The Cutest Thing!

Colby loves the phone. He loves to talk to everyone and has become quite adept at holding the phone and can just about hold a conversation, well about as well as he does face-to-face. Which is amazing lately. He now uses 3-5 word sentences and knows so many words I have long since lost count. Anyway, Colby loves the phone so much that he often gets mad if we don't let him say hello. I have always been with him during these phone calls so I have seen him get quite excited saying hello and trying to explain what he is doing. So cuute in person!

Today I went ot my friend Sharon's baby shower. She is awaiting a phone call to go get her son from Russia. We hope to hear something within the week or so for a court date. Fingers crossed!!! The party was early afternoon so I had put Colby down for his nap and told him Mommy would be out when he woke up. As I was leaving the party I called home to let Mike know I was on the way. Well, what did I hear?? The biggest, cutest, most energetic, "Hi Mommy!". And he said it a bunch of times. Then he told me all about his dinner and the mess. That "Hi Mommy!" just made my day! What a treat! Since I am home with Colby I don't often leave him. It was nice to hear the excitement in his voice to say hi to me, the same excitement Mike hears every day when he comes home. It almost makes me want to leave more so I can get that excitement more! Almost, but no. I love being home! And boy do I love when Colby says, "Hi, Mommy!" either in person, or on the phone!

Goshen Fair

This was a busy holiday weekend. Mike's sister was in from Ohio and we had a great time. We had a family picnic on Sunday. Of course, I had the camera but we seemed to have left the card for it at home. Oops! On Monday we took Colby and Mike's sister, Trisha, to the Goshen Fair. It was Colby's first fall fair and we had a blast. He loved seeing the animals, listening to the music, and riding on a few rides. Wow! Colby's first Merry-Go-Round ride, first time petting some farm animals, and so many other firsts. Both Mike and I were a little emotional about it as we watched him ride on the little cars. And Aunt Trisha seemed to have a blast too. We can't wait to have her home again!

So, enjoy a few fair pics! We hope to go with Mike's parents to the Bethlehem Fair this coming weekend and maybe we'll go to the Big E in Mass! Wow! So much to do.

Paradise Found and a New Cousin

We have certainly had a whirlwind of a few weeks here. I can't believe that September has already found us. I'm not quite sure where July went. Colby and I spent much of our time outside and visiting with friends. I also became the proud aunt of a beautiful little girl named Elizabeth, or Lizzie. I have 4 nephews already but now I finally have a niece. She was born in late July. Colby seems to really like here, although he keeps telling her, "No, no Lizzie. No cry." Way too cute. Mike, Colby, and I went to visit Mike's brother David and his wife Jocelyn shortly after Lizzie was born. Colby spent much of the time playing Baseball on Wii with David. David succeeded in hitting Colby on the head and Colby hit the dog, Benny, on the head. All in good fun! We can't wait until Lizzie gets a little older and then she and Colby can enjoy playing together. We have a picnic scheduled at Mike's parents' house on Sunday to celebrate both Lizzie and Colby and jsut to have fun with family.

Last week Colby and I enjoyed a visit with our friends Jill, Nicholas, and Sharon. We went down to Hamden to visit with them and there we found "Paradise". It is a country club that Sharon belongs too and Colby had a blast playing with Nicholas and going swimming. He is still talking about it. I enjoyed the time with friends, the warm sunshine, and swimming too. There is a pool but they also have a swimming area more like a small lake. You walk right in and it slowly gets deeper, like at the beach, except no sand. We had a nice swim and enjoyed lunch together before both Colby and Nicholas showed signs of needing a nap. We can't wait to go again. Colby loves playing with "Nichotin" and I really enjoy our friendship with Jill and Sharon. Nicholas is Jill's little boy, he's about 11 months younger than Colby. Sharon's little one, Sean, is about 6 months younger than Colby but he is still waiting in Russia to come home. We hope he comes home soon.

So, we found Paradise, welcomed a new little one to our family, and are enjoying the nice weather. Summer flew by way too fast and now fall is here. Mike and I are looking forward to bringing Colby to some of the local fall fairs, Goshen, Bethlehem, and also to the Big E. So many new things to do. And everything seems more exciting when you have a 2 year old to experience it with you.

On another note, I want to thank everyone for the kind comments on my last post. I can't say that the change from being "Melissa" to being "Mommy" has been tough but there were a few bumps in the road. I am enjoying my time with Colby and I know that having this time together is priceless. I do miss work, but only in the sense that I miss the adult interaction and the sense of pride that teaching brought. Now my pride comes from watching Colby grow, learn, and thrive. What better accomplishment is there? As for adult interaction, that is why I am thrilled to have Sharon and Jill and their relationship. I lost many of my "friends" when I left my last job so their friendship means all the more. I hope that we can even grow our little play group even more!

Craziness and Happenings

Ok. I have had a moment to think about things here and now I can put them into words. You will all be happy to know that it truly had nothing to do with Colby. Just my mess. So, here goes:

Some of you might now that I was an elementary teacher for 8 years. I worked hard to complete my degree and looked for that job for 2 years before landing a part-time job teaching Kindergarten. After two years, I moved up to teach second grade. The last 4 years that I taught I bounced back and forth between second and third grade due to budget cuts. We had new administration come in during my last year of teaching in 2007-2008, both a new principal and a new superintendent. Things being as they were, quite a long story there, I left that job. I can't say I wanted to, but I did. Not much of a choice truly. So while Mike and I were going through our adoption, even before we met Colby, I lost my teaching job.

That year was quite difficult for me in many ways. The stress of the adoption and the nonsense at school really started me questioning if I was doing the right thing. I had always wanted to be a teacher. I love helping kids learn new things and helping them to succeed, especially those kids that are really struggling. So, while we waited to travel to get Colby I took a job as a school photographer. That was new and challenging and fun. Not much money in that though. Now that we have Colby, I am a stay at home mom. I love it but I do miss going to work and seeing adults, enjoying adult interaction. Financially we are ok. Paying for health benefits is, however, very difficult. Mike works for his dad and will eventually take over the remodeling business, hence he can't get health benefits. My teaching job was great because it gave us very good benefits. Now we are paying through the nose for very little and still we get bills for Colby's doctor appointments. Ugh! So, with that I decided to try to find a new teaching job.

I was, and still am, uncertain if I want to go back to teaching. But, I spent this summer sending resumes, working with an agency that helps teachers find jobs, and going on interviews. I must have gone on about 8-10 interviews. I lsot count. However, in the end, I found no job. Schools started this week or some start next week. Last week was a whirlwind with a couple last minute interviews, one for a long-term sub job, but still nothing. I just don't know why. Perhaps they see that I am tentative about going back, perhaps they see that year off and wonder what really happened, perhaps I just mess up on the interviews. I tend to think it is the last one. I stink at interviews. I am great at writing my feelings and thoughts but stink at talking to people about myself and "tooting my own horn" so to speak. Perhaps, this is someone's way of telling me that I don't belong in the education field anymore. But then that leads me to think, "Then what should I be doing?". Many people would die to be at home with their children. Believe me, I am thrilled that I can be and that we are doing ok without my additional income. Not great, ok. I am thrilled that I have these moments with Colby together and that we can go to the park, and spend time with friends, and just enjoying being Mommy and Colby. What a blessing. However, I have two college degrees that I worked hard for, I enjoy working and the feeling of accomplishment that I get from it, and I don't much like relying on others, even if it is my husband. I do know that raising our son and taking care of the house is a HUGE accomplishment but maybe I need more. I just don't know.

What's next? Where do I go now? Should I just be at home and enjoy Colby? If I shouldn't teach anymore, then what should I do? Is it ok to jsut be Mommy? These are the questions that I have been struggling with, and to date, I have no real answers. However, I have decided that for now, it is ok to be home. We need to sort out the health benefits mess but we will be ok. I'll have time to enjoy my son and even get the house in order. I'll even have time, perhaps, to get his Lifebook together, photos sorted and put on CDs, and other fun activities. Other ideas, maybe I'll try to get into tutoring somehow. We'll see what happens.

So, that's what's been happening. In the mean time, Colby and I had a wonderful summer. We went on many day trips to enjoy the warm weather, once it came. And Colby is really becoming a little fish. I can't wait to get him into some swimming lessons. I can't believe how much he is growing, learning, and exploring everything around him. He truly is my blessing!

Update Soon....Promise

Hi everyone. I'm sure some of you are wondering why nothign new is posted. Believe me, it isn't because life is boring and we have nothing new. On the contrary. So much is new and so much is going on that I'm not sure what to think about it all, much less how I feel about things now. I promise when I get a moment, I will gather my thoughts, and give them the time they deserve to write an update. Right now, I am so jumbled I just can't.

Fun In The Sun

Mike's Uncle Steve and his family were visiting from Utah for the past couple weeks. Steve and his wife Kay stayed about a week and then went home but there kids Eva (8) and Jack (5) stayed with Mike's grandparents and aunts for the past week. It was the first time Colby has met them and they hit it off. Colby and Jack became best buddies and Eva loved playing Mommy Hen to both of them. Colby and I spent a lot of time with them enjoying the summer weather.

Last Thursday Eva, Jack, Mike's Aunt Jo, Colby, and I went to Misquamicut Beach in Rhode Island. On the way there we went to Voluntown to see a sunflower field. A farm there grows the sunflowers as food for their cows. The also see ice cream which I am told is really good but we were there in the morning. Mike's Uncle Mark has his grandkids at the beach too. So, Colby was able to spend the day with Eva, Jack, Jake (8 or 9), Julia (4 or 5), and Logan (just turned 2). They all had a great time. Fearless Colby loved the waves and laughed everytime they pushed him over. Jake had a buggy board which the kids took turns using and Colby loved being pulled while he sat on it. On the way home we stopped for dinner and then stopped in Middletown for Lemon Ice. It was delicious! A full day, with no napy but Colby did really well.

Buttonwood Farm and Sunflower Field. Very beautiful.

Colby and Logan. Eva, Julia, and Colby.

Jack and Colby. They look like they could be brothers. They loved digging a hole in the "dirt".

On Friday Eva, Jack, Aunt Jo, Colby, and I went up to Barkhamsted. It is a small lake made by the dam. We spent the afternoon playing in the water and enjoying another sunny day. The kids were a little tired from the big day out the day before so we only stayed a few hours. Jack wanted to swim with me so I brought him out a little deeper and Fearless Colby decided to follow. He walked in right up to his neck. Thankfully Eva swam with him and enjoyed holding him in the water. There are no waves so it was easier for the kids to swim and enjoy the water. When we got back, Jack stayed with us to play with Colby on the swingset and Eva went with Jo to start dinner. We went down to Mike's grandparents' for dinner. Another long day with no nap.

Eva, Jack, and Colby. He walked right in up to his neck!

Saturday night Mike's Mom's sister, Aunt Jaycee, was down from Buffalo, NY. They were going for 3 days to Foxwoods Casino, to enjoy the sights and visit other family in Mystic. So, Mike, Colby, and I went to Mike's parents' for dinner. Mike's Uncle David was there to along with Uncle Ernie (Mike's Mom's Uncle). We had a nice dinner. Colby was tired though so we made sure to get home on time for bed. These long days were starting to wear him out.

Sunday we spent a quite day at home except for lunch with my mom and Mamie. We definitely needed time to catch up on chores and just relax.

Monday was another day with Eva and Jack. Mike's Aunt Mary went with us this time and we went to Mt. Tom, another lake nearby. Uncle Mark, Aunt Karen, Jake, Julia, and Logan were there too. They all enjoyed seeing eachother again and playing in the water. Logan doesn't like the water much but Colby wanted to splash with the big kids so I brought him out. He was really starting to "swim" kicking and moving his arms about. I was amazed. Karen and Mary were too.

Yesterday we stayed at home. Colby was a cranky little boy. I don't think he likes the fact that Eva and Jack went home. Mike and I told him they went home on a plane to see their Mommy and Daddy. He wasn't happy with that. I think the week was too much for him and he became a little stinker. Not listening and definitely not working on the potty routine. Ugh! Back to reality today! Only a trip to the library. We'll see what tomorrow brings. We really should visit Mamie and maybe swim in her pool!

I Think I'm Going Crazy!

This has certainly been a week of changes. Colby has really shown a lot of growth in many areas lately. His oral language development has blossomed and his receptive language still continues to amaze me. He has outgrown most of his shoes. We are just hoping to get through the summer and then I will buy him fall and winter shoes. I guess he'll need winter boots! When we went over to Russia to get him in January we brought 2 pairs of sneakers. They were the same sneakers but in sizes 6 and 7. He has, to my dismay, outgrown the size 6 and they are on a shelf in his closet. I don't think I will ever get rid of them. He has gone through 2 pairs of sandals and the second pair isn't fitting either. Yikes! And according to his charts, he has gained 3 pounds and 3 inches since he came home in late February!

So, with all those changes Mike and I decided it was time for more. Some might think Colby is still young, at only 28 months, but he has shown that he is ready. Last Wednesday, Colby and I went shopping for big boy "undies". He loves saying "Undies" and he looks so darn cute walking around the house in them! We are starting slow with Colby only wearing them when we are home. Thankfully it is summer so he often walks around the house in just his undies. Too cute, I definitely need a photo of that! Since Thursday he has had about 2 accidents each day. He seems to do well for half the day and then he gets forgetful if we go outside or he gets sidetracked by something else. Not bad so far but this Mommy gets frustrated at times. He does understand that he should go pee pee in the potty not in his undies and he gets upset when he is wet. We'll get there. We haven't tried naptime or bedtime. I'm a little worried about that, although during both naptime and last night he woke up and asked for the potty. He had already gone, but that's a start, right?

Undies and reading books. What's better than that?

Other changes. If potty training wasn't enough, Mike and I also decided it was time to change the crib into its big boy bed! Colby had started to try and climb out of the crib and his little legs have grown enough that they were starting to reach over the side of it. Yikes! So we had decided that as of August Colby would be a real big boy and sleep in his toddler bed. The first few nights went well. Colby was so uncertain about the crib on Friday night that he didn't budge and on Saturday we got home late from Lake Warmaug that he just crashed. However, since then, Colby has realized that he can get out of his bed and check on Mommy and Daddy. Naptimes have been the hardest with Colby staying awake and roaming for almost an hour before he crashes. So naptime has gone from 1-3 to more like 2-4.

From crib to big boy bed!

So, many changes. From my baby to my big boy. I love my big boy but I miss my baby at times. We missed so much but we are loving experiencing these changes with Colby. So, enjoy the photos of the changes from my little baby boy to my big boy!