Birthday Boy

April 28th three years ago was not the best of days for me.  If only I had known then what I know now...well let's just say I would have spent that day rejoicing and being thankful instead of lamenting.  Now, three years later, April 28th stands in my memory as one of the best days of my life.  Though I didn't know it at the time, my life was about to change completely, for the better.  

Looking back now, it's actually hard to remember what things were like for us before he came home.  Happy 3rd birthday to our friendly, funny, feisty, fast, (sometimes) ferocious but always fabulous little man.  Charlie...I could not love you more if I tried!!

 

           



   



  

Our Birthday Boy

Charlie is two today, I'm in disbelief.  It's hard for me to grasp the fact that two whole years have gone by since the amazing little boy who is our son entered this world.

 
He changed our lives forever, in ways we never could've imagined.  He has brought us so much laughter and happiness in such a short time, there are no words. 
  

 

From those first days when I sat holding him and staring into his soulful, brown eyes to the sweet, funny, adorable little person he has become.  Well quite honestly, the transformation amazes me.    

His personality is endearing.  He says the most adorable things these days and he understands so much.  Yesterday I think I probably got 30 hugs, which is none too many.  For a long time now he's been referring to himself as "Ya Ya" but that has begun to change (intermittently) to "Awie" as in, "Awie do it or Awie did it."  I've been trying to write down as many of his little antics as I can...he certainly is good at cracking us up!  

Here are some of my favorites, jotted down randomly in spare moments as they occurred:

• Dees da eward, dat da doo-dy! {This is Edward, that's Judy} He says this when we're reading Firehouse, one of his all-time favorite books.  It might not seem that funny, until you know that he's pointing to the opposite main characters in the book (Edward for Judy and Judy for Edward,) then looking back at me, grinning from ear-to-ear.    

• One two free hugs fu yoo a ah tis too! {One, two, three hugs for you and a kiss too}  He will say this as he's running across the room to give me a hug.  Totally melts my heart every time!  

• I wa cared or Mommy, I cared!  {I was scared or Mommy, I'm scared}  He says this often these days as he learns and experiences new things.  Loud noises often startle him and he will run over to me saying this. 

• Up, up I waaa howd ju {Up, up - I want to hold you} This is one of my favorites and a part of me wishes he would never stop saying it!  He knows it works on me too because he will often use this when we're sitting at the dinner table and he wants out of his high chair.  Yeah...I'm a sucker!  :)

• Peppa-owni an a pizza {Pepperoni on a pizza}  What can I say...it's pretty much his favorite food.  Speaking of food...

• Pees ockit or pees cany {Piece of chocolate/candy} He says this while pointing to the candy jar on our entertainment center.  Thankfully, he still eats lots of veggies, protein and fruit so I can give in on the occasional treat.

• Doobell! {Doorbell}  He says this while running from person to person pulling up his shirt and showing off his belly button.  I made up a game with him one evening where I pressed his "doorbell" and said "bing bong!"  Apparently it was a hit...

• Ohhhhhh ya!  Said with exuberance any time we show him something new or point out something in the car or when we're out and about. 

• I cooood {I'm cold!}  Usually said amidst tears at diaper tine.  I think he really does get cold but I also think it's a ploy to not have to get his diaper changed.  This one doesn't work so well.   

• Besh ooo, Mommy/Daddy {Bless you, Mommy or Daddy} Always said when we sneeze and often when we cough too.  We've all been pretty sick around here for the past couple of weeks so I've been able to hear it a lot.  Adorable!  

• Hey mom... _____  And fill in the blank with anything.  He can be showing me something, saying hi to me, or asking me to read to him.  It's super cute when he says this, but I'm not 100% thrilled about his switch from "Mommy" to "Mom."  Luckily it's only occasionally for now.  

• Buckle Daddy... _____ {Michael Daddy} and again, you can fill in the blank with anything.  We've tried all kinds of things to get him to stop calling Michael Michael but he is persistent.  Hopefully it's only a phase.  

• Uh-Uh, no sir, Mommy!  He says this when he really doesn't want to cooperate and it's so hard to keep a straight face.  Through process of elimination, we figured out that his daycare provider tells him, "No sir" when she's really serious about disciplining him. 

A few things that are new this week:

• DVTV  This is a combination of DVD and TV, I think.  He received a Curious George DVD from my sister, for Easter and he's been saying this a lot since then.  Speaking of Easter...

• Eesah bunny come you kwuck steekers, ohhh ya!  {The Easter Bunny came to see you and gave you some truck stickers, oh yeah!}  He's been saying this repeatedly since Sunday.  I should send the Easter Bunny a note and tell him that next year, truck stickers would be more than enough to fill up the basket.  Made  his day!  

• Ohh, I yuv et! {Oh I love it!}  Said with exuberance any time he sees/gets something new.  He said it a lot on Sunday as he opened his Easter baskets.  I'm not sure where he picked this one up but I do love it!  

• Whuts inthayre or whut wa dat? {What's in there or what was that?}  Apparently he's starting the questioning phase a little early.  I thought this was more of a three-year-old thing but he says it in context.  We were weeding the garden yesterday and he kept peering into the holes left by my weeder saying, "Whuts inthayre, Mommy?"  I'm not sure I'm ready for this!  Speaking of things I'm not quite ready for... 

• Uh-Uh, dat no yeyyo, dat owege!' {Uh-uh, that's not yellow, that's orange.}  He said this the other night in the bath when we were looking at his Sesame Street bath book.  I said, "Big Bird is yellow" and he shook his head, saying the above statement.  Now it's his new joke to say, "Oweeeege!" any time we ask him what color Big Bird is. 

So, as of today I am the proud mommy of one very amazing little two-year-old.  If he were a weather forecast, it would say, "Sunny overall with a chance of sudden clouds."  His mood changes fast these days and he's learning how to express his anger without throwing his toys or melting into a puddle of tears onto the floor.  He learns tons every single day and sometimes keeping up with him takes all the energy I have.  Still though, I wouldn't trade his hugs, kisses, and sweet giggle for anything in this world!  With that, I shall leave you with some of his cuteness on video as he, "got eet!" when I blew bubbles for him yesterday.  LOVE! 

 
           

   

Two Minutes = Trouble!

Sometimes I think we've given our son the wrong middle name.  Sometimes I think his middle name should have been Trouble!  Seriously?  The scene you see to the left is what happened last night, in the two minutes it took me to realize I had forgotten to close the bathroom door on my way to make dinner.  It took some effort on my part to remember to take a deep breath and relax.  All I can say is, thank goodness for plungers! 




Of course, once I got over my initial shock at the boy's toilet paper experimentation, the only natural thing to do was to laugh...and grab the camera, of course!  You can tell by the change in his expression that  Mommy lightened up a bit.  Still, I think we've learned a valuable lesson at our house:  Toilet paper stays off the roll for the foreseeable future!  To his credit, at least he's not scared to flush the toilet.  That is one potty training hurdle we will not have to overcome!

 
           

   

Beautiful Boy!

It's been a long time since I've written an update about our little man, which is exactly what he's become!  Our house is a joyful whirlwind most of the time these days.  He's 22 months old today.  That means he will turn two in exactly two months.  That is crazy to me, where has the time gone??

His is a smart little guy...and funny too!  The other day, we were sitting in the car waiting for M. to come out of work.  C. was about 1/2 way through the apple he was eating when he handed it to me, seeds exposed, and said, "Ewwww Mommy, poop! Yucky!"  Needless to say, he wouldn't eat any more of the apple after that.  lol



One day last week, I was standing at the kitchen sink doing dishes when it suddenly dawned on me that I was talking to C. at eye level.  Little stinker had emptied out one of his toy baskets and pulled it over to the counter when I wasn't looking.  He wants so badly to be like us and to do everything we do, it's quite endearing and also quite frightening.  He has such a mischievous, playful personality...sometimes it seems that he almost enjoys getting into trouble.  Speaking of, we've started (loosely) using time outs lately and they seem to be working.  We try only to put him in a time out when he is hurting someone or himself or for the worst infractions of him not listening to our requests.  He really hates being excluded from the action & doesn't enjoy being ignored so this method of redirection is effective for him.  One minute can seem like a long time when your little boy is crying as if heartbroken.  Ahem.  Yes, I daresay someone has his parents pretty much where he wants them.

He's very interested in how things work these days.  He loves opening/closing things any time he gets a chance.  Doors, jars, bottles, cabinets, drawers...you name it.  Zippers and buttons fascinate him right now too but they sometimes also frustrate him when he isn't successful.  Speaking of frustration, that happens semi-often too these days, although it's getting better.  We've been working with him to get him to say, "Help Mommy" or, "Help Daddy" when he's frustrated, instead of throwing a fit.  We're getting there but sometimes he forgets, especially when  he's hungry or tired.  


Really, every day with him is something new.  I'm continually amazed at all he learns and all he can do...I absolutely love hearing his little voice as he learns new words and phrases.  I'm not sure where he even picked it up but today it was, "Oh dea!" repeated time and again, followed by peals of laughter.  For some reason, that really struck his funny bone.  We repeated it for him countless times just to hear that contagious laugh of his.  He's getting pretty good at communicating these days.  He regularly speaks in 3-5 word sentences & will usually tell us exactly what he wants.  Today I was playing "tick-tock" with him as I swung him back & forth.  When I stopped he said, "Mo, Mommy.  Mo ick ock!"  I obliged, of course!  He loves to count too and will often count when we go up and down steps or when I'm giving him goldfish.  He can count to ten & usually does so successfully but sometimes it's, "1...2...3...4... 5...6...7...4...5...6...7...8...9...10."  He also knows the names of all his characters in both Thomas the Train & Bob the Builder.  He is often heard running around the house talking about "Weasle Teeen, Pecy, Thomeees, Aewy, Buwt, Deisyy, Bob a Biwdew and so on..."

Earlier this week he learned the word okay but he pronounces it "hoakey."  He will excitedly say, "Mommy, I waaaa wach weasle teeen!" (which comes out sounding like one big run-on word) and before I can even answer it's, "Hoakey Mommy!" over and over.  Pretty much if he wants us to say, "Okay Charlie" to him he's excitedly chanting his version to us.  He also uses okay in the other correct context.  For example, last night as we were lying on the bed he pulled my hair.  Then, ever so gingerly, he leaned over and in the sweetest toddler voice you can imagine said, "Hoakey Mommy?"  Needless to say, I didn't get too mad at him for not being nice to mommy.  :)    

Obviously I could go on and on about this little person.  He is pure joy to me; wrapped up in a sweet, cute, mischievous, sometimes stinky, often sticky, but always lovable bundle of 100% boy!  Every time I have the thought that I couldn't possibly love him more, a new day dawns and I am once again amazed by the depths of my emotions for our precious little man.  

 
           

   

Christmas Joy

I'm pretty sure it doesn't get a whole lot better than this! Festive decorations, amazing family, toddler wonderment, great food, awesome gifts, and Daddy's birthday celebration to top it off. Merry Christmas, Everyone!!

 

 
            

1000 Words

You know that old saying about a picture being worth a thousand words?  Well I think it's true around this time of year more than any other.  Gone are the days of old fashioned Christmas cards that were the holders of carefully cut school pictures of the children.  While those were great in their own way, I would always end up keeping the pictures on my fridge for a few months and then covering them up with more current fridge-fluff.  These days, old fashioned holiday cards have been replaced by an even better treasure, a card that IS a picture!  Anyone who knows me, or who has followed this blog for any length of time knows that I love pictures.  I love taking pictures, looking at pictures, giving photo gifts and especially receiving photo cards from friends and family!  In December with the cards begin rolling in, I love the way my hutch looks, all decorated with the beautiful faces of friends and family, shining out from the cards they send. 

In my opinion, Shutterfly is the ultimate holiday greeting card provider.  Not only do they have promos and specials that run throughout the year, they also have great deals for the holidays.  Their user-friendly interface makes selecting and designing the perfect photo card a snap.  With Shutterfly at your fingertips, you can send cards that are worth a thousand words this holiday season!  Check out the one I love most, I can't wait to design this with my own photos and send it out to everyone on my list this year.  The whole process is exciting to me!  Now that we are a family of three, it is so thrilling to be able to send the kind of updates I always love to receive.  Having a beautiful baby boy makes meaningful gift giving that much easier.  I know his family in Scotland will LOVE to receive the photo calendars I plan to create for them this year.  Check out Shutterfly’s great selection along with this really cool promotion, especially for fellow bloggers.

 

Another Blogging Buddy

This past Wednesday, I had a chance to meet up with Wendy and her daughter, Zoe.  Wendy's blog is one I've been following for quite a while now, throughout their adoption journey and into the beautiful family life they have now.  There's something so remarkable about getting to physically meet someone who, for all intents and purposes, you already know really well.  There is a transformation that happens throughout the adoption process, and when that 's shared through writing, there is a kinship that is unparalleled in other encounters.  Wendy and I talked about the fact that, even though our IRL friends do mean well and do try to understand, there is just something about the world of adoption that they can't break into without having experienced it first hand.  It's comforting to spend time around other people--other moms--who don't have the same questions and misconceptions that are all too prevalent in so many other situations.  We had a great day, hanging out at the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum and then enjoying lunch at Zingerman's Delicatessen, followed by lots of great conversation while we waited out the afternoons' torrential downpours to subside.

We had a great day and considering we were accompanied by two little ones, we were able to talk quite a bit while the babies played or sat in our laps.  Great times!  

 

 

A Trip to #2 Hippo Way

When Charlie was born, one of the very best gifts we received was a season pass to the Toledo Zoo.  This zoo is amazing...it's apparently one of the top ten zoos in the country.  It's an easy day trip for us since it's not very far from home. 







The pictures you see here are some of my favorite photos from each of the two times we've taken Charlie there so far.  The first time was on a fluke warm day back in November.  He was only about six months old at the time and I can't believe he was ever that small!

The second was just this past weekend.  He had such a blast, running around ALL over the place and exploring the new neighborhood play space they have just for kids.  Great times!

 

A Grand Day Out!

Yesterday was a special day for Charlie and me.  Rebekah and I, along with our baby boys, drove to Grand Rapids, where we met up with BB and her little one for an afternoon of fun at the Frederik Meijer Sculpture Gardens. We spent the majority of our time in the super cool Children's Garden they have there.   

It was so amazing to have all of our sweet little miracle babies together in one spot.  These two girls were some of the first I ever started following here on the blog and their stories and support have been both an inspiration and a safety net for me throughout mine.  Another adoptive mom put it very well when she said, "It's wonderful to actually meet with those people who've supported us through our journeys. It's a beautiful thing."  I couldn't agree more and I'm very thankful for having had the opportunity to move my relationship with these amazing women beyond the blogosphere.  I've said it before but it's worth repeating, I'm really not sure how I would have survived our adoption journey without this blog and the genuine connections it has forged.  So fascinating to me that 15 years (or so) ago this sort of thing never would have or could have happened.  And at the same time it feels completely natural, I feel like they've been my friends forever.  There's something so comforting about being in the company of people who just get it...people who have traveled down very similar roads to ours and consequently don't need any explanations for how beautiful and yet how complicated being an adoptive mom can be at times.  

Since I'm clearly at the risk of rambling on even further, I'll conclude with some of the best photos from the day.  We had a great time!