Life with Kara and Cooper

Updates

2011-09-09T10:28:00.000-05:00

Wow, times flies. I can't believe I haven't blogged in 7 months. I guess I'm not totally giving it up but slowing down... a LOT!
The kids are doing great and wow, do they keep us busy! Cooper is now 6 and Kara is at the end of 4 - They are both absolutely thriving, learning new things everyday and growing like weeds!
They are both amazing little beings - so smart, witty, athletic, beautiful - we are so blessed.

Anybody have any questions? I promise to answer!

Here are some recent pics:

Friend's Birthday Party

4th of July

Dance Recital

Dance Recital with brother

Birthday Party

Spring has Sprung!

Russians eating Chinese in America

a pro at using chopsticks

monkey bar fun after school

won the bowling game

going to Rodeo Parade

Go Texans Day with his teacher

going to the Rodeo Parade

Swim Birthday Party

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T09:52:00.000-06:00

I have joined the rest of the world with modern technology and now have an iPhone4.

I L.O.V.E. it.

Here are some random pics I've been taking with it:

Kids at the mall carousel

Kara at a bowling birthday party.

Kara the climber

Cooper the climber

Cooper the flipper

Kara the flipper

Monkeys on the ropes at the park

Monkeys at gymnastics

Kara sleeping on the way home from a sleepover

Yeah, so I'm about 5 months late...

2010-12-16T15:23:00.000-06:00

in posting that is! But now that blogger lets you post multiple pics at once... wow, I may do this more often!

So let's see. I'll try to catch you up on our lives as fast as possible without making it too boring!

July - Cooper's birthday - he had a small swim party because a week later we went to Disney World.
Disney was great except I think Kara is still a little too young. She was great for about 3 days then everything was either too loud or too scary or too dark and definitely too hot! Note to self: Never go to Disney World in July. But she got to see her beloved princesses (I think we found all of them) and we had lunch in the castle with them. Here are some pics from that trip:

So that was Disney.

In August, they started their new school - It's a wonderful, private Episcopal School that goes from PreK through 8th grade. They absolutely love it. We love it. The teachers are remarkable and the school is orderly, structured and small and they have very open communication with the parents. On the very first day, I received the email, cell phone and home phone of their teachers. I receive emails from them about once or twice a week - whenever necessary, to tell me the good, bad or ugly! I got an email from Kara's teacher the other day telling me how much she enjoyed the bake potato soup they had that day! Another one from her telling me that Kara was crying over every little thing and wasn't her usual happy little self, maybe she was coming down with something... They're awesome!

Kara is in PreK and Cooper is in their Bridge program which is between PreK and Kindergarten. Since he's a July birthday and he has a little maturing to do, we held him back so that he'll be one of the oldest in the class instead of one of the youngest. He's actually reading now and counting by 10's and 5's, it's absolutely amazing how much he's maturing and learning. I (obviously) can't say enough good things about this school!

Fist day of school at Holy Spirit Episcopal:

I don't have any recollection of September nor pictures so I guess it wasn't a big month!

October though, is Halloween - such fun at our house!

I wanted them to match and they agreed so here's Batman and Bat girl:

Evidently, Bat anything is big around here right now!

Yep, he's the shortest one!

Getting donuts in the morning (like they needed THAT right?!)

November 3rd was Kara's 4th birthday. She had a princess party - 10 girls got together and put on (and changed) princess gowns, had their nails and hair done, had "tea", danced and ate cake, fruit and ice cream sundaes at this fabulous place in the Heights in Houston.

Oh she also got a big girl bike for her Birthday!

She had a blast:

There were NO BOYS ALLOWED at this party per Kara but her daddy and brother did have to drop in for some cake!

Alright, it's December now - they just had their Christmas parties at school.

Cooper did NOT want me to leave and pitched a fit crying when I did - little stinker.

Here are some Santa pics - they are not afraid of him at all and are eager to visit with him and tell him EVERYTHING!

Their adjustment is awesome.

They are right on track in every aspect except for Kara's speech. She's a little delayed and is in Speech Therapy twice a week (a lady comes to her school). That costs a bundle, but she won't need it too much longer (I hope!). Most of her speech problems are language acquisition but she's getting there.

Their attachment is 100%.

In short: They are very smart, cute, funny as heck, clever, ANGELS and we are so in love with them still - Life is so good and we are incredibly blessed to be parents of these two.

If you are adopting or waiting or are just curious about something, please ask, I'll try to answer!

Kristine, I think you need a bigger photo!

sorrysorrysorrysorry

2010-10-26T11:55:00.000-05:00

Thinking seriously about aborting the blog - Would you care? Will you let me know?

Our Lives in July

2010-08-04T14:14:00.000-05:00

Wow, I'm way behind in my blogging.
It's tough to keep up with work, hubby, two kids, three dogs, two birds, life... so sorry, I'm busy!

Let's see, what have we been up to?
We had Cooper's very small birthday party. He got a Buzz Lightyear, many games, Iron Man pajamas, Super Man sheet set and his oh-so-coveted, DS or Diaz as he pronounces it!

We swam with a few friends and the kids had a blast.

Superman cake-

Gift opening-
He's finally old enough for me to say thank you to everyone as he opens his gifts and since it was such a small group, it worked out well.

His actual birthDAY was the next day, so we had Batman cupcakes for that party.

Two days after his second party, we went to Disney World!

Cooper did great. He loved all of the characters, rides, shows - everything except the heat. It was flipping h.o.t. After an hour of getting to each park, the kids were asleep in their strollers because the heat would just suck all of the energy out of you. At least there's an air conditioned show around every corner.
The crowds weren't that bad, but the groups from Brazil took up most of the parks! They were actually very nice, just so many of them.

They LOVED having their face painted!

Cooper is a "Future Super Hero" (anyone surprised?)

Kara is a "Princess" (again, surprised?)

She ate the lipstick off about 30 seconds after the lady put it on.

We got CinderKara dressed up for her debut to meet Cinderella at the Royal Table in THE castle..ooh la la. It was WELL worth the $$!
Cooper was extra-sweet when his sister was dressed up. Then he decided he needed to "be" somebody for the dinner. The somebody was Buzz.
They got to meet Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel, Alice and Aurora. I can't remember if Belle was there or not - they're all starting to run together in my mind...

Yes, he was the only Buzz at dinner that night.

Here's Daddy Jim and his etiquette-deprived daughter on the bus to dinner to meet the princess.

Note to self: work on Kara's social graces.

Kara finally meets her idol.

As fast as a fox, Cooper changed into Buzz to meet the rest of the princesses.
Here's Ariel.

Love Cooper's face here - he's like, Wow, Snow White is pretty!

Then we saw Ariel and Eric outside. How'd they do that??!

Sleeping in the shade.

We rented these strollers from Orlando Stroller Rentals.
They were wonderful! The service is excellent and the strollers were so light and easy - perfect for Disney. The strollers were at our hotel (Yacht Club) when we checked in and we just left them at the Bell Service desk when we left - couldn't be easier than that!

We saw many people struggling with umbrella strollers-

Kara spent the rest of the trip holding her ears, crying and saying "I don't like it" to everything!
She was d.o.n.e. by day 4 (out of 6). It was either too hot, too loud or too scary for her.
3 1/2 is still a bit young for that many days at Disney. We'll go back when they're 8+9... and don't need naps... and can walk on their own!

August is looking to be a lively month as well. We're heading to Corpus Christi to the beach for a few days, a couple of birthday parties and play dates are planned then they start their new school. I just spent a fortune on uniforms so I hope they like this school!

I have a 5 year old!

2010-07-12T11:18:00.000-05:00

Our adorable little Cooper turns 5 today! He came home when he was 39 months old and it seems like he's always been with us.
There's one word that describes him perfectly: INTENSE

He does everything with enthusiasm! He loves hard (so hard he'll hurt you when he kisses you!), he plays hard (frequently running, jumping, hopping, bouncing, jumping - did I say jumping? He'll jump down 1/2 the stairs in our house giving me a heart attack each time. He has more energy than all of us combined) and he works hard (referring to his school work - he's very smart and catches on quickly).
The boy is a non-stop talker. Even when you've moved into another room or started another conversation - with someone else - he just keeps on talking...
He's also one of the funniest guys I know. He has a great sense of humor and can laugh at himself when he goofs up something.

He has gotten back into the old habit of coming to our bed each night. He got up 3 times last night. I'm so tired that he gets into our bed on my side and I don't even know he's there! Jim ends up putting him back into his bed. Any suggestions on how to make him stay in his bed will be greatly appreciated!

His stats: He's SMALL. 38" tall and 35 lbs. Kara is the same but she's 15 months younger. He's not even on the charts for his height. It's concerning. I've contacted the Ped. again about getting a referral to a Ped. Endocrinologist.

He adores Superman, Spiderman and Batman. Oh and Iron Man and the Hulk too. They save people. He loves firemen and fire trucks too because they rescue people... and policemen... see a pattern?

I asked him a few 'birthday' questions today for posterity.
I asked if he wanted to get married someday. "Yes, to you Mommy"
I asked what was his favorite toy right now. "Buzz Lightyear"
I asked how old he thought Mommy was. "6"
I asked how old he thought Daddy was. "7"
I asked what he wanted to be when he grew up. "Spiderman - the real one who saves people"

We just love this guy and we are so lucky to have him.
Happy Birthday Cooper!

Life pics

2010-06-19T17:15:00.001-05:00

Here's......Sticker Girl !

Ooops - someone wants to be in the picture!

Here's my pretty girl -

and my handsome boy...

Life doesn't get any better than this!

Our Little Yankee

2010-06-15T11:18:00.000-05:00

Well, T-Ball is over! Whew! Thank goodness...
This little Russian does NOT like the Texas heat. He so hates to be hot and sweaty.
It was a major chore to get him to go and keep him on the field. Constant complaining and whining with us bribing him with all we've got, has taken its toll - we won't be doing this again!
Live and learn, right?
This little Russian boy likes his gymnastics and swimming - the 'cool' sports.
I can't say I blame him!!

School and Dance Recital pics

2010-05-26T14:50:00.000-05:00

Pleasantly Surprised

2010-05-14T10:26:00.002-05:00

We've decided to moved Cooper out of day care to attend a private Episcopal school starting in August.
He'll attend their Bridge Program then next year will go to Kindergarten at the same school.
They require a Brigance Screening to attend the school, so he spent one day there last week while they observed him and did the screening.
It was a huge difference than sending him to his day care for the first time.
Since he now understands English, I was able to prepare him and explain to him that he was going to a big boy school just for one day then back to his regular 'school'. I also took him for a tour of the school the day before to give him the respect of not just dropping him off to a new and foreign place. Also, since he's totally attached and trusts us wholly, it was really a nice drop off.
At first, he held my hand tightly and wanted to sit in my lap. We sat there in the back of the class (of 7 kids, 1 teacher, 1 aide) for about 10 minutes. Then they wanted to show him where his cubby would be for that day and that they had put some special books in his cubby for rest time. (no naps here, just a 15 minute rest time - this is a topic for another post). He got up to see it and look at the books. Then he went over to where some boys were sitting and told them that he likes batman (!). Another boy said that he likes batman too. Then the teacher called him over to look at some animals they were playing with and putting into groups of families... that was it. I said, I've got to go to work buddy, I'll pick you up around 3, ok? He said Bye Mommy and gave me a kiss... SO EASY!
They said they would call me if they needed to, but no news is good news so don't expect a call. They didn't! He did great - they said he sat at circle time, interacted with the other kids and the teachers, listened well and was an all-around joy to be around! I was so proud.
The Brigance Screen showed that he is developmentally at 4 years and 3 months - just a few months behind his chronological age of 4 years and 10 months. He's perfect for the Bridge Program - the program between PreK 4 and KG. We're very happy and satisfied with our decision to send him to this school... now if they only had space for our Karagirl... Their PreK 3 program is full right now - she's doing great at her school for now anyway.

Sweet Hubby...!

2010-05-12T13:46:00.000-05:00

Jim went to the day care to have lunch with Cooper today - so sweet right?
He just got back and this is his email to me: (The names have been altered to protect the innocent)

Just got back from lunch with Cooper. 20 kids in a room, absolutely CRAZY! 20 minutes was the max I could take it. I bought Cooper a bag of Cheetos and opened it for him so he could eat it after he finished his meat balls and peaches. Then the crowd grew like a pack of Hyenas on a wounded antelope, looking to “score” some free Cheetos. One kid kept screaming “who's going to open them Cheetos!” over and over again! I got the hell out of there and let Cooper fend for himself with his bag of Cheetos, fighting off the vultures. Cooper did let everyone at his table know that the Cheetos were for “hims, Kara and Daddy only, no sharing!” Four kids (girls) also kept staring at me giving me the evil eye, maybe their Dads are F@rmers or @llstate agents or something. During lunch, Kara spotted me and came over and started eating my bag of Cheetos. Even though she just had lunch, she pulled up a chair to have lunch again with the four years olds. After 60 seconds of no second helpings, she went back to Miss Axxxxx to play with lincoln logs. I am now back in the office and need a beer. I have some on ice for my Wednesday picnic that I am very looking forward to at 3PM. No more lunch at Cxxxx!

To Floatie or Not To Floatie...

2010-05-10T11:54:00.000-05:00

THAT is the question!

I had a response from an anonymous reader that said to get rid of the water wings. I understand, I really do.
I was hesitant in getting them in the first place because I wanted the kids to learn to swim on their own, without any help (and because they end up relying on them).
Our kids were in the swimming pool for the first time in their lives last summer so we used floaties because they weren't as strong as non-orphanage-raised kids, and they needed the extra help. Also, they were a little unsure of themselves - the floaties gave them confidence.

We will start teaching them how to really swim this summer, then the floaties can be removed - until then, they will stay on.
Our rule is: if Jim nor I are in the pool with them, the floaties must be on.
Don't go worrying about the kids being unsupervised though, because they're not. We are literally a jump away.
They are so familiar with the water now, they both jump in freely, have tons of fun and are safe - that is our main concern.

Thanks for your comment though! Your advice is welcome on how to teach a child to swim!

Happy Mother's Day!!

2010-05-09T08:11:00.000-05:00

From our beautiful, smart, funny, crazy kids to all the mom's out there!

If you're waiting for your referral, or waiting to travel, or just waiting for God to make your dreams come true, we are here to tell you that IT'S WORTH THE WAIT!! Hang in there - it took us a long time to get our precious bundles of joy and it took some adjusting to but now everything is as it should be.
The kids are thriving in every way and life is indeed good - no GREAT!

Happy Mommy's Day everyone!

Best Investment Ever

2010-04-28T20:02:00.000-05:00

For those of you with 2 small ankle-snappers, do yourself a favor and go ahead and get a bike trailer!

The kids love it, the mommy loves it and the body loves it - it's great because I get to bike to/from the park, the kids get their exercise and play at the park, then they rest on the way home all while the hubby stays home to work on much needed projects!!

Everyone wins!

Coiffeur du jour

2010-04-23T19:07:00.002-05:00

Cooper makes house calls too - and he didn't even have any training!
Would you like him to come to your home and give you a fabulous haircut?

See what he can do:

(please ignore his milk moustache!)

Kara was NOT a happy girl!

T-Ball Comedy

2010-04-16T20:50:00.000-05:00

The little dude is now playing T-Ball and it's HILARIOUS!!

You wanna see something funny? Check out this video of him hitting his very first ball and skipping to first base!

Funny eh?

Our Easter Angels

2010-04-08T11:57:00.000-05:00

Kara started out terrified but warmed up after a little while of watching other kids.
Cooper was all about trying to figure out who it was in the costume!

Another 6 months

2010-04-03T15:42:00.001-05:00

Another 6 months have passed so we've taken our biannual photo of the kids holding hands -
Here you go - they're getting bigger everyday!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-31T19:55:00.000-05:00

A Pretty for Mommy

2010-03-28T15:41:00.000-05:00

A new friend, Melanie Welsh, created this FAB necklace for me!
Check it out!

This is a poker chip necklace that she created. She's sooooo talented and it was great fun to help her customize it.

If you haven't figured it out yet, it says Mom in Russian with the kids names and their adoption date on the back.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

Here's her info if you're interested: http://www.prettypigtailthings.com/ and she's on Facebook too.

She can create anything you want on it!

Thanks Melanie - I've gotten a million compliments on it!

Variations of Discipline

2010-03-26T10:09:00.000-05:00

The whole scaring, growling, pretending to be mad, etc. has come to a screeching halt.
We have been much more firm and have given him consequences for his negative behaviour and have followed through with: no park today (for not listening to teachers), taking the costumes away (for scaring sister), time outs, etc. for various other things. We're firm but put the blame back on him by saying, "Wow, sorry you chose not to listen to your teacher, it's a shame we won't be able to go to the park this evening..."
I know this doesn't work on every kid - especially those with impulse control issues or ADHD, etc. but Cooper can control his actions or suffer the consequences.
It's totally worked - duh, right?!
Well, he's been so good up until this point, we've not really had to do anything too drastic!
So now we know.
We're basically following the Love and Logic technique - I love this way of thinking, it's so, uh, logical!
Every day when I pick them up from school, they say, "I didn't get any write-ups today!!" and they're so proud. Of course I make a big deal of it and the teacher does too saying that they tried really hard today and succeeded! I call Jim on the way home and tell him how good they were - loudly of course!
Cooper's teacher said she felt he has made a leap forward with maturity this past week or so... we felt the same thing. Hmmmm, could discipline be the answer?!

Kara is doing well too. Her biting has almost completely stopped. I talk to her everyday and say, "What will you do if someone makes you mad?" She'll say, "Not bite. Say NO! and tell the teacher." It's definitely gotten better. The school director says her behaviour is completely normal for a 3 year old. They are still working out how to deal with strong emotions at this age but that talking to her about it every day will help.
She continues to be a genuinly sweet, loving child and only wants to please others.
There are rare times that we have to put her in time-out and that's when she runs away from us for some reason. She's a runner, that one. We're working on it and it's getting better.

Here are some random pics of the kids -

Cooper working on his computer (Cool School)

Kara taking Pink for a walk

Cooper, Kara and Me on a camel at the rodeo!

Kate is Looking for Kristina

2010-03-24T10:25:00.000-05:00

Kate (an ex-pat in Russia) is looking for Kristina - the best friend of her newly adopted daughter...
If you can help, please contact her - she won't stalk, she just wants the girls to keep in touch.

www.from-russia.blogspot.com

Just a Boy?

2010-03-12T08:26:00.000-06:00

So Cooper has this thing he's been doing for a couple of months now, where he growls and puts up his hands and says in this raspy, growly voice, "I'm Batman!".
Then he proceeds to scare Kara and gets right up in her face. Sometimes he pinches or just touches her with his hands stretched out... of course she cries and he does it over and over again.
We've told him that Batman is nice and he gets the bad guys and brings them to the police, etc.
We've told him that it's bad manners to scare anyone.
We've told him over and over that he's acting too silly and to stop.
We've told him not to touch Kara - or anyone.

He'll just say OK, or SORRY in a sing songy voice then do it again in 10 minutes.
(It's REALLY getting on our nerves!- especially the non-chalant 'sorrrrrrry').

This has come from a school friend - not surprising - and now Cooper is often getting write-ups (sad faces) at school for disrupting behaviour, not cooperating with the teachers, not listening, etc.
It seems he doesn't know how to, or won't, turn off the silliness.

We've tried various things to reprimand him for his behaviour.
He's been put in time out for repeatedly disobeying us.
There's no t.v. when he gets a write up (however, that's unfair to Kara)
Today, we will go to the Rodeo IF they don't get any write ups.
Next we will take his costumes away for a few days if he continues the scaring. (But he does it with or without his costume on)
We've been very positive, saying you can do it, you're a big boy. Listen to your teachers if they tell you to stop acting silly.
He does respond to positive reinforcement better than negative though because when we are positive, he'll say, Look Mommy, watch me, then he'll hug and kiss Kara. It's very sweet and we make a big deal over him being nice and gentle towards her.
We have a sticker behaviour chart that I haven't instilled yet, but that may be the answer.
We still need to try a few more things.

I keep wondering though, is this just a 'boy' thing, or is it a problem in the making?
We've been told by a teacher friend of ours that we need to nip it in the bud NOW before he turns into the class clown and that becomes his M.O.

He can be such a sweet, kind, caring, gentle little guy when he wants to be but most of the time, he's just a crazy little man.

Oh man this parenting gig is HARD.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-10T14:53:00.002-06:00

The Literary Critic

Goodbye Kitty

2010-02-20T18:40:00.001-06:00

We went to our good friend Morgan's birthday party today, the little beauty turned 2.
It was a Hello Kitty party.
Tons of jumping and fun, lots of good cake and cotton candy and ~~messy~~ fabulous lip gloss in the take-away bags for the girls.

Here's the result:

Please note that I blew this up so you can clearly see her very pink face!!

Oh what a day!

Random Cuteness

2010-02-19T14:52:00.001-06:00

Little to say...Everyone is happy, healthy and hilarious.
I've joined a Boot Camp to kick my butt into gear and start exercising. It's 4 weeks long and I've just finished the first week. I'm still walking upright so that's a good sign.

Here are some random cute munchkin pics:

Kara with the Doctor's glasses getting ready to go outside.

Is it Officer Cooper or Dr. Cooper??

Kara and her best fur-sister watching t.v. almost falling asleep.

Just a boy on his basketball

Coop cleaning the pool - he didn't want to get his hands "all messy" fingerpainting with Kara.

Kara fingerpainting outside - or I should say hand painting!

See my beautiful creation?

Big boy with gelled hair

Coop playing with his train in the family room- yes, that's our cocktail table now!

Developments and Dilemmas - Cooper

2010-02-10T11:38:00.000-06:00

As I watch the kids grow and develop, I'm amazed at how far they've come in the 16 months that they've been home.

This pic is at a Rockets game - Cooper asked me when the fire was going to come out!
He thought we were there to watch a rocket launch! Funny boy.

Cooper, 4 1/2 years old, is a bright little guy. He's clever, observant, witty, caring, loving and sweet. He colors within the lines and very neatly. He's starting to spell and read. He writes his name and all of his letters well. He can cut with a scissors well. He knows shapes, the alphabet and can recognize numbers written as well as spoken. His fine motor skills are excellent. His gross motor skills are excellent. He can run, kick, stand and hop on one foot - he can do everything he needs to do for Kindergarten in August.
Here's a readiness checklist for KG:

Fine Motor Skills
1. Puts a 10- to 12-piece puzzle together - can put together a 24 piece puzzle together easily
2. Holds scissors correctly - Yes
3. Holds a pencil or crayon properly - Yes
Gross Motor Skills
1. Runs, jumps and skips - Yes
2. Walks backward - Yes
3. Walks up and down stairs - Yes
Social Skills
1. Uses words instead of being physical when angry - Yes
2. Speaks clearly so an adult can understand him/her - Yes
3. Plays with other children - Yes
4. Follows simple directions - Yes
5. Expresses feelings and needs - Yes
6. Goes to the bathroom by him/herself - Yes
7. Waits his/her turn and shares - Yes
8. Talks in sentences - Yes
9. Asks questions about things around him/her - A LOT!
10. Enjoys having books read to him/her - Yes
11. Can tell a story about a past event - Yes
12. Says "please" and "thank you" - Yes
13. Can spend extended periods away from Mom and Dad - Yes
Academic Skills
1. Recognizes shapes (square, circle, triangle, rectangle) - Yes
2. Can sort items by color, shape and size - Yes
3. Can identify six parts of his/her body - Yes
4. Understands concept words such as up, down, in, out, behind, over - Yes
5. Counts from 1 to 10 - Counts to 30+
6. Recognizes five colors - Yes, more
7. Tries to write his/her name - Yes, writes it very well
8. Recognizes his/her written name - Yes, LOVES Mini Coopers!
Personal Information
1. Knows his/her full name - Yes
2. Knows how old he/she is - Yes
3. Knows his/her address and telephone number - Working on it
4. Knows his/her mother and father's first names - Yes

He passes this test with flying colors and he's not starting until August.
Our dilemma?
Well, his maturity level is a little lower than the other kids. Sometimes he gets too silly and has a hard time settling down when he's in 'that' mode. He's especially silly when he gets excited - like when we have company (of course, right?). It's really not excessive so that's not my main concern - I think he'll mature out of it. The main concern is that he's so small for his age. He's 37" tall and weighs 33 lbs. YES, he eats! He is growing at a normal rate, on the normal curve, just below where he should be.
We've had him examined by the Pediatrician who had us take an x-ray of his hand. Their determination was that he has Constitutional Growth Delay. His bone age is delayed and it's due to genetics not disease. According to them, he will catch up in puberty.
Since his birthday is in July, he could either be the oldest in the class or the youngest. We are leaning towards sending him to KG twice so that he'll be one of the older kids. That will at least give him an extra year to grow.
The school he's in now only goes up to KG, so we would put him in another private school that starts from PreK to 8th grade for his second KG. He'll be with different kids, different teacher, different everything. I think it will be a good transition year to get to know the new school since he'll already know the academics.
Jim and I have talked about this at length -
What do you think?

Attachment: Version 397.2

2010-02-04T10:00:00.000-06:00

It's an ongoing thing. Now that the kids have been with us for over a year, sometimes we tend to treat them just like 'home grown' kids. They're not.
We must continue to remember that they have come from an insecure, unstable background.
They have had many major changes in their short lives.
They love us and we love them, but is the trust 100%? That's what must we strive to achieve, daily.

I made a little book for Cooper and Kara to read whenever they want. It's on the bookshelf along with the other thousand or so books. It's a short story with actual pictures of how we became a family - in toddler terms - it's very basic. They've looked at it many times and it has always sparked questions (as it's intended to do).
About 2 weeks ago I was reading it to Cooper and he cried when I got to the part where the kids were in the baby home and we were visiting them for the first time. I gently asked why he was crying. How did he feel? Angry? Sad? Mad at Mommy and Daddy? He said he was mad.
My stomach was in knots.
I had made this book for them to know the truth about their history - I don't want there to be a big "reveal" when they're older.
I told him it was ok to be mad and to tell me about why he was mad.
He said he wanted to go back to Russia.
Now I was about to cry.
Then he said he wanted to go back to get his things - his hat, his clothes. But he wanted all of us to come with him. Yay, I thought - he does love us!
Then, "Why did you leave?" Ugh, there goes my stomach again. I told him that we had to come back to Texas to get their rooms ready before we picked them up from Russia.
I explained to him that he has a lot of clothes here and that he will always have many clothes to choose from and they're all his, no one else can wear his clothes. And we will go back to Russia one day, just to visit.

We've read the book a few times since then and seems ok.
I don't know if I think he was trying to say he has a hole in his past and he needs to fill it or if he was just feeling sad and tired at that moment - or he simply wanted to go get his things... OR if he thinks that we were his biological parents and have now come back.
As he grows older, their story will unfold and get clearer but I don't want to muddle thier minds yet with too much information.

Whatever he was feeling, I know he needs to know the truth (vaguely at this age) about his past and that we need to continue to reassure him that we will always be there for him, even when he's older and has children of his own. Obviously - the same goes for Kara who is walking around with the book 24/7 these days. When she looks at her crib in the baby home, she says Kara's!! and gets very excited. I don't think it's from memory, but from us showing her that that was where she slept. I think she was too young to remember anything about the orphanage (not to say she wasn't affected by it, but doesn't actually remember it).

I came across an article I had seen a long time ago and I love this analogy.
It's from the book Adoption Parenting - Creating a Toolbox, Building Connections.

A Different Perspective

Immense Loss; Walk a Mile in Baby’s Booties

Imagine for a moment…

You have met the person you've dreamed about all your life. He has every quality that you desire in a spouse. You plan for the wedding, enjoying every free moment with your fiancée. You love his touch, his smell, the way he looks into your eyes. For the first time in your life, you understand what is meant by "soul mate," for this person understands you in a way that no one else does. Your heart beats in rhythm with his. Your emotions are intimately tied to his every joy, his every sorrow.

The wedding comes. It is a happy celebration, but the best part is that you are finally the wife of this wonderful man. You fall asleep that night, exhausted from the day's events, but relaxed and joyful in the knowledge that you are next to the person who loves you more than anyone in the world…the person who will be with you for the rest of your life.

The next morning you wake up, nestled in your partner's arms. You open your eyes and immediately look for his face.

But IT'S NOT HIM! You are in the arms of another man. You recoil in horror. Who is this man? Where is your beloved?

You ask questions of the new man, but it quickly becomes apparent that he doesn't understand you. You search every room in the house, calling and calling for your husband. The new guy follows you around, trying to hug you, pat you on the back,...even trying to stroke your arm, acting like everything is okay.

But you know that nothing is okay. Your beloved is gone. Where is he? Will he return? When? What has happened to him?

Weeks pass. You cry and cry over the loss of your beloved. Sometimes you ache silently, in shock over what has happened. The new guy tries to comfort you. You appreciate his attempts, but he doesn't speak your language-either verbally or emotionally. He doesn't seem to realize the terrible thing that has happened...that your sweetheart is gone.

You find it difficult to sleep. The new guy tries to comfort you at bedtime with soft words and gentle touches, but you avoid him, preferring to sleep alone, away from him and any intimate words or contact.

Months later, you still ache for your beloved, but gradually you are learning to trust this new guy. He's finally learned that you like your coffee black, not doctored up with cream and sugar. Although you still don't understand his bedtime songs, you like the lilt of his voice and take some comfort in it.

More time passes. One morning, you wake up to find a full suitcase sitting next to the front door. You try to ask him about it, but he just takes you by the hand and leads you to the car. You drive and drive and drive. Nothing is familiar. Where are you? Where is he taking you?

You pull up to a large building. He leads you to an elevator and up to a room filled with people. Many are crying. Some are ecstatic with joy. You are confused. And worried.

The man leads you over to the corner. Another man opens his arms and sweeps you up in an embrace. He rubs your back and kisses your cheeks, obviously thrilled to see you.

You are anything but thrilled to see him. Who in the world is he? Where is your beloved? You reach for the man who brought you, but he just smiles (although he seems to be tearing up, which concerns you), pats you on the back, and puts your hand in the hands of the new guy. The new guy picks up your suitcase and leads you to the door. The familiar face starts openly crying, waving and waving as the elevator doors close on you and the new guy.

The new guy drives you to an airport and you follow him, not knowing what else to do. Sometimes you cry, but then the new guy tries to make you smile, so you grin back, wanting to "get along." You board a plane. The flight is long. You sleep a lot, wanting to mentally escape from the situation.

Hours later, the plane touches down. The new guy is very excited and leads you into the airport where dozens of people are there to greet you. Light bulbs flash as your photo is taken again and again. The new guy takes you to another guy who hugs you. Who is this one? You smile at him. Then you are taken to another man who pats your back and kisses your cheek. Then yet another fellow gives you a big hug and messes your hair.

Finally, someone (which guy is this?) pulls you into his arms with the biggest hug you've ever had. He kisses you all over your cheeks and croons to you in some language you've never heard before.

He leads you to a car and drives you to another location. Everything here looks different. The climate is not what you're used to. The smells are strange. Nothing tastes familiar, except for the black coffee. You wonder if someone told him that you like your coffee black.

You find it nearly impossible to sleep. Sometimes you lie in bed for hours, staring into the blackness, furious with your husband for leaving you, yet aching from the loss. The new guy checks on you. He seems concerned and tries to comfort you with soft words and a mug of warm milk. You turn away, pretending to go to asleep.

People come to the house. You can feel the anxiety start to bubble over as you look into the faces of all the new people. You tightly grasp the new guy's hand. He pulls you closer. People smile and nudge one other, marveling at how quickly you've fallen in love. Strangers reach for you, wanting to be a part of the happiness.

Each time a man hugs you, you wonder if he will be the one to take you away. Just in case, you keep your suitcase packed and ready. Although the man at this house is nice and you're hanging on for dear life, you've learned from experience that men come and go, so you just wait in expectation for the next one to come along.

Each morning, the new guy hands you a cup of coffee and looks at you expectantly. A couple of times the pain and anger for your husband is so great that you lash out, sending hot coffee across the room, causing the new guy to yelp in pain. He just looks at you, bewildered. But most of the time you calmly take the cup. You give him a smile. And wait. And wait. And wait.

--Written by Cynthia Hockman-Chupp, analogy courtesy of Dr. Kali Miller

Some Funnies

2010-01-22T11:47:00.000-06:00

Kara, Cooper and I were playing in Kara's room with her kitchen last night.
They were offering me various food items, saying it was hot, to blow on it, etc.
I dropped a hamburger and made a big deal of it saying we needed to clean up this mess...
Kara got her play phone and said "Rosa, can you come clean my house? Thank you!". I was cracking up!
(Rosa is our housekeeper as I'm sure you've figured out by now!)

Cooper and Jim were watching t.v. last night and a State Farm commercial came on.
Jim asked Cooper "Who does daddy work for?" Cooper said "Money!" Yep, that boy has it right!

We rearranged Cooper's room last week to move the t.v. out. This was during his naptime and we didn't tell him ahead of time. When he awoke, he said "Mommy, someone broke my room! That was not very nice!". He likes it now, even better than before.

A couple of weeks ago we went to see the Houston Rockets play and after the game started, Cooper turned to me and said, "Mommy, when is the fire going to come out?" He thought we were going there to see a rocket launch! I can only imagine what he was thinking when the guys started playing basketball right next to the 'rocket'! He thought the screen in the middle of the stadium was the bottom of the rocket!
Funny boy!

Yep, these munchkins keep us laughing!

Sugar and Spice and EVERYTHING nice

2010-01-21T14:49:00.000-06:00

I have to tell you how extremely sweet my baby girl is.

I was putting her to bed last night and she laid down on her little bed and said "I LOVE my flowers mommy. Thank you for my flowers. (referring to her flowered sheets). Thank you for my room mommy. Thank you for my giraffe. Thank you for my paint - is it dry? Thank you for all the pink."

She's truly the sweetest little child I've ever met.
When someone gets hurt, even if it's a stubbed toe, she's all like, "I get booboo bear for you" and she dotes and cares for you...
When her baby falls down, she makes a sad face and gently picks her up and talks to her softly in her ear...
When the dogs play rough (and growl a lot), she'll say, "No, Mia will get hurt" - Mia's the smallest...

Such a little angel.

This was at Brock's birthday party in October~

Scrapbooking... the WALLS!

2010-01-13T09:55:00.000-06:00

When Kara and Cooper first came home, I had every intention of letting them share a bedroom.

They were used to sharing a room with 8 others in the baby home and I thought they may feel isolated or lonely if they were by themselves in a room.

Cooper was a great sleeper (and still is) but Kara would take a minimum of 45 minutes to get to sleep. So when we got home, we put them together in a bedroom and had the other bedroom as their playroom. Then Cooper kept waking Kara up by calling her name...loudly... That got old fast because it would take another 45 minutes or longer to get her back to sleep. So we moved Kara into what was the playroom. Well that room gets very warm and Kara's a hot-blooded girl so she was stripping off her clothes at night. We then switched the kids rooms - Cooper is in the 'once playroom' and Kara is in the 'once co-ed bedroom'.

I'm saying all this to let you know that both rooms were decorated 'kid' because we didn't know for sure who was going to be where. Not any theme per se, just fun, bright, kid-friendly rooms.

After playing musical rooms for the first few months, they've been in their current rooms ever since.

Well Kara is now a princess. A doll-lover. An all-girl pink lover. A ballerina. So I really wanted her room to reflect her personality and to make the pink/doll/dancer-loving princess happy!

I don't have any before pictures but here are the after pics.... it turned out so cute and she loves it!

I made this tutu valance and glued scrapbook stickers of butterflies and flowers to it. It was very easy. It would look better with a pretty shade behind it but for now we have the blinds.

I re-wallpapered her kitchen to match her room!

It's just a cute pink flowered pattern wrapping paper glued to the existing, ugly, 70's wallpaper.

I made this bow holder from scratch - yes I did!!! It was my first. I copied another one that I had seen online (it was $60) and this one cost around $14 to make! (no sewing needed!)

These cute wall hangings came from H0bby L0bby - I embellished them a little by putting the same ribbon on the castle that matches the ribbon that ties the flower and butterfly. (This was Jim's idea!). I hate the lampshade so don't look at that. It needs to be redone. I glued poofs of pink boa on the flower too -

I painted this giraffe on the wall before the kids came. Now SHE's wearing a princess crown, earrings and a necklace! I LOVE circles and dots so I did just this one wall so it wouldn't be too overdone.

I painted a peg and embellished it with scrapbook dancing things so she (I) could hang her dancing bag on it.

The lightswitch is a cute fabric that I had - spraystarched to the switchplate! So easy and cute.

The angel cross was a gift (actually I have 2) from my bosses wife when we got our referral - I love it there!

Above her door is a plaque that says Little Princess. It's not made by me because I have a horrible handwriting and wouldn't even attempt to paint that! I know my limitations!

The flower is from H0bby L0bby as well and it displays some of her 'jewels' for dress up. I fell in love with the pattern on a Christmas bag so I used it to decoupage her KARA letters. Again, easy and cheap.

On this wall are the words "Such a big miracle in such a little girl". These are the vinyl stick-ons that you see everywhere. I loved the saying and I wanted it very subtle so I did it in white. The round things are discs from M!chaels that I embellished with pink boas, tulle and gems. The "K" is in the same fabric that is on the switchplate - again spraystarched to the wall. The frame is from H0bby L0bby.

All in all I love the way it came out. A little fun, a little green, a lot of pink and a ton of GIRL!

All for my little peach. LOVE this child!

Next she will get a twin sized bed. She's in a toddler bed right now and she bumps around in it so much, she's ready for a bigger bed soon! I can't wait to pick out bed linens to match her room- should be easy!

Cooper says he likes his room just the way it is! YAY!

2010-01-07T10:41:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas beautiful Russia!

~May Grandfather Frost visit ALL of the precious children there~

Pre-K talk

2009-12-26T09:37:00.000-06:00

I have to write these down or I will forget:

Cooper to Kara: "I'm gonna get my costume on and give you a ticket!" (referring to his Halloween police costume)
Cooper when he's mad at me, Jim or Kara: "I put water on you!" - taken from Wizard of Oz - water killed the witch!
Cooper still says wellow for yellow
Kara still calls Cooper, Pooper
Cooper on his play cell phone: "911, hi, Fireman Sam? yes, please come. Thanks, bye"
Kara trying to say that she's already washed her hands: "I ate" - everything is "ate" if she's already done it.
After reminding Cooper that Santa Claus was always watching him, he says "Where's the video camera?" (there are video cameras at school).
When Cooper wakes up from a nap, he almost always says "I sleep 7 times!" meaning he slept a long time.

Obviously I have more Cooper talking stories but Kara is definitely getting better since her ear tube surgery. She tries hard to get her point across.
She still loves Elmo but her top favorites are princesses and Barney.

In other news, I'm redoing Kara's room and will post pics when I'm done. It's sooooooo fun and my creative juices are flowing wildly!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

2009-12-25T09:43:00.000-06:00

God has blessed us with tons of laughter, happiness and joy with our two precious little ones.
There is more love and joy in our house than ever before!

God is indeed good and we are truly thankful for the blessings we have.

Merry Christmas everyone!

December so far -

2009-12-13T17:26:00.004-06:00

So what's been going on over here you ask??
Well - my last post said that Kara would not use a public potty - it's gotten a tad worse but yet a tad better...
She now refuses to use ANYone's potty (including friend's homes) but she did have a breakthrough while we were at the allergist (3 hours by the way). She peepeed in their potty - crying the whole time but still she did it!
I have been carrying a potty in the back of my SUV for such incidents. She has no problem going in the car so that's what we do for now. It's rather easy, I just put a disposable bag down and she goes right in it then I throw the whole thing away.

I think I've mentioned that Kara's been stopped up for the past few months non-stop. So I took her to the allergist (have I mentioned that we were there for 3 hours?? AND it was snowing outside?? AND I had crazy Cooper with me too??) Anyway, our visit there was to do skin prick test. She did fine for the 1st half but the 2nd half, where they inject you on your upper arms under the skin, 10 shots on each side...she screamed and cried. A lot. Yes, they numbed her for both sets of tests. Turns out, she has 15 different allergies. Year round allergies. After that visit, I had to go to 2 different pharmacies with 7 prescriptions! In the snow, in Houston, where it snows about 1/8" every 10 years and people can't drive when it sprinkles much less when it snows.

So here's littlebit with her hippie bong, I mean nebulizer - she actually liked it! Yikes.

Other happenings... we (Kara and I) went to her friend Ben's birthday party at Gymboree.

Wow, you really think your kid has come a long way until she refuses to participate and only does her own thing.

See the little girl in the pink dress all by herself? Yep, that would be Kara.

The party continued and she played on all of the equipment but just didn't want to sit down - maybe it was because of all the excitement and newness.. she did sit for the cake and ice cream though.

Would someone please tell Kara that the party is over? So funny, especially considering that she doesn't even like sweets! BUT she does like the option!

In other news - we went to our friend's house for a little Christmas party and Santa came to visit! The kids were so excited. Cooper in a good way and Kara NOT! Coop ran up to Santa and sat right on his lap and told him he wanted a choo choo train - a black one. We were so proud of him!
Kara was horrified at the thought of the big red guy and absolutely refused to go into the room where he was!

Oh well, maybe next year...

New Dilema

2009-12-01T18:40:00.001-06:00

This little monkey-girl refuses to use any public restroom!

How do I fix this one??

Santa Makes a Practice Visit

2009-11-28T17:38:00.005-06:00

Daddy Jim dresses up like Santa so the kids can get used to the idea and practice sitting on his lap. They were up for it unlike last year where they screamed their heads off. Both kids promise to sit on Santa's lap and not cry this year - we'll see when the time comes.
I'll definitely keep my camera handy when the real Santa comes to town.

Stef beat both kids to Santa's lap - she was cracking up!

The kids wanted to try on the Santa suit - They really look so much alike here!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T06:20:00.004-06:00

I'm thankful for my beautiful daughter who woke up this morning at 5:00 and peepeed in the potty in the dark (of course making a ton of noise). I'm thankful that she's potty trained.
I'm thankful that she ate 1/2 can of spaghetti 0's, 2 yogurts, apple juice and milk for breakfast this morning! (her choice of course).
I'm thankful that she feels great and is talking more than ever.

I'm thankful for my amazingly smart little boy who is so curious about everything and asks a million questions a day.
I'm thankful for him asking me yesterday if I took the helicopter to the hospiddle -and all of his other funny questions.

I'm thankful that I have a wonderul, sweet husband who is the most hands-on, helpful and caring father I could have ever asked for.

I'm thankful for my sweet sweet doggies who help keep me sane.

I'm thankful to God for all I have. I'm so extremely lucky.

Tubes

2009-11-25T12:06:00.002-06:00

Kara's had several ear infections in the past year. Everytime we bring her to the doctor, she seems to have an ear infection.
She never pulls at her ears or complains so there's no way of knowing when she has an infection but she constantly has a runny/green nose and a yucky cough every day. She sounds like Tony Soprano. If you listen to her monitor at night, you would swear that there was a 500 lb man snoring away in the room but it's just little 29 lb Karaboo all stuffed up as usual.

The ENT checked her ears and she had middle-ear fluid in both ears - not an infection, but "old" fluid meaning that there's no air going in or our like it's supposed to. She failed her hearing test and failed the test where they vibrate the ear drums - nothing moved. This is also a good indication of why her speech isn't improving by leaps and bounds like it should be.
They did an x-ray of her adenoids and they were fine, so it's just ear-related.
Sooooo the doc recommended tubes.

My baby went in to Texas Children's Hospital this morning at 8:00 and at 8:15 the doc came back to say everything went perfectly fine. All the gunk is gone. At 9:00 a.m. we were on our way back home - we stopped by to see her daddy at work and then to the grocery store. She's as normal as can be and NOT ONE tear was shed the entire time. She awoke from the anesthesia looking around like "where am I?" but she saw me right away and asked for apple juice. She watched The Wizard of Oz on the DVD on the way home and sang to her favorite songs... just like nothing ever happened.
I was absolutely amazed.
Right now it's nap time but she's yapping away playing with her babies dressing and undressing them, happy as can be.

Great experience for both of us! Texas Children's Hospital is the best!

Happy Birthday... again??

2009-11-18T18:20:00.007-06:00

Well a princess deserves several birthdays right?

First was her actual birthday - November 3 - we had her little school party.
She had a great time until we lit the candle. Seems littlebit is a little bit afraid of fire!
Cooper came to her class to help her celebrate.

Watching us with anticipation....

Here's the very pink cake- even princess Barbie's skin is pink!

Then when we got home, we had our little family celebration - her favorite meal, a nice little cake and she opened her presents from us.

Her main present was her trike which she can finally ride!

Her 3rd party was the big one - a jumpy party at The Ruckus Room with 19 of her closest friends.

The staff there was fabulous! Everyone had a great time - they jumped, ate pizza and chips and of course had cake - an AMAZING cake by Melissa Costanzo. Here are some pics of her other creations. The girl makes the best cakes in Houston. I personally chose an almond flavored cake with a chocolate ganache filling.... mmmm soooooo good!

There were friends to greet...

big bouncy things to jump and slide on...

balloon-animal-makers to watch...

and of course, the fabulous cake to eat!

After naptime, it was time to open all of the thousands of presents!

of course, Steffi had to get in to the action

Stef wowing over the gifts!

Kara's showing Fritz her new toy

This is one happy three year old girl!

Happy 3rd Birthday Kara!

2009-11-03T14:21:00.003-06:00

On November 3, 2006 a beautiful little baby girl was born in a remote village in northern Russia.

On November 3, 2006 a nice couple named Jane and Jim were just beginning the process of adopting two children from Russia.

After 2 years, 102 gagillion pounds of paperwork, a gagillion dollars, a ton of emotions and a lot of tears (some good, some not), the little baby and the nice couple were brought together by the grace of God.

Happy Birthday to our sweet, beautiful, smart Russian Princess, Kara.

Halloween

2009-11-01T15:25:00.004-06:00

Kara and Cooper October 2008~

First of all, do you remember these kids? I barely do!

The policeman turned into Spiderman and Elmo turned into a princess!

What a difference a year makes.

Last year they had only been in America for 8 days - they were a bit bewildered about the whole proces but this year... different story. After every.single.house Kara would say "More!" and Cooper would say "Are we done yet?".

Every Halloween, there's a parade of sorts in our neighborhood with a real fire truck leading the way. The fire truck (Fireman Sam as Cooper calls it) sounds it's horn and that begins the 'parade'. Cooper totally remembered it from last year and couldn't wait. All the kids and parents walk along the street to the end of the cul-de-sac then the firemen pass out candy then all the kids go trick or treating. It's small but fun for the kids.

Pics in our back yard before the festivities: I'm hopeful that next year I can get them to match somehow.

Here's Kara's reaction to the firetruck horns:

Coop loves the firetruck, noise and fanfare, Kara hates it. Always opposites in every way.

Trick or treating. Yes, they remembered to say thank you!

ZooBoo

2009-10-25T09:19:00.005-05:00

We had a great time at ZooBoo in Houston. The kids got a chance to wear their costumes and were so excited- Cooper was Spiderman and Kara was a Fairy Princess.

How did they choose their costumes you ask? Well, Cooper knew from the beginning that's what he wanted to be and never deviated. We went into one of those huge Halloween Expre$$ stores and showed Kara several different options. She would walk past something, take a slow look and say no. We showed her cute puppies, bears, lions, raggedy Ann, etc.

She walked up to the Fairy Princess, stopped and declaired "MINE" and walked straight to the register! It was too funny - the girl knew!

We met Susan and Artem and Amy (her sister in law) and baby Charlie at the zoo and had a lot of fun! Artem was an adorable little train conductor and is seriously the best behaved little man there.

As always, check out our pics - I'm sure Susan has better ones - my camera bites AND she's a great photog!

Kara, the prairie dog

Cooper the prairie dog

Artem the prairie dog

Kara very gentle with the goat

They actually posed for the pic!

Cooper finally enjoys a ride on the carousel 'horse' that goes up and down! He said, Mom, I not scared, it fun!!

Cooper loves the goats - and actually kissed this one on the head!

Picking out a pumpkin to paint

1 Year Family Day Anniversary

2009-10-18T18:33:00.003-05:00

October 15th was our 1 year anniversary as a family!

We celebrated by having Russian Stroganoff and watching the video of our trips.

It's unbelievable that it's been 1 year already~It truly feels like the kids have always been with us.

They are right on target with everything as far as development except Kara's speech is about 6 months delayed but improving daily.

Cooper is still a crazy/smart/funny little boy who makes up stories all the time.

Kara continues to LOVE her baby dolls and treats them so delicately, it's truly precious.

We went to see Thomas the Train in Rusk, TX this weekend and the kids had a ball. It was a great experience - I recommend it! Kara was NOT fond of the loud horns and it was a little chilly so she could have skipped the train ride but loved the jump houses and eating and tatoos, etc. We stayed with my brother who lives about an hour away and it was great seeing him. Here are some pics from our little weekend trip:

Cooper, brother, Kara (yes, he's my brother - 19 years older!)

Kara NOT enjoying riding on Thomas!

Cooper loved it!

The happy family of 3 and Kara

Sweet kids on the way up - holding hands for the pic (UNprompted!)

Keeping up the naps

2009-10-13T15:53:00.005-05:00

Ok, you really thought I wasn't serious about keeping up with the blog right? Fooled ya!

Just when we thought nothing else could happen it did.
Kara again.
She awoke at 12:30 last night screaming and writhing (seemingly in pain) and soaking wet with sweat. She continued to scream/cry until 1:15 - STRAIGHT, NON-STOP. Then it continued throughout the night. Nothing would soothe her. She kept screaming, NoNONONONO... slapping her hands, kicking her feet - all over the place.
We put her in the bed with us and tried to comfort her. She would fall asleep for about 1/2 hour to 45 mins then the screams would start again.
I thought she had to go to the bathroom - possibly constipated.
At one point during the night we were convinced she was possessed!! kidding!
She was not responsive at all. We kept asking, Where does it hurt? Where's the booboo?
Nothing. Just screams and kicking. It was like she didn't even know we were there.

She finally went to sleep soundly around 5:00 am - I had to get up for work at 5:30 so needless to say, that didn't happen.
She awoke around 7:00 with a smile on her face and normal as can be.

We spent the day together and she's been very normal. I've been scouring the internet trying to figure out what was wrong with her. After my research and talk with my bud Teri, we have decided that it was night terrors. Of course, we did everything wrong - you're not supposed to bother them at all. She didn't have a nap yesterday and sleep deprivation is one of the causes of night terrors.

I always knew naps were important but here's just another reason.

Here's the link to what I've found: http://www.babycenter.com/404_why-is-my-toddler-suddenly-waking-up-hysterical-at-night_1292621.bc

Hope this helps anyone else with this problem.

The stories just keep on comin'

2009-10-12T17:18:00.004-05:00

I've really got the goods on these two when they're older...

Here's another story:

It's 3:15 a.m. Jim hears noises and tells me to go check.

why HE couldn't go check I'll never know since I was sound asleep...

So I tip toe down the hallway and peek ever so quietly into Kara's room and a small voice from below says, "Here, here!" She was in the bathroom on the floor, her face (including her eyes) was covered in De$itin, her diaper was off and she was saying, "boo boo, boo boo".
While I was wiping her off and putting her diaper back on I discovered that she was really hot. Her temp showed 102.8F.
Poor thing just wanted to try to make herself feel better.
We put her in the bed with us and she finally went back to sleep around 4 a.m.

As per the Doc, she has a common virus- not Swine or any other flu - and the fever is gone.
This all happened last night...
See I'm getting better at blogging with my stories on time!

New pics soon!

Time Flies

2009-10-04T13:24:00.004-05:00

I've been a very bad blogger lately - there's just not enough hours in the day for this... I'll try to be better, I promise.

So, what's been going on in the last month? Tons.

Cooper
The boy is absolutely thriving. He talks nonstop about the strangest things. I actually had to google a bunch of his behaviour because, well, I've never had a 4 year old before and did not know if this was normal.

For example: His answer to my question of how his day went, would be: I was running, and BAM, went into the light and cut my finger off. It bleeding so I had to go to the hospididdle.

(Me:) What? When? (Cooper:) Yesterday - I had to go on the helicopter. (Me:) Really? Who drove the helicopter? (Cooper:) Me.

This is an everday occurance. Sometimes, there's fire involved, sometimes the police come. But he's dead serious when he's telling these stories and there's a lot of hand motions and expressions. According to everything I've read, he's very normal and has an active imagination. Whew! He's one crazy little boy.

Otherwise, he's playing soccer at school and loves it.

Kara

She's also thriving and doing very well. She's in the midst of potty training and we're discovering that she has tremendous will. She's perfected the phrase "NO, I do it" and will scream if she doesn't get her way. We're working on that, but again, I read that that's normal 2-3 year old behaviour. She plays well at school and per her teacher, she is not aggressive so she's pretty easy to manage. She loves computer time at school the best and now she's in dance (ballet and tap) - yeah, I know, she's not even out of diapers yet. I was guilted into enrolling her by the dance teacher who said, but all the other little girls are in it and she always wants to go... blah, blah, blah. Hmph. I didn't start dance until I was 7.

They're not perfect though.

About 3 weeks ago, they were playing in Cooper's room, right after their bath. Cooper went downstairs and said Look Papa! I could hear Jim say, Oh wow, go show your mom. I was upstairs and feared what was coming. My instinct was right. He came in to our bathroom, his hands and legs completely covered with blue and green markers. Then Kara cam in right behind him laughing away, looking just the same as he did. They both went right into the bath again.

2 weeks ago, I heard a lady downstairs (we were both upstairs). I went running downstairs and saw both kids on the sofa laying on their tummies talking to Jim's cell phone. Someone had climbed up, got Jim's blackberry, somehow dialed 911 and put it on speaker phone (which was at least nice of them). The lady on the phone was saying, Hello?? Hello?? 911 Dispatch, what's your emergency?? Kara was squealing with delight and Cooper was trying to talk to her.

Oh the fun toddlers bring...

Here are some updated photos.

Jim and Cooper on bumper boats

The Coopster posing

Cooper bossing Kara, Look this way - you can see how well she listens to him!

Kara trying on her Halloween costume, a fairy princess - she finally learns to pose! The little beauty in the bath

Napping? Nah...

2009-08-23T14:39:00.003-05:00

We heard some noises coming from Kara's room towards the end of her naptime so Jim went in there to check on her. He asked me if I had done anything with her clothes. I had not. He said, get the camera and go see her, quick!

This is what I saw:

She had taken almost all of her clothes out of her dresser, separated all of her school uniforms by color and lined them all up on the floor...

They both line up everything they can find - I wonder what this means??

Growing Up

2009-08-21T09:57:00.005-05:00

It's very exciting and rewarding to watch the kids grow and develop their own unique personalities but wow, I'll never get those old 'baby' days back - time is going too fast!

It's only been 10 months and look at the changes:

Kara - October 2008 - first week home

Kara today - sock hop day at school

Kara - 2nd week home - her 2nd birthday party

Kara - August 2009 - checking out her newly painted nails

Kara- October 2008

August 2009 - at the mall playground

Cooper - October 2008 - Little man

August 2009 - Sock Hop Day at school

Coop - August 2009- just waking up

Cooper - Handsome Devil at the mall playground

Cooper the Crazy Boy climbing the 'rocks' at the park

Cooper - this is the latest face I get when trying to take a pic

Kara looking quite Russian here!

This is what you get when you pass french fries and ketchup to the back of the car

Picture Post

2009-08-03T10:49:00.006-05:00

Kara riding the carousel horse at the zoo after Julian's birthday party

Cooper sitting on the "sofa" as he calls it - he's still scared to go up and down on the horses!

Kara at Julian's birthday party at the zoo

Cooper and Kara at Julian's birthday party at the zoo

Kara and Cooper fight in the car at the mall

Cooper at the mall

Cooper and Kara sharing the stroller (had to get a pic of them playing nice)

again, sharing - Mom, look, I sharing! (Cooper)

C&K posing for the Alcalde Texas Ex book

Coop gets a haircut

C&K make a big mess at Papa's work

Coop rides his birthday bike

Coop can't wait for his nap

Kara at Evan's birthday party at Discovery Green Park

Cooper and Papa at Discovery Green Park

Kara at Discovery Green Park

Here we are in the AAI newsletter!

Check us out~

AAI

Rockin' Out to the ABCs

2009-07-31T14:24:00.004-05:00

Short video from my camera of the kids this morning -
They crack me up, especially Kara with the head banging!

Happy Birthday to Cooper!

2009-07-17T14:31:00.004-05:00

We now have a 4 year old. He tells me everyday, "I big boy".

We had a big pool party for him with about 20 other kids and 20ish adults. It was a lot of fun and he only had 1 mini-meltdown at 10:30 at night when we told him he couldn't ride his bike upstairs. I didn't think we were being that unreasonable but the 4 year old did. So he received a bike and about a thousand other gifts that Kara promptly claimed - everything is Kara's you see. If she sees it, it's hers. All she has to say is Mine and poof, done. Of course, that starts an altercation with the 4 year old who says, NO, it not Kara's, it Cooper's and back and forth until someone ends up crying or I get a migraine, whichever comes first. It's all good though.

Back to the party~ Since it was his first real birthday party (we met them in Russia a week after his 3rd birthday) we probably went a little overboard but no regrets. It'll just be a lot more simple next time.

Here are some pics:

These balloons lasted all of about an hour in the 100+ Texas heat. We started with ~100 balloons blown up in the backyard and just about every 10 minutes, POP, it couldn't take it!

The MUCH-TOO-EXPENSIVE cake that did not even taste all that good. Live and learn.

I made this cake for his school party - it came out cute and Cooper loved it. The idea came from Family Fun - I really love their ideas.

This was from this morning, it's Luau Day at school today. I wonder if they'll roast a pig for lunch...

Wow!

2009-07-05T08:16:00.007-05:00

It's been awhile! Happy belated 4th of July everyone!

My laptop broke TWICE - first the motherboard died then they had to do something with the harddrive. I don't know anything about the techie stuff but I'm glad it's fixed.

Kiddos update: They're doing G.R.E.A.T.

Cooper talks a mile a minute, non-stop, fairly good English. He knows a lot of numbers and all of his colors in Spanish. He holds onto two Russian words and uses them interchangibly with English - malenkie for small and bolna for hurt.

He was moved up to a class where his peers are the same age and that has helped him learn a lot more (not all good!).

We've been getting ready for his 4th birthday party and if he gets mad or doesn't get what he wants, he'll say, "you not coming to my birthday party!". It's really funny and hard not to laugh.

He takes gymnastics on Fridays and they have water works (water play) on Tuesdays and Fridays. He's active, funny, smart and healthy.

He loves trucks, tractors, swimming, all animals, and anything with buttons for pushing. He's a freak for our phones, the remote control and our computer!

Kara's words are coming along better as well. She was also moved up to a class where she's in the same age as the rest. It helped that they were in a younger class to begin with because they weren't so intimidated by the 'bigger' kids but now they're so comfortable, they absolutely love school and all their teachers. The transition from Gaby's class to Valerie's went pretty well. She cried for Gaby the first day when she saw her but all is well now. She gives Gaby hugs and kisses whenever she sees her at school.

She's is still very much a girly-girl and will always pick a dress over shorts to wear. (I love that about her). She is really comfortable in the pool and 'swims' by herself now. It's not truly swimming but she treads water alone while she has her floaty suit on. She continues to mimic every move Cooper makes.

Recently, we were having a dinner of chicken, mac & cheese and green beans. Kara was eating everything including the beans when Cooper announces that he doesn't like the beans. Kara immediately said yuck and pushed her plate away pointing at the beans. Little rat!

I can truly say they are very well adjusted and very normal 2+4 year olds and we thank God for them everyday.

Oh, we had playdates with fellow bloggers! Chris and Christian met us at the zoo and Susan and Artem came over to swim and have dinner! Both were so fun and we can't wait to do it again!

Here are some recent pics from the 4th of July in Chappell Hill, TX- a small town about an hour outside of Houston -

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T18:23:00.004-05:00

I had my first Mother's Day and it was fabulous!
We played in the pool, grilled chicken outside and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

My little Russian hulk- and hulkette!

Cooper is such a daredevil now! He jumps from the highest point and goes completely under without blinking an eye- over and over and over again.

Kara is a tad more reserved. She seems a little bit overwhelmed so we let her go at her own pace. She puts her face down into the pool and can blow bubbles out through her mouth - it's a great start.

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

What's Happening?

2009-05-08T07:39:00.004-05:00

What’s happening in our neck of the woods? I'll tell you!

The Coopster:
Is pottytrained. Yay! It took about 2 months of constant, ‘Do you have to go pee pee?’ for it to happen but it did. He still wears a pull-up at night and at nap-time. Oddly, he was potty-trained for poop about 2 months before pee pee.

Is still speaking in 3rd person. Cooper went here, Cooper did this, etc. We know he’ll grow out of this once he learns how to use pronouns, etc. but for now it’s too cute to correct!

Has a W.I.L.D. imagination. He pretends (I hope anyway) to see a teddy bear – a white teddy bear – that flies into his room at night. Every once in awhile he’s scared of it, but most of the time it just chases him and he runs around and laughs. It’s really funny to see Kara looking up searching for it with a confused look on her face!

Has discovered boobies. AND announced to one of his teachers: “I LOVE boobies!”. I was humiliated when she told me this. Coop and I had a talk. Hopefully, this little phase will go away quietly and quickly.

His WHY? has arrived. And he asks a thousand questions a day. He’s a talker, that boy.

The Karaboo:
Is babbling a lot more these days. She’s still not where she needs to be, but definitely knows how to get her point across! The EI (Early Intervention) people will come on May 21 to start her speech therapy.

Is such a girlie-girl! It’s really fun to watch her gross out at bugs and want to wear dresses all of the time.

Is sweet to her core. She is gentle and loves to cuddle and give kisses to us, Cooper, dogs, whoever! She’s very concerned when someone gets hurt and has to kiss their booboo and pat them while saying, it’s ok, it’s ok. She has great empathy.

Is extremely attached to her teacher Gaby and I’m terrified of what will happen when she has to change classes/teachers (August, I think).

Has a weird sense of taste. She hates chocolate and anything sweet except marshmallows (which is pure sugar, go figure?).

Opposites-
The kids are full-bio brother and sister but they are completely and totally opposite in every way!
Kara hates sweets – Cooper would live off sweets if we let him
Kara will eat only the chicken at Chick-Fil-A – Cooper will eat only the french fries and carrot salad
Kara is outgoing – Cooper is introverted
Kara wakes up happy and ready to go – Cooper takes a long time to ‘get his groove’ on
Kara is fairly obedient – Cooper likes to test the limits (this is probably age-related)
Kara will not try a food if she doesn’t like the looks of it – Cooper will try anything at least once

Now time for some pics from the past month or so…

Cooper "swimming" - about 2nd or 3rd time in. Now he jumps from the side and goes completely under. I'm going to try to teach them to swim.

We're ready to go for our jog/walk to the park-

Cooper went to a birthday party for his friend Madeline and it was a "Pony Party" except these weren't ponies! They were full sized horses! He loves horses and wasn't scared at all.

Cooper is admiring the horses - he's in awe of them. (I guess he really does belong in Texas!)

Kara is loving on the pool! Such a sweetie!

Karaboo in the pool-

Does this bikini make me look fat?

What about this one?

Sand-pit fun-

LOVE that prissy stance!

Poor Elmo

2009-04-17T14:20:00.001-05:00

I read Rachel's post about Elmo and I was cracking up so and I had to share my Elmo story as well-

~the victim~

This was about a month ago before we realized that Kara was lactose intolerant.

First of all, Kara would poop 4-5 times a day. We were still in the process of trying to find out if there was something wrong with her or if this was her "normal".

So, she was taking a bath one night and the Elmo faucet protector was being used as a toy.
She gave me this certain look and I knew what was going to happen but I couldn't get her out of the tub in time. She proceeded to stand up and say Uh Oh and started whining/crying.
I started to pick her up but saw it coming out so I put her back down.
I didn't want to get it all over me and I figured I could just bleach the tub - again.

Kara did not like that.

She wanted OUT of that poop-tub immediately.

Elmo was on his side quietly floating near the drain while Kara was screaming, NOOOOOO ELLLMOOOOOOO and covering her mouth with both her hands. The poop slowly made its way down the tub and rested on Elmo's shoulder. I was laughing my ass off while my poor child was screaming ELLLLLMOOOO.

I really should have gotten a picture because it was sooooo funny!

Elmo (the doll) was also put in time out by Cooper- Elmo's really had it rough lately.

And since Kara has to do EVERYTHING her brother does, she put her baby in time-out.

Happy Day!!

2009-04-15T09:52:00.003-05:00

Happy Tax Day everyone!
We're especially happy because we get to use our Adoption Tax Credit this year - Woo Hoo!!!
Thank you Uncle Sam!

Happy Birthday Laura!
You were my best bud growing up and you are the sister I never had.
We don't see each other a whole lot anymore because we live in different states, but I still think about you often and hope you're doing great. I love you and hope you have a wonderful birthday.

Happy 6 month Family Day to us!
Exactly 6 months ago, a judge in Arkhangel'sk Russia granted us permission to adopt our two wonderful, perfect, funny, crazy, smart, beautiful children and we will be forever grateful for that.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T07:17:00.009-05:00

We're all wishing you a very happy Easter!

We've been very busy over here! Here's the rundown-

we went to the wedding of Jim's nephew Chris
another nephew, niece and cousin came to stay with us and go to the wedding
my brother and his wife came to visit
we went to a birthday party for a classmate of Cooper's
we've been potty training the Coopster
we've been half-assed trying to potty train Kara
we've had the Easter parade and hunt at school
we went to our friend's house for an Easter hunt and barbeque
I finished their Life-Book and it came out fabulous! I used Picaboo and absolutely loved it
we finished our first post-placement report (I can't believe it's already been 6 months)

AND our flipping coffee-maker is broken. UGH. Anyone know of a GOOD coffee-maker? I don't care what the cost - I need my morning coffee!

Here are some random tidbits of info:

Cooper rode his trike into the pool. He was pretty stunned because it was very cold but he popped right back up and started laughing. I jumped in to help him-shoes and all. All is fine and I don't think he will be doing that again!
Cooper can write his name. Oh, and he knows all of his colors in Spanish! Once again, LOVE LOVE LOVE that school!
Cooper is officially a chocoholic. He definitely takes after his mother.
Kara is lactose intolerant. After some tests and experimenting, she's on Lactaid and doing fine.
Kara insists on standing up to peepee. We keep explaining to her that girls are not built that way - too funny! It's especially funny to hear Cooper tell her that she doesn't have a P (that's what he calls it).
Kara, in complete contrast to Cooper, H.A.T.E.S chocolate - there is something wrong with her! heehee.

Ok, now for some random pics. You can figure out what is what...

Tuesday

2009-03-22T09:56:00.002-05:00

The scene:

Cooper going through his Papa's drawer in our bathroom, pulling out one thing at a time asking, What's that?

He gets to some earplugs and I say, that's for your ears when things get too loud.

Cooper says: Cooper try it?

I say: Not right now.

Cooper: Later?

Mama: Maybe.

Cooper: Tomorrow?

Mama: We'll see.

Cooper: Tuesday?

We're obviously working on days of the week around here!

from the big dog

2009-03-16T12:39:00.003-05:00

Hi my name is Etta Mees. I used to be called Stefani or Steffi but my new baby brother changed my name when he arrived. I think I like it better, I answer to it anyway.

I’ve taken over this blog for today because I have a lot to say.

My thoughts on Cooper:
I’m so happy that Cooper is nice and gentle with me. I have a bad leg and sometimes have to take medicine to make it feel better. Coop pats my leg gently and says “it’s ok, EttaMees, it’s ok”. I really like him a lot.
He has lots of soft stuffed animals that I like to destroy, I mean play with and sometimes it makes him upset – he puts me in time-out regularly. I don’t really know what time-out is but it seems to be important to Cooper because he scowls when he tells me this. I usually just ignore him and go lay in his bed.

I wake him up in the morning by jumping on his bed and licking his face. He wakes up laughing and giggling which makes me wag my tail even harder. Then my brother Fritz the Schnuazer joins in and helps me give Cooper a bath also! Of course, Kara has to come see what all the craziness is about!

Thoughts on Kara:
Kara is my meal ticket. That girl is a mess which is great ‘cause I can get lots of scraps off her highchair and when she drops something!

She always seems to have drool or food on her face so I clean her up all of the time! She also offers me stuffed toys which I take from her and run off and play with which makes her chase me.

And they love to hide in their diaper boxes - they think I can't find them, ha!

Yep, I love these kiddos and they love me and my sister and brother.

Lots of Firsts!

2009-03-03T13:42:00.006-06:00

It’s been quite an exciting couple of weeks around here for the munchkins.
They went to their first birthday party for their friend Morgan and got to jump in a huge bouncy with a big slide - afraid? NO WAY, they went right in and joined the other kids. Cooper and Kara have come such a long way from when they first came home. They were so timid and tentative with everyone and everything, having to check out the situation thoroughly first. Now, they just join right on in only after a short check-out. They have confidence that only their preschool could have given them. Have I mentioned that we all love that school?!

Here we are at our first rodeo parade-

The kids LOVED the horses –
Here’s Coop’s expression when he saw all the horses coming down the street:

Coop gave the UT salute (unprompted) when the Texas band passed. Of course, all of the Texas people loved it! Even Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison said “You’re raising him right!” and she saluted him back. It was too funny.

I was bummed that I didn’t bring my camera for this, but they both tried and L O V E D crawfish – and yes, they were seasoned very well!

They were eating them as fast as I could peel them!

Cooper ate his first piece of gum. I didn’t realize he had it but they were giving away candy at the rodeo parade and he opened it and started eating it. I’m glad to know he thinks it’s “icky” and insisted on spitting it out.

Oh and my 13, I mean 3 year old will only take showers now and “stam up” to pee (not at the same time, well, I hope not).

We also went to the first "Spring Fling" of the season today at our local beautiful shopping center.

There were all sorts of children's activities including pony rides that Cooper had to ride twice! There a little miniature petting zoo set-up that they loved too.

After we got home, they crashed hard then we flew a kite - again, a first.

Like I said, lots going on around here - nothing but fun!

Since this post was mostly about the Coop, I need to add a pretty pic of my angel-girl...

Our Life... in pictures

2009-02-13T09:57:00.016-06:00

Life is good.

Before I get to the pictures, I want to share a sweet Cooper story.

A couple of nights ago, I was reading Cooper a book that had a plane in it. Cooper said, "mama, papa, kara, cooper - russia - home". I said yes, Mama and Papa were home with no children and Cooper and Kara were in Russia with no Mama and Papa. We were a perfect match so we came to Russia to pick you up and bring you home." Cooper said, "No, Russia no more... Mama - home now" and he took my hand and squeezed it and kissed it. It was our FIRST true adoption talk. We've talked to them before about remembering the BIG plane and how cold it was, etc. but I think it's sinking in that they're truly here forever now.

We want them both to feel very comfortable with it and confident about themselves and the only way to feel confident about anything is to do 'it' over and over again so that you know 'it' by heart.

You know what I mean?

Now for the fun stuff, photos!

The kid's school celebrates Valentines Day today and it was so festive there today I had to get a pic-

pretty entrance-way to school

Do you know how hard it is to get a 2 and a 3 year old to stand next to each other and smile at the same time for a simple picture?? Impossible! Here's the proof:

The girl really does have a beautiful smile if she'd ever let go of the paci and show it to you!

Here's one I took awhile back when she was taking a bath:

And here's Coop's pic of him in the bath -

We had these two pics blown up and put them on their bathroom wall.

I did get a good one of Jim and Cooper in the car this morning -

So to be fair, I have to include a pic of me and the kids from last week-

and then, Jim and kids again -

(Please, no negative comments about my shiny face - it was late!)

Ok, ok, only a few more, I promise!

Kara resting in our backyard - if even for a second!

One last pic of the kids horsing around after their bath - silly monkeys!

Yes, life is good and this is the way it's supposed to be.

yikesarama

2009-02-05T12:54:00.004-06:00

Here's a funny little story I've been meaning to write:

My cell phone rings and this woman from Qu*st Diagnostics is on the other end of the line. Here's the conversation:

Me: Hello?
QD: Yes, Ms. W?
Me: Yes
QD: You wrote on your paperwork that your daughter was born on November 3, 2006. (VERY sarcastically)
Me: (thinking, is that right? oh yes, it is and uh oh, what did I do now?) Yes, that's correct.
QD: So she's a hundred and two?
Me: Ummm, no, she's two.
QD: Well that's not what it's caculating out to be!
Me: Well, it's now 2008 (at the time) and she was born in 2006, so yes, she's two years old. (Just think, I figured that out without using a calculator!!)
QD: Hmm, I wonder what's wrong with the caculator. I'm sorry!! hahaha, I don't know what's wrong with this thing! It's telling me she a hundred and two! ahahahaha...

Honest to God, this was an actual conversation.
Isn't it S. C. A. R. Y.?

Cooper Do It

2009-02-02T06:41:00.002-06:00

This is what you get when Cooper puts his own belt on!

They DO keep us laughing!

Staying in Bed

2009-01-27T13:09:00.000-06:00

Time for some good news about the Coopster:
For just about 2 weeks now (and my 9000 talks with him) he has stayed in bed every single night. I knew he could do it. I knew he had the capabilities because he'd done it before. I understand that he had been in a group with 8 other children, but I also knew that he was ready to take on the 'big boy' job of using his self-control and staying in bed all night.
Now, as soon as he wakes up, he declares, "Cooper stay in bed!".
We're soooo proud (and getting much more sleep!).

We've made a little compromise on whether I should lie down next to him until he falls asleep though... Now, at bedtime, we read a few books then I say, ok time to sleep. He gets comfy and I read Dr. Seuss' One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish book and since it's kind of long, he falls asleep during the book. We have been ending the night on that note for about a week now and it works out great.

Kara is having a hard time listening to her teacher in school so she was in the "thinking chair" 3 times last week. They say she likes to run away from the class when they're out for their walk. All the other children are holding on to the rings and Kara runs away laughing.
Hopefully this week will be better.

Otherwise, she's cute as a bug and knows it.

See?

Working on trust

2009-01-25T12:13:00.005-06:00

(trŭst) Pronunciation Key n.
Firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing.

Cooper has been very defiant lately - in the last 3 weeks or so.

Sometimes, when something doesn't go his way, he has a mini-meltdown. I know this is a typical 3 year old behaviour but it's also typical older child adoption behaviour.

As a toddler, he has to 'test' us constantly to prove to himself that the rules are still there.

As an adoptee, he needs to know that he can trust us to ALWAYS follow through with the consequences that we impose, hence the trust title.

If he refuses to put on his socks (like this morning) we impose a consequence of: If you refuse, you will not be able to wear 'big orange' (his absolute favorite UT hoodie). If you do not put your socks on, you will not go to the mall park. He did refuse, cried, screamed, had a tantrum with kicking, slamming doors and the works...all because we asked him to put his socks on.

He did end up putting on his socks but did not get to wear 'big orange'.

So we followed through, we went to the mall park but he did not wear his beloved 'big orange'. Of course, at the mall there was another meltdown, but that's for another story!

I guess the premise of me writing this is to say that we know that he does not completely trust us yet so he puts us through LOTS of tests.

We have to be diligent and follow through with any consequences we impose because in his mind, what if we don't always follow through? Then maybe one day we won't follow through and pick him up from school. And in his mind, we may not always mean it when we say I love you...

It's exhausting at times but the most important thing to realize is that if we continue to be effective and attentive parents, this too shall pass and he'll eventually be a secure, confident, trusting young man.

I'll leave you with a picture of the kids 6 months ago when we first met them, and a picture from yesterday... They grow up way too fast!

July 2008

January 2009

3 Month Update

2009-01-15T13:08:00.002-06:00

The kids have been with us for 3 months now - sometimes it seems like 3 years! We're still working out the kinks in our routine but for the most part, all is well.

Kinks:
I'm the one to blame for Cooper's new habit of of waking up in the middle of the night and calling for me. It's definitely a want not a need.
Our nighttime ritual consists of a bath, pj's, brush teeth, read 2-3 books and talk about the day and tuck-in with lots of kisses (for him and the rabbit, bear and giraffe whom he MUST sleep with). This is where the problem comes in: I then turn off the lamp and lie on the floor until he's asleep (about 10 mins.) then go to my own bed for the night - or so I think.
He will wake up at some point during the night and call for me. I go to him, re-tuck him in and make sure he's ok, then he grunts while pointing at the floor for me to lie next to him until he's asleep again. He will cry/scream if I leave before he's asleep and I'm afraid he'll awaken Kara with his mad screams.
I've created this mess myself, I know.
Now that I'm working full-time again, I have had my fill of getting up in the middle of the night AND have I mentioned that I'm STILL sick? So last night was the last straw. He was not in pain, sick, wet, hungry, thirsty nor anything else, he just wanted company. Jim ended up sleeping on the floor in his room.
So as soon as he awoke, I told him that as of today, he is a Big Boy and can go to sleep on his own as well as staying in bed all night. I told him this in a very loving way (about 6 times this morning) and he seemed to understand.
I'm going to make a sticker reward chart for him as well.
Man, if you give-in to kids one or two times, it becomes the new rule.
This mama is taking back her sleep!

The other kink is food:
We need to have something prepared in the freezer for every night of the week. And for lunches - for us and the kids - that's a lot of food!
Right now, we're sort of prepared for a couple of days then we scrambe to find something quick and healthy.
I guess my new part-time gig on Saturdays and Sundays will be to cook.

Otherwise, they are doing great in school, their attachment to us is excellent and they've only had minor colds.

We're so happy to have these little guys with us, even if I don't get my essential 9 hours of sleep!

I'll take more pics soon and will post them, promise!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T17:55:00.003-06:00

How did we spend the day? We went to the zoo, the park and McDonalds!It was a beautiful day and a great way to start the new year.

Here are our munchkins first thing in the morning - I really have to work on their hair in the a.m.!

Christmas and school update

2008-12-31T06:38:00.005-06:00

I totally forgot to post about Christmas!

It was great!

The kids received lots of toys from Santa and had a blast ripping the paper off the packages. We took video but not any pictures.

Cooper's favorite gift was a ride-on trike that he's still a little too small for.

Kara's favorite, BY FAR, was her baby and stroller.

At school they call her Little Mama.

She doesn't want to nap because she goes around to every child and pats them on the head and at lunchtime she feeds all the other kids! Too funny.

They love her because she helps them push all the chairs in, etc. She's a great little girl.

Cooper still has to be peeled off of me in the mornings while he's screaming but stops as soon as I leave (they have video cameras) and plays great all day. The teacher says he has sweet blood. All of the teachers and kids like him. We're very happy with the school so far.

I am looking forward to the new year and getting back to work and a regular routine.

I thrive on routine and doing "whatever" all day is getting old, if that makes sense. I feel a little lost.

Well I'll leave you with a pic I just took.

It was a little too quiet so I looked over to see them actually lying together on the little sofa watching the Wiggles. Is this not tooooo sweet?

Old Pictures

2008-12-30T09:41:00.006-06:00

I've been looking at some old pics and thought I'd post some for the fun of it.

Jane and kids outside Pur Navalok Hotel in Arkhangel'sk

This was our suite at the Pur Nav!

Kids eating dinner in our suite

Kara eating something

Jane and kids at a playground in Moscow

The door to our rented apartment in Moscow - padded!

Our rented apartment in Moscow behind the Honda ad

Keeping hydrated

2008-12-23T13:12:00.008-06:00

It's been sort of crazy around here lately - health-wise.

In the last 10 days:

Kara started throwing up for no apparent reason. She would throw up then act totally normal for a few hours - throw up again, normal again. She did have a fever also so I checked with the Doc who said she thought it was just a virus and to keep her hydrated and if her fever spiked, to bring her in. It never did and she didn't eat for 2 days but it's over now.

I (Jane) got (I think) tonsilitis - BAD. My throat hurt so bad and my tonsils were extremely red and inflamed - it looked like part of my tonsil had grown into the side of my throat. Also it was very painful if I pressed on my neck in that area. I had a fever as well - only 100F, but had aches and pains and didn't feel like getting out of bed. This lasted a week and is now over thank goodness. The advice of webmd.com was to rest and keep hydrated.

The day after the tonsilitis seemed to be getting better, I had a surprise pain. I was reading Cooper a book at 8pm and started getting a terrible tummy/side/back pain. By midnight I was doubled over in the bathroom trying not to wake hubby but he did wake up and I'm glad he did. He talked me into going to the ER. I drove myself to the hospital (Jim had to stay home with the kiddos - It was midnight remember). It turns out that I had kidney stones. I would not wish this pain on my worst enemy! The morphene cocktail was wonderful and they let me sleep in a room until 6:30am. Then I got up, went home and Jim went to work... life is normal again, right? I just have to drink more water - keep hydrated.

Kara again. She has the green gunk and LOVES to wipe it all over her face, neck and hair leaving a "There's Something About Mary" look.

Jane again. I have the green gunk and a cough that sounds like I'm a goose with Emphysema.

Cooper now has the green gunk, no cough yet.

Kara had to be brought to the Doc to check out the ulcers on her tongue. It seemed so painful. Doc said it's part of the virus she has/had. Nothing to do except rub Maalox on them a few times a day and keep her hydrated.

Jim has a sore throat now - surprise surprise.

Cooper woke up at 1:30 this morning to throw up all over his bed.

He's fine right now - no fever. Who knows what that was?

The Parent Advice Line for TX Children's says to guess what...Keep him hydrated!

Fritz in the meantime got an eye infection last week and today I had to bring him in because he was shaking and moaning and is prone to pancreatitis.

They did a full blood work up and he's normal and seems to have a back ache. I was surprised to learn that he didn't need to keep hydrated.

This nastiness has made me miss 2 Christmas parties that I really wanted to go to.

2 other exciting things happened around here - It snowed in Houston and the kids started school.

I was telling the kids, look it's snowing! and was very animated and excited. Cooper said, Mom, cold, close door. Kara ignored me. Hmm.

They went to school for a week from 10 - 3. Kara L O V E S it. She waves bye bye to us and goes on about her merry way wanting to join all the other kids. She is excited to see us when we pick her up too.

Cooper has to be peeled off me most of the time while he's screaming - which is very hard for me. They say he's fine after a few minutes.

The other part of the day that's hard for him is when the other parents start picking up their kids and we're not there yet. He gets weepy then too.

Not too much else to report. All is going well in the learning dept.

Cooper can count to 10 now and knows many shapes. Kara is trying to say more words each day.

We're looking forward to a very merry Christmas with our little ones.

Of course I will leave you with some pics. My Santa cookies are ready, Yippee!

C&K playing at the mall playground

Snowing in Houston - a rare event!

Long Time - No Blog

2008-12-08T13:18:00.005-06:00

Wow, I can't believe how fast time flies when you're this busy!

The children are doing great. They're getting cuter and smarter every day.

Cooper knows all of the alphabet and colors and we're working on numbers now. His English is improving every day. The Russian is slowly going away (which is a little sad too).

He had some teeth issues that we had to deal with: 4 decayed teeth pulled, 2 root canals and several cavities filled. His baby bridge will be in next week so he'll be good to go until his permanent teeth come in. He was under IV sedation the whole time so he doesn't even remember it.

He's truly a very happy little boy who wants to do nothing but please us.

Kara's attachment is so much better. She kisses and hugs us regularly now and sits on my lap whenever I'm on the floor. She lets us console her when she gets a booboo and lets us love on her without her pushing us away. We've come a long way in a short time!

Her speech still needs work but it's coming along too. Now, instead of saying "bah" for banana, she says "nana" and she points to different things and tries to say them.

Kara's eating has slowed down tremendously. She routinely pushes her food away, saying "kaka" when she doesn't like something - which we're glad for because it's a normal toddler behaviour. And she doesn't HAVE to finish every bite any longer. She is 1 pound heavier than her brother however (who is 16 months older!).

Both kids' blood work came back absolutely normal and they're up-to-date on all of their shots, etc. We were happy to find out that the immunizations that the orphanage in Russia said they had given her were accurate. Our doctor did titers to confirm.

Their Giardia is now all gone as well.

Now they're ready to start school and I'm ready to go back to work.

It's been fun but exhausting and I feel like preschool can teach them a lot more than I can. Since they're at different developmental stages, it's hard to give each child what they really need. For instance, if Cooper and I are practicing writing his ABC's, of course Kara wants to write too but ends up eating the crayons or wanting to write on Coopers page and upsetting him, etc. At least at school, there will be structure and the kids will be in classes with other kids their ages.

Thanksgiving was quiet and nice, just us 4. We had a peaceful traditional turkey dinner that Jim and I prepared.

Santa (or Moroz in Russian) made his presence known at our house after Thanksgiving dinner. Jim went upstairs and put on the Santa outfit, came downstairs yelling ho ho ho - it was not a pretty site to see my son scream at the top of his lungs. Kara just gave him a bizarre look like, Who in the world are you? We calmed him down by showing him that it was actually Papa, and he thought it was hilarious after that. He tried on Papa's Santa wig. When it was all said and done, he said "All done Moroz" - translation: I will not be seeing you again this season!

They also went to their first Christmas Party.

Here are some pics:

Making Progress - 3 weeks home

2008-11-13T13:43:00.004-06:00

Today marks 3 weeks since our babies have been home.
We have seen a lot of progress in this short time.

Cooper knows (most of) his ABCD's - as he calls them. He already knew his colors but now knows the English name for them.

His vocabulary is very good. We recently got a new SUV and all he can talk about is the 'bolshoy machina'. Bolshoy means big and I hear 'bolshoy?' all day long! He loves the new car. Could the DVD player have anything to do with it??!
Food was never an issue with him - he eats until he's full and knows how to ask for more by saying "More yogurt please" or "More milk please" *Most of the time and when prompted.
He still does not like to go down to sleep. Naps are easier because I let him take 1 toy to bed with him and I tell him this is just a malenkie spat (small nap). He will play with his toy for a little while then fall asleep.

Night time is worse. He will ask for a mile if you give him an inch! He's a smart little guy and knows how to manipulate us, or try to!
His attachment is excellent. When he hurts himself, he will cry and run to me to console him. He gives hugs and kisses regularly and really gets excited when Papa comes home from work. He has a great little personality and NEVER stops talking at home but is very shy when someone new comes around. I took them to 'school' today (2nd time) to get acquainted with their teachers and to get their uniforms, backpacks, etc. Cooper was quiet the whole time but was interested in playing with the new toys and did actually venture away from me. We'll go a lot more before they actually begin in January.

Kara is progressing as well. She still only says Mama, Papa and kaka (for trash or dirty diaper) but she babbles a lot more. She tries to say Pamper for diaper but it comes out "pam" - we're getting there. She makes the 'd' sound when pointing to the dogs so I think she gets it, she just needs more practice. I've tried sign language a little bit with her but she turns her head and closes her eyes so I don't think she likes it! Maybe I need to try harder...

The ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) nurse came here to screen her and to see if she would qualify for their services. She did qualify but only because of her speech and the nurse felt it was because of the language change. If after 2-3 weeks, she hasn't improved, we'll sign her up for their services.

Kara's appetite has decreased some but not completely. She still loves to eat but she's actually pushed the plate away a couple of times when she was full and there was still food on it - that was a miracle!

I did find egg in her cheeks a few days ago about 10 minutes after breakfast so we still have work to do in that department.

She used to take around 30 minutes to wind down and fall asleep but now it's down to about 20 or so - depending on the excitement of the day.

Her attachment is getting better. At school today, she would go over to see some kids then run back to me for a hug then back to the kids, etc.

She stayed for the morning snack and kept looking for me and laughing when she saw me. Also, I've noticed that she offers us some of her food often now.

Both kids turned out to have Giardia and now Fritz has it so they're all on antibiotics.

I took them to the dentist yesterday and Cooper will need some work but that won't be until January. The kids loved their new dentist, he and the entire staff was excellent with the kids.

We have a lot going on around here but it's all working out.

The kids are great, they love the dogs - they even love Mia although Mia is terrified of them.

Of course, here are some pics...

Kara enjoying a container of ketchup at her first trip to McDonald's

Kara at home just being her happy little self

Cooper on the playground at his first trip to McDonald's

Kara and Cooper crammed into my old BMW

Kara and Cooper ready for school showing off their new backpacks

Lesson Learned

2008-11-06T12:38:00.003-06:00

I cannot put my girl down for a nap without a diaper cover or she will take everything off.

I thought it was cute until I realized that she'd peed all over the entire bed.

Happy Birthday Kara! (and sorry)

2008-11-04T13:13:00.005-06:00

To our darling little girl.

We have only known you for a short time and are already in love with you.

You are our little drama queen, our love, our Miss Independent and our baby. You have the best personality - very outgoing and you make the most expressive faces! We laugh at you constantly. We couldn't imagine living without either of you.

You turned 2 years old yesterday and boy what a day it was!

We had your favorite breakfast, oatmeal, a banana, yogurt, apple sauce and milk (YES, she eats it all!). We went to the park and played for awhile then went to see Papa at work. After an early lunch, we napped then awoke to the bad news... we had your first Doctor's appointment.

We met Papa at Texas Children's Hospital Pediatric Department for International Adoption and were measured, weighed, received two shots in your chubby little legs and had 6 1/2 vials of blood taken for tests.

You and your brother did very well though.

By the time we got home, all the drama was forgotten and we were able to celebrate your birthday with chocolate cupcakes with blue icing! YUM!

I'm sorry your birthday had to include your Doctor's appointment, but it couldn't be helped. We're thankful that the wonderful Doctors are available to help you and your brother become healthy little people!

Halloween was fun for them - Kara was Elmo and Cooper was a police officer. He was hilarious - when we took out the costume, he put it on in a hurry and patted his chest saying "Militia!". They LOVED dressing up and seeing all of the other kids in costumes. They especially liked the sabaki (dogs) that dressed up. We walked in a parade that goes down one street in our subdivision and they were in awe at that.

Here are some pics of the last few days:

Cooper - Militia Man

Kara - Hi I'm Elmo (I don't really know who that is yet, but I'm him!)

Kara and Cooper checking out their haul

Kara - Is this all I'm getting?

Cooper sharing a cupcake with his giraffe

Food - 1 week home

2008-10-30T13:33:00.004-05:00

Even though this blog is supposed to follow the journey of our adoption and that is essentially over, I'll continue it for a while so I can keep a journal of the kid's lives immediately after adoption.

Back to the subject: Food.

Cooper aka Nikita:

He's a little picky but generally eats well. He plays with his food often.

He does NOT like chicken, peas nor carrots and will separate them into a napkin, wad it up and give it to us saying kaka.

He loves yogurt, milk, mac & cheese and especially jam.

Kara:

She will eat any and every thing known to man, including dog food.

The first day we were home, we were feeding the dogs their dinner and she started screaming crying and pointing to Fritz's food dish. She walked over to it, shooed him away and grabbed a handful for herself! Of course we didn't let her eat it but she absolutely would have. She definitely has a strong survival instinct.

She has since realized that dog food is for dogs and her food will come to her when she's in her high chair (which she LOVES!).

Kara has a little food issue where she screams when you take her bib off if every morsel on her plate is not eaten. She's getting better. In Russia, we would have to hand feed her so that she didn't stuff everything in her mouth at once. Now we hand feed her occasionally for attachment but she can eat by herself calmly and without any problems.

Nap time is almost over so gotta run - here are some pics:

We're alive!

2008-10-27T14:16:00.006-05:00

We made it - we're home, happy and healthy - well fairly healthy. Both of the kids have colds and lots of green gunk but I guess that comes with the territory. We got home Thurday the 23rd at around 3 pm. The flight was not so fun - as you can imagine, traveling with a 2 and 3 year old on a 12 1/2 hour flight was just as bad as it sounds. Cooper slept maybe 3 hours and Kara slept about 1 and cried for 5... or at least it seemed like it.

I think we may actually be on a schedule of some sort but it's too early to tell. The jet lag is finally starting to go away.

They eat and sleep well. 2 out of 3 of the dogs like them - we're still working on Mia, she'll come around.

All is going pretty much like it's supposed to so I'll leave you with some very random pics.

Kara sleeping on the plane

This boy LOVES hats!

A couple of pics at the airport on the way home.

We're Parents!

2008-10-16T08:35:00.006-05:00

It's official, we are parents of Cooper Nikita and Kara Iraida!

We were approved by the Russian Federation to parent these gorgeous little children AND our 10 day waiting period was waived!

We are to stay in Arkhangel'sk until Monday then we'll go to Moscow where we'll do embassy paperwork then we'll head home.

The babies are wonderful and fun and WILD! We're all getting to know each other and it's truly amazing how smart these munchkins are. They copy everything we do and Cooper is trying to say our English words already. It's all good and fun.

Here are some pictures that we can finally post!

Please ignore the lovely orphanage buzz cut with bangs on my son!

Farewell!

2008-10-10T19:03:00.002-05:00

This is my last post in the good ole USA as a non parent!
We leave tomorrow evening and will spend the night in Moscow.
On Monday we'll fly to Ark then Wednesday is court day.
I really don't know the schedule after that except that we'll get the kids and life as we know it will change forever... and we're so looking forward to it!

I'll post again when I can - maybe Ark depending on how busy we are.

Wish us luck with court!

Oh, congratulations FINALLY to Jeff and Jenny - they had court yesterday and got custody of their two precious little girls today!

Tagged and Court Date!

2008-10-02T20:00:00.003-05:00

My blogger friends Joy and Meghan have tagged me... lucky me... ha!
So I need to tell you 6 random things about myself.
Ok, here it goes:

1- I had a dog named David when I was growing up. He was named after David Cassidy who I was totally in love with, at 3.

2- I am a total neat freak and go crazy when things are not where they're supposed to be. Everything has a place and must be organized. (I may have to relax a little on this with 2 toddlers in the house...)

3- When I was a little girl and someone would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I'd always say "a mommy".

4- I LOVE hand-me-down clothes. Weird I know.

5- My childhood friend, Laura and I use to make up dances and perform in front of our parents. We also made up our own language. And David tore off her toenail once...yuck! Weird memories!

6- This is the best random thing about me: We received our court date so I will officially be a mommy on Oct. 15! Yay!!!

I'm not going to tag anyone else because I don't have the energy or time!

Nothing new...

2008-09-30T18:48:00.002-05:00

Just writing to say there's nothing to write about...
No adoption news.
The trash is STILL in our front yard looking very ugly.
I love my new laptop.
I miss the kids so much and look at their pictures and videos everyday.

What do you think?

2008-09-21T17:29:00.004-05:00

Taking a poll:

Do you think the trash men will pick up ALL of this?

I'm having a hard time believing it but Jim says SURE!

They haven't even been around in an entire week! It's starting to look like a jungle around here.

Good news though, we got our cable, phone and internet back today!

PS: my birthday was Saturday and my dear hubby got me a FABULOUS Dell Latitude D630 Laptop... oh la la... now if I can just figure out how to use it!

AOK!

2008-09-17T08:50:00.002-05:00

Hi Everyone-
Thanks for your sweet thoughts and concerns about us. We're great!

I'm back at work now - time to rest!
We didn't have power for 2 1/2 days but Jim bought a generator on the 2nd day to keep our fridge and freezer cold as well as plugging in our cell phones. The cell phone thing didn't matter though because most of the towers were down and it was nearly impossible to get through to anyone. We lost 2 trees and a few shingles off the roof and there was a bunch of debris and trash everywhere but we made out very well compared to others who had trees fall on their homes or cars - or those in Galveston who lost everything.

Picture this:
Me in 60F weather, donning goggles and a t-shirt + shorts, diving into the pool with a fishing net, scooping up the foot-deep leaves at the bottom of the pool! It took HOURS to clean the pool but is now sparkling! I was shivering it was so cold.
A lot of people are still without power, my next door neighbor included. They say about 50% will be restored in Houston by 9/23. We are so fortunate.

Thanks again for the nice comments and good wishes sent our way.

At least this was a distraction from my never-ending adoption thoughts!

Hunker Down!

2008-09-12T17:03:00.004-05:00

This phrase always cracks me up - I had to look it up to make sure it was actually in the dictionary and it is. Texans and Geraldo Rivera say this a LOT!

It's not exactly what we're doing (crouching, squatting) but we are getting ready to greet hurricane Ike tonight. We're far enough inland that we should only get Cat. 1 force winds - 80MPH, maybe a few trees down, power outages, etc. but it's definitely not a life or death situation like those in Galveston.

I grew up in New Orleans so I'm desensitized to hurricanes but my hubby grew up in the tiny town of Bark River, Michigan so this will be his first hurricane.

So, he's been working feverishly all day cutting plywood...again (we used our Hurricane Rita plywood left overs to lay the attic) and this is what the front looks like: An abandoned home! Both our neighbors next to us are boarded up too and now we are going to HUNKER DOWN!

Wish us luck!

Top 10 Tips - Good info

2008-09-06T10:33:00.003-05:00

I've been collecting sites, lists, blogs etc. since we started this process in Dec. 06. Whenever I come across something of interest, I save it to my favorites. Well, my favorites list is huge and overflowing! I've been slowing going through them, deleting what I don't need any longer and rediscovering some others.
I came across one that I really liked and I felt the need to post - just in case someone can use it.
The title is "Top Ten Tips for the First Year of Placement" by Deborah Gray, MSW, MPA.

Here's the link: Top Ten Tips for the First Year of Placement

If anyone out there has any other suggestions of things they've tried and worked (or not), please...share!

Oh, and I want to thank Megan in Washington for the wonderful fleece suit and rubber pants!
We are both members of the Yahoo Group: Snowsuit Swap - it's for people who are adopting and need a snowsuit for just one trip. If you have one, you send it to whoever needs it and they just pay for shipping - Megan refused to let me pay! SO SWEET. Thank you Megan!!

Anxious

2008-08-30T10:49:00.001-05:00

I have to say, the first month after traveling to Russia has been pretty quick because we were so busy.

We now have beds, bedding, dressers, bookshelves, car seats, a high-chair, a booster seat, growth charts, toys, books, clothes, shoes, diapers, bath stuff, diapering stuff, decorations for the walls, stuffed animals, blocks, closets set up, garage rearranged to add trikes, strollers, etc., baby-proofed the entire house and garage, we have little kid plates, utensils, bowls, cups, CD’s, DVD’s.…everything you can think of that two toddlers will need – (Hopefully!)
We have confirmed their preschool.
We have confirmed their doctor/dentist.
We’re both caught up at work.
All of our documents are in order, copied, notarized, apostilled and sent to Russia.
Nothing is expiring any time soon.
We even have snowsuits for the kids (just in case we need them).

It’s been 5 weeks now and we’ve been ok.

Until now.

I’m feeling so anxious to see them and hold them and let them know that we will always be there for them, forever.
I can’t wait to see those smiles and feel those little warm, sweet hugs. I’m about to jump out of my skin.
I’ve been listening to a nursery rhyme CD in my car in the mornings – I’m going bananas!!

What else can we do to make the time pass by faster?

Baby Shower!

2008-08-19T18:48:00.005-05:00

We have such an unbelievable group of friends!
Cathy, Ermy and Isabel threw me a baby shower Friday night and it was beyond FABULOUS!!! There were about 35 of us girlies and we had so much fun.

It was the first baby shower for them where the mom could have a glass of wine!
It was held at Hotel Granduca and was so elegant and chic and the room was simply exquisite. The ladies did a wonderful job of decorating and making everything so festive.

Our kiddos will have so many things to play with, learn from and stimulate their senses – we’re so fortunate to have the support of all these amazing friends and family.

Jim even got a great gift!! Check it out below.

Thank you EVERYONE for making my shower unforgettable!

Here are a few pics-

Remembering Things

2008-08-05T09:17:00.003-05:00

There's a funny little story about some food that I forgot to write about...

Our travel partners, Emily and Ben were with us for lunch one day in Kotlas and told us about their breakfast that morning. (We had slept in).
Emily thought she ordered scrambled eggs and sausage but what she received a hard-boiled egg on a plate, cut in half, with mayonnaise spread all over the top of it and a slice of fried bologna on the side. We were cracking up at that while we were waiting for our lunch to be served.

Well, when Emily's plate was ready, she picked it up at the counter and came back to the table and sat down. I was like, hmmmm, Em, like pickles do ya? Her plate was 1/2 filled with little gerkin pickles. That was her 'cucumber salad' that she had ordered!

Oh, the joys of International travel!

Practicing

2008-08-02T19:04:00.001-05:00

So what have we been doing since we've been back in town?

Why, practicing of course!

Miss Priss and Mr. Heart-throb

2008-07-27T07:46:00.006-05:00

Wow, where do I start? It's been the most remarkable week of our lives, 2 days specifically.

The flight to Kotlas was a little scary. We were on Aeroflot North on this plane: (Note the dark clouds in the background).

We flew through a horrible thunderstorm that wiped out many trees in Kotlas - it looked like a small tornado had hit.

AAI put us in a very nice suite in a Kotlas hotel. The day after we arrived, our driver, Dimitry (AAI Rep) and another couple went to the orphanage which was about 10 minutes away. We were in a large play area that had a lot of toys for the children.

When it was our turn to see our two little angels (Miss Priss and Mr. Heart-throb) they came in very slowly and tentatively. Miss Priss was smiling the whole time but Mr. Heart-throb was very shy...at first. He wouldn't even look at us but neither of them cried. We played for awhile and after about 2 hours or so, Miss Priss was calling Jim Papa and Mr. Heart-throb was happily building a structure with us and laughing a lot. The baby home was immaculate, organized, had many toys for the children and they obviously care for them very much. It was an amazing place considering there are over 80 children there.

We were able to play with the kids from 9am-12pm and then from 3pm-5pm. When it was time for us to go, Mr. Heart-throb got very serious again and was gripping me tightly as I held him. It was quite sad and we promised that we would be back tomorrow (It's good to know some basic phrases in Russian for reassuring toddlers). The Priss pranced out with that never-ending smile of hers. (She had on some squeaky shoes that squeaked when she walked - it was hilarious!).

Day 2: We got to the baby home at 9am. This time when there were brought in, the Heart-throb ran up to Jim and hugged him and laughed - it was such a touching moment (and we got it on video!). We played again for awhile and the Heart-throb came completely out of his shell. We had him laughing so hard! We played an impromptu game of counting to 3 and then he would run into my arms and I would scoop him up and hug and kiss him + twirl him around. He'd get down and run to the other side of the room and do it over and over. The Priss just layed down on her Papa's lap and laughed at us - she is an extremely happy and content baby.

It was time for the Doc we hired from St. Petersburg (Dr. Sofia) to examine them. She had been watching us play and asked the Heart-throb some questions (like where's the big truck, where's the small truck, etc. to see how much he knew). He answered and obviously understands Russian very well. She said they are both "very clever" - we were so proud of them! They were visibly unhappy about being examined but still no tears were shed.

After lunch/naptime, we visited with the baby home director and the babyhome doctor and our Dr. Sofia to discuss the medical and social history of the kids. The kids were little champs, they sat still in our laps and played quietly the entire visit (about 1 hour) in a VERY HOT office.

It was then time to make our decision and we said YES! We feel extremely lucky to have these two in our lives. We signed all of our paperwork and then it was time for the hard part - saying goodbye for awhile.

Our last vision of them is the Baby Home Director holding the Heart-throb's hand and he is holding the Little Priss' hand walking away from us. They kept looking back at us smiling.

I'm so sad just typing this. Hopefully, we won't have to wait too long for court.

We flew back to Moscow through Arkhangel'sk for 2 days of R+R. We did the usual touristy things, St. Basil's Cathedral, the Kremlin, Lenin's tomb, Red Square and of course TGI Fridays!

All of the restaurants, hotels and the apartment we stayed in were absolutely wonderful.

AAI took COMPLETE care of us while we were in Russia. We never felt anything other than cared for the entire visit.

We took 6 flights in 7 days (and 2 of them 11+ hours) - we're ready to stay on the ground for a few days - oh, an shop for the munchkins!!!

Here's the inevitable 'teaser' picture of brother and sister holding hands:

We're in Arkhangel'sk!

2008-07-21T04:11:00.003-05:00

We're almost there. The 11 hour flight was great - we slept for about 5 hours (thanks to Tylenol PM!) -that really made the time fly.
We got to Moscow around 8:00 pm and at our hotel and in to bed around midnight. We flew on Aeroflot to Ark this morning and are now waiting for our flight to Kotlas. I've heard horror stories about Aeroflot but can honestly say, it was a very nice flight. (Jim is in love with the women over here - they're BEAUTIFUL!!). Don't worry, I'm keeping him on a short leash!

Tomorrow we will meet the children!! We're so excited! Our rep in Russia, Dimitry, showed us more pics of the kids and they really are truly beautiful.

Hopefully we'll get to post again before the end of the trip but we're going to such a remote area, we don't know if they will have accomodations.

Will write again when we can -
Paka!
Jane & Jim

Feeling the love

2008-07-18T21:14:00.003-05:00

I just have to say that I feel so overwhelmingly lucky to have so many great friends out there.
Every once in awhile I will read a blog that says someone is not approving of their adoption. I'm like, huh? what? I have to read it twice. It doesn't make sense to me.
We have not come across that at all since we started this. As a matter of fact, everyone has been so supportive and remarkably kind to us.

Before we take off (in about 27 hours!), I just wanted to let all of you know, from the depths of my heart, how truly thankful I am to have you in my life.
It's truly amazing how many people really care.

Thank you and I'll try to write a post whilst we're there - if not, talk to you in a week!
j+j