We've Got a Floater

Mama's Log - 10 minutes ago.

Ba and C had settled into the nightly routine of bath time (complete w/ all of the following: 2 toy ducks, 1 blue boat, 1 green boat, 1 green rabbit, 1 orange plastic stick, 1 Dora/Diego Dixie cup, and the shark...all of which must be catapulted into the tub before commencement of the faucet and tepid water). A few minutes into bathtime, I hear Ba call my name & "uh-oh" being emitted from the mouth of the Di Man.

Not knowing what to expect, I enter into C's bathroom to find Ba and Colin looking at me while C was squatting in the tub (rather than his usual stance of sitting). In a scene reminiscent of the great cinematic classic, "The Sandlot," C had (shall we say) an "accident" in the tub...and yes, you guessed it...two (correction from E...three) small "floaters" (think Baby Ruth if you don't get the movie reference).

SuperMama to the rescue... Mama scoops the Di Man out of the tub, trying to avoid laughing hysterically b/c the little guy was quite clingy (and giving the cutest, saddest boo-boo face I've ever seen) and the last thing Mama wants to do is re-traumatize him about bathing (refer to bathing blog entries) and tells him that he didn't do anything wrong (C apparently started saying "uh-oh" in the tub before the big event & Ba thought he was talking about the "shark attack" game that Ba had been playing w/ him).

So, Mama and Ba use cups to "scoop the poop" into Ba & Mama's (to differentiate between the regular toilet & the small potty chair we have for him in the room when he begins potty training sometime next year) potty, ask Ba to drain the water from the tub (note...need to clean said toys) and convinces the Di Man that it is truly safe to go back into the water (cue "Jaws" music), after telling him the "poop is in the potty."

C reluctantly allows Mama to sit him into the tub after fresh water is drawn and a new Dixie cup ceremoniously dives in. Mama again saves the day with a new game of "Dive Bomb Ducks," in which the Dixie cup is half-filled with water, C throws one duck (then two) into the cup & Mama proceeds to turn the cup over, resulting in the ducks dive bombing into the tub.

Ah, the joys of parenthood!

Oh, yes...for our loyal readers we present updated pics of the Di Man. The first is from Saturday night at an adoption shower so wonderfully thrown for us by E's colleagues (Aunt S and M (G & Z's mom)). Here, without further adieu is our favorite Little Dude kissing M's cat Thomas (enter sound cue of "awwww" - or according to "Auntie" D..."OMG can that kid get ANY cuter? I tell ya"…:D ).



So, one of my closest friends from Charlotte Mommies (CM) and her family came to our house last night to "stork" us. "Storking" (or "The Stork Club) is a tradition on CM when a mom delivers a new baby (or brings a new bundle of joy into the home through the miracle of adoption), her friends in the the CM community gather together to feed her and her family! Usually this involves delivery of food every other day for 7 days (and believe you me...we've had some very YUMMY meals over the past two weeks).

But I digress...(focus, focus, focus). So M "kicks it up a notch" and brings the family over for dinner at our house (alterior motive...it was time for W and C to finally have a playdate). M, B, and W arrive...C looks up at B (who is VERY tall btw) and immediately raises his arms and wants B to hold him (the view must be better up there :D). Very cool indeed.

Side note...I found it hilarious that by the end of the evening (and after a delicious meal) that each little guy ended up sitting beside or on the lap of the other little guy's father. So, here we have C & B playing toss (C throwing the "boms" to W & E).

Yes, that is two balls in my son's hands...

Return of the Vamp

Okay, so jet lag is SO officially over and I'm back to my normal pattern of not being able to fall asleep before midnight (a stark contrast to the nights when we first returned when I crashed before 9 pm). Those years of working evenings & nights (the "vamp" shift as I like to call it) have created this Vamp you all (hmmp...I mean y'all) know and love so well.

Having a toddler who wakes up during the night to sobs and/or wails, only to immediately quieten when Ba or Mama pick him up is fascinating. It's amazing to see this little guy blossom. He's quite the resilient little fellow (and a natural born charmer, as many of my Charlotte Mommies friends will attest).

Last Friday, C had his sutures (stitches) removed & his first flu shot (for which he was rewarded w/ a sticker...C absolutely LOVES stickers of any shape or form). That afternoon, the Heb clan headed off to see the fabulous "Auntie" Donamari for our first family photo session at a nearby park. Guess because Mama was the baddie who helped the mean ole' people give him a 'boo-boo' on his leg, the afternoon photo session began as a "Ba day." Fortunately for Mama, C quickly forgot about the boo-boos when allowed to run about the park. He was a man on a mission to have fun and, oh boy, was the mission accomplished! C even found a friend to play w/ at the park...another little boy who shared his Matchbox-sized toy car & bus w/ the "Di Man." C returned the favor by sharing his blue "bom" that he received from family friends in PA.
We had a chance to see proofs of the photo shoot & can I say again how "fabulous" Donamari is? She is one of my favorite people. "C's Crazy Italian Aunt," as she calls herself. She began her family through adoption and has a special place in her heart for adoptive families. Many of you will soon be able to see the beauty of her work in the holiday/adoption announcement card that will be heading out via Snail Mail. http://www.capturefotography.com/ (little shout out to ya' d.)
This week has been quite fun for the Heb clan but overwhelming at times for C, especially when 60+ of my nursing students (okay, okay...technically former students since they finished NURS 228, practicum, and graduate tomorrow - CONGRATS btw, December Class of 2007 & good luck w/ boards) were sitting in the student commons area & greeted him w/ lots of oohs and aahs when we stopped by my campus to visit my coworkers. But, like the trooper he is, he didn't cry...simply uttered one of his favorite toddler words, "NO."

E had finals this week, so has been busily grading papers (one of those profs who give essays exams...guffaw - me, personally I've been the multiple choice queen). But not so busy that he doesn't find time for C. Just the opposite, in fact. E always has time for C if C is in a "Ba mood." You know, nothing beats having a toddler come to you, give you a hug, then pucker up those "pouty lips that would make Angelina Jolie jealous" and plop a big wet one on you. Ah, the joys of Motherhood (the rewards far outweight the mini-meltdowns that sometime occur). Although my niece H may want her "two front teeth" for Christmas, Santa came early to our home this year & gave us a wonderful gift that keeps on giving!

So, we had some more playdates this week. I find it interesting that b/c of C, I now know more of my neighbors than I ever did BC (Before Colin) and definitely more of the neighborhood kids. C is well-loved by the J's (3 adorable siblings who's first names all start w/ the letter J). The older two J's stopped by after being dropped off by the school bus (which C finds really fascinating btw) and brought two additional friends (S & P....very cute girls, not of the stock market variety) to meet C. Of course, C played the "shy boy" role...which resulted in the girls agreeing that he was definitely cute (hmm...has C already learned the fine art of wooing the ladies - I am so in trouble come preschool).

Well, C is waking up (one of several tonight), so we'll bring this entry to an end. Enjoy the most recent photos of your favorite Little Dude and ours...the Di Man!

C & "Winston Doggie" (thanks Aunt Suzy!)


Discovering the fascination of seeing yourself in the mirror

Adjusting Made Easy

One of the first steps of the adoption process was to take an on-line course on parenting a child from another culture. Several friends remarked at the time that they would have rather taken such a course than just being handed a newborn at the hospital and essentially told, "OK, it's yours. Go home and raise it." My thinking (after chapter 16 or so) was that our method of conception was completely the opposite of the usual process: many people conceive as a result of a lack of planning, we were having a child after an excess of planning.

Part of our educational process was to read books on toddler adoption. After reading the horror stories on the difficulty of attachment for toddlers, any sane person would have rethought their plan and requested an infant. (Perhaps this is a reason why most people request infants.) The challenges of helping a toddler adjust to a new family in a new culture seemed immense. So when T & I (hmm... a new abbreviation...who could the mysterious "I" be?) received a referral for a toddler, there was some trepidation once the excitement wore off. Adoption professionals apparently understand this completely and therefore give you more paperwork to do to keep you from worrying. Our attitude was that we were prepared for the worst and could still hope for the best.

C's ease of adjusting so far exceeds even the most hopeful expectations I had. The first week, the most significant issue was adjusting to the time change. He wanted to sleep most the day and stay awake most of the night (he gets that from T). He also wasn't eating as much as he was in VN. We thought this was a time issue too--he thought we we trying to feed him at midnight and 6 a.m. In about a week, he had adjusted his sleeping patterns and his eating increased simultaneously. We took a chance taking him to church the first Sunday. Given his desire to be on the go constantly, we feared he wouldn't tolerate an hour long service very well. (OK, Pastor D was preaching, so it probably was somewhat longer...) Yet he stayed quiet throughout the service, clapped along to some of the songs, had a snack during the sermon, and drifted off to sleep by the end. And he did the same the second Sunday as well. He is still a bit overwhelmed by all the people coming up and talking to him.

He is almost always in good moods. T has taken him to play with several other children and he has done really well. He has stayed in his own room through the night once. (Neither T nor E slept well that night as we kept wondering why he wasn't crying and demanding that we bring him to our room. T got up at least once to make sure he was still breathing.)

Our only glitches were a second puking incident (the first was in Hanoi). It occurred when T was chasing him around for a diaper change. This incident was still E's fault as he gave C "too much" mango juice to drink. E is demanding the FDA require warnings be placed on the labels of mango juice containers: "Chasing your child after 1.3 cups of mango juice or greater may result in expulsion of contents." The second glitch--the run in with the fireplace hearth--has already been reported. C survived this incident with his considerable level of resiliance. In fact, he is now quite proud of his "boo-boos" and points them out to any female who might be willing to kiss it to make it better. He also continues to point to his hand to display a boo-boo that has since healed. Hey, if you can get additional sympathy (or extra kisses), why not?

C had his first doctor's appointment on Tuesday. He had blood drawn, so came home with 2 more boo-boos. When Ba got home, C showed off his band-aides immediately. C is in the 75th percentile for height (he gets that from E!!!) and 50th percentile for weight. In addition to blood tests, C also has to have a poop scan (or something like that). T has been putting on her surgical gloves and scooping poop into "specimen containers" (not "viles" for you dunces out there--she's still behind me to correct my appaling ignorance of simple medical terminology...). I'm told the poop scan will reveal the presence of critters (back to E's terminology since he didn't understand the last 5 things that were said to him. Perhaps this is why all the males in my family have lost their ability to hear high range voices...or at least familiar ones.) We go back to the doctor's office on Friday to have stitches removed (E eagerly looks forward to being enlightened by a 2 way medical conversation between T and Dr. D. E knows half the conversation will occur primarily to show off their extensive vocabularies of words that are too obscure even for the SAT.)

E is happy to make a reappearance on this blog after finally finishing the grading of exams and papers that were waiting for him when he returned from VN. Finals are next week, so it may be a cameo. My students wondered how I could be in a tropical region, with temps in the mid-80s most days, and return without a tan. The pale man also avoided malaria, so my German and Irish blood tells me that ditching the tan was worth it.

Bowling, Boo-Boos, and Bandaids

With apologies to Dr. Seuss, with a toddler in tow, you never know the places you'll go...

Saturday was my niece's (H) 6th birthday and H had a birthday bowling party. We packed up the Di Man after he awoke from a VERY short 45 minute nap to take him to his first birthday party. Very exciting times were had by C. He tried his first bites of birthday cake (and, like his Ba, very much likes cake but not the icing) and (more importantly) discovered the joys of intentionally knocking things over with a very heavy ball.

I wasn't sure if he'd like to bowl (silly Mama - boys, balls, and the ability to crash said ball into things) but he had a blast. The kids had bumper bowling & a ramp to roll the ball down the lane. So, the first time I took C up to the ramp he looked a bit perplexed but after being told it was okay to push the ball, he squealed with delight & clapped for himself when the pins were knocked over. Using sign language, C immediately looked at me and said, "more." It was quite amusing trying to explain to him that he would have to "wait his turn" before he could do it again.

The day became even more fun when H opened her presents. C wasn't quite interested UNTIL he saw that H received a pack of cars (for her race car track to "race to the mall"...teach them young the joys of shopping - gotta love America, eh?). H was a doll (and not to mention too cute now that she's lost her two front teeth). She offered to share her cars w/ C at Mawmaw's house (my mom). So, after the party, we drive to my Mom's house & C has even more fun fun fun as he watches the cars go around the track & sometimes crash into one another).

Sunday, started out fine. Went to church & C has his first spaghetti lunch after the service (and more giggles as he made a game out of kicking a balloon back and forth between the three of us & whoever else decided it would be fun). After arriving home, E was talking to Grandma and Grandpa H, while I was on Di Man patrol.

We were having fun playing when C lost his balance and tumbled, head first, onto the brick hearth around the fireplace. OMG, it was like watching a horror movie in slow motion & there was nothing I could do about it. So, poor little guy ended up with a laceration above his right eye just below his hairline. The Mama and Nurse in me instantly collided with the power of a Category 5 hurricane. Nurse T jumping into action to assess the severity of the injury, note that C immediately started crying (i.e., no loss of consciousness) and didn't vomit (no serious head injury), and take measures to stop bleeding (head wounds bleed worse than a stuck pig). But Mama felt this big lump come into her throat, tears well, and a horse kick her in the gut. The only words out of my mouth to E were, "ER NOW." So, E immediately hangs up on the grandparents and away to the ER we go. E did a great job at remaining calm (which helped me calm down...because Mama crying & sobbing made C cry more - once I stopped crying, C went from screams to sobs).

I will say the ER staff at the local hospital were great and C was a real trooper. He was such a brave boy. So, 2 1/2 hours later, C has 6 sutures (stitches) and a bandaid over his big boo-boo. Fortunately (strange word to use), C had a small scratch on his hand last week & Mama taught him about using a Bandaid for his boo-boo. So, now C understands he has a boo-boo on his head & a Bandaid to make it better. And, E called his parents back to let him know that everything was okay.

Even more fortunate, total blood loss was kept at a bare minimum. There were two tiny spots on the kitchen floor (none on the carpet) and two small spots on my shirt.

Today, C and I went to pick up bumper covers for the hearth and now that big, bad fireplace can't hurt C anymore! Tomorrow is our 1st pediatrician visit & I get the pleasure of telling Dr. D how C already has sutures...

C's having a blast bowling w/ Mama's help!

C's looking forward to sharing the cars with the birthday girl!

Fun with cars!!!

What a brave little guy with his Boo-boo and Bandaid...still our Happy Boy!