Meet and Greet

Cake courtesy of Cousin Aubrey! Thank you!!

We are visiting my parents now and so many people wanted to meet Abel that they hosted an open house. We saw lots of family and friends, and made some new friends, too. Several people who I didn't know, but know my parents from church and work had been getting updates on and praying for baby Abel throughout our process. We were so happy that they stopped by to meet and greet the wonder boy.

I was a little worried about how he would handle the full house, but he did really well. He 'tells' me when he needs a people break and we spend some time alone and he gets kind of recharged again.

Trying (trying!) for a good family photo...
We are really spoiled here with the first-time grandparents. Check out the boy in his brand new swing...

We are having such a good time at Grandma and Grandpa's house that we are staying an extra day!

Oh boy. I'm in trouble.

This boy wants to crawl. Remind me again why I am encouraging this??

Okay, this is not the best example of his work, but I just think it's funny how he takes a 'finger break'.

(Please pay no attention to my dirty floor... I promise I will clean them before the social worker comes on Wednesday!)

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Proud of his accomplishments...

I think he's really jonesing for those fingers here...

Abel, Abel, the Wonder Boy

This kid is too much.

Tonight he just could not contain the laughter. At himself.

He was not tired, even after eating a HUGE amount of rice cereal. I got him ready for bed... in only a diaper and a too small wrap-around shirt that kept coming up over his enormous gut. He just rolled around on the floor in this get-up for an hour and a half laughing and speaking his dolphin language.

Finally, I thought it was time for bed, so I gave him a bottle. For about two seconds he acted like he was going to fall asleep, then he started cracking himself up again (I'm pretty sure it was the sight of his stomach) for another half hour.

Then, he rolled himself off my lap and onto the couch, flopped over and found his (empty) bottle, took off the cap, grabbed it with both hands and brought it to his lips. He didn't even attempt to suck--he knew it was empty... he just looked straight at me, raised his eyebrows, and smiled. At least he is making his wishes known!

I cannot for the life of me remember what I used to do on Friday nights for entertainment.

Learning Each Other

Abel and I have known each other for exactly 2.5 weeks. I still can't believe it. Was he ever not here?

We have spent many hours of our first week in Chicago just staring in each other's faces and cooing. A friend of mine was joking and said, "So do you just sit and stare at him all day?" Yep, pretty much. Oh, we have done lots of other things... doctor's appt (16 lbs!!!), lunch with friends, the zoo, shopping, visits to work, etc... but every day has several hours of the staring and cooing. :)

I find myself forgetting, then remembering again that he's here and just can't believe how incredibly lucky I am to have him in my life... in the flesh!

Here are some things I've learned about Abel in our time together...

1. He HATES to be bathed. Even a quick wipe down with a warm washcloth brings on the tears. Thank God for this (thanks, Auntie Joc!) and these which have been a total life saver, considering the kid's constant boogie nose. (I recommend Grape flavor which leaves his nose smelling and tasting like a Jolly Rancher... as if I needed more reasons to kiss on those sweet cheeks!)

2. He has started making this high-pitched 'Squeeeee!' that I swear can only be fully heard by dogs and dolphins. Every time he does it, he cracks himself up. Every time.

3. He loves anything that beeps or squeaks.

4. He is ohhh so close to crawling. He gets where he wants to go with a combo of repeated rolling, lunging forward and kicking off whatever is in his path. Earlier I left him on a blanket in the living room by the window only to return to the room minutes later to find him by the TV with a Netf1ix envelope ripped to shreds and slobber-fied. Hmmm... either he and the cat are in kahoots or the kid is on the move!

5. He wants so badly to be independent and hates to be restrained. He'll deal with the stroller or car seat for a while, but when he's done, he's done and he lets me know.

6. Re: letting me know. Gone is the quiet boy from Ethiopia. Let's just say he's found his voice! Of course the only time he gets close to saying 'mama' it's while crying really hard. "Mnaaaaaaaaa! Mnaaaaaaaaa!" It breaks my heart. :(

7. His favorite song is "Take me to Jamaica" by Ziggy Marley. He never fails to smile and attempt to sing along to this tune.

8. Although there are no nubs to speak of at the moment, teeth are on their way. Seriously, this drool can't be for nothing, right? And he takes every opportunity to gum what's in front of him.

9. Apparently, the most hilarious sound is "Nguh." Who knew?

10. His nose is double-jointed. Okay, I'm sure that's not actually possible, but I have never seen a nose crinkle like this one's. When he laughs or cries really hard, I swear it might break off!

Here are some things I've learned about myself...

1. I cannot stand to hear my boy cry. It's getting better, but that first bath in Ethiopia had me fighting back tears just as hard as he was crying.

2. I never thought I would be the one with all the baby 'gear'. It's ugly, obnoxious, and why does a tiny baby need so much stuff?? Right. Bought the most obnoxious ExerSa4uc3r the first day we were back. Seriously, if I want to shower, I need the gear. No regrets.

3. I don't care about my Blackb3rry any more. At all.

4. I love being a mom even more than I thought I would.

5. I have no idea how I ever got through a day without seeing his smile.

Photo credit to Yitayal!

Travels

Photos of my travels to Sidama.

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A day of firsts.

Abel was a busy guy today.

His first walk around the neighborhood.

First stroller ride (if you don't count the Frankfurt airport).

First time on the swings at the park.

First dining out experience in the Loop.

First time rescuing a friend who locked herself out.

First time helping a lost dog find his owner.

And first time eating solid food...

And, yes, I am trying to wear him out so he'll sleep through his jet lag! :)

Family.

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