Why so busy???
Well, we are moving this weekend into our new house :-) We are excited but getting ready for the move, coordinating the closings and getting everything packed etc has been extremely time-consuming. And now that Jay is back working (since Oct 1) our schedules have become more crazy, especially during the week.
We also got a new puppy, Annie. She is a real sweetie and a great companion for Buddy. But she is a puppy nonetheless. Which means lots of pee/poop accidents and furniture surfing and barking/howling/whining and getting up in the middle of the night to let her out etc!!!! I swear - she is preparing us for another baby ;-)
But let's get back to Alex - he is doing great! He had some difficulty adjusting to being back in daycare, but he is doing so much better now. My favorite part of every work day now is when I go to pick him up and his face lights up and he comes "running" towards me. Then with his milk cup in one hand, and my finger in his other, we walk out of daycare to the car. He likes to take his time getting to the car, but I don't mind. I love that walk with hijm holding onto my finger the whole time. That Mommy pride just rushes thru me and I can't help but smile - no matter what kinda day I had at work, or what mess I am about to get home to - those precious moments leaving daycare with him make up for all of it!
Some of Alex's recent "developments":
- He LOVES Happy Feet and dances along with those silly penguins
- He does this cute new smile that involves squinting his eys and showing off
his teeth (see below)
- Speaking of teeth - he currently has 8 teeth - but they are all spread out thru
out his mouth - weird, but cute!
- He grunts and points at everything like a caveman
- He likes swimming on his belly in the tub
- Much to my disgust - he LOVES opening his mouth wide to receive doggy kisses
- Speaking of kisses - he is very generoius with his kisses - both blowing them and
actual slobbery ones. But the cutest is this - the other day totally out of the
blue he leaned forward and kissed me on my cheek - talk about melting my heart!
- He no longer needs his binky at naptime
- He can catch his footbal prety consistently now
- He is getting better at feeding himself
- He sleeps in a cot at daycare and sits at a table in an actual chair for lunch and
snacks there
- He now claps his hands AND stomps his feet AND puts his hands up to shout hooray
during "If You're Happy and You Know it"
- At his 15 month appt he was 21 lbs 6 oz (12%) 31.5 inches tall (65%). Long and
lean!
Side story - Yesterday the director at Alex's daycare said to me "You know, do you ever get that he looks like you thru here?" as she pointed to Alex's cheek-mouth-chin area. I quickly responded that no, I never hear that he looks like me, and that he is much more beautiful than I am ;-) But I gotta say - it was sorta irritating to me bc I've had some other encounters with this woman b4 around the topic of Alex and adoption etc and she usually says pretty inappropriate things. Not that saying that he looks like me is inappropriate, but given our previous encounters, I get the feeling that she is trying to come to terms with adoption and trying to feel more comfortable with it etc. I'm not sure how to explain it. It's as if she thinks it solidifies our bond if we look like each other. But c'mon! Alex is a blonde-haired blue eyed boy and I am pretty much the opposite of that! And you know what? - I am TOTALLY ok with that. We adopted him. He did not come from our genes, from my belly. And that is OK. In fact that is more than "OK" - that is wonderful and beautiful and something we are very, very proud of. Appearance similarities are not what makes a family a family. It's not what creates the bond. And I guess I had that "AH-HA" moment after my covnersation with this woman at daycare. The thing is when anyone considers adoption one of the things they have to consider is letting go of that biological connectedness - Jay and I, like any married couple, had talked about how our kids will be a blend of me and him, and how cute they would be with Jay's eyes and my hair etc. And when we decided to adopt, we had to let go of that possibility. And we did. But now I realize that not only did we let go of it, we embraced it. And so ironically, when this woman felt the need to find a physical simiilarity btn me and Alex, it irritated me. We don't look anything alike - and I don't need to feign a biological connection to him. Alex and I have a bond so tight and that bond is not based on looks, but on our hearts. Which makes sense since that is where he grew in me ;-)
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3 comments:
This pic is the best! He looks so much older in just the...what - two months...since I've seen him last? I liked your story and comment too that AJ grew in your heart. :) Look forward to hearing about your weekend - give me a call when you get a chance. At work mon-weds.
AMEN SISTER! It amazes me the dumb things people say regarding adoption. When I tell people that we talk to the BM every week, they ask if I'm worried that she will show up at my door someday and "take him back". These people watch too many lifetime movies. We talk about it because (like you said) we EMBRACE the fact that he's adopted. Alex sure is lucky to have you!!
Alison...I so want to write a book about all the inappropriate things people say! People say that about Bella and I all the time..we both have cheeks and that's about it!
When I actually got pregnant, i was so scared to tell anyone because SOOO many people said I knew once you adopted you would get pregnant! Really? Did you? I didn't...and more importantly it's not the reason we adopted.
AJ Looks awesome!!!!!!
Carli
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