July the 4th!!

We had a fun fourth of July. We started the weekend by going to the Rockies game. It was a beautiful night and the game was quick and the Rockies won! We also got to watch fireworks. We then went to lake on Sunday,Adam and Alex loved going out on the boat. Adam loved tubing and Alex and I liked it until we went into the water and it was freezing!!! There were lots of boats on the water, so tubing was a bit crazy. We sat on the boat in a beautiful part of the lake and enjoyed the day. We left around two thinking Adam had too much sun and it ended up that he was getting a virus. He ended up sick the entire next week and ran a really high fever. Luckily the rest of us did not catch it.

Summertime!

We have had a busy and fun summer. The boys have spent lots of time together and they have enjoyed their time together. it is hard to believe that Alex has been here almost a year! He is speaking really well and even his "S" are coming. He asked me very clearly,"Are you and Daddy sharing that ice cream?" Lots of progress in all departments. He is getting the idea that we go places and come home.

Mother's Day

I think back to a year ago when we had met Alex but could not get the information of what paperwork would be required to bring him home. It was so frustrating and the emptiness that was there due to having a child that you had met and fell in love with and yet not being able to bring him home was unbearable.
But....We are home and all that is in the past and what a Mother's Day!!!! It was so much fun just being able to relax and enjoy! We had gone to dinner the night before and Alex was actually comfortable sitting at the restaurant and eating dinner! That is a major accomplishment. We usually have about 5 trips to the bathroom and up and down all over the place and after He is finished eating he is ready to jump down and run outside. So to have a calm and enjoyable dinner out was nice!
We then enjoyed the day at home and had a wonderful BBQ........Dad and Adam had gone out and brought home flowers and steaks and even desert!!!!We had a wonderful day. We ended it by going for a nice walk and just relaxing!!!!!!
Mother's Day used to be the hardest day for me. When I couldn't have children, it was a very difficult day. I feel so blessed by getting the opportunity to be a Mom to two wonderful boys!!!!
My heart still goes out to those who have tried and have not been able to experience the joys of motherhood.....There will always be a soft spot in my heart for all those ladies!!!!!

Early Spring

It has been 8 months and the time is flying by. Alex gets more and more comfortable with home and the fact that he is a member of our family. Most of the time this guy is a happy little guy. He likes to play outside and loves to play with the dogs,Tanner and Dusty.He has learned that if something isn't to his liking that he can throw a little fit. We usually can laugh it off and tell him he looks like a chicken when he puts his arms up like chicken wings and gives you a big time pout. But sometimes it goes over the edge....like in a restaurant where he knows he can get the attention of everyone in the restaurant. We have learned never to take him anywhere if he is tired.......Or be prepared to deal with a major show wherever we decide to go.

He is persistent.

The bedtime ritual has gotten so much better. He sleeps in his bed and then whenever he wants to come to ours....he comes down and climbs on our couch or in bed with us. We no longer have all the screaming....... or the tantrums.......Life has its blessings!

Alex is very athletic and active....He is also starting to ease up about..."Where are we going" "What are we doing?" The 100 times a day questions has gone to a few times a day! That is good news. The indiscriminate affection thing is going away also. He is doing so much better by those standards.

Alex loves Bikes and Trikes!

Here are some fun pictures of Alex learning to ride all kinds of bikes and trikes!

Everday Things

Valentines Day

Valentines Day

Valentines Day

Super Bowl

We have had a nice few weeks. Alex is starting to talk all the time and to make all kinds of noises. He is so much more talkative and outgoing than we thought he might be. It makes you realize how scared and shy he was when we first met him. He loves to help us do everything around the house. He loves to follow Adam around and to sleep with Adam when Adam goes to bed.
Last Friday Adam and Alex were playing outside and they had binnoculars and a listening device and they were acting like spies.....It was too cute. Alex has the binnoculars backwards but feels he is doing exactly what he should be doing! he acts like such a big guy.
He does really well with transistions....which is a big step. He still gets totally overwhelmed sometimes by being overstimulated. At those moments ...he just spins out of control. They are few and far between.....which is nice. Usually it is when he is in a big warehouse type store....or when he is over tired. I have found that naps really help. We don't have to drive around anymore...we can just nap at home.

So we are making progress and we laugh at all the little things he says.It is fun having him around. When he wants to put chap stick on...He says"Yipp on?" He says "Mommy just Wookin"

when he looks at something. And when he wants to do something he says"YI DO IT!" We laugh a bunch.......

Here are some pictures of Valentines Day and different activities.

One Year Today

One year ago we had the opportunity to hold Alex for the first time. We had him in our hearts from the 5th of December.....but we actually where in Russia and got the chance to go to the Orphanage and meet him and play with him. So many emotions and so much joy....yet so much sadness knowing we had to leave him behind,while we completed the final paperwork. What should have been three months turned into 6 months and it was a very hard time for us to wait knowing he was over there wondering why he was still there.

After being home 6 months, It is amazing how far we have come. The language barrier goes away and it is so much easier to explain what is going on and why things happen. The bonding process is going well. His big issues are eye contact (which means he still struggles with trust) and indiscriminate affection towards people. (An orphanage issue, that comes from seeing every adult as an opportunity for love.)

I have a new book coming today.....Parenting the Hurt child.........I read the Adopting the hurt child.....which is an awesome resource.

Each day is a new adventure.....For the most part, It is going really well. To watch the bonding process is really remarkable. To see Alex's comfort level grow daily is rewarding.Here are some recent photos of Valentines Day. He has really learned to love holidays!!!!