Mommy needs a nap

Badly!

Ilya turned 23 months today & all night last night I was worried he would wake up acting more like a 24 month old than a 23 month old, but thankfully that didn't happen! Yay Ilya!

We celebrated by taking him to our local Little Gym for his first gymnastics class and he LOVED it! Loved it, loved it, loved it! Mommy & daddy seriously need a nap now, but Cubby had an absolute blast. His age group is appropriately named "The Beasts" and all of the kids were so stinking cute! The teacher told us not to be surprised if he was scared of the equipment, etc., since this was his first time in class but we did NOT have to worry about that at all. It took him all of 5 minutes to get comfortable with the environment & other kids but after that, he was GONE and exploring, tumbling and climbing like crazy. I did my best to get some pictures but he was a streak in almost every photo. Here are a few where you can actually tell what he's doing, and not wonder if my camera was malfunctioning:

At the end of class, all the kids lined up to get stamps on their hands & feet:

Since it was obvious he had such a good time, we decided to enroll him for the current semester which runs through June. So, for the next 4 months, every Saturday morning at 8:45 Ilya will be having the time of his life and me & Norm will be doing our best to keep up with him. Please pray for us because we didn't realize until today how old we really are!

After a much needed nap, Ilya spent the rest of his day eating, coloring, eating, dancing, eating, running, eating and eating some more.

Eating oranges with daddy:

This is how Ilya says "Please!"

And "Thank you!"

Throwing away his paper towel & orange peels:

"Hey Babe! Can I hit ya back?"

Happy 23 months Cubby!! We love you so much!

Ilya x 1000

I'll be the first to admit that Ilya has his "toddler moments" from time to time. Thankfully they seem to be few and far between. The rule in our house is that when those rare toddler moments do happen, they end with a make up hug and kiss from Ilya to both mommy & daddy. We want him to know that no matter what he does, how he acts, etc., we will always be there to tell him we love him and to hold him close. I think this is working because we used to have to tell Ilya to give us a hug and kiss once his evil twin went back into hiding. Now he seeks us out to "apologize" and to give/receive hugs and kisses. Then he signs "Love You" to us and all is forgotten.

That's actually not the topic of tonight's post. I just wanted to put it out there that 99% of the time Ilya is a delightful little boy...both in his behavior/personality and his outlook on life.

Which brings me to the title of this entry: Ilya x 1000. If you have met my son in real life, you know that prior to last week's surgery he seemed to be a very happy, loving, well adjusted kiddo who found joy in nearly everything he encountered. If you only know Cubby through this blog, you may have reached the same conclusion through my posts and pictures. At least I hope that is the picture I painted of my son! Words sometimes don't seem to do him justice.

Anyhoooooo, take all of that and multiply it by 1000, and you get what we're referring to as our "Post-Op Ilya." I don't know if that makes sense to anyone besides me, Norm, Bay & Bandit but let me just say WOW!!!!! What a difference, not that Norm & I thought a difference was necessary. I guess he was in more discomfort than we knew or he let on to because he is definitely finding absolute joy and pleasure in EVERYTHING! Like I said earlier, we thought he found joy in everything before, but there is a whole new level of joy now that we had no idea even existed.

That 24/7 permagrin now stretches wider than ever and we're thinking of petitioning for more hours in the day because his smile definitely lasts more than 24 hrs.

He's talking up a storm, he's exploring more than ever.

He's laughing, babbling, singing, dancing, running, stomping, coloring, and spinning his way through life.

He is the epitomy of happy, confident, loving, fun, funny, secure, content. Actually, let me rephrase that. Our little family unit is the epitomy of happy, confident, loving, fun, funny, secure and content. We are: Ilya x 1000!! And we are so very, very blessed.

Surgery Update

With all of the bad....stuff...I see every day working in our Prosecutor's office, it warms my heart when I come home and a blogger friend - a stranger really - has emailed me and asked how my little boy is doing. Or tells me they have been stalking my blog hoping for an update on his surgery last Thursday. THANK YOU everyone! And please forgive me for not updating before now. It has been an insanely crazy busy week. On to what you've been waiting for.

Originally, the surgery was scheduled for 10am, which as you may remember had me concerned because of the whole fasting thing. Well, the hospital was kind enough to reschedule it to 8am which was both good and bad. Good since Cubby wouldn't have to fast as long, but bad because we had to leave our house at 5am in order to get to the hospital by 7am. Ugh...

I don't recall which I was dreading more - - getting myself up that early, or getting Ilya up. Neither was going to be pleasant. As it turns out though, I didn't sleep that night anyway (anesthesia scares me because I have had real issues with it in the past). Waking Ilya up was a breeze so armed with my travel mug of coffee, we headed out the door expecting Ilya to sleep on the way to the hospital. I don't think his eyes blinked even once, much less closed to go to sleep. The boy didn't catch any additional Z's, trust me!! He laughed and giggled and babbled and sang the entire drive. So cute!

Of course, I stuffed my camera into our bag when we left the house so I was able to catch a few photos as we waited. Here's Ilya after the first sedative they gave him. I'm sure he was seeing 6 or more of everything in the room! Oh, and check out the super cute yellow socks! For some reason, those socks brought little tears to my eyes each time I looked at him. Maybe because they were so huge on him and reminded me just how little and innocent he really is. So precious...

Patrick, Norm's boss and Ilya's doctor, snapped this photo in the recovery room before Norm & I were allowed back. Poor boy.

And on the way home, he's still feeling the effects of his drugs...

But later that night he's back to normal and decided to read a book to Bandit Boy!

He's doing GREAT since the surgery, and we can definitely tell a difference in how he's feeling. I'll explain that tomorrow. I just wanted to let you know how well he is doing and how much we all appreciate your thoughts, prayers and support! Thanks again!

Before I forget...**REVISED (and note to Anyom)

**REVISED: Thank you, Anononymous, for your comment and your concern over Ilya's surgery on Thursday. Please know that I am not offended at all by the note you left and I truly value each person's comments here. However, the surgery is actually for Ilya's ears as he has had significant (and painful) issues with them since coming home. We are very blessed that my husband's boss, a very well respected Otolaryngologist in the DC area, is performing Ilya's surgery so we trust he will be in wonderful hands. Anyway, I want you to know that I whatever viewpoint any reader has, whether it is in line with mine or not, is welcome here. Thanks again!!!**

Ilya is having surgery next Thursday, February 12. I suppose it's relatively minor but scary nonetheless. Please keep him, the doctors and hospital staff in your prayers. Oh, and mommy and daddy too! We have to be at the hospital at 8am, but with the infamous DC traffic we'll need to leave our house around 6am (or earlier) in order to get there in time. Did I mention that Ilya will be fasting, and his surgery isn't scheduled until 10am?? Uh, whose brilliant idea was that?

Bailey says "tttthhhhhpppptttt!!!!" to the whole thing!

Thanks, everyone!
Kar

Run in with the law

Hey folks - Ilya here. Tonight I found mommy's VERY fashionable, ultra cool, circa 1999, purple sunglasses!! There aren't a whole lot of people who can pull off this fashion statement without looking absolutely ridiculous. I'm sure you'll agree though, they are soooooo me!!

Oh, and be sure to take a close look at the framed photo behind me. Mommy & Daddy took that during their first trip to Moscow in March 08. I was definitely a cutie back then, but don't I look so much happier & more confident now?

Oops - - gotta go! Mommy told me the fashion police are on the way! I'm outta here!

Lemonade!

Blog award: LEMONADE

Way back on January 14, Tammy awarded me the Lemonade award. Thank you, Tammy!!

After the heartbreak of losing one referral, and making an extremely difficult decision in regards to their second referral, Tammy welcomed a precious little boy, Nick, into her family in December. Nick was adopted from an orphanage in Kemerovo, Russia, and has thrived since being home.

The rules for the Lemondate Award are:
This award is meant for people who are positive, show gratitude, and of course: make lemons out of lemonade! The rules for this award are that you post the graphic for it, write a post that links back to the giver, and then pass it on to up to ten others. Leave a comment on the blogs that get the award, so they know what's happened.

There's a chance that my nominees have already been given this award since it took me so long to thank Tammy for it. Regardless, I'm going to pass the award on to - -

Becky - who ALWAYS makes me laugh...always! Check out her blog & you'll see why

Beth - who I want to congratulate on being able to add Apple Pie to her Vodka & Caviar. Beth offered me a tremendous amount of support during our adoption journey & I am forever grateful.

Dana - who I LOVED spending so much time with in Moscow in May. Her little boy, Kaden, is absolutely precious!

Ondrea - like Becky, Ondrea is just a hoot. Gotta love the way she keeps it real with each & every post!

x3

Woo-hoo! I've been tagged - not once, not twice, but three times! I'm just a huge slacker and this is the first time I've had a chance to sit down & tackle these. Sorry taggers! As it turns out, both Meghan and Jodi book tagged me, so I'll do that one first. The rules are (drum roll please):

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 2 to 5 sentences, along with these rules.
5. Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual book. Pick the CLOSEST!
6. Tag five (or more) other people to do the same!

My closest book has been sitting on my desk since December 2005. When I received it, I read the entire book in 36 hrs. Norm read it in 48 - - a record for him!! I've never put this book in a drawer, nor on a bookshelf. It is 'The Strength of Mercy" by Jan Beazely, founder of All God's Children International. In the book, Jan chronicles her family's amazing journey to their daughter waiting for them in Romania. A journey that, much like mine & Norm's, could only have been orchestrated by God, and in God's timing. This book eventually gave us the courage to adopt from Russia. It was the first stepping stone that led us to Ilya, and for that I am forever grateful and humbled.

Anyway, here is the text on page 56:

"Ron was unusually quiet. Standing in front of the mirror applying the last of my makeup, I glanced over and noticed him sitting in the corner of the room. He was silently staring at the picture of Romona that I had taken from the refrigerator and tucked in my Bible.

Turning the photograph over and over in his hands, he seemed totally unaware that I was watching him. I turned back to the mirror, and in that moment, I heard Ron start to sob. I looked over to see him slumped over in the chair, tears streaming down his face. My husband was pleading with God. I heard him say "I can't fight this anymore. Why would You choose us? We blow it so often. I don't understand.""

Wow - - did any of you have similar feelings when you started your adoption journey? I know Norm & I certainly did!! Yes, we wanted to adopt but that first step - deciding to actualy DO it - was a terrifying leap of faith. One that I would absolutely do over again without hesitation, without second thought.

Now, I am supposed to tag 5 others. Enjoy sharing your book with us as well!
Robyn (my seestor) - even though you don't have a blog leave a comment here!
Beth
Susan
Ondrea
Dana

My answer to the 3rd tag will follow soon!