Pinch me

I have been reflecting a lot lately on "this time last year" as we quickly approach some very special anniversary's. This time last year was probably the most stressful month of our entire adoption process. We were stuck in that terrible CNA registration mess and there were a few days in which we weren't sure our attorney was going to get our case registered in time, which would mean the unthinkable. It was simply terrifying and I think I held my breath the entire month. Jason and I clung to each other tightly and tried our best to distract ourselves as much as possible, but it was impossible. I suffered from terrible insomnia during the worst months of our process, but especially last February. I spent many anxious, sleepless nights on the couch knowing I had to stay strong for my sweet son, knowing that I would never give up until he was home...yet feeling like I was falling apart. Those were dark days.

What a difference one year has made. It seems like a world away, yet it also feels like just yesterday. As I watched little pea help us take wallpaper off today, I had one of those "pinch me" moments and that loud voice in my head kept chanting "MY BABY IS HOME." Thank God, my baby is home. To top it all off, Eli said his name for the first time today, "Eyi." So sweet!

And, the best of all....Eli said "uv you" for the first time when Jason put him to bed. My heart just melted.

Such a good helper!
He was also very eager to put the "papeh in the twash" after he peeled if off the wall.

6 month follow-up

Today we drove to Columbus for Eli's 6 month follow-up (it's actually been 8.5 months since his last appointment) at the International Adoption Clinic. He is up to 31lbs (95th percentile) and almost 35 inches tall (75th percentile). He's a big boy for his age! Our appointment lasted about 2 hours and included a physical, a developmental assessment, another TB test, and more bloodwork.

We weren't surprised to learn that Eli has exceeded all of the developmental milestones for his age, especially in speech and language. He is doing great! In fact, the assesor actually asked us how confident we were about his birthdate, suggesting he could be a couple months older. Well, we are 100% confident with his birthdate based on the information we have. And, he now gets very shy and quiet around people he does not know so he did not show off all of his good stuff today!

His shyness and quietness around strangers actually makes me quite happy and relieved right now. When he first came home, we had some incidents of him approaching strangers in public and hugging their legs and/or grabbing their hands. One time, he grabbed a woman's hand at the park and started leading her away from us. When we redirected him away from the woman, he got very upset and wanted nothing to do with us. We were mortified! We definitely believe this was an attachment issue as he was transitioning home. These are the seemingly little things that no one really wants to talk about, but most of us experience them in one way or another when we bring our little ones home. But, it was huge to us and reinforced that we needed to continue practicing attachment parenting. It has certainly paid off because that would never happen now! He definitely knows his mama and daddy.

After the physical and developmental assessment, we were off to the lab for more bloodwork. It was just routine repeat bloodwork from his first visit just to make sure nothing shows up a second time. Unfortunately, little pea had to have both arms pricked. The lab tech started drawing blood and then the vein blew so he had to prick the other arm. Eli was such a trooper. Of course he cried, but he was more upset that he couldn't hold his whale/dolphin book!

After we left the clinic we hit our favorite store, Trader Joe's, to stock up! You gotta love Trader Joe's! Apparently pea does too. He had his own shopping to do. A boy on a mission...
"Ummm, excuse me daddy...where is the peanut butter?"

Hangin' out while we were checkin' out.

Just me and my peeps

Ahhhhhh....;)

I have been thinking of going private for a few months and it finally felt like it was time for a number of reasons. My number one reason is I just feel much more protective of my family and not as comfortable anymore having so much personal stuff available to just anyone. Of course, I am not naive to think going private eliminates that, but it at least gives me the illusion of privacy! On the other hand, as you can see from my last two posts, we have made some wonderful connections through blogging! Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined the number of connections we would make when I started this blog a year and a half ago. I could just go on and on about how we met this person, which led to this experience, in which we met this other person, who connected us to this resource, etc, etc, etc. Life changing. That is also why it took me so long to make the decision of whether or not to go private. Ultimately, at least for now, it is the right time to draw the shades. I love that so many of you are continuing this journey with us. I feel much more comfortable already! It's all good because I get to stay in touch with all my favorite peeps while keeping all of the creepies out! ;)

And, I have had so much on my mind lately because we are embarking on yet another big life change and now I feel like I can talk about that more. (no, we are not starting another adoption...yet. I know that is what you were all thinkin'!)

In the meantime, I will leave you with some cuteness! Eli has been so stinkin' funny and adorable lately. I think our trip to Maine cured him of the lil' monster phase he was in for a few weeks because he has not had any tantrums, throwing, or hitting since then. It is sooooo wonderful to have our sweet, funny boy back! Lately, he has been starting to repeat almost EVERYTHING we say. Seriously. And, he really pays attention! For those of you who know us very well, this could be a problem! Needless to say, we really have to watch what we say anymore. We even have to spell things out now so that he doesn't get all worked up about something like m-i-l-k, s-n-a-c-k, or his most recent obsession...N-E-M-O.

I am also learning to use this to my advantage. For example, Eli loves to drink water out of a regular cup. I mean, he LOVES it. So, he wanted to drink out of my cup tonight. I told him that he could drink out of my cup as long as he said, "mama rocks. " It worked! It sounded a little like this..."mama wocks. mama wocks. mama wocks." That's my boy!

Here are some more cutie pics from last weekend.

He was so excited when we got off the plane in Columbus that he was literally running around in circles! He also loved looking at all of the "panes, panes, panes." (planes)

More weekend fun

I am still reeling from all of the fun we had this past weekend in Maine. It was so special to finally meet Beth, Bobbi, & Donna and their families. I felt so connected to them even before we met and now even more so! Some may find it very strange that we would hop on a plane to visit and stay with people we have never met in person. Well, I suppose it was a risk! But, we all clicked instantly, just as I knew we would. When I saw Beth waiting for us at the airport, it was like she was an old friend I just hadn't seen in awhile. It felt so normal!

Eli had a great time, too, even though I think he was a little overwhelmed by all of the excitement! He not only met some new friends for the first time, he also had his first sled ride and his first trip to the ocean!

Here is a short video clip of Jason and Eli sledding down Beth's backyard.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

And, here are a few pics of his first visit to the ocean. Granted, we were not basking in the sun and digging our toes in the sand, but it was still amazingly beautiful! THANK YOU Beth, Keith, Sam, and Lucy for a wonderful visit!

Sneak Peek...

into our FULL weekend.

It was full of...


blissful chaos...

outdoor adventures...

several attempts at a kiddo group photo...

hugs from new friends...

absolute pure sweetness (this will be on the wedding invite)...

and a rare, uninterrupted adult dinner with friends while the kiddos played in the next room.

We had such a GREAT time!! More photos to come...

Leavin' on a jet plane

I am so excited!!!! We are going to Maine to visit some very special friends this weekend. Friends we met through our adoption journey. Friends who, on many, many, many occasions carried me through while we were waiting for Pea to come home. I first "met" Beth when she was my Secret Blog Pal in the summer of 2007. I met Bobbi through Beth and somehow Donna found us all! I cannot begin to tell you how amazing all three of these women are and how they touched me in so many ways. I am so grateful for their friendship and support and cannot wait to meet them all in person this weekend! We all talked about getting together "one of these days," but it took one e-mail from Donna informing us all that she was going to be in Maine and we all had our plans made within a couple of days. How great is that?!?! So, we are busy getting packed and ready to finally meet in person, what feels like, long time friends. Just wish us luck on the plane...I have a bad feeling we are going to be THAT family that everyone hates. ;0

I plan on going private by the end of next week so if you haven't commented, yet, and still want to continue following little pea's adventures, just leave a comment with your e-mail address. Moderator is still on so it won't be published for all the creepies to see.

Here are some pics of Fireman Pea. He LOVES fire trucks and he LOVES his snow boots. And, he is a little speedster on his car. You should see him take the corners in our house!

New Makeover

My familia was giving us a hard time yesterday because little pea needs a haircut in a big way. I think pea may have been listening and took matters into his own hands.

Long bangs? No problema! Pea found some hairclips. And some barrettes.

Or, how about a headband?

Two is better than one. (I know, the laundry is piling up.)

No makeover is complete without a little blush.

Notice the wall in the background? That is a hint...

DON'T FORGET!!!

Tomorrow is the deadline to purchase a cookbook to support Across All Borders!!! ONLY $15!!! That includes shipping. The cookbook contains about 250 recipes from adoptive families and a special section of Guatemalan recipes. It supports a wonderful cause. Just click on the link to the left to place your order. HURRY!!! Time is running out!!!

And, don't forget to let me know if you want to continue following our blog. Just leave me a comment with your e-mail address so I can send you an invite once I go private. I still have comment moderator on so your e-mail address will not be published.

I think it's time

I have been thinking about going private for a couple months and I think it is time. I have connected with so many wonderful people through blogworld and this blog has also enabled us to keep our friends and family informed of our adoption journey and life at home. I don't want to disrupt any of those connections so please let me know if you would like to continue staying in touch with us. Leave a comment with your e-mail address and I will add you to the "A" list. Don't worry, I turned on comment moderator so your e-mail address will not be published online for the world to see. I will probably go private in the next week or two.

A week in review

Just a few of this week's happenings in the life of little pea.

He is really getting into his megablocks lately. He has a megablocks car and he stacks the blocks on the car as high as he can before they all topple over. Then he throws his hands in the air and says "UH OH!" Repeat.
Porter trying to get some little pea lovin'. He really thinks he is a lapdog.

Silly faces!

He is also really getting into puzzles or "puggles." This particular puzzle has been sitting on the very top of his bookshelf out of sight. He has not seen it since summer. Well, the other day he kept pointing to the top of the bookshelf saying "puggle, puggle." I finally figured out what he wanted, but I couldn't believe he 1) remembered it was up there and 2) even knew what it was. So, I pulled it down and he immediately went to work.

Some big changes are happening around our house so we will be very busy the next couple of months. Stay tuned for details....