A Boy and His Dog . . .

I was just pulling a couple recent pictures of my wonderful (now 18 month old!) baby boy to update this blog when I noticed that in many (many!) photos, the ever present dog (Kahi by name) is always in them . . . off to the side . . . just keeping tabs . . .

And I think the feelings between these two is pretty mutual! Case in point:

High Notes and Low Notes

My two beautiful children on Mother's Day!
We were lucky enough to have Kyle's mom and grandmother here over Mother's Day. Caleb LOVED all the attention he got from his grandma and great grandma (whom he calls "tutu", Hawaiian for grandma). We also had visits from Kyle's sister Amy and stepsister Stephanie, and on Mother's Day, we also welcomed Allison & Kerrin Scott and Caleb's "cousin" Jackson! With Gwen in the mix, we had a very celebratory Mother's Day . . . and the best thing? I didn't have to cook or clean!! Now THAT'S a Mother's Day gift! :o)

Caleb and "Tutu"

Caleb with Grandma

Despite the high notes of a grand Mother's Day, I am reminded of my mom who, as many of you know, suffers from dementia and can no longer grasp ideas like Mother's Day. My sister was able to spend the day with her down in California and it gives me some comfort to know how well she's being taken care of.

My mom on Mothers' Day

The other truly sad note of the day was via a phone call I received that my beloved God-brother Mark was home with hospice care and not expected to live much longer. After a protracted illness, his body just couldn't take the strain. My thoughts went to my wonderful God-mother Ann and how such a beautiful day could be darkened by such sad news. Mark held on for another few days and passed away last Wednesday night.

Life is full of high notes and low notes and last week was certainly evidence of that. Hold those you love tightly and never forget to tell them how much you love them!

Belated Updates!

It's been a busy and fun couple weeks. Two weekends ago, we had Big Sister Gwen babysit for a couple hours and Kyle and I were able to get out and have a little time to shop and play as a belated birthday celebration for me. It was a nice break and Caleb loved spending time with Gwen! He has a very special relationship with her and it's so fun to watch his face light up when he sees her!

Last week Caleb had a follow-up appointment with his pediatrician (and thankfully no shots this time!). She confirmed that he had made HUGE developmental strides in the last 6 weeks and that he was in-line with his age group. She said whatever we've been doing, keep on doing it! When we first brought him in, his weight/height didn't touch the percentile charts for children born in the U.S., but he's finally hit the chart -- he's in the 3rd percentile, which is small, but he's at least hit the charts!!

I've continued taking the weekly Mommy & Me gymnastics class which has been great fun and is a good opportunity for him to interact with other little one his age. His motor development has grown leaps and bounds in large part due to the class I believe.


Last weekend we had our Post Placement Adoption Report meeting with the social worker which went very well. We'll have another one in 3 months, then at one year.

Also last weekend we drove up to Bellingham to visit with our dear friends Greg and Teagan who got home just a few weeks ago with their beautiful daughter Maiya. I've attached some pictures from our visit. It was such fun seeing them and reuniting the little ones who were right next door to each other at our agency's transition home in Addis Ababa.

Proud mommies introduce their little ones

A little reading time to start the play date!

Maiya stakes her claim on Caleb: "He's mine!"

" No, really! He's mine!!! "

Here's to many more playdates with little Maiya and her wonderful parents! :o)

Just Time for Pictures ...

It's been a busy couple of weeks and I have been remiss in posting new pics! We're all doing great, having a ball and enjoying every second with our little guy!! Below are some family snapshots we managed to capture over my birthday weekend:

Quick progress report . . . hmmm, let me see:

* He's fully walking now . . . only very rarely drops to a crawl

* He's learning about one new word every day or so. Today's word: "Kiss" (followed by lots of smacking of lips and a big wet slobbery kiss!!)

* He still giggles and smiles WAY more than he whines and cries (what a treat THAT is!)

More to follow . . .

Just Because . . .

What You Wish For!!

When we picked little Caleb up from Ethiopia, he was developmentally "behind" his age group. This was to be expected given the environment he was in and we set to work strengthening his muscles, increasing his coordination and motor development skills. I was so proud one evening to show Kyle when he got home from work, the first few steps Caleb had been taking on his own:

20 minutes later, this happened:

It's what we worked and wished for, and BOY has our world changed! :o)

It Takes a Village . . .

We are amazed on a constant basis how wonderful friends and family have been through our adoption journey . . . from the long, long wait to the fun at enjoying our new addition now that he's finally home! An example of that has been our wonderful neighbors. Not only did they follow along with us as we anticipated our arrival, but they also threw us a beautiful "Welcome Caleb" party last weekend to celebrate the new addition to the neighborhood!

With our "real" family so far away, it's wonderful having people that care so close. It truly does take a village to raise a child, and we have a great village right outside our doorstep!

Thank you so much to everyone!

P.S. Videos and pictures are coming soon, I promise! I have a batch I'm sorting through today that I'll put up shortly!!