Happy Halloween!

Wow! What a perfect Trick or Treat Night we had! The weather was glorious, the children were adorable in their costumes and our friends and family's company was a blast. We all gathered at our house and then we headed out through our neighborhood. Andrew enjoyed looking at all the people and sights. While Lily and her good buddies raced excitedly from house to house. This year she really got into it and was thrilled with the haul of candy she brought home. It was just a great time.

Of course, we the parents morphed into Parent Paparazzi and snapped as many photos as we could. I'm quite thrilled with the following three pictures. In fact, I love the third one so much, I'm considering making it our Christmas card. Hey, it's got green and red in it :)

Things you can't protect your children from......

Usually I post the happy, daily events in our family life. Today, I feel the need to post about something not so happy. Today was Lily's preschool Halloween parade. It was a fun event and something we all enjoyed. I happened to volunteer for some of the classroom party activities and was hanging out in the hallways with some other moms. A few moms that I knew asked me about Andrew's eye surgery. I was happy to report that his eyes are looking great and I don't think he'll have to have the additional surgery in January. Another woman, whom I don't know, overheard our conversation. She then asked me if the second surgery would make Andrew's eyes look less "chink-y." Yup, she really said it. I was stunned, startled and angry. I think she thought it was funny because she laughed. When she heard my nasty toned response of "I beg your pardon??", she quickly left saying she needed to make a phone call.

All in all, it was just such a startling reminder that my children will encounter racism and I can't protect them from it. I've fielded some rude questions about our family. Usually they are along the lines of "Why didn't you adopt from the US." or "Are they *real* brother and sister?" These, I know how to handle. The comment today really was a first.

What a week.........

It took me a little restraint in not using a swear word in the title post. Read on and I'll explain.

Saturday afternoon, Andrew comes down with a fever. I figure it's a virus and I watch him closely, thankfull that he is keeping food down.

Sunday, the fever gets worse and we wonder if we should go to urgent care or just wait till Monday and see our pediatrician.

Monday, we call the pediatrician and they say we can wait another 24 hours or come in. We decide to go in and I'm glad we did because Andrew has 2 ear infections. So, we start the antibiotics. Monday night becomes the worst night ever with constant screaming and a fever of 104

Tuesday, I call the pediatrician who tells me to wait 24 hours to see if the antibiotics help. After lunch, I change Andrew only to discover this scary rash all over him. It really looks like measles. Back to the pediatrician we go. One look and the doctor says, "Roseola", a virus characterized by a high fever and sudden rash.

Wednessday, Andrew is worse. Fever persists, rash is in full bloom, antibiotic side effects are rough and his disposition is at an all time low. I call the pediatrician who tells me to wait it out. It's rough.

Thursday, fever is gone. However, so Andrew's appetite. He's weepy, whiney, clingy and miserable. Another diaper change reveals a new and different rash. Off to the ped's again! At this point, I'm toast. I'm tired and running on empty. I'm also just plain scared that Andrew is not getting better. The doctor's examination reveals that his ears are better. His lungs are clear. His fever is gone. The doctor thinks that we are either looking at a different type of virus or some strange interaction between the antibiotics and virus. In either case, we'll change the antibiotics and see.

I'm now on day 5 of a weepy, miserable, sick little baby. As I give him yet another dropper of medicine to put in his little mouth, my finger bumps into something sharp. I touch some more and feel 4 little points on his gum line. Two on the bottom and two on the top. Andrew is cutting 4 teeth! No wonder he is feeling even worse!

As I write this, I hope that we've hit the all time low and it's only up from here. Wish us luck.........

Queen of Hearts...........

Forget being a princess, Lily's going to be a Queen this Halloween!

Birthday Bash with the Buddies!

Today we had the perfect weather for some outdoor fun! One of Lily's best buddies has a birthday 1 week after hers. So we decided to have a very low key, kid party. We borrowed a bouncy house (thanks Lynn!), had some yummy snacks, went on a pumpkin hunt and had a great time. In terms of kid's birthdays, I believe less is definitely more! I've included a few photos (it's hard to take pictures of kids in a bouncy house) and a video. Enjoy!






http://s106.photobucket.com/albums/m244/Melissa-n-Bill/?action=view¤t=10-4034.flv

Happy Birthday Lily!

Wow! It's been a whirlwind of activity the past weekend. We celebrated a friend's birthday, had Lily's family birthday celebration and her school celebration. She's had a blast and loves her new bike. It's been such a joy to watch her grow from 1-5, I'm looking forward to the rest of the journey with her. Her are several pictures of our birthday girl!

On the mend

We've all been playing "share the cold" or virus this week. I learned a tough lesson. One sick child is a challenge. Two sick children is really tough. Two sick children and two sick parents is a nightmare. To all my friends who have more than two children.......I simply don't know how you do it.

In the midst of all our sickness, I started meeting with the doctors for Andrew's surgeries. I know he must only have a few minor procedures. Yet when it's your baby, nothing feels minor about it. I feel weepy if I really think about it. He just seem so tiny and the thoughts of anethesia scare me. We have one more appointment and then the surgeries will be scheduled. I'll keep everyone updated.

On another note, today is Lily's 5th birthday! We have our family b-day celebrations today. It should be a good time and I think we all feel good about finally feeling well. I hope to have pictures up a.s.a.p!

Perfect Day at the Zoo

Yesterday, on impulse, I took the kids to the zoo after lunch. It was one of those perfect, sunny, low 70's day with just a hint-of-fall breezes. I wasn't sure how Andrew would do spending a long time in the stroller. Since becoming so mobile (he's really close to walking), he tends to be a body in motion that stays in motion. Plus, he's extremely near sighted and I'm not sure what he can see. He did beautifully and enjoyed it all. We rode the train, went the petting zoo, and spent a good amount of time in the aquarium. It was one of those great days where being a Mom was totally fun. Here are some photos of the kids that I thought were particularily adorable.

Some recent scrapbook layouts......

I'm finding little moments here and there that I can do some scrapbooking. It feels good to get a little caught up and to do something creative. Enjoy!

Nostalgia, Footie Pajamas and Preschool

Last night was unseasonably cold and I felt the need to dig out some footie pajamas for Andrew. As I went through some of Lily's old baby clothes, a wave of nostalgia hit me. We just passed our 4 year anniversary of getting Lily's referral on September 8th. There is something so magical and special about the moment you first get your child's referral. I guarantee if you ask any adoptive parent they can recall all the details the moment they got "the call". So as I dressed Andrew for bed, I just couldn't help but think of the little baby Lily that came home in the late fall of 04. I have so many memories of watching her play, crawl, eat and explore in the same cozy little footie jammies.

Fast forward 4 years and here we are getting her ready for preschool. Instead of crawling around in jammies, we now watch Lily make decisions between her Hanna Montanna or sparkly butterfly shirt. At exactly 7:30 am this morning, Lily came bouncing down the steps. Her bed was made, her face was washed and she was dressed in her new pink velour jumpsuit complete with the sparkly butterfly shirt. "I am ready to go to school by myself" she announced. I was thrilled to see her so ready and very surpised as I am the first to describe Lily as "shy, reserved and slow to warm up." While I drove to the preschool, I could hear Lily telling Andrew about all the cool big kid things that she could do and he could not. We waited a few moments for her teachers to be ready, the door opened and in walked Lily and her new pal Maggie. No tears. No fears. Nothing. I looked at Maggie's mom and said "Well, I guess that's it" and we headed to the "Boo Hoo Breakfast" with the other parents.

I drove Andrew home who was still dressed in the pj's. (I suspect Andrew may be in pj's many mornings when we take Lily to school. I'm simply not confident I can get all three of us dressed and out the door by 8:30.) Once home, I realized I had this wonderful window of time to watch Andrew crawl, play, eat and explore while dressed in his footie pj's. When our one on one time is done, we get to pick up Lily and hear all the details from preschool. Today, she covered everything from what she ate at snack to who played what on the playground. So, I apologize if my post is sappy. I knew it was likely for me to get sentimental when Lily started school. I also realize that there is a special gift in having a second child. You truly understand that no phase lasts forever and it goes by so fast. Right now, I'm going to do my best to enjoy this time of footie pajamas and preschool.

Mr. Grumpy

Yesterday, Andrew was just in a "mood." It happens to us all and he's certainly entitled to have a bad day. In fact, he reminded me of the children's book, "Alexander's No-Good, Rotten, Horrible Day." Unfortunately for Andrew, his mumbling and grumbling makes his parents laugh. Oh, and I have to say that I was happy to at least hear a better variety of sounds vs the consistent "pfffffffffftttt." Too bad he looks so mad as he's chatting away!

Pffffffffffffffffttttttttttttttttttttttt!!!!

Well, I'm a speech pathologist and all my son wants to do is say "pfffffffffftttttt." His idea of a great time is to blow rasperries and to stand. If he can do both simultaneously, it makes him giddy. Ah, the joy of being 8months old!

Subtle Changes are the Best Changes

Having adopted twice, I realize there are some very special aspects about the way our family is formed. Right now, we are experiencing one of those "hidden" benefits. Due to the nature of international adoption, our children have to go through sudden and profound change. As adoptive parents, most of go into this transition with a "prepare for the worst and hope for the best" attitude. As I've said throughout this blog, Andrew has really done beautifully with all the changes. Yet, even with such a smooth transition, we still are seeing Andrew's comfort level grow as he settles in even more. While they may not be earth shattering changes, seeing a child relax, realize this is "home" and become super comfortable is a very special thing.

For example, when Andrew wakes up in the morning, I can tell he knows where he is. There is no more looking around the room quickly, trying to gather it all in. When he takes his bottle, he no longer attacks it and holds onto it with dear life. In fact, now he eats a few ounces, stops looks around and then casually returns to filling his belly. When I start to rock him to sleep at night, he doesn't fight it as much. He arches his back momentarily and then relaxes. It's almost as if he's saying "Ok, I'll sleep, if you insist", which I do. When our cat, Allie, walks by he no longer looks at me as if to say "What the heck is that???". He now happily gurgles and lunges for her tail. Well, maybe that's not the greatest thing.

I probably can't relay this very well in a post. There is just something so sweet in seeing all these subtle changes. He is happy in our daily routine of play time, walks, and baths. His smiles and giggles come quickly. He "gets" that we are Mom, Dad and Big Sister. Perhaps my most favorite thing is when I hold him, he snuggles in more, melts in my arms and even sighs. It doesn't get better than that does it?

I'll leave you with a couple of favorite photos I snapped this week and a short little video. Enjoy!

Apples and Back to School

As you can see I finally had a little time to do some of my favorite hobby of scrapbooking and blog designing. I saw this apple themed digital kit and just knew I had to use it. After working in the schools for 13 years, I have participated in countless apple activities in the fall including cooking projects, art activities and orchard visits. Now I always associate this time of the year with apples. Given my leave, I may miss some of these activities and perhaps that is why I'm compelled to use this design.

Speaking of back to school, Lily is gearing up for preschool. In just a few short weeks, she's going to venture off to get her first taste of classroom life. I'm happy for her as I really think she's ready academically and socially. Yet I find myself doing that classic mommy stuff and thinking "Wow, my baby is really growing up." I'm sure that will hit me 10x's more next year as she ventures of to kindergarten as that is a much bigger milestone.

Andrew had a rougher last week. Nothing major, just fussier than usual. I think it could be due to some teething (lots of drooling, lots of chewing) or his first round of vaccinations. He had a low grade fever and was crabby. It may also be him transitioning from 2 afternoon naps down to one longer afternoon nap. Heck, it may just be his comfort levels growing and him feeling like he can show all sides of his personality, even his grumpy side. I am not sure and it's just so hard to tell with babies. On a positive note, he's growing like a weed. The nutritionist at the International Adoption clinic was extremely concerned about his weight. Well in 5 weeks home, he's gained 2 pounds 6 ounces and grown 3 centimeters. Maybe he's not destined to be such a little peanut after all!

All in all, things continue to go well and we are enjoying the end of the summer time/back to school time in our live.

take care,
Melissa

So much to share, so little time to write

I used to wonder why folks would check into blogs so much when people were waiting to adopt their babies, but then the readership dramatically dropped off. I am now reminded by the fact that new parents have much less time to write and post pictures.



A lot has happened since my last post. We officially celebrated Andrew being home for a whole month. It's hard to believe how fast time flies. It's also weird how it feels as if Andrew has been with us forever.

We also readopted Andrew in our state. We are fortunate that this is a simple procedure in our state. This now means that Andrew has a state birth certificate which may be easier to use when he is school age. It would be easier to replace if it's lost or damaged. It also means he's guaranteed access to an inheritance when we pass. I've always thought it was weird that may even be an issue. The thing I was most happy about is that it's the final piece of paperwork we have to do. I actually said this at the court and all the clerks were like "Don't say that! There are so many children in this world to adopt." Sadly, that's true, but I'm not sure we are going to be adding to our family. I guess never say never, but it's hard to imagine that we will. Anyway, here's a picture of our family and the judge.



Bill's birthday was last week. I took the kids down and we had a picnic on the State House lawn. It was a gorgeous day and Bill had a great time showing off the kids to his co-workers. My favorite part was Lily calling the cupcakes, "pupcakes."
Here are some photos.





Lastly, the school year is kicking off. Lily will be starting preschool this year and I'm in that traditional role. I can't believe my baby is ready to start school. It's weird for me to not be gearing up for school. I'm happily off on leave and I found out that I'm elligible for more leave than I thought. My administration at work has reviewed and changed some old rules. Leave now officially starts at the beginning of the school year, not when your baby is born or adopted. What a family friendly decision! So, I now have 6 additional weeks of enjoying my sweeties. Aren't they adorable?

Ack! He's Crawling!!!!

Well, just 3 days shy of turning 7 months, our little guy learned to crawl. While Andrew came home very much on target developmentally, despite my worries, he's still following the same pattern that most of the children adopted internationally I know. It's like once they get home, have the attention, love, support and security, they go through the normal stages of development lightening fast. I've been able to watch it first hand now with both of my children and it's truly amazing.

At 7 months and home for 3 weeks, Andrew has gone from only being able to sit up using the support of both arms/hands to crawling and pulling himself up on the couch. He had only been bottle feed and wasn't thrilled when we introduced the spoon. Now, he eats cereal and baby food from the spoon and is finger feeding himself some Gerber puffs and cookies. He primarily said "Ahhhhh" in different intonations and now is in that fun stage where it's a whole bunch of consonant vowel combinations. I especially love when he gets slightly disgruntled, like when I make him lie still during a changing and he says things like "ya-ya-bun-ne-ne!"

While the developmental milestones are wonderful to see, I think seeing the comfort level grow is my favorite. Andrew is blessed with a pretty laid back personality and I can't complain about our transitions. Still, I can see him become more relaxed. He smiles more, esp. at his grandparents and uncle. He seems more content to just "be" sometimes and not always moving and exploring. He snuggles in closer when I hold him, relaxes more in my arms when I feed him and accepts sleep a little more quickly at nap times. Still fights it like a champ at bed time, but we'll get there.

I have to admit, our new normal is coming along nicely. Here's a photo I recently snapped of the kids together. I just love it!

Dinner with Cookie Monster

I have a great group of mom friends who have coined the term "new normal." This is the period of time where you make all the adjustments that come with adding a new child to your family. Obviously, I'm now home full time with my two children and I'm definitely figuring out our new normal. To be sure, things have gone better than I could have hoped for. However, that doesn't mean that there are some challenges in figuring out our "new normal." I firmly believe that during this transition, we must celebrate our victories because they are hard won. By small victories, I mean things like getting everyone fed, bathed and dressed that day before 10:30 a.m. It could also mean occupying baby while you get the dishwasher unloaded. I'm personally striving for calm, occupied children *while* I get a dinner prepared. These may sound like small feats, but ask any new mom and she'll let you how significant these things are.

So, I now must share some of my recent victories. Despite being told by the occupational therapist from the International Adoption Clinic that walkers, exersaucers and jumpers were bad (apparently they promote toe walking), the Johny-Jump Up door jumper is my best friend. Every morning after both children are bathed and dressed, I need about 15 minutes to finish throwing myself together. Good old Johny Jump-Up never lets me down and for some reason, it entertains both my kids. Andrew will laugh his head off while Lily sings her heart out to him. While I don't want Andrew to be a toe walker and I'm sure I'll feel guilt if he becomes one, I have to admit it makes my day to go out in the community somewhat put together. Here's a picture of our jump-up fans.




One thing I was really missing in our new normal, was the ability to eat my dinner without bouncing a baby on my lap or shoulder. Well, the nutritionist from the International Adoption clinic was really concerned about Andrew's size. I wasn't as concerned, but I listened to her advice to introduce cereal, baby foods and some solids quickly. Frankly, I'm not sure how you could look at either my husband or myself and be concerned that our children won't be well fed :) Anyway, I've learned that Andrew will sit at the table with us and happily "eat" a gerber cookie or a graham cracker for 20 minutes. It's one part cute and one part gnarly to see what he does to a cookie. Yet, I still consider it a victory to have us all sitting together and being able to talk to Bill and Lily at dinner. So, I do celebrate these small steps and I imagine I'll be having dinner with the "Cookie Monster" for quite some time. Honestly, he's pretty stinking cute and after about 5 minutes with a warm wash cloth



So to all my mom friends who read this blog, be sure to celebrate your victories too!

Take care,
Melissa

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Can you all believe that life is somehow much busier with two children? It's a good busy, but I am definitely wondering what I used to do with all my free time. You'll all notice there hasn't been a new blog design in a while :)

Andrew is settling in and remains a sweet little guy. He's a snuggly little baby with a great laugh. He's curious about everything and loves to explore. He's doing that classic baby thing where he fights sleep. That's such a mystery to me. The moment he starts to rub his eyes and get a little fussy, I'll start to rock him. Initially he'll relax and snuggle in. Then it's like he processes "Oh no! I'm going to miss something!" and he stiffens up and all the drama begins. I swear he would tap dance if he could just so he wouldn't have to fall asleep.

We had the chance to take Andrew to meet his Great-Grandma. Just as we predicted, they got along fabulously. Great-Grandma thinks he's perfection and I suspect the feelings are mutual. In fact during the visit, it was time for a little nap and he settled right into Great Grandma's lap and the magic, comfy chair. Now that I think of it....he didnt' fight her for sleep. Hmmmm, there must be something special about Great Grandma's arms. Oh and on a side note, Great Grandma is 92 and Andrew is 6 months. When Andrew is Great Grandma's age, it'll be the year 2100! Here's a picture of the two.




We've been so proud of Lily as she goes through this transition. To be honest, we knew jealousy would be an issue when we added a sibling. After almost 4 years of being the center of attention, it'd be hard for any child to share the spotlight. The jealousy has come out mainly in the form of tears. Sometimes, she runs to her room, shuts the door, throws herself on the bed and sobs. Definitely a preview of what the teen years are going to look like. Anyway, all the grown ups have made a big effort to make sure Lily gets some special attention. It appears to be working and we are seeing Lily be more of herself. Throughout the whole transition, it's been amazing to see how sweet and nuturing she is to Andrew. Sure, she doesn't want to share her Mommy with him. But, she loves being a little mommy to him. In fact, she double checks that I'm doing everything correctly. I'll often get "reminded" to feed, bathe, burp Andrew. It'd be a little annoying if I didn't know how sincere she was in her concern. Here are some pictures of her taking care of Andrew.




As I've said in previous posts, we are very lucky to have such a smooth transition. This week has been extremely busy with finishing up our International Adoption clinic evaluations and some work commitments that I made back in April. I'm so looking forward to the weeks ahead of settling in and enjoying my life with my two precious children. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the past week. Enjoy!

Almost 1 Week Home

I can't believe Andrew has been home almost one week. When we were waiting for Bill and Andrew to arrive from Taipei, time moved so slowly. Now, it's going by so quickly.

We continue to get to know Andrew and his personality. He's a pretty happy baby unless you make the error of giving him a luke warm bottle. Then he'll let you know what he thinks. He's pretty content in the tub, loves to watch Lily and is ok with the whole carseat/stroller thing as long as it's moving. We're happy to report he sleeps through the night but he is a classic baby as he'll fight going to sleep.

Tomorrow we go in for his International Adoption Clinic appointment. I'm interested to hear where they think he is developmentally as I no longer think he has any delays from the orphanage. It's a pretty thorough evaluation and we had the same thing done for Lilianna. In fact, she was featured in the local paper and news. I don't think we'll have any press for Andrew's evaluation though :) I do dread tomorrow for one reason......the blood draw. They'll want to do some screenings and test his immunity levels on vacinations. I know it's a necessity, but I hate to see my children strapped in that chair so they can draw blood....it's the worst.

On another note, I finally had a little time to play "photographer" today. I draped the trusty white throw over the couch and snapped away. I think I got some cute photos! Enjoy.

Settling In

We've been home now for 3 days and are settling into our new routine as a family of 4. Lily has done an amazing job of being a big sister and she's very kind to Andrew. Honestly, she's such the little mommy. In fact, if she leaves the room she'll often say things like "Mommy, if Andrew cries, come and get me." I believe the feelings are mutual as Andrew lights up when he sees Lily. He had a foster sister who was approximately 5, so perhaps Lily feels familiar to him. He vocalizes and smiles so much the moment he sees Lily.

Amazingly, we've been able to get Andrew on a schedule pretty quickly. He's a good sleeper (and yes, I thank my lucky stars for that daily) and we are very well rested for parents of a newly adopted child. He's definitely teething and has an inner ear infection in both ears. Yet, he remains in pretty good spirits. He's becoming more comfortable and I see less wiggling during diapering, clothes changes and baths. Andrew is very interested in moving and I believe once he gets mobile, we are in for it. Sometimes the speech therapist comes out in me when I'm in mommy-mode. I never heard him vocalize on any of his videos and I was always curious about what he did. Well, since he's been home, we're hearing him "talk" a fair amount. Andrew will often greet us with a happy "ahhhhhhh!" and will really vocalize when he sees our cat. He gets a huge kick if I imitate his sounds and we can go back and forth many times. We had some alone mommy & son time today and we stretched out on a blanket. I started making some "ohhhhhhh" sounds and he stared and stared at my mouth. Then he started repeating me and looked so proud. When we progressed to "mummm mumm mummm", it was my turn to be proud. Perhaps it sounds lame, but to a speech therapist, it's music to my ears.

Overall, things are going really well and I'm extremely gratefull. I think being 2nd times parents has helped. Things aren't flawless by any means as we've had some challenges. Yet we know that it's normal for us all to be in our p.j's at noon, the house to be a disaster and to eat take-out many nights in a row. Slowly but surely, we'll get these things conquered. Right now, it's just fun time getting to know this new little person in our family.