Rookie Mommy (nearly) Ruins Son’s 1st Halloween

Washington DC – From a costume too small to a dead camera to a Rookie Mommy with possible cracked ribs to a teething toddler, one little boy’s 1st Halloween came eerily close to not happening.

The Rookie Mommy claims to have had good intentions when she and Rookie Daddy bought the super cute Tigger Halloween costume for their son…TWO MONTHS AGO…yet neither parent thought to do a test fit of the costume in the weeks or days leading up to Halloween. Genius that she is, Rookie Mommy waited until 4:30pm Halloween day to see how her son looked as Tigger and to try to snap a few quick photos before heading out for the evening. Imagine her surprise when she discovered those cute little Tigger pants had mysteriously turned into cargo shorts sometime between August & October. Shocked family members, friends and neighbors unanimously agree - - failure to consider the fact that CHILDREN GROW would only be made by rookie parents. Specifically, these rookie parents!

Oh, and those photos Rookie Mommy wanted to display proudly for years to come? Sadly, it’s impossible to take photos with a digital camera if the AA batteries are dead, and you have none to replace them. Rookie Mommy went so far as to take batteries out of every remote, phone and child’s toy in the house to no avail. None of the batteries had enough juice to document the Cargo Shorts Tigger outfit. According to Rookie Mommy, she was able to redeem herself, however, when she remembered the camcorder took still photos. The camcorder battery was also virtually lifeless, but held up well enough to take 7 photos before dying along side the pile of AA batteries sitting on their front walkway.

Rookie Mommy tried to justify both lapses in judgment by stating that Halloween wasn’t as important for her son this year since he is too young to eat candy (what??!!), that he may have been scared by some of the older kids’ costumes, and that he wouldn’t have been up to going to more than a handful of houses. She also cited the 4 new teefers trying to poke through as a major cause for her son’s grumpiness and his desire not to participate in Halloween festivities. That's it...blame the kid!!

Not wanting her son to spend his first Halloween with absolutely nothing to do, Rookie Mommy decided a trip to the Fredericksburg Family Fall Festival was in order, rather than Trick or Treating. While her son enjoyed his trip to the fairgrounds, Rookie Mommy had to cut the evening short when her possible cracked ribs started acting. The fairgrounds were extremely crowded, and not more than 5 feet from the main gate entrance, Rookie Mommy started feeling like a human bumper car from all the people running into her and poking her already pain inflicted ribs.

The following bootleg photos document this family’s attempt to capture their son’s 1st Halloween. Here’s hoping next year goes much better!

Apparently, I like change

I didn't know this about myself until the wonderful world of blogging introduced me to digital scrapbooking, and now I am hooked. Norm thinks I'm addicted and is threatening an intervention. I say I'm just releasing my inner creative talent, and it's either digital scrapbooking (free!!) OR a trip to Michael's (expensive craft store with really expensive paper scrapbooking supplies). Digital scrapbooking it is! :-)

So, if the trend continues you may very well see a new header each month. I just ask that you bare with me through my new found creative phase. Well...I call it creative...feel free to call it what you want!

Also, let me know if the font color hurts your eyes. I'm not so sure I like it and I certainly don't want anyone leaving my blog with a headache or googly eyed!

Oh, and yes I do plan on updating Ilya's fans on his first Halloween. Stay tuned!

Ilya can't drive 55!

My office held a shower for Ilya today & boy did he hit the jackpot!! We have a Gymboree gift certificate and lots of new books, puzzles and toys to play with. One toy required assembly (always fun!) and here I have proof that Norm actually reads instructions. It's important to get the sticker placement correct after all!

Ilya was so excited to get to his new toys, he decided to show off his escape artist skills!

(Note - he was in here to keep him away from the screwdrivers, which he showed just a little too much interest in!)

As you can tell, the new car is a huge hit. We may have a future NASCAR driver on our hands!

I just had to share these photos. I love the look on Ilya's face as he drives around the basement! Enjoy the rest of your evening.

Kar

365 / 194

Huh! Who'da thunk it?

365 days & 194 posts later, I still have readers! Some old, some new, some borrowed from other blogs, some wandered here aimlessly and were immediately captivated by my obvious intelligence, wit and charm. (Remember people, this is my blog and my story. I'll write it as I wish no matter how delusional!) ;-)

Regardless of how you got here, you've stuck with me through the blood, sweat and tears of international adoption. Now you can laugh (and sometimes cry) with me as I expose myself and my mistakes as a rookie mommy.

So 365 days ago, I spent my evening writing this as my very first post. Tonight, I spent the evening cooking dinner for my son and husband, (YES I COOKED - and more importantly we survived!!). Then, the 3 of us cuddled up together to watch tv. Ilya was tucked in between us, with his 2 left middle fingers stuffed into his mouth and his right hand tightly grasping mine. His little eyes would go from Norm's face to my own, and just smile that great big ol' smile. It is so obvious he feels safe and loved and wanted.

For all the waiting families, know that you too will soon have a little one cuddled up and feeling safe and loved and wanted. And you will know a joy like none other! Oh, and Ilya agrees!

Celebrity Sightings in VA

You'll never guess who we met and actually got to spend time with today! Go ahead and give it a shot. I have a few minutes to spare while you think...

tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock

Give up already? Okay, I'll free you from the suspense!

We met Rachel, Troy & Daniel and Meghan, Bill & Nick at the Virginia Discovery Museum in Charlottesville and had a blast! I considered asking for their autographs but settled for a group photo instead.

For those of you who don't know Rachel, Troy, Meghan & Bill, they used the same agency to adopt their boys but it is not the agency we used. I've been following Rachel & Troy's blog for awhile and recently found Meghan & Bill's.

It took us close to 2 hrs to get to Charlottesville and even though it was raining, the drive was beautiful. It's been awhile since I've driven through this part of Virginia and I was just mesmerized by the scenery. Ilya was impressed too, as you can tell:

We had originally planned on taking our 3 boys to Round Hill Farm for some fun with pumpking and hayrides, but the weather dictated otherwise. Oh well, we still had a great time.

Our little Blog Union today was definitely worth the change in plans, the weather, and the ride. Rachel & Meghan, it was great meeting you, your husband's and your precious little boys. We must do it again sometime!

Here's a little slideshow of the day's activities. Didn't get many good shots because these boys are FAST!! And, much to my dismay, not the least bit interested in cameras...

Make a Smilebox postcard

Mailbox Visit

Interntaional adoption makes people do some whacky things. Some I've admitted to on this blog, and some will remain a secret forever! hehehe! Here's one thing I never shared with you:

I am guilty of stalking my mailwoman on this day one year ago. Why? I knew our acceptance letter for our wonderful and amazing agency, CSS, was due to arrive. I had to see in writing that we had the first of M.A.N.Y. approvals we would need throughout our adoption journey.

I'm not sure why I was stalking the mailwoman because I already knew we had been accepted. "C" in the Asheville office had assured me the day before that the letter was on it's way and that yes, it did say we were officially part of the CSS family. Still, though, I needed to see it in writing. When Ms. Mailwoman finally did make it to our mailbox I'm sure she thought I was a crazy person. I can't say for sure but it's possible I was drooling from anticipation as she handed me the stack of mail. All I do know is that she beat it outta there pretty darn quickly.

Little did she or I know that that wouldn't be my last mailbox stalking episode! I spent many days from November 07-April 08 just hanging out by my mailbox waiting for whatever piece of paper we needed, but it all officially started on October 23, 2007! Wow, has it really been a year?

Look Who's 19

...months, that is! Our little boy is getting so big so quickly. It's kinda sad in some ways but his personality is emerging more and more each day, and it's a lot fun to peel away the layers of this little guy! He keeps us laughing with his antics, he's such an inquisitive little fellow, he's about the best diet & exercise plan ever, and he's so smart and so very loving. Just when I think my "Ilya love tank" is at full capacity/overflowing and that there is absolutely no way I can love him more than I already do, he does something that absolutely captures my heart and makes me fall in love with him all over and 10,000 times harder than ever.

He has made me realize that the only thing better than RECEIVING a mother's love is GIVING it. What a priviledge and honor it is to be Ilya's parents. We love you Cubby! Happy 19 months!

Ilya gets a slightly different view!