Luke before the bassa-ball game.JPG

Click here to view these pictures larger

new choo-choo rug (2).JPG

Click here to view these pictures larger

playtime with new toys (3).JPG

Click here to view these pictures larger

Celebrating Christmas in the desert

We are staying home for Christmas. Although it's terrific not to have to travel at this busy time, it is sad not to "go home" for Christmas and be with our families. Thanks to web-cams and the miracle of "the internet" we'll at least be able to Skype for the holidays.
We've been taking the kids out for a walk after supper to look at the Christmas lights in the neighborhood. Lots of Santas, snowmen, and inflatables. A pretty nice series of displays, which still seem a bit out of place with saguaros in the background. No snow, obviously. But that also means no ice, no scrapers, no winter weather advisories, no treacherous winter driving, and no sub-zero temps. We don't miss that part of the mid-west. Luke and Anabel love the light-walks. We sing Christmas songs and point out every Santa. Luke especially loves the Santa in the choo-choo. He likes to sing "la la la la la" (Deck the Halls) and "hey....horse" (Jingle Bells). Sometimes when we start to sing other songs, he cuts in with "Sop, sop, sop" (stop), and then instructs us to go back to a 6th round of Jingle Bells.
Luke made cookies at Miss Etta's (his daycare) yesterday, and brought them home on a little foil-covered plate. Walking in the door, he pronounced "Sah, eat" (Santa, eat). When asked, he replied that no, they were not for mama, or dad, or Zach, or anyone else to eat. "Sah, eat." He then moved them all over the house. Under the tree, on the counter, next to his toys, back to the tree... Eventually, the foil was off, the cookies were spilled, and baby sister was sitting in the living room munching on a little corner of one of the cookies. We now have red cookie crumbs mashed into the carpet waiting to be cleaned up. We're hoping Santa doesn't notice that the cookies have already been sampled when he stops by.

Aah, finally, the beautiful weather that makes one appreciate living in the desert southwest. Eighties during the day, 50s-60s at night. Lovely. A. is now 7 months, and is loving the intro to food that she's gotten over the last several weeks. Lucas is thrilled to be able to spend as much time as possible outside, and we are thrilled to be able to get the kids out of the house to burn off some energy! We had a busy 3 weeks--a trip to Iowa to visit Grandma Becky and the family, a visit from Grandma Joan while Zach was gone, and a trip to Chicago (I went to a conference while Aaron and the kids socialized with Grandma Becky, Aunt Mel, and Jason's family. Fun times, but nice to be settled back in at home for awhile.

August already?

I didn't realize it had been THIS long since the last post! I was just reading Anna's blog (margaret mead...) about her Facebook addiction. I did actually create a FB account a couple months ago but have done ZERO with it. Right now I'm holding A who has decided that it's gonna be a no-nap day...just one of the reasons for my immediate abandonment of FB. A is 5-1/2 months now. She's babbling a little, trying to get up on all fours, and enjoying an evening meal of rice cereal. Luke just turned two, and we've now experienced about 4 tantrums since that landmark. Luke and I are going to a Guatetot get-together this evening. Aaron will spend some quality time with baby girl. He's nervous, but I think Zach will be around if he gets in trouble! Aaron spent 5 weeks in DC this summer. We got to travel and visit, and stopped in Nebraska too.

That's all for now...crossing fingers for a nap here.

4 months

A. turned 4 months yesterday...she's doing great, and is generally a happy baby who loves to laugh and watch her brother Luke. I am still trying to figure her out from a nap standpoint, and realize I need to just LET IT GO;)

Luke is having a good summer. He's using more words and sounds, and we are encouraging him to let us know what he wants with more than just pointing and "Mmmm--Mmmmm" noises!

It's HOT summer here now, so we are trying to stay in and cool off in the pool when we can. The staying in can drive mama crazy sometimes, though, so we'll probably head out to Barnes & Noble later so Luke can play with the train.

We just got an update from IJM (see left bar), an organization we support. The IJM Guatemala team reported these amazing stats: 50% of all arrests in cases of sexual violence against children in the last 2 years in Guatemala City were facilitated by the IJM team; 50% of all convictions in cases of sexual violence against children in the last 2 years in GC were made with IJM assistance. Exciting to see what their diligent work can bring about, but also heartbreaking to imagine how dysfunctional the justice system there can be at baseline. I remember a BBC documentary called "Killer's Paradise" noting that in Guatemala, only 1% of homicides when the victim was a woman were ever solved. Few are investigated. The poor and voiceless in Guatemala are in desperate need of an advocate, and I am thrilled to be able to promote justice by supporting IJM.

Happy 4th, all!

16 weeks soon

Baby girl is almost 16 weeks. Seems like she's been with us for longer than that--I guess the chronic sleep deprivation messes with your judgment of time;) Summer is settling in this week here; 100 degrees plus for as far as the forecast goes...

12 weeks

Little A turned 12 weeks this last Tuesday. Her 3 month birthday is coming up soon. She has been sleeping a good seven to eight hour stretch at night, but after that single feed, still wakes up after an hour or so to make sure that we're up by 6 AM. (That used to be Luke's job, but he's sometimes sleeping in until 6:15 or so...) Lucas loves to play with Anabel--he generally remembers to 'be gentle,' as he is constantly reminded, but what little baby with an older sibling has completely escaped getting head-bonked once in a while?? He likes to show her her toys, dance for her, kiss her, and wait for her smiles:)

Grandma Becky will be here in a week, and I'm sure she'll be amazed at how BIG our little girl seems to be!

10 weeks

Anabel had her 2 month visit last week, and yesterday turned 10 weeks. We (Aaron and I) still feel overwhelmed much of the time--two kids sometimes seem like 10! Although A. usually naps quite well on the days I'm at work, she seems to prefer awake time (even if she's sleepy!) when I'm home. Since she and Luke rarely nap at the same time, I feel like accomplishing minor tasks (folding laundry from 3 days ago, washing breakfast dishes, eating a meal while sitting) are sometimes nearly impossible! Every week, though, we can see things becoming smoother and more enjoyable. Luke is going to daycare during the week. He is doing well there. He uses his signs appropriately, gets plenty to eat ("He likes to eat"--"yes, we know!"), has fun learning and playing with the other little toddlers, and gets a break from the house:)

Zach has transitioned from watching Luke to watching A. A big change from interactive toddler to infant, but he is very good with her. I hope she doesn't think he's her mom:)

8 weeks, visitors, Three Cups of Tea, and girl power!

Anabel turned 8 weeks on Tuesday. She is growing like crazy (likes to eat, just like her brother), and has seemed so alert and active for weeks now. We continue crossing our fingers that she'll realize how nice daytime naps are sometime soon, but since she generally sleeps pretty well at night, can't complain too much.

Lucas started daycare this week. He is having a fun time playing with the other toddlers at 'Miss Etta's', and everyone loves our sweet boy. Of course they do:)

Last week we had our last round of guests for awhile. My mom, brother Josh, and aunt Linda visited, as well as mom's friend Gennie from Cali. The kids liked all the extra hands for playing and holding. Joan and Linda enjoyed swimming most days they were here, and even put together a nice synchronized swim routine. (Those pics are classified. I made a promise:))

I'm reading a great book called Three Cups of Tea. Got it for Christmas, and was certain I wouldn't get through it within the year with the 2 kiddos. I've found that nursing provides a good reading opportunity if someone else is able to watch Luke. Anyway, it is about a mountaineer who promises to return to Pakistan and build a school in a poor rural village after he is welcomed and attended to after trouble on one of his climbs. This guy subsequently builds over 50 schools, despite shoddy intermittent support in the US, great personal risk (death threats from both muslim extremists and US citizens), and sometimes seemingly insurmountable obstacles. His rationale: children everywhere deserve an education (preferably not funded and directed by Al Qaeda), and reaching out to these poor forgotten families with kindness and the hope that education brings goes a long, long way in countering terrorism.

I haven't yet checked the website (www.threecupsoftea.com), but want to pass on another website for an organization which focuses on educating girls around the world. I was introduced to Room to Read by a former patient. Colleen Vojvodich was an amazingly intelligent, bright, and thoughtful woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 42; she died two years later. I consider her my first cancer patient, as I met her during my last year of surgery residency and kept in touch with her until her death. She requested that donations be made to Room to Read in remembrance of her. It's been a few years since her death, but I plan to donate again this year.

6 weeks

another one-handed post w/ A. in the sling... A. is 6 weeks old today, and is more interactive every day. I went to work yest, and I think it's good for me to be getting back to a routine--just part-time for now.

WHEW!!

well,since last post, baby Anabel has arrived! As she's currently in the sling i'm wearing and i'm not an expert in 'hands-free' baby wearing yet, i'm typing one-handed. suffice it to say, our home and lives have changed drastically...

Mama, Luke, and uncle Zach went to the children's museum with a few other families (mostly Guate-tots) Saturday while daddy was working. He had a good time, although was shy at first. Thank goodness uncle Zach was there to help carry that big boy! Mama got tired out so we came home and took naps. The Lucas and mama's tummy pics are from several days ago. I don't know if I've gotten any bigger since then, but I am progressively more tired. I think I've reached the 'ready to deliver' point.

Happy Valentine's day

We had a fun time getting together with other adoptive families today to celebrate Valentine's day. There were about 20 kids there--about half of the adoptees were from Guat, and the other half were from China. (The host couple has a 2 year old from Guat, and have been waiting on a China adoption for a couple of years.) It was neat to see Luke with other little Guate-tots and to share stories with the other families.

We are down to less than 3 weeks until due date (of course, hoping for a little sooner, as all pregnant women must). Tired, easily winded, moderately stressed--at least the easily winded should get better after the delivery!

Luke is doing great. He has become hooked on Yo Gabba Gabba (crazy show on Noggin if you haven't seen it--uncle Zach is hooked, too), so with his limited TV time, that's a big fave. His dad was proud when he pointed out nearly all the weird characters correctly the other night. He's using a couple more words--he says yes appropriately, and sometimes 'daw' for dog. I just have a feeling he has a ton of words in there he's going to spill out all at once sometime in the next few weeks. He's pretty effective at communicating with the signs we've taught him and with gestures and sounds he's chosen, but it will be nice to have a little more specificity than "mmm, mmmm" and pointing.

Time to update, since I'm not really interested in the SuperBowl! These are a few pics from our 1st Christmas and winter in the SW. Although that summer heat is tough, we sure are glad we don't have to battle icy highways and shovel snow this year.

Luke got the big bear from mama and dad for Christmas and it was love at first sight. He loves to play in the back yard, pouring water, piling rocks, throwing the ball--all fun stuff. I am 35 wks in this pic--soon it'll be a month to go!