An Amazing Weekend

What a whirlwind of a weekend this was. What started out as being a quiet, let's work on the yard weekend became a busy weekend for our little guy.

To begin with, on Friday Colby received some very important mail. His official certificate of citizenship came! It's official! Now we are just waiting for his Russian passport to come back from the Russian Embassy. We needed to send it to "register" him with the government. They want to know where he is living at all times. If we ever move, we need to reregister him with his new address.

We also received a phone call from my Ally, my sister-in-law. My mom was supposed to watch my nephew Keith but she has been battling a cold so she suggested to my brother Keith and Ally that Mike and I might watch him. So we did! He came over Saturday around 4 and stayed overnight until Sunday around noon. I was a little unsure how things would go with two little ones. Keith is just 2 months younger than Colby. They had only met once when we went to Mamie's birthday party. I was worried about how well they might play together, if they would share. I was also worried how Colby might react to Mike and me holding another little one. But, everything turned out great. They were a little apprehensive at first but soon became friends. They played with the MegaBlocks tool bench set, the stacking cups, and even the books. It was great for Colby to see Keith sit and "read" a book. Now he is starting to really show some interest in them. THe boys also played with my electric keyboard, playing some lovely music for us. Both boys ate well and there were no troubles going to bed. Although Colby woke twice during the night. He still does that about once a week, waking up crying, but then he will go back to sleep after I hold him for a couple minutes.

Both boys seemed to love climbing all over Mike. It was really cute. If one wanted to sit on his lap, both had to. This seemed to be the same for me when I sat on the floor with them. Colby did seem a little more "clingy" than normal. He wanted to sit with Mike or me and be held more than usual. I think it was just his way to reassure himself that we love him. I would hug him and tell him I loved him. That seemed to make him smile. This was a great socialization activity for both boys. I am so glad that they get along and seemed to enjoy playing together.

To end the weekend we had dinner with Mike's parents after our weekly grocery shopping trip. What a busy weekend for our little man. No wonder he was tired last night. I promise to post photos of our weekend, but I want to send them to Keith and Ally and ask them if I can post little Keith's photo first. So, pics to come! Keep a look out!

Oh My Gosh! How Adorable!

Can there really be love at first sight? I wasn't sure until now, but now I know there is! We first met Colby on June 24th, a Tuesday, and I must say he is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. Those big blue eyes and curly hair melted my heart right away. Mike and I were both very nervous about our first meeting. We had heard other stories about kids crying, screaming, or just sitting there with no expression. When the Director of the baby home brought out Colby, he looked like he had just woken up. We were told that they had just woken up and were fed lunch while we were talking over the medical information with the Director. The Director made sure he had a hat on and then went back inside. Our coordinator, Svetlana, stayed for a little while and then left to run a few errands. Mike and I were alone with Colby. We were a little surprised by that but I'm sure someone was checking on us now and then.

I held Colby first and all I could do was smother him in kisses and hugs. Looking at the pictures now, you can see from his expression in the early pictures that Colby wasn't sure what to think. I am sure that we all felt the same way. But it didn't take long for him to warm up to us and play with the toys we had brought for him. He loved going on the swing and the slide as well. I think Mike was also very nervous because we had been told that the children in the baby homes aren't used to men and that Colby might not want to go near him. That certainly wasn't the case. At one point Mike and I were passing Colby back and forth. One minute he would want me to hold him and then he would hold up his arms for Mike to hold him. It was very cute.

Our first visit seemed so short. I think it was about 3 hours but it seemed like 5 minutes. We had a nice time playing with Colby and taking pictures. We forgot to take some video so I wanted to make sure we took some on the next visit. We said goodbye to Colby and signed the paperwork to accept the referral. How could I say no to such a beautiful, loving child? Then we headed back on hour hour and a half drive back to the hotel. I was already looking forward to seeing Colby again. But we would have to wait until Thursday to come back. I wasn't sure what we would do on Wednesday but all I wanted was to go see my baby again.