A Month in Pictures

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. I accept the challenge! Right--if you took me seriously, you'd have quit reading by now. Actually you would have quit reading several dozen posts ago...

We had a good Thanksgiving with E's family in PA. There was snow on the ground when we arrived and a bit of snow one evening. Ba and Opa took Ba's old sled out of the attic, and of course, that was a jinx and the snow didn't amount to anything. From Thanksgiving Day, here's C with Cousin A, and second-cousins R and L. Cousin C-A-R-L--hold on, that's T's side of the family...

We returned for Cousin H's Birthday party. We went bowling. The kids strategically used the gutter bumpers (when I first typed it, I said butter gumpers. Not sure why that seems funny.) to score almost as well as (if not better than, in some cases) T and E. Our next series of photos captures C's learning the essence of American bowling...the give 'em h!@# reaction!

Last weekend was the first Christmas Spectacular at Advent. It wasn't technically called the Spectacular, but T was directing... C and other little ones were lambs. Check out the cute hats. Ba got to be a shepherd. Last time he was in a Christmas pagent was probably in middle school at Christ Lutheran in Lewisburg. That pagent was outside (yes, in December in PA) with live animals. It was always a highlight of the Xmas season--mainly because people came to see Mary get thrown off the donkey and see the sheep poop on the church lawn. I can't remember what my part was back then...probably a shepherd. Which would mean I've been type-cast and should give up on getting a weightier role. I think I should aspire to be Herod, not only because he is the curmudgeon of the Christmas story, but also because he has the best song in Jesus Christ Superstar. The kids were extremely well behaved at Advent's Christmas Spectacular, even through the long dress rehearsal. So I didn't have to use my crook on them.


C is starting to get the gist of Christmas (that is, the cultural not the religious Christmas--a true American). When he sees pictures of Santa Claus, he says "Christmas!" When asked what Santa is bringing him for Christmas, he says "Christmas presents!" T keeps correcting him and telling him to make specific demands for presents. Next, she will inform him, as has me, that practical gifts do not count as Christmas presents. I suppose that would be the literalist Biblical stance as I don't think many people would consider giving a newborn baby frankincense, gold, and myrrh as particularly practical or useful gifts. Hello--he needs DESIGNER swaddling clothes! So now I'm on the lookout for more impractical and useless items (true Americans!) to distribute as gifts. So when you get one of these from me and think, "This is really out of character", at least you will know why. Not that it will help you figure out what to do with my impractical and useless gift.

We put up a Christmas tree for the first time last weekend. It was our usual scenario of pratfalls and near disasters. First, we couldn't find the base for the tree and were convinced that we'd lost our minds. Once we gave up looking for it and decided to put up the rest of the decorations, E found it--in the bottom of the bag which contained the rest of the decorations. Even better...as we were removing the tree sections from the attic, one of the wires for the tree lights was cut by the attic hinge (of course it had to be the largest section). So, countless minutes (or is that hours, I lost track) later, a long section of lights was surgically extracted from the pre-lit tree to avoid electrocution. E noted the multiple twisties used by the manufacturer to secure the lights in place (I can see Great Ma smiling down from Heaven and giving her seal of approval for their excellent use of twist ties). Fortunately we had other white lights to use in their place. C helped to decorate by placing ornaments on the tree.

C has been greatly amused by the TV newcasts showing the clip of the Iraqi reporter throwing his shoes at President Bush...over and over. He doesn't seem to understand that it is the same incident being replayed incessantly because it is good visual. He thinks there is an epidemic of "bad people" throwing shoes. Come to think of it, there's been such a world-wide reaction to it that it may become an epidemic. I better be prepared to duck quickly when I return to class...

Just in case you were wondering, yes Virginia there is a Mum-Mum and she does exist:
Happy Holidays!

OBA-MAMA

Ok, so we're really slow getting this one posted... The evening of Monday November 3 (the night before the election for those of you whose lives do not revolve around Election Day), Barack Obama came to UNC Charlotte. Despite my professional and personal interest in politics, I rarely go to rallies because they are a huge waste of time. You have to wait in huge lines, the candidates are always really late, you can barely see them and they say the same things you've heard many times on TV. But when the next president of the United States is showing up on YOUR campus, 4 measely miles from your house, on the night before the election, you really do have to go--to avoid kicking yourself in butt for the rest of your life out of regret that you had the opportunity and didn't go, if nothing else. And, when you have a child, you want to be able to tell them, "You were there when..."

So T left work after her early afternoon meeting and we all went to campus. On the way, we told C he was going to see Obama and tried to get him to say it. The closest we got was Obamama, which to C was probably like saying Oh Ba (dad) Mama (mom), which wouldn't make a whole lot of sense, but his parents often ask him to do things or say things that don't make any sense.

I expected long lines when we got to campus but I didn't expect the tremendously long lines we found. Fortunately, we found colleagues from the poli sci dept and were able to jump in line with them. (I had tried to get VIP tickets earlier in the day from the university PR dept, but despite all the media work I do for them, they put me in my place and told me I wasn't really a VIP. Humph!) Anyway, the line was probably about a mile long--so by skipping in line, we only had to go about half a mile. And then it started to rain. And once we got to the field in which the rally would be held, it started to pour. And, of course, Obama was an hour late, so we had to stand there in the cold rain just waiting for something to happen and wondering at what point we should cut our losses and save our child from pneumonia. T and I put C on the ground--much to his displeasure--and made a human umbrella over top of him. It's all part of the story right? Getting drenched just adds to the adventure. And by the time we're 60 and telling the story, there will have been flooding, trees splintered with lightening, and Republicans wailing for forgiveness for having voted for W. See, it gets more interesting every time I tell it!

Let's review. I hate rallies because there are too many people (Yes, there were!), you have to spend way too much time at them (Yes, we did!), the candidates are always late (Yes, they are!), you can't see them (Yes, we could see a little hand motion waving when he first appeared on stage, then he disappeared into the background of people and signs behind him. We were about 300 yards away with people crammed into one another the whole way to the stage.), and they give the same speech you've already heard many times (Yes, he did! With one key exception. His grandmother passed away that morning and he gave a moving tribute to her in the beginning of the speech. The newspaper reported that he cried throughout that section of the speech, but we were too far away to see that. His voice was normal--how he could give such a tribute and not let his voice crack is pretty amazing.) Was it worth going? You're darn right it was! How many times in your life do you get to be present for HISTORY?

And election night was pretty sweet too! I've got to give Obama credit. When reporters asked me during the summer whether he would really pour all those resources into NC and whether it would really be competitive, I said he would be wasting his money. As it turns out, he had plenty of money to waste, but in this case, it paid off. And Elizabeth Dole lost to a Godless American. So North Carolinians voted for an atheist and a Muslim anti-christ in the same election!? Wow, the Bible Belt sure ain't what it's cracked up to be. Times they are a changin'!

Here's a great picture of C and me at the rally. Gotta love C's natural smile in this photo. Did I mention we were really wet?

Gotcha Day! Our first anniversary

Gotcha-Day! It's been one year already...how time flies... (I'm stalling to think of another cliche to work in here...)

We went to Lang Van tonight to celebrate with Vietnamese food. When we got home, we gave Colin his first Gotcha Day presents that we collected in Vietnam: some sandals and a stuffed toy rooster (he was born in year of the rooster) from the Sapa region of Vietnam, made by the Hmong. A photo of Colin and said rooster should appear at the end of this post. We then watched videos of our trip last year. Colin was interested in the parts in which he starred, not so much interest in the sections without him. But I got some exercise being chased around the house by him during those sections.

Last night was our first Halloween. Colin wanted to go as a dinosaur--that would be the other picture--and we found a bright green dragon costume for him (Go Green Dragons! Wow, I haven't said that in a really, really long time. That was a "shout-out" to all the Lewisburg High School graduates in the audience. "Shout-out!?" Now I'm sounding like Sarah Palin, you-betcha. Yikes!) The costume cost more than all of my Halloween costumes combined. He had a good time walking throught the neighborhood with his friends N&N (cue picture of N and C trick or treating together). Both T and I went along since there weren't many kids out when we left, so we could both enjoy his visits with the neighbors. Then I returned to the house to pass out candy. C joined soon after and took over candy duties. He kept his costume on and seemed to enjoy giving candy away as much as he did recieving it. I don't think we had as many trick or treaters as in past years (and T got a lot more candy) so now, when combined with C's haul from Halloween and "trunk or treat" at church the previous week, we have lots and lots of candy.

Oma and Opa were down last week and we all had lots of fun. It was a different kind of visit with them since we didn't actually go anywhere or see anything. Yet somehow the 5 days went by very quickly. Time flies when everybody gets a turn wearing the blue monster outfit and chasing everyone else around the house 14 times a day.

We had our first parent-teacher conference with his pre-school teacher this week. C is doing very well in everything, including math. He gets that from T, not me.

Now go vote!

Dinosaurs and Dragons Galore...

Just think, one year ago this very evening, E and I were in our hotel room in Vinh Long, nervously (well, me anyway...) anticipating the next day when we would finally meet our son. For me, Halloween will always be a day of "treats," since October 31st was the first day when we finally met our son in person.

For his first "official" Halloween as a member of the "clan," C is celebrating in a style that is all "3-year-old boy." After explaining the concept of Halloween (or the best attempt Mom-Mom could muster), C decided he wanted to be a "dinosaur," complete w/ the required "ROAR" (cue sound effects). So, last Friday, C, Ba, Opa, and Mum-Mum trekked to a local costume shop for some costume shopping (like I need a reason to shop, right?). Without blowing the budget, C selected a really cute dragon costume, complete with purple "spikes" on the back and wings (yeah, I know, technically not a dinosaur...but if C is happy, then we're all happy).

Move forward 24 hours, C "debuts" his costume at our church's "Trunk or Treat" Fall Festival. That kid is too darned cute, I tell ya'. But, we'll let you be the judge.



We'll be posting more pics later. Stay tuned...

If the punishment fits...

When C gets time outs--which is rare--it's generally because C has not listened to Mum-Mum or Ba. Tonight, C earned a time out for various antics (imagine a bare bottom and diaper waving around in the air like a lasso) while Ba was trying to put on C's diaper. After much fanfare, Ba placed on said diaper and pajama pants. But like the true preschooler C is growing into, the antics began again when it was time for Ba to put on C's pajama shirt. Said antics ended when C began hugging the toilet seat cover. Ba asked, "C, do you need a time out?" C looked up, looked Ba directly in the eyes, and matter-of-factly stated, "Yes." C then proceeded to walk out of the bathroom and sat down on the edge of the stairs, leaving Ba in the bathroom, simultaneously amused and flabbergasted in the bathroom.

After time served, Ba sat down next to C. The following conversation took place:

Ba (trying to maintain a straight face): "Why did you give yourself a time out?"
C: "I don't know."
Ba (repeating the question): "Why did you give yourself a time out?."
C: "I'm thinking..."

Well, at least he's thinking...Ba then repeated his conversation from the end of time out #1 about C needing to listen to Mum-Mum and Ba.

Most evenings, Ba has been in charge of nightly baths. Typically, after C's bath, B serenades C with favorite lullabies. Ba always concludes his set with "Edelweis" - signaling that it's time for C to have his diaper put on. The past couple of nights, C has started interupting, "Edelweis." Once Ba gets to the line, "blossom of snow...", C says "Snow man", gets down from Ba's lap, and walks out in the hallway to make snow angels in the carpet. Ba just figured out what words in "Edelweis" were triggering C's need to make snow angels. After all, C's never actually made a snow angel in snow, nor seen one made. We live North Carolina where it rarely snows and sleet angels just don't have the same cache. But then again, there's no Edelweis here either so I guess C's free to make up whatever dance movements he wants...apologies to Rodgers and Hammerstein.

C has been doing well in pre-school. He's in his third week now. C's teacher told Ba (on day 3) that C should be moved up to the next level as soon as C is potty trained. That's always good to hear. C is making progress in potty training. In fact, he's made pretty good progress...given that C's only been trying it with his "big boy underpants" for two weeks. He's now telling us consistently that he needs to go poopy and probably hasn't had a "Code Brown" in his diaper for about a month. C's also telling us that he needs to go pee-pee about half the time. Initially, C resisted sitting on the potty. Now, this didn't mean that C didn't have to go...in fact, often we found ourselves cleaning up spills immediately after C removed himself from the toilet seat. Now, C's resistance to expel the contents of his bladder typically means that he does not have to go.

C's becoming more chatty, both in person and on the phone. Happily, Mum-Mum and Ba can interpret most of his conversations through our familiarity with the pronunciation of his key words.

C is a creature of habit and takes time to adjust to changes in his bedtime routine. Typically, C's bedtime routine consists of his choosing books of the evening for his reading pleasure. After said books are read, C gives obligatory kisses and hugs, then will turn on his nightime music on the CD player, crawl over Mum-Mum and Ba (simultaneously, there can't be a space between the parents...), turn off the light, and crawl into bed. Nighttime prayers are said and the non-bathing parent sits on the carpet until C fell asleep.

The past couple of weeks, C's been able to fall asleep without Mum-Mum or Ba having to be in the room. After prayers and his obligatory blessings of the neighborhood houses (Jordon's house, Nate's house, Shane's house...), we tell him we'll be in our bedroom or downstairs, etc. Sometimes, after a few minutes, C's head will pop up and we'll hear "See you." Whereupon, one of us calls out to C (reminding him where we are) or (if C is not appeased by this answer) makes an appearance in the doorway (to which C says "Oh. Okay." and lays back down). C's also been falling asleep much faster than he ever did, though this is probably the result of pre-school exhaustion than Mum-Mum and Ba's new going-to-bed strategies.

Child of God

Here I am, with a few precious moments available to finally upload the video from C's baptism. I was especially thrilled that my friend M and her husband D sang a beautiful song called, "You Are Loved." This song was so very appropriate in describing our love for C and how truly blessed we are to be his parents.

The video is entitled, "Child of God," in honor of the baptism banner that Oma made for C. We hope that this video is a blessing to you as well.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Three!

So, while I'm waiting for the baptism video to upload, I thought I'd create a quick entry and upload pics of "the cake." A few months ago, I took a cake decorating class at Queens and finally had a chance to put those "mad decorating skills" to work. My initial cake plan fell through when "Aunt W" had to go out of town to help her son move into his new digs. So, I engaged my right brain and, well to be honest, probably bit off more than I could chew (but then again, that tends to be my norm, rather than an exception to the rule).

After a two day labor of love, C's birthday cake was complete. I was very happy w/ the results - both for the main cake (Noah's Ark) and C's "smash cake." Of course, I must give sincerest thanks to Gail at Cheesecake Etc. for providing the yummy frosting I used to decorate C's cakes.

C's 3rd Birthday Cake...aka "The Ark"


Our Birthday Boy!

We're Happy and We Know It

Mum-mum is elevating the level of her geekiness by learning how to post videos. Here is Cousin A & C to entertain you w/ their delightful rendition of, "If You're Happy and You Know It" (featuring Opa, Ba, and Mum-mum):

He's a travelin' man...

The past two weeks have certainly been an adventure for Mum-Mum's and our hero. As the southern summer swealtering heat kicked in, the Di Man seemed to develop profuse perspiration at the scalpline and accelerated growth of kryptonite-laced mullet hair. Mum-Mum had to decide whether to swim in a pool of bodily fluids or buzz the Di Man's head.

After being refueled, Mum-Mum received a tip regarding whom to trust with her son's precious locks. So, off our duo went to a Vietnamese hair salon (via making a wrong turn from the restaurant and Mum-Mum being irritated that her GPS wasn't cooperating...adding a few extra miles on "Goldie Hyundai" (the Mum-Mum mobile -- think Bat Mobile w/o all the cool gadgets, black color, or two men in tights).

After receiving the obligatory "ooh, he big" comments from the salon staff, the "hair master" takes the Di Man into the chair and hypnotizes him with the memorizing sounds of Thomas the Train and Curious George. A short time later, the mullet is gone, Mum-mum is recovering from the shock of her son aging at least a year in a few moments time. The Di Man had a new 'do. When turned toward the mirror and asked if he liked his hair, the Di Man smiled and replied, "Yep.".

That night, after washing and drying the 'do, the Di Man further accentuated his new looks by pointing to a container of hair gel, had Mum-Mum apply the product, said "I do it," which was immediately followed by the Di Man's hands flying up into hair to style his hair into a "faux-hawk."

The following week found the Di Man crossing the Mason-Dixon line to spend a week with "Opa" and "Oma" (that's grandpa and grandma to you non-German people) in the Poconos for a bit of family fun. The Di Man was a featured "assistant" on stage in a magic show (with Mum-Mum's assistance, of course) and both Mum-Mum and the Di Man being drenched by a rogue water balloon (courtesy of Ba). Oh yes...the Di Man celebrated his first 4th of July as an American citizen by eating hot dogs and discovering a fascination with fireworks and the big "BOOM" they created (which, apparently is not as scary as the "boom" of thunder - for which Mum-Mum had to carefully explain as "the thunder in the sky talking very loudly in it's 'outside voice'"). We'll blog more about that trip at another time!

Having his 3 year-old-cousin as a partner in crime durign the trip certainly boosted the Di Man's vocabulary but not his desire to become potty trained (much to Mum-Mum's chagrin). Speaking of vocabulary...after arriving back to the Homestead, Ba, Mum-Mum and the Di Man discovered that the cat had several "accidents" on the futon, for which the Di Man pointed to the cat and responded, "Bad Cat, No Potty There" (immediately Mum-Mum began counting the number of words on her fingers and was amazed that the Di Man put his first FIVE word sentence together).

When the "accidents" continued for the second day after arriving home (no use of a clean litter box & several icky hairballs vomits later)...Mum-Mum whisked kitty away, explaining that kitty (well, technically I guess the kitty is actually a senior citizen these days...we're still waiting for her AARP card) was going to the "cat doctor."

A diagnosis of UTI & allergic dermatitis (kitty was literally bald under her chin w/ some skin breakdown & scabbing), antibiotics, laxatives, flea/tick treatment (yep, somehow our INDOOR cat acquired allergic dermatitis from flea bites...and worse yet, the Di Man's calves were covered in wheals -- that's whelts for those living south of the Mason-Dixon line -- thank goodness for 1% hydrocortisone cream and Calamine lotion), and $300 credit charge later...Mum-Mum had to explain that Bella really wasn't a "bad kitty"; that, in actuality, she actually was a good kitty and had a "boo-boo that hurt" when she tried to potty.

After arriving home, the Di Man developed a VERY active imagination (you know, he probably already had this before but now has an arsenal of English words to tell Ba and Mum-Mum what he's thinking about). Apparently, the Di Man found intrigue in breaking out his inner actor, and began pretending to be a cat, complete with "meows" and requests for Ba and Mum-Mum to "pet." What's a Mum-Mum to do but smile, laugh, pet the "kitty," and enjoy the ongoing saga of the Di Man?

This past weekend, the Di Man found himself surrounded by two beautiful girls (his cousins H & J) and Aunt Kiki (apparently Ba and Mum-Mum aren't the only ones w/ aliases). It was the first time C had met his Cousin J (who turned 7 on the 5th of this month). He had a blast & good times were had by all. Thanks to H & J, our pint-sized hero now asks to play "Woh-zee" (that's Ring-around-the-Rosie in Colinese). He also played (but didn't quite get the hang of) "Duck Duck Goose" and "Hide 'n Go Seek." Of course, the "Blue Monster" paid another visit to the Heb homestead (all of C's playmates in his Monday playgroup know to which I speak). Mum-mum made some very yummy burgers (courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa - thank you Food Network) for lunch and we enjoyed time spent w/ the extended family.

Yesterday, while the house was being "bombed" by our pest control service, C and Mum-Mum spent the afternoon w/ Aunt W & Uncle J. That evening, we were treated to some very YUMMY dinner courtesy of the dynamic duo!

So, here we are...home for almost eight months. Life is never dull, that's for sure!

C & Cousin A enjoying a yummy breakfast in the Poconos

Cousin J, C, and Cousin H "goofin' around"

Seven Months...

Hi everyone!

It's naptime and Mum-mum has time to blog. Tomorrow, the Di Man will have been home with us for seven months. It's amazing to see how much he's grown (both physically and developmentally) since he arrived home. He is, for the most part, a very happy, well-adjusted little boy. Ba and Mum-mum have learned that life is never perfect and C does exert his attempts to overthrow and thwart the Heb Republic through his mini-meltdowns (especially when he is extremely tired --- but heck, I'm probably the same when I'm tired...one cranky Mum-mum, just ask Ba).

In the seven months that we've been home, we've seen this little boy more fully develop his personality. He is such an affectionate and loving little boy. Mum-mum is enjoying receiving as many kisses as possible before C grows up & kissing his mom becomes "uncool." Kisses are required each time he is buckled into his carseat, before leaving for the destination.

We have a great deal of respect for single parents. Having E with me as an incredibly attentive parent has been a blessing. We are truly partners in the full sense of the word. At first, Colin needed both of us with him at night to fall asleep (remember at the care center, the kids were never alone - someone was always there with him, both the kids and care caregivers). He couldn't fall asleep in the crib & had to have a blanket on the floor w/ his pillow. We'd have to lay beside him until he fell asleep, then put him in the bed. Consistency was so very important (and tends to still be the case...although if we've been out, C has fallen asleep as long as one of us was in the room with him). As he grew in his feelings of security and trust of us, we were able to transition to him falling asleep in the crib (one very long hour of C crying/sobbing/standing in the crib) w/ both of us sitting on the floor beside the crib, to his new "big boy car bed," to only needing one of us to be with him as he falls asleep. Even in seven months, C cannot fall asleep without one of us being in the room. But, you know what, that's okay w/ me. One day, he won't need us to tuck him in tight, say prayers, or be with him as he falls asleep.

C is also strongly opinionated (like most toddlers I know). He definitely has his preferences in foods/drinks/toys & whether Mum-Mum or Ba is the one who gives him a bath (or puts him to bed - E and I alternate...if I help C w/ bath, E puts him to bed, and vice versa). Last night, C had a meltdown when I suggested that Ba give him a bath & Mum-mum put him to bed (he was insistent on the opposite - and let the screaming begin...so, after about five minutes of sobbing and reaching through the banister railings, it's time to go calm, soothe, and transition into bath). That was okay until Mum-mum informed him that it was time to wash his hair...for which C puckered out his lips and (clearly) and firmly stated (w/ arms folded across his chest), "No hair wash Mum-mum." When Mum-mum insisted C would have his hair washed, she quickly became deluged with water, courtesy of a Dixie-cup water grenade launcher. Talk about Baptism by fire...A two-minute time out (including simple but firm words of reprimand from Mum-mum and Ba), and a hair wash later, Happy Boy returned when Mum-mum and Ba wrapped C with his towel, Ba began rocking him (part of C's bathtime ritual), and he serenaded with "Adelweiss" and "Rock a Bye Baby" (for which he looked at us and said "More!" and smiled).

So in essence, in these months we've learned how important is truly is to learn our child's personality. C thrives in an environment where there is structure (w/ some flexibility being okay...he doesn't meltdown if he isn't in bed at the same time each night...the time change helped us learn that). At the same time, we're getting better at knowing when he's reaching the boiling point and usually can intervene before he bubbles over and melts. C reacts well to distraction (this has come in handy so many times in the past seven months) and knowing the "rules." (I dare say that C has this personality trait because as the oldest in his care center in VL - surrounded by infants - C aspires to be the "enforcer").

He's also very patient (appropriate, seeing that his middle name means 'patient' in VN), especially w/ language. There are times he uses jargon (happens w/ toddlers when they have around 50 words established in their vocabulary) and we don't always fully understand what he's saying. Early on, we worked with him to "show me" what he wanted if we couldn't understand what he was saying. So now, if we don't understand, he says, "show me" and then shows us what he wants.

I am a strong believer in using sign langauge to help in language transition. Early on, I learned a few signs for the most important words (eat, drink, stop, no, more, all done, thank you, cracker, etc.) and when teaching, used the VN word (if I knew it), the sign, and the English word (in that order). He learned the signs (or at least his version of the signs) so quickly. In those early days, the signs were extremely beneficial in keeping both his and our sanity.

We have been fortunate that C has not shown signs of institutional delays. The VL care center was very small, so Colin received so much positive attention and care from his nannies. I personally feel the care he received was one of the reasons he transitioned as well as he did.

You know, we have been so very blessed to be C's parents. Each day is truly a new adventure. The past seven months have passed so very quickly (much faster than I could have ever imagined) and I can only look forward to the lessons and experiences we have yet to gain!

Happy Fathers Day!

I had my first Fathers' Day yesterday. It capped a big week. My parents were down from PA and C kept us all busy.

Wednesday, we went to the Carolina Raptor Center to see lots of big birds. C especially liked the owls. (Today, I had to draw four of them for him). On Thursday, Grandpa ("Pa"), Grandma ("Ma") and I ("Ba") went to the spraygrounds at a nearby park. It's basically a large series of fountains for kids to run through and get wet. It wasn't sunny when we arrived and the water was cool, so it took a long time for C to play in the water. Borrowing a squirt gun from other kids and using it to shoot grandma helped--as did the sun's appearance and the attendant 10 degree jump in the temp. Once he started playing with the jets of water, he had a good ole time. On Friday, we (T was working Thurs & Fri) went to the Whitewater center and walked the trail around the rapids. Several kayakers and rafters were in the water, so there was lots to see to keep us entertained. Saturday, we went to the NC zoo in Ashboro. I've always enjoyed going to zoos. This time, I had the added bonus of going as a dad and enjoying watching C's reactions to the animals. He loved the giraffes, the chimps, and the lizards (oh yeah, and the owl). The otter was mauling a fish close-up when we arrived there--that was a good show! C said, "Eat fish." Yeah, but I prefer my cooked (and without the eyeballs and guts). The sea lions were especially entertaining as we could view them swimming from an underwater viewing area. As they would swim just past us on the other side of the glass, C would do a giddy dance. Very entertaining. We are happy to report to Cousin A that we found the elephant! C was really a good sport. We planned to stay until about 2, but he was having such a great time that we stayed until 4 (and of course, T and grandma needed ice cream before we went home).

(Sea) lions & tigers & bears...oh my!

Sunday was the big day. Though it was Father's Day, that is not what made it the big day. C was baptized. Not only were my parents there, but T's mom and sister and niece H were there too. Pastor W showed C the font, let him test the water, and put some water on his head before the service so he would know what was coming and would be cool with it during the service. He was perfectly composed--during the practice run. During the main event, he refused to go to Pastor W (no surprise), then loudly said "no" when Pastor W tried to put water on his head. The congregation was greatly amused. (And let's face it, the main reason people pay attention during baptisms is to see the antics of the child. Populists that we are, we'll give them some mayhem! Next week, lions and circuses!) At this point, T relieved me of my duties holding C to ensure that the remainder of the ceremony would go more smoothly. Pastor W encouraged C to put his hand in the water to assure him that it was not "hot" and this put him sufficiently at ease so the Pastor could get three scoops on his head. Then Pastor W got out the oil for C's forehead and discovered that toddlers' heads swivel very quickly and make difficult targets. T's friends sung a special anthem in honor of C which added greatly to the meaningfulness of the occasion.

And then, being good Lutherans, we ate! We had the whole family and our good friends J&W (I know they've been jealous of me being "E" for these many months) over for a cookout. For dessert, W brought a strawberry Charl, which for those of you aren't culinary experts is a Charlotte without enough lady fingers to cover the top. (Mobsters probably have a different name for it when someone is missing some digits.) T, however, was concerned that a few missing lady fingers would ruin my fathers' day so had to break out the cake she had baked (well at the insistence of her sister - who does not like strawberry desserts--or most fruit desserts for that matter). Lest you think that we would be too full to eat a second dessert, T&W strategically took 3 or 4 hours to make the icing, so that we would have room (savvy planning!). Two desserts--good deal any day!

C made a storybook from the Playhouse Disney website for he and I to color together as my Fathers' Day present. He made and painted a ceramic handprint for grandpa's present. My card featured a giraffe, grandpa's featured cars. Good evidence that he picked them out; and the other evidence was that when we opened the cards, he wanted to keep the cards (he liked them so much)!

Sunday evening we went to the Charlotte Symphony (why someone would name the symphony after the cake in the preceding paragraph is entirely unclear to me. The tuba players, however, seemed to have all of their fingers...). Grandma and Grandpa, as long time musicians, were stunned and impressed that 10,000 people would show up for an orchestral concert. Of course, 10,000 show up to eat, yak, and gawk at others who are eating, drinking and gawking; the music is somewhat incidental. Usually we rely on the conductor to provide the comic relief--and he didn't let us down--but C and his new friend A danced the night away, much to our amusement. Let the record show that he did not dance the Macarena. There is still some sanity in this world!

"Ma, 'raf..." ("Look Grandma, there's a giraffe" in Colinese).

So You Think You Can Dance?

Today was house cleaning day for everyone, C included. The good thing about this age is that if we ask, "Do you want to help Ba and Mum-mum," you receive an emphatic "YES" or C's newest catch-phrase, "Yeah, sure." So very stinkin' cute, indeed. Let's hope this trend continues through the teen years.

So, C wanted to help Ba clean the floors. In true toddler fashion, C loved dunking "his" cloth into the water but made sure Ba knew the water was hot. That boy was a lean-mean-cleanin' machine, no doubt about it.

Normally, when we are doing a bottom to top cleaning of the house, I play music, usually a CD. Today's selection was Stevie Wonder's Greatest Hits. Well, let's just say after hearing a few of the groovin' tunes by Stevie, C decided he needed to get his groove on. He ran from the kitchen, into the living room, and shook his tail feathers with an impromptu dance partay. I thought to myself, "this MUST be documented for posterity" (or least Grandpa and Grandma), ran upstairs, grabbed the video camera, ran downstairs, and caught C in the act (well, part of the act...he apparently gets stage fright when Mum-mum has any electronic equipment at the ready).

My plan was to upload the video to You Tube and link but...aghast, we don't have the necessary equipment to transfer the video to the computer. Bleh! Guess I know what that means...Gotta get my geek on!

Elmo's World...

Okay, so apparently I'm going through another metamorphosis thanks to E's last post. I am now (well, for now until C decides to change my name again - it's hard to say what will change more, my name or my hair) drum roll please..."Mum-mum." Phonetically speaking, E is technically more accurate in his spelling of my name. Plus, you have to admit, "Mum-mum" looks too darned cute for words.

Anyway, C's calendar was full today. After a leisurely breakfast w/ Ba, Mum-mum awoke to hear the giggles rising from the room below. "The boys" were sitting on the futon in the "playroom" where C was thoroughly engrossed in Ba's interpretative reading of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" (guess he's holding out Homer for bedtime...) and just how hungry that "pill" (Colin-ese for caterpillar) was. In my haze of waking at the early hour of 7 am (note, Mum-mum is the night owl of the family...that's what I get for having a Mom who worked waaay too many years of night shifts; second note, note the time of this blog entry...), I dust the cobwebs out of my ears to hear C clearly stating the colors of most of the things the "pill" is eating. Yes, our favorite Di Man has mastered most of his basic colors and becomes giddy, sometimes celebrating with his "Happy C Dance" (think Snoopy folks), as he triumphantly names colors of objects.

E is attending a workshop on teaching large classes all week, so Mum-mum and the Di Man are tag teaming for toddler fun. Today's festivities started with a not-so-silent protest regarding Mum-mum's choice for C's attire, capitalized by the now infamous, "I do it" chant for toddler autonomy and solidarity. Fortunately, C's attention was diverted toward a very strange (yet, strangely entertaining) show called, "The Upside Down Show" on Noggin...and Mum-mum was able to help the C man dress while the main characters of the show were searching for a rogue, cowbell.

Mondays are typically playgroup days from 10-12 but Mum-mom and C had to make a brief detour to Mum-mum's office to make sure no students had shown up for a class she had been scheduled to teach. Guess no one wanted to take a class from 9-1:30 pm on Mondays for 10 weeks this summer, eh?

Anyway, C and his trusty sidekick (driver, chaperone, concierge...take your pick) arrived to playgroup at a local park around 10:30 to celebrate S's and J's (two brothers) birthdays. S turns 3 this month. J turns 1 this month also. Playgroup also meant C got to play with his other buddies: M, K, and A. There were also some new friends as well. C quite enjoyed his fruit & piece of Elmo cake (sans Dorothy, of course). Agog and aghast...it was very windy and cool in the shade (and Mum-mum had forgotten C's jacket). So, what's a mom to do? Why remove her jacket and place said jacket on her son. At first, it looked like C was wearing a straight jacket (V-8 moment...why didn't I take a picture?) until the sleeves were rolled up.

My tropical prince still does get chilly more easily than me (as manifested by him saying "cold" and doing his shiver dance...not to be confused w/ the Happy C Dance).

So, after yummy food at the birthday party...it was time to return home for a much needed nap - albeit a much shorter powernap than his usual marathons of slumber. This afternoon found us searching for more "pills" and sandbox fun.

The evening's festivities concluded with an introduction to the "Potty Book," complete with magnetic stickers that can be used to celebrate the expulsion of bodily fluids into the porcelain goddess (hey, it has been awhile since our last poop reference, don't cha know...), sharing of a homemade strawberry cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream (or "keem" - in Colin-ese), for which C dictated who would receive the next bite..."C" "Ba" "C" "Mum-mum" "C" "Ba" "C" "C" "Mum-mum"...you get the drift.

Now for the pictures....

Note the fabulous haircut C received this past Saturday.

If only Mum-mum could interpret toddler-ese...she's sure there would be an answer to life, the universe, and everything!

And we'll have fun, fun, fun until our Mommies take our sandbox away...

Happy Mum-Mum Day!

Happy Mum-mum Day (in Colin-ese) to all you moms out there. As a Mother's Day present, the mysterious E is making a guest cameo reappearance on the blog. And having just entered his spring semester grades, he has a few minutes to write before having to respond to dozens of emails from mystified students who don't understand how they could rarely attend class, not study for exams, not turn in assignments, and be unfairly given a failing grade in the class. (Actually, the ones with failing grades are usually too lazy to protest; it's the Ds and Cs that respond...).

C's langauge is improving steadily. This seems to be helping him be more open and at ease in public. His lastest gems include: "Whoa Cool" and telling a white lie to Ba (that is, saying "No", when asked if he knows that Ba is just making up words to a song--then giggling after his response).

The picture below is from the Lee Chapel at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA. We stopped there for an educational break on the way back from PA last week. Robert E. Lee and family are buried in the crypt below the chapel. Lee was president of the university following the Civil War and spent his last five years of life there. The photo is from the chapel itself, where an addition was built to house a marble statue of Lee. The chapel is plastered with signs stating "No photographs", but the docent allowed visitors to take one. Colin decided to cover his face as I started to snap our one photo. I decided to take it anyway, knowing that it would be a good goofy and one that we could use to embarass him as he got older: "We could take one photo, and look what you did!" T (the southern belle) thinks he is hiding his face to avoid association with the confederate paraphanalia in the picture.


It was prophesized that C would enter the "mine" and "I do it phase." That day has come to pass. C has developed a vendetta to create his toddler autonomy. Now, if that autonomy will transform itself into potty training, Ba and Mum-mum will be set.

With the recent warm weather, C has enjoyed going outside frequently to look for "more pill" --that is, more caterpillers. He is now consistently naming the basic colors. He imitates his mother by turning ordinary objects into microphones and singing. He imitates his father by reading Plato's Republic on weekends. Next month: The Iliad and The Odyssey.


C, Mum-mum, and Ba really enjoyed our first Mother's Day! Fortunately, unlike her birthday, no puking was involved. C even made mum-mum a special card at church this morning. With his gratuitous use of the glue stick, there are extra, extra special add-ons that are sure to warm Mum-mum's heart for years to come...

Changes they are a comin'

Gotta love the Internet and all the cool things you can learn. Case in point, the new layout of the blog. The header was actually created from a picture taken during our trip in Vietnam (our ferry boat ride to Ben Tre). I've also decided to move the video montages below the posts, to allow the blog updates to be at the top of the blog. Hope you like the changes!

I confess..."Mom Mom" seriously needs to do a better job at keeping up with the blog, especially since C is making incredible strides in the language department, having officially entered the "I do it," "MINE" stage (anyone who has parented a toddler can appreciate that ever growing independence and autonomy that comes with an increasing vocabulary).

I'm working to become more technologically savvy (exploring the world of You Tube) and hopefully will one day be able to upload some video of C! But for now, I hope to have some new pictures (or better yet, another montage) uploaded very soon!

Mater, Monkeys, and Mom-Mom

C is a fully-engaged, active 2 1/2-year-old toddler, full of oh so wonderful "toddler moments." He definitely has Ba's sense of humor (and then some). As his verbal skills have developed, it's amazing (and quite entertaining) to hear words that come out of his mouth. Without any assistance from Ba, Mom-Mom (the woman formerly known as Mama), or Playhouse Disney, C has learned to say such interesting things as "stop that," "back" (while giving us a gentle push to move backwards), "no way," and "up-down" (while raising his arms like Annie on 'Little Einsteins' quickly followed with dropping the hands back down - well, I guess that one was courtesy of Playhouse Disney & his favorite TV show "Little Einsteins" - oh, forgot to add that he also says "Tee Bee" when he wants to watch TV).

He's also developed quite a palate for fruit (I sometimes refer to him in jest as my "fruit monkey"). He goes "ape" (forgive the bad pun) over bananas, strawberries, seedless grapes, and cantalope. Ba has quickly reminded me to write about his new obsession (yes, toddlers apparently go through a phenomenon called "food jags"...which C has fully embraced) with vanilla ice cream (I know, I know, our loyal readers and Di Man Fans are quickly reminding Mom-Mom about C's escapades at Fanny's in HaNoi...) but that boy can throw down some ice cream (Grandma, note that Ba makes sure C eats his fruit before having his ice cream).

I'm amazed how much chow C can consume (gotta love throwing in some alliteration - my former high school English teachers would be proud, albeit momentarily). Typically, C has first breakfast w/ Ba, second breakfast w/ Mom-Mom, mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack, and dinner. This leads me to wonder: if he can eat this much food at his age, what's going to happen when he's a teenager (second job to pay for groceries comes to mind...or that commerical where the mom looks at the teenage son and says, "Are you eating butter??).

What goes in must come out (and then some...). Thank goodness C makes a "poopy face" and is (most of the time) willing to sit on the potty. No, C isn't potty trained (in the least) but at least we receive ample warning before the main event.

C continues being fascinated by cars, trucks, and balls. He also has developed an enjoyment in seeing airplanes flying overhead (apparently, we're in the flight path take-offs and landings for our local airport) and hearing trains (courtesy of "Choo Choo Soul" on Playhouse Disney). He's developed quite an amazing repertoire of animal noises (among his favorites include dogs, cats, and monkeys). Mom-Mom is also proud that he can identify (by pointing on himself & us, and sometimes say by name) approximately 20-30 body parts, including his "axilla," "chest," and "abdomen." The newest addition to the collection this week is his "wrist," which he associates with the watches we wear.

This semester has been interesting for Ba and Mom-Mom. We've been alternating days w/ the Di Man. Mom-Mom has Mondays and Wednesdays. Ba has Tuesdays and (most) Fridays. We tag-team on Thursdays (appointment days). Mondays typically find C going to playgroup with his friends from Charlotte Mommies. C's playgroup is called, "No Makeup Required" (LOVE that name, btw). C looks forward to his Monday "dates" with M and K, as well as his other friends (J, A, C, & C). All Mom-Mom has to say is, "Do you want to go play w/ M & K?" and C gets the biggest grin you've ever seen.

C also quite enjoys the company of friends at church, especially Pastor W's daughter EG. Recently, we've been having dinner at church on Wednesday evenings. At one of the recent dinners, EG sat with us at dinner. C made a hand motion indicating the food was too hot. Ba explained to EG that C likes to eat food that is room temperature (rather than hot) & that he was telling us that the food was too hot. Ba also told EG that we normally blow on the food to cool it off. So, she began blowing on the food. C then handed the fork to EG & she began to feed him.

I'll say one thing about him, our son is one smart cookie. He knows that if a pretty girl wants to help you, you don't say no!

So, now for the BIG NEWS! This evening marked a momentus milestone (seriously, is there a 12-step program for alliteration junkies?) in the Heberlig household. C now has a BIG BOY BED! Even better, the bed is in the shape of a CAR (savvy readers can guess where I'm going w/ this...).

A while ago, a friend from church had asked if we wanted a car-shaped bed (for C). Of course, we were thrilled to accept her kind gift. However, we had to wait for 1) our schedules to match and 2) C to be able to sleep well in his crib. So, today was the stars aligned & the bed arrived. Ba & Mom-Mom spent the evening disassembling the crib (with C acting as construction foreman / supervisor) & assembling the bed (with C's attention being diverted downstairs by the movie, "Cars" - digressing for a moment, C's favorite character from the movie is Mater; he gets a big kick out of the scene where Mater & Lightning McQueen go 'tractor tipping').

While Ba helped C with his bath, Mom-Mom finished reorganizing the room. After bath time, the big moment arrived. C entered the room, saw the car-shaped bed & was very enthusiastic (and vocal) about his new bed. When we helped him climb into the bed, he began making "vroom vroom" noises and moving all around the bed (surveying his territory like any good member of the XY-chromosome species). As you can imagine, it took C awhile to fall asleep (at least Mom-Mom remembered to put his blankets & pillows on the bed & Ba suggested putting the pillow toward the foot of the bed, since C normally slept in that direction in his crib).

Our little guy can finally sleep sideways if he wants (until his next growth spurt, that is...and judging by the amount of food he's eating, that probably won't be long). Speaking of sleep, we have discovered the effects of Daylight Savings Time (and the subsequent time change) on the Di Man. Let's just say that it's taking him an hour longer to fall asleep (at least he slept an hour later yesterday).

So, for your viewing pleasure, we give you C & his new big boy bed!

Each night, C gets to choose a few books for his reading leisure. Some of his favorites include, "Moo, Ba, La La La," "Peek-A-Pet," "Angel Fish," "Dinosaurs," and "Trucks."

Finally, here is the Di Man in his normal, general state of goofiness (probably gets that from Mom-Mom).

Odds 'n Ends

Okay, okay...so it's been two and 1/2 weeks since our last post - shame on Ba and Mama!

You know, at what point do we transition from saying, "C is transitioning quite well" to saying, "He adjusted well'? (after surviving his teen years, I guess). Well, anyway, C is transitioning quite well. He is beginning to have mini-bursts of speaking (and mimicking when we ask him to say words). Grandpa and Grandma were on the receiving end of a mouthful last night when C decided he wanted to talk to Grandpa. There's no telling what "Pa Pa" (or the grandparent formerly known as Grandpa) said to C during the conversation, all we know is that C started giggling (a LOT)! That Pa Pa...

C is definitely becoming a creature of habit. Case in point...normally, he wakes up around 6:30 am (way to early for Mama but Ba, being the good sport & most wonderful husband he is, gets up w/ C & lets her sleep in...) & quite enjoys waking Mama up a little bit later. Well, now that Mama is back to work two days a week, these days require her getting up around 5:30 am. For the past few times, when Mama woke earlier than C, C wakes up, sits up in bed, and pats at Mama's pillow (pleading for Mama to come back to bed....). Of course, Mama knows that she can't go back to bed (although she would SERIOUSLY like to - 5:30 am is for the birds) & tells C that she has to go to work. Well, enough said. C wants to be w/ Mama during her morning preparation for work, meaning Ba has to get up when Mama leaves at 6:00 am (I think Ba's putting in his case for "Sainthood" - Saint Ba, I like the sound of that).

Of course, Mama thinks Ba is quite proud of C being a "creature of habit" and acquiring that "German sense of order..."

Each Monday, C goes to playgroup w/ his (and Mama's) friends from Charlotte Mommies (they rock!). He really enjoys going to his "playdates," especially w/ his "two girlfriends" K & M. All Mama has to say is, "C, do you want to go play w/ K & M?" and C nods & smiles enthusiastically.

With our alternating work schedules, we have really enjoyed being able to be with C & have fun watching his blossom. Last month, C was tested to determine if he had any delays. As we suspected, his only major delay was in his ability to speak. But, as the speech therapist told us, it's amazing how much his language has developed in a relatively short period of time. We've been home less than 3 months & C already speaks at the level of a 15-18 month old. In no time, he will catch up (and maybe surpass...he is one smart cookie).

In the past week, the weather became unseasonably mild. So, we've taken advantage of the warmth & introduced C to a local park. Although he enjoys sliding down the slides (some of which occur without Ba or Mama sliding down w/ him), C really, really, really likes playing in the sand (believe it or not, he gets DIRTY). On Saturday, C was having so much fun that he didn't want to leave & especially didn't want to have his diaper changed (well, that's his typical...but the diaper was seriously full - may have to change his nickname to the "Soggy Bottom Boy"). When we finally convinced him to leave, the family had dinner at our local Vietnamese restaurant (YUMMY!!!).

C received his second "official" haircut (Grandma had the honor of the "first"). Any amount of trim is considered a small victory in the "Hair War of 2008" that is developing. C does NOT like having his hair trimmed...especially around his ears. For Mama's minor victory, C was rewarded with a sucker (as seen below):


C also enjoys drawing and doodling on his new artboard. The board is pretty cool. There are magnetic letters & a clipboard for putting his drawing papers upon. He was so happy to play w/ his new board that he willingly permitted Mama to take his picture:

Grandma and Grandpa brought some of E's childhood toys with them during their last visit. Of all the toys they brought, E's "Batmobile" is by far one of C's favorites.

Finally, here's C at playgroup w/ one of his "girlfriends" M. Mama calls this picture, "WWF, playgroup style" (no children were harmed in the making of this photo...). Both C and M were little "giggleboxes"...

Well, that's it for now. Wednesday finds us making another trip to see Dr. D (and another vaccine...Mama is not going to score any brownie points). Thanks for dropping by!

The Perils of Poop

Mama's Log:

Lunch time saw the praises of poop. For the second time, the Di Man successfully navigated the intestinal highway and jettisoned his products into the potty (thanks "shoufun" - it's just the right size). So, naturally, Mama propels poop praises galore!

After lunch, the Di Man lays down for his afternoon recharge. Two hours later, Mama's "spidey sense" alarms (i.e., mewing cries from the crib caught before the onset of the full-volume, full-throttle, toddler sobs). Mama enters the room to see her little dude laying in the crib - half awake, half asleep. Yes, the Di Man cometh awake (partially).

Mama sensing the tiredness of the Di Man, asks if he wants up or to go back asleep. No answer...peculiar, very peculiar indeed (not the typical response one would expect from a toddler who is normally very opinionated and vocal in this department). Moments later...strange sounds awaken from South of the waistband border. Not once, twice, or three times...yes, count 'em, four flatus -- hmm, or is that flati -- (farts for you non-medical people).

All I can say is thank goodness I've dealt with worse in nursing (anyone who's taken care of patients w/ C. diff or GI bleeds will agree) and that the Di Man is still a toddler (smaller amounts). So, down to the mat we go. Full diaper but fortunately, no leakage.

Time warp - 2 1/2 hours and two diaper changes later... Another "gurgle in the gut" - by this time, Mama realizes Midwesterners have more time to react to horns sounding tornado warnings than she has in dealing with the Di Man's current lack of intestinal fortitude. But, third time was defintely not a chart...yep, the Di Man had "leakage" and after a massive cleanup on aisle two involving a complete change of clothing & sheet covering the changing mat, Mama discovered the Di Man had a low grade fever to boot.

So, let's just say Mama is NOT a pediatric nurse (I work in the "land of the giants"). Call placed to the pediatrician's office - time to speak w/ the triage nurse. Brain cells cleaning the cobwebs in the section of my subconscious that hosted the peds nursing class taken 10 1/2 years ago...BRAT diet?). Fortunately, appointment available 1st thing in the am w/ Dr. D. Even better, clear instructions on what to do (NO JUICE, NO FRUIT - keep him hydrated). Ba finally arrives home & the baton is passed on to the next shift (nice night for a meeting, eh?) after starting a load of dirty laundry.

So, after a few bites of crackers and some sips of milk for dinner with Ba, we later finds the Di Man asleep and Mama working to identify ways to ensure our favorite little dude avoids the villainous clutches of "Dehydration Man" (fortunately w/ only one additional episode tonight for Ba...isn't he lucky?) and Mama having an insomnia jag...

May the force be with our Little Dude! At least he gets to see Ba and Mama get "shots" from those mean ole' nurses tomorrow when we receive our final "travel vaccinations" (yes, ironic that we get our last series of injections after our overseas travel is complete, eh ).

Stay tuned for the continuing chronicles of Mama, Ba, and the Di Man (and blog entries that don't involve poop).

The Praises of Poop

Today was a momentous day in the Heberlig household: Colin went poopie in the potty (seriously, never in my life did I ever have this much discussion about gastrointestional patterns before becoming the parent of a toddler).

While getting a few extra, very precious moments of sleep this morning, "the boys" were sharing "first breakfast" time together. E noticed that Colin wasn't chowing down on his banana like he normally does. Colin apparently also started making his "poopy face." So, after realizing what was going on, E asked Colin if he'd like to go to the potty.

Fortunately, E and C arrive to the potty chair in the nick of time, after getting the jammies & diaper off (C was wearing his one-piece footie jammies). Thank goodness, since the Di Man had a huge BM (that would have probably leaked out of the diaper).

So, after "clean up on Aisle One," E brought Colin upstairs to tell me about the big event of the morning. Being quite a proud Mama, I made a big deal out of his achievement. Colin was too cute because he was so proud of himself (end result being a big hug to Mama from her favorite little dude).

Considering we haven't begun officially potty-training Colin, I consider this a major victory on the parenthood front! Guess all those times of never having time alone in the bathroom because Colin insisted on escorting us to the bathroom in VN and here at home are paying off.

In other news, today was a beautiful day in Charlotte (a very unseasonably warm day). So in the spirit of "Carpe Diem," we took Colin for a walk (umm...guess ride would a more accurate description since Colin wanted nothing to do with walking and everything to do with riding in his stroller) on the Greenway. Of note is Colin's continued fascination with animals (dogs) and airplanes, both of which he saw a lot of this afternoon. Every time Colin would see a dog (no matter how far away it was), he would try to reach out to pet the dog. A few times along the way, the owners of the dogs would mistake this for Colin waving to them. As they would pass and say "Hi," Colin would wait until they passed by (out of sight), then say "Bye."

Speaking of speaking (in the immortal words of Dirty Harry), Colin "made my day" earlier this week. I had to stop by the office to pick up some books. As I called E to let him know that I was coming home, Colin indicated that he wanted to have the phone (usually resulting in him listening and no talking...a 180 from his Mama's normal pattern). So, expecting the norm, I began talking to him. Lo and behold, he spoke (granted it was to say "Pat, Pat, Pat" when I asked if he and Ba watched "Little Einsteins" but words they were - for those of you unaware of the show, the characters say "pat" and pat their laps to help their rocketship blast off). He also said "Hooray" when I asked if he was happy.

Of course, we can't end this blog entry without the picture of the day! Hope you enjoy...

Holiday Hijinks in the Heberlig Household

Well, the holidays are over & we have some fun stories to tell. You'll find a special present of many pictures embedded within our first blog entry of 2008!

Colin, Ba, and Mama have survived our first Heberlig Holiday season! And let me tell you, the Di Man is mean, lean, package unwrapping machine. Our holiday hijinks began at the home of T's mother (code name "Mawmaw" to differentiate her from E's mom, code name "Grandma"). As you can tell from the picture below (taken at Mawmaw's house), Colin was quite enthralled with finding surprises inside the presents he received (better than a Cracker Jack box, believe you me).

One of the main surprises at Mawmaw's came about when we discovered that Colin may become a good ol' Southern boy after all. At dinner that evening, Colin chowed down on a heapin' pile of breaded fried okra (egad, don't even think Mama is going to fix these at home).


Instead of leaving on a jet plane, Ba, Mama, and Colin packed up T's car to the brim and ventured north. Our first stop was Laurel, MD, where we were able to meet Miri (Colin's best buddy from the VL orphanage who was adopted by the V's in July). OMG is she just too cute for words, or what? After taking a bit of time to bypass the "toddler syndrome" (and those of you who have or have had toddlers in your life know what I'm talking about), Colin and Miri had a fun time playing together (at least until Miri's two older brothers & friend decided to come upstairs and play...Colin and Miri wanted to play w/ the big boys).


Another car ride found us arriving to stay overnight w/ Uncle Joe and Aunt Helen. Although this picture was taken at home before our travels, Colin has quite diversified his dining experience. Anyone who has had the pleasure of eating Helen's cooking can certainly understand why Colin was not a fussy eater.

The next day, Colin had the opportunity to meet his Great-Grandmother. After a bit of toddler shyness, Colin turned on the charm & like the gentleman he is, took Great-Grandma for a ride.

We arrived to Grandpa and Grandma's house. As with our first meeting back at Thanksgiving, Grandpa was an instant hit w/ Colin. And, of course, Grandma's cooking was a hit, especially sweet potatoes (I have never seen a little guy put down that much food...whoa). One day during playtime, Grandma came across E's old hats, including his Mickey ears. Mama decided it would be fun to have Colin wear the hats...let's just say I was fortunate to snap this picture quickly enough before he decided to make a game of tipping his head forward to watch the hat fall off his head.

Christmas morning arrived and, oh the lessons one learns from experience (you know, that 20/20 hindsight thing). Colin had quite a few presents to open. Yes, he had fun ripping the paper but our little guy wanted to open each present and proceed to play with the toy or look at the book (note the look of excitement below upon seeing the doggie). Seeing we had to travel at lunch to visit the "Fay Clan," we hurried Colin to the next present, rather than allowing him time to enjoy each present. So, lesson learned...next Christmas he opens a few presents & we save the rest for other days...a good way to really celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas (without all the bird poop from those silly calling birds, French hens, turtle doves, etc.).

When we arrived at lunch, Mama decided to give Colin an opportunity to wear one of the Ao Dai's she purchased for him in VN. Ba would have rather had him wear the other outfit in this size but w/ cold weather abounding north of the Mason-Dixon line, long sleeves were in order. He had so much fun (after getting over another case of toddler shyness, of course). And, as usual, chowed down on Aunt Helen's delicious meal.

We ended the evening's festivities by gathering the clan together for a family photo (well, tried to anyway...apparently Uncle John had decided to go AWOL and be MIA during the action).

Colin finally was able to meet his Aunt Julie (and Baby Fox in-utero), Uncle Kevin, Cousin Ashley, & Tyson the dog. Ashley was too funny. When they were opening presents, Ashley looked at her mommy and said, "I need more presents." Ah, the wonderful nature of toddlers and American capitalism, all wrapped in one cute little package. Ashley also taught Colin how to say "cheese" and sport the mack daddy cheese grin.

As you can tell by the picture below, Uncle Kevin was also a big hit w/ Colin.

So, the holiday hijinks halted and the Heberligs found themselves safely at home (after what became a 12-hour drive in really yucky weather and a pit stop at a Cracker Barrel - laugh of the night came when Eric took Colin to see the fireplace in the restaurant. As he approached the flames and felt the heat, he put his hand to his forehead and said, "Phew."). Mind you, the story doesn't end there....but tonight's blog does!