Look Mom! No wheels!

Ok. I was almost ready to be strong and not cry as my little boy heads off to Kindergarten next week. I'm almost ready to admit he isn't a little boy anymore, what with his recent growth spurts and two missing teeth already. I was almost ready to admit it. But now this! Can it be! I so miss my baby boy but I must say I can admit I am so proud of all that he has accomplished. He really has become very independent and, yes, ready to be a big boy.

Colby has had his bicycle for three years now. It was his older cousin's and my sister Karin was amazing and gave it to Colby. He loves it and with the big yard and driveway, plus living on a very quiet street, now he has lots of room to ride. I have noticed that the training wheels really weren't working. One was down and helped a little but the other was totally bent backward and not even close to hitting the ground. I mentioned it to Colby that he was almost ready to take them off and his response, "Now Mommy?" What? Now? No! I told him later and hoped he would forget about it. No such luck. By late that afternoon he had Daddy taking them off as he sported the biggest grin ever. Oh boy! Here we go.

Both Mike and I really didn't think Colby would be able to ride. He hasn't shown much attention while riding his bike and I was worried about him balancing, especially as he looks behind him an awful lot. But, he was off and riding. And riding well. No major spills, a small scrape, but otherwise doing well.....so far! He now rides in our gravel driveway and in the corner of our street (we're at an elbow in a U shaped road). And he doesn't just ride, he rides FAST!!! I can't believe just how big he has gotten.....

Big Boy, a Bike, and a New Look

Well, I had a few spare moments on Saturday morning while Mike and Colby were mowing the lawn. I felt the need for a change so now my blog has a new look. What do you think?

Also, my little boy is becoming more of a big boy everyday. I am excited, yet a little saddened, by the latest news. My big boy received his information for preschool. He will be entering the 3 year old preschool through our city in the fall. Yikes! I think this will be a great thing for him. He loves to learn new things and the structure of a classroom might settle him a little. But good luck to his teacher! We'll see how Mommy feels in the fall.

And a few great photos. My big boy is learning how to ride a very big boy bike. Thanks to my wonderful sister, Karin, we have a big boy bike for Colby. It was my nephews', Max and Alex, bike. It is a little big but Colby loves it. Mike brought it out on Saturday morning thinking we would just push Colby around on it and maybe he'd peddle it a little. Well, he got the hang of it and we had to go out that night and get him a helmet. He can peddle all the way down our street but hills are still a little tough. So we'll stick to straight aways. You might notice in the photos, but Colby loves to look down at the tires and the peddles turning, not straight ahead. We'll have to work on that I guess. What a big boy!

My Big Boy

I am amazed at how big my little man is getting. There are so many things that he can now do that he couldn't do before. Today we went to the park and Colby was off and running. He was jabbering away with two little girls, playing follow the leader, and climbing up the slides. Yes, UP the slides. He was quite proud of that! And to think last year I had to hlep him climb the steps to get to the slide. He is now a little monkey!

Also, a couple months ago we went and registered Colby for the 3 year old preschool program. Wow! To think that in the fall, he will be going off to preschool. He is VERY excited about going to 'chool like Nessa, our neighbor. Anytime we drive by her school he says, "I go there, after later." How will we ever wait until the fall? I'm not so sure that I am looking forward to that day though.

Recently my sister Karin came up from Manhattan and brought us a few things that her boys had. I love getting hand me downs from the boys. The best item, besides the bike which Mike needs to put training wheels on, is a race car back pack. Alex and Max, me nephews, showed Colby how to put his books, pencils, and toys in the backpack and go to school. Now Colby drags it everywhere. He even decided to pack it himself and wear it to Mike's parents' house. With his baseball cap and backpack, he certainly looked like a big boy.... Where did my baby go?

Big Boy

Well, I guess I must admit it. My little baby boy has truly grown up. I can't believe how much Colby has changed, just within the last month or so. Was it really 9 months ago that we came home? Did we really celebrate his birthday 6 months ago? Amazing! Colby often reminds me that he is a big boy, but I always remind him that he will always and forever be my baby boy.

Here are just a few of the big boy things Colby now does:

1)He puts his own pants and shoes on. He still needs help putting his socks and shirt on but he can take his socks off by himself.

2) He also puts on his own "undies". Yes, that's right. No more diapers, although he wears pull-ups to bed. We started potty training in late August but with so many things going on, we weren't very consistent. Now we took the plug and in the past two weeks Colby has only worn undies except to bed and if we are out all day. Still a few accidents but he is quite proud of himself, as am I.

3) He now sleeps in a big boy bed. We converted his crib in August to a toddler bed.

4) He can count to 11 and will say his ABCs with you.

5) He loves to "read" books. We always read together. Mike or I will read the book to Colby and ask him questions. He will answer them all and when we are done, he likes to read the book back to us. He usually remembers everything that happened in the story.

6) He LOVES puzzles. He can put together puzzles with 4-5 pieces. My Aunt Doone just gave him a puzzle with 12 pieces and he loves to put that together too!

7) He is now showing a great imagination. He loves to play with his cars and often uses my flipflops for the "garage". He loves to play with his animals having them go to bed, eat, and play. It is so cute to watch.

8) Colby loves doing chores. He helps dust, sweep, and vaccuum. He also feeds to dog everynight. What a big helper!

9) If at all possible, he is even more outgoing. Colby always was outgoing but now I see him playing with other kids more and holding conversations with others. Amazing! I can't believe that just 8 months ago he wasn't talking at all. His vocabulary is better than many 2 year olds.

10) He is starting to recognize his shapes and colors. He knows a triangle and the color gray.

11) He shows compassion and caring for others. He doesn't like it if other kids cry or fuss and he will give them a hug and say, "It's ok, no cry."

12) I'm sure there are so many other things. Every day brings something new and Colby is always finding new ways to amaze me. Mike and I are quite lucky to have Colby in our lives. What a wonderful, beautiful, smart big boy!

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!

Happy Birthday My Little Man

Happy Second Birthday Colby!

Being 2 is very tiring!

Today is Colby's second birthday. It is his first with us. I can't believe how big he is getting. The little baby I met in late June last year is growing into such a little boy. And so darn cute too! He has come a long way from Siberia to Connecticut and he is learning more and more everyday. Now we enter the realm of the terrible twos. The independent streak has always been there but it definitely is getting stronger. And his communication skills still amaze me. For a little guy who heard only Russian for more than half his life, he is understanding English so well and every day he says more words. His favorites still are: Dada, Daw (dog), Mama, Juice, Cheese, and No no. I think some of his tantrums do extend from his frustration over us not understanding him. We head to the pediatrician tomorrow for his 2 year old checkup so we will see how much he has grown but I do know from going to the adoption specialist at Yale Medical that he has gained a pound and grown an inch. I'll let you know the exact numbers soon. But, for now here are a few then and now photos. The first two are from late June 2008 at the baby home and the last two are from Colby's birthday party at our house on Saturday April 25th.


Mike, Colby, and me at the baby home in Kamensk. 6/08
Colby on the swing at the baby home.

Colby and Grandma (my mom). He just blew out all of his candles. 4/25/09










Colby going down his slide at our house.