Summer Fun

You wish you were this cool.

A boy and his shadow.

Pooped at the park.

True feelings about the G1lmor3 Girls.

We are soooo excited to see our good buddies at the

EAKC Heritage Camp this weekend and beyond! Are you going??

Sick Day -- The Sequel

Well, I got paid back for making my little guy watch videos all day when I was sick.

Today, I was supposed to be on this...

...with 20 fabulous gal-pals boozing it up in honor of my dear friend who is getting hitched soon.

Instead, I am home with my sick boy. He had a horrible night, which culminated in a blazing hot fever this morning. He's feeling better now, but still hot and still not himself. Just couldn't convince myself (no matter HOW hard I tried) that it would be a good idea to be without cell phone reception, three hours away on Lake Michigan during the boy's first real sickness since being home. So, here we are. Believe me, I have occasionally gazed out the window at the glorious blue skies and mild temperatures today, imagining myself lounging on the deck of that fabulous boat. But, honestly, there is no place I would rather be than right here.

Here is the big boy (doesn't he look HUGE?!) holding his own bottle watching Ses*me Str{{t while I perfected my poached egg in the kitchen. What a trooper.

Sick Day

Okay, so in addition to Abel having a nasty runny nose (which I now believe was more associated with more (MORE!) teeth coming in than a virus), I had a pretty yucky stomach bug one day this week. (Details will be spared.)

I woke up about an hour before Abel sicker than I’ve been in a long time and I had, for the first time, this thought: “Holy crap. It’s just me and him. What was I thinking doing this on my own? What am I going to do with this kid while I am puking?”

It wasn’t a fun time, but we pulled it together and we got through the day--mostly thanks to a couple hours at day care which happens to be one block away from my apartment (holla!) and Abel’s intense love of his baby signing video which he watched on repeat play for an embarrassing amount of time.

Not saying we looked good (wow, did we not look good), but we survived...and I felt a little proud of getting through our first real sick day together.

S'not Funny

You know it's bad when you slip and fall in a puddle of your kid's snot and slobber. Ewww and poor baby!

What?

Two Months Home

We recently celebrated two months home, finally together as a family. If it’s possible, I do believe the kid gets cuter with every passing day. His personality is really emerging, which has been fun to watch. He is a clever, busy kid with a smile that lights up the room.

I spent some time looking back on the early photos of us together, both in Ethiopia and at home. It shocks me to see how fast he’s grown and to remember how I felt then, and how I am becoming more and more comfortable in this new role as Abel’s momma.

He is a joy. We have had our moments of nap-fighting tears with sharp elbows digging in to my chest, but those are the exceptions. We’re both new in our roles, and in this small family. But we’re both learning, and we’re both working hard. He makes me laugh every day. He makes me feel grateful every day.

I am continually amazed at his resilience and his zest for life. One of the things I’ve enjoyed most about being a parent is being the one to see his first moments in the morning. The child wakes up loving life and ready to face the day. You just can’t help but catch that contagious smile. Yes, believe it, I have been spotted smiling in the morning. Who knew? : -)

One of the surprises is the amount of time that I am forced to slow down. I was anticipating life as run-run-run busy, but have been pleasantly surprised to actually have more downtime. Because of Abel’s reflux, I hold him upright for 20-30 minutes after he takes a bottle. This has become my favorite time, especially right before bedtime. I rarely in my life have taken time to be still at the end of the day like this. I now look forward to this peaceful, thoughtful time all day long.

Some Abel facts at eight months old, and two months home-

-He now has FOUR teeth.

-He is ALL over the place. The other day he stood straight up from a sitting position and took a step. (I know, gasp!)

- He is eating some solids. He really loves sweet potatoes, carrots and pears. Every night he squishes his face up with the first bite. I think he forgets that he likes it. :)

-He still hates baths, but loves swimming. Umm, hello… it’s all water, kid.

-He has this toy that moves and talks. When it’s getting ready to turn itself off, it says “Buh-Bye”. It said it the other day and Abel promptly said, “Bye!” I have to hear it again to be sure it wasn’t a fluke, but WOW did I do a double take!

-He has gained four pounds (current weight: TWENTY POUNDS) and grown 1.5 inches since coming home. The jammies we took with us to Ethiopia no longer have to have the sleeves rolled. In fact, his big feet almost don’t fit them.

-He has stopped sucking his fingers after every bite of food. It’s done wonders for our after-meal clean ups!

-He still sucks those two fingers, but does it less frequently. I hope it’s a sign that he is feeling more secure and needing to self-soothe less and less.

-He is a very busy little guy. Even strangers make comments about how, err… active he is.

-The quiet, squeaky boy is no more. This one yells, squeals and blows raspberries with abandon!

-He has started singing himself to sleep and sometimes as he is falling asleep, he smiles a little. It kills me. Every time.

-He is extremely ticklish and has the best chuckle.

Enjoy some video of then and now. He is wearing the same shirt (thank you, Ruthanne [and I can only assume the talented Jill]. I will CRY when it doesn’t fit him anymore!)—note the thighs on this kid now!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Big day...follow up

Abel loves his day care. And, I love that he loves it.

The report today: No tears, two naps, lots of smiles.

Titi was surprised by how much Abel liked Salsa and Merengue Time. I'm not. The boy has been known to shake it at our home dance parties; he likes to move.

So, as easy as that... I'm okay. He's okay. There is no place I would rather he be, assuming it can't be with me. And that makes me really, really happy. I feel lucky.

And thank you for the messages, texts, and comments. Once again, this adoptive community proved itself as an amazing support!

And for your viewing pleasure, Sumo Abel takes his friend Y.

This was taken on a camera phone, but I think clearly captures the moment...Y's fear of the heavyweight with sharp, new teeth. This was his way of 'comforting' her after a dental procedure. LOL.