Home 3 Months!

Today is Ilya's 3rd month home anniversary! It's hard to believe time has flown by so quickly, and yet it seems like Ilya has always been our son. If you believe as I do that God has a master plan, I guess that means Ilya HAS always been our son, it just took this amazing journey for us to find each other.

Here's Ilya eating his breakfast this morning - Cheerios & pineapples:

Yesterday we went to the BEST.STORE.EVER - - REI - - and we told Ilya to pick out anything he wanted to celebrate his homecoming. This is what he chose:

If you weren't able to tell from our 13th anniversary slideshow, we are definitely the outdoorsy type. Ilya loves his new Kelty Kids Carrier which is great, because we really want to introduce him to the outdoors as early as possible. We really like the backpack carrier because there is a sun/rain shield attachment to keep baby out of the elements. This photo was taken in our driveway and we can't wait to hit the trail with Ilya.

The Kelty can be adjusted for use by mom or dad. Or so say the reviews. So after Norm carried Ilya in it through the store for a bit and decided it was comfy enough for him, he took it off so we could adjust it to the smallest settings for me. I set off to trek around the store for a bit and quickly realized it was not working for me. With each step I took, I felt like the backpack & Ilya were dragging me 3 steps backwards. I was very unsteady and knew there was no way I'd be able to walk uphill with the settings as they were. It wasn't that it was too heavy, just that the weight wasn't proprotioned on me correctly. I tried to find Norm to help me take the backpack/Ilya off so we could see if there were any smaller settings that we overlooked. Of course, I couldn't find Norm anywhere and I started feeling a little dizzy because of the strain on my neck & shoulders. I ran into a sales associate (literally!) & asked if he could help me with the adjustments. He pulled a strap here, yanked a few there, and this went on for a few minutes. He finally stepped back & said "Okay, can you tell a difference now?" and when I took a step, nothing felt different at all. I told him that and he said he wasn't surprised because the settings were already as small as they go. Then he gave me the best advice anyone has ever given me. He told me to go home, grow a few inches and gain some weight overnight & that it should fit me the next time I came in. (I'm 5'2" and and back to my pre-adoption weight of less than 110). I told him I'd get right to work on that as soon as we left! Then Mr. Wiseguy said something about Kelty not thinking someone a child's size would be carrying another child. Haha - very funny! He was kidding around and very nice, so I didn't get offended. Anyway, when we go hiking Norm will be tasked with carrying Ilya and all the baby gear and I'll get stuck toting around the grown up stuff in my pack.

We also bought Ilya his first pair of Baby Merrell's, which are absolutely adorable! These little hiking shoes will be great for him to wear as he explores the great ourdoors with us. If you vist that link, NO WE DID NOT pay $50 for his shoes! We're not that crazy!

Oh, and I found the most comfy indoor/outdoor Acorn slippers (also great for camping). They were normally $50, on sale for $5.83, and then on Clearance for $2.00. SCORE!!

We are seriously addicted to REI and couldn't help but to go back today. This time we bought Ilya this toddler's chair to use when camping, which he also loves!

Tomorrow - Labor Day - is supposed to be beautiful here in Virginia, so we're planning on taking Ilya on his first true hike and LNT lesson (Leave No Trace). Wahoo!

Happy 3 months home Ilya! Mommy & Daddy love you so very much! We are so blessed, so honored, to be your parents.