Still doing great!

We are all still doing really well. When it is not raining outside, we are enjoying playing in the yard and trying to get the swimming pool ready so we can play in it. Brady and Madison only have 2 full days left of school. I am grateful that I will have an entire month home with them. Blake gets excited everyday when it is time to pick them up from school. We had our first visit from our homestudy agency on Friday. It went well, and Blake and I enjoyed visiting with our caseworker Carole. She will do the next visit in about 5 months so that the report is ready for Russia by the 6 month mark.

We are super excited for different opportunities we have for the summer. We are especially looking forward to seeing the Pitmans! We are still trying to figure out if we can make it to St. Louis to see them and the Fritsche family, but the Pitmans are going to come see us on their way back from Indiana over father's day weekend. We can't wait!!! Now if we can just get the Cajuns to come up from Louisiana, and the True's from Colorado to our house we would be set. I think we would prefer to go and visit Jennifer and Tori in California :o)!

We have been contacted by a few of families lately about the adoption process. We welcome the opportunity to share all of the information we have gathered and to help people network with others. A compliment to Blake came this week. There is a family in our town that has contemplated adoption for awhile. The husband has made business trips to Russia and has visited an orphanage so it has always been of interest. Well they told us that after seeing and meeting Blake they are really considering going through the process. I think it is wonderful!

Here are a few photos...

Still loves ice cream and guess what!?!? The cold doesn't even hurt his glands one bit. Perhaps we should send our results to the caregivers in Russia!


Blake does not like to have his hands dirty. So eating an ice cream cone can be a challenge. He decided to use a wipe to 'clean' the cone so it was more suitable to eat!


My lil cooks!


We are sure enjoying our sweet present daily!

All Gone

We are having a great time here in Illinois. The weather has been great. Justin is FINALLY back in the fields today and will hopefully make up for lost time and get the fields planted. My attitude adjustment this week has done wonders for me. It probably helps too that the house is finally back in order and I feel a bit more caught up with ‘things’. On Wednesday of this week Blake and I joined Madison and her class on a little field trip. We walked uptown to the library, to an autobody shop, gas station, and to the park to eat lunch. It was great to spend time with her. This stay-at-home mom stuff is tons of work and sooooo much fun!

Blake continues to be happy and easy going. I would say his favorite thing to do is to talk on the phone. He will talk to anyone he can (even himself). It doesn’t bother him one bit that the person on the other end has no idea what he is saying. Brady and Madison would claim that Blake’s favorite activity is opening and closing doors. It is quite the obsession. On another note, we believe we have already broke Blake’s habit of sucking his fingers at night. This can be a ‘controversial’ topic for some. Some feel that you should allow children to such their fingers and thumbs until they grow out of it. Justin and I felt that it was having an effect on his palate and shifting his teeth so we have helped him break the habit. So far so good – we’ll see if we have any regression.

Blake will try to repeat anything you ask him to. We are constantly talking and telling him to say this and say that. Earlier this week he finished his oatmeal and he looked at me and said, “all gone.” My face lit up and I asked him what he said and he repeated “all gone.” Well of course this got a big reaction from me because he said this on his own and completely out of the blue. He loves getting big reactions from all of us so now he is sure to tell us whenever anything is “all gone”. Today at lunch we even heard, “pasta all gone” and “corn all gone”. It is fun to see the progress he is making.

Blake also enjoys meeting new people. Several people have said that they weren’t sure if they should call or visit because they wanted to give us time and not overwhelm him. We actually were prepared to stay home and keep his ‘world’ small for a bit so he didn’t get overwhelmed, but he enjoys seeing new things and meeting new people. He doesn’t get over stimulated and shut down or act out. When he does get nervous he will ask me to hold him, and that is enough to sooth his nerves and he is all smiles from then on.

Next week we have our first post placement visit with our social worker. Russia doesn’t require a post placement report until 6 months after court, but the state of Illinois requires one within 30 days. There are still paperwork things I need to do and haven’t gotten to yet, and I believe Justin and I are thinking of readopting Blake here in the States. Illinois doesn’t require that we do that, but some states do require it. I need to do a bit more research, but I think we may go through the legal paperwork just so there are no issues later for him.

I will leave you with a few pictures. But first a big thank you to Abby and Corindy for their visit and thoughtful gift. And if you could take time to say a prayer for the Chatterton Family it would be appreciated. Specifically I think praying for peace in their hearts is appropriate.

Here are Blake and Madison playing at the park during the field trip on Wednesday. Just FYI – Blake a little over 3 ½ years old. The little shorts he has on are size 6-12 months!

Again, I tell you this guys cracks us up. He found the glasses that went with Brady’s Elvis costume and Madison’s baseball hat. I am glad he loves to pose for pictures.

M&Ms are a favorite for Blake so I try to use them to count and sort and say the colors etc… (We are seriously talking to him nonstop). Today I counted out the last of the M&Ms in the package with him and then got up to take the dishes to the sink. I hear Blake say “Mom” so I turned around and he was grinning from ear to ear and proudly showing me that he sorted out the candy. I love it!!!

Hair Cut

On Saturday the guys went and got haircuts. They all three looked very handsome I must say. Sunday was just a fantastic day. We all five went to church together for the first time. It is just so much fun praising God and having Blake by our side. Then Justin, Madison, and Blake went and got the tractor from the farm so we could move some things around and set up a pool for the kids this summer. Blake adores all of PaPa’s toys. He got to ‘drive’ the tractor and his little chest was all puffed up with pride! Then on Sunday evening we got together with our small group. It was great to have Blake meet our special friends and his prayer warriors. They were so sweet and put together a fantastic scrapbook for us to put pictures in.

Tonight Grandma Cindy is coming over to watch Blake, Madison, and Brady for about 1-2 hours while Justin and I go to a meeting. We are very curious to see how he does. We believe with Brady and Madison here he probably won’t mind a bit, but we will see.

Before the haircut


After the haircut


After the haircut and a little style


Never mind the red tractor and the 'green' sweatshirt!


Brady wanted to share with all of you his racoon lure he built. Boys will be boys!


Blake's first watermelon. He loved it!

Coming or going?

We are still trying to catch up from being gone. Man oh man is it hard to get things back in order. Blake has really enjoyed meeting his extended family members. He has met his aunts, uncles, cousins, and with each interaction is it like he has known them for years and that he is jumps in and plays whatever they are playing. We also stopped by my office and MHS and said hi to a few people. Blake especially enjoyed playing with all of the buttons in Pam’s office. We are thankful we can lock computers from little fingers!

I have noticed something in the past couple of days that I have to got to fix. I have a lot of anxiety about how fast time is going. I am off work until the end of June and I want to make the most of each and every day. I have had a lot of anxiety built up already about how fast the days are going. I am worried about transitioning back to work and how Blake will do. I am so excited to have quality time with Brady and Madison. However in my anxiousness I am causing myself more stress instead of enjoying the time that has been given to me. I have decided to make a conscious effort to enjoy the time I have now and not be so worried about what is out of my control in the coming weeks. As you have noticed already, my blogging will slow down greatly. I feel guilty sitting down at the computer when I could be doing a hundred other things. (Although sometimes blogging can be good therapy!)

As you can see in the picture, Brady, Madison, and Blake are still enjoying each other. Madison has asked me if I can make him stop playing with Dora, and Brady thinks the Brainy Baby DVD we play in the car is very annoying. But they know how important it is for Blake to hear things over and over again so they are being pretty tolerant.

Blake is always a great source of entertainment. I have said several times that he is a copy cat. Brady and Madison were getting ready for their first baseball game and were putting on their game pants. Well Blake decided that he too needed to change his pants. So he went to Madison’s room and picked up a pair of her jeans that were wrong side out and put them on. What made this so funny besides the fact that they were girl’s jeans, wrong side out, and way too big was that he was completely serious. Blake thought that he was leaving the house in those jeans. Brady and Madison were laughing so hard, and Brady say, “I love this guy!”

Speaking of the baseball game, here is Madison practicing before the game and Brady during the game.


And finally here is Blake at his doctor’s appointment. As you can see he is still in need of a haircut! Justin wanted the three boys to get their hair cut together so we have to make it until Saturday for the first cut. Blake was great at the doctor. He was a bit more serious as you can see. He has developed a deep cough over the past couple of days so we are going back to the doctor on Friday to see how he is getting along. We will also go to the hospital so he can have blood drawn for all of the necessary blood tests we need ran.


Well I think that brings us up to speed. I have yet to get a handle on what post adoption paperwork I need to do. Well I know what I need to do just not WHEN to do it. I think I just need to take time and go through everything and we’ll get it figured out.

Enjoy each day!

Happy Mother’s Day

We want to wish you all a Happy Mother’s Day. Hopefully you are being honored as a mother or you are taking time to honor special women in your life.
We are so thankful for our moms! We are especially grateful for the great care they took of Brady and Madison while we were in Russia. They are always there for us no matter what. We can only hope that we can return the favor and express our gratitude in a worthy manner if that is at all possible.

And these two pictures explain why I will have a very blessed Mother’s Day! I just love their cheesy smiles (even though the dentist bills are outrageous!)

Honeymoon Period?

Well Blake and I were up at 3:10 a.m. this morning. We are going to push though the day with no naps. It should be quite interesting! Thankfully Brady and Madison didn’t hear us moving about the house, but Justin joined our party at about 4:00 a.m. Blake and I took Brady and Madison to school and then we sealed his American citizenship by making a trip to Walmart. I feel that now that we have completed that rite of passage we can officially go about business as usual. It was when we were in the parking lot that I began to wonder if/when our honeymoon period will end. Here is what I mean…
- Blake is happy almost all of the time.
- He sleeps very well.
- We have no bathroom issues (other than the obsession for flushing!)
- He loves to give us hugs and kisses.
- He was so good in Walmart. He doesn’t shut down like he is over stimulated and doesn’t try to touch everything and whine when we pass objects that catch his attention

The list could go on. I read so many warning signs for attachment and transition issues. I have been on the lookout for those things, and so far we have no signs of issues. I am trying to enjoy the moment and brace myself for what is to come. Could we be so lucky and forego all of the attachment ‘issues’???

Now we have to attempt to clean up the house. We have things everywhere. I feel like I can’t relax until that is done. Of course a huge thank you to the grandmas. The house super clean and everything was put away until we came through and destroyed it. Ugh! Here are a few pictures for you.

Blake and Madison in the Mystery Machine (now the Mystery Machina) coming home from the airport.

Blake ‘helping’ Madison with her backbend. He tries to copy her tricks.

We went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner last night. The kids did the chicken dance with the mariachi band.

The boys at about 5:30 this morning.

Brady thought it would be fun to drag Blake around in a laundry basket. Of course Brady got worn our before Blake was through getting a ride!

Blake found swimming goggles and wore them for a long time. He found Madison’s singing Dora. I must say I can’t wait for her batteries to run out! :o)

Home Sweet Home

Our plane landed in Moline on midnight Wednesday night after a 3 hour delay in Atlanta. We had a welcoming crew there to meet us. It was so great to see everyone. Blake, Brady, and Madison exchanged hugs and kisses. It was so sweet. We got home at about 2:30 a.m. and for some reason we were up at 6:30 a.m. It is going to take some time to get over the jetlag. I will fill you in on more details when I am a bit more awake. My aunt has all of the cute pictures of our welcoming party in the airport. I will try to get her to email me a few to share with you. In the meantime, he is Blake in his very own bed in his very own bedroom. He is one happy little guy, and we are one happy family of 5!!!

Random photos

For our last posting in Russia we thought we would leave you with some random photos. We will update everyone when we return to the States. We will get in late Wednesday evening and so if we can function at all on Thursday we will update everyone then. Thank you again for your support, emails, comments, and prayers. God has taken us on an amazing journey and we hope by remaining faithful to His callings we can continue to be as blessed as we feel right now with our three amazing children!

Blake loves all things electronic including my Ipod!


Here is one of our least favorite baby home outfits. His mouth is full of fruit loops. His nose is runny. He had tights on of course under his sweat pants. And as you can see his shirt is obnoxious and says Girl Part. What is that all about?!?!


On the Sunday evening before we left we decided to play Russian menu roulette (nothing is in English and there aren’t pictures by each item so you point to a random food item and hope it is edible) at the AHHA restaurant by the Vlad Inn. We found out two days later that the restaurant was not even Russian food it is Armenian food. Ohh well it was fun!


Here is Blake making friends with Bodi Bear… well in this picture he is being Bodi Bird!


Here is a photo of the gang at the potluck that I high jacked from the True’s blog. From left to right is Amy, her dad Randy and son Walker from North Carolina; Fred and Heather from Newfoundland, Canada. Their daughter will be joining them today; Vickie, Victoria and Jennifer from California; Sandy, Ryan, and Bodi from Colorado; and me, Justin, and Blake.


Blake on the plane sporting some of the freebies he got in his Aeroflat bag on the plane to Moscow.


Fountain in Red Square


Blake and Papa – Red Square


Blake loves to pose for Mama and say "Cheese"!


St. Basil Cathedral in Red Square


Jumping off of Mama’s back in the hotel room. What would the caregivers back in Vlad say about this horseplay!?!?

Savoring 24 hours of internet access

Three more days and we are heading home! The accommodations in Moscow are not as comfortable as we had in Vlad. If we were on a business trip it would be fine, but for our purposes we are missing the Vlad’s cheap internet access, the washing machine and dryer, the friendly staff, and the other adopting families. The internet here is kind of expensive, but we were told by the Fritsche family that we can get 30 minutes of free internet at the McDonalds across the street. On Friday night we took Blake on his first trip to McDonalds. I logged in to the internet and just hit post on the blog entry and my computer died. So it didn’t matter that we had 30 minutes of internet access cause the laptop will only hold a charge for 5 minutes! I didn’t even know if the entry had posted. So now we have coughed up the money for 24 hours of internet access so we can chat with Brady and Madison one last time before heading home. I have added pictures to Friday’s entry below.

Blake is doing great communicating with us and is showing great signs of attachment. He says please, up, nose, eyes, Blake (sounds like Blawck), Brady (sounds like Breey), and Madison (sounds like Mayeson), and sebaka Annie. Words like sebaka (dog) and paka (bye) are too cute to change. We know he will lose all of his Russian babble in no time. He loves to be tossed around by Justin and to cuddle with me when he is tired. He is a major copy cat so we have to be careful with what we say and do.

On Saturday we walked around the streets in the Sokolinki. There is a big ‘amusement park’ that we spent hours walking around. Then we went to a Mexican restaurant to eat. We have since decided that Russian Mexican is not the best choice! We can’t wait for Guadalajara and El Ranch at home.

Today is Sunday. CHI set up a tour of Moscow with Olga for us. It was good to see some of the sights, and Justin enjoyed hearing about the history behind the area. Olga was great with Blake. It was fun to have her speaking to him and tell us what he was saying. She asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. She asked if he wanted to be a sportsman or a soldier. He said no, I want to be like my papa. She thought that was very sweet (and so did Justin!). Often times she said she was surprised by how much he speaks for a three year old. By then end of the tour he had her laughing because he asked her if she could take us back to the room so he could play with his toys. He also told her he is very happy to be with us forever. He is just wayyy to cute! We hope to post one more time before our 24 hours of internet runs out! Paka…

First McDonald’s Happy Meal. He wasn’t too impressed. Right now he loves bananas, yogurt, and tomatoes which probably have a bit more nutritional value than a hamburger and fries.


Here we are on some bridge – I couldn’t keep track of the name of everything!


This duck monument was cute. The inscription read…”This sculpture is given in love and friendship to the children of the Soviet Union on behalf of the children of the United States. It is based on the beloved American children’s story “Make Way for Ducklings” by Robert McCloskey. The sculpturess is Nancy Schon 1991. Presented by Mrs. Barbara Bush.”



And here is Blake eating his first ice cream cone. We wouldn’t dare do this in Vlad as they believe that you should not give children anything cold because it is bad for their glands. They serve their milk warm and would never dream of giving children ice cream. It appears as though here in Moscow they are a bit more daring and no one scolded us or even looked at us funny for giving our child ice cream!

Moscow

We arrived in Moscow yesterday safe and sound. Leaving the families at the Vlad Inn and Irina and Lana was a bit more difficult than we had expected. However at the airport we had a minor disagreement with the check-in person and that helped us get very excited to be headed a little closer to home. Somehow we got charged for our bags being overweight. Keep in mind they were not overweight on the way to Vlad. We now have one more paying passenger, none of our gifts, less food, less toiletries, etc… and we get charged like 1800 rubles (about $55) and then they were trying to say they couldn’t give us change. Ugh!!!! We also had requested bulkhead seats so that we would have more room with Blake. They told us the plane was full and that the seats were taken. Ok – so we were bracing ourselves for a crowed cramped flight. As we are searching for our seats, we were very pleasantly surprised that we in fact did have the bulkhead seats and had a lot of room. It was a blessing let me tell ya. As you can see in these pictures Blake did just fine on the plane. He was easy to entertain and such a good boy.


When we arrived in Moscow we were picked up in a hatchback car. No kidding – we had four big bags, our carry-on bags, a stroller, coats, a driver, a translator, and the three of us. We get packed in and head out. The translator said we would be going to the Holiday Inn Sokolinki. What? We were told by CHI that we were staying in the Marriot downtown. The people in Moscow didn’t get that information and so they put us at the Holiday Inn. At this point we were thinking… whatever - we don’t care at this point just get us there please. We then get stuck in major traffic. About an hour into the ride I start laughing so hard I was literally crying. I just looked at Justin in this little car surrounded by bags, headed to a hotel we knew nothing about, it was hot, it smelled like fumes, we really have no official business until Monday because of the holiday, and our internal clocks we set to Vlad time which at that point was about midnight. When you put all that together the only thing to do was to laugh, and that is exactly what I did. We did get checked in and then had to sit with the translator to fill out our paperwork for the U.S. Embassy. Since they are U.S. forms of course you have to write your name and address like a hundred times. It was now 2 a.m. on our ‘internal clocks’ and I could barely think. We did sleep well though once we got all settled.

Today was the May 1st holiday. We took the Metro downtown to walk around Red Square. We got some great pictures. We don’t really know what we will be doing over the weekend yet. Our papers go to the embassy on Monday. Our interview is on Tuesday. We will get our papers and head home sweet home on Wednesday! Now we are off to find some good old internet access so that we can post this entry!