It was "special missions" day at church and everyone was encouraged to wear Indian attire. So we decided to wear our Chinese outfits...which isn't exactly close to India, but at least on the same continent. I also needed a new picture of the 3 kids for the blog header. It is striking to me how beautiful and grown-up Meagan is looking...

The cage...

I realized the other day that so much of my creative energy is spent devising ways to keep Ethan from destroying the house. My kitchen drawers are empty (tired of retrieving zip lock bags scattered hither and yon,) the toilets are on lock down, and the kitchen chairs are stacked in a corner most of the time (blocks his access to anything on the table). Call it hyper-activity, call it over-stimulation from his former under-stimulation, call it "all-boy"...all I know is that my original assessment of him that first night in the hotel room still holds true: Human octopus. Recently I have started putting him in what Chris likes to call "the cage". Come on, it's a baby gate....just because it can be alternatively used for pets does not constitute child abuse. Ethan will play with toys or his sensory table in there for 20 minutes at a time. Enough time for me to do something without having it immediately "un-done." If I throw in some crackers he'll stay even longer. Heck, turn on some sing-along music and we've got ourselves a veritable self-sustained pre-school!



Speaking of pre-school, I might as well give you a quick update on Ethan's development. He is officially "on the charts" in the 1 percentile for his height and weight (21 lbs.) We no longer need any supplements and his pediatrician does not want to see us back for 6 months! Yippee! His OT is about to discharge him...feels that his eating and fine motor skills are just about where they should be. He is still getting speech therapy (and probably will be for some time) but he is definitely making progress. He is using some consonant sounds when he babbles and we recently heard him say "dada" when pointing at Chris. Apparently he gets a little taken advantage of at daycare since he is smaller than the other kids. The teacher says the other toddlers just call him "baby." Sort of funny, but sad at the same time! Add to that the fact that he doesn't talk and you're bound to be the perfect target for pushing, shoving and toy snatching. I know the words will come...but how come it's gotta be the speech therapist's kid who can't talk??!!

Adoption and Birthday party

Finally got around to officially celebrating Ethan's adoption...5 months after the fact! We decided to just hold off until his 2nd birthday and throw one humdinger of a party. The rain held off the entire day (thanks to the fervent prayers of my 5-year-old). We rented a bounce house and had about 40 people in and out of our home throughout the day. Ethan bounced from 10-5 with nothing but Doritos and cake fueling him along. Having gone the whole day sans nap, by 5:30 he was nodding off in his dinner plate, opened his presents and then crashed into bed at 6pm. We are feeling especially thankful for our amazing friends and family who rejoice with our victories (not to mention sharing in our sorrows). But no sorrows this day...just one happy boy getting to know what it feels like to be the center of attention:)


Loving his new bubble mower (not sure why his pants are missing)


Dad squeezing (literally) into the bounce house




Cousin baby Quinn, who, at 8 months may soon surpass Ethan in weight:)









NiNi and Leah


The "sand" is oatmeal and rice(dyed blue) in case you're wondering. The birds love us and sneak in for a bite when we're not around



Our sweet friends Kathy and Mikella

First big owie

Ethan took a trip down our pretty steep driveway on his ride-on toy. He was squealing with delight the entire way down...until he dove off head first onto the curb. He got a pretty good scrape from forehead to nose. Now he looks the part of "all boy!"

Happy Mother's Day

I have grown to value my mom more and more as I grow older. I suppose this is the case for many women my age. Several years ago we had some hard talks, her and I. Talks that really could have permanently damaged our relationship, but instead I believe made it stronger. My mom is an amazing woman. She was a single mom for a good part of my childhood and worked in a factory...at one point had a job where she wound wire around a spool for 8 hours a day, which made her finger tips raw. She did not use the welfare system because she always assumed that there must be someone else who needed it more that she did. To this day I have no idea how she supported herself and 2 kids on a minimum wage salary. Her mom, my maternal grandmother, lived in an orphanage from the time she was 9 years old. Her parents left her there to go find work during the depression and never came back. She was never adopted but aged out of the orphanage and started a new life for herself. I come from a long line of women who are tough as nails. Sometimes I fear that I have lost some of the grit passed down to me. I complain about working part time, I complain that our house is small, I complain that our printer is on the fritz. A function of living in this very sanitized suburb I suppose. But thinking about my mom this mother's day makes me want to renew my resolve to pass these qualities onto my daughters. Qualities like selflessness...working tirelessly for something because it's the most important thing in your life, integrity...doing what's right even when it hurts or makes you look like an idiot, humility...remembering that none of us really deserve or have "rights" to anything, simplicity...not insisting on the biggest and best of everything (even if you can afford it) and of course unconditional love...loving someone even when they are unlovable or give little in return. Admittedly this is quite a tall order and I can think of more failings than victories in each one of these areas. But in the midst of the daily grind, it helps to remember what it is we're fighting for.