Cloutier's Journey to China

love this smiley photo!!!

2011-11-15T11:54:00.003-05:00

My favorite sister took this photo this summer (family joke. the favorite sister thing).
I think it is probably the best photo of the boys we have.... they both have such great smiles in this!

Fun at the Park

2011-11-06T09:42:00.003-05:00

Halloween!!!!!

2011-11-03T16:42:00.004-04:00

do you like our pumpkins?? we love em! (and have kissed and hugged them...over and over!)

ok ready to go trick or treating!!

mmm daddy, yummy shirt!

We have enough candy now! We want to help give it out!

Who's who???????

2011-11-03T16:35:00.003-04:00

Haircut time came around and Z decided he wanted his hair cut the same as H....

we can tell still.....can you???????

two boys....and a cash register

2011-11-02T10:53:00.000-04:00

this summer the boys discoverd how much fun it is to play w/ a cash register. a real one. and w/ the help of grampy B, they had their own "Elmo Store".... of course now they think that they should have a real cash register of their own.....

Mr. H plays dress up...

2011-07-15T09:09:00.001-04:00

fun day out w/ mommy

2011-07-11T09:01:00.002-04:00

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2011-07-11T08:18:00.000-04:00

patent pending.....

2011-07-07T18:28:00.001-04:00

have a booboo on your head? we've got the perfect booboo pack holder for you! w/ easy access holes for placing the packs...

you know what they say....necessity is the mother of invention. in this case he had two booboos on his noggin and didn't want to have to hold them on.

tie day

2011-07-03T21:35:00.000-04:00

Hunter started it one morning. Both boys like picking out thier own clothes, but this morning he was feeling like an especially snappy dresser. I think he had a big meeting at work. He likes to play going to work, and that morning he was talking about going to work right after getting out of bed. BTW....Daddy DOES NOT wear a tie to work! the funny pose is due to him being mid jump, but this picture reallys shows off the complete ensemble he picked out...

Zachary wanted some tie action too, but as you can see he took the more casual route.

sweet boys

2011-06-28T16:57:00.006-04:00

too bad its hard to get a picture w/ them both facing forward!

its been a big week around our house.... Zachary has been wearing undies to bed!!!

He has been doing so great. Hunter WANTS TO WEAR THEM!!! but its just not his time yet. poor guy. He asks every night to wear his undies. But pretty much every morning his pullup is full. Not going to put him, or me through a wet bed each night.

Z could have been wearing undies for a while, but he just this week decided to try it.

also have had a couple of all the way through the night sleep nights for both of them this past month.

if you are like most people you are saying .....WHAT??? THEY ARE 3 (almost 3 1/2)... but a lot of kids who have been adopted have sleep issues...
and we have dealt with them since the beginning.

may it just keep on getting better! (and not have a backslide...yeah right.... we are used to those- just part of the territory!)

anyway its been a pretty good week

Our trip to the zoo

2011-05-24T14:58:00.004-04:00

Having Fun....

2011-05-07T11:18:00.003-04:00

The boy's had a great time at the bouncy place....They went down this slide a lot :)

Having fun .... Where did Hunter Go?

They saw a rainbow!!!!

2011-04-19T23:07:00.000-04:00

Wooohoooo! My boys saw a rainbow!!!! My boys have some vision issues.....that don't really effect us, but it is a fact of their lives. I have gone along thinking my boys may never see stars without a telescope, they may never be able to drive, they may never see a rainbow.....

But they DID see a rainbow. It was a small one in our yard caused by using the hose to water the garden. The sun was shining, we were watering, and suddenly Zachary shouted out "RAINBOW!" It was a faint rainbow. Not a brilliantly gleaming one.....and he saw it....and then he called Hunter over...and he saw it too.

It really was one of those things that is so simple that most just take for granted. But I am rejoicing this small pale rainbow, this rainbow that on prior days would not have phased me. Today. I am thinking that this is the most beautiful rainbow I have ever seen.

They are big boys now!!!

2011-04-11T10:49:00.000-04:00

Its official. Zachary and Hunter wore undies to school. They have been wearing underwear at home for a while now, but we finally decided to make a go of it and wear them to school as well.

They are very excited. Not that they care about wearing the undies to school, they are excited that I will finally let them wear their "Diego" underwear! I held those off as their big reward. You should have seen their grins as they picked out which ones they were going to wear.

...sigh....they are getting so big so fast.

circus time!

2011-03-09T12:35:00.003-05:00

the boys had fun getting to meet some of the performers up close and personal!

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lots to catch up on...we'll try to go back and get to those later!

2011-03-09T12:24:00.000-05:00

the boys first Santa picture

2010-12-20T20:45:00.002-05:00

they may not be smiling, but they aren't crying! and they sat on his lap right away! We actually had an informal visit w/ him the week before....he talked to us over the fence as there was no line and he asked the boys if they were going to come back and visit w/ him. We talked it up so by the time we went to see him they were ready to go for it.

Our First Visit with Santa!!!

2010-12-19T12:49:00.002-05:00

first day of school

2010-11-17T20:32:00.006-05:00

A major milestone.... our little guys first day of school. Pre-pre-K as they call it around here.

Also known as mothers morning out (Yeah!!!!!!)

We knew this was going to be huge for them, being away from mom (those who know us know we have some anxious attachment going on....w/ sleep issues still going pretty strong. For those going WHAT???? Anxious attachment short version is they are attaching to us pretty strongly but are anxious that it could change, that they could lose us ). But we practiced, prepped, and did just about everything we could think of to get the boys on board.

We read books, we visited the classroom and played (many weekends...advantage of having the school at your church!) to get the boys more comfortable, we talked about the routine, we had the boys pick out special backpacks and lunchboxes, we let them pick out a new shirts at the store for their first day of school., had special lunches (out to eat for pizza) to celebrate their first week, gave them special prizes for staying the whole day (by whole I mean the 9:30 to 12 that was the day when they started)...etc

and it was still pretty rough. the school which originally said they didn't want parents to come in to the class w/ the boys gave up on that real fast and let me join the class for several classes w/ me leaving partway through (the same way I got the boys to work w/ their speech therapist w/ out me in the room) and FINALLY.... they transisitioned.

I am pleased to say they are doing AWESOME!!!!!! They love school. Zachary even went to school w/out Hunter one day because H was sick. I was shocked!!! But it went great. I think the big thing for them, like many children, is knowing the routine. Once they were sure I was coming back to get them and they realized how fun school is they were hooked. They still like to pick their clothes out for school, and like to see what snacks or lunches first thing in the morning on school day mornings.... did I mention we even moved to LunchBunch! they stay one extra hour now. till 1...I asked the boys if they wanted to have lunch at school w/ the other kids and they absolutely were in!!!!

These photos were of the very first day, unfortunately before I could capture a good one someone needed a diaper change and then it was time to go!

I have to say it is amazing now to drop them off....they give me a kiss or hug....IF THEY REMEMBER!!! some days they are too busy running to see the teachers and the other kids. Just makes me smile.

fun day out

2010-08-22T21:22:00.002-04:00

It was a hot one in the ATL (as they say around here), so we had a fun day and got cooled off in the Centennial Olympic Park's Fountain of Rings. We also visited the aquarium and the children's museum since they are all within walking distance of one another. All in all a super fun way to spend our day and a great way to wear the kids out (ha ha!).

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and still more fun at the olympic rings fountain

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our kids have no limits....

2010-08-09T14:05:00.003-04:00

Check out the fabulous NOAH video that was shown at the conference in DC this year. It was great to see and be able to post here. There are so many families waiting for children, and so many children w/ albinism waiting for families. Many of the families have fear of what the children's lives will be like....maybe seeing this video will help open some eyes and hearts.

NOAH Amazing

2010-08-09T14:04:00.000-04:00

our words

2010-07-07T21:07:00.004-04:00

From time to time I need to stop and think about what the boys actually can say. I mentioned in a MUCH EARLIER post where they were in terms of learning to speak so its time for me to evaluate again. If you didn't read the previous post, or you are not familiar w/ international adoption you may not realize that having heard one language for more than a year and then having it totally disappear to be replaced w/ another language you have never heard before causes some challenges in learning to speak. Our boys who will be 2 1/2 at the end of this month are definitely not speaking as well as their home grown peers. Nor would we expect them to be.

We have them in speech therapy and we feel they are coming along great. Their receptive language is amazing. We don't think there is anything that they don't understand. It's their expressive language that is just starting to come along.

We also have to be aware that boys typically lag behind girls, twins lag behind singulars. I actually am seeing a lot of changes in them, especially in the last month. We are starting to hear some two word combos popping up. And they are really trying out new sounds and attempting to say words when we ask them to try to say_____.

So this list is really for me to remember where they were at being home just a little over a year speech wise. I am trying to make this list of just words that they say on their own. Not for example like door which if I ask them to say it they will say duh. I want to count words we know they truly "get."

mama

dadda

doh (dog)

muh (more)

ma (milk...Hunter has progressed to mih)

cah (car...I give them full credit on that one...they say it just like me w/ my NE accent!)

ehh (egg)

puh (please)

buh (bus)

noh noh (knock knock)

ni ni (night night)

buh by (bye bye)

mehmeh (melon)

wawa (water)

na na (bananna)

shhh ( as in finger to your lips quiet noise)

beah (bear)

muhmuh (muffin)

pop (the sound- as in the toaster goes pop)

bap (the beep sound)

bop (stop)

gouh (go but not a super strong o yet)

ba / ahba (apple they are working on adding that first ah to it but its not consistent yet)

bah (potty...they do the sign for potty at the same time, good thing or I'd be giving them an apple every time they wanted to use the potty!)

ba (up, this time w/ arms raised- those darn p's they'll get them eventually!)

muhn (moon)

bue (blue)

yeyeh (yellow)

I (well...its close to an I sound don't know how to write it)

my

tuh (turn....as in my turn!)

hep (help....if prompted Hunter will do a longer hehhhllll.....puh)

booh (book just missing that last sound!)

mop (straight out of 10 apples up on top....lookout the mop they chime in "mop")

jui (juice)

new (noodles)

ceh (can )

zip (not quite that crisp, but definitely still zip)

bohw (bowl)

bahl (ball)

dep (step...which they like to say as they are going down each step on their way down the stairs...too cute!)

dip dip (literally what it sounds like as in dip, dip, dip you are dipping your food....usually this involves ketchup....hmmmm wonder where they got that???? this is usually Zachary btw. He LOVES HIS KETCHUP)

moohe (move....usually said when one of the brothers is too close while other brother is trying to do his business on the potty ....they don't want the other to flush for them!)

roh (roll)

la (light)

uh eh (uh oh)

nuh (no)

yea (yes....ok give them full credit on this one too....VERY MUCH MY NE ACCENT AGAIN)

beh beh (baby)

une ( one)

deaux (two....do you see a trend here w/ these last couple of words??? They are cracking me up my little french guys!)

wah (wall)

dehr (door. I know I said they don't say this w/out prompting, but I just tested them by saying what is this? Is it a car? Is it a bus? and they shook their heads and told me "dehr")

moo - or meeehw, cow noise mom is too realistic for them to possibly say it right (that's what you get from growing up in a cow town)

arf arf (dog noise)

rubrub (supposed to be ribbit- f0r frog)

naaah ( what a goat says)

baah ( what a sheep says)

ahhgaya (alligator...Hunter just started saying this one day this week. Mr Z has not joined in yet)

di di (diaper)

shih (shirt. again this is a Hunter thing- lets just hope he master this before too long. I can just see him saying to mr. Z.....I don't want your shih!)

na (napkin)

na ( for knee- they say this as I sometimes diaper them on my knee and they get a choice: knee or floor. they tap my knee and say, na!)

teh (for teeth)

ahl (all....mainly Hunter on this one too, as in all done)

that's all I can think of at this moment. I'll ask Scott and I'm sure he'll come up w/ a ton I'm forgetting.

Oh, they also have some great sound effects too that they truly are doing as sounds not as words...like roar -complete w/ hand gestures...thanks Maggie :) and choo choo, and lots of siren noises!

and we do have some words that have come and gone. they've been lost w/ for now no reappearance in sight. our ST said that can be common as they have so much going on right now that they may still know the word, but just can't be bothered to access it right now.

some of those lost words: krkr (cracker) trsh (trash)

and they don't use all these words all the time. When I put it down in a list it feels like they are talking way more than they really are. But they are improving and becoming WAY more verbal than they have been. I remember when they were playing and they were pretty much quite except a few grunts to their brother. Now playtime is filled w/ noises and lots of babbling of syllables. Yeah!! And we love hearing those two word combos pop up unexpectedly. Like when Hunter said "Hi Dadda" on the phone .....you just have to love that!

The joy of being Daddy

2010-06-28T14:48:00.003-04:00

Random cuteness!

2010-06-28T14:24:00.003-04:00

2010-06-28T14:20:00.000-04:00

egg painting

2010-04-01T15:01:00.002-04:00

Over the weekend we decide to let the boys try their hand at egg painting.

H is wearing brown pants, Z the blue.

2010-04-01T15:00:00.000-04:00

for a little while they were concerned about the paint they were getting on them, until we convinced them it was ok. Then they decided painting themselves looked like fun too. And they had a blast ....right up until that last pic.....that's Z btw....waterworks time.

when life hands you lemons....make a mohawk!

2010-03-29T14:44:00.002-04:00

Say what????
Ok, I'll apologize for the mixed metaphor. I just felt it was too long to write:

When life hands you (a wet mommy getting out of the shower) two 2yr olds who figured out while you were showering how to get the dog dish out of the sink and stand on it to then be able to reach the brand new bottle of baby lotion, and then figure out how to get that working (you know how hard sometimes the new bottles are to get started), and then managed to cover themselves from head to toe in said lotion, as well as have poopies in their diapers all while you are expecting 2 visitors in less than one half an hour.

Actually H mainly concentrated putting the lotion on his legs and body- on top of his clothes and Z decided his hair was the best place for it. And then I got a phone call asking if they could come earlier. Ummmm I am in the middle of a major mess and I'm still only half dressed, sorry but I need at least a half an hour (sometimes just the 2 diaper changes can take that long if the guys decide to not cooperate!)

So, since we didn't have time for another bath......and yes they did do this on a day when we did a bath first thing in the morning..... I got them changed and did the only thing possible w/ Z's hair. Well there were 2 options, either the slicked back look of a greaser or a mohawk. We opted for the faux mohawk.

He really works it doesn't he?

What's new....

2010-03-15T15:13:00.005-04:00

The boys are napping and I am just finishing my lunch. So I thought I'd jot down a few things.

The boys potty training continues. They are just so cute about it. Funniest images that I don't have pictures of (so you have to use your imaginations here) :

the boys sitting toboggan style on the big toilet (hey they are learning to share- ha ha!!!)

the shuffle walk w/ pants around their ankles - this is new. last Friday was the first day we didn't take off their pants when using a potty. we were at the mall and using one of the "family bathrooms" that have those great mini toilets and they were all for it!

Other new things.... hmm..... the boys can jump now. It started last month and it is hysterical.

Zachary slept through the night last night! I normally would say ....wooooohoooooo, but I know better. We actually in the 10 months that we have been home have had one, yes that is right, one night where both boys slept through the night. That was followed by Scott saying, "I think we are turning the corner" unfortunately it was a U-turn and instead of better we got way worse. I am crossing my fingers that once there 2 yr molars are all the way in that we'll get better in the sleep area . (Please, please, please....w/ sugar on top!) Hunter had a pretty normal (for him) rough night of sleep, waking at 11:20, 12:30, 1:30 3:30, 5:30.....and then I brought him into our bed so I could get a tiny bit of sleep

- sorry boys waking up, this is all there is time for!

Z has joined the party!

2010-02-22T13:49:00.007-05:00

The potty party that is.

It has been over a month that H has been using the potty. And poor Z was getting rather frustrated. You could tell as he looked down in the potty and nothing was there that he was trying to figure out just how to make it all work. So I tried to limit his exposure to H using the potty. For a little while Z even stopped asking to take his pants off.

But then a few days ago he decided he wanted to give it another go. It was pretty funny. It was one of those mornings that he was awake before H and we left the room and ventured to the bathroom (for mommy). Then daddy came and knocked on the door and we knew that he was out there w/ H. immediately Z started tugging on his pants. It was like he wanted to beat H to pick out one of the potties. (they sometimes battle over using a certain one even though they are identical). So he was stripped down and H was still sleepy and not even thinking about potty use yet, when Z stood up and looked down and got the BIGGEST GRIN EVER! He did it! One month and 2 days after H started using it. But he made up for lost time. He decided to use it 3 more times that day. And since then he has been using it a few times a day since....including amazing both daddy and I by on his 3rd day of using it managing to do a poopee as well! (I know TMI but we are just so proud!!!!!) H has only done one of those so far and it was many days (15?, 20?) after his first potty attempt.

So now we have both boys attempting to potty train themselves. I am still not the initiator. I let them tell me when they want to use it. And so far this no pressure concept is working well. They also now have 2 potty books, which they like to have read to them over and over and over.

Oh and as far as the whole rewards bit....well we discovered that washing their hands is reward enough. Sometimes after we have finished and have done the handwashing, one of them will indicate that he wants to wash his hands again. And I say, well ...when you go potty again you will get to wash your hands then. To which whichever boy it was will sit down and promptly force out a tiny bit more just for the joy of another hand wash. Too funny! And they both do it!

And I have begun buying (to Scott's amusement) some very tiny undies for them for when they are really ready. I had heard how hard it is to find them small enough for tiny bums....and its true. I found a couple different brands and even after washing them they are still pretty lg in the smallest size we could find (2). Maybe a few more washings w/ some very high heat on the dryer will help out. And of course there is the possibility that we won't need them for another year and their bums will be slightly larger by then.

I do have to say the tiny bums has to be one of the funniest parts of having become a parent through adoption. One thing Scott and I were sure of, was that our kids would both have bubble butts. We both were called names something like that when we were younger, and we were sure no matter what else our kids would look like...they would take after us in that department. We were wrong!! And I do have to say, these tiny little bums just have to be about the cutest little things I have ever seen!

Of course they do present some challenges clothing wise.

I have been asked what size the boys are wearing ...and it is an interesting answer:

pants...18mnths

shirts 18mnths (or larger w/ sleeves rolled up)

overalls or anything that is one piece from neck to the crotch - either 24mnths or 2t w/ the legs rolled up and the sleeves rolled up. These guys are long bodied so they outgrow the body way quicker than the leg length.

I have to say the best invention is the adjustable tabs on the inside of the waists. Without those even their 18mnth pants would be too big and fall down.

I have also heard of a product called dapper snappers that we'll probably be investing in our future quest to keep their pants up. http://www.dappersnappers.com/main.html

Well anyway... oh and we are all feeling MUCH BETTER! Yeah!

Christmas morning (better late than never!)

2010-02-20T13:30:00.004-05:00

Here are a bunch of pic's from Christmas. I posted a lot since we had a lot of family members who wished they could have been here .

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we're all sick.

2010-02-07T21:17:00.003-05:00

So, we've all got something. A bug, the flu? Who knows exactly what it is, but we've got it.

Last night all of us: 2 adults, 2 kids, and one 70lb dog were all in bed. I was squished, Scott was being kicked in the head by Z who is one active little squirmer and the dog was being annoyed and letting out big sighs about not having enough room. (She loves the boys, but is not happy when they end up in our bed. I think she thinks this is the final encroachment of her territory!)

I was having trouble breathing, yet I had H laying on my chest so that he could breath better as he too was having trouble....TMI, but just too much mucus...yuck! Laying flat was causing him to cough a lot so there he was.

And despite the fact that I am feeling miserable, I was thinking how wonderful all this was!
Lying in bed w/ all my boys (and my sweet girl dog too).

H had his soft little face on my chest and his arm curled around me, and Z had hold of one of my hands and had pulled it to lay it on top of his chest. Talk about making you feel better when you feel rotten. It definitely takes the focus away from the stuffed up head and the achey body.

And today. Poor H had his first throwup. Yes, I just had to share that (LOL). He was such a little trooper. Afterwards when I was trying to be prepared and had a puke bucket ready, he got the biggest grin and thought it was super funny!

And Z, talk about a little sweety. When the incident occurred and I was trying to get H wiped up, Z ran and brought me tissues one by one to help me out.

I got them to bed early tonight. I hope they wake up feeling better. H has the worst of it. Z was the first one to get sick, but seems to have just got the runny nose. Where H and I seem to be neck and neck on symptoms. Even Daddy has caught some of it. He has the sore throat and headache. Lots of vitamins and fluids happening at our house. I don't think I can drink anymore tea. I am craving hot ginger coke....something I tried in China that my sick self thinks would be really good right about now. Oh honey, would you mind going out and getting some nyquil, more tissues w/ lotion, oh yeah and a ginger root, a can of coke, and a lemon!

peepee in the potty!!!!!

2010-01-16T17:48:00.003-05:00

Wheeeeeeee or should I say, PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

We are just so proud!

Hunter just did his first peepee in the potty!!!!!!

We got home from church, and mommy needed to make a beeline for the bathroom. Hunter joined me and pulled at his pants.

I took them off. He sat down, he stood up again looked in the potty and I said, "sorry there's nothing there....you can try again." He sat down again, his cute little feet turned in just a little and he got a little look on his face. I thought for sure he was practicing doing poopy something he likes to do- stress on the practicing part as we've only done it by accident when mommy has caught him mid poopy and was able to get the pants off and stick him on the potty after asking him if he wanted to try.

But I can't believe he asked, made that first attempt , then sat back down made that cute little face and then actually did it! He then wanted to pick up the potty and dump it in the big potty. Something both boys also like to practice. Usually the only thing in there is one square of toilet paper which I give them when they like to play this game.

We did a victory dance and sang,
"you did poopy in the potty (think conga line beat), poopy in the potty!"

just for the record we aren't seriously potty training...just going with the flow so to speak (ha ha).

we got potty chairs to just get them used to the idea, and always talk about having to go to the potty and asking them to bring us to the potty- which they do by grabbing our finger and bringing us to the door.

but we didn't really plan on "training" for another year or so. but when they ask to sit I comply and if they want to go- great!

This was the first time he has asked and actually gone!

As you can tell we are just so proud - this happening before he's even 2 (next week is their b-day!)....but if it doesn't happen again for a year or so, we are ok with that too!

Halloween

2009-11-01T13:26:00.000-05:00

I couldn't decide what our little guys were going to be and they weren't declaring any preferences (ha ha).

I ended up seeing some pajamas that I thought would work out well- they could wear them for Halloween and then sleep in them until they outgrow them.

Our big dilemma- found two cute styles. So we ended up having them dress up as both things on different days.

Our neighborhood had a little celebration for the kids, one of the local grocery stores had an event (we won a jar of candy by guessing closest to the right amount- only off by 4 pieces!), they went to a birthday party on Halloween morning( at a place that was all bounce house and air slides- ask daddy about trying to climb up the slide while carrying a boy!) and of course Halloween trick-or-treating itself.

So for the neighborhood event they were superheroes! If you are in the same age frame as I am you might remember "THE WONDER TWINS"

"form of an eagle" "shape of water" etc....

I made the patch for their costumes (and I think about all the homemade costumes my mom did and all I come up with is a patch???????)

They were skeletons for the birthday party and the grocery store trial run.

and for Halloween itself they had on both- it was a bit chilly so they had the skeletons underneath the superheroe costumes.

They had fun going to neighbors houses. They really didn't know why we were going, but they got the point that we would go to a house and get something.

They even started pulling us on to other houses. We only did about 8 houses w/ them and then we returned home to give out our treats.

They were too cute when we got home the barely got through the door before they sat down and dumped everything out of their treat bags to see what they got. They still didn't know it was something to eat, but they had tons of fun putting their "toys" in and out of their treat bags.

2009-11-01T13:25:00.000-05:00

The pumpkin patch

2009-10-26T13:14:00.000-04:00

Fall is here- Yeah!

Love this time of the year! Mom & Dad C came for a visit and we all took a trip up 400 to visit Uncle Shuck's Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch

We didn't do the corn maze this year- but can't wait till the boys are up for that!

But we did pick out a couple pumpkins and see some horses. The boys even got their first chance to sit on a pony and a tractor.

closet cleaning

2009-09-10T16:00:00.000-04:00

they are helpful when it comes to cleaning out the closet too....

Helpful boys pt 2

2009-09-10T15:48:00.000-04:00

Do you remember when I said , "If only they could vacuum"?

Our boy's words

2009-09-04T13:28:00.005-04:00

People asked me prior to our adoption some of what I would call "interesting" questions.

Like, "Will they speak English?" (the people actually meant at the time when we would meet for the first time!)

And ...the answer was..no, they have been in a Chinese orphanage where everyone speaks Mandarin and also...the boys, at the time the conversation took place, were just barely a year old so not likely to be speaking any language.

We have now been a family for four months.
We have been amazed at how fast their comprehension of what we say has taken place. Now they are working on starting to learn to speak.

We definitely have Mama and Dada and good,good, good (yes its said 3 times....because mommy always says....mmmm that's good good good!)

We have moved up from just MMMMMMM to MI, for milk

We hear FI for five (as in high five or give me five)

Buh-bye- for the obvious

and as of yesterday we have NA NA for bananna

We just noticed that they say CA...for Car (Mommy's car....when we open the garage door to throw out those diapey's they see my SUV)

and BA for ball!

We are getting amazed day by day as they start to add more "words" to their vocabulary!

***Kids who have the primary language they hear change to another language usually have an adjustment period before they start speaking so we are actually surprised to hear so many "words" so early!

We have applied for the Early Intervention program in our state so that we can have a speech therapist give us additional help.

We have also been working on teaching them some signs to aide in communication in the
meantime.

Their favorite sign is "more"- and they use this one a lot!

Snack Time!

2009-08-16T16:39:00.003-04:00

Zachary enjoying his goldfish! Look at that smile! And he's so sweet, he's offering me one!

Yeah....goldfish! When we say, "Yeah!" We usually get clapping to go along with it. You can see I caught Zachary mid-clap.
We have been practicing some signs with them...Hunter, here, is signing for more.

Our boys love snacktime.

rub a dub dub

2009-08-10T13:28:00.001-04:00

a boy in a tub, errr....a dog dish!

Hunter had me cracking up one day as he amused himself w/ Chloe's Dish

Our boys first kiddie pool adventure

2009-08-10T13:20:00.003-04:00

taken 6/27.... we started w/ the pool under the deck to make it less bright for the boys.

now, we've moved the pool to the top, as they have decided they like to go out on the deck bright sun or not!

update on sleeping...

2009-08-10T13:08:00.002-04:00

people have been asking if its gotten any better...

yes...and no.

Yes- now when they wake they aren't staying up for three hours

No- we seem to be doing more frequent wake ups

We had transitioned them to an earlier bedtime than what China had them on. We felt 9pm was just too late for such little guys. So now they go to bed by 8pm. They are out right away....Yeah!
But consistently 2 1/2 hours later they are up...or at least one of them is.

Last night went like this: in bed by 8:03...no sounds at all coming from the room by 8:05.

10:30- Hunter
10:45- Hunter again
11:30 - Zachary
12:30-Hunter
12:47- Zachary
3:40- Zachary
4:40-Hunter
5:50-Hunter
6:10- Zachary (followed by last ditch effort of bringing him into our bed for a hopeful few more minutes of sleep)
6:30- Hunter (ditto to above note, but w/ Daddy getting him)
7:00- both boys officially awake

As you can see there is not a lot of sleep time in there for Mommy. We are continuing to try the recommendations from our adoption groups, but if this doesn't get any better we may have to look to some professionals.
(But, actually, this IS better than where we were a month ago....then they weren't going back to sleep in 10 minutes or so....it was 2-3 hour periods of trying to get them quieted back down...so this at least feels a bit better. I just wish I was the kind of person who could konk out the minute my head hits the pillow...but not the case. I am usually just drifting off when the next wake up call begins...sigh.)

To sleep, perchance to dream.....

2009-07-28T13:30:00.002-04:00

Sleep, that has been our battle the last couple of weeks. Well, really since we have been home, but the last few weeks have been the worst of it.

In China they slept through the night.

Then we came home and we were exactly 12hrs different in time than where they previously lived. 2 in the morning, which would have been 2 in the afternoon became a key
"wakeup" time for them. In China their nap would have just finished so we understood it would take a while for that adjustment to take place.

Then we added in an 11:30 wakeup...why? we don't know.... It was mainly Zachary at first...but then Hunter joined in as well....Then we began adding a 4:30 wakeup....

It got worse and worse. By the end of last week I was at wits end.

We know w/ adoption you can have attachment issues. For anyone not familiar...it has to do with if they ever bonded w/ anyone previously, and if they grieve for whoever they bonded w/, and hopefully over time they bond w/ you. Most families talk about really "feeling bonded" when the children have been with them longer than without them..... our kids were adopted at 15 months....so based on that somewhere around 30 months we should really be in the groove bonding wise.

We have definitely started "attaching" the boys know who Mommy and Daddy are....and want us vs strangers.....they want us when they bang their head or just don't feel good. Actually right now they want us ALL THE TIME.... If they had their choice they would probably like to be carried around 85% of the time. Bath time and climb all over everything can't be left out as those are favorite activities so they would pass up the carrying for those!

But "anxious attachment" is usually a phase (that hopefully you get out of) that the kids go through when they don't want to be away from you. This seems to have come into play a bit during our nights recently. They want to be reassured that we are there.....so we have had nights where they wake up every 2 hours.....ughh!

Not such a happy mommy! Or....it could be a combination of things.....

they are still teething...w/ some major drooling going on these last two weeks....also a known culprit for sleep disruption.

or...it could be their growth spurt.....both boys have grown almost 2 inches and gained 2 lbs during the last 2 months......

Whatever it is .....it hasn't been pleasant...

So finally I posted on an adoption site to see if other moms, especially those who had twins, had any ideas that worked...

A lot of people talk about just letting kids "cry it out" but w/ attachment concerns it's a fine line to walk. So that's why we went to those who have been through the same thing.

So we started trying a combination of ideas......

and whether it is what we are trying or if their teeth are not bothering them.....last night was fabulous!

One boy, Z, slept all the way through till 7:30am and the other, H, woke only 3 times and was solidly asleep by 1:30 am.....and he slept all the way through until 8:20 am!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Thank goodness! I really needed it last night as I had a migraine as well. Daddy took the first wakeup...and I got the next two and then I got to sleep in my own bed all the way until the morning!

I don't know if it is just a short reprieve or if we are turning the corner (we had not too bad of a night the night before as well).....but whatever it is I'll take it!

please.....everyone...say a little prayer that this continues....mommy likes to be functional, not a walking zombie....

Things you never knew could be fun...

2009-07-21T20:16:00.003-04:00

Daddy came up w/ some new fun....the toilet paper sled!
Hey, why did the ride stop?

We see your belly Hunter!

I am just what my shirt says...toadally cute!

time for my closeup too mom!

Having children definitely changes your perspective. You see things in new ways. You become creative even if it is just in ways you entertain your children.

Toilet paper took on a whole new perspective this day..... it makes a really great indoor sled, soft and cushy for our little boys tushies!

Our Helpful Boys!

2009-07-14T17:14:00.000-04:00

I know all toddlers do this.... but you can't blame me for being so proud.

They want to help w/ everything! The favorite activity right now is to help us by throwing something away in the trash.

Back when we had two dogs we moved our kitchen wastebasket out of the kitchen entirely. Our kitchen door opens into our garage w/ a step and then the garage floor. Since it was close, we moved the wastebasket onto that first step.

Well, the boys now help us by finding things to throw away! They love dropping whatever it is into the trash and then love to help us to close the door!

We think it is especially funny when it is diaper change time. Upstairs we have a diaper genie(love it!) But downstairs they just go into the wastebasket....and if it is a stinky one it gets bagged or double bagged in grocery store bags and THEN thrown in the trash....by our boys!

It really makes diaper change time truly special when as soon as you have taken off the diaper the other one gets excited and "offers" to throw it away.

Now...the boys aren't really talking...but for example Zachary or Hunter will grab the peepee diaper or the stinky bag and bring it to the back door holding the bag or diaper in one hand and banging on the door with the other! It is too cute!

We have been trying out asking them to help with other things and we are amazed at what they understand! I was changing Hunters clothes when I discovered he needed a diaper change (again- I had just done it a minute before so wasn't expecting it) I didn't have a diaper next to me, but Zachary was watching. Their changing mat has a few diapers stowed away in it and the mat was in reach so I asked Zachary to bring it to me. I didn't have to ask twice! He went over to the mat, picked it up and brought it to me with a big grin.

They also love to help clean up. Wiping their trays keeps them busy while I am cleaning up the floor after their meals.

I was dusting one day, and they saw me and both started making the noise they use when they want something. So I got them both cloths and they proceeded to wipe down the house! Now if they could only handle a vacuum!

Up and Running

2009-07-04T09:59:00.006-04:00

It's official....actually it's been official for about a week.....both boys are walking on their own.

In China they both could walk by supporting themselves on something or by holding on to mom & dad's fingers.

Zachary started going solo shortly after we got home, but Hunter seemed to have no interest. Z would be toddling around exploring and H would either crawl around after him or would stay put and let Z go do his thing.

We started trying to get H to walk more, doing the....let's go walk around the kitchen routine grabbing his fingers and trying to get him to exercise those legs. He would usually do one or two laps around the island and then he would sit down....no more please mom & dad.

Then one day when I put a pair of shoes on that we got in China, the infamous "squeaky" shoes, both boys finally decided to keep them on their feet. Prior to this we probably were able to keep shoes and/or socks on for only about 10 minutes. But this was our lucky day! The shoes stayed on. And when we started to practice walking around the island in the kitchen boy did the boys have fun!

SQUEAK SQUEAK , SQUEAK SQUEAK, SQUEAK SQUEAK!

round and round we went. Z walked behind me pushing me, and H holding on to my fingers just kept on going. Lap after lap! It was the most I had seen him walk, ever!

Well, a day or two later we put the squeaky shoes on him again.....after the boys brought them to us (hey mom....let's do this!) and H decided it was his time!

And unlike Z who started with a few solo steps at a time, H decided he could walk long distances. He just took off!

So now with or without the squeaky shoes both boys are going solo. Z is a bit steadier, understandably since he has about a month more solo walking under his belt...err shoes.

But H is doing fabulous. He "toddles" quite a bit early in the morning when his legs haven't quite woken up yet, but by later in the day he is looking almost as good as Z.

Today even his morning walking was looking pretty darn good. Daddy almost got fooled into thinking he was Z just because how smooth his gait was as he walked across the kitchen and over to daddy. It's funny when you are relying on those cues to tell them apart and suddenly they are not there!

note about squeaky shoes:

they are everywhere in China and boy are the prices great there! Leather ones are about $6-8(pleather and canvas are around $4-5)and when you are sick of the squeaking the squeakers are removable.
You can find them online as well but they are quite a bit more expensive....the leather ones up to about $40. I have also heard that you can find them in some of the China towns around the US. I think they don't sell them mainstream because the squeaker could be considered a choking hazard if it came out on it's own. Something to be aware of, but our boys really aren't interested in putting things in their mouth unless they are edible. (Or semi-edible like our dog's cookies....but that's another post.)

The great thing about them besides the fun motivation is that by having the squeaker in the heel of the shoe it promotes the kids to walk heel to toe instead of just on their toes as a lot of children do.

Our favorite spot in China for the shoes was "Sherry's Place" they seemed the nicest there. They had some real buttery soft leather ones that were good looking for boys. Most of the places had good ones for girls....if you are in Guangzhou shop around a bit before buying your first pair. Unless you want to be like us.....we bought a bunch in different sizes at a whole bunch of stores.

Our guys feet are small....size 3US right now so it was hard finding them that small. the first pairs we got were 4's and we thought they would work....but they ended up coming off w/out undoing the velcro and we realized we still needed smaller. We finally found the smaller size at Sherry's Place.

THE RUNNING IS STARTING TOO! Mommy is about to get in really good shape!

SUPERDADDY!

2009-07-03T21:30:00.002-04:00

He has become a superhero in my eyes....

why?

Daddy has been taking over the "goodnight" detail....and when he does it they go to bed super easy! Am I jealous? Nope......very thankful!

Prior to his taking over we had been trying a few different things to see what might work. Since we had been home it had been a bit of an ordeal. In China it was much quicker. Put them in the crib and a few minutes later they were down for the night....the whole night.

But we got home and the time change and the new adjustment to...everything put a kink in our boys sleep habits.

So we changed from putting them to bed at the time they went in China to trying putting them in 1/2 hour earlier hoping their fooling around (throwing bottles at each other and out of the crib, bouncing on the mattress, doing the free fall backwards onto the mattress- quite a few of their games made us wonder if we should have gone for one of the harder mattresses instead) would be out of their system by the time they should be sleeping.

Then we tried the dimming of the light in their room bringing them up when it was almost at full brightness and then gradually dimming it and putting them in the crib when we had it on the lowest setting.

Then we got a window tint for the window that is right next to the cribs. In our state it stays light till pretty late and the room darkening shade wasn't quite cutting it. And the boys liked to play w/ the shade....made me fear it falling on one of their heads! We still have the shade up, but now with the window tint the desire to flip the shade all around seems to have dissipated.

But we were still having issues getting them down for the night.

I would leave the room and a few minutes later we would hear bang! One of the bottles being thrown out ( they go to bed w/ an almost empty bottle...they usually drink the little bit of water we put in their when they first lay down. Prior to us....they had their nightly bottle of formula in the crib and we've moved the formula to earlier but have been unable to change the bottle habit). Then the wailing would begin. And this would go on for quite a while. I would leave then, bang- again!. some nights it could go on for an hour or more if I didn't pick the offender up and cuddle him till he fell asleep. And its a hard line you are walking when you are working on attachment with your children. You need to differentiate yourself from the type of "care" they received at the orphanage. The kids need to start trusting that you'll be there for their needs. In the orphanage cries can't be answered for all the kids....there just aren't enough hands.
So when they cry you need to be there. So the kind advice people recommended of just letting them cry isn't really appropriate one month after adoption.

anyway.....we were having a rough time but Daddy decided to give it a go on putting them to sleep. And lo and behold.....

just maybe one bottle throw and then they are out!!!!!!

Not for the night yet.....but it's a start!

the switcheroo!

2009-07-02T12:43:00.002-04:00

If they were older I would say it's intentional.

but they're not!

They've pulled a switcheroo again. They seem to be personality swapping these days.

They'll go for a number of days or weeks doing a certain thing, them all of a sudden both of them will do the exact opposite!

What changed this time?

Zachary used to wake up everyday being little mister sunshine.... I said he was just like me, a morning person, and Hunter was just like daddy...a slow starter and grumpy in the morning (sorry honey...but you know it's true!)

Well this week....el chango. It's been several days now, so I am curious how long this will last.

Hunter is ready to go get em and start playing and has a big smile on his face, while Zachary is in fuss mode. Just the opposite of what I had become accustomed to.

It really is interesting. It makes me wonder if there is a reason for it (like maybe Z is still not feeling well and now H is ??? ) They both were sick for a while. Z had a sinus infection and H had an ear infection. We go back to the Dr's Friday for the rest of their vaccinations and a check on what they had. They both were on med's for 10 days so we are hoping the infections are cleared up. Z still has a snoogery nose, but it might be allergies.

Even when they were sick they both had lots of energy and plenty of smiles.....gotta love these kids!

-jc

are they identical????

2009-06-29T12:27:00.005-04:00

We have been asked that a lot.....
usually immediately followed by......How do you tell them apart?
Well, we don't know "officially" whether they are identical or not. And I grew up w/ friends (Hi MKB and EKD!) who are twins who people would swear are identical, but are fraternal.

But the boys look incredibly alike, so for now until for some reason we need testing..., we are going with the assumption that they are identical.

How do we tell them apart? The haircut! We had brought blue nail polish to china figuring we would have to paint one of their big toes and thumb so if we got confused we would have a quick way of determining who was who. But when we received them, they had been given very different haircuts.....something we had never even thought of.

Hunter was sporting much shorter hair all over w/ just his bangs left long.
Zachary had much longer hair all over and they left a tail!

The tail was cute in China....but we live in the south, and down here that is a sure sign of "red-neckage!"

So they tail had to go. Daddy took care of that early on when he gave both boys a bang trim, but the haircut from Grampy C was the first "'all over" hair cut they've received since being home.

There are other ways to tell....but they don't help you when they are moving fast. Which is most of the time.

Z has slightly chubbier cheeks

H has a little more of a double chin

Z and H tend to hold their mouths differently

and then of course there are the personality differences.

Z is more adventurous

H is more social

and right now they each have more of a mommy vs daddy preference ...w/ one of them prefering each of us....which works out well when we are both around.....because let me tell you it sure is hard carrying both of them!!!

look what we can do...

2009-06-24T18:32:00.000-04:00

boxes are great....you can do so much with them!

ok daily they come up with something new....

Zachary has been doing this for a while, but today Hunter joined him as well.

In honor of Dad!

2009-06-22T21:01:00.000-04:00

hey look how good we are doing w/ our sippy cups!

Zachary...styling like Grampa B!

ok, you HAVE to check out my sister's blog...specifically the father's day posts.

http://collins-world.blogspot.com/

now you can look at this cutie and understand why I'm letting him wear this outfit.

He started the day off in khaki's and his shirt, but he needed a change and these were still out from the day before, so we put them on again in Honor of DAD!

he is styling, isn't he.....just like Grampa B!

BTW....they both can now get on the firetrucks by themselves....yeah!!!!

Grampy C gives the boys a haircut!

2009-06-21T23:58:00.000-04:00

(out of order)....now it's Zachary's turn!

above is Hunter..check out the face he's making!

Zachary watches from the back...wondering "am I next?"

mmmm...what's this? Cherry!

mmmmm......grape!

So father's day weekend Grampy and Grammy C came for a visit.
The boy's got a haircut, followed by a lollipop!
We know the boys had had many haircuts before, as they didn't fuss too much w/ the clippers!

Hunter has more of a sweet tooth than Zachary. He got into the lollipop a lot more. We actually tried swapping flavors....but that wasn't it. Zachary just had a few tastes and that was enough for him.

Actually he probably would have been happier if we gave him some broccolli instead!

Both boys love their veggies!

6/5- riding in style!

2009-06-08T09:17:00.003-04:00

One of Scott's friends gave us two fisherprice firetrucks.

The boys are having a ball with them!

These are the first ride on toy that they have been able to push around themselves (the leg ratio is right!)

At first they just wanted to play with the seat that lifts up and hear the music when we push the buttons.

But now they know they can ride!!!!!

These pictures aren't perfectly in focus....ok my standards have been let go....it was their first attempt at riding and you can't recreate that!

the boys feed themselves on 5/27

2009-06-01T09:47:00.007-04:00

The boys got their first chance to "officially feed themselves.

They have of course grabbed stuff w/ their hands while we have been feeding them, but this was the first time they have been totally solo.

Zachary is in the green and Hunter in the blue.

They enjoyed themselves!

ok here we go...

now what am I supposed to do with this again?

look mom, I am using both hands!

this is fun!

2009-06-01T09:41:00.003-04:00

we might be getting the hang of this...

check out that level of concentration

mom, I found an easier way!

wow, am I a mess!

sorry..problem w/ videos loading

2009-06-01T08:45:00.003-04:00

some of the people who have been following the blog asked why we haven't put any more videos on the blog. Well, let's just call it technical difficulties.

We are still trying, but the videos keep getting hung up when loading. We have tried short videos w/ the same effect. We haven't given up yet....so hopefully you'll get to see the little guys in action again! (and what a lot of action they do...they keep me running!)

-jc

music anyone?

2009-05-27T15:38:00.000-04:00

BANG BANG BANG, CLANG CLANG CLANG!

the guys discovered that Chloe's dishes make great gongs

taken 5/19 8:34am

I'm ready to go Mom & Dad!

2009-05-26T08:52:00.000-04:00

We had created a "barrier" in the hotel room as the marble on the floor was really slippery and we didn't want the kid's to fall. Zachary at least once a day climbed onto this suitcase (or in it if we left it open). Here he is letting us know he is ready when we are!

Taken at the White Swan Hotel Guangzhou, China 5/12.

roughhousing with Daddy!

2009-05-25T21:21:00.000-04:00

the boys thought it was hysterical to play on the bed w/ Daddy! (we know...bad precedent, but that's where we had the most room in the hotel room!)

taken in White Swan Hotel Guangzhou, China 5/12 8:40 pm

trying out the stroller

2009-05-25T21:11:00.000-04:00

5/18 was the first official test of the stroller. (Had to try it out before their dr.'s appt 5/19)

It's functional- for a double...not extremely heavy (key word there being extremely), it fits in the back of the car, and there is some room (not a lot) underneath to store a few small things per side.

Check out the balloons! Thanks Karen!

more pic's

2009-05-25T13:21:00.005-04:00

the plan is to try to get notes written down from each day and then put the corresponding pic's.

right now the kid's naps are not quite what they were in China so we'll do what we can.

Hopefully as we get them settled into their new routine I'll have some time to blog again!

for now, here are some random pic's.

Rough time change adjustment

2009-05-20T13:51:00.002-04:00

Ok....again I'm sorry we haven't been blogging.

We are trying to get adjusted back to Ga time. UGH!!!!

The boys slept fabulously in China. No such luck here. We know they are having trouble w/ the time adjustment and since they are....so are we.

In China we were very fortunate to discover their sleep schedule was for real. They woke up 6:30-7am, napped 11:30 till 2:30 or 3pm and went to bed at 9-9:30pm and might wake up once for a wet diapey.

Now, back in the states w/ the time change is a whole other story. We are trying to get them back in to their familiar pattern. But so far no luck. They are exhausted....and so are we.

Right now it is one of them waking up about every 2 hrs during the night. (couldn't they get this timed together at least?)

Actually they are doing amazingly well considering...me not so much. Thank goodness for our wonderful friends and neighbors who have been taking such good care of us! several of them have delivered dinner. We can't express our thanks enough. We probably would have just skipped those meals as we were to tired to make anything. So thank you again!!! (and again, and again!....btw Andrea I think Scott might like your lasagna better than mine! I think it's the chunks of tomatoe, I'll have to add those to mine.)

Our flight back from China was long. VERY LONG! One of our flights got cancelled due to weather so instead of flying from Guangzhou to Beijing to Chicago to Atlanta we had to do Guangzhou to Beijing to Chicago to Charlotte to Atlanta. From the time we got up to get ready for our flight till the time we made it back to our house 36 hrs. Long travelling day.

Well, this post took about 4 hrs to try to write. so will post as is without anything further.

Will try to fill in details whenever I can.
-Jenni

Random Photo's

2009-05-11T23:14:00.007-04:00

in front of our Hotel....I love these "blow up" entrances they use to attract attention

lots of bikes, mopeds, etc....
This is the building that most of the babies stay in at the orphanage our boys are from. There is also the "Lily Care Center" which is a room staffed by our agency where babies that need more care are taken care of. That is in the next building over to this one. Their orphanage is made up of 5 buildings. Each building has one of the characters from the olympics on it. The whole facility looks very nice. This is the Children's Welfare Institute in Zhengzhou. It is called the "new" orphanage as the children used to be in the social welfare institute with older patients. Now there are just a couple children left at the SWI, but there are approx 280 children at the CWI now. Most of these children have needs that require some sort of special care or attention.

a minivan!

ornate shrubbery outside the gates of the Chen House....

The Chen Family Temple was built as a collective effort by the Chen families from 72 counties all over Guangdong Province at the end of the 19th century during the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty. The temple was built to honor and worship their ancestors. It was also used to house Chen family members who came from all over the province to sit for the imperial examinations. Today, it is the largest and best preserved example of the architecture and artistry of the time in all of Guangdong Province.

2009-05-11T23:01:00.006-04:00

The boys getting ready for their red couch photo. Matching Bums...Too Cute.

Red Couch Photo

The traditional "Red Couch Photos"

Sunrise in the China Smog

This was not posed, both boys climbed in to Daddy's lap with their bottles.

Flight to Guangzhou

2009-05-10T23:22:00.010-04:00

Sorry everyone!

We have been super busy! (As you can probably imagine!- especially being new to all this!)

We are in Guangzhou now. We flew in Saturday. We survived our first plane ride. Of course this one was only 2 hours long, but it was a good trial run to see how it is going to go for the long ride home.

Scott and I were seated one in front of the other. For our in-China flights we only have "lap seats" for the boys. It was nice that each of us had an empty seat in between us and the passenger by the window. Both of us being on the aisle was great as well. More so for me as I had Zachary who is a little bit fussier and I had to get up and walk him a couple of times as he gets antsy just sitting. I had a really nice gentleman sitting in the row with us. He played w/ Z a lot during the flight. He also didn't gag when right after takeoff Z made a real stinker. (Though the person in the aisle accross from me was according to Scott who had a good view of him while I was focused on changing Z's diaper and getting the smell gone ASAP!) It was a small plane and I decided since there was an empty seat to just lay Z accross the two seats and change his diaper right there. I apologized in Mandarin (yeah...one of the phrases I know!) even though this gentleman spoke quite a bit of English to me afterwards. At that point I didn't know he spoke English and I was very proud of myself for remembering the right words. I know I got it right because he answered "that's ok" back to me.

So I now can mark that off on my list of things I have accomplished as a new Mom... changing a diaper on a plane.

We thought we would get lucky and have the boys sleep during the flight as it was their nap time anyway, but no go. They also were supposed to have one of their "solid meals" on the plane, but we decided to flip their schedule around and do one of their bottles of formula at the meal time and then later at the formula time do a more solid meal. That did work out fine. On advice of other BTDT mom's we picked up a thermos here at the lotus center on one of our shopping trips.

side note:
*The Lotus Center is supposed to be a grocery store. I guess it is if you shop at a Super Walmart. It had everything-even more than Walmart! It is more like a small mall. The cool thing was that it was 4 stories high. Let's see if I can remember what was on all the floors. 1st floor jewelry...we skipped that floor as we were on a baby survival mission. 2nd floor groceries. It was fun seeing a lot of the brands you know but on Chinese labels. 3rd floor Ithink that is where we found the baby formula. There were certain things that had to be paid for in that area and other things that you could take floor to floor and just pay for at the end. It was very interesting. 4th floor diapers ,wipes and a ton more stuff of course- if I am remembering correctly. Baby formula -pay right there! Luggage-right there. Back pack-right there. Batteries, diapers, wipes, water, food, baby pants- all could wait to the end to pay. We were in there for 1 1/2 hrs on our first trip and that was not enough. We could have spent about 4 hrs just looking at everything. I went back seperately to pick up a bigger pack of diapers- ha ha and to see if they had instant oatmeal. No such luck on that. Though they do have oreos, pringles, lots of junk food that we see at home. I finally found a bag that our rep said was wheat. Seeing that it was in a bowl, I was thinking cream of wheat...not quite, it was just a bit thicker than formula and had a few oatmeal like flakes of wheat. It works for one of their meals, but I tasted it....yuck! and I eat just about every hot type of cereal out there. (I have been accused of eating hot bird seed)

Ok, back on topic....
So we got a thermos and once through the security we filled it (w/scalding hot water) from one of the hot water stations in the airport. We also bought some cold bottled water so we could mix their bottles to the right temp. That way, we wouldn't have to rely on the airline to make us hot water exactly when we needed it. They might do it, or they might be too busy so we played it safe and prepared that way. All in all, the flight went smoothly. They were not bothered by the air pressure changes. Even with the two of them having pretty nasty colds. We at that point were battling snoogery noses that changed from stuffy to runny. We had brought children's meds from home and were dosing according to their (future) pediatrician and it was helping, but not quite enough.

They both started to fall asleep right as we were about to land. We wore our ergo's for carrying throughout the airport which again worked out great except being very HOT! Ergo now makes a "sport" version. I am wondering if it truly is any cooler. If anyone out there is thinking about one I'd say give it a shot as the regular ones are super hot. It's like strapping a heater to your stomach when you put on a little 20+ pounder!

Oh... as far as suitcases on the in-China flight....they don't count the # of bags, just weight. Overall each adult is allowed 20(kg's I think....works out to 44lbs ) and lap tickets are allowed 10kg. If you are over in weight you just pay a not very expensive fee. BUT......I would highly advise going as light as possible from home because you are sure to pick up more stuff at every stop! We had to pay on our flight from Beijing to Zhengzhou, but since we gained the weight limit for the two boys we didn't have to pay even though I had picked up a suitcase (which I bought at the lotus center of course )to hold the boys diapers, formula, food, etc.

Last notes on the airport the baggage carts are free and it is interesting going through security screening (at that point our interpretor was no longer with us) when they are asking you to do something and you don't understand them...and of course while holding a squirming child!

boys will be boys!

2009-05-07T01:27:00.004-04:00

We are having so much fun!

2009-05-07T01:14:00.002-04:00

These little guys are amazing!

Zachary and Hunter have kept us running! They are napping right now. This is the first time I haven't felt like I had to nap too! (I could still....but it's not like it's mandatory this time)

Scott already posted the picture of them wrestling... it cracked me up they are such BOYS!!!!!!

It is really neat to watch them exploring everything. Zachary especially loves the scale in our room.

Feeding time in the room has been funny. Zachary seems to want to be the only one to get fed. Even though Scott and I are both feeding them, Z will sometimes sit on top of Hunter in order to get in his way and get the food. H is OK with it. They both are really sweet, but H is super, super easy going.

They both sleep all the way through the night. They both love baths. Z has a little more strength in his legs, and we are sure he will be the first one to truly go solo. Right now they both are able to walk around holding on to things, but Z really hauls! H is more proficient with his hands. He is much better at holding his bottle and tilting back to get the last drops. He also is really good at the nesting blocks. He really "gets" the whole nesting thing. Z gets a little more frustrated with them as he keeps trying to put the bigger one into the smaller one.

We think they might both be lefties (just like auntie Christina!) they do use both hands for a lot of things, but they tend to reach for food mainly with the left.

More Pictures

2009-05-06T07:39:00.004-04:00

So today we had a free day to do whatever we liked and to catch up on some laundry and some sleep. It was nice spending the whole day to ourselves and not having to run anywhere. We gave our boys their first bath today which was a lot of fun. They love the water and like taking baths. They were splashing water everywhere and having a good old time. I've posted some pictures from the Registration office with the Director and also posted some pictures from the notary office. See you all Soon!!

Thanks everyone for looking at our blog and following our Journey!! It has been an unbelievable experience and being parents even though only for a couple of days is AWESOME...Tiring...But Awesome!!!! THESE BOYS ARE GREAT!!!!

Notary Photo

2009-05-06T07:30:00.000-04:00

IT'S OFFICIAL!!!!

2009-05-05T01:27:00.004-04:00

Today we made our adoption 100% official!!! We went to the registration office and the notary today. This was the final step in making the adoption official!! Another interesting note is that the four families here were the first four families to use the new registration office. They made a pretty big deal out of it. They literally rolled out the red carpet for us and had us take pictures with the director of registration affairs (this is not the normal process). Each family had to take a picture with him then we all took a group photo with him. He was very nice and he was very much appreciative of all of the families. Anyway I'm posting some more pictures from yesterday and we will get the registration and notary pictures posted later. FYI this is SC...My first official post!!

2009-05-04T19:03:00.001-04:00

Family Day!

2009-05-04T18:50:00.003-04:00

We have survived our first day as parents!!!

2009-05-04T18:31:00.002-04:00

Amazing, simply amazing that in one instant we became mom and dad two the two most precious little guys.

Out of our four families that are travelling together, we were the second family to have our children brought to us. We were waiting in the hallway as we were told they would be bringing the children to our guides room...which is right down the hall from ours. The families all worked out arrangements of who would take videos and pictures for whom. This worked out great as we all could focus on the children and not worry about "capturing the moment." I haven't even looked at the pic's yet! I will post some on in a moment.....be patient! ha ha!

We got totally choked up watching the first family meet their child. All the rest of the families were sobbing, but the parents did so great and gave a warm welcome to their little boy. We think watching that first moment helped us not to be emotional wrecks. The tears started brimming when we first saw our little guys being carried down the hall towards us, but the moment we held them it all seemed to click, and it was just a feeling of awe.

And they are so sweet. And funny, and cuddly,...and heavy when you are not used to lugging a child around!

We were pretty busy playing with them, while our representative tried to get the paperwork with the orphanage squared away.

We found out that our adoption of our little guys is the first one from this orphanage. As I have mentioned before they are the "new" orphanage for the city of Zhengzhou. I am not sure when exactly they opened, but I know it has been at least almost a year. So the orphanage workers were not really familiar with how everything was supposed to be done. And they even forgot some of the paperwork. But we didn't care as long as the brought the most important things: Zachary and Hunter!

The orphanage did a lot of nice things for us, like making an amazing book, bringing back a camera that we had sent, they also were going to give us all the clothes that we had sent back, but we told them to keep them. (Except I did ask for the sweatshirts since they might be useful in the AC and easier to take on and off than the sweaters we had brought with us.)

12 hours to go!

2009-05-03T09:36:00.003-04:00

The countdown has truly begun! It is 9:36 right now as I am typing this post. We found out we are to meet our boys at 9:30 in the morning!

We found out today that our province guide and Lily, one of the founders of our adoption agency, visited our boys orphanage a week or so ago and spent 1/2 a day playing with our boys. We asked our guide more info and she told us that they are walking holding on to things for support and that they are happy and very easy going.

We can't believe we soon get to see these things first hand!

We can not wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We need to try to go and get some sleep...try being the key word.

Wan an! (Good Night!)

I should be sleeping....

2009-05-02T15:15:00.002-04:00

Ok, its 3:15 in the morning here and I am wide awake. I don't think it's being on US time, I think it is excitement!!!!!

I can't believe we are so close to getting our boys! Tom. morning we fly into their province. We aren't suppose to get them until the 4th, but we have heard of cases where the children are brought earlier. Not really expecting it, but you never know!

We are sorry we missed our "skype" windows.... we've been on a set schedule with our guide. We have seen a lot in 2 days. Today we visited the Great wall, a cloisonne factory, a jade factory, we went to the olympic birds nest, had a nice lunch, and then went to an acrobatics show. We came back to our room and crashed! So I did get some sleep...not running entirely on empty.

2009-05-02T15:13:00.000-04:00

2009-05-02T15:12:00.000-04:00

Quick Observations

2009-05-01T10:58:00.002-04:00

traffic- ok, there is a ton of it. Of course being from GA we have seen our share w/ the Atlanta traffic. The biggest difference here is that in addition to all the cars there are also the bikes, the trikes, the tons of people walking everywhere. The bikes aren't on the sides of the roads, they are mixed in with the cars, looking like they are about to get clipped at any second. But the people riding them show no concern at all. But the amazing thing is that it seems almost like poetry in motion. I know, an odd thought about traffic. But the vehicles and people seem to blend in very fluidly. It's not like in the US where people are trying to not look at you so they don't have to let you in. Here they all accept that they must flow lane into lane and it just happens. The other interesting thing we learned is that Monday through Friday. Everyone, even though they have a 5 day work week is on a 4 day driving schedule. They have one day that they must leave their vehicle at home. This is done in order to minimize the amount of vehicles on the road. We also were told that during the recent olympics, the government put everyone on an every other day driving schedule. This cut traffic in half, but I can't imagine their subways during those days as they are already incredibly crowded.

Pride. Today was Labor day in China. There were crowds everywhere. Our guide said many people travel far on days such as this to visit the historic sites. We saw two women rush a guarded area that held a flagpole flying China's flag. They were dragged off by the police. They risked arrest in order to touch the flagpole of their country. Also I have heard several people here talking about themselves, no not them themselves personally but they "chinese people" as a group. I heard statements starting... "we Chinese ...." I found that incredibly interesting as that is not something I can say I have heard in the US. We don't group ourselves saying we all do anything a certain way.

a few more pictures!

2009-05-01T10:14:00.000-04:00

Touring Beijing

2009-05-01T07:29:00.004-04:00

Here are a few shots of Beijing. We went to Tian'anmen Square, then went inside the forbidden city where everything is amzingly detailed. The forbidden city took over 40 years to build and is all intricately carved. Please forgive the lack of turning the pic's the right direction. These have not been edited or rotated yet. Just wanting to pop some pic's up so you can see some of the sights!

2009-05-01T07:15:00.000-04:00

We are in Beijing!

2009-04-30T19:45:00.004-04:00

So we survived the plane ride. What can I say about it. It was long. Very long. Our travel time from leaving our house to arriving at our hotel was 25 hrs. All, of course, very worth it.

We did have one scary moment on the plane. It was when our plane was about to land at the Washington Dulles Airport. We were just about to touch down...literally just about to touch down. I was watching the runway getting closer and closer, when suddenly we were jerked upwards again. You could hear the engines rev up to high gear (is there such a thing on planes?) as we shot skyward again. We then began to circle the airport again. Of course Scott and I were looking at each other with our eyebrows raised. Then the pilot came on and said that there had been a plane in our way!!!! Yikes!

We are so glad that we got to leave when we did. Scott was just downstairs converting some money and on his way back up in the elevator one of the other families told him that the CCAA has just suspended all travel due to the swine flu. Talk about a close call!

We Are On Our Way!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-29T08:39:00.002-04:00

WooooooHooooooooooo!

It was a bright early start for us today. Our good friend Jim dropped us off at the airport. We never would have asked for a ride, but when someone offers even after they know how early you are leaving.... you take them up on it! Thank you Jim!

We left our house at 3:15am. Of course the ride down to the airport was a breeze. This is the only time I have ever travelled around the Atlanta vicinity that I didn't see traffic. So now you know, if you want a traffic free ride...3-4am is it!

Then, when we got to the United counter we found out that we couldn't check in for another 1/2 hour. So why don't they tell you to ignore the "two hours early" rule if your flight is at 6am? We could have had another 1/2 hour of sleep. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but to us right now it really is. We went to bed after midnight .... lots of double checking our luggage to make sure we weren't forgetting something, and lots of cleaning so that our house guests won't think we are slobs... or at least not too much. (Just don't look in the closets!) Plus it is always nice to come home to a clean house after a trip. (To our guests... just throw some cleaner in the toilet and the "clean smell" will be there again when we get home! ha ha! PS thanks for doing that for us!) Plus, friends pointed out that this is the last chance for our house to be clean......forever! We are ready to have the mess of twins! Will that finally give me an excuse for all my clutter? Yes, Scott, I know....NO CLUTTER ALLOWED!

I can't believe we are finally on our way. It still doesn't seem quite real.

Right now I am blogging from the Washington Dulles Airport. We have an almost 5 hour layover here. We originally had flights set up with a much smaller window on the layover, but on the advice of our agency we moved it to a longer window in case of flight problems. Our flight to DC was smooth sailing. We did have to loop around after the first attempt to land, there was a plane in the way... I'm glad they noticed! So now we are chillin' in the airport. We are trying to stay awake w/out napping until our flight leaves. That is hard to do when you are working on 2 1/2 hours sleep. But if we fall asleep when we leave here, we will be timing in with when we should be sleeping in China as there is a twelve hour time difference.

See you all at our next posting! (had to throw a little "Georgia" in there!)

Blogging our way to and through China

2009-04-28T21:15:00.000-04:00

Hello all!

Scott and I are leaving on our trip of a lifetime!

The trip to meet and bring home our little boys!

I'm unable to put in words what this means to us.

We are going to attempt to blog during the whole trip. The good, the bad, the ugly.

We hope you enjoy following along!

what's going on?

2009-04-22T09:28:00.002-04:00

Sorry folks, we've been busy!

Yes, we did get our Consulate Appointment for the day we were requesting: May 12th!

So we will be on our way next week. NEXT WEEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It now feels like a mad dash to the finish line, with the finish line being getting on that plane!

We are so excited, and still feel like there is lots to do.

ie.....today (yeah day off!) dentist...had a filling fall out, fire dept...need to check carseat installation, mall.....need to buy our adoption officials, orphanage director, nannies, etc gifts. (It is part of the culture in China to give gifts as a thank you for completion of a service, etc. I am not really knowledgeable about this, but do know it is customary and "when in Rome" or in this case China....do as they do!) Then review our packing list to see what else is missing! Call our agency to find out about the in- China travel, and who knows what else!

Ta Ta....off to another busy day!

Thank you!

2009-04-22T09:18:00.003-04:00

We want to send out a big thank you to all of you who helped us celebrate the other night at Karen & Jim's house.

K&J are very, very good friends (we call them our Georgia Family). They threw us a party/shower/celebration!

K, as always, made some amazing food.....mmmmmm!

My sister, Christina, sent us a beautiful fruit bouquet for the event! Thank you, Christina!
It was beautiful and yummy!

It was a lot of fun to have a bunch of our friends all together helping us celebrate...and it gave us a one night breather from all our running around (ha ha!)

Thank you all for the wonderful gifts you gave us for our boys. We greatly appreciate it.

TA!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-15T23:00:00.002-04:00

WOOOOOOOO
HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

WE HAVE TA!

ok....its hard to stop screaming, and jumping, and crying tears of joy!

We are going to go get our boys!!!!

Our Travel Approval from China just arrived!

Now our agency is trying to get our CA... our Consulate Appointment. Once they lock in that date, we can buy our tickets and go!!!!!!!!!

They are requesting May 12th! Yes that's right ! And that is the last thing we do in China before we head home!!!!!!

If we get that date we should be leaving April 29th!!!!!!!!!

2 WEEKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOW, OH WOW, OH WOW!!!!!!!!

(can you tell how excited I am as I post this?)

We had been told it would come fast at the end .....but WOW!

We have a lot to do....still!

Thank you everyone who put up with me today! I know its hard to take a grown women bouncing and screaming and bouncing some more!