Long Overdue Posting...

Time has gotten away from me again! 

**March 24, 2012 was our One Year Gotcha Day!  We officially became a Family on March 10, 2011 and the boys joined us on March 24, 2011 in Arkhangelsk, Russia.  That is our Official Gotcha Day!!  We didn't do much in regards to celebrating, but we did have a cake to commemorate the event.  Chris looked at pictures on the computer with the boys and talked about it all.  David seemed to remember some of the events, but Michael didn't really seem too interested.  He just liked the pictures!

**Easter this year was pretty quiet.  Our neighbors (Joann and Benny) brought over Easter Baskets for the boys the night before so that they were surprised when they got up.  Mama was mean and wouldn't let them get into anything until after we got home from church and lunch.  Unfortunately we don't have any pictures.  We keep forgetting to take them!

**Davis is doing really well in Kindergarten and we are looking forward to 1st grade next year!  We already have the supply list and have started planning on buying everything early (we decided not to go with the pre-packaged supplies this year).  We are also looking into a 2 or 3 day a week preschool program for Michael at a couple of local churches.

**Rachael will be the Home Economics teacher at Seven Lakes Junior High next year!  It is the newest junior high (will open this summer) in the district and she is excited about the opportunity to open a new building and program.  There is nothing quite like trying to spend a large amount of bond money to buy supplies for a department when you have only seen the rooms once and can only use a limited number of places to order from!  The challenges of a teacher.....

**Chris is still working hard as a CSM at Wal-Mart.  Some days are better than others (especially when working with the public), but he still enjoys the challenge (most days, that is).

**We are all looking forward to summer vacation and being able to spend time together as a family and have fun with day trips: Houston Zoo, Children's Museum, Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham, etc.

**The boys enjoy playing in the backyard when the weather is good.  The only thing that would make it better is if they had a play structure or swing set of some sort (maybe this summer after we get our tax refund back??).

Playing with a Rolly Polly

See my 'house'?

Mama said to smile pretty....

Dinner

I don't know why I am so surprised at what/how our boys will eat.  I can spend 45 minutes working on a really nice, well-balanced meal served on a plate and they won't eat hardly anything!  I can take the same ingredients, cut it all up and put it in a bowl and they think it is the BEST FOOD EVER!  It doesn't even have to be a 'normal' combination, as long as it is in a bowl.  A few days ago, we had diced ham with chopped leftover hot dogs (warmed up in the skillet), layered with green beans & corn, topped with Macaroni-n-Cheese.  They both thought it was the best!  I can serve the same items separately on a plate and it won't get the same reaction.  I am beginning to think that it is NOT my cooking but the container it is served in. 

Sigh.

The Joys of Being Mom.

At least they are eating something.......

We've been Uber Busy!!!

I know that it has been a looooong time since our last post, but we have been very busy!

Here are some quick updates:

David started school on August 23 (same day Rachael went back to teaching at BDJH) and is doing pretty good (at least in our opinion!).  He can count to 20, knows his alphabet and can write them all, can write his first & last name correctly (first letter capitalized and the rest lower case), can identify shapes & colors and is starting to recognize some of the basic 'sight words' he is learning in school.  He is becoming more verbal (at least with us) and has gained weight and is getting tall! 

Michael stays home with Chris during the day and likes watching TV with Daddy (Sid the Science Kid, Word World & Dinosaur Train are some of his favs).  He gets to go with Daddy while taking David to school and picking him up in the afternoon, as well as any errands Daddy does during the day.  He is also more verbal and has gained weight (but hasn't gotten much taller).

They both like playing with their cars, blocks and 'reading' books, as well as tormenting Sheba.  They are very typical boys! 

We are still having some adjustments with following directions & answering/responding to questions, but even that is getting better.

We had our 6 month social worker visit and it went really well!  She was really impressed with how well the boys are doing (and how well we are doing as parents!).  The boys were able to answer her questions (what they weren't able to verbalize, they acted out or got the items: favorite toy, what did you have for breakfast, etc) since she had to have personal interviews with all four of us!  Our next visit will be in February, 2012 (the one year visit) then one a year for the next 2-3 years. 

Michael had his first ever dentist appointment in September and it went well.  David had one, but it didn't go as well.  He has another one scheduled for tomorrow with a different office.  Hopefully this one will go well and we can get his teeth checked. (He fought them when trying to get x-rays, and when they suggested that we take him someplace that can 'work with him', otherwise known as sedating him, to get the x-rays and bring him back to that office for any work needed, we said :No.  We will not be back with the boys!)

Their 6 month Adoption Check-Up is scheduled for later this month.  They will have more blood work done (to check and see if everything is still normal) as well as a standard visit with the doctor at Texas Children's.  If all goes well (good test results), they will be 'released' to a regular pediatrician.  We haven't found one yet, but thankfully they haven't been sick!  Praise God that they are healthy!



Boy's Dedication Service

Chris and I asked our pastor to do a dedication service for the boys on Sunday, July 17, 2011.  This was the cement that finished the foundation of our family.  We had quite a few family members present for this special time in our family.  Liz (Rachael's sister) was our 'official photographer' for the event.

Jeri (children's pastor) introducing all of us

Pastor Neil praying over the boys and for us as a family

Talking with Aunt Patty (Rachael's aunt on her mom's side)

Uncle Jim (R's mom's brother) talking with Grandpa Frosty (R's dad)

Robert (R's brother-in-law) visiting with Grandma Lela & Grandpa Dave (C's mom & step-dad)

Cousin Charlie watching everyone after the service

Circus 2011

A few weeks ago the boys and I saw the Circus Train heading into town (coming from Richmond/Rosenberg on the track that runs along side Highway 90). 

The boys said "Train!". 

I said "Yes, it's the Circus Train.  We will have to see if we can get tickets.  I wonder when they are coming into town.  I'll have to check and see."

Yes, I actually said "I wonder when they are coming into town".  Such is the thought process of a mom...

Anyway, Chris was off yesterday (Friday, July 15) and we decided to get tickets for the 10:30 am show.  We have been talking with the boys for several days about the circus, but I don't think either one really knew what we were talking about.  Since we don't watch much regular TV (mostly kids videos, Qubo and things like that), we haven't seen any commercials for the circus, so we didn't really have much to work with. (kind of like the concept of a zoo...).  We got there early enough to go 'backstage' and see the animals before the show.  They seemed to understand the idea of the animals, but all David wanted to see were the 'monkeys'.  Unfortunately they don't have monkeys in the show....

The seats we got were up near the top of the lower level (they only used a fraction of the Reliant Center) but not too bad.  At least we were one of the first ones to the bathroom during intermission.  A definite plus with so many kids running around!

The boys had a good time (even though they said "No" when asked if they had fun!  It seems that "NO" if the default response to most anything right now.  David said that he liked the motorcycles the best (they got 7 going in the steel ball: really cool to watch with the glow in the dark suits!); not sure what Michael liked best as I didn't hear his answer (Chris asked the questions).

Some of the pictures are dark and fuzzy (the result of low lighting and cheap seats):

The start of our Circus Adventure

Checking out the elephants before the show

Checking out the horses & lamas

Watching a pre-show demonstration
(I think we were watching clowns at that point)

Finally got close enough to see the acrobats

Daddy got the hat; we got the cotton candy....

Michael trying on Daddy's hat

David trying on Daddy's hat

First taste of cotton candy; they didn't really like it.......

Beginning of the show

Acrobats and Chinese Lions

White tigers and Orange tigers;
one of them didn't really want to cooperate with the trainer.....

The Motorcycles

They had 7 of them running at the same time inside the ball; really cool!!

Having fun during intermission

Mama liked the Elephant performance

Having a good time on Daddy's lap

Motorcycle on the high wire; Don't Try This At Home!!

Ending the show

A picture of the picture we had taken at the circus
(try to ignore the bright spot in the middle)

We all had a good time.  Looking forward to next year's show.....

Another Update

We have been really busy and it has been hard to find time to sit down and update our blog lately. 

Here are some highlights since the last post:

Rachael's last day at school was Friday, June 3 and she started summer school with David on Tuesday, June 7.  He is progressing slowly, but doesn't usually fight it.  We sit at the table after Michael goes down for his rest time/nap and work on worksheets, activities, games, coloring, cutting/pasting, etc.  We have several different bridge type workbooks (thanks Dad for them!) that we are working through.  We have now 'decorated' our dining room to look like a school room.  David has a pencil box with school supplies that he knows to get when it is time for school.  He still needs lots of work, but we think he will be ready by the time school starts.  Now that we have some cool pencil grips (he got to pick them out), he is getting better at controlling the pencil.  He can identify most of the basic shapes and colors (we are working from a list that the school gave us on what they expect incoming kindergartners to know), can count to ten (sometimes forgets the number 8) and can recognize some of the letters of the alphabet.  We are also working on his freehand stuff and coloring (doesn't seem to get the concept of staying in the lines; usually scribbles when he is supposed to color).

The boys had a follow-up doctor appointment on June 9.  We got the results of all the blood work that was done in April: all labs came back as NORMAL!!  No concerns (except that a thyroid test for Michael came back a bit 'off', but the doctor wasn't concerned; said that it was normal for the situation they came from) for right now.  The doctor wants to rerun some of the tests in October to double check, but expects that things will be normal then as well.  As of the day of the appointment, we didn't have the results of the poop tests, but since they haven't called to say that we need to redo the tests, I guess they got the results back.  We also found out that the immunizations that we were given the records for were valid.  The boys are current and up-to-date on all their immunizations (including the ones they got on the 9th).

Friday, June 10, the boys and I drove to San Antonio for a family birthday party.  My cousin Tara's second son's 3rd birthday party was on the 11th and we went to meet them and help them celebrate.  The boys and I had a great time (Chris stayed home because he had to work on the 11th).  They got to meet their cousins (George, Sammy and Michelle) as well as the parents (Alex & Tara).  Tara is my cousin on my dad's side and I haven't seen them in a while.  The boys got to swim for the first time in a real swimming pool (with the aide of life vests) and had a great time!  David loved the pool and swimming (once he figured out that the vest would keep him afloat) while Michael had more fun playing with his cousins and the toys.  They also got to experience their first pinata!  Once it was broken open, they were more interested in picking up the trash than picking up the candy!  I think it will take a while before they get the concept.....

Here are some pictures:

Taking a break from putting the toys away....

Everyone likes to sit with Daddy in his chair (too bad Mommy won't fit....)

David having fun in the pool

Michael had fun playing around the pool

Michael getting a 'push' from cousin Michelle

David was having too much fun in the pool, so he decided that he needed the floaty thing as well as the vest....

Michael's first swing at the Pinata

David's first swing at the Pinata

Cousins sitting still for about 10 seconds...
(starting on the left: George, Sammy, Michel, David)

First experience with Play-Dough!

First Doctor Visit

Thursday the boys had their first visit with a pediatrician here.  We are currently working with a doctor at the Texas Children's Hospital International Clinic to get the boys caught up on shots, testing, etc.  Later this year we will look for a pediatrician closer to home (although the Clinic is only about 20 minutes drive, parking is impossible and we would rather have someone closer in the future).

We had requested a Russian translator for the visit (part of the services they offer) and she was helpful in going over the papers we got from the Baby Home (shot records, etc).  We found out that they seem to be current on their immunizations, but we are waiting on the final word from the doctor about it all.

The boys are healthy (as far as we can tell without the results of the blood and stool testing) and seem to be on level for their age (maybe just a few months behind on some things, but they will catch up quickly).  We did get orders for them to see a speech therapist, physical therapist & an occupational therapist for evaluation.  They also need to have a hearing test done as there isn't a record of that being done in Russia.

The boys got some shots after the check up: David got 4 and Michael got 3.  Both boys did pretty well, unless you consider all the screaming and crying that went on (no, mom didn't cry).  I think that the most screaming was because of Chris laying across them to keep them from moving (they don't like being constrained).

We also got to go to the 3rd floor for blood draws.  We only had to wait for about 20 minutes before they were ready for the boys.  I took Michael in the hallway while Chris held David for the nurse.  Then we switched kids for round 2.  They each had 7 vials to do so they were rather woozy for the walk back to the car.  David worked himself up before the lady even got them seated.  He could be heard in the waiting room.  Yes, that was my child.  Michael on the other hand screamed for just a minute as he was being 'stuck' then watched it all quietly.  Chris did rather well himself (I couldn't have handled it at all; I don't even like it when I have to have blood tests done).

In addition to the blood tests, they have to have parasite testing done.  Unfortunately it has to be done with stool samples.  We were sent home with plastic bags for each boy as well as a plastic 'hat' to put in the toilet to catch David's samples.  This is why I never wanted to go into the medical field.  I've dealt with some icky stuff in the past, but this is definitely The Worst And Grossest Thing Ever!!!  There are 3 vials for each boy: one gets one sample, the other 2 get 3 different samples put in.  Each vial has a little scooper attached inside the lid to make it easier (but not better!) and you have to put in enough to reach the red line on the label.  Once we get the all the samples, we just have to drop it all off at a Quest Lab facility.  I think this definitely puts me in the 'Best Mom In The Whole Universe' category.  Be glad you don't have to deal with this; be very glad.

After shots, before lab work.....

Easter Egg fun..

Earlier this week Cousin Charlie invited David & Michael over to his house to dye Easter Eggs.  Of course the boys don't know anything about Easter Eggs, much less Easter (other than what we have told them and what they picked up from the Veggie Tales Easter video), so they weren't really sure what to do or what was going on.  Regardless of that, they had fun with their cousin today.

This one was supposed to be green....

Look, it's pink!

Fingers work so much better than that little metal thingy.....

Getting a little help from Daddy

This one is ready to dry.....

Time for stickers

Now that we are done with the eggs, it is Playtime!!

More Family Pictures

Looking cool in the car

Are we leaving or what???

Coloring at the table (trying to keep the colors on the paper, not the table)

Chillin with Daddy

Official First Family Photo for the First Report by the social worker
(at least we are all looking at the camera at the same time)

At a playground, in the 'sand box'

Sitting with Cousin Charlie, ready to go home
(or in Michael's case, not ready to go home)

Watching TV....

Figuring out the Shape Sorter Ball
(the Original Tupperware version, like what Mama remembers as a child)

Not so fond of spaghetti yet.....

Enjoying the spaghetti....

David is a whiz with the Shape Sorter Ball

Okay, these toys are not actually designed to be used as a riding toy, but they enjoy it so much
(and the toys are small enough to deal with in the house)

Sheba is not so sure that this seating arrangement is a good idea....

More fun on the trucks, using the hallway as the speedway!