In some ways it doesn't seem possible that Ilya's already been in our care for a month, and in others I can't remember our pre-Ilya lives. He has adjusted so well - better than we could have ever imagined or hoped for - and we continue to be amazed by everything he does and what a little trooper he is.
Also, this past Saturday we held a Baby Shower/Meet Ilya party at our house. My sister and her kids flew up from Florida on Friday and we had a wonderful weekend with them. Ilya blessed so many family members and friends with his antics at the party! I think we had about 30 people here. He did not sleep well Friday night and woke the house up at 4am. He refused his morning nap and when guests started arriving at noon, we thought for sure we'd be in for an afternoon of fussy toddler. He surprised all of us by not only being happy, but very charming, funny and of course cute as all get out! He had no interest in an afternoon nap either (no surprise there). So, Little Man went full force all the way from 4am - 7:30pm when he finally crashed. Here are a few photos from the party. There are way more photos than this which I'll share later this week.
He slept straight through Saturday night and was even happy enough to make his first trip to DC on Sunday with mommy, daddy, Auntie Robyn and cousins R & J. I don't think he was all that impressed with DC's monuments but he tolerated walking around for hours very well. On the way home, he utilized our time in the notorious DC traffic very well...he caught up on some much needed Z's!
He has totally figured out our dogs, which is pretty funny to watch. Bandit is the big guy (133 lbs) but he is truly a gentle giant and is absolutely wonderful with Ilya. He's so large that Ilya can walk under Bandit's stomach and neither would be the wiser. Anyway, since he is so gentle and tolerant, Ilya has realized he can just push Bandit's tushie out of the way when it gets in the way, and then go on about his busy toddler exploring.
Bailey, on the other hand, takes a bit more negotiating to get around. As is true for most Labs, Bay just wants to lick Ilya incessantly. Sometimes he can tolerate it and others not so much. During the "not so much" times, Ilya goes waaaaaaaaaaaay out of his way to walk around her. The funny thing is that he gets upset when the dogs don't hang out at his high chair when he eats. He likes to reach out & pet them both and if they're not around, his little head whips from side to side searching for them.
We have a pretty large stuffed tiger and use it to teach Ilya how to pet nicely, how to avoid poking eyes and pulling ears & tails. I think this has really helped because he pets both dogs very nicely now and only occasionally do we have to tell him to go easy. Bay & Bandit thanked us for our efforts! :-)
When we first arrived home, Ilya would only walk holding on to our fingers. Now he's all over the place on his own. He can climb stairs (supervised of course) and has learned the layout of our house. He knows where daddy's office is, where our bedroom is, that he's supposed to avoid the laundry room b/c that's where the cat litter boxes are and I REFUSE to have him rummaging through those!! Blech! He knows that the only time we go upstairs is when it's time for him to go to sleep so he usually doesn't protest bedtime, and he knows where all the treasures in the basement rooms are as well. He knows where his food is kept and knows what cabinet has his bowls in it. If we open the bowl cabinet, he knows it time to eat & starts "ooo-ooing" to us. It's very cute!
He's still teething but thankfully so far it hasn't made him all that grumpy. He blows kisses to us, pats our backs when we hold or carry him, and he also kisses our cheeks and/or mouths. He gives us high 5's, and waves hello & bye. He continues to mimick us and is constantly learning new tricks each day.
This might sound silly, but one of the things I find the most endearing is when he grabs onto my legs or pants to be lifted up. I really, really like this. I think it means so much to me because he made the choice to search me out and be held. He'll come from a totally different room, grab on to my legs/pants, look up with the biggest smile ever and give me his little arms to pick him up. I love this! I mean, he could have gone anywhere he wanted to, and he comes to me. It just makes my heart melt! Do any other parents feel this way or am I just goofy?
Gosh, there's so much more Ilya-isms to share with everyone but I'll hold you in suspense for now. I want to pass along other good news as well.
This blog is meant not to only celebrate the happenings on my & Norm's path to parenthood, but to celebrate with other adoptive families as well. Our agency has a lot of families traveling for various reasons, all of whom have offered us support and encouragement so let's celebrate with them!
Traveling for Court Dates:
Smather's Family (successful court YESTERDAY in Kaluga Region. yay!)
Becky & Keith (court date THIS FRIDAY! Moscow Region)*
Lea & John (court date THIS FRIDAY! Moscow Region)*
The Harrison's (court date June 30 in St. Petersburg)
Carol & Lance (court date of July 11 in St. Petersburg)
*We had the pleasure of spending lots of time with Becky & Keith during our 21 day stay in Moscow. We also were thrilled to have Lea & John join us for dinner one night during our 2nd trip*
Traveling for Trip 1:
The Kellman's (traveling July 5th)
The Settle's (traveling July 5th)
Just Returning from Trip 1 & waiting for Court Date:
The Robson's
Hopefully I haven't left anyone off this list. If I did, I am so very sorry! I invite anyone reading this to lift these families up in prayer for safe travels, successful court dates, wonderful experiences meeting their children for the first time, and speedy issuance of court dates. Our agency's families have become family members to us, and we are so blessed to be able to celebrate these momentous occasions with each of them. Good luck everyone! Can't wait to stalk your blogs for details! Feel free to stalk mine to read about more Ilya's life at home.
Paka!
2 comments:
I really like the blocks on the fireplace. They look like they are baskets. Great idea.
I have felt the same why when my nieces and nephews have done this in the past and I know it will mean even more when it's my child. You're not goofy. You're a mommy.
It looks like you had an awesome party! Isn't it great that one of the biggest "toys" are the paper gift bags the gifts come in? :-) Thanks for the shout out and we were SO happy to spend so much time with you guys on our first trip - you don't know how much we miss you on this trip! I was just telling Dinia yesterday how much you miss Moscow. Maybe the next time we do this (tell Norm not to pass out yet - I just picked Keith up off the floor) we will be here at the same time! :-) Congrats on your big shower and all of the success you've had with Ilya. Sounds like he really loves his mommy and daddy!
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