Sunday, August 24, 2008

FIRSTS!

I forgot to include the FIRSTS in our family over the last few weeks.

First off, Nico learned how to blow bubbles with bubble gum while I was on the pick up trip. I have great pictures to scrapbook of him blowing a bubble.

Luca cut his first tooth at home. It was tooth number 7 for him. He was fussy, drooling, and running a fever, but he came through like a trooper. What adjustments to go through!

While Luca is growing in his tooth, Nico is losing his. He has several loose ones, but one lower one is getting very wiggly!

Luca got to see the Air-Evac helicopter up close. Daddy was the pilot. We watched him land at a back-to-school PR event and then take off again. Luca enjoyed seeing the helicopter and the photo is of him pointing at it as it flies over head. He has yet to fly in Daddy's personal helicopter as Nico is fighting him for the seat....Nico has taken over my seat, but I need to hold Luca while we fly...so Nico is not too happy about someone else moving in on his territory.

Brian is going back to high school instead of being homeschooled. This isn't a first, but needed to add something exciting about Brian. Best wishes to Brian for a successful semester! Sounds like I'll be tutoring chemistry with him too. (I will miss having Brian home doing lessons with us, but it is what he wants to do and he says he will work hard and prove himself)....GO BRIAN! I love you!

Adjusting Well

Things are going well here. Luca is adjusting well. He is sleeping through the night, from 8pm to about 7:30am (give or take a half hour). It works for me!!! He does not know what a nap is, unless he is laying down with me or in his car seat. He is always in such good spirits I have a hard time pushing for the naps right now. But will start on that soon, as homeschooling kicks in full force on September 2. Although he has been hanging out with us now while we do lessons, it just interrupts our flow at times, but we are all adjusting well. Nico and Brian love him and Luca responds well to them.

He is starting to play and interact with us more. He is really starting to show his personality. He will do something, like tonight, banging on his high chair, and then start laughing. He knows he is being a stinker when he turns off the TV and then runs away laughing. It is hard not to laugh at him, but he is so darn cute.

We are constantly saying NO - but doesn't seem to affect him, he still hits those buttons and investigates all he can. He is a BUSY little boy....but a joy! I watched him for 5 mintues trying to put a tinker toy rod into a tinker toy wheel hole. He figured it out and was OH SO PROUD OF HIMSELF. He imitates OH NO and will drop things just to put his hands up to his head. He doesn't yet say oh no, but makes the gestures. He says MAMA and DADA appropriately.

He is quite demanding and must have been given anything he wanted. I am working on getting him to 'ask nicely' for more food, instead of screaming for it.

What a joy my boys are. I can't believe I am down to only two more months off of work!

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Update

Sorry it has taken so long for an update. I have been enjoying my free time with the kids so much it is hard to sit down and spend time on the computer. I finally downloaded some photos here to the blog.

Luca is settling in nicely. The only issues we have are really the whole sleeping thing, but really I can't complain. He was going to sleep in my arms with a bottle, then sleeping in his crib for 3 hours, awake, needed to be held for about a half hour, back to bed for another 3 hours, held and given a bottle, then back to bed for another 2-3 hours. The last couple nights I was mean and let him basically finish crying himself to sleep. Two nights ago he fell asleep standing up at his crib side. I peeked in when it was quiet and freaked out thinking he hurt himself so went in and he woke up. After about another half hour of him crying without tears, I went in, gave him a little water in a bottle and he fell asleep in my arms. I then laid him in bed. He slept until 3 am that night. Then last night he cried and whimpered for an hour, falling asleep standing up, then waking up as his legs started to buckle. I laid him down, patted his belly, and sound asleep until 6am. We then snuggled on the couch with a bottle, both of us falling asleep, until 8:30am when Daddy came home from work.

Nico and Brian have been great helpers. Luca loves to have Brian hold him and Brian is good at calming him when I walk out of the room and Luca cries. Nico loves his brother so much. He is always hugging him and informs me when he has a dirty diaper (but refuses to help change :-).
Luca gives kisses and hugs already. He will go up to Nico and lean in basically giving him a kiss, but then ends up as a head butt to Nico, because Nico hates other people's slobber on him, thus not liking those open mouthed, drooly, kisses.

Luca has done fine with the big dog Petey and the three kittys. They have also done fine with him.

Luca is eating well, playing well, and just a joy to have in the house. His facial expressions are so great. The joy of discovery is so fun to watch. I remember when Nico came home and fell in the grass. He freaked out and for several days would not touch the grass with his hands to get himself up, he would sit and cry. Luca on the other hand, stood there for a while looking around and trying to walk through the grass. He leaned down, touched it, and laughed. He has continued to pull the grass and let it fall through his fingers and fling it around while laughing. The simple things in life we take for granted! It makes me appreciate every moment I have with my children that much more.

He takes to everyone without crying and throwing fits. Tonight we went to the last outdoor concert of the season and he met many family members again. He went to all of them without any problems. He loved Uncle Vince (or rather his ice cream he was feeding him ;-)

I will end this now and update more as time goes on. He is a joy and we are all doing well. He has so much to discover and so do we. God works in mysterious ways and his ways have brought these three special children to me. Life would not be the same without them and I would be very lonely without them in my life.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Embassy Appt. A Success!

We made it through the Embassy appointment. I was up most of the night afraid I would over sleep or miss my wake up call. Luca is napping now. I lay there for an hour and dozed off briefly but there is still much running through my mind. Tomorrow I will get the Visa at 3:30pm and then we have to catch our plan early Thursday. I will be so much more relieved once I get on that plane heading to St. Louis. Once I get home I will probably collapse!

I tried posting pictures here, but it is not being nice today. I'll post when I get home.

There were over 20 families there today! The facilitator said that is the most in a long time. I pray for all the other waiting families to get their baby's home soon!

Sunday, August 3, 2008

I made it!

I made it on time today to Guatemala. I was a little worried at first. We boarded the plane early in St. Louis due to the big storm that suddenly developed this morning at 8am, thinking we would depart early...nope, we had to wait out the storm. There was a lot of lightening. I am glad we waited, but only had an hour to get to my next plane in Houston. The crew told me if I missed the connecting flight then next one was full, but one was leaving at 7pm, getting to Houston near 10pm. Eek, I didn't want to get to Guatemala at 10pm, but I would have phoned the driver and had him pick me up. It wouldn't be worse than arriving to pick up Nico with the driver late and not having any telephone numbers to call anyone or knowing the address to the people I was staying with. But, it worked out fine. We were ready to taxi when the storm passed as we were all on board and we made it to Houston 5 minutes early. So....I made it.

Okay, I guess you don't really care about all of that. The translator, FM, and Luca met me at 3pm. I felt so bad for the foster mom, she loves him so much. She gave me her address and emails so I can send her pictures. I was happy for that. She was a wonderful mother to him and gave him a great start in his life.

Needless to say, he is doing super!!!!! We have met many friends here at the hotel who are also going to Embassy on Tuesday. I have been chatting with a few of them on the Guatemala_adoption yahoo group. It's like you know all about them and can now put a face to them.

It looks like all my paperwork is in order. The facilitator (translator) is picking me up Tuesday morning at 6:30am! We are number 12 so she expects us to be out of there by 10am. Then we are done for the day. I return on Wednesday at 3pm to pick up the visa and then we are free to go. So earlllllly Thursday we are out of here!

We may venture to the Zoo tomorrow if some other families are going. It would be fun to have pictures of him with other kids at the zoo. It is close and it is cheap. It is the rainy season here so we never know what the weather will be like. It rained all afternoon and was actually chilly outside (well, chilly for me, anyone else it probably felt good). I am used to the 100 degree heat at home. If not, we might just hang out at the pool tomorrow.

He is sleeping peacefully now at 8pm. We'll see how long he stays asleep. FM said he goes to bed at 10pm there and wakes at 5am for a bottle, then back to sleep until 8:30am. I like the 8:30 part, but 10pm is a bit late. We'll fix that once we get home and adjusted to a routine.

The FM did not cut his hair. Everyone loves his curls. He is just the cutest little chub. I could cuddle with him all day.

Michael and Nico went to the boat races today. It was guys day out....Nico kept telling me it was the guys week. They were hanging with grandpa, Uncle Vince, Uncle Vern, and my cousin David. Not sure if Uncle Doug was there. Definitely not lacking in the male role models in his life. Luca will be just as popular and loving I'm sure.

Okay, signing off for now.