Superhero Sunday

We think he's pretty super!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

**Updated: Oh my!!! Just realized that it is not Wednesday. Oh well. I am leaving it because it shows how my brain is currently functioning! HA HA!! He is still cute no matter what day it is!

All About LB - 12 months

I realize that the title of this post is a little silly because this blog has basically turned into all about LB all the time. Oh well. Hopefully in the future I will occasionally come up with some intelligent things to say and you don't have to read about me rambling on about LB all the time. LB did have his 12 month check-up on Friday and I think that is a pretty big deal.

The Stats:

He weighs 19lbs 8oz and is 28 inches long. I thought for sure he would be at least 20lbs and would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. I am not sure why I was disappointed but I think I had the expectation that he would be 20lbs so it felt like a let down. Weird, I know. BUT the big news is that he is finally on the charts! When we got his referral we were told he was just shy of 4 months and weighed 9.7lbs. At the time I went to check and see what percentile that was. All of my mom friends were always talking about what percentile their kid was. I thought this was a stat I needed to know so I could talk about my kid in mom-speak. If you are an experienced mom then you are probably laughing at me because he wasn't even close to being on the percentile chart. He was so far off the charts that I am embarrassed that I even thought to look. Even at his 9 month check-up he was still considered to be below the 3rd percentile, which means not on the charts. So when they told me he was 7th percentile for weight and 5th percentile for height I was ecstatic. Of course, he is still small by American standards and probably always will be. I don't think we are raising a future Sumo wrestler. It is worth mentioning that even though he isn't 20lbs he has come so far and we have so much to celebrate. When we were at the doctors there was a med student that was shadowing her for the day. We were reviewing his height and weight and the doctor was showing us his growth curve. She was also excited with how far he has come and was sharing in my joy that he was officially on the charts. Since it seemed a little strange our doctor turned the chart towards the med student to show her why we were giddy over the 5th percentile. All of his measurements from 4 weeks old are on there and I noticed a dramatic change in her facial expression when she scanned the chart and saw where he started. She let out an "Oh" and got a sad look on her face. He has come a long way and is such a little miracle. Our doctor said that most kids really start to level off a bit at this age in terms of growth but that she suspects LB's curve will continue to increase. He is happy and healthy and that is what matters!

our happy boy

Communication & Personality:

LB continues to be quite the communicator and has learned some new signs. There are days when I think we are actually "talking" to each other quite well and then other days we get our wires crossed. For example, last night we were giving him a smoothie. He had eaten quite a bit so I asked him using the signs if he was all done or if he wanted to more. His response was to point to his nose. Hmmmmm. Not quite sure what went wrong there. He is very good at pointing to various body parts if you ask him and sometimes he will point to my mouth and then point to his and do it over and over again. It's pretty darn cute.

LB continues to make friend wherever we go and forces me to more chatty than usual. We stopped by one of our local libraries last week and three different librarians approached us. One of them handed me the flyer with their story time hours and personally asked LB if he would come. HA! I usually don't go to that branch but I think I will have to take LB back to see those nice librarians. Have I mentioned that the Columbus Metro Library System was awarded the 2010 Library of the Year? Pretty cool.

It is possible that LB might have a little OCD. The other day we were playing in his room and he saw a piece of lint and kept pointing to it. He eventually picked it up and handed it to me and it was like he was saying, "please remove this dirt from my room." On the same day there also happened to be a little piece of string. He pointed that out to me as well. I promise the room was recently swept but I guess not to his standards.

The tiny piece of lint next to the red ring. This was right before he picked it up.

See the hand attempting to reach the string? I do love that chubby hand.

Food:

The jury is still out on whether or not he will be a picky eater. D and I have had the hardest time getting him to eat stage 3 baby food. He gags like crazy every time we try. His gag reflex is pretty intense. There has to be something about the chunkiness that he doesn't like. We mentioned this to the doctor and she said some kids don't like the stage 3 but are fine with mashed up regular food even if it has some chunks. She suggested we try some smoothies. Success! He gobbled it up and didn't seem too upset about some random chunks of banana. Hopefully we can introduce more and more and the gagging will decrease. He still has NO teeth. The doctor did say that it looks like his bottom teeth are very close and that it shouldn't be long. Both D and I have noticed that his bottom gums have gotten very swollen so we are crossing our fingers it will be any day now.

playing with prunes

Obsessions:

LB's love for stuffed animals/friends continues to grow. If there is a stuffed animal in his vision he wants it and makes his opinion known pretty forcefully that he must have it immediately. Once the animal is in his arms he will always kiss and hug it. I have to say his kisses and hugs are pretty awesome. When he is a little tired he will snuggle his head into my chest and then lean in for a kiss and hug. He also loves to kiss characters in his books. Often I can't open the next page because it is stuck together with slobber. LB loves all toys with wheels and toys that make music. If the toy has a wheel AND makes music then he is in heaven. He has recently developed a new habit of requesting to go from room to room to touch light switches. I am not a fan of this game. But he likes it when I turn the switch on and show him the light and then turn it off. He could do this for longer than I care to try. Even though he has some weird obsessions I am so grateful I get spend the day playing with him.

Here are a few more photos of our 12 month old little boy. He is pure sweetness.

Almost a Year Ago

Ezra's birthday is on Monday. Almost a year ago he was born in a hospital in Awassa, Ethiopia. This year his birthday falls on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which I love. I have been seriously conflicted about what to do to commemorate his birthday. I have gone back and forth a million times if we would have a party and invite friends over or not. Finally, last week Damon and I came to the decision that we would just do something the three of us rather than have a big shindig. Of course if he wants a party when he is older then we will do something. In the past few weeks leading up to his birthday I have been overcome with emotion. Not because he is getting older. But I am reminded of the loss that led to his adoption. I hadn't said much to Damon about this because I wondered if I was being melodramatic and I DO want to focus on celebrating Ezra's life and all the joy he brings to us. That's what birthdays are for. I don't want this sadness to be misinterpreted. However, last night Damon told me that he was feeling conflicted about January 17th too. I was so glad that we were able to talk about it together and that I wasn't alone. A few weeks ago I read a post from another adoptive mom who was also feeling sadness leading up to her twins' first birthday and she decided that she would be sad the day before the birthday so she could focus on celebrating their life on the actual day. That works for me too. So this weekend I am allowing myself to be sad. I am not beating myself up over it but am showing myself some grace. I understand now how parents can make the ultimate sacrifice for their children. Ezra's Ethiopian family is never far from my mind but this weekend they will be front and center. If you wouldn't mind saying a prayer for them I would be ever so grateful.

A Stuffed Friend

At my baby shower in Tulsa my friend, Valerie, gave Ezra a very special gift. I had a feeling she would craft up something awesome but as usual she blew me away with her talent and thoughtfulness. I put Valerie's creation in Ezra's crib and I think it is one of the main reasons that Ezra will play happily in his crib for an extended time. This morning I went to get Ezra after a nap and this is how I found him.

Did you just die and go to heaven? I did. So sweet. Thank you, Valerie.

A Boy with a Bat

Dangerously Cute!

All About LB - 9 Months

LB is about 9 and a 1/2 months today. He is learning and doing new things everyday and I don't want to forget any of it. I hope a lot of what I document here LB will enjoy looking back on someday.

So here is nine month old LB in a nutshell.

The Stats:

At his 9 month check-up LB weighed 16.5 lbs and was 26 inches long. That was a 2.5 lb gain and a 2 inch growth in just 5 weeks! He is still small for his age but his doctor said as long as he continues to gain and stays in proportion then she isn't concerned.

His Repertoire of Tricks:

-Clapping

-Waving Hi and Goodbye

-So Big

-Kisses (And by that I mean the open mouthed baby slobber kiss. He hasn't mastered puckering his lips.)

-Giving Pat Pats

When one of my best friends had her son a few years ago, she taught him to pat her on the back every time she said, "Give Mama Pat Pats." I thought it was the sweetest thing so it is no surprise that one of the first things I taught him was to pat me on the back. It makes you melt. He will do it to other people or things now if you ask.

Personality:

My mom is always describing LB as incredibly interactive. He will "talk" to you non-stop and his voice takes on decibels you didn't think possible from such a small human. Often he will shake his arms wildly as he tells you a story. It seems something big is always going on his life. LB is very much into copy-cat these days. If I bang my hand on the ground then he bangs his hand on the ground. If I make a "he-he" noise then he will do the same thing. He will go several rounds with you. I have found that he points out little motions that I do with my hands or head that I didn't even realize that I do. But then I watch him do something and realize he is copying me. In my incredibly biased opinion, he is a quick study. We just started working on kissing people or things only about a week ago and he now does it regularly. He forces me to be much more social than I usually am. He attracts attention to himself where ever we go by "chatting" with others or just by being cute. He makes friends with other people in line at the store, in a doctor's office waiting room and at the zoo.

Food:

I would say he eats pretty well. He sucks down his bottles and has some solid foods that he will scarf down as well. LB loves all fruit. He will eat most veggies but you can tell he isn't as interested. Apples and pears seem to be his current favorites. He still has NO teeth so we've tried some of the finger food but it doesn't really work yet. I have assumed he has been teething for as long as we took placement because the amount of drool is immense. He is wearing a bib in almost every picture I take of him because that is the only way to avoid changing his outfit 5 times a day. I would rather wash 5 bibs a day than 5 outfits a day. Plus he isn't a big fan of getting dressed so it just makes life easier and even with a bib he is pretty darn handsome.

Activities:

LB loves books! He will let me read several books in a row to him and doesn't seem to get bored. Often if I am sitting next to him and reading he places his hand on my arm. It is such a small thing but I love it. He seems to prefer books that have flaps that you open. That might be part of his interactive personality. Here are his current faves:

Where's Spot

Whose Knees are These

Where is Baby's Belly Button

Pat the Bunny

So Big (Sesame Street)

My First Book of Sushi

Buckeyes Big Game

The exersaucer is still a favorite activity and he also loves to be outside. I am a little worried as winter is fast approaching. Our walking days are soon to be few and far between. Darn Ohio. He also loves music and will "dance" by moving his body forwards and backwards or shaking his head. He always claps after I sing, "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider. " I guess he is happy for the spider?

Cute Stories:

There is a little spinning frog as part of his exersaucer and yesterday I told him to kiss Mr. Froggie. I wasn't sure he would understand me but he leaned over and kissed him. I almost started to cry it was so cute.

There is a part in the book, Buckeyes Big Game, where a nose guard is described as smelly. Every time I read that I emphasize that part and wave my hand in front of my nose and say, "stinky stinky." He always laughs and even anticipates that page and looks up at me for the stinky stinky. Several weeks ago I was changing his diaper and I said, "stinky stinky" and he started waving his hand in front of his nose and making the same face I do. I almost died. It is one of his favorite things to do and I seriously think he is trying really hard to say stinky. My life would be complete if stinky ends up being his first word.

His Hair:

I cannot believe how fast his hair has started to grow. When we first met him he was 6 months old and he had very little hair. The hair that he had was mostly straight with a few curly tufts.

Here is LB at 6 months.

Here is a shot of him I took yesterday.

Holy Hair, right?! He has a similar facial expression in this photo, don't you think?

Since I can't resist here are a few more photos of my sweet, nine month old boy.

The Gift of Life

I didn't give you the gift of life,

But in my heart I know

The love I feel is deep and real,

As if it had been so.

For us to have each other

is like a dream come true!

No I didn't give you

The Gift of Life,

Life gave me the gift of you.

-Author Unknown

A Few Firsts

We have been home about six weeks now and there is so much to remember about our first weeks together as a family. I want to write more about our transition but I feel like we are still in the middle of it so it seems premature to do any serious reflecting. Although, I do think that I am much more in tune with LB's needs and rhythms than I was a few weeks ago. That is a good feeling. My hope is that with each day he is attaching to us more and more. I also have to say that a lot of my thoughts as a new mom are things that other parents said to me before I was a parent that annoyed the heck out of me. Therefore, I am choosing not to annoy myself or anyone else out there that really wants to be a mom. That longing is still raw and fresh in my mind so I am sensitive to it.

However, I DO want to document several of LB's "firsts" since he came home. He is discovering so many new things and he continues to ooze personality. In just six weeks he has learned to clap, wave, sit up on his own and he knows to raise his arms when I say "so big!"

Here are some photos of a few of his "firsts.

LB was very serious on his first stroller ride. I don't think he cracked a smile the entire time, which is unusual for him. He is still subdued in the stroller but does seem to enjoy the time outside. I am exceedingly grateful that we came home during the late summer/early fall so that we could go on lots of walks and not feel cooped up at home.

This was one of the first times he ate solid foods from his highchair. When we were in Ethiopia he sucked prunes off D's fingers because he couldn't quite master the spoon. Six weeks later he gobbles down just about anything we give him, especially fruit. Although, he is not a fan of peas. There was some serious gagging action over peas.

This was his first time in the exer-saucer. LB loves this thing and you can tell from the photo it was love from the beginning. He jumps for joy and has figured out all the toy stations and I really think it has helped him develop some core and leg strength. Sadly, yesterday we had to raise the seat a level because he was getting too tall for the lowest one. So sad.

We love to Skype with Grandma Kathy. This was one of the first times he did it. I am not sure he knew what to think of the singing, clapping lady on the other end but we had fun. This will be a regular occurrence.

On September 10th LB had his first well child visit with his pediatrician. I LOVE our pediatrician. LOVE. She was recommended to us by some of the other adoptive families and I am so grateful she was accepting new patients. She explains things very clearly but isn't patronizing. LB did great at his check-up and our doc thought he looked great! I tend to agree. (I, on the other hand, look very sleepy.)

Almost a month ago, LB made his first appearance at our Ethiopian Adoptive Family Night. Tiru, the lovely lady on the left, prepares wonderful Ethiopian food for all the families each night and we are so lucky to have her as part of our little community.

Okay, so this photo is not a milestone photo but I just couldn't resist sharing. He was up really early that morning and it's like he can tell I wasn't pleased. My mom calls it his "time-out" face. How can I be mad at that face? Such a cutie!

Friday Favorite Fotos

I took this photo about three weeks ago.

And these were taken today.

I think LB is starting to win her over.

August 15th - Family Day

The second time around we arrived in Addis in the evening on Saturday the 14th. Travis, one of the Gladney in-country employees, and Henock met us at the airport. We were so happy to see Henock's smiling face again! This was our first time to meet Travis as he was back in the states with his family when we were there for the first trip. Travis let us know that he would bring our guy over to the guest house the next morning for placement. We were less than 24 hours away from officially starting our life as a family of three! If you can believe it we did manage to get some sleep that night and even slept in a bit! I am not sure if that is because we had met LB before and/or our bodies knew that we wouldn't get the chance to sleep through the night again for a while or what. But I was happy we slept. It is hard to explain how crazy it was to be sitting in the living room at the guest house, chatting with the other families and knowing that at any moment Travis would be driving through the gate and parenthood would begin.

Here is that moment.

My heart just ached for him because you could tell he was so unsure. He whimpered a lot and he just had such a scared look in his eyes. He was in a new place with new people and I just wanted to be able to tell him it would be okay. Travis assured us that his reaction was normal and that it was good he was crying it out initially. I would say all throughout the first day he would go in and out of being okay and being scared. It was tough not knowing what each cry meant. Was he hungry, sleepy, gassy or just plain scared. The first night was especially hard because you could tell when he woke up that he had no clue where he was and that he was afraid. His eyes just darted all over the place looking for something familiar and there was nothing. All we could do was hold him until he got too tired to cry anymore. It was gut wrenching. I think D and I were both relieved when morning came and each night after that got easier. These days when I peek over his crib after a nap he will flash me his heart melting smile and stretch his arms up towards me. Progress is a wonderful thing!

We will always celebrate August 15th as our Family Day, the day our son was placed in our arms forever!

My Fortune

D and I got take-out Chinese food the other night and this was my fortune.

Are you shocked that I cried when I read it? Probably not. He truly is a dream come true and I can't wait to be his mom.

We are packed and ready to go. Our flight leaves Columbus tomorrow at 1pm and we are flying Lufthansa again. It is basically the same route we took on the first trip so we'll know what we are doing. The plan is that we will arrive in Addis on Saturday night and go straight to the Bejoe Guest House to hopefully sleep. He will be placed in our arms FOREVER on Sunday and then we start our life together as a family of three.

Since we were able to do a lot of exploring on the first trip we don't have plans to do much except hang out with him this trip. There will be a coffee ceremony at the Gladney Foster Home on Wednesday and his special caregivers will get a chance to say goodbye. We got to meet one of them when we were there for our visitations and she is such a sweet lady. When we told her (more like pantomimed) that we were coming back in 2 weeks, I could tell that was bittersweet news for her. I am preparing myself for an emotional day. Our Embassy appointment is on Thursday. We leave Addis on Friday and will be HOME on Saturday the 21st. I am very nervous about how the flight home is going to work. I just need to keep reminding myself that it will be temporary and we just need to survive it. I am crossing my fingers he will be a good little traveler. Since he fell asleep in D's arms during two of our three visitations then perhaps D's comfy arms will come in handy on the flight. I can't wait to finally be back here at our house with him.

Obviously, I didn't get the chance to post as much as I would have liked about our first trip so here are some other photos from our trip. Enjoy!

To be continued: Busters in Addis Part 2.