Happy Halloween

Halloween is one of our favorite holidays. We always decorate our house and love when the kids tell us that our house always is the scariest and looks the best! Kevin had his first Wizards game of the season so he missed out. I took JT out trick or treating with Justin, our neighbor, in tow. We didn't let the rain stop us. JT had the best time. He always said, "Trick or Treat" and waited patiently for his candy. He kept talking about how he was getting candy for his pumpkin. He doesn't really know what candy is but he knows what lollipops are! Luckily it wasn't towards the end that he saw a lollipop and asked me to open it. Seeing that is was Halloween, I let him have it. He actually sucked on it a few times and said he was, "All done." He wasn't afraid of any of the decoration and actually would go up to the skeletons in our yard and gave them hugs. I thought that was very nice of him! We got back home and we both handed out candy. He enjoyed helping. I put him to bed and after about 8:00pm we didn't have any other visitors. I think the rain kept people away. We had a great time.

Last week, we made a trip back to Cox Farms. We went with the Harrison family. JT and Gavin spent about an hour running up and going down the slide. They had a blast. JT saw his goat friends and when one was sleeping, JT very nicely told people to, "Shhh." We picked out pumpkins and carved one of the bigger ones. JT really didn't like carving the pumpkin, so I did it myself. Kevin reminded me that he never liked carving pumpkins either. I guess that job will left to me then.

JT has moved into his new "Big Boy" room and is sleeping on an air mattress. It is an animal safari room, filled with elephants, zebras and giraffes. He loves sit!

No new to report on the adoption process. Still waiting.......

Apple Picking

We continued our annual tradition of going apple picking with the Harrison family. It was a little rainy that day but that did not stop us from picking apples and eating the divine bread. JT and Gavin loved the bread as well. Gavin was very helpful as he would pull the branches down while he told JT to pick the apples. They were a great team. Jack joined along and practiced his walking skills that he has now mastered.
We threw apples at the pigs and luckily I came home with all ten fingers. I wanted to try to pet the pigs but there was a big mean one who wanted to take my hand off. Nicole begged for me to pet him and when I would try the pig would snort and try to attack. I was unsuccessful but maybe next year. Another fun day with the family!

Adoption Update: We are going on Thursday to redo our fingerprints. That's about it. Hopefully in the next few months we will have some exciting news to share.

The Summer's End (warning...lots of pictures)

I said all summer long that I would update this Blog and it just never happened. We had a lot of fun and kept busy. We started off with a trip to Rochester to visit Aunt Laura, Uncle Larry and cousins, Madeline, Sam and Olivia. Of course we saw Kevin's parents as well. We took a plane. This was not JT's first plane ride (we went to Rochester when he was 4 months old) but this would be the first one where he knew what was going on. He loved it. He kept busy by coloring and listening to music. I am sure the person in front of him didn't appreciate the fact that JT kept playing with the tray table, but at least JT wasn't crying or bothering anyone else!

For Father's Day we headed to The Reston Zoo. JT loved feeding the goats, riding the horse and watching the monkeys. We hope to make this an annual tradition.

At the end of June we headed to our annual beach trip at Ocean Isle. JT loved the beach and the sand. He spent most of his time sitting buried in the sand and throwing it in the air. He pretended to juggle it. ( Kevin showed JT how to juggle) He also enjoyed going in the water with Taliya and he liked wearing her pink goggles. My cousin Andrea I made the best discovery at Ocean Isle. It is called Sun Set Slush. We made a visit everyday and indulged in our slushies. They were divine. My cousins Mike and Patty and Meredith and I relived memories of when we were ten and made a trip to the water slides. It was as great as I remembered. We can't wait to go back next year.

Larry and Laura came back down to VA in July. The kids had a great time playing and blowing bubbles. The cousins love getting together. We went to the zoo in D.C. and I knew I should have never taken JT. He didn't have a nap that day but I really wanted to bring him. We took the Metro down and I can not even describe the fit he threw out of exhaustion. He fell asleep on the Metro and stayed asleep in his stroller for about an hour. When he woke up while at the zoo he was in a terrible mood. We didn't get home until 9:30pm. I learned my lesson to never do that again! We will try the zoo one morning before nap time!

Every Monday JT and I met Gavin and Nicole for our weekly yoga class. JT never did much but he liked the songs and enjoyed going to playground afterwards and having a picnic with his pals Gavin and Jack. We took a day to go raspberry picking but we spent most of our summer at the pool. JT started off being fearless and attempted drownings on many occasions. He did learn the pool "rules" and by the end of the summer he was jumping in, going under the water (which never bothered him) and could swim to the stairs or ladder from a few feet back. JT loved taking a shower at the pool. He would take a shower for 15-20 minutes after being in the pool. I think he liked the shower more than the pool!We will continue with lessons this winter and be back at again next summer.

JT's favorite babysitter Stephanie has headed off to college. We have found another great babysitter named Zalikah who lives in the neighborhood and she will be watching JT this year. JT will be heading to preschool next week. He will be there from 8:45am-11:45am and then Zalikah will picked him and bring home for lunch and for his nap. I am now working full time and teaching second grade. I have a great class but really do not enjoy working full time!

On the adoption front....We just resubmitted to get our fingerprints redone. (for some reason they think they have changed!) We are still hoping for a December referral (that is when we get a picture of our son and what ever information they have.) We take that information to a doctor who specializes in international adoption. After we accept the referral we should travel in 2-3 months. We are hoping to be on way to Ethiopia next Spring!

Enjoy the pictures.

Ode to JT. He turned 2 today!

Two years ago today, our little boy was under the warmer like a batch of french fries, as Kevin likes to say. JT was born after 23 hours of labor (I only felt about the first 10 hours), having pooped inside of me (which is bad for the baby), the cord around his neck, some breathing and some temperature issues. He was in and out of NICU his first day but was just fine. I had watched many hours of emergency births on the Discovery Channel, so while Estelle was being nervous, I figured he was just fine and he was. After seeing all those shows (babies born at 26 weeks, multiple births and emergency C-sections) a little poop and some slight breathing issues were nothing.

JT was greeted by his dogs Mia, Zeus and Tzeli. They loved him right away. He loves them too! We had to put Miss Mia to sleep when he was 6 weeks old. But to this day, he walks around with her picture and will kiss her memorial stone every time he heads to the back yard. I will never let him forget her!

JT has spent the last two years learning how to swim, walk, talk, play soccer, going to the Little Gym, taking Yoga and most importantly making friends. His favorites so far are Gavin and Jack. He also spends a lot of time with Parker and Darden. He enjoys Lauren, Christopher, Evelyn, Grant, AnnMarie and Thomas in the neighborhood. He also loves our neighbors Lisa and Justin.

JT had his birthday party this past Saturday. He enjoyed his friends and while we were suppose to be getting ready to do the cake, all the kids decided it was pool time. So we took the cake outdoors. We sang quickly, he pretended to blow out the candle and then they were all back in the pool. He opened his gifts and then took a three hour nap. Whether or not he realized everyone was there for him, he had a great time.

We celebrated tonight with Nicole, Mike, Gavin and Jack with some pizza and Cold Stone ice cream. Gavin led us in a song of Happy Birthday, while JT stared at him and ate his ice cream!

JT has been a very good boy. We love being greeted each morning with a "Hi" as we enter his room each day. He dances and sings for us, kisses the dogs on command, he will even kiss them on the lips. It doesn't get any better than that!

Hopefully next year at this time, JT can celebrate his 3rd birthday with his new brother!

A Day With Thomas and Bubbe Joyce Comes to Visit

We spent the day today with Thomas the Train in Baltimore. We met Nicole, Mike, Heather, Bobby and of course their kids up there. We all had a good time. The kids enjoyed themselves and we ended the day with a real train ride. The kids also got to ride on a little train by themselves. I guess this could be considered JT's first amusement ride and he did it all by himself. He enjoyed looking back at Gavin and eating his snack. I think JT's favorite thing was getting a stamp on his hand. He looked at it all day and kept saying, "Thomas." He was a good boy in the car and came home and had a nice nap.

Last week Joyce came in for a visit. She got to spend some quality time with JT and Zeus. She joined us for a Yoga class that I have been taking with JT. If you are wondering.....No, JT never does the Yoga. He walks around or runs and stares at people. But it gives me something to do with him and Nicole and Gavin are there as well. Joyce also got to see first hand what a great dad JT will be. JT's friend Lauren gave him her baby doll and he loves it. He carries it around all the time. He will even share his waffles with her. Joyce and Zeus really bonded on this trip. She even kissed him on the lips before she left! We are so proud of her. We will be back to see Joyce at the end of May when we fly up to Rochester. It will be JT's second plane ride but the first he will actually be able to enjoy. We will see how he does!

No news with the adoption. We actually had to get another form sent in with a state seal on it. We did it and it's in. So.....we keep on waiting!

Ladies and Gentlemen

Today we went to the circus. I think I had only been to the circus once and that was well over 20 years ago, make that 30 years for Kevin! We weren't too sure how JT would do. It's dark, loud and you have to sit still for 2 hours and 20 minutes. JT did have his own seat and starting off sitting on Kevin's lap. He loved the music at the beginning and then everything got very loud. JT started crying. He was really scared. He wanted to sit with me, cried for a few minutes and then was mesmerized by the whole thing. Nicole and Gavin joined us while Mike and Jack parked the car. When Mike came in, Jack started crying. Kevin, Mike and Jack left and Kevin had a great idea to help Jack with the loud noise. (see picture below)

The boys did great. They loved the circus and sat still the whole time while on our laps. (except for the 10 seconds that I took a picture)We had a picnic dinner on the lobby floor, while we enjoyed our funnel fries. That would be like funnel cake, but made into fries. Great idea! They are much easier to eat that way. We saw the tigers, the motorcycles in the ball (which I think is so neat and dangerous!) men on stilts and the best part was the elephants. By this point, I couldn't find the camera so I have no pictures to show. We will get those next year. We couldn't believe how well JT did. He usually can't sit still for more than 5 minutes. Now we know it is possible. I guess we just need some elephants and tigers laying around.

The Monkey Man

A few years ago, well more like 8 years ago, I purchased 2 Anoles (little lizards) at the Super Pet Expo. This is held every year at the Dulles Expo Center. Meredith actually purchased 2 ferrets at the same time but ended up returning them after realizing nothing compares to her Scoutty Momma. I mentioned to Kevin that we should go this year. They have dog rescue groups and people can bring their dogs and I knew JT would love it.

This morning when I got up, I thought I would just check out the event online and see what was going to be there. When I saw that "The Monkey Man" would be out and at 11am, I had flash backs of my younger years at Myrtle Beach. Oh, the memories. It would be night time in Myrtle Beach at the Pavilion. The smell of funnel cake and cotton candy and the sounds of my cousin Michael yelling, while going round and round on the swings. I never went on the "scary" rides, so I waited at the gates where people would exit after riding the rides. Then I would see "The Monkey Man." I would give the monkey a dollar bill and the monkey would grab it. He would shake my hand. Then I got a Polaroid of the monkey. I still have one in my photo album. Being the great mom I am, I would only want the same experience for my son! I yelled for Kevin to get dressed and we were off to the Pet Expo!

When we got there, JT was overwhelmed with all the dogs. We stopped at the Great Dane rescue. JT thought the black and white spotted ones were cows. He gave a few of the dogs a kiss and we moved on towards the back where "The Monkey Man" was suppose to be. I saw a man who had on a top hat, funny colored looking shoes and he looked half clown, half magician. On his shoulder was the monkey. She was a cute little thing, with a diaper on and a clown suit. I had JT and he loved when the man pulled out his ukulele. He sang a song and as soon as he finished JT said, "More, More." Well, the "Monkey Man" doesn't sing on command like we do at home! When I explained to JT that he was going to do some magic tricks, JT threw a fit. Kevin removed himself with JT and walked around. I stayed and enjoyed the magic and could hear the screaming, of an almost 2 year old, in the background. I too removed myself to help Kevin. We sat in the corner while I restrained my child for about 20 minutes. And no, I didn't accidentally type in an extra "0", that was 20 minutes! It really didn't bother me too much. It was very noisy and there were lots of barking dogs, so I really don't think many people even noticed. I did break out into a little bit of sweat but the stress level wasn't as high as I thought it would be!

After JT's tantrum, we made it back to "The Monkey Man." I gave the monkey my dollar bill. She gave me a hand shake and kissed my nose! I then got my picture with her from Kevin's cell phone. Then JT got to do it. It didn't phase him at all that it was a monkey. For all we know, he probably thought it was small dog. Then he and Kevin got their picture. I was so happy for JT, even though he didn't really care. He will in years to come. It made my day! (BTW the monkey's names was Janga)

JT in Concert

Take a few minutes out of your day to enjoy some tambourine playing at it's best. Here is one of JT's favorite songs. He has become quite the tambourine player in his day. We were getting ready for bed and that is why he has no diaper on. He said, "On" which means he would like to listen to "his" song. He got out his tambourine and went to work. He seemed really into it so we grabbed the video camera. We didn't want to distract him and put pants on, so he played in the flesh. Please excuse the brief nudity.

He played right on beat (shown wonderfully at about 6 minutes through the video), threw his hands up at the appropriate times and even kissed his audience when Phil did (about 5 minutes and 45 seconds through he video). Watch closely. This is about 8 minutes long but we think you will enjoy it.

You will need to go to the bottom of the page and turn off the music. This way you will be able to hear the music in the video.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Why?

Why Adopt? And why from Ethiopia?
Many people have asked us these questions. It's simple:

-One in ten children die before their first birthday.
-One in six children die before their fifth birthday.
-44% of the population of Ethiopia is under 15 years old
-Half the children in Ethiopia will never attend school.
-88% will never attend secondary school.
-Ethiopia’s doctor to children ratio is 1 to 24,000.
-Ethiopia has approx. 4.3 million orphans and the country is twice the size of Texas.
-Per capita, Ethiopia receives less aid than any country in Africa..

Finally Some Snow-Our Little Man Is "Cooking"

Last year we never got any snow. We got some ice but JT never got to have a "real" snow day to go and play and put on a snow suit. I guess his snow suit from last year will be for our next little man. So, it finally snowed. It only took us 45 minutes to get JT ready to head outside! I was sweating to death. JT was consumed with playing with his chainsaw that Gavin gave him.

We put JT on the flying saucer and pulled him with a tow rope. He loved it. All the neighborhood kids were at the top of the hill sliding down. I really wish JT could have gone out there with all the big kids. I have the best memories of playing in the snow with Jenny and Francesca in Cinnamon Creek. We had a hill that we called "Kill Hill." Jenny's dog Duke would chase after us and try to take our hats off. We always had to stop short before hitting the trees at the bottom. Estelle told me not go on that hill several times because she thought it was too dangerous but I would lie about not going and go anyway. The good news is that I am still alive and well and hitting a few trees never did much harm. I hope JT and our other little man have such great memories when they get older.

As for the adoption....Everyone always asks us how the adoption is going. We don't mind at all but the fact is that there is never any news and we probably won't have any for a long time. It's annoying but we knew this was long process when we started. I do wish we went with another agency that seems to be getting referrals more quickly but we can't change now without losing a lot of money. So hopefully by this time next year we will at least have a scheduled court date and a picture of our little man.

It's weird to think he isn't born yet and his birth mother is probably only a few months pregnant with him. I do wonder if she already knows she will be giving him up for adoption or if that decision will come later. I have no idea what kind of medical treatment they get during a pregnancy but right now as we speak our little guy is "cooking" away in his birth mother's belly. I hope she is taking good care of herself.

The are so many reasons why people give up their babies for adoption. For people in Ethiopia it is mostly because of poverty. Sometimes the family has to decide what children or child to keep while they give one up because they know they can't afford to take care of them all. We will not know why until we get the paperwork and we may not ever find out. I guess it really doesn't matter. We are hoping that we do get to meet the birth parents or mother or at least family members. It is their decision. We want to be able tell out little guy about his family and have pictures to show him. We do plan to go back when he and JT are older and show him where he is from. We do want him to now that his birth mom had a very difficult decision to make and she loved him so much that she gave him to us. That is whole conversation within it's own! As for now..... we wait.

Enjoy the pictures. We are still working on the Genesis video.