Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Kyrgyz Hats!!

Bryan and I are in Houston the entire week for Thanksgiving. I managed to make the drive to Houston with Caleb all by myself yesterday since Bryan was in Pennsylvania for a residency interview. Caleb slept for the entire 2.5 hour drive! I was thrilled to say the least.

After another residency interview in Houston today, Bryan and I went up to my office to introduce Caleb to my coworkers. It was really fun to show him off to everyone. Caleb handled the large group and trade floor pretty well although he was fairly quiet. I think it was a lot for him to take in! Bryan held him the entire time and he even managed to give a few tiny smiles. One of the highlights of the visit was taking a picture with my coworker Vladi who is originally from Kyrgyzstan. Most of the people at work had not seen Kyrgyz hats before so they all got a kick out of seeing us wear them.

Last but not least, on Saturday we received Caleb's Certificate of Citizenship from the US government! I am relieved to finally get this document in the mail. Now we can apply for Caleb's Social Security #. That will be the last bit of paperwork until we start filing post placement reports in a few months!

We hope everyone has a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving.

A Party for Caleb!

This evening our friends in Temple hosted a "Sip 'N See" in honor of Caleb coming home. For those of you not from the South, it's basically a chance for everyone to meet and greet Caleb, and of course to eat! We had a great time visiting with our friends who have been a part of our Med School Bible Study since we moved to Temple. There is something very special about celebrating with the very people who prayed for you through every hill and valley. It was so relaxing to be with friends and to let them enjoy our precious boy. Caleb did really well at the party, too! He let other people hold him, had a bottle and a short nap too. He also showed off his fancy "sitting all by myself" skills.

We have been truly blessed to have the prayerful support of so many people in our community and especially within Bryan's class. We are so appreciative that they took the time to do something special in honor of our little Caleb!

With our hostesses - Leah, Kristen & Brenda
Caleb chose not to be photogenic for this picture.
He is teething on his overalls instead.

With Leah, an old friend who I'm blessed to have with me in Temple

Mr. Show-off, sitting like a big boy in the red chair!

Quick teething update: At this rate, we fully expect Caleb to have a full set of teeth by next week. Well, maybe that's an exaggeration... but one of his top middle teeth is cutting through right now and we can see many others that are in progress too! Poor little guy, we know it must hurt but he sure is a good sport about it. I'd try to take pictures but his teeth only show when he's crying, and it makes me sad to take pictures if he's screaming!

Look at My New Trick!

Caleb sat by himself for the first time today! He was actually able to sit for about 30 seconds without toppling over. He was very proud of himself and when he'd get too excited it was only a matter of seconds before he'd head face first for the mattress :)

Sophie was there to join in on the fun. Mostly I think she was jealous that we used to just take pictures of her and now we just take pictures of Caleb! Also, the picture below shows Caleb's latest facial expression which he unveiled this past Saturday when Uncle Craig & Aunt Michelle came to visit. We're not exactly sure what this expression means but we think it's pretty cute and funny!

Home One Month

Hi everyone,

Yesterday was the one month anniversary of Caleb arriving in his new home in the US. In one month, he's gone from 11 lbs 5 ounces to 13 lbs 8 ounces! We are enjoying every minute with him. Seeing all of the changes in Caleb - both physical and emotional - is so rewarding.

Our main focus right now is on attachment and bonding. We've done our best to be consistent and sensitive to Caleb's transition from the orphanage to a new home with new sights, smells, language and people. He's been such a resilient little boy and has already shown very encouraging signs of bonding to us as his parents. I love the photo below, which was taken this evening when Bryan got home from the hospital. It shows our sweet baby boy holding on to his Daddy while they look outside into the backyard.

The one area we are still working on is feeding. Clearly Caleb is getting enough food since he is gaining weight, and he doesn't totally hate solids either. However, we often see him struggle with us during bottle feedings even when we know he is hungry. We realize he likely has negative associations with bottle feeding since his food made him feel so sick for the first 6 months of his life until he went on soy formula. On most feedings with us he does just fine, but occasionally he will get so upset - thrashing around, screaming, refusing eye contact, arching his back. It is hard to pinpoint exactly what is causing him to be upset.

After reading on an attachment website suggested by a fellow adoptive parent, I decided to take a different approach while feeding him. The testimonial of one parent on the website emphasized not giving up on your child when they are fighting like that, and that your child needs to see that you will not abandon them even when they are upset or being difficult.

At the next feeding when Caleb got very upset, I continued to cuddle him, sing to him, comfort him - anything to distract him from his emotional upset. All of the sudden as I started singing he stopped crying and looked at me, as if he was shocked that I was still there. He stopped struggling and allowed himself to be cradled and comforted. Caleb just kept looking at me, even reaching up to touch my face at one point as I sang. I eventually sang him to sleep for the first time ever. I have to admit I was crying as this all happened, as I realized that he was letting his guard down and allowing me to love and parent him.

Ironically, the song I was singing to him was "In the Secret" by Chris Tomlin. The lyrics seem so poignant given the situation:

In the secret, in the quiet place

In the stillness You are there.

In the secret, in the quiet hour I wait,

Only for You,'cause I want to know You more;

I want to know You,

I want to hear Your voice

I want to know You more.

I want to touch You,

I want to see Your face

I want to know You more.

I am reaching for the highest goal,

then I might receive the prize.

Pressing onward, pushing every hindrance aside,

Out of my way, 'cause I want to know you more

I want to know You,

I want to hear Your voice

I want to know You more.

I want to touch You,

I want to see Your face

I want to know You more.

The parallels between the adoption of a child and being an adopted child of God have been so apparent to me in the past month. As I reflected back on that first occasion of rocking Caleb to sleep, I thought about how closely that mirrors our relationship with God in many instances. We get angry, we struggle, we turn away and refuse to look for Him. Sometimes we don't even realize He is there. We sometimes think we are so hurt or so far gone that we don't even realize He is holding us, singing gently to us the entire time and telling us how much He loves us. We get caught up in the emotions of the moment, or possibly the emotions of the past and can't move forward. But the reality is that God constantly looks at us with love and commits to staying there with us in that moment - holding us, loving us, speaking to us until we decide to listen.

I feel challenged to love Caleb as God loves me, and to remember that as we work on our bond with our son we must also continue to cultivate our relationship with God.

Bryan and I continue to thank God for the opportunity to be the parents of an incredible, sensitive, intelligent, adorable, long-legged, blue-eyed baby boy. He is by far the greatest blessing we have received, and this past month the most joy-filled we have ever experienced.

Happy 7 Month Birthday to Caleb!

Caleb is 7 months old today, and yesterday marked 1 month since Gotcha Day. In many ways the time has flown by, but at the same time Gotcha Day seems so long ago. We are still so grateful to Caleb's birth mother and the country of Kyrgyzstan for the amazing gift of this precious baby boy. We are also so grateful to be home where we can enjoy him and let bonding be our complete focus.

I have to admit that I've been feeling kind of crummy today so my brain is not real slick at coming up with a cohesive way to post all the changes we've seen in Caleb over the past month. Sorry for the lack of creativity, but for lack of a better method I'm going to make a quick list so I can always remember the strides he made in the first month.

• Caleb's leg strength and head control are drastically improved. They were in many ways nonexistent 1 month ago!

• He now reaches out for toys and takes interest in what he is holding on to. Before we would have to place things in his hands and then he would just kind of zone out - not knowing how to even play.

• Caleb has gained 1 pound 11 ounces and grown 1 inch as of last Friday! He can now wear pants instead of just one-piece outfits because he now has a little tummy and enough junk in the trunk to hold up baby pants!

• Caleb is smiling and giggling all the time. To our surprise, he thinks Mom & Dad are pretty funny. He blesses us with his toothy grin constantly.

• Speaking of teeth, Caleb now has 3 teeth and another on the way. Teething is such a joy ;

• Caleb clearly finds comfort in us - he wants us to hold him, wants to be near us and will even snuggle on my shoulder when he's sleepy. It takes a little bit of coaxing to get him to lay his head down on my shoulder, but once he's convinced it's okay to rest he is happy to be held close by his Mommy.

• Caleb has now tried rice cereal, oatmeal, bananas and sweet potatoes! I think sweet potatoes are by far his favorite.

• Caleb has had many new experiences - meeting so many new people, going to church, going to the grocery store for the first time... not to mention flying for 21 hours around the world! He has taken it all in stride and we are so proud of how he has handled everything that has become part of his new life.

• Caleb now likes to sleep on his side or his back rather than his tummy. He typically falls asleep while drinking his bottle. I love these times as it gives me a chance to just hold an angelic sleeping baby boy on my lap. I realize that sooner than I expect he will be too big to sit in my lap. Often when I'm holding him I think about how he will someday go to kindergarten, someday start high school, someday be a groom. We are both doing everything we can to cherish these times with our Caleb while he is little.
  

We are so in love with our sweet baby boy and look forward to celebrating many more milestones with him!

And now for a few pictures from today - his 7 month birthday :)

I'm A Proud Mama!

We took Caleb to the pediatrician's office today so we could his height and weight checked. Bryan and I had both commented that he felt heavier, but we also thought we might be imagining things!

Well, we aren't crazy - he is heavier! Here are the updates:

Height: 26 inches
Weight: 12 lbs 11 ounces!!!

In comparison, when we picked Caleb up from the orphanage on Oct 9 he was 25 inches long and 11 lbs. It looks like guzzling all that soy formula is starting to pay off! Way to go Buddy!!! He still has a long ways to go before he catches up on his weight but we are so encouraged by how well he is doing.

We hope you all have a wonderful weekend and that you are able to enjoy beautiful fall weather!

Guess who didn't cry during bath time last night??

As predicted by all of my friends in the Kyrgyz adoption community who have brought their kiddos home - Caleb has stopped crying and learned to enjoy bath time! At first I wanted to avoid bath time all together because his crying made me so sad, but Bryan was persistent and said if we made it part of Caleb's daily routine he would adjust sooner. Well, Daddy knows best on this one!

Last night during his bath Caleb only fussed a little when I washed his face. He got over it pretty quick once he could see his toy again! Caleb is really starting to enjoy his bath toys. Although this probably seems minimal to most people, we are overjoyed to see him reaching out and playing with his toys. Less than a month ago he was completely unaware of his ability to reach for things or how to even play. These subtle changes in him are so rewarding to watch!

Prior to last night, Caleb preferred to be sitting up in the infant tub rather than reclining. Bryan had been trying to put Caleb's feet against the end of the tub so he could support his own weight a little bit. Last night Caleb finally figured it out! Here's a picture of him taking a bath like a big boy, complete with a strategically placed washcloth ;). I love how his little toes are gripping onto the tub!

Today was our second try at bananas. This picture cracks me up because Caleb looks like he's bracing himself against the Bumbo tray for who-knows-what is coming towards him in the spoon!

The bananas went better than expected and we actually got him to eat more of them than any other attempt with solid food. We're going to keep trying and hopefully he will get the hang of it and enjoy eating something other than soy formula! I think he actually looks pretty happy about the bananas in this picture:

And last but not least, here's a picture of our little cutie-patootie just lounging on the bed with Dad in his favorite outfit - onesie, diaper, socks. If I remember correctly, they were watching ESPN. Boys will be boys!

Also - check it out! Our long, skinny boy has a roll on each of his thighs!!! He'll be a butterball before we know it! This is a huge change considering that when we picked Caleb up from the orphanage his thighs looked like he had too much skin because there was no fat on his legs.

Election Day!

Today Bryan and I took Caleb with us when we voted. He wore his "All American Boy" outfit since I had to be sure he was decked out in red, white & blue. He got multiple compliments from the polling staff on his Tommy Hilfiger tennis shoes which are also red, white & blue. Shoes are so essential at this age, when you aren't walking or even standing on your own ;)

Caleb was quite solemn at our voting location. He clearly understood that this is an important day for our country:

Once we got home, he realized what a joy and privilege it is to be able to vote. He seemed to perk up when we told him he would get to vote some day too.

Although this has nothing to do with voting or even with Caleb, I thought it was pretty funny. Sweet little Sophie was spending her morning looking out the back window at squirrels. She had brought her stuffed puppy - an identical match to her coloring - and positioned it so that it was also looking out the window!

I haven't said much about how Sophie is handling the big change of a baby in the house. She has not showed any signs of jealousy. In fact, she seems perfectly content to have Caleb here although she does get worried when he is crying. If he starts to cry she comes into the room where he is to check on him. She will lay on the guest bed in his nursery and wait while we feed or comfort him.

She has not tried to play with his toys that much or tried to lick him. She has sniffed him on occasion, and thankfully Caleb is okay with that. Caleb does have one toy - a giraffe teething toy - that Sophie has been interested in from day one. We have to keep it out of the toy basket or she will try to go dig it out. When we put the giraffe out of reach but in her sight, Sophie will sit and cry for the giraffe. Poor deprived dog - she only has a basket with about 50 other toys in it to choose from! I don't know why she wants to play with the giraffe so much!

That pretty much sums up our Election Day so far! If you have not voted yet - GO VOTE!

Some Caleb Pics

Not too much has been going on here! We have just been enjoying our time at home with Caleb. This is Bryan's last week off from Med School so we are savoring every last minute of our time together. It has been such a blessing to be able to relax and just focus on our new family, rather than worrying about school or work or studying... or even cooking! Our great friends and families have kept our fridge stocked with delicious meals.

Here are a couple of pictures... nothing spectacular, just some typical moments in our new routine. Caleb loves to hang out in his diaper & a t-shirt. We can tell he is just smiley and relaxed when that is his outfit! Also, he is pictured below doing his typical feeding pose- left hand up in the air, in a fist. We're not sure where this habit comes from but he does it pretty much every time. We are thinking maybe they used to prop the bottle up on his left side at the orphanage so he kept that arm in the air so he could drink from the bottle? Who knows. I think he looks pretty relaxed having his meal, don't you??

And lastly, here is Caleb ready to go on a morning stroll with Daddy in the Baby Bjorn. He loves to be outside and to be moving so this carrier is a great fit for him! This was his first time to go on a walk facing 'outwards' and he seemed to really enjoy it.

We have also had several small adventures over the past week-- returning to church for the first time, going to Austin for a little day trip (including our first family outing to a restaurant!) and taking Caleb to one of our Bible Studies tonight to meet the many people who prayed for him throughout our adoption process. Many of our dear friends here in Temple have come to meet Caleb and welcome him home. It has been a blessing to do some 'normal' things that used to be part of our routine pre-Caleb. It has also been so refreshing to go back to church and to be able to show people our precious baby, our answered prayer. God has been so faithful and we are so thankful for that.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!