trips. I've been unable to do that since we are moving, but that shouldn't stop me from getting deliriously happy over pulling out my little boy clothes from storage or trying to decide which blanket to take with us, knowing that soon I'll be cuddling my new little boy in it. Today I decided that I'm letting go of all of the stress and worry and simply enjoying these last few days as a family of five.
Two weeks....can you believe it?!?!?

Snow Day!

2010-01-31T20:12:00.004-05:00

As if we don't have enough going on in our lives between planning our China trip and moving to a new house, Mother Nature decided to throw a little snow our way. We ended up with more than five inches! Chipmunk was a little upset it happened on a weekend and he didn't get a snow day from school; but the kids were SO excited. They love the snow and so do I! I used to dread snow days when the boys were younger because it seemed like it would take at least 30 minutes to get them dressed and ready to go out and it never failed that after about 5 minutes they either needed to go potty or were miserable and were ready to come inside. Now that they are older, they are able to get their snow clothes on all by themselves and I only have to get HD ready. So much easier!
I wasn't quite sure how HD would like the snow, as she did not like it at all last year. Once I got her bundled up, she ran out the door and slipped on the snow. I was completely expecting the big tears to start but when I reached her she was giggling. She LOVED the snow! She loved running in, sitting in it, playing in it and, of course, eating it. The kids had so much fun. My favorite part of it? How tired the kids are after playing in the snow for hours. After a little hot chocolate, they all take great naps!

I think she likes it!

My little angel

Monkey will swing in any weather!

The boys thought a snowy slide would be SO much fun

I think HD agrees!

I had to add this one for Maria. This is what HD does any time you ask her to smile for a picture. I really hope this phase doesn't last too long!

We are going to China!!

2010-01-25T21:03:00.003-05:00

We got word from our agency last week that our TA (travel approval) was on its way from China. Today our coordinator called and said our TA arrived and they had already scheduled our CA (consulate appointment). We leave for China on February 26th and come home on March 12th!!! We should have Pudding in our arms March 1st, I think. Woohoo!! Not only am I so excited to finally have travel dates, but we won't have to miss HD's 2nd birthday (on March 16th). Looks like she'll have quite a birthday present this year (although I'm not sure she'll be as thrilled as we are).
I have a feeling that this next month is going to fly by as we finish renovating our new house, pack up everything and move, as well as prepare our family for our newest little blessing. Life is never dull around our house.
Look out Pudding, Mommy and Daddy are going to be there soon!
*Edited to add that we heard from our agency today and we will be leaving on February 23rd...4 weeks from today!

Calm Before the Storm

2010-01-06T21:04:00.004-05:00

It has been so nice to get back into routine after our chaotic Christmas break. The boys do so much better when they are on a schedule, which makes me a better Mom.;) I'm trying to enjoy these quiet days while the boys are at school and it's just us girls at home. I know these days are quickly coming to an end and I want to absorb every last second before our lives are turned upside down (in a good way). We closed on our new house last week and take possession next week. I think we've got at least 3 weeks worth of work we want to do in it before we actually move in. And, of course, we're awaiting our TA (travel approval) for Pudding. We are hoping to receive it in the next couple of weeks. But, as I've said before, we don't expect to travel until late February/early March due to Chinese New Year celebrations in February. While I hate to wait even a second longer to pick him up, it will be nice to get settled in our new house before we travel and bring him home.

Since I don't have any idea how to sit around and twiddle my thumbs, I've embarked on a new project. While we are waiting for the arrival of Pudding, we are starting to work on a "100 Good Wishes Quilt" for him.

To welcome and celebrate a new life, there is a tradition in the northern part of China to make a Bai Jia Bei, or "100 Good Wishes Quilt." It is a custom to invite 100 people to contribute a single square patch of cloth. The 100 patches are sewn together into a quilt that contains the luck, energy, and good wishes from all the families and friends who contributed a piece of fabric. The quilt is then passed down from generation to generation.

Anybody that knows me knows how much I adore blankets. I still sleep with my baby blanket under my pillow (yeah, I can't believe I just admitted that!!). There is nothing I like more than cuddling under a big blanket. I can't think of a more wonderful idea than covering Pudding each night with a quilt that was made with love and joy from our family and friends. I get all warm and fuzzy just thinking about it....

If you'd like to participate, all you need to do is send one 9×9 in. square of 100% cotton, washable fabric. It can be any pattern or color; just something that is special or meaningful to you. And the fun part: send us a card with a good wish for Pudding and a scrap of your fabric (glued to the paper). Your wish can be simple or elaborate, handwritten or typed. It can be something you wrote or a favorite poem, lyric or quote. Be as simple or as creative as you want. These wishes will be placed in a 12×12 album so that your wishes will always be remembered.

If you would like to join, just leave a comment and I'll shoot you an email with the address where you can send the fabric.
I cannot wait to see our little Pudding wrapped in his quilt!

Happy Holidays

2009-12-24T21:37:00.010-05:00

I just wanted to pop in here and wish everyone the happiest of holidays. Holidays are such a magical time with children in the house. While the boys are (literally) bouncing off the walls with excitement and driving me crazy, I wouldn't change a thing. Their excitement is absolutely contagious and I am anticipating Santa's arrival almost as much as them. The thing I love most about the holidays is spending time with friends and family; cliche, maybe, but definitely true. I find such great comfort and joy in the simple traditions that we celebrate as family. A few of our favorites:

Each of the children has a tree in their room, decorated with cultural items from their birth country. This is HD's tree with a few of her many Kyrgyz ornaments; can you tell the boys helped her decorate?!?

The boys love making crafty goodness for family members. Here are a few jars full of yummy treats that we made. They had such a good time with this project.

Meet our resident Elf on the Shelf. Mr. Noodle is one of the boys favorite parts of the Christmas season. He hides in a different spot every day and is always causing mischief. He also reports back to Santa each night on the childrens behavior. He has been known to make surprises appearances throughout the year as well, when Mommy needs a little help in the discipline department. The boys will be so sad when he hops onto Santa's sleigh tonight and heads back to the North Pole.

Of course, what Christmas would be complete without the decorating of gingerbread men? Here the boys are hard at work...

And the finished product:

One of HD's favorite Christmas items is her nativity set I picked up in Kyrgyzstan. It comes with a yurt and Baby Jesus has a mohawk. She will play with this for hours.

This is after Christmas Eve mass. You can imagine the fun we had trying to get them to sit still during mass. Did I mention they seated us in the first pew? (Seriously, who puts a family with three kids in the front pew??!) Can you tell the kiddos are really excited about Santa's impending arrival?

And then there is just general silliness all day long.
Santa made a quick trip to Nana's house last week as we celebrated Christmas with the cousins. I couldn't believe it but HD actully liked him!

Monkey wanted to make sure that I put up a picture of him with his new Polar Express train. For my train obsessed little boy, this was the best present ever! We are so lucky to have such a wonderful Nana and Pops.

Guess what Chipmunk wants for Christmas?? Yep, he lost both of his front teeth this week (along with a bottom one he lost last week). The Tooth Fairy has been a busy woman at our house.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

There's Always Room for Pudding

2009-12-06T15:54:00.013-05:00

I know I surprised many of you with our exciting news and you are anxious for details about our newest little guy.
Here's the scoop:
We've actually been working on this adoption for over seven months. We first saw his face on May 1st and the paperwork chase started immediately. Let me back up and say that Stu and I have always dreamed of four children. Yes, we have our hands full with our crew now, but we figure the more the merrier. I remember that within about 20 minutes after HD and I arrived home from Kyrgyzstan, Stu started talking about HD getting a little brother. After my long solo trip to bring HD home, another child was the last thing on my mind. But a few months after HD arrived, and we were back into our daily routine and our "new normal", I was ready to start the process all over again.
Initially we thought we would pursue a child younger than HD. She showed us quite quickly, however, that it would be in her best interest that she remain the "baby" of the family. So we agreed that a toddler boy sounded like a perfect fit for us.
Stu and I both knew that China was where our next child was. We felt that with our three young children, a country with one-trip was a necessity. We also knew that we wanted HD to have an Asian sibling (for reasons that I'll get into in another post). Lastly, we were very willing to adopt a waiting child and knew that China has a strong special needs program. Once those decisions were made, I started researching various agencies.
At around this same time, I received an email from an agency whom we had contacted about a Kyrgyzstan adoption (before the moratorium). The coordinator wanted to let me know that they had a big list of waiting children in China they were getting ready to release the next day. She said she knew we were open to toddler-age boys and there would be many on the list. So the next day rolls around and I checked out the list. There were so many adorable children but one little guy caught my attention right away, and we requested more information. We received his file as we were on our way to dinner to meet our good friends Rachel and Darren. Of course, that's all I could talk about over dinner. I'm sure Rachel thought I was a blubbering idiot! But as it turns out, our little guy's special need was a VSD and Rachel had just been through open-heart surgery with her daughter who had the same thing. I was able to pick her brain on many of the details associated with this need and felt so much better. We had our pediatrician and a pediatric cardiologist look over the file that weekend, and by early the next week they had both given us the thumbs-up on him! We immediately sent in our LOI (letter of intent) and the paperwork race was underway. I was amazed at how simple the Chinese dossier was to complete (after the monster dossier required for Russia); after a few bumps, we were DTC in early September and our LID was 9/27/09. We were prepared to wait until after Christmas to get our LOA (our official approval), but were thrilled when we received it on 11/25/09. Now we are waiting for our TA (travel approval). If all goes well, we are hoping to travel as early as the end of February! Not too much longer now. The boys are super-excited about the prospect of a little brother...we'll see how HD reacts. I think she will really enjoy having a sibling close in age to her (he's 6 1/2 months older than her), but it might take awhile for her to realize it:)
As for the nickname "Pudding", this one was Monkey's idea. Not long after we received his referral, we were eating super and Chipmunk looked really sad. I asked him what was wrong and he was upset that there are only four chairs (plus a highchair) at our table. He was so sad that there was no place for his new brother to sit. Without missing a beat, Monkey said "That's no problem. He's like pudding." I looked at him like he was crazy and asked what in the world he was talking about. He replied, "He's like pudding. There's always room for pudding." Smart kid.

Giving Thanks

2009-11-27T19:38:00.006-05:00

I love Thanksgiving. It seems to be the one holiday that isn't overcommercialized and still truly revolves around families coming together to count their blessings. I have so very, very much to be thankful for this year.

I am thankful for my beautiful boys who brighten my world every single day.

I am thankful for my adorable daughter who always has a kiss on her lips and a hug in her arms just for me.

I am thankful for my partner-in-crime. Not only is he a wonderful husband, he's also the best father I've ever seen.

And last, but certainly not least, I am thankful for our new baby boy. Although he is still waiting for us in China, he is always in our hearts and we can't wait to pick him up in just a few months.

I hope everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-17T14:54:00.006-05:00

Fall fun. You'll notice Moneky is not in any of the photos; he's in an anti-picture phase. Should make Christmas card pictures fun...sigh....

Sweet siblings

Playing in the leaves

My little daydreamer

HD's first attempt at finger-painting

The end result (notice the paper is still blank!)

Happy Birthday to You

2009-11-11T14:38:00.006-05:00

My little Chipmunk is 7-years-old today. Wow. I'm having trouble wrapping my head around it. It honestly feels like just a couple of years ago we were in Russia picking up our tiny little 14-month-old who was barely crawling and never uttered a sound. Today we have a full-fledged boy that is always playing some kind of ball and doesn't know the meaning of the word quiet. Even though he sometimes makes me want to pull my hair out and loves testing boundaries, he is truly a joy ever single day. He holds such a special place in my heart and I am honored that I was allowed to be his mommy.

His CandyLand birthday cake...a great way to get rid of Halloween candy!

Can you tell what his favorite present was?!?!

His one request: Going to our favorite Mexican restaurant where they celebrate birthdays by shoving icecream in your face!

Trick-or-Treat

2009-11-04T11:20:00.009-05:00

Another Halloween is in the books and it was a great one. The weather was perfect - a cool and crisp fall night. It is so nice when Halloween falls on a weekend night too; no running around after school trying to get changed, no having to stop trick-or-treating early to get in bed for school the next morning. The boys are at such a fun age - they totally get into dressing up and running from house to house asking for treats. HD had fun too. She didn't want to ride in her stroller though; she wanted to walk with the big kids. She was so funny - she would walk up to a door, get her treat, drop her bag, and then try to sit down on the porch and eat her candy. She did great though and walked through the neighborhood continually making the sign for candy at each house we passed:)
My kids know that on Halloween night, they get a free pass on eating candy. They can eat however much they can shove into their mouths. Boy oh boy, did they take advantage of that. Unfortunately, Chipmunk had a little too much candy and ended up getting sick in the middle of the night. He was sick throughout the next day too so I'm not sure if it was the candy or a virus.
I can't believe it is already November. I'm sure the rest of the year will fly by from this point on. Chipmunk's birthday is next week (can you believe he's going to be 7!?!) and then Thanksgiving and Christmas fesitivities begin.

Ready to start the night

Do you have any candy in there yet?

Trying to keep up with the big kids

Having fun with their cousin

Monkey going through his loot

HD trying to steal Chipmunk's candy

Chocolate!!

Can we say "sugar-high"?

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-28T18:25:00.002-05:00

HD's latest obsession: her tutu. She wore it to a wedding on Saturday night and hasn't taken it off since. She puts it on as soon as she wakes up in the morning and doesn't take it off until bedtime. So cute!

So Much to Say

2009-10-14T12:58:00.007-05:00

The past few months have been such a whirlwind of activity around our household. I'll try to catch up on my blog but it will take several posts to cover everything I want to share.
First and foremost, our little HotDog. I can't believe she is already 18-months-old! She has turned into such an independent little girl. Gone are the days of our content, laid-back baby. HD has turned into a very feisty little girl - she knows exactly what she wants and will do whatever it takes to get it. I can't count the number of times a day that she throws herself on the floor, kicking and screaming, because she was denied something. We try so hard not to laugh at her when she is throwing one of her fits, but it is beyond adorable when she is pouting with her bottom lip sticking out; of course, I know it won't be that cute when she is a teenager and still pulling these shenanigans. Don't get me wrong, she is still a happy toddler most of the time - but when she's unhappy, she is pure drama!

I can't believe how much she is growing. We haven't had her 18-month checkup yet but as of 6 weeks ago she was holding steady at 32 pounds. Not sure about her height either but she is a tall girl. She's wearing mostly 2T shirts and 18-24 pants. I'm having quite a time finding shoes to fit her; she seems to have Fred Flintstone feet - wide and flat. She should wear a size 7 but I'm having to go up to an 8 in some styles just to get it to fit. It's so funny to see such a big girl with only 6 teeth! However much she lacks in teeth she more than makes up for in the hair department. Her hair has gotten so long and so thick and still has lots of curl. It is so much fun to fix into pigtails/ponytails with cute little bows. Even Stu has learned how to do it (because it drives him crazy to see it hanging in her face if it's not up). Look at the difference 6 months can make:
HD on her birthday, 6 months ago:

And now just 6 months later:

Despite the drama, she is such a funny girl with quite a sense of humor. She loves to play with her brothers and I truly think she believes she is the same age as them. She tries to do anything they are doing, and most of the time succeeds. You should see the fits she throws when we are watching their soccer games and she isn't allowed to run out on the field with them. They are such good sports about her always tagging along and make sure to include her in most games they play. She's even started playing hide-and-seek with them; they go and hide in a conspicuous location and let her come and find them. She squeals with delight as they let her catch them running to home base. She's also turned into such a mimic. One of her favorite activities is to sit on the couch with Stu and try to make the same silly faces he is making at her, like this one:

HD is still pretty bashful when we are anywhere away from home. We get asked all of the time if she's talking yet The answer is yes. She babbles all of the time at home and can repeat almost anything we say. The boys can get her to say anything. Chipmunk even has her saying "diaper change" when she's dirty! However, the second we step out of the house she goes mute. She might say "hi" and "bye" but that's about it. My grandmother, whom we visit several times each week, hasn't even heard her say any words.
Eating has become such a struggle for us. She used to be a fantastic eater, eating anything and everything you put in front of her. She has turned very picky lately and it's driving me crazy. The only things I can consistently count on her eating are: meat, cheese, bread/crackers. That's it. Fruit is usually a hit-or-miss. Veggies are impossible lately. She doesn't even want junk food most of the time. I gave her some sugar-filled cereal (something we never have at our house) and you would have thought I was poisoning her! I'm not too concerned about it, just frustrated. I'm pretty sure it's a control thing for her and she'll come around sooner or later.

Okay, I think that's enough of a catch-up on HD. We celebrated her first Family Day (the day I picked her up from the orphanage) last week. I still can't believe it's been a year since she was placed in my arms forever - I still have such vivid memories of that trip. Such an amazing year with such an amazing girl!

Next post: Our Disney/Florida vacation and a new house!

Lazy Days of Summer

2009-08-12T19:59:00.008-05:00

I don't have much to say with this post; instead I wanted to share some pictures of how we spent our summer. No big trips, not much excitement...just simple summer days around our house, enjoying our family time. Total bliss!

The boy with the first picks of the season

Chipmunk so proud of the fruits of his labor

HotDog is not so much into gardening (just like her mommy!)

She REALLY doesn't like gardening:)

Monkey is finally starting to feel comfortable in the pool

Chipmunk and HD having fun in the pool with Daddy

Monkey will play for hours with chalked railroad tracks and his trains. The simple things in the life...

Sleepovers with cousins

Playing, I mean "working", hard in the garden

HD wants her turn!

My freshly-bathed babies cuddled in my lap. Does life get any better?!?

Alas, all good things must come to an end. The boys started back to school last week (yes, the first week of August - we do year-round school in our area). I can't believe Chipmunk is a big first-grader! Not surprisingly, Monkey was so excited about starting his new preschool that he wouldn't sit still for pictures.

Of course, things aren't always this calm and content. Check back soon for some exciting news that will definitely liven things up around our house.

Fun Times in Nashville

2009-08-05T09:41:00.000-05:00

Looking at a weekend with absolutely no plans, HD and I decided we would hop in our van and go visit our friends Maria and Ellie. We had so much fun. The girls did a little shopping, a little football watching, a little puddle splashing, and a lot of playing.
We arrived (fashionably late, of course) and headed to the mall for a little girl time. The girls did really good - Ellie slept and HD ate. Then we headed to watch Josh's football scrimmages. While there it started to rain and the girls had a blast playing in it. HD taught Ellie how to jump in the puddles (sorry Maria!) and they were both soaked by the time it was over. Then we headed back to Maria's for pizza and playtime. I think it's the first time where the girls have actually gotten the concept of playing alongside of each other rather than staying in their own little universe. They were so cute together, running around in their diapers. I think their favorite game was throwing the ball with Josh. Then they had fun tackling him. He played with them all night long; he is such a sweet big brother! HD was so wound up she did NOT want to go to sleep.
After a very short night of sleep, HD woke up in quite the mood - I have never seen her so grumpy! Poor thing was so exhausted she couldn't even pick up her feet when she was walking; she must have tripped at least ten times. I think she cried more in that hour than she has in the past three months combined. I decided to head home then instead of going to the park, hoping HD would nap most of the way home (which she did). So it was a quick trip but well worth it. I love it that our girls share such a special connection and can't wait to watch them grow up together. Maria and I envision lots of sleepovers and phone calls between these two.
(I stole these pictures from Maria, as I am currently between cameras. She has more pics on her blog.)
Thank you so much Maria and Kevin for your wonderful hospitality. It was fantastic!

HD giving Ellie some love

Playing in the rain

The only time they sat still long enough to snap a pic!

She though she had escaped the camera

Our future Wildcat

Tackling poor Josh!

Ellie polishing my toes

Seriously, how cute is she?!?!

HD ready to go home!

Kyrgyz/Russian Playdate

2009-07-23T15:55:00.006-05:00

I have had great intentions to do a post on the playdate with our Kyrgyz/Russian friends but I've been too busy enjoying these beautiful summer days. Although the other families blogged about it soon after we got together (I'm such a slacker), I still wanted to do a post for my end-of-the-year compilation.
Three weeks ago this family was coming to our area so we decided to plan a playdate with several other families that also have little girls from Kyrgyzstan and little boys from Russia.
We met Rachel and kids and Maria and family at the zoo. It's funny because so many people raise eyebrows when we say we're meeting up with "online friends", but we have met these families several times before so it feels like we're old friends. We have so much in common and I think we'd get together all the time if we lived closer together. Heck, we've known Rachel for almost 3 years now! Her daughter Scarlett is from Tokmok Kyrgzstan (like HotDog). She is actually the one that referred us to the Kyrgyz program so she holds a very special place in our hearts. And her little boy, Alex, is from Astrakhan Russia (just like our boys). The boys hit it off as soon as we arrived - Alex and Chipmunk were inseparable for much of the day. I think they had more fun playing with each than even looking at the animals. HD, however, was fussy and clingy - definitely not acting like her normal happy self. I think she was irritated she had to be in the stroller and not walk independently like Scarlett; however it was just way too crowded for me to keep on eye on the boys and try to follow her too. Maria and family soon met up with us and we headed to the waterpark. Although it was a very cool day, the kids had a blast. Ellie wasn't quite sure of the water but HD couldn't get enough of it. She squealed with delight at the shooting water and fountains.
We followed that with lunch while the kids ran off some energy at the playground. Soon enough, Ellie and HD decided they had enough and both took a nap in their strollers. It was nice as I could let the boys look at the exhibits and catch up with Maria.

The three Astrakhan boys

HD loving the Splash Park

My two cold boys

Sleeping Beauties

The Kyrgz girls (this shot pretty much describes the day)

We went our separate ways for some downtime before meeting up with Maria and family for a late supper. Stu was able to join us for that and he was so excited to see Ellie and Josh again. HD and Ellie sat in side-by-side highchairs and it was so cute to see them together, although HD kept stealing all of Ellie's food. Maria cracked up as she witnessed HD's "happy dance" (HD does a little dance in her highchair whenever she eats). She even came up with a little song about it which we sing to her anytime she eats now.

The proud Daddies

If you're happy and you know, clap your hands!

HD was ready to go home

The next day we headed to Waterfront Park with Rachel and Maria again. We were also joined by this family, who have a little boy from Russia and a little girl from Kyrgzystan. I was so happy they could make the trip and my boys were so excited to see C again. I think the kids all had a great time although it was a little stressful for the adults, as the park was crowded with daycare groups and I'm a little paranoid since it's right on the river. The boys were running around acting like Monkeys and Scarlett, Ellie and AP were having lots of fun too. HD, again, was very fussy and not at all sociable; she ended up being diagnosed with bronchitis the next day so poor thing wasn't feeling good at all.

The Russian boys

The Kyrgyz girls

Don't they look like trouble?!?

My Monkey

We grabbed a quick lunch and then headed to the Louisville Slugger Museum. I had never been and it was a good tour but my kiddos were exhausted. They loved the free mini-baseball bats handed out at the end and immediately began to play "swords" with them. And I about fell over when the tour guide handed HD a bat too. Who in the world hands a 15-month-old a hard baseball bat?? I know I had an incredulous look on my face and he simply said, "Everyone that takes the tour gets one." Within two seconds she had whopped herself on the head and I had to take it away. Of coure, that made her furious so we said some quick goodbyes and headed home.
We had such a great time. I am still amazed at how many wonderful friendships we've made during our adoption journeys. I love it that our kids know others that share their heritage and can hopefully maintain that friendship as they grow older.

Fourth of July Fun

2009-07-06T19:30:00.005-05:00

Family, food, fireworks...fun!
Despite a rainy day that cancelled the big fireworks display, the kids still enjoyed hanging out with their cousins and playing with sparklers. And of course, it gave me a great opportunity to show off several of HotDog's festive outfits. Have I mentioned how fun it is to dress a little girl?!?

Modeling outfit #1

Trying her first icecream cone

I think she likes it!

My little pyromaniac had to have two sparklers at all times.

Chipmunk is a little more cautious

And the obligatory swimsuit shot

Hope everyone had a great July 4th!

Long Overdue

2009-06-17T16:24:00.006-05:00

I know, I know..it's been so long since I have posted. I have no good excuse for my absence; between end-of-school activities, soccer season, Derby, vacation bible school, doctors appointments and just general daily life, I don't have a lot of free time and my poor blog has suffered. I was going to try to do a catch-up post but I'm afraid that would be impossible after 2 1/2 months. I'll have to settle for some highlights and promise to be a better blogger in the future.
The kiddos are doing fabulous.
I find it so hard to believe that Chipmunk is 6 1/2 years old! It seems as though overnight he has turned into a full-fledged boy,
He just completed kindergarten and is so excited to begin first grade in August. He had a fantastic year. I was lucky enough to volunteer in his classroom once a week and was able to get to know his classmates. Chipmunk seemed to form some really strong friendships so I hope we can continue those even though they may be in different classes. It is amazing to observe him growing up right before our eyes. He is becoming quite independent and is starting to develop his opinions on a variety of issues. He is full of questions and I find myself limiting him to 5 questions at a time, otherwise I would spend the majority of my time trying to answer his many questions. Academically he is thriving. He is reading at a 3rd grade level, is able to do some addition and subtraction and just LOVES to learn. He was invited to a Red Carpet Night at the end of the school year, which honored students for good behavior and decision making. Such a proud moment for us.

My little star on the red carpet

The big kindergartener

The Monkey is having a fantastic summer. He plays outside morning, noon and night and is thrilled that Chipmunk is home all day so they can "play big boy stuff". He is the funniest kid I've ever met and cracks us up all day long. While he drives us crazy some of the time, it's impossible to stay upset with him once he flashes his mischevious little smile. I guess I still tend to baby him a bit since he was my little guy for so long, but he's recently started to tell me repeatedly that he is "not a little boy; he's a medium boy";) He recently finished up the 4-year-old program at school and should be going to kindergarten in the fall. However, we've made the decision to hold him back for another year; he is so smart but he's the smallest and youngest child in his class and still needs time to mature socially/emotionally before moving on. I think he will thrive with another year of preschool under his belt and I'm relieved I don't have to send him to all-day school yet.

My "medium boy" with his obsession - trains!

My little fish

What can I say about our HotDog? She is such a sweetheart! I can't believe how much she has grown in the 8 months she has been with us. She is so calm and content but we are starting to catch glimpses of the drama that is said to accompany little girls. She has learned the art of throwing a fit to get her way. She shrieks and both of the boys drop whatever they are doing in order to figure out what she wants. I think they may be creating a monster:) She also knows how to stick that bottom lip out and start the tears whenever she is denied something she wants. But for the most part, she is the easiest baby. She is walking/running everywhere and thinks she can do whatever her big brothers do. She is starting to talk. She has the sweetest little way of saying "hi" to everyone/everything around her. We must hear her say "hi tat (cat)" a hundred times a day. She loves to give big wet kisses and will pat your back when giving a sweet hug. She's still a big girl too; at her recent 15-month checkup, she weighed in at a whopping 29 pounds! She's only 3 pounds less than our Monkey. I am so relieved she started to walk because my back was starting to ache. She adores playing peek-a-boo and tries to sing The Itsy-Bitsy Spider. Her recent sound is to say "moooooo" anytime she sees a cow (or a horse, or a sheep....); it was cute the first few times but considering we live across from a farm, it has become a little irritating now.

Talk about a bad hair day! Looks like it's time for....

...a first hair cut.

We can see her pretty eyes again

I had to add this one for Maria. HD's Aunt Dana decided to try pigtails after seeing Ellie's cute pictures

I couldn't end this post without wishing my Monkey a happy birthday. He turned the big 5 on Friday! We had a fun day - lunch with cousins at the pizza place followed by a church picnic. A good time was had by all!

The birthday pirate. Argh!

Fun with cousins

Playing peek-a-boo

Mommy and her birthday boy

His favorite part of the day - his train cake!

Stay tuned for a new post detailing our little Kyrgyz reunion. Later this week we have plans to meet up with this family, this family and maybe this family. I can't wait to see everyone!

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T09:05:00.002-05:00

My three bunnies hope everyone has a very happy Easter!

What a Difference a Year Makes

2009-03-29T19:58:00.005-05:00

One year ago today we were thrilled to receive this picture:

Now we are lucky enough to call this beautiful little girl our daughter. She brightens our world each day and we are so blessed to have her in our family.

What an incredible year!

Our Birthday Girl!

2009-03-20T12:42:00.005-05:00

I can't believe that our baby girl turned one-year-old this week! Where does the time go?!? It seems like just yesterday I was bringing our 6-month-old baby home and now she is turning into a toddler before our eyes.
Stu and I went back and forth on whether to have a big blow-out party for her. We had big parties for the boys first birthdays at home with us (both of the boys were over 1-year-old when we brought them home, so their first parties were for their second birthdays). However I think our whole family is feeling "partied-out," after her homecoming in October, followed by Christmas, and then her baptism a few weeks ago. We are blessed to have so many friends and family that celebrate our joyous occasions with us but I felt uncomfortable asking them to attend yet another party and bring another present. So we ended up having a small party for her with immediate family and a few close friends. It was perfect. It was nice and simple with cake and ice cream. My brother (the chef) made the food as his present to HotDog so I didn't even have to worry about that:)
Although she had no clue all of the hoopla was in her honor, I think HD had a fabulous time. Her favorite part was the cake, of course!

Ready to start her big day!

Anticipation

Not quite sure what to think

Starting to get the hang of it

Pigging out!

A little irritated when we decided she had enough

She received some fun new toys and, of course, lots of cute new clothes! Stu and I bought her some new equipment for outside. This little girl loves to be outside and will fit right in with her brothers this summer. I think she'll really enjoy her new outdoor toys!

Uh-oh! Got caught speeding!

Playing on her new outdoor climbing equipment

Enjoying a ride on her new fish, courtesy of Chipmunk

This was the first time she had tried cake and I think we let her eat too much because soon after everyone left she had a horrible tummy ache. She screamed like a banshee for about 20 minutes (very unlike her) and finally passed out in my arms at 6:20. I think she was completely worn out from her big day.
The day after her birthday I took her for her one-year checkup. The doctor pronounced her "fabulous" and said she looks "perfect" (which we already knew, of course:). He was pleased to see that she was developmentally on target in all areas. His only tiny concern was that she seems to be gaining weight a bit too quickly. Our big girl is now up to 25 1/2 pounds!! What can I say, the girl likes her food! We are hoping that the switch from formula to milk will help slow the weight gain. And I'm sure once she starts walking the weight gain will decrease. Speaking of which, she still has no desire to walk at all. There is not a doubt in my mind that she could if she wanted; she walks around our furniture barely holding on. However, I'm enjoying these last few days of pre-walking and are not encouraging it at all. It will come when it comes.
Next up on our agenda: Both boys will be having minor surgery next week. Chipmunk will be getting a tonsillectomy and Monkey will be getting (his 3rd) set of tubes. Ugghh. Most people think we're crazy for doing this at the same time but I figured that we'll already be at the hospital and Stu will already be off work...might as well go ahead and get them both over with. Looks like a fun spring break for us:)

Let’s do it RIGHT FOR THE WRIGHTS!

2009-02-27T14:07:00.002-05:00

Dear Friends of the Wrights,

We all know and understand the effectiveness of the work John, Julie and family have done in Kyrgyzstan – the country they love so much and have been called to. Let’s get them there ON THE GROUND full time! We can do this.
This post is coming out with other blog posts all over the country – people who have blogs that know the Wrights. Let’s shock them with the provision of financial resources and letters/notes of encouragement to help them return to Kyrgyzstan. They want to go as full time missionaries – they just need our help to get them there.
We propose that we raise a minimum of the following:
$20,000 to cover a year’s needs on the home front
• Home expenses – the place to come back to
$30,000 to cover a year’s needs on the foreign front
• Travel in and out of the country with family 2 x a year
• Travel in the country to the different sites
• Family expenses – including the educational needs of one daughter
• Lodging and meals
This is just $50,000. We can do this and we can do it quickly. Here is how. Go to JOHN’S Blog and hit the button that is for the Wrights….support.
AND guess what – you can watch all that is done there on his blog..you will learn to live vicariously in a healthy way by reading and supporting the RIGHT cause. What an opportunity – Will you help?
Let’s do it RIGHT FOR THE WRIGHTS!
Blessings,
Lynn and Ruby from LAMb International

Whirlwind

2009-02-12T11:03:00.030-05:00

I know I am way overdue with a new post (that seems to be a recurrent theme on this blog) but things around this house have been total chaos lately...even more so than usual.
In late January, we celebrated Chipmunk's 5th Family Day. I still can't believe we have been his parents for over five years! It seems like just yesterday we went to the baby house to pick him up. I remember the drive from the baby home to our hotel - Stu and I were in amazement that we actually had our baby. We kept looking at each other and saying "Can you believe they just handed us a baby!?!" We were so naive and had been so focused on getting through the adoption process that we hadn't really thought about what happens once we have the baby. But Chipmunk made it so easy on us. He jumped into our arms and never looked back. Now, a short five years later, he is still our shining star. Although we are starting to encounter bouts of attitude and backtalk (isn't kindergarten a little young for that?!?!), he is the most lovable, tender-hearted little boy. While he now reads to us at bedtime, he still loves to cuddle with mommy and daddy and smothers us with kisses and hugs daily.
We usually don't go overboard on Family Day but decided to let Chipmunk choose what he wanted to do special on that day. He mentioned going to a hotel (the boys think that staying at a hotel is the best thing ever!). So we decided to take the short journey to Nashville to hook up HotDog and Ellie for the first time since they both left the orphanage. While there, we were also going to meet up with this family who has a son from Russia and a daughter from Kyrgyzstan, as well as another family with an adorable little boy from Kyrg and a beautiful daughter from China.
What a fun-filled weekend! We thought that disaster was near when we checked into the hotel and found that the pool was closed due to renovation. The pool was the main reason the boys wanted to stay at a hotel. But tragedy was averted when the hero (Stu) was able to secure passes for the family to go to a pool at the hotel next-door. On Saturday morning, all of the families met up at Cracker Barrel for breakfast and to get to know each other. So fun! We had a big crew (17 people??) and separated into boys and girls tables. I don’t know about the boys (whom I am assuming talked sports the entire time), but the girls had great food and conversation. Besides being absolutely adorable, the Kyrgyz girls have something else in common: they all love to eat! Ellie was eating everything in sight and HD literally shrieked at the waitress when she tried to remove my plate of French toast. A. was forward-thinking enough to bring some play-do to keep the boys busy (including her handsome little boy, also adopted from Russia – Chipmunk and Monkey thought that fact was really cool). She also made the most darling shirts for all of our Kyrgyz cuties! She is so talented and if you are ever looking for an adorable customized shirt for your little one check out her online store: With Sugar on Top .We have two of her shirts and they are my favorite things in HD's closet (which is saying a lot). We get so many compliments every time she wears them.
We followed breakfast with a trip to a children’s museum. It was wonderful with so many hands-on exhibits that were geared towards kids of all ages. I didn’t think that I would be able to tear Monkey away from train tracks at the front of the place; he was mesmerized. The big kids immediately went to explore the bigger exhibits while Maria and I hunkered down on the first floor play area with the smaller kids. It was neat to see how well all of the bigger kids played together. My boys are still talking about C., their “friend from Russia”. And HD and Ellie had such a fun time crawling all over Kevin. He was the human jungle-gym for much of the afternoon! Most of the time I just sat back and watched all of our children interact with each other and constantly thought about how blessed we all are. It was a beautiful sight.
By mid-afternoon, the families started to say our good-byes with promises to meet up again sometime in spring/summer (hint, hint Rachel!). We had such a great time getting to know the other families and I think it is such an important connection for the children to know others with similar backgrounds/stories. We stayed at the museum for a bit longer so I could go and explore with the boys for awhile and then we headed back to the hotel for more swimming.
Later that night we went out for pizza and icecream with Maria and family. It was hilarious to watch our two little girls scarf down big scoops of ice cream!
As we headed back home on Sunday we decided to stop for lunch at the Rainforest Café. I thought the boys would love it! I was half right. Chipmunk was amazed and wanted to walk around the entire time, taking in all of the details. I didn’t even think about Monkey’s fear of thunderstorms however. About 15 minutes after we were seated, we experienced the first roll of thunder (there are “thunderstorms” in the restaurant every 30 minutes or something) and his head didn’t leave my lap for the rest of the time. He ended up eating his entire meal with one hand covering his ear. Three weeks later he is still talking about the restaurant with the thunder and how much he never wants to go back there.
After our return home, Stu traveled to California for the week (for work) and I was anxiously awaiting a trip up to Cincinnati the following weekend to meet up with John Wright and friends. We met John and his family while in Kyrgyzstan on our first trip and were so inspired by the work they are doing. Honestly he is one of the most amazing people we have ever met and the love and support he is offering to the needy in Kyrgyzstan is simply incredible. You can check out his work at: iam1ru.
However, by Tuesday it was evident that Mother Nature had different ideas. Our area was hit hard by an ice storm. I can handle snow and actually enjoy it most of the time. But ice is an entirely different story….especially when I’m stranded at the house by myself (which is in the middle of nowhere) with three young children. By Tuesday night the temperature was dropping and our electricity went out (like almost everyone else in our entire county). Luckily one of my cousins came and picked us up on Wednesday and I was able to ride out the rest of the storm with family. I had contemplated trying to stay at home and just bundle the kids in extra layers. It’s a good thing I didn’t because we didn’t get electricity back for 6 days! It was the worst disaster our area has ever seen and we are still trying to get back to normal after it. Needless to say, there was no way I could make it to Cincinnati and am still disappointed I wasn’t able to see John and friends again.
I was hoping that things would start to settle down once we got back into our house, but of course it didn’t work that way. HD had been fighting a cold and just not acting like her normal self. I chalked it up to being away from home for such a long time. By mid-week I heard the dreaded wheezing in her chest. A trip to the pediatrician confirmed that our poor baby had RSV. Ugghh. Poor girl seems like she is always battling a cold or bronchitis or a sinus infection. We tried to ride it out but she progressively got worse so we started the breathing treatments. Not only does she fight us every time we put the mask up to her face, the treatments make her super-hyper. Thankfully she started to respond and after about a week was starting to act like herself again.
Since then we have celebrated Valentine’s Day and HD’s baptism, both of which were a lot of fun. But add in Chipmunk’s weekly basketball practice/games, Monkey’s ear infections, along with just daily life, and I am exhausted. I’m hoping things will slow down for a little while and we can catch our breath before the fun begins again in late March with HD’s birthday/Chipmunk’s tonsillectomy/spring break/Easter.
Despite the chaos, things are fabulous. HD’s personality shines through more and more each day. She has always been very calm and content and slow to smile. Now she has turned into the smiliest little girl ever. She greets us each morning with a huge smile on her face and it doesn’t leave her face all day. She is actually initiating games with us too. She loves to play pat-a-cake and peek-a-boo (where she covers her ears instead of her eyes…too cute). She just started signing to us too. She definitely signs for "more" and just this morning did the sign for "bite". She is eating anything and everything we put in front of her and prefers table food to baby food now. She finally cut her first tooth and I think another one might be following soon! It seems like overnight she is losing much of her “babyness” and turning into a toddler. I can’t believe we’ll be celebrating her first birthday next month!

On to the pictures of cuteness. I didn't seem to take too many pictures of our fun Nashville weekend so you can check out A's blog and Maria's blog for more.

HD and Ellie (I have no idea what they are both looking at)

The Kyrgyz Cuties

Sweet A. was worried that Ellie was going to miss the fun!

Ellie and HD look a little confused why we keep putting them together!

Adorable Russian boys (who found it impossible to stand still for one picture)

HD flirting with herself in the mirror

My silly girl, playing peek-a-boo

Hanging out with the cousins during the ice storm

The view from my back door during the ice storm. That is not snow on the trees; it is all ice. Yikes!