A Little of Everything

Fall has arrived and so has lots of change. Overall, when I can sit back and look at everything as a whole, I am pleased with the change. However, when I start to think and nitpick at everything, I am not so happy. I guess that is how change just is.

I had become accustomed to being home and enjoying lots of time with Colby. I can see how our time together has been so important. In Colby's development in all areas. In our bonding as a family. And in my growing into the new role of Mommy. I couldn't have asked for anything more. The road to my being home was not planned, nor was it all that wanted at first. But it has become the best part of my life. But now, that will all change.

I received a full-time teaching job again. I am now the reading teacher at a small school right where we live. It is a new teaching role for me, previously only being the classroom teacher, so now I have a new role to learn. I have been working now for two weeks and can only now sit back and relax a little. I think I have fallen back into the teaching role very easily, sort of like riding a bike again after a long time. But this role also has me working with other teachers and supporting them. That is a new role I am not as comfortable with yet. However, it is going very well I think, except for an exception or two. We are all learning a new reading program together and it will take some time to implement well. But I am thrilled with my new job and all that it holds.

On the home front, Colby is in pre-school in the mornings, riding the bus, and loving it. Mike has been able to put him on the bus in the mornings. He has also been able to watch him most afternoons or his mom did. Thus changing our roles. I really miss my time with Colby waiting for the bus and eating lunch together. Running errands and just relaxing together. I also REALLY miss nap time! I feel like I am missing a lot of his day. Although happy at work, I find myself wondering what he is doing and how his day is going. This week Colby will start going to a day care after school in the afternoons. Another big change. I hope it goes well. We shall see. Thus far we are doing well, although Colby has been more whiney and a lot more tired lately. Is it growing pains or all the change? I'm not sure but it is definitely something I need to keep an eye on. I have already asked both school and day care to watch for me.

For now, I need to learn to balance Mommy and teacher and not forget about wife and just plain old Melissa. Ugh! How do you all do it?

Long Week

Sorry I haven't had time to post on here. It has been a very long week. Even if it did start on a Tuesday! I started back to work Tuesday and now the Reading teacher at a small elementary school in town. Thankfully a very short commute and my school day schedule will be the same as Colby's. But boy has it been a tough change.

Colby, Mike, and I are all battling some sort of cold. It seems to hit Mike hardest but I'm tired of the cough and stuffy nose in the morning. Colby seems to be fine during the day but has not been sleeping at night. Both Wed and Thurs nights he woke up. Wed was just about every 2 hours. Doesn't make for a cherry start tot he mornings. Mike has been able to put him on the bus in the mornings and a few afternoons he has been home. Thankfully his parents live really close so they can come get Colby in the afternoons. But we really need to sort out a day care situation. I feel bad asking them to watch him every day. But we are waiting to see how Mike's schedule turns out. The winters are sometimes slow.

Me... I think I have been so overwhelmed with the new job and learning my new role that I haven't had much time to think of other things. I really miss my quiet mornings with Colby snuggled in bed and then putting him on the bus. I miss lunch with him and running our errands in the afternoon. I miss bringing him to see my mom at work and having lunch with her, Uncle Lou and a couple of the guys there.But, we can do that during vacations. Most of all, I miss my little guy. But the kids I see and the schedule I have keep me very busy. The school also starts early so I am done by 2:30 and have been trying to get home around 3 or 3:30 (depending on what planing and prep I have to do at school).

This morning we are headed to CT Loves to Read at the local Target. The CT Reading Council puts this on usually in Feb but they changed it to Oct this year. Mike's mom will be there too. She dresses up as Mother Gooses and reads to the kids. Other town volunteers come too. The kids all get a free book, some goodies, and a T shirt and hopefully we let them see that Reading can be fun. I promise to get some pics and post some soon.

Changes: The Good and the Bad

Well, I guess I caught a few people's attention. Yes, things are changing. I had an interview on Tuesday and I received the job. I will be teaching again. Again, after 2 years away. This time I will be the reading teacher at a small school in the city we live in. So now the changes and adjustments begin.

I must say that I am excited about this new job. But it seems everyone else seems to be more excited than I am. I am not so sure how I feel about going back to teaching. I left my last job feeling so unsure about myself as a teacher so I'm not sure how being back will feel. I know I will do a great job but I'm not so sure I want to work again. From the first day we brought Colby home in Feb of 2009, I have been home with him. Just Colby and me. That is until this fall when he started preschool in the mornings. Now that we have adjusted and settled into that new routine we need to change again and Mommy will be gone all day. Not sure how Colby will handle that, nor how I will handle being away. I am so thankful that with all the schools in our city I landed in the school Mike's mom just left last year when she retired. So I know what to expect and already have a link to some of the staff. Now the trouble begins: Where does Colby go in the afternoon??? Since he is already in a morning program he can't be enrolled in an afternoon one through the city, but we need bussing so no programs out of the city. So a day care, not seem to have spots available. Ugh!!! I don't want to take him out of his preschool program, he loves it and since it is through the school system it is free. What do we do??? Thankfully for now, Mike's mom can watch him. Ugh! Now I remember why I don't like change.

Change

Change is brewing. I don't know if I have ever liked change but this is definitely change for the better.

What a Long Weekend

Well, thankfully this weekend is over. Perhaps we will get back to our routine now. I was not looking forward to this weekend much at all. I spent all Fri, Sat, and Sun at my grandparents' house at the estate sale. We lost my grandfather, Poppy, 4 years ago and just last Sept we lost my grandmother, Mamie. My mom has been busy, with the help of my Aunt Doone, to organize their house and horse farm for the estate sale since early Oct. I have helped when I could but it was a huge undertaking. The sale was Sat and Sun. We did ok but there is so much more stuff. I am not sure what will happen now. I think my mom and her brother and sisters are going to hold another sale in May. Not sure. Whenever it is though, I will be there to help. That is what my grandparents always taught me, to help family and friends whenever possible.

My grandparents had such nice things. Hummels, Norman Rockwell plates, beautiful rugs and furniture, and of course all the miniature horse harness and tack. Everyone who came through the sale was amazed at all the stuff. I hated to see it go. I hate to see the farm go. I have so many memories of that farm andmy grandparents and things we did together. It is hard to see things change. I wish that Colby could have seen Poppy. I know they would have been great buddies.

These two photos are of Colby with miniature horses at the Memorial Day Parades in Woodbury and Naugatuck last year. Poppy loved his horses. These horses now belong to my Aunt Doone.

January 14

On this date:

Lat year: It was a long day. I was substitute teaching and the kids were being crazy. Mike was working with his dad. We had already updated all our paperwork, which included 2 papers on Christmas Eve. We were hoping to hear something very soon. When would the phone ring? When would we go? Mike came home and was starting dinner. Spaghetti. I decided to pass the time by checking emails and catching up on my fellow bloggers. Fellow blogger Joy had received great news the day before. Maybe we would be next. But it was already after 5 so I didn't expect anything. But there it was.... an email. We received an email stating that our court date was set for February 4th! Oh my gosh. My jaw dropped and I yelled for Mike. He read it and we couldn't believe it. Dinner was all but forgotten. We forced ourselves to eat and then ran down to his parents' house. We called my parents. The whirlwind of preperations began. We hadn't even decorated Colby's room. Thankfully my mom and sister had a baby shower planned for me within the next couple of days. We didn't have much.

Today: I spent the day with my little man. We played with his trucks and tractors. Mike came home and we all went to the bank to work on paperwork for Mike's business. Another change- Mike is taking over his Dad's remodeling business. Amazing! Now I am headed to tutor for a few hours. Then we are going to Mike's grandparents for dinner. Mike's Uncle Steven is coming from Utah for the weekend with his daughter Eva. Colby spent much of August with Eva and her brother Jack. So dinner tonight- probably pizza. Then I will cuddle with my little man and watch as he sleeps, totally in awe of how my life has changed within this past year. Wow!

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!

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!

One Month

Wow! I can't believe that it has been a month already. We went to Kamensk to the baby home one month ago and brought Colby home! Amazing. So much has changed within such a short period of time.

Colby seems to be growing everyday. He has learned so much and is becoming such a big boy. He has become very expressive. Now he:

waves bye-bye
blows kisses
loves to dance
loves to "sing"
babbles constantly with meaning, even though I might not know what it means
voluntarily gives hugs and kisses to Mommy and Daddy
sits quietly to read a book with Mommy before bed (a big deal!)
loves to sit on Mommy's and Daddy's laps
gives hugs and kisses to his pal, Misha, our big black lab
continues to feed himself
has begun to eat chicken, turkey, and sandwich meats, but not hamburger yet
loves many fruits and some vegetables
loves to watch The Wiggles and The Backyardigans, anything that sings and dances
says Mama, Dada, although Daw is his favorite word (it's always about the dog)
loves his bath and lays down to "swim"
is trying to learn to hop but can't quite get it
And so much more

We are constantly chatting and playing with Colby to work on his vocabulary. I'm sure he will start to really talk soon. It seems to frustrate him at times that he can't but he certainly has learned how to get his point across. We also continue to work on his little temper. Being so used to getting his way, Colby hasn't learned patience yet, but he's starting to. I do see that he is really starting to bond with us, and the dog. He loves to be held and will volunteer hugs and kisses. It is amazing how much he has changed. I guess Mike and I are doing an ok job at this. Wow! One month already!

Change In Plans

I just got off the phone with Vica and we have a slight change in plans already. Thankfully, it didn't change our court date or dates to travel. The judge requested that we spend everyday before court seeing Colby. I don't mind that! However, the drive is an hour and a half one way from Ekat to Kamensk. Svetlana is worried about driving in bad weather so she has suggested that we stay in a condo in Kamensk for those 5 days before court. Then we need to decide if we want to stay in Kamensk or go to Yekaterinburg to wait the 10 days. Vica asked what we thought now but I have no idea what to do.

So the journey continues, with all of its twists and turns. We certainly don't make things easy do we?