Updates!

Well, how about a blog post?? I seem to have about 20 minutes of energy left today so what better way to spend it then updating you on our chaotic life?!?!

Things in Peanut Land are going well! Andrew is adjusting well. Mom? Well, let's just say Mom is adjusting a tidbit slower. From what I hear it's normal and I'll have more energy in, oh, 15 years or so. We've had a lot of fun over the past few weeks and are starting to get a handle on bedtime! Wooohoooo!

Here's an update on some of the major parts of our life:

Sleep:

• Naps: Naps are for those that don't go 6,000 miles an hour apparently and Andrew goes a minimum of 6,100 miles per hour. The past two days he has fallen asleep in the car for a little over an hour so I'm debating whether or not $3.80 a gallon is worth an hours worth of silence. My friend, Julie, used to drive her daughter around the Perimeter in order to get her to sleep. :-) Sounds good to me!
• Bedtime: Bedtime is getting earlier and earlier. Again, this is more for my sanity then his. Ask Andrew and he can stay up until midnight with no problem. Ask Mom and she needs to be in bed by 10:00 at the latest. I'm working part time right now (10 hours a week) and am finding it ridiculously hard to do at night when he's not asleep until 9:45 and I've reached my exhausted point. We finally realized that we need to start the bedtime ritual (books and bed) at 7:00 in hopes of him being asleep until 8. Regardless he'll sleep until about 7:00 am.

Food:

• Likes - Chicken, Pasta. Chicken and pasta. Everything Andrew eats - beef, pasta, rice, pork, chicken is called "chicken and pasta". Hey - if the kid eats it, he can call it whatever he wants right? More likes - cheese, yogurt, grits, oatmeal, eggs, juice, milk.
• Dislikes - Vegetables - all of them! He's had some corn, some peas and turned down broccoli, carrots and green beans. He also dislikes most sauce. He turned down beef ravioli today - not sure why. I think we're getting into the picky stage because he knows that there is food anytime he wants!

Attachment:

Attachment is going well. I honestly believe that that attachment takes a long time. I think that things can be/seem very good in the beginning but you always have to be weary and watch for signs. Andrew makes awesome eye contact, knows who to go to for boo-boo-ahs, knows who mama and papa are and is a cuddly little fellow BUT there are things that happen that bring me back to reality. For example, he knows what a "man" is (pronounced "mam") is and what a lady is. He is very willing in places like the mall or grocery store to say "Hi man!". Granted he's holding my hand the whole time, but it makes me a bit nervous especially since he was such a shy guy when we brought him home. I think part of the reason he is changing is because everyone he has met has been "fun" so why wouldn't that man be fun too? We're going to work on "strangers".

He also, when around a group of people, will call the females "mom". Never "mama" or "mommy" like he calls me, but "mom". It's rare that it happens, but it still happens and brings me back to reality again! In the baby home, any female that helped the kids out was called mom so it just makes sense that all women are moms. Of course, I want to be the only mom in his life so we'll be working on that some too!

Big Brother/Little Brother:

In one word. Awesome. Alex is a GREAT big brother. We've been very careful to not make Andrew his chore but instead let him be a big brother. They play so well together and, of course, Alex has a Hero Complex where Andrew is concerned. We left Alex at a friends yesterday and Andrew cried because Alex wasn't coming home - so sweet!

Dogs/Cats:

Well, the cats are mad - real mad. Andrew loves the cats - thus why they are mad! He's getting along great with the dogs and is even getting used to their kisses, which is good since Skipper and taller then him and tends to try to kiss Andrew often!

Bath:

HE. LOVES. WATER. End of story.

Listening:

Ohhhh... this is a good one. Or a not so good one. Andrew has done a good job at listening, following instructions, etc... except for "Come here please" and boy does it get me riled up! :-) It's become a joke with him and there is nothing worse then trying to get a child to listen and have him laugh at you. I've tried "ONE....." "TWO.....".... but then he says "THREE!" and is so proud of himself because he knows what comes next. :-) Ahhh... brilliant minds. Of course, when Keith talks - he listens. Guess I need to work on lowering my voice, huh?

Language:

My boy is a sponge. He is counting to 10, knows his colors, and is starting to put together a few sentences. He loves to tell "stories" about the geese and ducks which is typically a mix of Russian/English. He is holding on to quite a bit of Russian but it usually following it up with the English. We work on it all of the time and today Alex got him to say "Iguana" - ya know, cause every 3 year old needs to know that word, right?

Daycare/Going back to work:

I am scheduled to go back to work full time on September 16th. I'm worried that the transition for Andrew is going to be difficult as he's getting used to having me to himself. When we first went to the playground he was very good about playing with others and now - not so much! We're going to go visit a few daycares around the house and see if we can get him in 2 days a week. I think it will be good for him because he's such a social butterfly. I feel guilty about not being able to be home with him but at the same time, I'm looking forward to going back to work. In a perfect world, I would love to work part time and stay home part time but that is something I'll investigate after I get my bonus check. :-)

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for... pictures! You'll see a smattering of pictures - pictures of our visit with Iliya and Melissa, a trip to the lake with Alex, Kaylee (Alex's sister), Blake (Alex's friend) and then random pics of Andrew!