Can't Wait 'Til Christmas

Several of my family members visited us the week after Thanksgiving. They missed Dylan so much as they haven't seen him since the birthday party in early October. My sister Joanne missed the party so she was extra motivated to get her Dylan time. My 2 sisters, my brother and my mom made the drive up from Los Angeles and San Diego to hang out with us. OK, who am I kidding? They came to hang out with Dylan.

Fortunately, Dylan did not disappoint. He was still up when they got here on Friday night and was Mr. Adorable Extraordinaire.

The next day, we decided to go to the Oakland Zoo to see Santa and some animals. We found out that at 14 months, Dylan is a little too young to be interested in looking at animals. We thought that may be the case but he may have liked the petting zoo. Not so... After a sheep that is twice his size grazed him on his way in, it scared Dylan just a little bit. After that, he was more interested in the hay on the ground than any of the animals around. Oh well, maybe next year.

He did have lots of fun in the play structures though, so it wasn't a wasted trip altogether. We even got photos with Santa.

They drove 5 and a half hours to the San Francisco Bay Area. You would think they would at least want to go into the city for a little bit. It seems that they are perfectly content just to hang out in a cold east bay condo with the most awesome, funniest, and cutest little guy in town. He is so worth the drive.

And did I mention that we are going down to see them at Christmas? I guess when you get bit by the Dylan bug, there is only one remedy, to get your dose of Dylan cuteness.

Having fun with Uncle Paul

Playtime with Auntie Joanne

Auntie Marie is making sure I don't topple over.

With Grandma Virgie

Going through tunnels is hard work!

I just like this photo...

A little apprehensive about petting animals

"This is more my speed mom!"

First Thanksgiving and a Black Eyed Early Christmas

We decided that it was a good idea to take a 14 month old on a plane ride from California to Connecticut. OK, maybe not necessarily a good idea, but an OK one. We wanted to be with Bill's family on Thanksgiving so we decided to make the trip to the east coast. We also decided a red eye flight would be a good idea. Well, in one aspect, it was because we were able to get Dylan to sleep for a majority of the 6 hour flight. On our flight back, let's just say I felt sorry for him, but also for the lady sitting next to us.

Here we are before we left our house for the airport. It was really past his bedtime and he was so cranky, only an apple would do. As you can see, he was falling asleep as he was eating it. It's not the first time he has fallen asleep yet continues to take bites. HILARIOUS.

When we landed in Connecticut at 6 am EST on Thanksgiving Day, he was awake, not in the best of moods, but certainly curious about the cold air, the busy airport and everything else around him. Auntie Kelly and Grandma Pat picked us up from JFK and we drove for a while to get to Darien, to stay with Uncle Bob and Auntie Debi. When we got there, Dylan seems to have found new energy. After all, there a million new things to explore and he got loads and loads of attention from everyone. Katherine and Christopher were home for Thanksgiving so aside from and aunts and uncle, he had cousins to keep him entertained, or should I say he entertained them. Oh yeah, there were also 2 dogs to torture. Hooch and Emma had to tolerate Dylan pulling on them for a few days and they were both really good sports about that.

With Katie Beth and Bibish

Learning that Hoochie doesn't bite, only licks...

He also immediately took it upon himself to learn to climb up some stairs. We spent a good part of the weekend going up and down, but mostly up. Dylan would climb up and I would pick him up and we'd start over. Either that or he thinks he should climb down head first. He picked up the going backwards later on but it wasn't his favorite. He would get a look on his face as if thinking, "I know it worked when I went backwards, but that doesn't make any sense" and he would hesitate, not because he didn't know how to do it, but because he somehow thinks it makes no sense why he would have to go backwards.

He had his first Thanksgiving meal of turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, corn souffle, bread, cranberry relish, raspberry jello, gravy, green beans, and who knows what else. He seemed to really enjoy himself. Uncle Bob made a spot for his high chair at the table and Dylan enjoyed his first thanksgiving meal with his new family. We didn't make a huge deal out of it but it was pretty special. He is pretty special.

One of the most fun activities for Dylan while we were there was to splash his hands in Hooch and Emma's water bowls. He seemed to really love it so Auntie Debi grabbed some towels for the floor and we just let him splash away. Oh the delight in this boy's face as he flooded the floor with water. We cleaned up right after because it would just ruined their beautiful wood floors, but it was so much fun to watch him while it lasted.

A couple of days before we left California, Dylan started to really show an interest in walking. The day we left (Wednesday, he had a small accident at daycare. He pulled up on some shelves, lost balance and hit his forehead, landing him 2 bumps on each side, sort of like where horns would be if he was Pan). Despite the bumps, he continued the same zeal when we got to Connecticut. It was fine for the most part but on Friday night, we were sitting in the family room and he started to walk towards the wooden coffee table. He has a habit of reaching his hands and grabbing for support when he gets to his destination and then squealing with satisfaction. This time, he didn't quite make it. He reached his arms out too soon and missed the table. Instead he fell forward and hit his eye on the edge with a loud thud. This happened while both Bill and I were sitting there watching him. We were horrified. Fortunately, there was no blood, but we knew it would bruise for sure. Debi tried to put some ice on it but the cold only made for louder blood curdling screams. We decided to immediately give him some Tylenol in hopes it would help with the pain. I took him upstairs and held him as he cried himself to sleep. We monitored him all night to make sure he didn't have a concussion. Poor little man.

The next day, his eye was certainly blue and swollen. He had a bump on the bridge of this nose as well, but all in all, the swelling wasn't too bad and neither was the bruising. It was certainly a black eye but we were so thankful it wasn't worse. Dylan didn't act like it bothered him whatsoever. However, I noticed he wasn't attempting to walk so valiantly all day. He would take about 2 steps and sit down and continue to travel on all fours. I don't think he has forgotten the night before just yet. I was happy to see that he isn't as big a knucklehead as we originally thought.

That night (Saturday), we did our early Christmas gift exchange since we were all going to be in different parts of the world during the actual Christmas time. The adults usually get stocking stuffers and one main gift. This rule doesn't apply to kids. So despite the fact that we would be travelling back with anything we received, no one could help but want to buy things for Dylan. He received so many wonderful gifts ranging from stuffed animals that read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to an iPod shuffle and an iHome so he can listen to lullabies, to a multitude of cool toys and clothes. I know that it sounds like a lot of material stuff, but it is also such an act of love and acceptance of Dylan by the whole family. It is so intensely touching to see everyone fall in love with him. It isn't hard because he is super a super adorable and awesome little boy, but I just remember all our hesitation when we first started this adoption journey. I feel foolish now, having spent all that energy worrying because everyone in Bill's and my family have welcomed Dylan with wide open arms and he has taken them by storm in a way we could never have imagined.

With Auntie Debi

With Uncle Bob

With Grandma Pat

With Auntie Kelly

With mommy

Stand Tall and Walk

I don't think we quite expected Dylan to start walking this past weekend. For a few weeks or so now, he has been standing. He would hang on to stuff and cruise then let go. Then, he would get nervous and hang on again. If Bill or I are in front of him, he would hurl himself at us and start giggling, looking amused with himself.

Then he got more and more comfy with the standing and would even drink out of his sippy while standing. Great balancing trick that lasts a few seconds, head tilted back and going to town on the watery juice or soy milk. Then he would sit back down and finish the contents of the cup.

This past week, he decided he could take a step or two himself. We thought it was so cute that he was trying. He would do it only if we were right in front of him because that way, after the step or 2, he would reach out and throw himself at us again.

On Saturday, his lightbulb seemed to come on and he decided it was time to get more serious about this walking business. Little man kept trying all day. He would get to 2 steps consistently and this time, he would fall forward or back on his tushie. A few times, he did 3 or 4. I figured at least he was no longer hurling himself because a few times, he was a little short and had we not reached out in time, his little Kyrgyz nose may get even flatter.

We went to a baby shower on Saturday evening. Dylan was quite the charmer and was smiling and babbling away. You know what else he decided to do? Walk a few more steps on his own. I think he knows what a pleaser one or 2 steps were with mom and dad so if he did 3 or 4 or 5, imagine what the crowd would do? So there he was, showing off and laughing the whole time.

And Sunday, well, you know how the story goes. We were at Auntie Kay's house and munchkin man made it about a couple of feet. He was walking towards me and I kept backing up and he kept coming. Now, the real babyproofing job is at hand. Goodbye corners, hello foam pads.

And just for fun, here is Dylan getting his second haircut, eating an apple, eating half a raw zucchini and looking guilty after he spilled a tub of cookies on the floor, reading a book, and just random photos from everyday life.

Little Things I Want to Remember

Time has a way of blurring the details. I decided that I need to find a way to remember things about our life with our little man. What better venue than this blog about him.

Today, I decided that I want to remember our Tuesday Mommy and Dylan Trader Joe's shopping trips. I've been taking him to TJ's with me each week after I pick him up from daycare. The initial trips were great. I would put him in my Ergo carrier and shop the whole time with him strapped to me. He would smile at strangers and make them talk to him. We could never get out of there without people just stopping to be delighted by him. Sometimes he would fall asleep against my chest.

Then, as he got closer to the one year mark, I put him in the shopping cart. Thanks to my friend Isabel whose wonderful shopping cart cover I am using, he has a germ free experience and I am not constantly imagining little critters invading my son's immune system. The first shopping cart trip was fun for him. He enjoyed being carted around the grocery store and patting his little watermelon that I placed next to him.

However, as the novelty wore off and he got more mobile, he started to become impatient while sitting there. Entering toddlerhood could also have something to do with it. Whatever the case may be, he now wants off the cart after 5 minutes. That is, until I keep him busy by giving him snacks. That is actually the memory I want to record here, the reason I am writing this post.

Dylan will actually spend the whole time shopping with me contentedly if I give him snacks. It is now our routine to stop at the sample table, drink a tiny cup of soymilk that is there for the coffee sampling table and open some kind of package so that Dylan can eat while we shop. Some weeks I gave him vanilla wafers, one week he had a stick of cheddar cheese, another week, he had mini cheese sandwich crackers, then mini peanut butter sandwich crackers. And today, apple slices. As for the samples we have tasted together, that now includes pecan pie, turkey meat balls sandwich, pomegranate juice, chocolate dunking cookies, sweet potato casserole, and I am sure I have forgotten others. I just love this little tidbit about our TJ trips. I want to remember it forever.

Not a Cuddlebug?

In the last couple of months, Dylan is becoming less and less of a cuddlebug. I suppose, it is part of the quest for independence as he gets into his toddlerhood. Usually, he doesn't want to be rocked to sleep. He just wants to hold his froggie, suck his thumb, put his butt up in the air and go to sleep. Imagine my silent delight the other night when he decided to let me sit in the rocker with him and just hold him. After a few minutes, I realized he had fallen asleep. I almost fell off my rocker (hee hee). I loved every moment of it to be quite honest. It just felt so right to have my big boy just completely relaxed in my arms. I loved hearing his regular breaths of sleep. I love how he completely trusts me.

When we least expect it, he lets us in. Another example is today. We went to some dear friends' wedding. It was great to be there to witness their marriage. It was great to reconnect with old friends. However, I must admit that having a toddler with you there makes the experience challenging. The noise level, the amount of people, the unfamiliar surroundings, coupled with not enough time napping today, made Dylan kind of cranky. Now, Dylan's crankiness was only noticeable by Bill and me. He was still capturing the hearts of those he met and with whom he flirted. But we know our boy, we know when he is uncomfortable. The wedding was at 3 pm. By 7:30, at the reception, we had to graciously call it a night. We could see that it was about to turn into mayhem if we didn't give Dylan the rest he deserved. On the way to the car, I just held him horizontally for a while and he didn't complain, where normally, backarching and squirming are involved. After he got too heavy for my arms, I shifted him so that I just held him vertically. Again, no complaints. Just clung on to mommy calmly and I got to give him a million kisses on the way to the car. What a treat for mommy.

These are the moments when he must be so damned tired, he can't muster a squirm or a babble. He just lets things be and enjoys the cuddles. I guess that at the end of the day, when he has spent most of the day testing his independence, he lets his guard down and lets himself be comfortable being a cuddlebug again. These are the moments that erase my doubts about bonding and attachment. These are the moments when my insecurities about my role as his mother completely melt away and are taken over by an overwhelming feeling of joy.

13 Months Update

Little man is not so little. He weighs 24 lbs 6 oz as of last Monday. He is 32 inches high and is in the 90th percentile in height and head circumference. He is in the 75th percentile in weight. I guess I was a little worried we would be told to lay off the food. It seems Dylan is just a big boy overall, not overweight or anything. At least that is what I heard from that conversation with his pediatrician.

We are due for our first post placement. I am actually excited about this. If nothing else, I hope that the Kyrgyz government reads the report and sees how good this adoption is for our lttle Kyrgyz munchkin, among the many other post placements from other families that I am sure say the same. In light of any negative press international adoption has recently gotten, I hope this helps dispel the untruth.

Our Favorite Little Devil

costume compliments of Auntie Joanne and Uncle Hil.