We started out yesterday morning with a trip to Birmingham, AL. We had an appointment with the International Adoption Clinic (IAC) at 9:30 EST (10:30 CST). Well, brilliant old me got myself ALL confused and thought we needed to be there at 10:30 EST! Whoops! So, we were late but they were able to squeeze us in!
First we saw the developmental specialist. Apparently we were supposed to have written down all of the words Andrew knows - whoops! He did the puzzle like a whiz, identified his colors, stood on one leg, jumped, strung beads on a string, etc... She was very impressed with him and said the only thing he's behind in is speech! We knew that so it wasn't a big surprise and it's not something we feel he'll have a hard time catching up on. The New Yorker in me needs to learn to talk more slowly and pronunciate a bit better in order to help!
After that we met with the Social Worker. She asked us about his history and was excited to hear he was in foster care. We explained that it wasn't necessarily a good thing since it meant moving around and then being "given up" again by someone he had bonded with. She felt the good (one on one attention, development, etc...) was important and that he will be able (or already has) moved past losing that family. She was amazed at his attachment, that he comes to us to fix things, etc...
The doctor came in next and did a basic exam. She showed Andrew how to use the stethoscope. She lifted up his shirt to listen to his heart. Well, then he wanted to listen to hers so what does he do? Reaches down to grab her shirt and pull it up!! :-) Hey - he's a sponge and if it's good for the goose it should be good for the gander, right?
His exam went well - all seems to be good! We noticed a bruise looking thing above his tailbone and it turns out it's a Mongolian Spot. Apparently, Mongolian Spots are common in all ethnic groups except for Caucasian. Since we know Andrew has a little bit of Asian in him, we weren't surprised to hear this. After the doctor we went to the lab and had lots of blood drawn for his tests. He did so good until the 2nd to last vial - that's when the tech moved the needle. He started to cry and cry. Keith had to hold him down, I was just standing there with no clue what to do and Keith yelled "Becky - talk to him, say something!". Whoops! :-) Afterwards he was a real trooper!
We met Melissa and Iliya for lunch at McD's. It was sooo hot out and that's where the play area is! Keith - what an awesome dad - got in the tubes in 90+ degree heat with the kids and kept them occupied so Melissa and I could visit for a bit. We all started to melt so we decided it was time to make the trek home. I have pictures and will upload them in a different post once I have a second to do so.
On the way home, Andrew got really, really fussy towards the end. 5 hours in the car and 4 hours at the drs office is a lot for a little kid! We came home, went and ran off some of the energy and heard two big BOOMS. Transformers in our area blew up. So, now it's 90 degrees, 8:00 at night, we've had no supper and now we have no air conditioning and no way to cook! We had enough light to give Andrew a bath and then we headed to grab something to eat. Needless to say it was a late bedtime last night!
So, there you have it! The IAC was very impressed with how far Andrew has come in a short period of time and so are we! We know we have a special little guy on our hands! :-)
Toodles!
Becky
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Guest blogging again
Hi all -
It's Andrew again. I've sent mom to bed and told her I would update the blog. She's always on to me about getting sleep so when she started get a bit, shall we say... CRANKY, I decided it was time for HER to sleep. You see, she got sick or something. Dad said it was a boo-boo-ah in her throat. She didn't talk a lot (YAY!) and she slept a ton (YAY!) so dad and I wrestled a lot, went to many different playgrounds and just had a darn good old time. Boy stuff that only boys know how to do! I did enjoy barging into mom's bedroom first thing in the morning when she still had her boo-boo-ah yelling "MAMA! MAMA! NIGHT NIGHT? NIGHT NIGHT?" Of course I KNEW she was sleeping but jeez... how much does someone with a fever need to sleep?
Anyhow, let's talk about my week! My parents talk about being worried they are overstimulating me but I just hate naps so I put up a fight. We have done lots of fun things! How about some pictures? Of course, being almost 3, I'll narrate them for you. I'm good like that.
It's Andrew again. I've sent mom to bed and told her I would update the blog. She's always on to me about getting sleep so when she started get a bit, shall we say... CRANKY, I decided it was time for HER to sleep. You see, she got sick or something. Dad said it was a boo-boo-ah in her throat. She didn't talk a lot (YAY!) and she slept a ton (YAY!) so dad and I wrestled a lot, went to many different playgrounds and just had a darn good old time. Boy stuff that only boys know how to do! I did enjoy barging into mom's bedroom first thing in the morning when she still had her boo-boo-ah yelling "MAMA! MAMA! NIGHT NIGHT? NIGHT NIGHT?" Of course I KNEW she was sleeping but jeez... how much does someone with a fever need to sleep?
Anyhow, let's talk about my week! My parents talk about being worried they are overstimulating me but I just hate naps so I put up a fight. We have done lots of fun things! How about some pictures? Of course, being almost 3, I'll narrate them for you. I'm good like that.
Today, my big brother Alex put my bike together and Dad and Alex taught me how to ride. Dad thinks he was "helping me" by pushing the back of the bike but I SO know how to do it by myself.
Mom got on my bike. Thankfully, Dad took a blurry picture because she looked pretty ridiculous!
See, here Dad is "helping me".
Aren't I just so darn cute?!?! (And yes, they feed me well around here!)
Every morning, in order to "run me ragged" as Mom and Dad say, I go to a few parks and sometimes get to feed the ducks. Well, on this particular day we go to feed the gooses (yes, I know it's geese, but gooses sounds so much better). My dad taught me how to feed them but just to see if he was paying attention I let the goose bite my finger. He was right (but don't tell him that).
Here we are at a park! This one isn't my favorite but I like it when Mom slides with me. Usually she makes me go faster but she just fit in the slide. She said something about "those darn hips". I'm not sure what they are but they definitely slow here down!
Here's my dad with his three loves - me, Alex and his Bronco. He and my big brother, Alex, used to ride in it when Alex was little. Now it's my turn!
Just call me Mr. Fixit! I can fix...
My Ear...
Dad's Teeth....
And Alex's tires!
My favoritest day EVA! Mom and Dad took me on the boat! On the lake! This time the boat started (phew!) and we had a great time. Like me in mom's sunglasses? How am I supposed to know they are upside down? I'm not even 3 yet!
DUCKS, DUCKS!!! Love the ducks! Love them so much that I even shared my cheerios.
My mom was freaking out a bit about me swimming. I kept sticking my head in the water and then coming up (sometimes for air and sometimes not) and going right back under. She kept telling me to stop but since when do I listen? :-) Seriously though, I got to jump off the boat into the water, wear a life vest and swimmies (yep, over the top!) and then jump some more. I never, ever wanted to leave the lake ever, ever again!
Did I mention that I never wanted to leave? Happen to see that crocodile tear running down my face? Boy was I MAD when it was time to leave. Yeah, dad let me drive the boat but it didn't mean I wasn't going to keep crying.
So, there you have it! Mom made me promise to tell you that she'll post later this week. I'm going to UAB for my big checkup. Mom's excited because she wants to hear that I'm as alright as she thinks I am. She'll definitely post after that!!
Hugs and lots of love!
Andrew
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Non-stop fun!
When I say non-stop... I mean non-non-non-non-stop! This little guy has a ton of energy. Apparently I should have gone to energy boot camp before bringing the little guy home. Wowzers! We've spent the past few days working on a routine and trying to figure out what best tires Andrew out without tiring his parents out! :-)
We've had lots of fun at the park, in the kiddie pool, hanging with Aunt Mandy, Uncle Rob, Nana and Grandpa and we went to the lake (but not on the boat - long story - let's just say Keith wasn't a happy camper!). We've had our first haircut and he did SO well! I think the lollipop and the airplane did the trick! I've made a pediatrician appt and we're working on a time to go to UAB's IAC which I'm really excited about (I know, weird to be excited about a drs appt).
Andrew knows his colors, the dogs and cats names (and how to pull the cats tails and he loves trying to pick them up - they hate it of course), he loves to eat - yogurt especially! We've regressed quite a bit in the potty-world but that was absolutely expected. When we got home he was doing 75% of his business in the potty. I'd say we're down to 25%. Keith has taught him to say "Mommy, Poppy I need to go peesit" BUT he just walks around repeating that non-stop so who knows when he as to go! :-) I think it's good he's regressing because it means he's letting us take care of him instead of being so independent.
Andrew has been sleeping in his own bed the past few nights. He fell out of the bed the first night. His bedroom is above ours so we heard a big boom, but no noise on the monitor! Keith went running up there and there is little Andrew, fast asleep on the floor with his butt sticking up in the air. Last night he fell out again (and yes, we have the little rails on the bed but he manages to wiggle around them) but this time he cried. Keith rocked him to sleep (I have the most awesome husband who seems to get all of night duty, poor guy) and then about an hour later he was calling for us at the top of the stairs (about 4:00 am). That seems to be his normal waking time. Some more rocking and he went to sleep in the pack and play in our room until Callie (the cat) decided she wanted to get in there too. Then he moved to our bed where he slept until 8:00.
Between the cats and Andrew waking us up in the middle of the night we are getting very little sleep. We're still hanging in there but will be very happy when we make it all the way through the night. Thankfully, Keith took off the rest of this week so maybe this weekend we can each take a day to catch up.
We're so excited about how well Andrew is doing! He has typical toddler tantrums but they are getting a less frequent as he realizes we won't react to every one of them. He is very affectionate to us and the animals (loves to dole out kisses) and still has no interest in cartoons! We take about an hour a night and go up in his room to play with his music table, stacking toys, shape sorter, puzzles, etc...
So, I'll leave you with some pictures of my little cutie patutie! Oh - Kate (or anyone else that might know) - any idea what "Me Soo-ah?" means? Does it mean "Finished?" Every time we're in the car and it stops (red light, stop sign, car turning, etc...) Andrew says "Me Soo-ah?". We think it means finished and we tell him "no" or "almost" and it sets him into a tizzy. Then when we say "yes" we get a big "Awwww", as though he's disappointed. Can't win for losing!
Fun with sidewalk chalk!
Give me a grape lollipop and I'll sit still, I promise!
We've had lots of fun at the park, in the kiddie pool, hanging with Aunt Mandy, Uncle Rob, Nana and Grandpa and we went to the lake (but not on the boat - long story - let's just say Keith wasn't a happy camper!). We've had our first haircut and he did SO well! I think the lollipop and the airplane did the trick! I've made a pediatrician appt and we're working on a time to go to UAB's IAC which I'm really excited about (I know, weird to be excited about a drs appt).
Andrew knows his colors, the dogs and cats names (and how to pull the cats tails and he loves trying to pick them up - they hate it of course), he loves to eat - yogurt especially! We've regressed quite a bit in the potty-world but that was absolutely expected. When we got home he was doing 75% of his business in the potty. I'd say we're down to 25%. Keith has taught him to say "Mommy, Poppy I need to go peesit" BUT he just walks around repeating that non-stop so who knows when he as to go! :-) I think it's good he's regressing because it means he's letting us take care of him instead of being so independent.
Andrew has been sleeping in his own bed the past few nights. He fell out of the bed the first night. His bedroom is above ours so we heard a big boom, but no noise on the monitor! Keith went running up there and there is little Andrew, fast asleep on the floor with his butt sticking up in the air. Last night he fell out again (and yes, we have the little rails on the bed but he manages to wiggle around them) but this time he cried. Keith rocked him to sleep (I have the most awesome husband who seems to get all of night duty, poor guy) and then about an hour later he was calling for us at the top of the stairs (about 4:00 am). That seems to be his normal waking time. Some more rocking and he went to sleep in the pack and play in our room until Callie (the cat) decided she wanted to get in there too. Then he moved to our bed where he slept until 8:00.
Between the cats and Andrew waking us up in the middle of the night we are getting very little sleep. We're still hanging in there but will be very happy when we make it all the way through the night. Thankfully, Keith took off the rest of this week so maybe this weekend we can each take a day to catch up.
We're so excited about how well Andrew is doing! He has typical toddler tantrums but they are getting a less frequent as he realizes we won't react to every one of them. He is very affectionate to us and the animals (loves to dole out kisses) and still has no interest in cartoons! We take about an hour a night and go up in his room to play with his music table, stacking toys, shape sorter, puzzles, etc...
So, I'll leave you with some pictures of my little cutie patutie! Oh - Kate (or anyone else that might know) - any idea what "Me Soo-ah?" means? Does it mean "Finished?" Every time we're in the car and it stops (red light, stop sign, car turning, etc...) Andrew says "Me Soo-ah?". We think it means finished and we tell him "no" or "almost" and it sets him into a tizzy. Then when we say "yes" we get a big "Awwww", as though he's disappointed. Can't win for losing!
Fun with sidewalk chalk!
This is a BIG pool!!!
Seriously? No more mullet? :-)
Looking cool in the plane!
Give me a grape lollipop and I'll sit still, I promise! My handsome little devil! :-)
Paka!
Becky
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Naptime Woes
Alright, y'all... Tell me about naptime with your toddler.
Does he/she take naps? How long? From what time to what?
How do you get them down for the count?
I know Andrew is very overwhelmed, most likely over stimulated and just does NOT want to miss a thing around here. I tried to put him down today and he flailed and shrieked and made noises I think only dogs could hear. He eventually calmed down (an hour later) and fell asleep while I was rocking him. I thought I waited long enough for him to be out cold before I moved him but low and behold those little eyes popped open and I couldn't get him back to sleep to save my life. So. I gave up.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
And now, I'm going to bed. If I've learned anything in the past 3 days, one needs to sleep while the child sleeps otherwise the burnout comes quickly the next day. I also have realized that I might not ever get to shower alone or shave my legs again. :-) Oh and makeup? What's that? My hair will most likely be in a forever ponytail too. It's all worth it because this little guy could care less what I look like - as long as I give him yogurt, he's happy! :-)
Night!
Becky
Does he/she take naps? How long? From what time to what?
How do you get them down for the count?
I know Andrew is very overwhelmed, most likely over stimulated and just does NOT want to miss a thing around here. I tried to put him down today and he flailed and shrieked and made noises I think only dogs could hear. He eventually calmed down (an hour later) and fell asleep while I was rocking him. I thought I waited long enough for him to be out cold before I moved him but low and behold those little eyes popped open and I couldn't get him back to sleep to save my life. So. I gave up.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
And now, I'm going to bed. If I've learned anything in the past 3 days, one needs to sleep while the child sleeps otherwise the burnout comes quickly the next day. I also have realized that I might not ever get to shower alone or shave my legs again. :-) Oh and makeup? What's that? My hair will most likely be in a forever ponytail too. It's all worth it because this little guy could care less what I look like - as long as I give him yogurt, he's happy! :-)
Night!
Becky
Friday, July 18, 2008
Loving Life
The past 24 hours have just been awesome. All of the stresses have disappeared watching this little boy explore his home, learn to love his animals and being the center of attention. He has been so good, better then I EVER expected and just has such an awesome personality. Instead of rattling on in super long paragraphs, I've summarized our past 24 hours below (in super long paragraphs that were supposed to be quick bullet points!).
The flight - The flight went so well as I mentioned earlier! How did that happen? Well, if I have any tips to give parents of toddlers it is to save toys for the flight that your child has never seen. I packed a backpack for him that I didn't let him see until we got on the flight. Some things that were a HUGE hit for us: Magna Doodle (Andrew loved watching his drawing disappear), a sticker book and a bunch of individual packs of stickers (I brought the sticker book with me and then went to the baby store in Moscow and bought individual packs of stickers of his favorite things - birds, dogs, cars. We stuck stickers on dad's face, on the tray table, in the sticker book - you name it), the fisher price (I think) kids ipod and headphones that Carey and Norman gave us (which was a LIFESAVER - the child can operate it himself/herself and it was good entertainment), a coloring book and crayons, lots and lots of food (we bought crackers at the grocery story and broke the bag up into 5 individual servings so that we didn't have any meltdowns when we said he could have any more, cheerios, gerber graduate cereal bars, etc... We made sure there was very little sugar. Same with drinks - we did 3 parts water, one part juice instead of giving him all juice) All in all he was a good kiddo! I was so impressed! Granted, more than 2 hours sleep would be nice but you take what you can get, right??
The animules - This was my biggest, biggest fear. 1 hour in the car on the way to the airport, 3 hours in the airport, 11 hours on a plane, 2 hours in the airport, an hour in the car on the way home and I expected Andrew to just freak when he saw our dogs and cats (our dogs are big). He walked in, saw the cats and immediately tried to play with them. He saw the dogs outside and came running into the kitchen "BAKA! BAKA" (toddler for sabaka, sabaka - Russian for dog, dog). He was SO excited. One thing that I think helped were the little video clips I showed him of the dogs in Moscow. They weren't strangers to him. He wasn't a fan of them licking him but by this evening he got much better! He's learned to pet the cats nicely (we had a nice chat after he took his kid cellphone by the string and hit the cat) and is getting tolerant of the dogs licks.
Sleep - The boy has been been SO tired but he refuses to go to sleep for fear of missing something. He went down pretty easy last night around 10 and slept until 7 this morning. Skipped his nap and then crashed at about 9 tonight.
Carseat - He's done great in the carseat. He was in one and Moscow and we have to assume his foster parents used one because he was all about it. He LOVES the machinas and trucks.
Toddler proofing -Uhhh yeah. Kinda need to do that a bit better. :-)
Talking and Understanding - The kid is a SPONGE! He is speaking so much and understands even more then he talks. He know's the animals names, he is constantly asking "Eee Etta" (I think it's sort of like "What is this?") and he repeats everything we say! A sponge I tell you!
So what have we done since we've been home? We were on our way to the chiro this morning when I checked voicemail and found out they needed to reschedule. We went on a quick trip to Target to get somethings (nightlights so we can find our way around when he's sleeping, for one!), stopped at the Chattahoochee on the way back so he could touch the water and walk on the rocks, swam in the kiddie pool, went with Alex to get his haircut, stopped at Grandpa and Nana's for some more pool time, had a nice dinner and then crash, bang, boom! He was out cold!
We're exhausted (well, I am!) and so it's time for bed! It's definitely much harder to get things done with a little one around. Hopefully, starting tomorrow, we can start getting a schedule down pat. That will be a challenge for me because I'm not a good schedule type person but I know it's so important for him.
Here are some pictures from the past 24 hours! Enjoy!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
We're alive!
Hey all!
We're alive, home and dead tired. The flight went SO well - I can't even begin to tell you! Of course we would have loved for Andrew to have slept more than 2 hours but we'll take the 1 meltdown in 11 hours instead! WOOOHOOOO!
I'll tell you about our flight and arrival home when I'm awake enough to know what's going on. Little Andrew kept chugging... we figured out that in the past 24 hours he's gotten about 3 hours sleep. :-) He's finally down for the count and we're going to follow.
Toodles!
Becky
We're alive, home and dead tired. The flight went SO well - I can't even begin to tell you! Of course we would have loved for Andrew to have slept more than 2 hours but we'll take the 1 meltdown in 11 hours instead! WOOOHOOOO!
I'll tell you about our flight and arrival home when I'm awake enough to know what's going on. Little Andrew kept chugging... we figured out that in the past 24 hours he's gotten about 3 hours sleep. :-) He's finally down for the count and we're going to follow.
Toodles!
Becky
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The longest day Eva! - Moscow Trip 2, LAST DAY!
See! He really is a little Peanut! :-)
It's only 12:20 pm here. Only. This has been the longest day so far! So long that I'm blogging now!! I went to put Andrew down for a nap thinking it was 1:00. No wonder he was fighting me! It was only 11:15. He's been good today (fingers crossed, knock on wood) it just seems like the clock is slllowwwlllyyy ticking!We've packed the suitcases for the most part and during nap time we'll have to go around and put away the rest of the stuff. We've started packing lots of snacks for him. Speaking of food... this boy can EAT! He didn't have a big breakfast - only a banana and yogurt. For lunch he had 3 blueberry mini muffin tops (while I made the rest of his lunch), I heated up a cheese ravioli gerber graduates (picked out the carrots and corn because he'll only eat the peas and ended up rinsing the ravioli so it had no sauce and called it chicken), crackers, yogurt, a few french fries and a bite of chicken from dad's plate. Gonna have to take out a second mortgage between him and Alex!
We keep questioning if we're feeding him too. He knows when he's done so that doesn't seem to be a problem and so I guess we'll just keep feeding him. It will be easier when we get home and are able to recognize all of the food in the grocery store. :-)
Well, it's now 12:20 am (how freaking weird is that!) and I'm just getting back to this blog! Bags are packed (they are overweight - oh well - what's another couple hundred bucks, right?), carry ons are good to go, clothes are laid out, food is cleaned out and dishes are in the dishwasher. Only thing left to do tomorrow is shower, dress all of us, feed all of us, go in search of a diet coke to help maintain sanity, double check the flat to make sure we didn't leave anything we didn't want to and head on out!
Let me tell you about our night. Unfortunately I have no pictures to show from the big event because I FORGOT THE CARD FOR MY CAMERA! I do have video which I can convert into pics but as you can imagine, no time for that now. Thanks to Dinia, we took Andrew swimming. You may remember me mentioning that he loves the bath and shower, well now he loves the pool. As in, L-O-V-E-S the pool. He walked right down the steps into my arms like he's done it a thousand times. We did ring around the rosey (I used to teach swim lessons and mommy and me classes) and "we all fall down" resulted in a big dunk under the water. He came up coughing the first time but after that loved it! He "swam" to and from Keith, Dinia and I over and over and over again.
When it came time to go he was not ready to get out of the pool but after promising him he could brush his teeth (yes, I'm serious) he willingly exited. Andrew took such a liking to Dinia. Calling her (read: screaming "Toytya Dinia" (Aunt Dinia) over and over and over again!) "Bwat, Toytya Dinia!" (Look, Aunt Dinia!). It was a hoot! He was so upset when we left her and Uncle Ron. We had to explain on the way home that Dinia and Ron had to go night night (as did the goyas (birds) and bakas (dogs) that we saw on our walk home). Pretty much anything he wants to see that is not around has gone night night. :-)
So, we get home and he goes potty and what does he ask for? A bath. He wants to get in the bathtub... in more water. I told him no, not tonight and asked him if he'd like to brush his teeth and yep - that did the trick! Of course after that he wanted to blow dry his already dry hair and I had nothing to negotiate with so we let him throw his temper tantrum until he decided playing with the stacking cups was more fun.
Bedtime was interesting. Poor kid was exhausted - absolutely exhausted yet he fought keeping his eyes open. We noticed he was flailing his legs a lot while we were holding him and just didn't know why - maybe to keep himself awake? I had to hand him over to Keith because I couldn't hold him anymore and Keith finally realized what he was doing... he was "kick, kick, kicking" like in the pool! :-) He makes both of us laugh so hard!
At bedtime now he has a new stall tactic and it works the first 3 times. He puts his head on our shoulders so we can rock him and pat his back. He waits a few minutes and then he sits up, grabs our faces and kisses us (whoever is hold him) 4 times. He then switches his head to the other shoulder, waits a minute, sits up and kisses 2 times. And on and on... finally we have to tell him no more kisses... night night time! Night night just like the goyas, bakas and Aunt Dinia.
Alright - no more procrastinating bedtime... tomorrow is going to be a LONG day and we hope and pray it will be a good long day. Then reality hits. :-) Next post will be from our house! Wooohooo!
Here are some pictures to last you a day or two!
Our trip to the zoo!
Superman!
Hey little lady! Come here often?
I'm beaooootiful!
Nothing says "all boy" like Ses*me Stree pants, mom's head band and underwear as a shirt!
Little Miss Sunshine and the Little Peanut (P.S. I think all of the Moscow peeps were looking at me like I was nuts - sweats in public, flip flops (not heels) and no makeup. GASP!)Tuesday, July 15, 2008
One week! Moscow Trip 2, 3 days till home!
Gonna be a quick post! Bedtime, my peeps, bedtime! I'm sorry to disappoint you but Andrew can't post tonight as he's fast asleep. We had a very busy day so the nightime ritual took a bit longer. Poor Keith and his back - rocking 26 pounds standing up for 40 minutes while leaning backwards to make him comfortable is just torture.
Anyhoo... I'll tell you quickly about our day (pictures tomorrow) and then we'll celebrate our 1st week together as a family (and celebrate the fact that we all made it a week... hehehehe...). Today we went to the zoo. It was not my favorite kind of zoo. Lots and lots of birds which made Andrew one happy boy. He LOVES birds. We saw elephants, a sea lion, some boars, an ox and.... ummmm... birds. Every kind of bird. Even flamingos (yes, flamingos in Russia!).
After the zoo we all took a nap and then went to play on the swing. While on the swing my blogging/email buddy and her husband stopped by to visit! They are here on their court trip. It was awesome to meet them in person. After that we headed to dinner with a bunch of people - all adoptive parents and wouldn't you know, while we were sitting there we met another adoptive couple. You can tell which restaurants have American-type food (we were at a British pub).
So, now to celebrate our first 7 days here is a picture of the boy eating his "first" orange. I know, that's an exciting celebration, huh? He's just so darn cute - it's a celebration in and of itself! Seriously though, these past 7 days have been awesome in every sense. Awesome learning about each other, figuring each other out and watching this little person learn. He's a sponge and the things out of his mouth never cease to amaze me! He's learning his colors, says please (unless he's ticked off and throws his hat and I won't give it back until he says please. He resists the politeness then :-)), loves to give kisses, loves to wrestle with his papa, LOVES food (except for vegetables), ate a lemon (that was fun to watch), talks on the phone (who knows what he says, but boy is it a lot!) and on and on and on!
We're excited to get home and keep on learning and teaching! Speaking of which, tomorrow is packing day!!! Wooohoooo! We're almost there!
Okay - sleep deprived - need sleep!
Toodles!
Becky
Monday, July 14, 2008
The day in pictures - Moscow Trip 2, 3 days left
Almost 3 days left... yahoooo!!! Here's our day in pictures (and narrated by Andrew):
Hey guys! It's me, Andrew. Thought I'd tell you about my day since mama is too tired. Boy she gets cranky when she's tired... buy I digress.
We started the day by going to a park that our translator took us to (I love her - she speaks to me in Russian instead of that mumble jumble mama and papa talk to me in). The park was so big! Below is a picture of me and my mama. I love birds and she was nice enough to hold my hand to make sure I didn't jump in after the ducks. Ducks say "quack, quack" in case you didn't know. (My parents make me repeat EVERYTHING.)
I haven't really had a chance to tell you this, but my dad is the coolest. He tosses me in the air, tickles me (I don't laugh when mama tries to tickle me and BOY does she get frustrated) and takes me down all the cool slides. I can go down the slide by myself but I thought I'd make him happy and let him come with me.
Look at me!! I can't escape mama's camera. I try to hide in tunnels and yep, there she is waiting at the end.
Hey guys! It's me, Andrew. Thought I'd tell you about my day since mama is too tired. Boy she gets cranky when she's tired... buy I digress.
We started the day by going to a park that our translator took us to (I love her - she speaks to me in Russian instead of that mumble jumble mama and papa talk to me in). The park was so big! Below is a picture of me and my mama. I love birds and she was nice enough to hold my hand to make sure I didn't jump in after the ducks. Ducks say "quack, quack" in case you didn't know. (My parents make me repeat EVERYTHING.)
I haven't really had a chance to tell you this, but my dad is the coolest. He tosses me in the air, tickles me (I don't laugh when mama tries to tickle me and BOY does she get frustrated) and takes me down all the cool slides. I can go down the slide by myself but I thought I'd make him happy and let him come with me.
Look at me!! I can't escape mama's camera. I try to hide in tunnels and yep, there she is waiting at the end.
Whoaaaa... who is THAT little girl! Everytime I see a little girl I get mesmerized. I forget how to walk, move, talk... you name it. To think, I'm only almost 3. What will I be like as a teenager?
After playing on the slides, we went over to this little "zoo" they had. There were lots of birds. In case I haven't mentioned it, I LOVE birds. I love to feed them, chase them and watch them. My favorite today were the swans. Mom wasn't too happy that the swans were in a cage when there were some beautiful ponds at this park, but I loved the noises they made. I think they were yelling for food. Kind of reminded me of myself when I get hungry.
I stole some kid's ball (actually papa did but didn't realize it) and we kicked it around. I like to make my papa run after me. I'm a fast little guy. I like to give him the "catch me if you can" look you see in the picture below.
After the park, we had some time to kill and boy was I hungry. I had my first McDonald's Happy Meal. Even though I look really irked in the picture below, I loved the nuggets and really, really loved the french fries (I'm just really tired of mama taking pictures of EVERYTHING). I wish they would feed me french fries at every meal.
So! There you have Andrew's day! Tomorrow we'll be heading to the zoo and I know he'll love it - no doubt in my mind. Hopefully he'll wake up on the right side of the bed!
Paka!
Becky (and Keith and Andrew)
Sunday, July 13, 2008
The weekend - Moscow Trip 2, 4 days left
We had a great weekend - relaxing, yet full of fun. Meltdowns galore, an early naptime, Red Square, chasing birds, feeding the birds, swinging... you name it and we did it! As much fun as we've had, I'd be lying to say that we're not all getting cabin fever and are more than ready to go home. I'm so glad we stayed the 10 days - it was fun to explore and learn more about where Andrew was born. We also thought it was very beneficial to see Andrew during the 10 days. Our backs are killing us from this thing called a bed and we're missing our doggies, kitties and family.
Before I get into our weekend, I want to talk a little bit about the struggles we've had and things we know we're going to be dealing with down the road. Andrew has done great so far considering the fact we've ripped him out of his 3rd home in 3 years. He handles most everything with ease but gets over stimulated we think. It's hard to figure out toddler behavior vs. over stimulation because they both seem to be about the same. He knows who mama and papa are, but he also calls other people "mom", which makes me upset BUT it brings me back down to reality. I know I need to keep his world small when we get home so he can learn that I am the one and only mom and I'll be the one to kiss his "boo-boo-ahhhs" (that's Russian for boo-boo, I guess), feed him, change him and meet his every need. It's so important for Keith and I to be the ones to do that because he's had so many people take care of him that I'm sure he gets confused. We have to remember that he had a "mama and papa" for 5 months with his foster family and they let him go so deep down inside he might be waiting for the same. Yes, he's three and he doesn't think like that, but emotionally he has to be scarred.
Heather, who I had the pleasure of meeting while she, Jason and their new little guy Zachary were here, has an awesome post about the difference between bonding and attaching. She also talks a lot about the behind the scenes that friends and family don't see... commonly referred to as the meltdowns. We have no idea what life will be like when we get home but we do know we'll be starting over again. Everything we've built up this past week will have to be taught all over again in a new house with a new big brother and all of the animals. I'm scared to death of it. Like Ondrea, I'm ready for the transition to be over (and our's hasn't even started!). This whole thing is hard. Yes, we've worked hard for this for a year and 4 months and I would do NOTHING differently, but it's not all sunshine and roses. While you love this little guy (or girl), there is a part of you that is downright exhausted and wonders "holy cow - what have I gotten myself in to!". On the flip side, there are moments like tonight where Andrew was on the swing and started yelling "Kiss! Kiss!" and Keith stopped the swing and gave him a kiss. Then he said "Seeba Papa!" (Thank you Papa!) Andrew starting swinging again and yelled "Mama!! Kiss! Kiss!" and we kissed. The big grin on his face afterwards just restored the lost energy, washed away the frustration from the last tantrum and gave us the "umpfh" to keep on truckin'. And then there was the time tonight when I laid him down to sleep and he was playing with his blankets. I was ready for him to sleep, more than ready and I told him to go night night. He got quiet and then started twisting the sheet and talking to himself. Once the annoyance subsided, I realized that this poor little guy has self-soothed himself (similar to rocking you read a lot about) each night for almost 3 years and here I am, his mom, and I'm letting him doing it again and am watching his poor eyes get crossed as he does it. I came out and got Keith (my back is killing me) and Keith came in and rocked him to sleep. Another ah-ha moment that made me sit and THINK about why he does certain things that aren't just typical toddler behavior.
I have no idea what my bottom line is and where I'm going with this. I've always talked about telling it like it is and so I guess I'm trying to tell those of you that haven't been through it the things going through my head these beginning days. They are the best days of my life and I'm learning so much about this little person (who didn't cry at bedtime tonight by the way! YEEHAW!).
Okay - enough seriousness! How about some pictures? On Saturday Ron and Dinia took us to the market and we finished up souvenir shopping, we went to the park and fed the birds and then had a nice dinner at TGIF. Today, Andrew woke up on the wrong side of the bed so he was back down for a nap at about 9:00 and boy was he out. He woke up at about 11:30 and was a totally different kid! We took him to the park again and then I went and met Lea for some nice girl's down time. She and I had some water and dessert while Keith and Andrew went to a few different playgrounds. After that we came home and had a snack and then headed to Red Square for family pictures with Lea, John and Niko. We took pictures, hung out by the fountain (which Andrew LOVED), had dinner on a blanket outside Red Square, had ice cream and then headed home.
Paka!
Becky
Before I get into our weekend, I want to talk a little bit about the struggles we've had and things we know we're going to be dealing with down the road. Andrew has done great so far considering the fact we've ripped him out of his 3rd home in 3 years. He handles most everything with ease but gets over stimulated we think. It's hard to figure out toddler behavior vs. over stimulation because they both seem to be about the same. He knows who mama and papa are, but he also calls other people "mom", which makes me upset BUT it brings me back down to reality. I know I need to keep his world small when we get home so he can learn that I am the one and only mom and I'll be the one to kiss his "boo-boo-ahhhs" (that's Russian for boo-boo, I guess), feed him, change him and meet his every need. It's so important for Keith and I to be the ones to do that because he's had so many people take care of him that I'm sure he gets confused. We have to remember that he had a "mama and papa" for 5 months with his foster family and they let him go so deep down inside he might be waiting for the same. Yes, he's three and he doesn't think like that, but emotionally he has to be scarred.
Heather, who I had the pleasure of meeting while she, Jason and their new little guy Zachary were here, has an awesome post about the difference between bonding and attaching. She also talks a lot about the behind the scenes that friends and family don't see... commonly referred to as the meltdowns. We have no idea what life will be like when we get home but we do know we'll be starting over again. Everything we've built up this past week will have to be taught all over again in a new house with a new big brother and all of the animals. I'm scared to death of it. Like Ondrea, I'm ready for the transition to be over (and our's hasn't even started!). This whole thing is hard. Yes, we've worked hard for this for a year and 4 months and I would do NOTHING differently, but it's not all sunshine and roses. While you love this little guy (or girl), there is a part of you that is downright exhausted and wonders "holy cow - what have I gotten myself in to!". On the flip side, there are moments like tonight where Andrew was on the swing and started yelling "Kiss! Kiss!" and Keith stopped the swing and gave him a kiss. Then he said "Seeba Papa!" (Thank you Papa!) Andrew starting swinging again and yelled "Mama!! Kiss! Kiss!" and we kissed. The big grin on his face afterwards just restored the lost energy, washed away the frustration from the last tantrum and gave us the "umpfh" to keep on truckin'. And then there was the time tonight when I laid him down to sleep and he was playing with his blankets. I was ready for him to sleep, more than ready and I told him to go night night. He got quiet and then started twisting the sheet and talking to himself. Once the annoyance subsided, I realized that this poor little guy has self-soothed himself (similar to rocking you read a lot about) each night for almost 3 years and here I am, his mom, and I'm letting him doing it again and am watching his poor eyes get crossed as he does it. I came out and got Keith (my back is killing me) and Keith came in and rocked him to sleep. Another ah-ha moment that made me sit and THINK about why he does certain things that aren't just typical toddler behavior.
I have no idea what my bottom line is and where I'm going with this. I've always talked about telling it like it is and so I guess I'm trying to tell those of you that haven't been through it the things going through my head these beginning days. They are the best days of my life and I'm learning so much about this little person (who didn't cry at bedtime tonight by the way! YEEHAW!).
Okay - enough seriousness! How about some pictures? On Saturday Ron and Dinia took us to the market and we finished up souvenir shopping, we went to the park and fed the birds and then had a nice dinner at TGIF. Today, Andrew woke up on the wrong side of the bed so he was back down for a nap at about 9:00 and boy was he out. He woke up at about 11:30 and was a totally different kid! We took him to the park again and then I went and met Lea for some nice girl's down time. She and I had some water and dessert while Keith and Andrew went to a few different playgrounds. After that we came home and had a snack and then headed to Red Square for family pictures with Lea, John and Niko. We took pictures, hung out by the fountain (which Andrew LOVED), had dinner on a blanket outside Red Square, had ice cream and then headed home.
Paka!
Becky
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