tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75644684629651142192024-03-13T08:25:00.262-06:00Baby MasalaStephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.comBlogger156125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7564468462965114219.post-6408768382415199002013-07-27T23:08:00.001-06:002013-07-27T23:08:15.624-06:00Four!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Dear Micah,<br />
Four years ago on this night, we were collapsed in a hotel room in a strange city half way around the world, exhausted from a day of heat and traffic and high emotion. We had just met our surrogate at the hospital for her last ultrasound appoint and seen your beautiful face; we also saw her admitted to the hospital. The way I figure it, she saw us there, said "my job is done," and "let's get this baby to his mommy and daddy." We sat in the hotel room that night, double-checking online baby name websites to make sure we had the perfect name for you, a bit stunned that we'd be holding you so soon after our arrival. Daddy thought he'd be able to travel for a week or two!<br />
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You arrived so helpless -- eyelids and nose a bit bruised, wrapped tightly up in a cloth like a pea in a pod. When the nurses handed you over, we didn't even know if you were a boy or a girl until we found someone who could translate for us.<br />
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And now look at you! Since I last wrote over 6 months ago, you've developed into such a competent little boy, mastering new skills every day. You are still very cautious when it comes to trying new things (for which I'm eternally grateful that you didn't take after your daredevil daddy). You're insanely curious, particularly when it comes to learning new words, and understanding why things happen. You're easy-going when we travel, adapting to new time zones and sleeping situations with ease. Since last I wrote, we've gone to the beach in Mexico, where you happily dug sand and hung out in a hammock for hours; to Southern California to visit your Grandpa and Nana; to Boston to seem Mommy and Daddy's old haunts, and camping in Colorado. You're so comfortable in new situations and with new people, which are traits that I think will help you immensely in life.<br />
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You've developed quite a sense of humor too. You love to play "Where's Micah," hiding in a closet or behind drapes and prodding us to look for you ("Mommy, say 'where's Micah' and then look for me but not in the closet!") And your favorite trick when we go to school in the morning is to hide your head under my shirt so that your classmates can't see you, and I turn around and keep looking for you, but of course you're always behind me.<br />
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The last 6 months have seen an artistic explosion too. For quite a long time, the art you brought home from school was all what you described as "a waterfall" -- basically just a scribble. And then all of a sudden, you started coloring the entire page in with different colors, and then that turned into interesting creatures that you could tell a whole story about. We absolutely love to see this creativity and encourage you to draw and color a lot. On the flip side, you've also turned into a TV junkie. Dora and Diego are starting to fade from your interest, but your demand for TV time is much higher than I'd like. <br />
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Luckily you also love books and stories. Your favorite request is "Tell me a story about when you were a little boy (or girl) that I never heard before." You also know that Daddy is good at telling stories, but mommy is better at reading them. I can't wait until you figure out that all of Daddy's stories from his "childhood" of dragons in his swimming pool and travelling to China are all made up! You remember the plots and quotes from so many of your books, and when I randomly quote a line from a book you always know what I'm referring to -- the English major in me loves that we share this trait.<br />
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Invariably when you meet someone new they'll comment on your beautiful eyes, which I take as a comment not just on their interesting color, but also your great eye contact. We are always amazed at how much you look like you belong to Mommy's side of the family, despite not sharing a genetic connection. Your older cousins dote on you too, and I'm so happy you'll grow up so close to them. We've been nurturing that by inviting them to join us on camping trips, and you've just started to have sleepovers with them (which let each of our families have low-cost date nights, conveniently!)<br />
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You still are showing some annoying toddler habits. Our least favorite is when, after a perfectly lovely day that involves treats like going to a fair or someplace else fun, you don't get your way on something and furiously exclaim, "This is a BAD day." Or when I don't let you do something and you tell me "You're not my best mommy." I tried to curb this habit by including a moment before dinner when we all say what we're grateful for, and it helped a bit. I laugh when I hear us giving the "there are children in the world who go to bed hungry, so be grateful you have food and eat your dinner" speech. But it is true that you're so blessed with so much to be grateful for, and it will be hard for you to appreciate that. <br />
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Speaking of dinner, you're still a great eater, although it is always a challenge getting you to stay still long enough to eat. You'd much rather be running around and nibbling on the fly, but it is important to us that we all eat together as a family, and eat all the same thing. It is harder for us to get you to eat chicken and other meat than to eat vegetables, which makes me wonder if we'll have a little vegetarian on our hands one day (luckily, Daddy teaches a vegetarian cooking class!)<br />
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I am loving watching you grow up, and despair that I'm not capturing all the great things that you do and say everyday. For the last few weeks, when you've behaved badly we've been reminding you that you're four now and should know better, to which you have so far replied "I'm not four, I'm three." But in just another day, you won't have that excuse. I look forward to seeing all the ways you're going to grow and change from four to five!<br />
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Stephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7564468462965114219.post-18977977499755309562012-12-16T22:02:00.000-07:002012-12-16T22:02:05.826-07:00This dreidel has dropped!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It has been a busy and fun 8 nights of hanukkah around here, and this little dreidel is glad the spinning has stopped! In 9 days, we packed in two birthday parties, 1 large family party at grandma's house, a party at Micah's daycare where I did a little show-and-tell about hanukkah with another mom, 4 nights of entertaining and making latkes for friends at our house, including a spontaneous party for 10, an evening of dreidel-playing, an afternoon at the botanic gardens, and a daytrip an hour south for a little hike. Whew!<br />
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There were presents galore --hanukkah been berry berry good to Micah. Early on, I realized that there were too many presents, and so half of the things I bought are getting either saved for later or returned.Tonight, I realized with great pleasure that despite all of the new toys in the house, Micah was happily playing with a salad spinner and a shoe. He has loved the books he's gotten, the playmobil figurines, a simple slinky.... It was great fun last night when we had 5 children ages 4 and under and they all happily playing more or less together with the playmobil animals and people. <br />
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I think we successfully created a lot of happy moments with hanukkah that will be remembered, which is such an important foundation when he sees so much Christmas around him. I feel so lucky that he is growing up in a world where his holiday is recognized and discussed at school and in public -- so unlike it was during my childhood in the Jurrasic era. And while he exclaims happily when he sees a Christmas tree or santa claus in public, he already understands that they are for Christmas and we celebrate Hanukkah.<br />
Micah continues to love books, and today in the car ride to the hike he kept himself occupied for a long time just looking at the ones we brought. One of the was an illustrated version of the song "Sunrise Sunset" and it amused me no end to here him softly intoning the words to himself. He's particularly interested in the word "swiftly" and keeps asking me what it means. Another popular book right now is an illustrated Grimms Fairy Tales. I bought it because, ever since Halloween, Micah has been asking me all sorts of questions like "What do giants do?" and "What's a troll?" and asking me to tell him stories that I barely remembered, like Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel. Well, now that I've re-acquainted myself witht these stories, I can't say that I think they're very appropriate for children! For example, Rapunzel, stolen from her parents, is locked into a tower at age twelve and when a prince tries to rescue her, he is blinded and she is cast into the desert all alone. Yikes!<br />
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Recently the word "alone" has seized Micah's imagination. It started one day at dinner, when Adam got up from the table to get someothing and Micah also left the table. I called them back by telling them I was lonely. Now Micah keeps asking me on the way to school whether I will be lonely at home without him and daddy, and when I had to run a quick errand after dinner tonight, he was afraid I'd be lonely. I've been trying to tell him that there's a difference between being "lonely" and "alone," but I think this is going over his head at the moment. Probably no coincidentally, it is getting much more difficult for us to leave him with a babysitter when we want the occassional time away. Perhaps just as well; our babysitters recently raised their prices so it isn't quite as appealing as it once was, but I do wish he'd give a warmer reception to the two nice girls who have been babysitting for him periodically over the last 2 years. Even when Grandma comes over, he wants to be reassured that we're not leaving before he truly relaxes with her, and she's his favorite person in the world. <br />
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I guess this is a natural phase for toddlers, and a compliment to how secure he feels with us. We're treasuring the trusting comfort he has in us while also trying to set some firm boundaries. We realize that this sweetness and love of being with us can't last forever. I love holding his little warm hand and cuddling with him while reading, and adam loves to make him roar with laughter by threatening hin with falling in the "hot lava" of the floor, or by chasing him up the stairs. One little milestone recently passed very sadly, when I noticed that he had gone from utterly guileless to trying to hide from us when he was eating or doing something he wasn't supposed to. Oh how sad, he has learned to lie and deceive. But he is still so very sweet and transparent in his motives, and really doesn't want to do anything more than have an extra piece of candy now and again! <br />
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Family togetherness on the first night of hanukkah</div>
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A hanukkah carnival offered sugar galore and a face painter</div>
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Best present of the holiday, promptly and surprisingly given the name "Pasta."</div>
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Teaching the young 'un how to gamble</div>
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It's a hanukkah candle, people!</div>
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Playing with our neighbor friends.</div>
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Garden of the Gods hike</div>
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What, me worry?</div>
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8th night.</div>
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Stephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7564468462965114219.post-35319208419434248012012-11-23T23:23:00.002-07:002012-11-23T23:23:14.091-07:00Words seem to be failing me<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Seems that the larger and more complex Micah's vocabulary and conversation ability grows, the less I'm able to capture who he is in words. Does that mean it is time for me to give up blogging? Probably not yet because I find it very useful for my scrapbooking. </div>
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He is turning into such a fun little companion, almost always cheerful, curious, and wanting to participate. He makes us smile many times over each day. I love having conversations with him in the car -- he always asks good questions about what he sees around us, and loves watching out for certain landmarks, like the "funny car" -- an old truck rigged up to look like a train engine parked outside a VFW post. When I bring him a snack for the car ride home from daycare he tells me I'm a "nice mommy", and he is very affectionate with both of us. He still has that adorable toddler speech, saying "weely" instead of "really" and "twee" instead of "tree," and it is cute to hear him trying to get out more complicated thoughts or questions.</div>
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He loves to pretend Daddy is a monster and run away from him, but also loves to get caught and have a ticklefest. Hates when any other friend at daycare tries to talk to me -- will loudly announce "No! That's MY mommy!" Loves doing art projects at school and home, although his art still looks mostly like scribbles, he will identify it as being something specific. {interestingly, the girls seem far advanced of the boys in terms of creating representational art.}. He has a new set of drawers at home for art, and recently he snuck out of bed one night after I tucked him in to nab some paper to draw on in his room -- I came up to find his bare chest covered in blue marker, but so far we haven't had any more writing on the wall incidents in this new house.</div>
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After being officially out of diapers 3 months, he's just hit a major milestone where he seems to get with the potty program. It has been a long stretch of many loads of laundry a week until now. He just didn't really care at all, but this week it seems that a lightbulb has gone off and he understands. We still have to watch for the tell-tale crotch grab to steer him to a bathroom when he's immersed in something else, but he has been taking himself to the bathroom pretty often too. </div>
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October was a fun month, with pumpkin festivals and a weekend that we spent in an 1880's cabin, updated with a few electrical outlets for lights, electric blankets, and a small vcr player, but no indoor plumbing or running water. We brought my nephew and the boys loved peeing on trees, playing with deer bones that they found lying around, and exploring the weird relics of the 1880s that made up most of the village. For halloween, Micah inexplicably decided he wanted to be a ghost -- was it from reading Clifford's Halloween book dozens of times? Regardless, he was a very cute ghost several times, including a party at school where his fleece costume was way too hot, and a few other outings. With Halloween, we've had a big influx of new topics to discuss, such as mummys, vampires, goblins, and witches. It has been a challenge to explain these things in ways that are appropriate for a 3 year old! And every time we cross a bridge he wants to know where the troll is.</div>
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Favorite playthings recently include a playmobil -- can't wait to see all the imaginative play that comes out of these cool toys -- and big-sized legos and blocks. He also adores books and has progressed to books with more words in them -- loves to be read to but will occassionally "read" them himself. And his CD player in his room gets a lot of use -- he will often put on a CD to listen to at bedtime or when he's having some quiet time in his room. Speaking of that, perhaps as an adjunct to potty learning, he seems to be outgrowing his nap, and has trouble falling asleep before nine if he's had a long afternoon nap. Looks like we'll be transitioning out of the nap soon as we'd really like him to be in bed before we are!</div>
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We're enjoying the long Thanksgiving weekend now -- had 14 people for dinner yesterday, with Micah swiping the candy turkeys from the table and playing contentedly with his cousins instead of eating a real dinner, a nice day of playgrounds and leftovers today, with family movie night after dinner, and plans to go to a wildlife sanctuary tomorrow. All in all, our family is very content right now and we feel so very luckly.</div>
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New playmobil toys ... the house hasn't been that popular but I don't think it is because it is pink....<br />
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Spending time at the Guffy jail with cousin Ben. A cold weekend in the 1880s!<br />
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At an inflatable haunted house for halloween.<br />
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Getting ready for Thanksgiving with Grandma. Micah has decided that it is grandma's "job" to tickle him under the chin, and will loudly demand that she do her job as soon as he sees her.</div>
Stephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7564468462965114219.post-9815818795695340762012-10-26T22:57:00.002-06:002012-10-26T22:57:48.441-06:00Addict<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Micah has a new best friend, and her name is Dora. How oh how did we create an addict? It wasn't so long ago that Micah's TV viewing was limited to the occasional glance. He came home from daycare and played with blocks or trains, or "helped" me cook. But somehow, in the last few months, Dora has crept in slowly and steadily, first earning her place because she offered a few words of Spanish, and then serving as a convenient transition time from daycare to dinner. But suddenly, she's become an obsession, to the extent that there are tears, kicking, and screaming occurs when we turn it off. <br />
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And turn her off we do. Because really, Dora has very little redeeming value. Yes, she speaks Spanish occasionally, and yes she does teach some navigation skills and nature/cultural facts. But when I see the trance my son goes into when she is on, I know that can't be good.<br />
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We even had a little incident where Micah sulkily told us "Your not my mommy" and "you're not my daddy," after we turned Dora off for dinnertime. I'm pretty sure it isn't in the good parenting manual, but we had to have a little discussion of shipping him back to India and what we would do with the $$ we spend on daycare each month.<br />
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And Dora is also not helping our potty training efforts. Due to the aforementioned trance, there have been way more accidents at home than we'd like {daycare is mostly accident-free these days.}<br />
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Thoughts and suggestions on how to cut the TV obsession without throwing the box out the window?</div>
Stephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7564468462965114219.post-79549006486124797042012-09-01T14:45:00.003-06:002012-09-01T14:45:28.243-06:00Three last month.... a little medium boy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I can't believe that it has been over a month since Micah's big birthday bash. At three, he is finally starting to understand that his birthday is his special day, and this year it lasted an entire week. We held his birthday party a week before his actualy birthday due to some other conflicts.<br />
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The party had a safari theme -- we decorated with some calendar pictures of African animals saved by Grandma Judy, invited a face painter, and "commissioned" Aunt Jackie to make a giraffe-shaped cake. The kids each brought a safari animal and we had a parade, read books about safaris in our tent set up in the backyard, and we played pin the tail on the monkey. A good time was had by all! The good part of having a birthday party for a 3-year old is that you still get to set the guest list, so we had a nice crowd of our friends and family, and kept the menu simple {for us!} - sandwhich roll-ups, chips, dip, and cake and ice cream. It is nice to have a summer birthday because all the chaos happened in the backyard. Exhausted, we ended the day with a family trip to Benihana, where Adam has been anticipating with glee for a long time... I thought it was more expensive than it was worth, but it was a memorable end to the day.<br />
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At the end of the week, I took brownies into Micah's school so they could all sing happy birthday to him, and on his actual birthday, we had dinner at Grandma's house.<br />
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And the rest of the summer has been a whirlwind of Micah-growth. For most of the summer, he's been insisting on falling asleep in our bed, or waking up in the middle of the night and wandering into our bed. One night, after we put him to sleep in his own toddler bed, we couldn't find him. Panicy minutes later, we found him asleep in our closet hidden by low-hanging clothes. I finally put two and two together and realized that he was uncomfortably in his toddler bed, now way too small for him. So one of his birthday presents was a brand new big-boy bed from Ikea. He loves the cozy space and the three drawers where he can store all his treasures, and we love not having to walk him back to his own bed in the middle of the night. <br />
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So, big boy bed, check. Running outside without us to play with his friends {several much older kids) in our cul de sac, check. Definite opinions about things and wanting to do everything himself, check, check, and check. We kept telling him, hopefully, that these things meant he was a big boy and, hint hint, big boys use the potty. No dice. "I'm not a big boy, I'm a little boy," he insisted. Adam finally hit on a solution, telling him, no, you're a medium boy. Now he loves telling us, "I'm a little medium boy." <br />
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And even medium boys can use the potty, apparently. This week, to our surprise, we came back from a few days away to learn that his daycare had decided to move him to the next room, where diapers are not allowed. He had had a few potty successes before, but they were very sporadic. Now, after only a week in the new room, he's had a few accidents, but a lot of success. His only big disappointment is that in the new classroom, they don't give candy rewards for success the way they did in the old room. Several times, I asked him when I was taking him home if he needed to use the potty, and he insisted on going to his old classroom to pee since he knew they gave treats there, which made me laugh. I was also amused by watching him try to figure out why his underwear had a flap in the front. That's definitely a question for daddy! This morning, he came to wake me up to tell me he had to use the potty. "I have a feeling" he told me. We are so proud of him. We just discovered some video snippets from when he was a baby that we have been showing him, and he loves pointing out all of the things he couldn't do when he was a baby that he can do now.<br />
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One last amusing anecdote. It has been important to me that Micah know from the very beginning his unique story, including the fact that he didn't grow inside me. He knows "Rajeshree grew me" and he has seen pictures of the doctors who helped us. This morning we were reading a library book about a mother telling her daughter about all the changes in nature she observed while waiting for her. I liked the story because it isn't heavy on the pregnancy part, more on the waiting part, which I think rings true for all of us who had babies in India. {also, the book has beautiful watercolor pictures of nature and makes me tear up every time I read it} Anyway, this morning when I read it to him, I did point out the picture of the heavily pregnant woman at the end, explaining that the baby was inside her. I thought that would be the end of that, but sure enough, Micah immediately asked "how did the baby get inside her?" Luckily, right now it is enough to talk about the daddy put a special seed into an egg and it grew into a baby. Yikes! Time for me to create that book I've been thinking about to explain surrogacy!!!<br />
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Anyway, my little medium boy will soon be up from his nap -- time to go buy him a new backpack and underpants! <br />
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Stephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7564468462965114219.post-56807997016080150392012-07-23T15:32:00.000-06:002012-07-23T15:32:01.887-06:00Mr. Personality<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When you're expecting a baby, you wonder and wonder what the baby will be like as they grow up -- what they will look like, who they will take after, and, if you are expecting a baby in India, what gender they will be. Some of those questions are answered as soon as the baby is born, but other answers emerge more slowly. With Micah turning 3 this week, we're beginning to learn a lot more about the personality of our dear boy -- who tells us several times a day that he's not a "big boy" yet, just a "little boy." <br />
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He's an observer: He needs to observe an activity for a while before jumping in, but then masters it quickly. If he can't do it right, he doesn't want to try it. For example, he didn't want to do anything on a playground except swing for a long time, but now he's a little mountain climber. Right now he's observing the potty process at school, with two boys who are a bit further ahead of him in putting it in practice. This is requiring some patience for mommy and daddy, who would love it if he would start dressing himself and trying the potty more willingly, but I think he's not too far off track for a boy.<br />
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He's a collector. We refer to him as our little financier because he loves to gather like objects up into a hoard. His latest passion is to walk around the house gathering pieces of paper and putting them into a sack. Problem is, sometimes those pieces of paper are trash and sometimes they are important papers! He also can't leave the house without putting some "precious" objects, ranging from rocks to toys to photos, into his bag. Thinking about this, I realized that we've been doing this a lot lately too -- gathering up swimsuits and towels before heading to the pool, or gathering snacks to have when we're away from the house, so I realized this funny little habit is just based on what he sees his "bigs" doing.<br />
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He likes having explanations. We were trying to think of a way of bribing or rewarding him to get rid of his "beechies," but before we did, we actually told him the truth: the dentist said that beechies were bad for his teeth. And what do you know, within a few days, no more beechie! {We're still looking at many years of orthodontics someday}. Another example: exhausted from the game of Micah jumping out of bed a thousand times and frustrated at having to be mean to him in order to get him to stay in bed, I sat him down and looked him in the eye. "Micah, mommy doesn't want to yell at you or make you cry at bedtime. You don't have to go to sleep right away, but you have to stay in your room." And sure enough, I stood outside his door and heard him moving around and singing happy birthday to himself, but he didn't come out. We were so spoiled by having such an easy bedtime routine for so long that I suppose we are due some trouble, but at least now I know how to deal with him around it.<br />
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He's happy. I can count on one hand the days that his day care reported any other mood than "happy," and those were usually days he was sick. He's just a cheerful, contented guy who has an easy time with transitions. <br />
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He's verbal. Micah loves knowing the right word for every kind of car or truck, and is a good conversationalist. He sometimes has so much he wants to say or ask that he stutters a bit trying to get it all out, but we are always amazed at how much he knows and remembers.<br />
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He hates commotion. Loud noises disturb him, and when his cousins started fighting recently he told them it was time to go home.<br />
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What I find most interesting about a lot of these traits is that in many ways, he's a lot more like me, his non-biological parent, than his adventurous, thrill-seeking dad. I have to admit that this tickles me no end. He loves his dad's silly side, and they will always be the best of buddies, but very different personalities.<br />
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Loading up his stroller with candy at a grocery story.</div>
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Popsicle pause on a not summer day.</div>
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Whee! Not afraid of the highest slides anymore.</div>
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Having a happy 4th of July in Arcata, California.</div>
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Next post: Micah turns 3. Wahhhh, my baby has left all traces of babyhood -- except diapers -- aside.</div>Stephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7564468462965114219.post-39184839527198667692012-06-01T17:00:00.000-06:002012-06-01T17:00:07.605-06:00No!!! I Wanna Do It!!!!!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Insert a crazed wail with the title of this post and you'll get the general idea of what it sounds like around here lately. This refrain can be heard from morning til night, sometimes followed by a very sweet, "Can you hep me?" Yes, we are in all-out toddler mode. All cooking -- even boiling water -- must be supervised (from a stepstool that's a highly dangerous addition to any cooking routine). All gardening requires surrendering the tool you'd prefer to use and using the plastic version instead. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making Zucchini ribbons </td></tr>
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The other way we know we're in toddlerdom? The sound of the word "Why" reverberating over and over. I love having a curious kid, and having the opportunity to take a deep breath, think about how to explain something in terms a nearly-3-year old can understand, and make my best case to the prosecution. However, anyone whose kid is in this stage will know the end of the story..... no matter how good your explanation, the response you get back is likely to be another, slightly whinier, "Whyyyy?" When he really doesn't understand something, however, it is more likely to be the very cute, "what you say?" <br />
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The flip side of "why" is that there's a lot of pretending going on. When he wants some snuggles, my little boy suddenly turns into a kitten, meowing for attention. And he loves dressing up in his fireman costume -- too cute.<br />
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I've learned in another way is that children are the univere's way of teaching you humility..... I find that I'm already bumping up against the limits of my understanding of the physical world, unable to answer why it thunders, or what snails eat. And Micah's already posed some tough questions I thought I wouldn't get for a few years, like "what's god" and "what's a soul?" <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xh-338dm3Zk/T8kLH-iYtWI/AAAAAAAAAtA/YY6YFlC_Xxs/s1600/2012-04-01+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xh-338dm3Zk/T8kLH-iYtWI/AAAAAAAAAtA/YY6YFlC_Xxs/s320/2012-04-01+013.JPG" width="213" /></a>Some of my favorite Micah-isms at the moment -- he still calls the computer a "bee-ga-do," still asks to be carried by saying "uppy!" and still cherishes -- and squirrels away like a little financier -- his "beechies" (pacifiers.) Those beechies are going to college with him, I'm pretty sure, along with his "na-na," which he sighs with delight and tells me "its so soft and cozy." He loves being part of a "Micah sandwhich" -- we ask him "who's the bread? and he answers "ME!" "who is the peanut butter?" DADDY!" who is the jelly? Mommy! and then each kiss him on a cheek. (Interestingly, when I was a kid I would only eat jelly sandwhiches, and my mother told me I was going to be a jelly sandwhich when I grew up. Now it appears to be true on several levels!<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TejM1aGtZTw/T8kLTrnCDiI/AAAAAAAAAtI/fgBmz5wzDv4/s1600/2012-04-28+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TejM1aGtZTw/T8kLTrnCDiI/AAAAAAAAAtI/fgBmz5wzDv4/s320/2012-04-28+002.JPG" width="213" /></a>And the final way we know there's a toddler in the house? So much ENERGY!! He's always wiggling and dancing, sometimes just taking off and doing a lap or 7 around the living room, doing funny walks or demonstrating how he can stand on one foot. He loves going to the playground (no longer calls it a "geygound" sadly) and has gotten more adventurous about climbing and slides. But we were very impressed with his ability to sit still recently -- we took him to the circus last weekend, the first time we went to entertainment where everyone had to stay in their seats, and he lasted for the entire first hour very happily, despite a lot of sensory overload. Even during intermission, he sat quite still while getting his face painted, but his attention (and ours, I admit) started to flag during the second half, so we beat a hasty retreat and considered it a good outing. <br />
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We've all adjusted to and grown to love our new house. Micah was a trooper during the move, spending several long days at Grandma's house. Our new house has lots of room for guests, by the way, so we'd be happy for visits from any of our surrogacy "family" should you ever find yourself in Denver!</div>Stephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7564468462965114219.post-6424749505331922292012-04-04T21:38:00.008-06:002012-04-05T21:29:46.067-06:00Wheres I Goin'?<div><div>For the last few months, as soon as Micah wakes up from sleep or nap, or when we pick him up from daycare, his first question is, "Wheres I goin'?" It is a sure sign that he's trying to make sense of the world around him, to detect patterns and understand why he goes to school some days but gets to play with mommy and daddy all day on others. He wants to understand where everyone who is important to him is at a give moment. If mommy picks him up from daycare, he wants to know where daddy is, and vice versa. It reminds me how very confusing it must be to be a 2-year-old, with no way of predicting what is going to happen to you next.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>That's why I know we're going to blow our little boy's mind when we move homes later this month. Like many out there with toddlers, our house suddenly isn't quite big enough for all the toys, blocks, cars, and games, and it is time to move before someone gets hurt..... Of course, I think Adam is completely deluding himself in thinking that when we have a finished basement, the toys will be confined there. But there are other reasons for the move, including a better elementary school, more space for all of us, and fewer home improvement projects for Adam. Oh, and grandma will be just half a mile away. Think Micah will probably be walking there himself by the end of the summer, since grandma is his favorite person in the world (hi, mom!)</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Moving with a toddler, is there anything scarier (OK, Ed and Paul, moving with THREE toddlers is way scarier.) But how can my husband claim, with a straight face, that we have the same amount of stuff that we did when we moved 5 years ago sans child, sans home office suite, sans 100 lb glass dining table, etc? The next 3 weeks are bound to be stressful as we try to pack and maintain some normalicy for Micah. As for me, I'm sad to be leaving our cool mid-century mod ranch for a more conventional (but beautifully modernized!) suburban house, but I trust that the next 5 years will build as many happy memories as we've built in this house.</div></div>Stephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7564468462965114219.post-5908179683989065292012-02-19T21:18:00.008-07:002012-03-16T21:54:26.037-06:0032 Months<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MdAJAynd6_E/T2QHYF5dVUI/AAAAAAAAAso/UsW4XuI2XbE/s1600/2012-03-01%2B005.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720705537148802370" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MdAJAynd6_E/T2QHYF5dVUI/AAAAAAAAAso/UsW4XuI2XbE/s320/2012-03-01%2B005.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DO2D9fdKcxI/T2QHXRbCEII/AAAAAAAAAsc/TsSff55Vryo/s1600/2012-02-29%2B017.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720705523062542466" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DO2D9fdKcxI/T2QHXRbCEII/AAAAAAAAAsc/TsSff55Vryo/s320/2012-02-29%2B017.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-91Pqtc19PzY/T2QHXLETEvI/AAAAAAAAAsQ/DQsWtX63mBw/s1600/2012-02-28%2B001.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720705521356575474" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-91Pqtc19PzY/T2QHXLETEvI/AAAAAAAAAsQ/DQsWtX63mBw/s320/2012-02-28%2B001.JPG" /></a><br />Feel like I've been slipping in documenting the ongoing Cuteness that Is Micah.... maybe because we're too busy trying to keep up with him to document! Some highlights from the last 2 months:<br /><br />1) You love using wooden blocks and toddler-sized legos to build. Your usual request is for help to build "a zoo" to enclose your assorted plastic animals or "a towah" to reach as high as you can.<br />2) You want to eat whatever we're eating, unless it is spicy, and want to be involved in our cooking.<br />3) In the bathtub, you fill a container with water and then offer it to us to eat "spicy blue cake."<br />4) Your ideal ANYTHING is blue. When we ask you what kind of dog you want, your answer is "Bluuu" even though you have a pretty extensive vocabulary. When I told you you could bring one stuffed animal on our next trip, you immediately asked for a Bluuuu giraffe. Uhm, I actually meant a stuffed animal you already own.<br />5) You love to sing. Current favorites are a melange of Old Macdonald with B-I-N-G-O.Wheels on the Bus is still on your hit parade, too.<br />6) You REALLY want to wear underwear like daddy, but have no interest in the potty. Instead, you ask to wear a pair of red shorts that I told you was underwear on top of your diaper, often under pajamas or jeans. You know that there are treats in store when you sit on the potty, but still not interested.<br />7. When we drive home from daycare, you want to know where everyone is at that moment -- where's daddy, where's grandma, etc.<br />8. You're so interested in noises, and want to know what every noise inside or out is.<br />9. You know that when we shut the engine off of mommy's car but leave the lights on, the sound that the car makes is "Turn-the. Lights-of. Turn-the. Lights-off."<br />10. Grandma is your very special buddy. Every time I ask you what you dreamed of, you say "Grandma."<br />11. On our recent vacation to Mexico, you learned to say "Hola" and "Buenas Dias."<br />12. On our first night, when we were staying at a hotel before driving to our beach cottage, you kept insisting "I want to go to Mexico!" We kept trying to explain that were were there already.<br />13. You really wanted to be buddies with the 5-year old staying a few doors down from us, but he really had no interest in playing with you. That didn't stop you from following him around, though!<br />14. You made everyone laugh at the restaurant we went to that was having an open mike night by dancing in a different style each time you went back and forth.<br />15. You made mommy and daddy laugh when you asked Adam to get out of the beach chair he was in, then made him give you the book he was reading, then you pulled the chair closer so you could push Mommy in the hammock, as Adam was doing before he was usurped.<br />16.You were a great traveller - napped on the airplane after the initial excitement was over, eating new foods and sleeping in new beds. Even let us leave you with a babysitter one night who only spoke spanish.<br />17. You amaze us with your memory. Recently we went to a restaurant and after we were finished, you kept asking about the waitress giving you a rink. It took us a while to remember that the last time we were there, at least 5 months ago, the waitress had given you a candy ring.<br />18. You've become a little mimic. Daddy was telling someone a story and shouted "don't do it, Man!" as the punch line; you now use that line appropriately, even adapting it to "don't do it, Lady" when talking to a woman.<br />19. I'd say you have a pretty bad vitamin addiction, perhaps because you don't get too many treats and the vitamins are candy-like. In mexico, you got a lot of popsicles, though!<br />20. You know the correct answers to the following series of questions:<br />Who is older, mommy or daddy? Who is prettier, mommy or daddy? Who is smarter, mommy or daddy (OK, this one is subjective, but since he answered "mommy" I'm going to say he was correct!) and Who is funnier, mommy or daddy (definitely daddy.)<br />21. You tell everyone "Daddy is a chef" and when asked what mommy is, reply "mommy is a very good cook!"<br />22. Bedtime is stretching a bit later these days, sometimes 8 pm, but you're sleeping a little later in the morning, too. But you're always happy to go to bed and sleep with the room pitch dark, as long as you have your pacifier and blanket.<br />23. You're very cuddly when you just wake up, particularly from a nap.<br />24. You've learned the word "no" but are mostly a very cooperative boy, eager to do whatever mommy and daddy are doing.<br />25. Except use the potty.Stephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7564468462965114219.post-5414291745446355832012-01-26T09:37:00.005-07:002012-01-29T20:12:10.362-07:00Lieber Award - It Gets BetterSo, I'm not 100% positive, but I <em>think</em> that I won the Lieber award the other day, from my friends at <a href="http://www.markandkerriesjourney.blogspot.com/">The Journey Begins</a>. As Kerrie rightly notes, my blog hasn't really been about surrogacy or India in quite a while. Our little bouncing bundle is now a walking, talking, exploring, willful, fun, wiggly little boy. I remember the whole drama of surrogacy -- wondering how you're going to have a baby, then anxiously counting weeks of pregancy, worrying about the health of your surrogate and baby(ies). But it has become a softer memory, mellowed by time (like they say about childbirth?) And so, for those of you who are still in the thick of it, I want to tell you: it gets better. You may start off your journey being infertile, or not in posession of all the right girl-parts for baby-making, or having gotten started too late, but after all is said and done, a nurse will place a baby in your hands and suddenly, you're just a parent. All the trauma you experienced won't go away, but they will be replaced by the same responsibility and the same love every parent feels. So hang in there, enjoy your last moments of freedom, and, once your baby arrives, savor -- and document --every moment.<br /><br />It is my understanding that this prestigious award comes with a responsibility -- to pass it along. For that, I need to give a big shout-out to <a href="http://www.spawnofmikeandmike.blogspot.com/">The Mikes</a>. Their blog is no longer about surrogacy either; they had their beautiful Rose and Eva just a few months before Micah was born, and they are truly one of the "pioneer families" in Indiansurrogacystan. They are my homeboys from Boston, are wicked funny, and, at the time that the surrogacy world was inhabited mostly by women, they shared a viewpoint that those of us with ovaries didn't have. Most importantly, when the path was being navigated for how to get a baby home from India, they provided crucial information and advice, complete with checklists, for those of us nerviously awaiting our big moment. We were lucky to get to visit with them a little when our children were all one and change; I felt like I was meeting Indian surrogacy royalty!<br /><br />I'll leave you with a few photos that document how far our journey has taken us, and how some things don't change:<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H23rhFF-_Ig/TyHMzmNojeI/AAAAAAAAAsA/phhoOJUfnPg/s1600/October%2B%2B2009%2B183.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702063790030884322" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H23rhFF-_Ig/TyHMzmNojeI/AAAAAAAAAsA/phhoOJUfnPg/s320/October%2B%2B2009%2B183.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CM643eE4SQM/TyHMzWVpIhI/AAAAAAAAAr4/MGXRbKEVwEU/s1600/2011-11-06%2B013.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702063785769509394" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CM643eE4SQM/TyHMzWVpIhI/AAAAAAAAAr4/MGXRbKEVwEU/s320/2011-11-06%2B013.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div>Stephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7564468462965114219.post-90869527277064569392012-01-18T16:00:00.000-07:002012-01-18T16:00:02.313-07:00Out of the mouths of babesMaybe it is because of his two recent encounters with the medical system, but when I asked Micah to show me his leg because he seemed to be dragging it in pain, he told me, "You're not a doctor." And again, when I told him I was going to give him some cough syrup, I got the same "You're not a doctor!" Gave me a good opportunity to remind him that only mommy, daddy, or doctors can give him medicine, that he shouldn't try to help himself.<br /><br />My other recent favorite quote was when I recently told him, "Micah, did you know that your name, in Hebrew, means "Who is like God?" and he dutifully repeated back, "My name Hebrew "Who likes Hannukah."<br /><br />These are such precious months. Suddenly we can really see how we've trained up a new little member of our family to be just like us, joining us for cups of herbal tea, clinking mugs and saying "L'chayim!" He plays "baby stegasaurus" with daddy, butting heads and riding on daddy's back, loves to grab mommy's hand and take her to a comfy chair to read. Favorite books include the Micah Being Born book, where he can name Rasheshree, his surrogate, and tries to understand where he's hiding under her sari, and where we show him the picture of the woman who gave us the teeny tiny egg that can grow into a baby. He loves watching Mommy and Daddy cooking through the pass-through window in the kitchen, though Mommy is terrified that he'll fall onto a hot burner or pan sometime. And he loves, loves, loves cuddling during the half-hour long video he's allowed before bedtime, Classical Baby -- each of us has to have our own "na-na" on our lap.<br />We feel so lucky to have been blessed with such a smart, sweet, little boy.Stephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7564468462965114219.post-42731956296314783312012-01-09T21:44:00.005-07:002012-01-09T22:06:09.642-07:00Umbilicus Be Gone....As you may be able to tell from the photo in my previous post, Micah was born with a very impressive outie belly button and a very minor umbilical hernia (small hole where the belly didn't totally close up when he was forming in utero.) Although it might never have caused a problem for him, it had the potential to, and so last week, we took the opportunity (and the blessing of very good health insurance) to have it fixed, and to have the extra umbilical cord "tucked in" at the same time. It was very scary bringing a toddler for what was basically elective surgery -- I hardly slept the night before -- but Micah was an amazing patient.<br />We thought we'd carry him out to the car while he was still asleep at 6 am, but he woke up and, when we told him we were going to see a doctor, he insisted on getting dressed. We checked into the hospital two hours ahead of surgery, as they requested, and then had to wait in a nice play area until the doctors arrived. Micah didn't know what was going on, but wasn't at all thrown off by the deviation from our normal routine, and played happily (although he kept trying to take off his mini hospital gown. What I was most afraid of was that he'd ask to eat or drink and we'd have to tell him he couldn't, but he never even mentioned it. He did get a bit restless at about 2 hours and asked to go home, but some nurses distracted him a little. Daddy went with him to the anesthesia room, and he was quickly put under before he could worry.<br />Barely half an hour later, the doctor came to tell us that the surgery was over and Micah was sleeping. He woke up enough to drink some juice and talk enough for us to realize that he was OK, and so we were able to take him home, where he slept for several more hours. He did seem to be in some pain that first day, so received regular doses of tylonol, but was mostly back to normal the following day. He's commented several times "my belly's messy" -- he is a bit swollen and the wound is covered with a shiny superglue, so I've tried to keep his diaper away from it. He couldn't take a bath for 5 days but that is the only restriction on his activities.<br />It is very strange to see his new innie, and at times I do miss his unique, perky little outie, but I think he'll be happier as an adult that we had it done. He seems so much more mature with each passing day, and the removal of the last little bit of umbilical cord seems to have cemented his move from baby/toddler to "big boy." This morning, after telling me that I needed "your purse and your wallet and your keys and your phone" to take him to daycare, I left the room for a minute and when I returned, I found that he had emptied some of the stray receipts and undeposited checks from my wallet and was trying to tuck them into his own (tiny) pockets, so I can see a foreshadowing of the teen he will become all too soon!Stephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7564468462965114219.post-488732391224798692012-01-01T21:08:00.004-07:002012-01-01T21:57:20.146-07:00Happy New Year!<div align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ASMuGfmJf7Y/TwEu0GGTqfI/AAAAAAAAArs/9qFrF_uMqw8/s1600/2011-12-31%2B009.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692882876498160114" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ASMuGfmJf7Y/TwEu0GGTqfI/AAAAAAAAArs/9qFrF_uMqw8/s320/2011-12-31%2B009.JPG" /></a> <em>Our beautiful New Year's baby....only he keeps insisting "I'm a </em>Big<em> boy!"</em><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qOxd_4lf8jE/TwEuhs6il0I/AAAAAAAAArg/sADPkUZk5W4/s1600/2011-12-25%2B011.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692882560500275010" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qOxd_4lf8jE/TwEuhs6il0I/AAAAAAAAArg/sADPkUZk5W4/s320/2011-12-25%2B011.JPG" /></a> <em>Lots of menorahs for the 5th night of Hannukah (also known this year as Christmas Day)<br /><br /></em><br /><br /><div align="left"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FO6L2Vy7HMk/TwEuhRG967I/AAAAAAAAArU/rXUgnu8yo6w/s1600/2011-12-27%2B017.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692882553036204978" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FO6L2Vy7HMk/TwEuhRG967I/AAAAAAAAArU/rXUgnu8yo6w/s320/2011-12-27%2B017.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div align="center"><em>And on the 8th night of hannukah.... we went to the Urgent Care Center....</em></div><br /><div align="left">Has it really been only a month since I last posted? Seems so much has happened since our busy Thanksgiving week celebration. Micah's vocabulary and understanding of the world around him continues to grow exponentially, and with it his creativity and thinking skills. One night in early December, as we were reading him stories before bed, Adam lay down on Micah's bed and used one of his stuffed animals for a pillow, and we were surprised when Micah indignantly protested, "That's my doggy, daddy, get your own doggy!" That was really the first time he asserted himself fully armed with the English language. Our favorite Micah-ism right now is that he describes anything that is big using the adjective "big daddy", such as calling a dinner fork a "big big big daddy fork." </div><br /><div align="left">In general, though, he continues to be an agreeable, easy-going little guy, mostly happy to go along with whatever his "bigs" suggest. I say mostly because, well, he is a two-and-a-half year old, and we definitely have times where he becomes suddently emotional or defiant. I'm finding this stage of childhood much more physically demanding than the baby stage, and wishing that I were in better condition -- I can see a point not too long from now when he'll be able to run faster than me, and I am scared! He's just about 3 feet tall now, and weighs about 27 lbs -- heavy enough that it is getting harder for me to carry him for long stretches. He tells us dozens of times a day that he's a big boy, but still loves his "beechie" (pacifier) and "na-na" (blanket) when he's sad, and a kiss still makes every boo-boo feel better. We're not anywhere close to ready for potty training, and everyone assures me that boys are usually not ready until closer to age 3.</div><br /><div align="left">Hannukah and the week stay-cation we had over the Christmas/New Years holidays were fun and low-key. Micah really enjoyed helping to put candles in the menorah and the ritual of lighting them; he liked getting presents but isn't yet that impressed by getting them. His very favorite was a lamp with an African savannah that revolves around; we actually just peeked in at him after bedtime tonight to find that he had turned it on after we left the room and fallen asleep on the floor clutching a plastic giraffe that we had earlier seen him "showing" the other giraffes on the lamp. </div><br /><div align="left">Our biggest Hannukah adventure was on the 8th night -- I had scraped the old dibbles of wax off the menorahs to be able to put in the new set of candles, and as I was taking some photos of Micah with the candles lit, I noticed him sticking one of the old dribbles up his nose. My attempts at getting the wax out resulted in a hysterical child, and by the time Adam tried the wax was no longer visible. Knowing that it was likely the wax had gotten out but not sure, we reluctantly cancelled our babysitter and bundled up to go to a late-night urgent care center. Micah was adorable and charming the whole time we were there, no sign of distress at all. After spending half an hour filling out forms and answering questions with the staff, we were put in a waiting room to see a doctor. Micah gave everyone a chuckle when he escaped from the waiting room and ran into the clinical area, loudly asking "Where's my doctor?" Finally, the doctor and her assistant came in, and the doctor examined his nose with her light for several minutes with no sign of the wax. The nurse practitioner then rather timidly asked, "what color did you say the wax was?" When we told her red, she suggested that we look at Micah's sleeve, where, sure enough, a little drop of red wax was glued with snot. So we happily went home, glad that our insurance and not we were footing the bill, and happy that we could still catch a later movie.</div><br /><div align="left">Other events during our holiday included attempts at sledding (Micah did not much enjoy it), and an attempted stay at a YMCA camp in the mountains (we cane home early -- turns out that it isn't much fun to stay in a hotel room with a 2 year old during weather so cold that you can't go outside.)<br />Micah loves to sing and listen to music. On the first night of Hanukkah, we attended a choral concert (not a kid-oriented event, unfortunately) and during a quiet portion of the music Micah happened to notice the percussionist's foot-bells and loudly started singing "Jingle Bells" (I'm told this isn't a Christmas song per se, but it sure sounds like one to my ears!) We took him to see the lights at our Botanic gardens; seatd in a backpack that Adam work, he sang non-stop for an hour and a half. Most recently, he's been singing a song that he must have learned in school, "my daddy comes back, he always comes back, he never forgets me." Very lovely that he can re-assure himself like this, and I don't think it is a coincidence that his minor phase of not liking to be left with a babysitter seems to have passed too.</div><br /><div align="left">Our New Year's Eve was quiet but nice -- an early-evening playdate with a neighbor, a good dinner at home, bedtime for Micah, and then Adam and I watched The Bridesmaids while enjoying homemade profiteroles. We actually stayed awake until 12:01 in our own time zone; a first in at least 3 years.</div><br /><div align="left">I have been loving all the happy news of new babies and babies on the way in India, and love all the pictures of growing children around the world who share the same unusual birth story. I wish everyone who is still waiting for their family to be complete good luck and baby dust in the new year, and health and happiness to all of the Indian surrogacy community!<br /><br /></div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /></div>Stephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7564468462965114219.post-86958878096277035272011-11-29T22:17:00.005-07:002011-11-29T22:58:34.165-07:00A Lot to Be Thankful For - 28 months<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DtyIpPJQ5_U/TtXEkq7shKI/AAAAAAAAArI/EBEuHiiHqr8/s1600/DSC_0008.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680662639276754082" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DtyIpPJQ5_U/TtXEkq7shKI/AAAAAAAAArI/EBEuHiiHqr8/s320/DSC_0008.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o8CxL4IWly4/TtXCh05oc1I/AAAAAAAAAq8/KglSH6F-b5Y/s1600/DSC_0605.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680660391389590354" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o8CxL4IWly4/TtXCh05oc1I/AAAAAAAAAq8/KglSH6F-b5Y/s320/DSC_0605.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /><div>Thanksgiving has always been a big holiday in my family. My parents got married on Thanksgiving weekend, and my mother's parents also got married just a bit before Thanksgiving in 1939, which apparently was The Year With Two Thanksgivings, when Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving from the last Thursday of the month to the 4th to stimulate the economy, but some states continued with the traditional date.<br /></div><br /><div>It is funny to me that, in 2008 when we were actually in India over Thanksgiving, we didn't even really think about missing our big holiday -- our heads were too swamped with thinking about the huge decision we were making, and worrying about all the potential implications. After three of the most stressful days of our lives, we had left Mumbai to fly to a yoga center in Goa for some theoretical relaxation, but who could relax? Surrogacy in India was a big unknown; we were one of the first western clients of our clinic, and there was a lot of anxiety on our part about whether we were ready to be parents. In hindsight, so laughable, because we can't imagine life without our little Micah, but at the time, it required a lot of deliberation, up until the moment when it was too late to change our minds.<br /></div><br /><br /><div>Of course, that Thanksgiving will be remembered around the world as "India's 9/11," the day of the Mumbai terrorist attack. Oblivious and off the grid, we didn't learn of the attacks until Friday, after both of our families spent their entire holiday worrying about us. Even after we came back, we didn't really get what all the fuss had been about, because we knew we were safely hundreds of miles from Mumbai.</div><br /><br /><br /><div>Still, we came back from Mumbai with the greatest memento of all, and especially at Thanksgiving, we remember all that we have to be grateful for. This year, our family gatherings extended for an entire week as we celebrated my parents' golden anniversary and stored up as much time as we could with my sisters, one of whom is moving with her family half-way around the world for a few years. What a busy week we had!! A pizza party/family talent show on Monday, hosted my visiting sister's family for dinner on Tuesday, went out to a fancy restaurant with 5 children under the age of 8 on Wednesday, hosted Thanksgiving for 21 people on Thursday, family photos and an anniversary party for my parents on Friday, and a cousin's bar mitzvah on Sat! And on Sunday, we collapsed! Micah was a trouper throughout the week, and just loved being treated like a "big boy" with his 4 older cousins,. They were so cute together, especially how they all sat around Micah's train table for Thanksgiving dinner while the grown-ups dined in relative calm in a separate room. I miss having a baby, but at times like this, it is bliss having a (slightly) more self-sufficient little boy.<br /></div><br /><div>Micah's verbal skills seemed to really explode by spending the week with his cousins, and he's so excited that he can formulate questions better and explain what's on his mind. "Was dat" is still his favorite question, and now when he describes something, he can often use two adjectives and noun, and create more complicated sentences. My favorite recently was when he wheeled his play shopping cart in to show me, announcing: "look, my na-na (his favorite blanket) cover up my paci." All his favorite things in one sentence! My least favorite element of verbalization came during a quick trip to Target, where he was confused by a (female) employee's appearance and loudly shoulded "Was dat monkey-boy?" Oooh, the first of many times to have to cringe at your child's candid observations (we made sure to go up and introduce ourselves to the woman.) </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>He loves playing his "air guitar" (a stringless toy guitar) and will command us to "play band" with him, dragging other toy instruments in to wherever we're sitting and motioning to demonstrate how to play them. He loves ordering us where to sit, and whether we're allowed to sing or not. His energy is amazing, and he'll jump up and down for 30 minutes at a time while playing his air guitar and performing his special versions of The Wheels on the Bus, Twinkle Twinkle, 5 Little Ducks, and a few songs we don't recognize. Youtube is still his very special addiction; we don't ever let him watch TV but after only one lapse over the weekend, he walked into the living room the next day and demanded "watch TV!" Bad boob tube! </div><br /><div>He still loves playing "catch me if you can" at bedtime, and getting him to lie down and go to sleep has become a ordeal of closing the door and holding it shut until we think he's asleep, followed by 30 minutes of him leaving his room only to be sternly shoo'd back in. It is hard because he's usually very proud of himself and cheerful when he re-appears from his bedroom, and I usually have to be the meanie who marches him back to bed. </div>So much to be thankful for!<br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div>Stephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7564468462965114219.post-37224736121940310312011-10-31T14:59:00.003-06:002011-10-31T15:16:43.852-06:00Happy Halloween.... Dat's Funny!<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9Bm2ulT_0aU/Tq8MjJvyteI/AAAAAAAAAqk/vhP1hDP8a94/s1600/2011-10-29%2B003.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669764253934073314" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9Bm2ulT_0aU/Tq8MjJvyteI/AAAAAAAAAqk/vhP1hDP8a94/s320/2011-10-29%2B003.JPG" /></a> This month, Micah's favorite expression is "Dat's Funny!", often used after being turned upside down, seeing a funny picture in a book, or doing something that we think isn't quite so funny, like spilling an entire bowl of soup on our glass table or running around the house naked to avoid having his nose wiped. We love seeing Micah's emerging sense of humor and fun, although it has gotten a lot more physically demanding to keep up with him! Sometimes it takes two of us -- and all of our patience plus some we didn't know we had -- to get him dressed in the morning. And there have been some...... moments, let's say. A few days ago, Adam and I were catching up at the end of the day while Micah occupied himself, and we soon discovered that his occupation had been drawing on the walls, with permanent marker! His "Dat's funny" quickly turned into repeating to himself "Daddy mad. Only wite paper" while we struggled between mad and the desire to laugh. We've left the walls marked up for a little while, so we can reiterate "only wite paper." <br />His newfound independence has also happened at bedtime, too.... our formerly easy bedtime turned into a supernanny-style showdown for a few days, with a few dozen trips out of bed, being carried back each time with the words "Its bedtime, goodnight." Finally, Adam discovered an easier option: if we just hold the door shut for a minute or two, Micah will give up trying to get out and go to sleep. Unfortunately, we can't do this trick in the middle of the night, when we've had a barefoot little boy show up in our bedroom at 2 or 3 am. Because no one gets much sleep if he stays in our bed, one of us will have to carry him back to his room each time, but he pops back in by 5:30 or 6. What a good little alarm clock!<br />We had plenty of halloween fun this weekend, and a little bit more planned for tonight. I asked Micah what he wanted to be for Halloween thinking he had absolutely no clue what Halloween is or entailed, but I got him the giraffe (his favorite animal) he requested. Then I was surprised each time some well-meaning adult asked him what he was going to be, and he confidently replied "elmo." Oh well, too late to send back the giraffe costume, and it did get a lot of compliments! <br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div>Stephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7564468462965114219.post-23297423859873403272011-10-04T22:00:00.000-06:002011-10-04T22:05:44.119-06:00Gears and Guitars<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0KpOcBJ8cIg/TonrvQ3ac3I/AAAAAAAAAqM/KBcgp7wV9pc/s1600/2011-10-02%2B003.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659313603981505394" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0KpOcBJ8cIg/TonrvQ3ac3I/AAAAAAAAAqM/KBcgp7wV9pc/s320/2011-10-02%2B003.JPG" /></a> Lucky for Micah, our next-door-neighbor not only meticulously polishes the inside and outside of his mint-condition 1965 Mustang frequently, but he also indulges Micah by letting him sit in the "wace caw." Micah can hear the engine revving from inside our house and stops whatever activity he's engaged in (or not, see "dinnertime" below) to go take a look. He still loves to identify all forms of transportation, and any car ride with Micah is a running commentary of what types of trucks, busses, and other vehicles he sees out of the window. Even from inside the house, he can identify the different sounds of helicopters, airplans, motorcycles, and lawn mowers, and if he hears an ambulance or fire truck, he wants to go see it. He's also loving his brand new electric toothbrush, and reminds us every day when it is time for his "noisebrush" (come to think of it, it is used more for making noise than brushing teeth at this stage, so perhaps it is a better name!)<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s0XE0NnYwZg/Tonru_YZHII/AAAAAAAAAqE/IiRTl0l6NHg/s1600/2011-09-25%2B002.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659313599287991426" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s0XE0NnYwZg/Tonru_YZHII/AAAAAAAAAqE/IiRTl0l6NHg/s320/2011-09-25%2B002.JPG" /></a> Micah looooooves music, so we recently bought him this cheapo plastic guitar, which has become his prize possession despite the fact that it quickly lost two strings. I bought him a much sturdier little harp that has actual metal strings and makes actual pleasing sounds, but so far, he's less interested in that. Whenever we go somewhere with live music, Micah is happy to just sit and watch the instruments for a long time. Music lessons are definitely in our future!<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ieq6i3iJKYo/TonruS-kvPI/AAAAAAAAAp8/obIa27wNEug/s1600/2011-10-01%2B003.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659313587368541426" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ieq6i3iJKYo/TonruS-kvPI/AAAAAAAAAp8/obIa27wNEug/s320/2011-10-01%2B003.JPG" /></a> I don't think we've ever used the term "milk mustache" with him, but that's what he told us after he drank Daddy's post-exercise protein shake. We're happy to sneak in extra calories wherever we can, because our boy is lean like daddy and not very interested in dinnertime. We've found we're more successful at getting him to eat if we let him away from the table and then periodically entice him to have a bite when he runs by us. Not a method of eating that will win us any best parenting discipline awards, but for a wiggly little boy, perhaps the best way of getting calories in. He will still eat almost anything, but if it is red in color or unfamiliar to him, he'll ask "spicy?" to make sure it isn't. He loves nuts and dried fruit, and knows where to find it in the cabinet, but his favorite snack is a bowl of "ce-re-er-re-er-real."<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-baC-V7zna5Y/Tonrt3KQqQI/AAAAAAAAAp0/K74BgfWZoGw/s1600/2011-10-01%2B016.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659313579901364482" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-baC-V7zna5Y/Tonrt3KQqQI/AAAAAAAAAp0/K74BgfWZoGw/s320/2011-10-01%2B016.JPG" /></a> Our annual local pumpkin fest. It was very hot and he still doesn't understand the idea of posing for a picture, so this was the best I got. My little boy is so patient and gentle. He put up with several photo sessions, and let Mommy and Grandma drag him all around the park, before finally asking, just as we were considering leaving, "Micah turn horsies?" We thought he hadn't realized that the horse-drawn carriages circling the park were an optional attraction; turns out he was just waiting for us to figure out that a ride was his rightful reward for posing for pictures!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div>Stephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7564468462965114219.post-21619200415724820232011-09-10T21:31:00.000-06:002011-09-12T09:55:29.568-06:0025-26 Months<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5E1W0n3vFUU/Tmg6wk7MWrI/AAAAAAAAAps/Si3rx-GiWPI/s1600/2011-08-27%2B052.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649830338756369074" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5E1W0n3vFUU/Tmg6wk7MWrI/AAAAAAAAAps/Si3rx-GiWPI/s320/2011-08-27%2B052.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BUxCMsiqC7A/Tmg6wI14SfI/AAAAAAAAApk/iz2Mp6iBh1A/s1600/2011-08-26%2B038.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649830331217889778" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BUxCMsiqC7A/Tmg6wI14SfI/AAAAAAAAApk/iz2Mp6iBh1A/s320/2011-08-26%2B038.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m3lDxodXAdY/Tmg6v8SU7VI/AAAAAAAAApc/z0hTPk80Bg0/s1600/2011-08-18%2B022.JPG"></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IVf2z_TfAvM/Tmg6vbABOyI/AAAAAAAAApU/d57o2pc8VJc/s1600/2011-08-18%2B010.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649830318912387874" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IVf2z_TfAvM/Tmg6vbABOyI/AAAAAAAAApU/d57o2pc8VJc/s320/2011-08-18%2B010.JPG" /></a><br />The month of August was a bit of a hot, crazy blur, between a camping trip, a family reunion in California, and bedbugs. Micah grew up so much in the month since his birthday. He's slowly graduating from two-word phrases with an implied verb or noun, but not both, to recognizable sentences. He got a puzzle game that requires matching up pairs of related objects, and went from having no capability at all to being able to make quite a few pairs before getting bored. He became a willful toddler where he was once a docile boy, and he started to ask for food treats and to be taken to a "grey-gound". While there have been occasional exasperating toddler moments (sometimes whole hours or afternoons!) he's still mostly a very sweet, easy-going boy who can be gentle or silly or watchful, but hardly ever naughty (and when he is naughty, he immediately suggests, "time out?")<br /><br />Moving from a back-ward facing carseat to forward-facing gave him a new sense of being with us in the car, with more interaction and conversations. Many verses of "the wheels on the bus" have been demanded, and we talk about the construction equipment, trucks, and other things we see from the window.<br /><br />On our trip to California, he spent some time with his aunts, cousins, and grandparents, and now he understands that they are part of his family even though he doesn't see them often. He's learning that not everything goes his way, and he's learning (slowly) that he can't hit or bite when that happens. He loves to tell us what to do now, and will pick up my purse and drag it over to me when he wants to leave the house, pointing to the crook of his elbow and telling me "suitcase wight here" to indicate where it should go, or tell his daddy, "Daddy, floor trains" when he wants daddy to get off the couch and play with his choo-choos. He's become very interested in music, and really enjoyed the "instrument petting zoo" at a local fair, where musicians let him get very close to and watch them play instruments. We now try to play more classical and jazz music for him, and show him Youtube videos of different instruments (he asks "Wheels on Bus on co-peuw-da?").<br />We've been indulging his interest in transportation by taking him on a real train ride up in the mountains on a historic train. It was fun and exciting, but because it was a bit too long for a toddler to be confined to a seat, pretty physically exhausting for mommy and daddy who had to wrestle to keep a wiggly toddler from falling out the window or running on a moving train. We also stopped by a fire station one day last week and the firemen were so nice; they all got up from their dinner and proudly showed off the firetruck, letting a very happy little boy "drive" the firetruck and offering to take a very happy big boy (Adam) on a "ride along" for a day. I'm very happy that his interest in transportation is also mixed with a healthy dose of caution: when we're taking out and about and he hears a car, he'll remind us, "car coming" and grab a hand or shrink back, even if he's safely on a sidewalk or driveway.<br />All in all, we're having a lot of fun with Micah's new ability to comprehend and interact with the world.Stephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7564468462965114219.post-13964674194017482372011-08-29T18:00:00.000-06:002011-08-30T12:40:35.080-06:00From 1 to 2 In ReviewOn a happier note, I'm pleased to share this chronicle of Micah's 2nd year. Once again, made using Scrapbookmax software and many products from www.thedigichick.com and published in hardback using www.shutterfly.com.
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<br /><object width="425" height="425" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000"><param name="movie" value="http://images-community.shutterfly.com/flashapps/flashslideshowphotobook/slideshow_pb.swf"/><param name="flashvars" value="xmlURL=http%3A%2F%2Fws.shutterfly.com%2Fpsdata%3FprojectGUID%3D8AZtG7Vw4cNzYSU%26uid%3D000078885743%26size%3D0%26ts%3D1314729161000%26height%3D425%26width%3D425&size=0&ob=0&fc=0&ss=0&sb=0&ft=0"/><param name="menu" value="false"/><param name="quality" value="best"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><embed width="425" height="425" align="middle" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" name="wrapper" quality="best" menu="false" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" flashvars="xmlURL=http%3A%2F%2Fws.shutterfly.com%2Fpsdata%3FprojectGUID%3D8AZtG7Vw4cNzYSU%26uid%3D000078885743%26size%3D0%26ts%3D1314729161000%26height%3D425%26width%3D425&size=0&ob=0&fc=0&ss=0&sb=0&ft=0" src="http://images-community.shutterfly.com/flashapps/flashslideshowphotobook/slideshow_pb.swf"></embed></object><p style="width:425px;margin-top:0;text-align:center;"><a href="http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AZtG7Vw4cN2JD&eid=118">Click here to view this photo book larger</a></p>Stephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7564468462965114219.post-55703916560261219672011-08-29T15:05:00.003-06:002011-08-29T15:23:54.797-06:00Thunk postscriptIt was lucky Micah fell out of bed; in changing the mattress over to the car bed, we realized that he had somehow acquired a million fellow bedmates: bedbugs! Yikes! The last few weeks have been upsetting, difficult, and expensive as we try to get rid of them. Nothing makes you feel quite so terrible as a parent as seeing your child covered with signs that he's been nibbled on in his sleep for weeks.
<br />So that you, my loyal readers, can reap the benefit (and hopefully avoid some of the cost) of getting rid of the critters, here are some of the lessons I've learned so far:
<br />1) Accept no hand-me-downs or yard sale purchases that cannot be washed in the clothes or dishwasher. We think ours arrived in some plastic truck toys given to us by a neighbor (who later told us that they had bedbugs.) Bedbugs die at around 120 degrees F, so tossing things in the dryer on the hottest setting or the dishwasher will kill them, but with thick things like stuffed animals, it is hard to know whether they've reached the right heat inside.
<br />2) Wash everything that comes into your house right away.
<br />3) When arriving home after travelling, wash everything that's been in a hotel room right away.
<br />4) If you do acquire bedbugs, don't go for the most expensive remedy right away. We had an exterminator come in and perform the less-invasive treatment of steam-cleaning one room. We had to take everything out of the room and wash it (a good opportunity for giving away a lot of his outgrown clothes and toys). The more expensive option would have been to bring in generators and fans to heat the ENTIRE HOUSE to 160 degrees..... costs about $1/square foot, at least in our part of the world.
<br />5) Don't assume that one treatment solves the problem. We bought new mattresses and a new bed (threw away the car bed; it was either infested before we got it or got very infested in just a day with us), and new changing pad. However, the next day, we found a well-fed bedbug on the plastic-encased mattress, so we moved Micah out of the room and set up a full booby-trap situation.... heavy-duty chemicals and a carbon-dioxide "lure" to draw out all the remaining baby bed bugs. We've had that set-up for about a week and still are drawing a few babies out of hiding, so can't let Micah back into the room yet. I'm not sure when we'll be able to declare "mission accomplished," but I don't want to do so prematurely.
<br />6) Don't buy expensive products when inexpensive ones will do the job. We bought a $75 "bed bug beacon" (instead of paying the exterminator $100 to rent his detector) only to discover that the active chemical ingredients are sugar and yeast. D'oh! An adequate bed bug lure can be built using common household items for about $10......
<br />We have had some fun adventures while dealing with this unpleasantness, so my next post will be back to our usual happy family fun.
<br />Stephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7564468462965114219.post-53332546217502222532011-08-08T20:00:00.000-06:002011-08-09T07:30:06.641-06:00THU-nk<div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tp2I6zStezE/TkBRfD8zHgI/AAAAAAAAApM/Fxm2kit7Fnc/s1600/2011-08-06%2B004.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638596327545970178" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tp2I6zStezE/TkBRfD8zHgI/AAAAAAAAApM/Fxm2kit7Fnc/s320/2011-08-06%2B004.JPG" /></a> <em>pimp my baby.....
<br /></em><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xIbs11kDDQQ/TkBRe77IeAI/AAAAAAAAApE/3V1veAi-NmY/s1600/2011-08-07%2B003.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638596325391497218" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xIbs11kDDQQ/TkBRe77IeAI/AAAAAAAAApE/3V1veAi-NmY/s320/2011-08-07%2B003.JPG" /></a> <em>Vrooommmm! Daddy's "my-come" going for a ride in the garage. Yes, that is a naked boy on the motorcycle....nothing comes between me and my "mycome! "
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<br /><div align="left">That loud THUnk you heard on Sunday afternoon? That my friend was the sound of the future being ushered in by our son. We had just settled down after a hot and sweaty bike ride -- Micah for a nap, and Adam and me for a nice quiet lunch. A quiet that was disturbed by the aforementioned Thunk. We instantly knew what it was, even as we were racing to his room, even as we were thinking to ourselves "but he's never tried to climb out of his crib before." The crying we heard when we got to his room proved what we already knew.... he had somehow climbed out of his crib and landed on the floor.</div>
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<br /><div align="left">What could have caused him to do that? He actually seemed to be mostly asleep even through his tears. Was he dreaming of his successful climb of the monkey bars at our local playground only a week ago? Was he dreaming of trying to get into the front seat of the car to pretend to drive? Sure, there have been other "big boy" signs that we've gotten recently..... in fact, earlier that day I had purchased the next biggest sized diapers for him and, strolling through the baby aisle, realized that we wouldn't be needing anything from that section (except for diapers) any more. And he's started to demand a big fork when he sits in a big chair at the dining table -- not even a salad fork will do. Regardless, I thought I had a few more months to enjoy the safety and peace of mind of the crib. But that was all left behind by that loud Thunk. If he could do it once, even in his sleep, he could do it again. No sooner were the tears dried than we started planning a trip to our brand-spanking new Ikea to buy a big boy bed. </div>
<br /><div align="left">But even that plan was put into fast motion. Later that day, on our way to go out to dinner, Adam excitedly pulled a U-turn, exclaiming "Look, a car bed!" Silly me, I thought he was directing my attention to some flatbed truck.....no, it was a bed in the shape of a car, bound to delight a transportation-crazy little boy (and his daddy). And for $10, the bed was ours, and the crib dismanted before the day was done. Micah actually did a big ol' happy dance when it arrived in his room -- I thought that was just a figure of speech, but now I know it is something that 2 year olds actually do (along with melting spaghetti imitations, but that's a story for another day.)</div>
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<br /><div align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fn7y3arYTrA/TkBRefTI_BI/AAAAAAAAAo8/KxHUBgABctU/s1600/2011-08-07%2B022.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638596317707566098" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fn7y3arYTrA/TkBRefTI_BI/AAAAAAAAAo8/KxHUBgABctU/s320/2011-08-07%2B022.JPG" /></a> <em>I hope that its a long time before he has a pretty blond in his bed again!
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<br /></div></div>Stephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7564468462965114219.post-23123239225014221862011-07-18T03:30:00.000-06:002011-07-19T15:22:10.380-06:00The wheels on the bus...<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SpeDgYM9yrM/TiOq2i2GxRI/AAAAAAAAAos/GfhA3ieCSSE/s1600/2011-07-03%2B002.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630531813186651410" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SpeDgYM9yrM/TiOq2i2GxRI/AAAAAAAAAos/GfhA3ieCSSE/s320/2011-07-03%2B002.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><div>The wheels on the bus go round and round and round and round and round. Wheels of all kinds, but busses in particular, are an obsession at our house these days. One of Micah's favorite passtimes is to sing the wheels on the bus song, and call out the names of members of our family for me to sing their special verse (the grandma on the bus says 'have a cookie' is one that Micah likes to sing himself; Adam objected that his verse, "the daddy on the bus says 'sit right down'" was too scolding so we changed it to "the daddy on the bus says 'look around!'"). Going to see the school bus parked outside of daycare is still an everyday event, and if we don't walk to see it, we have to drive by it and wave goodbye. Micah's first full sentence, "Aunt Jamie, look! Wheels!" was also transportation-oriented, and his obsession while we were camping last weekend was to climb into daddy's car and sit in the driver's seat. Dangerous, since he also knows where the key goes into the ignition!</div><br /><br /><br /><div>He's beginning to know the specialized names of lots of different kinds of trucks, including fire truck and garbage truck, and I had a heart-to-heart conversation with him the other day in which I made him promise to always use the term "gumpda" to refer to dump trucks. He'll pull out books from his bookshelf just so he can look at a single page that has a picture of a bus or a truck on it.</div><br /><br /><br /><div>Yup, he's a boy all right. We think he's a pretty smart boy, for sure. The other day, standing in front of a vending machine, he pushed the button and, when nothing happened, asked me "money?" I'm 100% positive he's never seen either of us use a vending machine, so I don't know how he knew it required money. When I told him I didn't have any, he suggested the next logical step: "ganma" -- ask grandma for money!! </div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div>Another sign that he's becoming a boy: he's learning how to razz his Daddy by implying that he has lady parts, and being fascinated with watching water come out of his "peenie". And so it begins! </div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div>This weekend we had an early birthday party for Micah (Adam was originally slated to be out of town during Micah's actual birthday weekend in two weeks.) We camped out at a local campground, and invited family and neighbors to come there for an evening cookout. It was a lot of fun, though I'm not sure the birthday boy realized it was all on his behalf .... until the bus cake was brought out and the birthday song began. He asked us to sing "hah birdy" several times, which we happily did. A weekend of good food, sun, waterplay, and sleeping in the camper was a great way to celebrate our special little boy who has brought so much sunshine into our lives.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1kXu1htRrpo/TiOsxJjqpqI/AAAAAAAAAo0/7icwwF5ag9E/s1600/2011-07-16%2B045.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630533919522334370" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1kXu1htRrpo/TiOsxJjqpqI/AAAAAAAAAo0/7icwwF5ag9E/s320/2011-07-16%2B045.JPG" /></a> </div></div>Stephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7564468462965114219.post-84272112353177666852011-06-22T09:54:00.007-06:002011-06-22T22:47:13.588-06:00Days Flying<div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ruco4mjBMIA/TgLAvXcXzyI/AAAAAAAAAoE/h9jRVQF64WM/s1600/2011-05-25%2B003.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621267204891201314" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ruco4mjBMIA/TgLAvXcXzyI/AAAAAAAAAoE/h9jRVQF64WM/s320/2011-05-25%2B003.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div>The days are long but the years are short.... how many times pre-kids did you hear someone say some variation of that line and scoff at what must surely be an exaggeration. But it becomes very true when you have a child. In fact, I was just recently "chatting" by e-mail with a fellow Indian surrogacy mommy ho just brought home her son and trying to remember how long it took Micah to sleep through the night and how we did it.... realized that it seems so long ago, when at the time it seemed to stretch on forever.</div><br /><br /><div>Our lives have been busy for the last few weeks. I was in Boston, then Adam was in Phoenix, then Micah and I few to Phoenix for a visit with some family and friends.... then I was back in Boston, and most recently we had houseguests last weekend and will again this weekend! All so good! Highlights include: </div><br /><br /><ul><br /><br /><li>A surprise stop on the "surrogacy world tour" when we started talking to a male couple in our hotel in Phoenix and discovered that their 6-month old doctor was born in Delhi! We look forward to connecting with them again when we visit Southern Cal at the end of the summer.<br /></li><br /><li>Spending time with Micah's grandpa and nana, and introducing him to his Aunt Tracy<br /></li><br /><li>Visiting with some dear friends in Tucson, who were entertained when Micah decided to strip to his diapers while we enjoyed a lovely alfresco dinner out.</li><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qdFCrXTorEM/TgIXlJgLTLI/AAAAAAAAAnk/6mAm0zgqdXA/s1600/2011-05-29%2B035.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621081211885276338" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qdFCrXTorEM/TgIXlJgLTLI/AAAAAAAAAnk/6mAm0zgqdXA/s320/2011-05-29%2B035.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><li>Micah's thorough enjoyment of airplane and bus travel on the trip. He must have announced "Aih-pane!" 300 times en route!<br /></li><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PPpzR4fAyP8/TgIXloiUQ0I/AAAAAAAAAns/FkAI_qBpNEE/s1600/2011-05-30%2B025.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621081220215751490" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PPpzR4fAyP8/TgIXloiUQ0I/AAAAAAAAAns/FkAI_qBpNEE/s320/2011-05-30%2B025.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><li>Regular family bike rides after dinner, and often Adam and Micah commute to daycare via bike.<br /></li><br /><li>Watching Micah play with our visiting friends' 4-year-old -- lots of hugs, learning to share toys between these 2 only children, and splashing in the bath together</li></div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PlemCXq-zfk/TgLE1VyuE3I/AAAAAAAAAoU/EmLXFsNz3bM/s1600/IMG_0158.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621271705573790578" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PlemCXq-zfk/TgLE1VyuE3I/AAAAAAAAAoU/EmLXFsNz3bM/s320/IMG_0158.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><p><br /><br /></p></div></ul><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p></p></div>Stephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7564468462965114219.post-44230573938380632812011-05-23T23:13:00.006-06:002011-05-26T21:55:36.569-06:00Gone baby gone<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IOuhV4IxiFA/Td8f_j6AHxI/AAAAAAAAAnY/9CFLKJEhLQ0/s1600/March%2B26%2B010_Underpainting_1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 296px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611238837557665554" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IOuhV4IxiFA/Td8f_j6AHxI/AAAAAAAAAnY/9CFLKJEhLQ0/s320/March%2B26%2B010_Underpainting_1.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>I was startled to realize today as Micah and I had dinner that about 90% of what comes out of mouth is recognizable (at least by me) words. No more baby babble! Wah, I'm the one crying, as I thought the babble was pretty cute. </div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div>Now, I'm not saying that we're over here having a Great Books discussion. Most of the conversation goes like this:</div><br /><br /><br /><div>Micah: Guck! </div><br /><div>Me: Oh, you want to go see the truck. Yes, let's go walk up the street to see it.</div><br /><div>Micah: Guck! Noise! </div><br /><div>Me: Yes, the truck was making a lot of noise this morning.</div><br /><div>Micah: Man</div><br /><div>Me: There was a man driving that noisy truck, wasn't there.</div><br /><div>Micah: Guck! (getting distracted while we're walking) Circle. </div><br /><div>Me: Oh, look what you found! A (disgusting piece of plastic trash) circle!</div><br /><div>Micah: Circle. (showing me) Circle, etc.</div><br /><br /><div>He's also started stringing 2 words together, as in Daddy car, Mommy eye. This is the result of a good idea that Adam had a few months ago to distinguish between things that are Micah's and things that are someone else's. I highly recommend making this distinction as soon as your child starts talking. </div><br /><br /><br /><div>Lots of things are starting to click all at once. He's gotten the concept (but not the specifics) of counting, and will count up to 6 with a little prodding and a lot of hints. He is totally obsessed with Daddy's me-come (motorcycle), a new addition to our household that currently sits, unregistered, in our garage. He also loves to pretend to talk on the toy phone, and will say "hi grandma," but if you get him to talk on a regular phone (such as I was trying to get him to do while I was away recently), you get a confused expression. He insists on going to visit the schoolbus parked at his daycare every day, and woe betide me if I try to get him into the car before we walk down the block and peer into the bus window and name all the parts. This afternoon, I transitioned him away from the bus by singing "the wheels on the bus" song as I've done several times in the past, but this time I heard him singing it in the back seat (without any words) on the way home.</div><br /><div>We're off on another adventure this weekend -- Micah and I are flying to meet Adam in Arizona and visit with some family and friends. A few people I've mentioned this to have asked if this is Micah's first plane trip, and i just laugh! First time travelling with just one parent, though, should be interesting. At least it is a very short flight!</div>Stephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7564468462965114219.post-85611943254681849512011-04-29T08:06:00.008-06:002011-05-03T12:55:29.361-06:00America's Most Wanted Babies<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IdyeyBiwT2Q/Tb4tbe_JtJI/AAAAAAAAAnQ/yO17X2Wl9KU/s1600/2011-04-17%2B010.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601964936693134482" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IdyeyBiwT2Q/Tb4tbe_JtJI/AAAAAAAAAnQ/yO17X2Wl9KU/s320/2011-04-17%2B010.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2j9IzEfxtQM/Tb4sosFSlVI/AAAAAAAAAnI/Y6-PhsGtNpI/s1600/2011-04-02%2B011.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601964064035214674" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2j9IzEfxtQM/Tb4sosFSlVI/AAAAAAAAAnI/Y6-PhsGtNpI/s320/2011-04-02%2B011.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VjM2eDvY_7w/Tb4ryhQXsMI/AAAAAAAAAmw/tVaZVdUlZJk/s1600/2011-03-27%2B005.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601963133415960770" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VjM2eDvY_7w/Tb4ryhQXsMI/AAAAAAAAAmw/tVaZVdUlZJk/s320/2011-03-27%2B005.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gCmlFpEDYlg/Tb4rxsxzYHI/AAAAAAAAAmo/fNBs1ZJ2D_w/s1600/2011-03-26%2B016.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601963119329108082" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gCmlFpEDYlg/Tb4rxsxzYHI/AAAAAAAAAmo/fNBs1ZJ2D_w/s320/2011-03-26%2B016.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div>The week of April 25th saw the birth of three of America's most wanted babies, at least in my little world. First off was a dear friend who spent a long time trying to get pregnant, and who I was urging to look into surrogacy. I even introduced her to some members of our surrogacy "alumni" society, and wouldn't you know, she found out that her last ditch, last embryo IVF procedure had been successful just a week or so later. At the same time as I was talking to my friend about going to India, I was contacted out of the blue by a woman in California whose husband had met my cousin's husband and discussed their struggles to have a baby; my cousin's husband gave them my name, I talked to the wife, and they dropped everything and jetted off to Delhi for a quick trip that resulted in a baby boy in the middle of last week. And finally, the week ended with the birth of a sweet little girl to a friend of mine from Boston who decided, after years of looking for the right man, to fulfill her dream of a child while she could. All these babies are so wanted and treasured, and I'm thrilled to have witnessed the parents' dreams come true. Again I realize how lucky we are to live in at a time when medicine, technology, and societal norms have come together to make it possible for those of us who lack perfect "equipment" to achieve our dreams.</div><br /><br /><div>Back in my immediate world, I was away for 5 days for business, and came home to what felt like a smarter, more clearly communicating, exceptionally sweet little boy. Some developments over the last month:</div><br /><ul><br /><li>On several mornings, Micah's crib held a naked little boy who figured out how to strip off his PJs (and one day, his diaper) before we arrived.</li><br /><li>He's mastering the art of stacking things into "towers" very patiently.</li><br /><li>He now loves slides and has started to climb playground equipment more confidently -- does everything more confidently, in fact. </li><br /><li>He loves to hold hands and walk down the block (sometimes making me "march"), and knows which houses the other kids on the block live in.</li><br /><li>He loves to "help" daddy with yard work especially if it involves a shovel or stick.</li><br /><li>He missed his chance to fulfill the role of the youngest child at Passover because, a minute after I changed him into his dress clothes before dinner, he promptly vomited 3 times and went to bed before the seder. Performance anxiety? Or an after-effect of swallowing a fairly sizable rock the day before that passed smoothly into his diaper?</li><br /><li>He still says "bye-bye" to inanimate objects.</li><br /><li>He switched from calling my mother "maga" to "grandma" overnight.</li><br /><li>He now calls the pacifier "paci" and it is even more indispensible.</li><br /><li>The question "Was dat?" has returned, and he will repeat new words that interest him.</li><br /><li>He's been scolded at daycare for throwing food and biting other children . </li><br /><li>He loves peering under the couch to find our scardy-cat cats, and knows their names.</li><br /><li>He still has an outie belly button that's clearly not going away on its own.</li><br /><li>He loves looking a photos, and can name relatives he's only met a few times and identify pictures of mommy and daddy from the days when they were much younger-looking. He also identifies himself as "Mah-kah." </li><br /><br /><li>He loves "this little piggy", getting tickled and nuzzled, and getting chased around the circular path through our living room and kitchen.</li><br /><br /><li>Just today, he brought two stuffed monkeys that were in his crib to breakfast, and tried to give them his pacifier and feed them some of his breakfast. How cute is that?</li></ul><br /><br /><br /><br /><p></p></div></div></div>Stephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7564468462965114219.post-73146829073214170042011-03-29T22:01:00.007-06:002011-03-29T22:42:49.847-06:0020 @ 20<p>At 20 months, you are: </p><br /><ol><br /><li>Obsessed with shovels. You notice them everywhere, even calling your spoon a "shi-va," and want to spend every minute in the backyard dragging one of our big sharp tools around. </li><br /><li>The only thing you like as much as shovels is sticks. Expecially waving them around the house. </li><br /><li>Ask for "boots" as soon as you wake up in the morning. (that's books, not footwear.) </li><br /><li>Will eat brussel sprouts, bean sprouts, asparagus, and any other veggie, often before other toddler-friendly food.</li><br /><li>But meatloaf is your favorite dinner. Just like your daddy.</li><br /><li>Still lay down and go to sleep as soon as we put you in your crib. And we're still amazed, each and every time.</li><br /><li>Ask to go "ou-dide" at 7 am every morning.</li><br /><li>Were amazed when we went out one morning this week into a short-lasting snowstorm. You learned the words "snow" and "crow" that morning.</li><br /><li>As soon as the word "school" is mentioned, you ask about your favorite buddy, "Ally."</li><br /><li>Are happy to be dropped off at school, particularly if you get first dibs on the schoolbus toy in your room.</li><br /><li>Have started singing the Twinkle Twinkle with mostly nonsense words and a few syllables of recognizable words.</li><br /><li>Know the shapes for hearts and stars and can say the words. Circles and squares, not as interesting.</li><br /><li>Got a new trike from a neighbor and love to be pushed around on it (pedeling can wait, it seems.)</li><br /><li>Love getting horseback rides from daddy, and giggle uproariously, but get jealous if mommy tries to get in on the action.</li><br /><li>Will politely tell us "all done" and hand us every item on your plate as soon as you decide the meal is over. </li><br /><li>Know how to ask "pssss" for something you really want, but get frustrated if we don't know exactly what that is.</li><br /><li>Immediately answer "no" to any question we ask you, as if you've given the matter great thought.</li><br /><li>Love to have Grandma visit and give her a big hug. You'll occassionally give kisses on request too.</li><br /><li>Imitate us frequently, like when we wink at you and you try to wink back.</li><br /><li>Make us laugh and smile and glow with pride every single day.</li></ol><br /><p></p><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qqZ8wPDqyLw/TZKw91uF_-I/AAAAAAAAAmg/nwE3RKUnsqk/s1600/2011-03-13%2BBotanic%2BGardens%2B3_13%2B011.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589724663959125986" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qqZ8wPDqyLw/TZKw91uF_-I/AAAAAAAAAmg/nwE3RKUnsqk/s320/2011-03-13%2BBotanic%2BGardens%2B3_13%2B011.JPG" /> <br /><ol><br /><li></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RfPfUnIK5wI/TZKt806e-OI/AAAAAAAAAmY/vTaGxcqnk6o/s1600/2011-03-13%2BBotanic%2BGardens%2B3_13%2B010.JPG"></a></li></ol><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dAG9CD8xcG0/TZKt8icHTXI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/BdRTghyGNPE/s1600/2011-03-23%2BBrussel%2BSprouts%2B005.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589721343068687730" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dAG9CD8xcG0/TZKt8icHTXI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/BdRTghyGNPE/s320/2011-03-23%2BBrussel%2BSprouts%2B005.JPG" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5WqqOJjvOs8/TZKt71AygNI/AAAAAAAAAmI/OXBtaukYMrw/s1600/2011-03-20%2BBike%2B1%2B002.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589721330874482898" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5WqqOJjvOs8/TZKt71AygNI/AAAAAAAAAmI/OXBtaukYMrw/s320/2011-03-20%2BBike%2B1%2B002.JPG" /></a>Stephaniekbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15117260465061181392noreply@blogger.com5