Thanks to everyone for making me feel so "normal" after my last post!! :-) You guys are the best! Those three year olds really know how to push buttons, don't they??
Anyhow, I don't have much time, but I wanted to tell you about a little moment Keith had with Andrew this weekend. They were sitting on the couch watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse when Andrew spontaneously turned, looked Keith in the eyes and said "I love you". Doesn't that just make you smile? It was the first time Andrew has ever said that unprompted. It's the little things like this that make all of the trials and tribulations fade into the background. After Keith told me, I asked him if it was one of those moments that just melts your heart and he said "Ya know what? It really did."
There's nothing quite like the relationship between a boy and his dad!
Have a great week everyone!
Becky
Monday, January 26, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Cause you had a bad day...
Anyone, besides me, read the post title and start singing the song made famous by American Idol in their head? Anyone? Okay… I must be “different” (or so I’ve been told!).
(As a side note... this post is long, drawn out with way too much detail and probably quite boring. If you don't want to read about my "fun" with Andrew's evil twin, stop here!)
I was going to do a post about Andrew’s speech, but instead, I was inspired by a few others out in blogland. Apparently, I’m not the only one that has had a few rough parenting moments lately! Jackie said it best… and to paraphrase… blogland is often like the Stepford Wives. Everything appears to be perfect so when you’re going through a rough patch you feel like it’s just you. Well, guess what folks? Between Kim, Jackie and I – you’re not alone.
So, what happened? Well, Saturday was my day with Andrew. Keith had to work and on Sunday I had to work so we split duties over the weekend. I had planned on meeting Karyn, Norm and Ilya since they were in town, but poor little Ilya was a sick little guy. Regardless, it wasn’t a good day for my little monster and I!
The day started out on a good foot. I was proud at how calm I was and how I was handling everything with ease. I didn’t freak out after the umpteenth time I was told “no” about something, which is a big feat because I hate being told no (accompanied by his little smirk and smile – I know… get used to it, right?). Early in the day, Andrew decided that he wanted to take a bath to which I thought “Awesome! A little break!”. Wrong!
Bath time consisted of him soaking the bathroom floor and when told not to throw his toys out of the tub I was told NO. He was also continuously yelling at the top of his lungs. The conversation went something like this (now, mind you, I was talking in a very nice, but stern, non-confrontational tone – trying something new which backfired).
Andrew (yelling): “NUMBER A! NUMBER A! LEAVE NUMBER B ALONE!” (we’re working on what’s a number vs. a letter)
Mom (calmly): Andrew, please don’t yell. It’s very early in the morning and Alex is still sleeping. You can play with your letters, but please use your inside voice.
Andrew (yelling): NO!!!!!!
Mom (calmly): Andrew, this is your 2nd warning. One more and you’re going to have to get out of the tub. No more yelling please.
Andrew (screaming as loud as can be): NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Mom picks Andrew up out of the tub and all hell breaks lose. “I want to pick up my letters! I need to pick up my toys! No, no, no, no, no!!!” and the boy has a complete meltdown on the floor. I told him to take some time to calm down and then we would talk about what happened. HA!
Did I mention that, at this point, it’s not even 9am??
Rewind, repeat, rewind, repeat over the next 2 hours. Alex wakes up at some point and he needs to go to the pool for a swim-a-thon. We decide we’re going to stop at the local mall on the way there. Aunt Mandy was going to meet us, which always makes Andrew happy. Long story short, about 20 minutes after we got there, I walked back to the car with a crying, screaming, wiggling child in my arms. 34 pounds is HEAVY. By the time we got to Sears, I thought I was going to die. (The stroller was in Keith’s car)
Every time I tried to adjust him or set him down to pick him back up again he would try to bolt or he would drop his dead weight. My back was killing me and I just wanted to throw up my arms and say “You know what kid? Want to run away? Go for it!” Instead, I started crying. Yep, in the middle of Sears. Nice, huh?
I managed to get him to my car, put him in the back seat (not in the car seat because I had no plans on driving). He laid on the floor of the back seat balling and I sat in the front seat balling. It was six months worth of tears coming down all at once. You know that cry you have when you can’t breathe and you sound like a seal? That was me. My poor sister comes out to the car to get Alex’s swim bag (she’s going to take him to practice for me at this point) and has no clue what to do. I was inconsolable. Just a mess.
Fast forward to getting home (yes, Andrew was in his carseat). Time for nap time. I put him into bed and he proceeded to stand up. He was E-X-H-A-U-S-T-E-D (which was probably the problem in the morning) but he was in “I’m going to do anything possible to get my mother worked up again” mode. I sat at the top of the stairs with my fingers in my ears so I didn’t have to hear him. I knew if I listened to him I would start balling again.
I hear Keith come home and so I went downstairs and asked him to please go tell Andrew to take a nap. He asked me if everything was okay and, guess what? Waterworks started again! As I mentioned earlier, I haven’t cried this month in 6 months – maybe even longer! I was a big mess. He told me to go nap and so I did.
After naptime, all was well.
So what’s the point of all of this? I guess I’ve just come to realize that I’m not perfect, Andrew’s not perfect and each day isn’t going to be like a Hallmark greeting card. I’m also starting to realize that Andrew knows how to push my buttons and which ones to push. He’s a smart, smart kid. I need to learn to handle things differently and not react to the little things because otherwise he’ll do it again and again and again.
I also need to learn to read Andrew better and know when enough is enough. When he needs attention, when he’s tired, when he’s hungry and when we need to make our world smaller in order to avoid meltdowns.
One of the hardest parts about parenting an adoptive child is separating PI (post-institutionalization) issues from normal 3 year old issues. After meltdown 9,000, I started reading things on the internet. Are there attachment issues? Does he have sensory issues? Is he reacting to his transition to the big kids room at school which took place the previous week? Did I handle things wrong? What could I have done differently? You could drive yourself nuts trying to pinpoint each reaction to everything!
There will be days like this… and it’s okay! With each bad day comes a bunch of good ones and, thankfully, they help fade the bad ones to the back of our minds. Monday, Andrew and I had an awesome day and we’ve had a great week. I will figure out this parenting thing. A 3 year old is not going to win!
Thanks to Jackie and Kim for sharing their woes… it really, really helps to know that I’m “normal”.
Next up… Andrew’s daycare transition to the big kid room and his speech. Note to self: start writing down things Andrew says!
Have a great day!
Becky
(As a side note... this post is long, drawn out with way too much detail and probably quite boring. If you don't want to read about my "fun" with Andrew's evil twin, stop here!)
I was going to do a post about Andrew’s speech, but instead, I was inspired by a few others out in blogland. Apparently, I’m not the only one that has had a few rough parenting moments lately! Jackie said it best… and to paraphrase… blogland is often like the Stepford Wives. Everything appears to be perfect so when you’re going through a rough patch you feel like it’s just you. Well, guess what folks? Between Kim, Jackie and I – you’re not alone.
So, what happened? Well, Saturday was my day with Andrew. Keith had to work and on Sunday I had to work so we split duties over the weekend. I had planned on meeting Karyn, Norm and Ilya since they were in town, but poor little Ilya was a sick little guy. Regardless, it wasn’t a good day for my little monster and I!
The day started out on a good foot. I was proud at how calm I was and how I was handling everything with ease. I didn’t freak out after the umpteenth time I was told “no” about something, which is a big feat because I hate being told no (accompanied by his little smirk and smile – I know… get used to it, right?). Early in the day, Andrew decided that he wanted to take a bath to which I thought “Awesome! A little break!”. Wrong!
Bath time consisted of him soaking the bathroom floor and when told not to throw his toys out of the tub I was told NO. He was also continuously yelling at the top of his lungs. The conversation went something like this (now, mind you, I was talking in a very nice, but stern, non-confrontational tone – trying something new which backfired).
Andrew (yelling): “NUMBER A! NUMBER A! LEAVE NUMBER B ALONE!” (we’re working on what’s a number vs. a letter)
Mom (calmly): Andrew, please don’t yell. It’s very early in the morning and Alex is still sleeping. You can play with your letters, but please use your inside voice.
Andrew (yelling): NO!!!!!!
Mom (calmly): Andrew, this is your 2nd warning. One more and you’re going to have to get out of the tub. No more yelling please.
Andrew (screaming as loud as can be): NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Mom picks Andrew up out of the tub and all hell breaks lose. “I want to pick up my letters! I need to pick up my toys! No, no, no, no, no!!!” and the boy has a complete meltdown on the floor. I told him to take some time to calm down and then we would talk about what happened. HA!
Did I mention that, at this point, it’s not even 9am??
Rewind, repeat, rewind, repeat over the next 2 hours. Alex wakes up at some point and he needs to go to the pool for a swim-a-thon. We decide we’re going to stop at the local mall on the way there. Aunt Mandy was going to meet us, which always makes Andrew happy. Long story short, about 20 minutes after we got there, I walked back to the car with a crying, screaming, wiggling child in my arms. 34 pounds is HEAVY. By the time we got to Sears, I thought I was going to die. (The stroller was in Keith’s car)
Every time I tried to adjust him or set him down to pick him back up again he would try to bolt or he would drop his dead weight. My back was killing me and I just wanted to throw up my arms and say “You know what kid? Want to run away? Go for it!” Instead, I started crying. Yep, in the middle of Sears. Nice, huh?
I managed to get him to my car, put him in the back seat (not in the car seat because I had no plans on driving). He laid on the floor of the back seat balling and I sat in the front seat balling. It was six months worth of tears coming down all at once. You know that cry you have when you can’t breathe and you sound like a seal? That was me. My poor sister comes out to the car to get Alex’s swim bag (she’s going to take him to practice for me at this point) and has no clue what to do. I was inconsolable. Just a mess.
Fast forward to getting home (yes, Andrew was in his carseat). Time for nap time. I put him into bed and he proceeded to stand up. He was E-X-H-A-U-S-T-E-D (which was probably the problem in the morning) but he was in “I’m going to do anything possible to get my mother worked up again” mode. I sat at the top of the stairs with my fingers in my ears so I didn’t have to hear him. I knew if I listened to him I would start balling again.
I hear Keith come home and so I went downstairs and asked him to please go tell Andrew to take a nap. He asked me if everything was okay and, guess what? Waterworks started again! As I mentioned earlier, I haven’t cried this month in 6 months – maybe even longer! I was a big mess. He told me to go nap and so I did.
After naptime, all was well.
So what’s the point of all of this? I guess I’ve just come to realize that I’m not perfect, Andrew’s not perfect and each day isn’t going to be like a Hallmark greeting card. I’m also starting to realize that Andrew knows how to push my buttons and which ones to push. He’s a smart, smart kid. I need to learn to handle things differently and not react to the little things because otherwise he’ll do it again and again and again.
I also need to learn to read Andrew better and know when enough is enough. When he needs attention, when he’s tired, when he’s hungry and when we need to make our world smaller in order to avoid meltdowns.
One of the hardest parts about parenting an adoptive child is separating PI (post-institutionalization) issues from normal 3 year old issues. After meltdown 9,000, I started reading things on the internet. Are there attachment issues? Does he have sensory issues? Is he reacting to his transition to the big kids room at school which took place the previous week? Did I handle things wrong? What could I have done differently? You could drive yourself nuts trying to pinpoint each reaction to everything!
There will be days like this… and it’s okay! With each bad day comes a bunch of good ones and, thankfully, they help fade the bad ones to the back of our minds. Monday, Andrew and I had an awesome day and we’ve had a great week. I will figure out this parenting thing. A 3 year old is not going to win!
Thanks to Jackie and Kim for sharing their woes… it really, really helps to know that I’m “normal”.
Next up… Andrew’s daycare transition to the big kid room and his speech. Note to self: start writing down things Andrew says!
Have a great day!
Becky
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Say Cheese!
I'm trying (trying being the key word!) to organize my pictures and video from last year. I'm usually very particular about organizing them but beginning July 8th, it became a lower priority. :-) And of course, since July 8th, I have 10 times the amount of pictures and video!
So, anyhow... I came across this video from July 18th - the morning after we arrived home from Russia. Andrew learned how to say "Cheese!" while we were in Russia. Once we were home, he came up with a new way to say it! (By the way, that is my headband that is on his head- it was an obsession of his for a little while.)
Very short video, but it made me giggle!
Must run now... A little boy just yelled to tell me there is an alligator in my toilet. Ohhhh... the fun never ends! :-)
So, anyhow... I came across this video from July 18th - the morning after we arrived home from Russia. Andrew learned how to say "Cheese!" while we were in Russia. Once we were home, he came up with a new way to say it! (By the way, that is my headband that is on his head- it was an obsession of his for a little while.)
Very short video, but it made me giggle!
Must run now... A little boy just yelled to tell me there is an alligator in my toilet. Ohhhh... the fun never ends! :-)
Have a great weekend!
Becky
Monday, January 12, 2009
Book Time!
One of Andrew's favorite parts of the night is Book Time! He picks the stories we're going to read (usually 4 or 5) and we climb in bed. Just recently, he's wanted to "read" the books himself. He started off retelling the story in his own words and then it turned into silly time. He cracks himself up each time he reads a page. I can't even begin to tell you how many books have started with "Brown Bear, Brown Bear...." :-)
Tonight, he was particularly silly so I took the opportunity to get the video camera. He was reading "Good Morning, Good Night" pre-camera and at one point said "Good Night, Duck! No, no... it's not a duck! It's duck sauce!!" I laughed so hard. This first video is his version of "Good Morning, Good Night". This was one of the first books we read when we came home from Russia and it's still a favorite.
Video: Good Morning, Good Night
Tonight, he was particularly silly so I took the opportunity to get the video camera. He was reading "Good Morning, Good Night" pre-camera and at one point said "Good Night, Duck! No, no... it's not a duck! It's duck sauce!!" I laughed so hard. This first video is his version of "Good Morning, Good Night". This was one of the first books we read when we came home from Russia and it's still a favorite.
Video: Good Morning, Good Night
Speaking of Russia and reading books... the first book we ever read was "I Love You Through and Through". My friend, Shari, had given that to us as a shower gift and I knew immediately that regardless of the language barrier it would be an awesome way to start connecting. Well, low and behold, we have read it as our last book of the night, every night, since July 8th! Needless to say, Andrew knows the book inside and out but still loves it. Mom confession - we'll probably read it until he's 18. :-)
To be honest, we've had a rough few days (or is it weeks?). Problems at daycare (although I'm beginning to question whether or not they really are problems - that's another post), attitude problems with mommy and a really, really stubborn streak. It's difficult because Andrew and I are both very, very stubborn and neither of us are willing to "give in". Yes... he is 3 and I'm 30- something, but it's true. Anyhow, I digress....
The point is that I had a blast with Andrew and book time tonight. I needed it. I needed the impromptu hugs, his sweet words (instead of the no's) and I needed our feet to be friends (need to watch the video to understand). This parenting gig is hard. It's the best of times and the most frustrating of times, that's for sure! :-)
Video: I Love You Through and Through
I hope you enjoy these videos of my silly little kiddo... he's growing up so quickly, I can hardly stand it!!
Happy Monday!
Becky
Saturday, January 10, 2009
A full moon (almost)
Some cute pictures of our little guy! Wanted to post these tonight just in case it's his evil twin that wakes up tomorrow morning. Maybe, then, I can come here and remind myself how sweet and cute he is! The evil twin was large and in charge around here today. Let's hope for a happy Sunday!!
HUGS!
HUGS!Becky
P.S. It IS a full moon - or close... maybe that's why we're having so much "fun" with our youngsters this weekend?? :-)
P.S.S. It must be a full moon - I've already posted 4 times this month! :-)
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Imagination
I think that one of the best things about being a child is having an active imagination. Think about it... no cares in the world and the ability to create whatever world you want to live in by simply pretending! What could be better? I have been blessed with a child with an awesome imagination. Andrew can turn a simple conversation into a long winded tale. Bath time is not a simple wash of the hair, but instead it's time well spent with many imaginary friends, talking bathtub letters, the jolly green giant and many other characters!
On Saturday afternoon we took Andrew to a new place that opened near us "Imaginations at Play". That store name described my son to a "T". Keith and I took him there about an hour before it closed and he had a blast. There was a veterinarian clinic, a bubble bath area, a sand castle, train town, an art area, a farmers market, a movie stage and a musical tree. The place wasn't huge, but it was cute enough to keep Andrew busy for a while.
I think my favorite part of the entire thing was watching my biggest boy with my littlest boy - that would be Keith and Andrew. :-) They had so much fun and I even managed to catch a smile on Andrew's face AND take a picture (gasp!). They played with the trains and the sand and one of my favorite pictures was of them painting together.
Andrew has been very, very snuggly lately. Both Keith and I have noticed a lot of hugs and kisses being initiated on his side. Each time he gets out of the car he wants "loves" (us to pick him up and hug on him). He also has started giving compliments. "I love your hair clip, mama and I love your hair." "I like your shirt, dad.", etc, etc... It's a new side of Andrew we haven't seen yet. I suppose it's another step in attachment - something we've really taken for granted with Andrew!
Speaking of imagination... Imagine being in New Zealand, standing on a 120 foot bridge and bungee jumping! Yep - that's what my darling, dearest Alex did just the other day.
As you saw from the "boat" video, a cardboard box is a ton of fun! Just today I saw Andrew in a little plastic bin (used to hold his blocks) holding a fishing pole from his "Let's Go Fishing" game. Yeah - he was in the ocean... fishing. (Can you tell he likes the water with all of this boat talk?) Today we were going to the grocery store and his Rocket suitcase came with us (Rocket from the Little Einsteins). Well, in order to keep from having to take Rocket into the store with us, we pretended he was protecting Mommy's car from Big Jet. (You have to see it to get it).
On Saturday afternoon we took Andrew to a new place that opened near us "Imaginations at Play". That store name described my son to a "T". Keith and I took him there about an hour before it closed and he had a blast. There was a veterinarian clinic, a bubble bath area, a sand castle, train town, an art area, a farmers market, a movie stage and a musical tree. The place wasn't huge, but it was cute enough to keep Andrew busy for a while.
I was a customer at Andrew's farmer's market and Andrew served us hot dogs and hamburgers and a ham and cheese sandwich. We sat in the music tree and played with some bells, a keyboard, a guitar and some drums. He did the "Hot Dog" dance (from Mickey Mouse's Clubhouse) on the movie stage and we played in the sand. It was a blast and I hear there is a place about 20 minutes away that is so much bigger and full of many more imagination stations!
I think my favorite part of the entire thing was watching my biggest boy with my littlest boy - that would be Keith and Andrew. :-) They had so much fun and I even managed to catch a smile on Andrew's face AND take a picture (gasp!). They played with the trains and the sand and one of my favorite pictures was of them painting together.
So... some pictures!
Those of you waiting for your kiddos to come home this year... pretend! Imagine! Once you have your little one, it sometimes seems so "annoying" to have to pretend, but in reality it's you're child growing (and it helps fight temper tantrums and meltdowns). Andrew grows each and every day. His vocabulary, his expressions - you name it! I'm trying to step back and be grateful for this fun stage because there will be a time when he doesn't want to pretend and it will be "dumb" (can you tell I've been through the teenage years already?!?!?!).
Andrew has been very, very snuggly lately. Both Keith and I have noticed a lot of hugs and kisses being initiated on his side. Each time he gets out of the car he wants "loves" (us to pick him up and hug on him). He also has started giving compliments. "I love your hair clip, mama and I love your hair." "I like your shirt, dad.", etc, etc... It's a new side of Andrew we haven't seen yet. I suppose it's another step in attachment - something we've really taken for granted with Andrew!
Speaking of imagination... Imagine being in New Zealand, standing on a 120 foot bridge and bungee jumping! Yep - that's what my darling, dearest Alex did just the other day.
Happy over the hump day!
Becky
Rewind... Christmas Eve 2008
I finally have all of the pieces of the video from Christmas Eve put together and edited to share with you. To rewind, on Christmas Eve the family (Keith, Alex, Andrew, Mandy, Brian and I) went to my dad and step-mom's for dinner along with my neighbors, Steve and Lou. My dad had mentioned to me in the beginning that he anticipated some "noise" out back and to just keep an ear open. Not really sure what he meant, I said I would and just waited.
A little while later I heard a faint noise. Was it jingle bells? Oh my goodness, I think it was!! I told everyone to listen and then we heard a "Ho, ho ho" and there was a knock at the door. Andrew looked around, completely bewildered. He kept asking who was at the door and then, with Nana's help he undid all of the locks to find two presents just outside the door. (Of course, at this point, none of us were smart enough to start video taping - add that feather to my "mother of the year award" cap!)
The first present said "To Andrew. Love, Santa" and it was a big ole' box of munchkin donuts (my little guys FAVORITE!). The other present was a CD. On it Santa wrote "Andrew. Xmas 2008. From Santa Claus". My dad popped the CD in and the fun began! We have the majority on video, but neither Nana, Aunt Mandy or myself thought to start video until a bit into it. I tried to put the missing audio into the video, but I am feeling a bit technically challenged this evening. So... to set the scene...
The video starts with some jingle bells in the background and some Ho, ho, ho's.
Santa: Ho, ho, ho! This is Santa Claus and I'm looking for a little boy named Andrew Vasa. Andrew? Is Andrew Vasa there? Where are you?
Andrew: (bending down and looking into the fireplace) Yes!! Santa?
Santa: This is Santa and I just wanted to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas. I've been watching you all year long to see if you've been a good or bad boy and I can see that you've been a very good boy this year!
Andrew: (still checking out the fireplace) Santa? Where's your Rudolph? Huh? Where's your Rudolph?
Santa: Andrew do you know any Christmas songs? What about Jingle Bells? Do you know Jingle Bells, Andrew?
Andrew: nods
.... and this is where the video starts.
Once it's all over, my dad says to all of us "45 years of playing music and this is what it comes down to". :-) Yep - making a little boys Christmas that much more "magical"! I've told my dad that he's set the bar this Christmas and will have to live up to it for years and years to come! I also told him that he and Santa should get together to make these gifts for other boys and girls each Christmas. :-)
We laughed so hard we had tears streaming down our faces that night. The look on Andrew's face was so priceless. I, of course, left my camera AND my video camera home (duh!) so thankfully Aunt Mandy and Nana took plenty of pictures, a few of which are below (can't seem to get Nana's pictures off the CD - as mentioned previously, I'm challenged!)
Andrew looking for Santa in the fireplace
Playing horsey on Daddy's leg
Nothing says "Merry Christmas" like opening presents with new underwear on your head!
And now you are caught up on Christmas Eve! I have some more audio to post in the next few days. Grandpa and Nana babysat on Friday so I could take a nap and get some shopping done. (YAY, NAP!!!) Well, Grandpa has a little recording area upstairs for his music and he had an interview with Andrew (which he burned to CD as a gift from Andrew to Mommy and Daddy). It is absolutely priceless! There's a little something for Florida Grandpa and Grandma too! Stay tuned... Andrew is bound to be a recording artist! :-)
Love,
Becky
P.S. There is nothing quite like seeing your parents (both mine and Keith's) become "kids" again with your own child. It just makes you wish you would have had kids earlier!
P.S.S. I created my blog header myself!!! Not too exciting to most of you, but I'm very happy with it! :-)
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy New Year!
2008 leaves us SO much to be thankful for. On the top of our list, our dream of having a child became a reality (well, we didn't "have" one, but you know what I mean). I am amazed each and every day at how lucky we are and how special Andrew is. He is growing leaps and bounds (I won't be able to carry him much longer!) and is just the biggest blessing. As always, we are thankful for Alex and the kind of teenager he is. We have no worries with him and, as mentioned in the previous post, we are just so proud of him! Keith and I both have jobs we like, we live well and have an awesome marriage. Oh, and we have our health! What more could we ask for?
We hope 2009 is THE year for so many of our adoptive friends. Having come into the New Year in 2008 without a little one, I know how hard it is, but it WILL happen. For those of you home with your kiddos - ENJOY 2009! Take lots of pictures, give lots of hugs and be thankful for the little things.
So, how did we ring in the New Year? Well, after a fancy dinner at IHOP, we headed home. We rang in the new year at 12 am AST (Andrew Standard Time which is about 8 pm Eastern Standard Time). Andrew loved it - as a matter of fact, he has yelled "HAPPY NEW YEAR" all day today! :-) He also has played with the freaking hand clappers all day. Note to self: Hide them before tomorrow morning.
We got up this morning, ate some breakfast, watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and then headed to Monkey Joes. Andrew had the entire place to himself and he had a blast. I even climbed up a few of bouncy things to "help" him, but really just to prove to myself that I could. Ummm... New Years Resolution #1... exercise. We came home and all took a nap and then spent the day playing with Andrew's Christmas gifts, baking cookies (resolution # 2 - quit baking and eating cookies) and decorating January's calendar. We finished up the night with a yummy meal at our local Japanese restaurant, playing a bit of a fish game and then the munchkin went to bed. As a side note, Keith and I never made it until midnight last night. Sad... really sad. :-)
I'm off until next Tuesday (yippee!!) so I'm sure we'll have lots more fun throughout the weekend!
Without further ado... Happy New Year from my family to yours!
We hope 2009 is THE year for so many of our adoptive friends. Having come into the New Year in 2008 without a little one, I know how hard it is, but it WILL happen. For those of you home with your kiddos - ENJOY 2009! Take lots of pictures, give lots of hugs and be thankful for the little things.
So, how did we ring in the New Year? Well, after a fancy dinner at IHOP, we headed home. We rang in the new year at 12 am AST (Andrew Standard Time which is about 8 pm Eastern Standard Time). Andrew loved it - as a matter of fact, he has yelled "HAPPY NEW YEAR" all day today! :-) He also has played with the freaking hand clappers all day. Note to self: Hide them before tomorrow morning.
We got up this morning, ate some breakfast, watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and then headed to Monkey Joes. Andrew had the entire place to himself and he had a blast. I even climbed up a few of bouncy things to "help" him, but really just to prove to myself that I could. Ummm... New Years Resolution #1... exercise. We came home and all took a nap and then spent the day playing with Andrew's Christmas gifts, baking cookies (resolution # 2 - quit baking and eating cookies) and decorating January's calendar. We finished up the night with a yummy meal at our local Japanese restaurant, playing a bit of a fish game and then the munchkin went to bed. As a side note, Keith and I never made it until midnight last night. Sad... really sad. :-)
I'm off until next Tuesday (yippee!!) so I'm sure we'll have lots more fun throughout the weekend!
Without further ado... Happy New Year from my family to yours!
Love,
Becky
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