two!

The greatest ideas are the ones you snatch from others. Amy over at cupcake and the caseys wrote about how she woke her daughter up with lovely scented bubbles on her birthday. I decided on giant punch balloons for Oliver.

He loves the balloons but can't figure out how to hold them and eat warm delicious blueberry muffins at the same time.

Presents in the mail! Thank Kiley

We didn't have birthday cake or ice cream tonight, we are going to have a little party on Sunday. However, since Oliver has never had a birthday and has only attended two birthday parties, we had better practice the candle blowing. We practiced with the blueberry muffins.

Thursday our families fly in. My mom from California and Jim's dad and step mom from Massachusetts. Sunday Oliver will be baptized (lucky for the congregation he is no longer terrified of H20), then back to our house for snack, fun and cupcakes.

to birth family search, or not?

I grew up not knowing my father. Not because I was adopted and moved half way around the world, but rather because my mother and father divorced (age 2 months) and that was that. I asked a few times, but my requests were brushed off. I think I was too accepting as a child. I've seen one photo. My father died when I was 21.
My story makes me sensitive to Oliver's story. I know what it's like to question. This is what makes me consider doing a birth parent search for him. Just to have a photo of the person you look like, or a photo of you as an itty bitty. To be able to know something about your medical history. Since Russia is a popular country among us adopters this search process seems to be well set up and seems to run pretty smoothly.
My questions are...
-Did you search for your child's parents/family members? Why? Why Not?
-Was the information you received worth it? Are you happy you searched?
-Who did you use? I've read lots about Mary...
-Anything else you want to add would be great!

Feel free to email me if you don't want to share in a blog comment. trisha.tylick@gmail.com

Thanks!

flower advice needed

This is our third home, and the second one with a yard. Our yard here is awesome. Not really kid playing awesome more like trees and flowers awesome.

We have three huge peony bushes. Luckily I saved these before today's driving rain, wind, and tornado warning.

Also inherited over 20 rosebushes, which bloom all season. Bragging? Yes!

Let's focus on the rose garden in the front yard.

Lovely right? Okay, then there are these. These evil irises.

Well they aren't really that evil, but they just don't look very nice. Even at their peek bloom they were not that pretty. They are a bland like purpleish color and only last for a week or so. I think they take away from the lovely of the rest of the garden. Beside that there are hundreds (no exaggerating)of them in other places around the yard. (back yard, side yard, front yard, everywhere!)

Let's vote.
A. They are awesome. Just trim off the dead blooms, admire the green leaves from now until mid September when you are finally allowed to cut them down for the winter. Repeat for whatever number of year you live at that house.
B. Keep them until September, then dig them up and give them away to someone who thinks they aren't evil mass producing flowers.
C. Dig them up now! Add a new rose bush in the empty spot, re mulch, enjoy.


P.S. I got a little post happy today so be sure to scroll down.

first birthday presents

Oliver's birthday is just around the corner (May 31st). Though he is turning two, this will be his first birthday with a party, cake, presents, and a family that thinks he is pretty much the bee's knees. The other day he received his first birthday present in the mail, thanks grammie and grandpa.

I didn't even ask him to hold it up.

He neeeeeeded to try the shorts on right away.

Books, always good. Books with animal pictures, yes please!

gone!

Your advice was heard, and together we managed to convince Jim that tree removal was necessary, thank you! However, he did try arguing that I only took photos of the tree from bad angles (half dead, blocking the window), hey can you find a better angle? No, okay, let's cut it.

We cut it down awhile ago, but haven't shared any photos yet. Though the tree is down I still have not filled the new space with flowers, will it ever stop raining?

Someone needs to supervise.

New dining room curtains, and a view of actual living trees.

chop chop

"So what are we doing today," asks the stylist.
"Either a little trim, or chop the whole thing off"

before

a 15 inch pony tail

an 18 inch trim

The best part, there was a woman getting her hair cut at the station behind me, I got to watch her jaw drop as Nick hacked off my tail.

dolls and turtles

Little blurbs

I always wanted an American Girl doll. I always wanted Samantha, she was the most popular when I was a kid and I neeeeded her. But those are expensive dolls. I played barbies instead. Oliver doesn't need Samantha, but I do think he needs a doll. He loves to snuggle stuffed animals and I think he would love a baby. Finding a baby doll for a boy at say target is difficult...off to ebay. The American Girl Doll Store makes twins, a boy girl set. Lots of folks on ebay sell them separate and they are so cute. Currently bidding on a little blondie. Does your son enjoy playing with babies or dolls?
---
I need a to get my hair trimmed. The place I want to try is closed on Sunday/Monday which are the only days Jim has off. Jim's on vacation next week, so I'm off for a haircut. I call the place and set up an appointment the receptionist says "Nick will be a good fit for you" Okay. All I said was I need a trim, Nick must be the master of trims. I go to the website because they have bios. Nick's says "you can never be too blonde, you can never be too tan" It also mentions that he is a west coaster. Yes, well then there is me...almost the whitest white with almost black hair, and a New Englander through and through. Just a trim please.
---
This morning we went out to trim some flowers and found a turtle in our front yard.

---
Have you ever been to this site? It's a bit confusing to me as there are many many parts to it, but after clicking away I found this particularly inspiring post. Let's be clear I have no plans of home schooling, but I am my child's first teacher and I've got a bunch of teaching supplies, so why not make the most of it (I only work part time). I haven't done any really structured activities with Oliver yet, besides puzzles and flash cards during potty time and the occasional finger painting and play dough rolling. I've got a long road ahead of me as Oliver still thinks crayons are a snack. Here we go! Any particular sites that inspire you when working with your two year old?
---
Checking out a 24 hour gym tomorrow. It's only a mile and a half from the house, greatly increasing my chance of actually getting there and I can go after Oliver is asleep and Jim is actually home. After all the doctor that did my physical for the adoption did say I need to loose 4-6 pounds a month, he didn't specify the amount of months. I think I was told that in October. Guess that means I should have lost between 28 to 42 pounds so far. HA 42 pounds ago I was in middle school!

doctor visit

On Tuesday Oliver had his third visit to the IA (international adoption) doctor. The first visit was a little crazy, all the measurements, general poking, a TB test, and a blood draw that would make me pass out. The second visit was to look at the positive TB test, followed by a chest x-ray to confirm that he did not have an active form. That positive TB mark stuck around on his arm for over a month!

This visit was much simpler, though Oliver still found it necessary to scream and cry upon request to stand on the scale and lay on the measuring table. Oh well, sometimes those people come with needles and scariness, better cry just in case.

Since his visit at the end of February he has grown upward a respectable 2 inches and outward 2 pounds. Moving him into the 10th percentile for height and the 25th percentile for weight. His little head also slightly increased in size, must be all that letter practice. Need more room to store all that information.

Next we waited in the exam room for the doctor. We are lucky enough to be the first appointment, making that wait very short. The main reason the doctor wants to see us every two months is to check his growth and also to make sure he is not having any side effects to the TB medication.
"Diarrhea?" -No
"Stomach Pain" -Um he hasn't mentioned anything about that
"Jaundice?" -No, does not seem tan/orange to me
He went on to ask a bit about Oliver's sleeping and eating habits, asked if I had any questions, and called it good.

I finally asked for a number for a primary care physician, because I guess it's time to get a regular pediatrician and not just an IA doctor. I assume that at some point he will get sick, or need more shots. This particular pediatrician has an interest in international adoption, so I'm hoping she will be able to understand Oliver a bit better. Plus with our insurance the only thing that is "free" are well people appointments, so let's go get checked! Everything else we have to pay 100% of, I'm ready for that health care reform to kick in.

Anyway, congratulations to Oliver. Way to gain weight, inches, head size, and overall awesomeness. Keep it up.

grow baby grow smoothie

You know that food you just love, you could eat it and eat it? It reminds you of simple times and seems to warm you all over. For me it's a tie between vanilla ice cream and mashed potatoes. Just good, plain, and delicious. For Oliver it's baby food. He loves baby food. I assume it's because he ate a lot of pureed food for most of his life. It can be shoveled in quickly, it does not require chewing, and it can be pretty tasty.

Well eating baby food at age almost two isn't really acceptable. Plus 60 calories (or less) for a jar of sweet potatoes isn't going to make you look more like a two year old and less like a 16 month old. So I've quit purchasing it. P.S. When I was giving him baby food it was only mixed in with is oatmeal for breakfast.

So forget the baby food. Oliver has moved on to his grow baby grow smoothie. He likes helping make it, loves drinking it, and it has more calories. He usually has one glass of it a day and I mix a little in his oatmeal to help cool it down.

-fresh or frozen fruit (we use some combination of bananas, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, mango, and strawberries)
-whole milk yogurt
-whole milk or heavy cream

When I'm feeling especially evil and devious I add spinach.

We put it all in the food processor and after a few seconds of spinning it's ready. I thought all those berries would make it too "seedy" for him and I would need to put it through a strainer, but he does not seem to care.

Sometimes it's just so good you have to stay on the counter to drink it.

\

evenings

Jim usually arrives home between 6:00-6:30 after leaving for work at something like 5:00am. I really don't know when he goes to work could even be before that, all I know is it's a time that Oliver and I are still fast a sleep. Oliver goes to bed between 7:30-8:00. Basically, that's not much daddy time.
When Oliver and I hear the garage door open I send him out to play with Jim. Ride his bike, bubbles, baseball, general running around the hard, etc. The other day they were out attempting baseball during "sweet light" time, the best time for photos. However, Oliver is a squirmy moving subject so I went back in to finish cooking with only a few okay shots.

After playing it's dinner time, clean up, walk down the street and back, bath or shower, reading, sleeping.

koala shirt

Here is a photo to go with the story.

little girl

I love talking adoption. Listening to stories from other people, sharing ours, and encouraging others to adopt. But sometimes I just want to have fun with Oliver at his gym class.

other mom "how old is she?"
me "(note so self, kola shirt is too girlie) he is 23 months"
other mom "wow he is so small, I thought for sure he was younger than my 18 month old."
me..nothing
other mom "why is he so small?"
me "not sure, delay from being in an orphanage for most of his life, maybe his bio parents are small"
other mom "he is adopted?" "that's so nice of you"
me "yeah he is adopted"
end scene when Oliver finally decided that we could play elsewhere

Surly this is just the beginning, but I'd like Oliver's identity to not always be based on his adoption. He is a smart, strong, and happy boy that just happened taking a bit longer getting home. Obviously this conversation does not bother Oliver he was busy trying to take the giant 18 month old's pacifier, it might just be me that is overly sensitive.

Oliver was quite pleased that today's gymnastics practice involved hanging from a trapeze type bar. Most of the other kids like to play all around the gym doing various fun things like slides, jumping in the ball pit, playing basketball, or just general running. Oliver likes to follow the teachers to see what they are setting up. As soon a the trapeze bar was up he was there waiting in the arms up ready position. She lifts him and he hangs and swings with a big grin on his face. I have a matching grin, because I really am so proud of him and so happy that his makes him joyful. He proceeds to lift his feet above his head and place them on the bar as well. He is small, but he is really strong. I pry him off to give the other kids a turn and convince him that the other gymnastics station, balance beam, is just as fun as hanging...which it isn't. A couple minutes later all the others have had a turn and Oliver goes back to hang until it's time to put the bar away.
The "other mom" from the above conversation asks how I taught him to hang. He's Russian, I say, they come programmed to be gymnasts. No I don't say that. I say he likes to use the zip line at the park and the longer you hold on the longer the ride!

P.S. Oliver was wearing red sweatpants and a white and grey koala onsie (the koalas were hanging on to their trees, he wore it to inspire strong arms and good hanging) and was called a girl three times today. Apparently boys can only wear solids, stripes, and plaid. Last time he wore a tiger shirt and was also called a girl. I've got so much to learn... In my defense, these articles of clothing were purchased the boys section of Old Navy.