Six months ago today, I was sitting in the US Embassay in Moscow Russia, being sworn in, for final declaration to be Christian's Forever Family Mommy! A day I will remember forever.
On one hand it seems so long ago, sitting in that little room on folding chairs, surrounded by about 15 other families. On the other hand it seems like yesterday I was trying to help him get over his extreme fear of water.
Now I can't keep him out of the bathtub and sink and he wants to go swimming every day. Wow, we've come a long way in a short time.
I was looking at photos of that day and he looks so much younger to me. It makes me realize how fast he is growing, and it will only get faster, and that I need to cherish every minute, the good and challenging. He is talking so much more, which makes him seem older too.
We had a break through moment tonight, which is a nice coincidence on our 6 month anniversary. I've been trying to get him to drink out of a straw and he wouldn't have anything to do with it, so I stopped trying for a while. Tonight we were dashing out of the house to meet a friend for dinner and he announced he was thirsty. I didn't want him to spill all over his fresh shirt I had just put on, so I grabbed a cup with a straw, handed it to him, said, "suck in," and he did!!! Just like that! Amazing how things happen when he is ready and not when I want him to be ready. Patience is the key. Now we just have to work on teaching him not to tip the cup while drinking out of the straw so it doesn't spill out the top hole. One thing at a time, but straw thing is a big deal....YAY!
He painted a picture at daycare for Grandpa for Father's Day :) He is excited to give it to him and I know Grandpa with love it. Happy Father's Day to all you great Dads out there!
~Amy
Friday, June 17, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Talk, Talk, Talk
Christian is talking so much more and clearer than ever. I need to be very careful, he is starting to repeat alot of what I say! We were driving on the on ramp to the interstate and quickly came to a slow roll because traffic was so backed up. Now I tend to talk to myself anyway, so in typical Amy fashion, I softly say, "man, look at this traffic." From the back seat a little voice says, as clear as a bell, "look at traffic." I asked him what he said and he repeated it to my delight. Then I said, "get out of our way." He repeats that, again as clear as can be, accompanied with arm gestures that resembled an umpire calling someone safe at home plate. It was so cute and fun that I kept asking him to do it again!
While I was distracted with this phenomenom of Christian talk, I was turned around looking at him, which what felt like mere seconds, while I was still rolling in the traffic. At this point in my story telling, I know people are saying things like, "that's dumb," "what was she thinking," "she's not being very safe," etc. I agree with you. I turned back and didn't see the license plate of the car in front of me, which translates to, I was WAY too close to them! I slammed on the breaks, even though I was just rolling, but the shock of seeing myself that close, caused the reaction. As the goosebumps immediately appeared on my arms, my heart stops, I semi-shout, "shit!" Sigh, yes it's true, you know he heard me, and yes he repeated me. "Shit" came out of my little angel's cupid lipped mouth, followed by a proud grin. I had been praising him over and over for his earlier pronunciation so I'm sure he thought he did a good job again. Yes he did an extremely good job of saying it very clearly, much to my dismay.
So I stated the age old phrase, "Christian, that's a bad word, please don't say it again. Mommy should not have said that bad word." This was Tuesday and I haven't heard it again, daycare hasn't heard it, so I pray it's left his mind. Deep breath before I say things :) He does however repeat, "look at traffic," when we're in the car, which I find entertaining. Then when we're at a stop light, he says, "out of our way," Uuummmm.....potential road rage in the future for him??? We laugh about it and make it a joke and I take this moment to remind him that a red light means stop and we get to go when the light turns green. He then intently watching the stop light and when it turns, he shouts, "GO!" He's learning so fast and it's amazing to be a part of it, to be teaching him, watching him learn and seeing the wonder in his eyes of all the new things he's experiencing.
God has blessed me.
~Amy
While I was distracted with this phenomenom of Christian talk, I was turned around looking at him, which what felt like mere seconds, while I was still rolling in the traffic. At this point in my story telling, I know people are saying things like, "that's dumb," "what was she thinking," "she's not being very safe," etc. I agree with you. I turned back and didn't see the license plate of the car in front of me, which translates to, I was WAY too close to them! I slammed on the breaks, even though I was just rolling, but the shock of seeing myself that close, caused the reaction. As the goosebumps immediately appeared on my arms, my heart stops, I semi-shout, "shit!" Sigh, yes it's true, you know he heard me, and yes he repeated me. "Shit" came out of my little angel's cupid lipped mouth, followed by a proud grin. I had been praising him over and over for his earlier pronunciation so I'm sure he thought he did a good job again. Yes he did an extremely good job of saying it very clearly, much to my dismay.
So I stated the age old phrase, "Christian, that's a bad word, please don't say it again. Mommy should not have said that bad word." This was Tuesday and I haven't heard it again, daycare hasn't heard it, so I pray it's left his mind. Deep breath before I say things :) He does however repeat, "look at traffic," when we're in the car, which I find entertaining. Then when we're at a stop light, he says, "out of our way," Uuummmm.....potential road rage in the future for him??? We laugh about it and make it a joke and I take this moment to remind him that a red light means stop and we get to go when the light turns green. He then intently watching the stop light and when it turns, he shouts, "GO!" He's learning so fast and it's amazing to be a part of it, to be teaching him, watching him learn and seeing the wonder in his eyes of all the new things he's experiencing.
God has blessed me.
~Amy
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Tired or Mad???
Christian was a crazy man this weekend! I had to run errands to Target, grocery store and the shoe store to buy him new shoes. It was like a switch flipped on and he flipped out. He loves to ride in the car, so that part went fine. I got him strapped in the stroller, that went fine. We passed through the doors of the mall to find the shoes and the switch flipped. He wanted out of the stroller, no he wanted to stay in the stroller, he wanted the shade top on the stroller down because the "sun" was in his eyes, no he wanted the shade top back so he could see.....on and on it went. I walked as fast as I could to the shoe store, my eyes scanned at light speed over the shoe options, as his volume increased at an impressive consistent level. I found a couple of pairs and it was like trying to pin down an eight legged cat to get them on his feet. To my dismay, they didn't fit. As I turned to get the other pair of shoes, pleading silently to God to let this pair fit, the slippery little bugger got away from me and down the aisle he went, laughing all the way. I "firmly whispered" at him to "get back here right this minute." He hesitated and I gave him the threatening eye, and once again, sent a prayer up for someone to impress upon him that it was in his best interest to come back to me, quickly. While this is all transpiring in mere seconds, I am struggling to me feet, because let's be honest, I'm not in the best shape anymore and getting old! God must have felt sorry for me, because Christian came running back to me, launched himself into my arms, and said, "hugs!" Oh yeah, little shit, he knows how to work it :)
For all my best efforts, we left without shoes and headed to Borders. I had a 46% off coupon that I COULDN'T waste ( I love to read!). He made his presence known, to every soul, even the hard of hearing, that he was in the house. I was embarrassed and mad because I wanted to browse and locate that intriguing "find" of a book but it wasn't going to happen. So I rushed through the aisles, managed to snag a couple of books and high tailed it out of there before the nasty looks I was getting would set us on fire!
Target and the grocery store met the same fate. He was content in the car, in the shopping cart and BAM! the crazy kid surfaced as we passed through the doors. At this point I simply didn't care, went about my shopping letting him loudly protest, whine and arch, while I pushed my cart with an errie sort of calm about me. We were in the car again and in about five minutes he was asleep. AHA! That was the issue, he was tired.....and by now I was too :) But we HAD to stop at the grocery store and the same show continued, Act Two. I made it through quickly, amazing even myself, however the banana Christian loudly insisted on holding met a disasterous fate I'm afraid. It's fate was not known until we got home and sadly had to be put to rest.
So early to bed on Saturday resulted in a happy and funny little boy on Sunday. We had one of those days where the silliest things made us laugh and laugh and then our laughing made us laugh even more. Delightful!
We made trips to the park both Saturday and Sunday and I even managed to start cutting out the growth chart tree I am making for his room. I hope to have it complete this week and will post a photo.
Have a good week all!
~Amy
For all my best efforts, we left without shoes and headed to Borders. I had a 46% off coupon that I COULDN'T waste ( I love to read!). He made his presence known, to every soul, even the hard of hearing, that he was in the house. I was embarrassed and mad because I wanted to browse and locate that intriguing "find" of a book but it wasn't going to happen. So I rushed through the aisles, managed to snag a couple of books and high tailed it out of there before the nasty looks I was getting would set us on fire!
Target and the grocery store met the same fate. He was content in the car, in the shopping cart and BAM! the crazy kid surfaced as we passed through the doors. At this point I simply didn't care, went about my shopping letting him loudly protest, whine and arch, while I pushed my cart with an errie sort of calm about me. We were in the car again and in about five minutes he was asleep. AHA! That was the issue, he was tired.....and by now I was too :) But we HAD to stop at the grocery store and the same show continued, Act Two. I made it through quickly, amazing even myself, however the banana Christian loudly insisted on holding met a disasterous fate I'm afraid. It's fate was not known until we got home and sadly had to be put to rest.
So early to bed on Saturday resulted in a happy and funny little boy on Sunday. We had one of those days where the silliest things made us laugh and laugh and then our laughing made us laugh even more. Delightful!
We made trips to the park both Saturday and Sunday and I even managed to start cutting out the growth chart tree I am making for his room. I hope to have it complete this week and will post a photo.
Have a good week all!
~Amy
Friday, June 10, 2011
Good Return
My return to Christian went pretty good. Grandma and Grandpa did a great job with him while I was gone. He spotted Grandpa right away on Wednesday, when they came through the door at daycare to pick him up. He went with them, no problem, and when they got in the car he said, "Mommy?" but that was all. They kept him busy playing and he only fussed a few minutes when they put him to bed. In the morning he cried a little when they dropped him off at daycare, but he's been doing that anyway and quits about a minute or two after you leave.
When I walked in Thursday afternoon to pick him up, he looked up at me and hesitated. My heart skipped a beat. He took two steps toward me, looked around and said, "Poppa?" I said, "No Poppa's gone but Mommy's here." Then he ran to me and gave me a huge hug. I told him, "see, Mommy always comes back." He rushed toward the door for us to leave. I warned the teacher that on Thursday he might not act the same because I was gone, but she said he did fine!
We got home, did our normal routine and he kept giving me hugs, which I gladly took :) He was more upset than usual when I put him to bed. I kept him up 30 minutes past the normal bedtime to play with him because I missed him so much. When I put him to bed, I told him that Mommy would be here when he wakes up. The morning was another story. I got my usual good morning hug and hold but after that he acted like he was mad at me. So breakfast and dressing were a challenge. Then when we went to daycare, the further up the walk closer to the house we got, the slower he walked and started whining. The minute we set foot into daycare, he wanted up and hung on tight to me. I kept telling him over and over, that I will be back at lunch time to take him home. He got more and more upset, clinging to me, crying louder and louder. I felt terrible and tried not to cry. I know he was scared that someone else was going to come get him and not me....at least that's what I think he was thinking. It's so hard because he can't tell me what he's thinking or feeling. So we had to peel him off of me and I left, telling him I loved him and would be back soon. The teacher thankfully sent me a text message about 10 minutes later saying he calmed down and was happily playing. I am SO grateful she sent that message because I was worried he would be upset and then act out that morning.
So this afternoon we went to the park and had ice cream as a treat after supper. I am glad the trip was late in the week so I can be with him the full weekend days immediately after the trip to give him security back.
We did have a BIG GOOD moment tonight too! After bathtime he insisted on sitting on the potty chair. He's been sitting on it, but only with his clothes or diaper on, he wouldn't sit on it naked. Well after bath, he wanted to sit on it naked, so he did.....and you guessed it....he went pee! I never fully understood the huge reaction parents had and why they made such a big deal out of when their kid first went pee, but now I do! It's a window to a diaperless future :0) I made over him huge and he grinned so big and laughed, so proud of himself. So if we can continue this, we might be potty trained by end of summer :)
~Amy
When I walked in Thursday afternoon to pick him up, he looked up at me and hesitated. My heart skipped a beat. He took two steps toward me, looked around and said, "Poppa?" I said, "No Poppa's gone but Mommy's here." Then he ran to me and gave me a huge hug. I told him, "see, Mommy always comes back." He rushed toward the door for us to leave. I warned the teacher that on Thursday he might not act the same because I was gone, but she said he did fine!
We got home, did our normal routine and he kept giving me hugs, which I gladly took :) He was more upset than usual when I put him to bed. I kept him up 30 minutes past the normal bedtime to play with him because I missed him so much. When I put him to bed, I told him that Mommy would be here when he wakes up. The morning was another story. I got my usual good morning hug and hold but after that he acted like he was mad at me. So breakfast and dressing were a challenge. Then when we went to daycare, the further up the walk closer to the house we got, the slower he walked and started whining. The minute we set foot into daycare, he wanted up and hung on tight to me. I kept telling him over and over, that I will be back at lunch time to take him home. He got more and more upset, clinging to me, crying louder and louder. I felt terrible and tried not to cry. I know he was scared that someone else was going to come get him and not me....at least that's what I think he was thinking. It's so hard because he can't tell me what he's thinking or feeling. So we had to peel him off of me and I left, telling him I loved him and would be back soon. The teacher thankfully sent me a text message about 10 minutes later saying he calmed down and was happily playing. I am SO grateful she sent that message because I was worried he would be upset and then act out that morning.
So this afternoon we went to the park and had ice cream as a treat after supper. I am glad the trip was late in the week so I can be with him the full weekend days immediately after the trip to give him security back.
We did have a BIG GOOD moment tonight too! After bathtime he insisted on sitting on the potty chair. He's been sitting on it, but only with his clothes or diaper on, he wouldn't sit on it naked. Well after bath, he wanted to sit on it naked, so he did.....and you guessed it....he went pee! I never fully understood the huge reaction parents had and why they made such a big deal out of when their kid first went pee, but now I do! It's a window to a diaperless future :0) I made over him huge and he grinned so big and laughed, so proud of himself. So if we can continue this, we might be potty trained by end of summer :)
~Amy
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
First Overnight Away
Anxiety, stress, bummed, curious......all say how I feel right now facing my first overnight away from Christian. I'm going out of town for work, overnight, which I am nervous about. Grandma and Grandpa will be staying with him so I am not nervous about that part, I mean they raised six kids and we survived and we definitely put them to the test :) I just hope Christian does ok with them picking him up at daycare, putting him to bed, waking up to them and them dropping him back off at daycare. I will be taking him in the morning and will be home in time on Thursday to pick him up from daycare.
I just wish I could read his mind to know what he is thinking and know what he is feeling. Will he understand that I will be back soon? Will he think I'm just another person coming in and out of his life? Will he be angry with me? happy to see me? scared when I'm gone? So many things running through my mind and what bothers me the most is I will not be a car drive away to get to him if anything happens.
A friend told me today to use as my mantra, " don't worry for what might be nothing," meaning don't waste time and get anxious worrying about something that may not even happen. Great advice that I will try to keep in mind but what can I say, I've always been a worrier. I know this day had to come at some point, and we've been together just two weeks shy of six months, so it's not like he hasn't had time to understand who I am and that I am always around :) I know every mother has had this moment and understands what I am feeling and deep down I know everything will be fine, it's just hard getting the mind and heart to agree on that point.
I have post it notes and lists taped up all over the house....I'm not kidding....for instructions for my parents. They kept calling asking questions, so I thought it would be easier if I just wrote it all down so they could use it as a checklist. I have one on the TV telling them how to use the remote control. One on the bathroom mirror with bedtime instructions. Three on the kitchen cabinets doors with cat care info, "general info" like where to throw away the dirty diapers, where to find the diapers, make sure they lock the car doors because Christian is currently trying to open the door while the car is in motion, and the final page is dinner and breakfast info. I have the food sitting in the dish with the spoon and cup with a step by step note on where to find the cold food, heat it up, etc. I also have a note on the microwave on what buttons to push (really, some microwaves CAN be confusing!). I then have sheets together with directions from my house to daycare; daycare to house; daycare to interstate. It will be interesting to see if they read any of it :)
At this point I know someone is saying to themselves, "wow, she's OCD and/or anal," but in my defense, they did ask me to write "some stuff" done. Not being sure what they consider "some stuff", I decided to be thorough and wrote down everything I could think of that they might need. Now I just hope my cats don't eat or tear up all my notes!!!
Off to try to get some sleep. Couldn't sleep last night, mind was too busy. I had a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes when I left him at daycare this morning and was telling the teacher about the change in people for tomorrow. I can't imagine how I'll be tomorrow when I'm actually leaving :(
~Amy
I just wish I could read his mind to know what he is thinking and know what he is feeling. Will he understand that I will be back soon? Will he think I'm just another person coming in and out of his life? Will he be angry with me? happy to see me? scared when I'm gone? So many things running through my mind and what bothers me the most is I will not be a car drive away to get to him if anything happens.
A friend told me today to use as my mantra, " don't worry for what might be nothing," meaning don't waste time and get anxious worrying about something that may not even happen. Great advice that I will try to keep in mind but what can I say, I've always been a worrier. I know this day had to come at some point, and we've been together just two weeks shy of six months, so it's not like he hasn't had time to understand who I am and that I am always around :) I know every mother has had this moment and understands what I am feeling and deep down I know everything will be fine, it's just hard getting the mind and heart to agree on that point.
I have post it notes and lists taped up all over the house....I'm not kidding....for instructions for my parents. They kept calling asking questions, so I thought it would be easier if I just wrote it all down so they could use it as a checklist. I have one on the TV telling them how to use the remote control. One on the bathroom mirror with bedtime instructions. Three on the kitchen cabinets doors with cat care info, "general info" like where to throw away the dirty diapers, where to find the diapers, make sure they lock the car doors because Christian is currently trying to open the door while the car is in motion, and the final page is dinner and breakfast info. I have the food sitting in the dish with the spoon and cup with a step by step note on where to find the cold food, heat it up, etc. I also have a note on the microwave on what buttons to push (really, some microwaves CAN be confusing!). I then have sheets together with directions from my house to daycare; daycare to house; daycare to interstate. It will be interesting to see if they read any of it :)
At this point I know someone is saying to themselves, "wow, she's OCD and/or anal," but in my defense, they did ask me to write "some stuff" done. Not being sure what they consider "some stuff", I decided to be thorough and wrote down everything I could think of that they might need. Now I just hope my cats don't eat or tear up all my notes!!!
Off to try to get some sleep. Couldn't sleep last night, mind was too busy. I had a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes when I left him at daycare this morning and was telling the teacher about the change in people for tomorrow. I can't imagine how I'll be tomorrow when I'm actually leaving :(
~Amy
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Daycare - Allergy - HOT - Carousel
Christian has done more in four days at his new daycare than he did in three months at the old one!
He's done three art projects, they've read stories to them twice, he's played in the water sprinkler three times, is considering more and more using the "big boy potty", and is putting three words together. I cannot say how happy I am that we were able to get a spot in this daycare. The people are so nice, patient and genuinely love children, it's not just a business/job to them.
Thursday morning I noticed a rash all over Christian's entire body. Allergic to something. By the process of elimination, I think I have it figured out. Tragically he's allergic to chocolate :( Take a moment to get a tissue and wipe away your tears. If he has chocolate, say once a week, he's fine. But this past week he went through his phase of not wanting to drink his milk. So I put some chocolate in it and of course he sucked it right down. So we had chocolate milk, twice a day, for three days in a row and then on Wednesday, he had chocolate pudding at daycare. Poof, the rash. So he is not having any chocolate until the rash clears up and then we'll test run the chocolate intake and see how it goes.
It was so HOTTTTTTT today, oh my gosh!!! We were up early and at the park by 7:30 to beat the heat. We stayed for an hour, headed home and got into the pool. Christian didn't have much room to swim this time because I had to take advantage of it and once I was sitting in it, there wasn't much room left. So he made up for it by climbing all over me and rolling around in the water. We had so much fun! When the temperature hit 95, I had to give it up, so we spent the afternoon indoors.
We walked over about 5 blocks to our church picnic/carnival after supper. They had a few rides for little kids and he's ridden on a carousel before, so I chose that. When it stopped he cried and clung to the horse when I tried to take him off. I convinced him the little train would be just as fun, so off we went. He went right in, climbed right up into the seat, made it once around the track before he freaked out. He was crying, trying to stand up and pulling on the seat belt. I asked the operator to let him off which they did. I asked if I could get my ticket back because he only went around once and they said no. Personally I think that's crap.
When I was putting him back in the stroller, he pointed to the carousel and was sobbing, "horse, horse." I didn't have any tickets left and I was trying to explain to him that we had to go buy another one. While we were having this unsuccessful conversation, the lady operator came over and asked what ride he wanted to go no. I told her, she told me to follow her, she talked to the carousel operator and they let us on for free. That was so nice of her, she didnt' have to do it and Christian was happy. We rode the carousel three times and of course he cried when we left and cried the whole walk home.
Into the bathtub he went, had a quick wash down, into jammies and he fell right into bed. He had a big day and was exhausted. I'm exhausted too :)
~Amy
He's done three art projects, they've read stories to them twice, he's played in the water sprinkler three times, is considering more and more using the "big boy potty", and is putting three words together. I cannot say how happy I am that we were able to get a spot in this daycare. The people are so nice, patient and genuinely love children, it's not just a business/job to them.
Thursday morning I noticed a rash all over Christian's entire body. Allergic to something. By the process of elimination, I think I have it figured out. Tragically he's allergic to chocolate :( Take a moment to get a tissue and wipe away your tears. If he has chocolate, say once a week, he's fine. But this past week he went through his phase of not wanting to drink his milk. So I put some chocolate in it and of course he sucked it right down. So we had chocolate milk, twice a day, for three days in a row and then on Wednesday, he had chocolate pudding at daycare. Poof, the rash. So he is not having any chocolate until the rash clears up and then we'll test run the chocolate intake and see how it goes.
It was so HOTTTTTTT today, oh my gosh!!! We were up early and at the park by 7:30 to beat the heat. We stayed for an hour, headed home and got into the pool. Christian didn't have much room to swim this time because I had to take advantage of it and once I was sitting in it, there wasn't much room left. So he made up for it by climbing all over me and rolling around in the water. We had so much fun! When the temperature hit 95, I had to give it up, so we spent the afternoon indoors.
We walked over about 5 blocks to our church picnic/carnival after supper. They had a few rides for little kids and he's ridden on a carousel before, so I chose that. When it stopped he cried and clung to the horse when I tried to take him off. I convinced him the little train would be just as fun, so off we went. He went right in, climbed right up into the seat, made it once around the track before he freaked out. He was crying, trying to stand up and pulling on the seat belt. I asked the operator to let him off which they did. I asked if I could get my ticket back because he only went around once and they said no. Personally I think that's crap.
When I was putting him back in the stroller, he pointed to the carousel and was sobbing, "horse, horse." I didn't have any tickets left and I was trying to explain to him that we had to go buy another one. While we were having this unsuccessful conversation, the lady operator came over and asked what ride he wanted to go no. I told her, she told me to follow her, she talked to the carousel operator and they let us on for free. That was so nice of her, she didnt' have to do it and Christian was happy. We rode the carousel three times and of course he cried when we left and cried the whole walk home.
Into the bathtub he went, had a quick wash down, into jammies and he fell right into bed. He had a big day and was exhausted. I'm exhausted too :)
~Amy
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
2 Days at New Daycare
We just passed the first two days at the new daycare.
Day 1 - he didn't cry when I left :) He didn't want to leave with me when I picked him up :) They said he had a great day and was happy all day :)
Day 2 - he cried and clung to me when I left :( He didn't want to leave with me when I picked him up :)......although I wonder if the chocolate pudding and milk they were serving had something to do with that too.
The daycare sent out a summer schedule of activities and it is wonderful!!!
They will be going on field trips, to the park to listen to a children's concert series, to the circus, a "music man" comes in once a month, a "library reading lady" comes in every other week, on and on and on! I am SO excited for him, I wish I could be there to see his face and reaction during all these new and exciting times for him :)
~Amy
Day 1 - he didn't cry when I left :) He didn't want to leave with me when I picked him up :) They said he had a great day and was happy all day :)
Day 2 - he cried and clung to me when I left :( He didn't want to leave with me when I picked him up :)......although I wonder if the chocolate pudding and milk they were serving had something to do with that too.
The daycare sent out a summer schedule of activities and it is wonderful!!!
They will be going on field trips, to the park to listen to a children's concert series, to the circus, a "music man" comes in once a month, a "library reading lady" comes in every other week, on and on and on! I am SO excited for him, I wish I could be there to see his face and reaction during all these new and exciting times for him :)
~Amy
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