Mowing Lawn and Missing Tallahassee

pictures shown were used for Uncle Mark's birthday card | Happy Birthday Uncle Mark!

OK, so I really don't miss Tallahassee. :) As I was driving to church last night I realized it has been a while since my last drive up there. I was talking with a friend about how it's hard to believe we're on this side of the adoption process. So much paperwork (and still more for a while yet), so much time spent waiting and preparing, and now we're through the wait and have been on the other side for about 2 months now. Amazing. Looking back, it all feels like a dream. Were we really in Russia? Did we really spend a month there? Wow!
Jack has been feeling much better since taking a second round of antibiotics. As I've mentioned before, he continues to pick up words and to me it's amazing. He imitates everything we do, even the things we don't know we're doing. I often see him reenacting things I've done to either Chilly or even Jack and it's like looking in a mirror. I often think "so that's how I look!" It's really fun most of the time. He's picked up the 'f' sound and says FAn and also says 'oFf' to the dog. He tells Chilly to GO now since Chilly is after Jack's food scraps all the time. :)
Tuesday I decided to try to help David out by mowing our back yard. With all the rain it's been growing pretty fast and there isn't much time to mow both the front and the back yards. Jack was awake so I was trying to figure out what to do with him. Should I put him on the back porch - too many things for him to get into... Should I leave him in the play yard out there - too easy to get out of. I ended up with the bright idea of putting him in the side sling we used a couple of times in Russia and pushed the mower with him on my hip... well, it didn't work very well and he kept sliding down and down and wouldn't hold on and he cried from about half way through. It was definitely a work out since I had to run at times to make him laugh! (It's a push lawn mower so no automatic help!) In the end the lawn was cut and Jack got out his toy lawn mower and tried to redo my work. Kids!

6 weeks home and 21 months old

How time flies. Jack had turned 19 months two days after our court date and here we are - another 2 months later. Things are going extremely well, except for a pesky parasite problem. Jack, like many other orphanage children in Russia, had Giardia, an intestinal parasite common even here in America. He's on a second round of antibiotics because his symptoms came back again. Unfortunately, David and I also have the bug and so we're all going to be on antibiotics together to prevent passing it around. I'm baffled how this happened with how vigilant I've been with washing but hopefully we'll be rid of it once and for all.

Jack has been picking up words all over the place, repeating them almost immediately. We were at the doctor's office when they gave him a sticker and he repeated the word almost perfectly. (He also did the sign for "thank you" and it looked like he was blowing them a kiss and it made them ooo and aaah over him - he's a playa) It's weird though, the more words he learns the more he forgets the first few. For example, he used to say Shoes all the time, but since learning how to say Socks, he doesn't say Shoes anymore. It's been fun watching him grow and learn and explore (though the exploring gets him into trouble sometimes... )

One more thing, Jack loves bath time and lately he loves to (for whatever reason) stick his mouth into the water. He then comes up and looks at daddy and does the sign for 'yummy' that he learned from my parents. (index finger pointing to the cheek dimple area and hand rotating back and forth). Here he came up with a beard full of bubbles after doing that. Silly....

Within Week 6

We've gotten into the sixth week at home with Jack and things are really rollin' now. Jack has started picking up words everywhere. At first everything was either a cah (car), a daw (dog) or papa (even mama was papa) and even though I'm still papa, now Jack has more than 25 words he can mutter. Granted, most of them only we can understand and several words sound like other words, but at least he's getting the jist of speaking the language! He's also starting to understand how to play with toys the way they were intended to be played with. Up until this week we had to really get in there and show him a ton of stuff - totally understandable but very exhausting as his attention span lasted all of (literally) 2 seconds. This week he's started understanding the point of books and has spent a bunch of time going through pages and "reading" through it. It's still a work in progress but it's progress and we are thrilled. Jack jabbers constantly and decides all the time that he wants to pray... (hopefully he's praying for us!) He'll squint his eyes and want to take our hands and then says "stuff" some of which sounds like 'Jesus'!
Jack turns 21 months next Tuesday. Time is really going fast. Before we know it we'll be planning his birthday party!

Saturday in the dirt

We've had a wonderful day today. This morning David gave me an early Mothers Day gift, a fiction novel by Ted Dekker, one of my favorite authors and then we went to the bookstore for some more things! This afternoon David and Jack worked in the backyard doing some much needed landscaping work. David said Jack did great, rolling around in the dirt, playing with the plants, and just plain getting dirty! Well, here's a picture to prove it!
He also thought getting into the garbage can and having David roll him around in it was fun too! Crazy boy!
After a tough week for Jack physically, (teething, slight cold) it's great to see him excited about being outside! Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there!

Shhhhh....

Jack and I were in Kohls the other day and we heard several children around, some hollering, some crying, etc. At first Jack imitated one by making a grunting noise with some volume. I just said "really?" and then moved on. A while later we were a little closer to a boy who looked to be about Jack's age. He was crying and I overheard his mother say he didn't want to be in the shopping cart seat. Jack looked at me, looked back at the boy, put his finger to his lips and said, "SHHHHHH". Yep, so polite my boy can be. :o

1 month today

It was March 28th when Jack was given to us. There have been many ups and downs along the way but God is faithful and has been there everything step of the way. Jack is much more talkative, playful, and humorously expressive now than the first day with us. It's amazing to see his daily transformation! We are truly blessed and we recognize it more and more every day!

Birthday Saturday

We've been having better and better days as Jack learns about us and we learn about him. Weekends have typically been out of 'routine' so it makes them harder but sometimes you just can't help it. For instance, this past Saturday was David's mom's birthday and Jack spent the morning with her and Grandpa, came home for a late nap and then we went to the park for Grandma's birthday family gathering. We found out that Jack loves to walk Uncle Mark's golden retriever Shanaynay (or be walked by her) . Here he is going for a stroll!

Thanks for lending Jack your big dog Uncle Mark and Aunt Gabby! And thanks for the kisses Bubble and Snoop!

Day at the Beach

We had fun at the beach, even though it was only for an hour. We left our house a little late and we stopped by my uncle's in Palm Harbor on the way to the beach. Thanks to everyone there for the cute gifts. We really appreciate them! We tried to get in at Clearwater beach since it is closer and also has a playground but all the parking lots were full by the time we got there. We ended up in Sand Key, a little further south, which was also good but we didn't get to see Gina, my sister, who was at the Clearwater beach for volleyball tournaments. Next time! Here are some snapshots of our visit. Jack's a little timid of the water, which we appreciate, but he's still pretty brave when trying new things. Our schedule got a little out of whack but that's ok. It was a fun day.

Look at those tippy toes!

Jack and Daddy

Playing!

Tough and Fun

David left for work this morning and Jack and I had a pretty good start to the day. We had breakfast, then played a little, went outside and then it was snacktime. After that I tried to cut his toenails and what a fit he had! It wore him out so that after lunch he went to sleep pretty easily. This afternoon was better. After David got home Jack and I took a ride to Walmart. We both did pretty well in the store together and after we got home Dad (David) took Jack for a run. Before dinner they put together the kiddy pool. After dinner, before bath time, David went in with Jack and it was funny to watch his expressions. Here are a couple of snapshots.
Every day is a new realization that Jack is our son. Yesterday brought another clue after realizing that today was Friday but the 'work week' wasn't over. We don't get weekends off... haha

Jack is very strong willed and has a funny sense of humor. Out of the blue he'll just start laughing in this funny type of laugh that makes me laugh. It's been tough keeping him in the area he's allowed to be in but he's learning. He's doing very well with signing. For example, he connects the sign for eat and cracker. Tonight he put the two together and it was cool to see. He's understanding our english much better too.

We've had him for just about 3 weeks now, home for a little over a week. Things get better and better every day. Thanks for your prayer. We know God has His hand in our lives!

Good Days

We've been consistently having good days here. Jack is starting to get into the rhythm of nap/bed times and is sleeping through the night. He LOVES to eat and makes grunting noises as soon as he gets buckled into his booster seat. It's hard not to laugh at him as he's shoveling food into his mouth with both hands while giving us air kisses. He's also starting to understand our english words more and has learned how to sign several things like dog, more, eat, all done and a few more.

Yesterday we took him to the pediatrician for his first check up. He had blood drawn for testing and was given two shots. Needless to say it was traumatic since the nurse had to basically lay on him to keep him still but he bounced back immediately. Hopefully he won't remember it as a bad place.... We were told he is very healthy and is now practically in the 50 percentile. What an amazing blessing to hear since we were told he was in the 3% only 6 months ago.

That's all for now as I have to catch up on things while Jack is asleep. My love to everyone!

First Resurrection day in America

We had a great day today. It was Jack's first experience in church and he did relatively good. He hung out during praise & worship music and then after that had to go to the nursery since sitting still wasn't really an option. David and I took turns.

A big thanks to Jack's cousin Luca for letting him have his old clothes. He looked very spiffy in his cool threads. Thanks Zia Joanna for sending them down! We might not look as good if it weren't for you!

After church we went over to David's parents' house along with my family for a nice dinner. Jack had a great time eating with everyone and did really good for it being past his naptime and with being around a lot of sort of new people and even a big dog. He wasn't afraid of Rocky (the boxer dog) at all and often went to his kennel to get licked by him.
God has been very good to us. On this anniversary of Jesus' resurrection, we have been reminded of our own adoption into God's family. God is SO GOOD!

Flip Side... We made it!

We finally arrived at our home at about 1am Wednesday night (Thursday morning). The 11 hour flight went exceptionally well, considering the previously horrible flight. We had a 4 hour layover in Chicago and that didn't bode well with Jack. About 2 hours into it he started getting cranky and before we got on the plane it was tantrum time. Thankfully when we got on the plane he only complained for a short while before falling asleep and that's when we were able to get about an hour's worth ourselves. By the time we got home we had been awake for almost 24 hours.We were exhausted but of course, Jack was way too interested in everything to go to sleep. He started playing with his toys immediately. It was cute, but the exhaustion continued. We were able to settle him enough and he fell asleep in his crib by about 3am. Of course, we crashed too. Jack slept until about 7am which was wonderful! Jack enjoyed a nice breakfast in his new booster seat which we love since we don't have to chase him around any more, or try to make him sit in a chair to eat. I took a trip to Walmart for supplies and then we ate lunch. We let Jack eat on his own and it was fun to watch. A little messy too but what do you expect from a 19 month old! :) He's down again for his afternoon nap and we're hoping all things go well with adjustment to the new time schedule. Now we're gonna try to get the house back in order.

Thanks for following along with us. I'll still post about things, so if you're interested feel free to check in again soon!

P.S. Thanks for those who prayed for Julie and her son. We crossed paths briefly at the hotel and I was able to meet him and he's adorable. His fever has broken, praise God, and they are now in their last week in Russia!

Flying on a jet plane

We're Outta Here! We have about an hour before we have to be downstairs for our ride to the airport. We are sooooo happy this day is finally here. At some points it felt like it would never come. Our flight to Chicago will be approximately 11 hours in the air. We have a few hours layover and then it's another 2.5 hour flight to Tampa, hopefully arriving sometime around midnight! We're so excited!

Thanks again for all your support and encouragement throughout our trip. A special thanks to Mark and Gabby for keeping our zany dog Chilly!

See you on the flip side!
Michele

ONE day to go

Tomorrow is our last full day here. Jack woke up at a decent time this morning and it has been a 'medium' day. He didn't grind or crackle his teeth much until this evening which I'm guessing is either due to the meds, or the fact that his gums feel better, or maybe both. Looks like there might be some bottom teeth coming in now too but hopefully the meds we have will help. We took a little walk down the streeth this afternoon and I think it went well. We had some more wrestling matches when we got back but by the end of the day he went to bed easily. Fighting with parents can be exhausting. :)

So, we're looking forward to a good day tomorrow, our last day in Russia. We'll be packing for most of the day, taking our time and gathing everything we need. Oh, and please pray for Julie, the other family I've mentioned. She has gotten custody of their son but the doctor says he has bronchitis, and possibly pneumonia. The child is, of course, miserable and not eating well. Please pray God gives Julie strength and heals their little boy, especially in time for his first plane ride. They'll have their trip from Kras to Moscow early Wednesday morning.

Have a great day!

One Week with Jack

Hello everyone. We've had Jack for one week now. The time does seem to have gone quickly, though a little painfully for all involved. We've had a relatively nice day today. This morning Jack didn't wake up fully until 8am!!! Wooohhooooo! We had a decent morning with Jack having a nice breakfast as well. He took a little bit of an early nap as we were leaving at 1:00 to go on a short tour of Red Square since it was closed the first time we tried at the beginning of this trip. Jack did ok most of the time but when he started acting up our guide, Ana, spoke to him in Russian and it helped A Lot! (I jokingly considered asking if she'd like to babysit for us so we can both go shopping but she has a 5 year old of her own so it's just wishful thinking). After we got back to the hotel we ate a late lunch and tried to keep Jack awake so he would sleep through the night again. I know a lot of you can see where this is going... By 5 he was wiped out and while David was out getting more groceries and Sbarro pizza for us Jack and I had a little wrestling match and I think I won this one. I finally let him lay in the crib but I wouldn't let him doze off and that seemed to calm things down.He grinds his teeth, loud!, probably because it helps with the pain but then it turns against him and he then has more pain and starts crying. He won't let me into his mouth to really see what's going on, much less give him anything to put in there except the 3 fingers he likes to suck on. The only way we've been able to look inside is when he's crying open mouthed, or if he's in a good mood and laughing hysterically from our tickling. Anyway, Jack ate a decent dinner as well so we were happy about that. We then gave him a quick bath, let him lay down and he was out like a light! We'll see how tomorrow morning turns out.

It's actually been pretty cold here. Colder than when we left Siberia. It snowed yesterday and today but wasn't cold enough to pile up so not too much sloshing this time. That's the news for today. We have 3 whole days left here. We're praying Jack's teeth let up a little, at least until after we arrive home...

Thanks again for all the encouragement and support.

Love,

Michele

Visa completed

Thank you all for your wonderfully supportive comments. Amy, we are doing the ibuprofen/tylenol alternating. I brought every type of meds I could to cover all bases so I have that. I was running low on ibuprofen so our facilitator helped me get the russian equivalent in case we run out before the teething lets up. I even bought a pacifier, just to see if it would help but so far he doesn't get it, which isn't really a surprise. As I was leaving the room to come to this computer Jack was in his crib asleep but crying and tossing. I feel so bad for him. I can see the teeth coming in, and in fact, his eye tooth area has some blood around it as we saw the tip of that tooth today. The part I really don't like, other than the fact that he's in a lot of pain, is that he GRINDS the molars he has and then cries. It's like nails on a chalkboard and I'm worried about his teeth, though they are baby teeth so they aren't going to be permanently ruined.

So, enough about that. Thanks for all the encouragement for the next plane ride. I appreciate all the prayer. I'm desperate for it. It helps to know we're not the only ones. In fact, today we went to the US Embassy to get Jack's visa and there were many other adopting families. There were several families that mentioned their children were acting the same way Jack is, with the tantrums and getting into everything. It's normal... whew!

So, thanks again for all your support. I really, really appreciate it. Some of you might understand, but most might not have any idea how grateful I am to have all of you out there. I'm so glad we only have a few more days and then we're home sweet home... where Jack will be able to cry for as long as he wants and we won't have to worry about the Russian people calling the cops on us for neglect.... Until next time!

quick note... in moscow

Hi everyone. I'm in a hurry as David is in the room with Jack. Just wanted to let you know we made it through the most horrible plane ride I've ever been on. Jack was very irritable from the start but we made it through. We are in the hotel and we're all tired but moving forward. Everything is going well. The doctor visited us in the hotel and Jack got very high marks. An answer to prayer really. The doctor also confirmed Jack is cutting molars and he told us how to find orajel. We've got teething tablets along with other kinds of pain relievers so we're ok for now. It's still a little tough on his little mouth and he expresses it quite plainly. Please pray it works out quickly.

I'll try to write again soon but I wanted to let you know we're doing well. Thanks for all the tips and support. Our portable DVD player is coming in handy now since Jack's finally calm enough to watch a DVD for his age. He doesn't sit for more than 5 minutes, if that, but that's good enough for now.

Love you all. I'll check in again later.
-michele