Progress!!!

I'm sure that no one can appreciate this latest accomplishment like I do, but our son just awoke from his third night in a row of sleeping for TWELVE hours straight - no bottle, diaper change, re-inserting of the pacifier at 2am, etc. Not only that, but he has been able to sleep without being swaddled. Just last week he was still taking a bottle at 12am, 4am, and 6am, along with a 2am wake-up to re-swaddle/re-insert pacifier. So, what brought on this amazing change, you ask? This week was the first week of "school" for our kids. I work 3 days a week. This summer we had a sitter come to our house. But, during the school year they will go to an Early Learning Center at a local church while I'm working. Both kids were so tired that they couldn't make it past 7pm at night. What did I do with all my new-found evening free time?? Watched movies (when I should have been sleeping!). Here are a few new pictures:

Pictures and Updates

Morning Bath (If you click to enlarge the picture, you will see what amazing eyes he has.)

Andrew really enjoys his bath time. The first 5 seconds of the bath start off with a big scream, followed quickly by a smile and contentment (which mommy enjoys). Andrew was 4 months old on the 17th and has grown so much! He just had his 4 month check up and he weighs 16 lbs and is the 55 percentile for height and weight. The doctor commented on his great strength and muscle tone and wondered aloud that he will be interested to see what kind of Athlete Drew becomes. Well, we don't care what kind of athlete he becomes just as long as the games don't take place on Sundays. Good grief - you wouldn't believe how games/activities are now scheduled on Sundays, and how it tears families from worship/church (but, that is a whole other post - and soap box). Andrew has been rolling over from stomach to back since the 7th week, but now he is working on rolling the other direction. He can make it to both sides, but can't yet make the final flip. He has started scooting himself around while laying on his back. He's bound and determined to be mobile! He recently started playing with toys. He kind of reminds me of a cat when he does because he gets his hands and legs going after all the swinging objects. We are now adding rice cereal to his formula to help with his acid reflux and he is also on a new medicine. Hopefully that will end the super sonic screaming! Yikes! Andrew is cooing all the time and is on the verge of laughing. He lights up the most when his sister comes into view. What a great day it will be when they can truly play together.

It's Mini-Michael!!! Okay, everyone who knows my husband, knows that he is almost always wearing a brown polo or shirt and khaki shorts.

Sarah's ready to do the dishes! The girl is really clever. This is what happens when I leave the kitchen for 5 seconds to get the dinner dishes with the safety lock undone on the cabinet. She gets out the Cascade and opens the dishwasher. (I don't usually leave the cabinet unlocked, by the way!)

We finally had Sarah's two year check up at the doctor, too. She is still a little peanut. Her height doesn't register on the American charts, but her weight does. Sarah is 31 inches and 25 lbs. It is really tricky to dress her because, depending on the brand, she can wear 12-24 month clothing. Even though she will be 3 next July, I have bought her all 2 toddler clothing for next summer. Sarah is trying out new words and sounds all the time. It seems like almost daily she adds to her list of words she can "say." She is still lagging behind a little bit, though, as she hasn't started constructing any sentences. It'll come with time. She continues to keep us entertained with her silliness. For example, whenever we count things for her, she ends it by using the laugh of The Count from Sesame Street. Sarah used to always say, "baby - ahh (with huge inflection in her voice), but now that she can say his name, she says, "Drew - ahh." We can't figure out where she learned to do either of these things, but it is endearing to us.

Cutie Pie Sarah

The woes of shopping for jeans!

Have this dilemma? My solution: The Essential Jean from the Gap. I usually avoid shopping for jeans like I avoid the plague. They rarely fit right, look right, or feel right - until the other day..... I went to the Gap with the same dread I always feel. Saw these jeans on the rack and thought to myself, "What the heck?" After a quick spin in front of the mirror I was suddenly having a skinny day. They look so good, in fact, that I *almost* look this good:



I like them so well that I've worn them 2 days in a row in 100 degree heat. (But shh, don't tell anyone, ok? I really do wash my clothes!)

(Gap model pictured)

Fun family times....on the road

We just returned home on Monday evening from a family vacation to the Smoky Mountains just outside of Gatlinburg, TN. We were looking forward to refreshing mountain weather, but instead we were greeted with record temps - including heat indexes in the low 100’s. I guess it is just hot everywhere! Despite that, we had beautiful surroundings and a great 4 bed/bath, two story log cabin nestled in the foothills. We shared the cabin for 5 nights with Michael’s parents and his brother Chuck’s family. Chuck and his wife Susan have the most adorable 16 month old son, Joshua. Despite being about 8-9 months apart in age, Joshua and Sarah played so well together. They are just about the same size and seemed to enjoy the same toys and games. Joshua is also a very verbal for a boy of his age, so he taught Sarah a few new words.

This was our first experience traveling/vacationing with small children (other than our travels for both adoptions). I do believe that the kitchen sink was packed somewhere in the minivan. Of course, I brought way too much stuff – including some cooler weather apparel. I guess it was just wishful thinking. Michael and I were definitely “schooled” this week with the challenges that come with traveling with little ones. Both the kids seemed to regress a little. Andrew cried a lot more and had a major flare-up of his reflux. Sarah had a hard time adjusting to sleeping in new surroundings. So, well rested, we are not! But, we had many fun times and great memories with family were made. That is the most important thing. I haven’t had the chance to spend much time with my sister-in-law, Susan, and we discovered that we have a lot in common. We had a couple of nice shopping excursions together, many good laughs, and some inside jokes.

On our drive home we went to Louisville, KY to see my brother and his family. Brian and Kathy’s daughter, Lauren (4 yrs. old), was so excited to have her cousins come to play. It was funny to watch her try to teach Sarah to play “tea set” and dance, among other things because Sarah just looked at her with great puzzlement. A two year age span makes a pretty big difference when playing together. But, Lauren was very patient with Sarah and seemed to love having all of us there. Lauren has been blessed with two things: high intelligence and a great sense of humor. So, her level of joking around is more advanced than your average 4 year old - which kept us all amused. But, her love of Disney princesses clearly shows that she is still very much a 4 year old girl. Kathy cooked some pretty amazing meals while we were there and we really enjoyed their hospitatliy.

Before we left for vacation we were able to have a mini-reunion with two VN adoptive families and our agency’s in-country attorney/director, Thomas, who was visiting the states. He is the sweetest Vietnamese man. We had great fun introducing him to American food and culture. I think the highlight of his night was seeing the kids on this side of the adoption process – home and thriving in loving families. Since the reception dates for Thomas fell during our vacation, we were so thankful for the opportunity to see him before we left town. We have a very special place in our heart for Thomas and all he did for our daughter and family.