Happy 2nd Birthday Owen!!

Two years ago today, on a cold day in the Siberian city of Novokuznetsk, a baby boy was born. Through the wonders of the internet I found an actual picture of Kemerovo that very day in 2007 (not Novokuznetsk, but close - this is the city where we had our court proceedings).
And this...is my one and only baby picture of our little man. Also through the wonders of the internet (and helpful adoption-type people who provided a Russian translation to navigate the site), I was able to pull this picture from Owen's file on the Russian orphan "database" after we received his referral. I think it was taken about the time he entered into the system there. They never gave us this picture when we visited, so I'm so glad to have it.

One year ago today, we had a blue cake with a rainbow on it (Owen was somewhere over the rainbow), sang Happy Birthday, and video taped messages to Owen. But he was in Novokuznetsk Baby Home #95.

This year, the world is a different place (and the icing a different color) for five people in this family. Happy 2nd Birthday Owen! We love you so much!

Oh, how to sum up in words how I feel about my youngest child.

Owen, you are a force of nature. You are the most resilient person I know. You have a natural enthusiasm, curiosity, and charisma that has helped you through some crazy times in your short life (not the least of which was being carted away by complete strangers to a land far away). Your smile can stop my heart (and I'm pretty sure the hearts of anyone near you, although I may be a biased mother). You are strong in ways I can't explain, physical and otherwise. I think you could be President if you wanted (although the laws don't allow that...and I find that very annoying...but I'm sure you could change those laws by the time you get there). You have tenacity, fearlessness, and a wonderful, bounding joy. Even at your tender age, I feel like you are taking on life instead of letting it take you. I am so very, very glad that I am getting to know you, and have the privilege of being your Mommy. I love you forever.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thankful for:

Celebrating with Liam, Natalie, AND Owen this year.

Grandma and Grandpa joining us too.

Beautiful Thanksgiving weather.

The start of Christmas festivities.

Good food, and minimal work involved.

Family, family, family.

Hoping that everyone out there enjoyed Thanksgiving as much as we did here!

Happy Referral Day!

Exactly one year ago yesterday we went out to dinner for my 40th birthday. The kids were well-behaved, we had a nice conversation, and we came to the conclusion that we were in such a good place and things were going so well that maybe we were foolish to continue pursuing the adoption. We wrapped our heads around the idea of being happy with our foursome and moving on. We felt ourselves moving into a more mature family phase.

Exactly one year ago today we received the call from our agency that we had a referral (they had told me a few days earlier than this that we wouldn't get a referral for probably another 3 months). Even though we knew we should not get our hopes up or get attached prematurely, we still all gathered round the computer and opened up these pictures. And all four of us caught our breath and said, "Oh! He's sooooo cute!"

We spent Thanksgiving a few days later with friends, and even though I had told myself that I would not share his picture with anyone in case this didn't work out, I brought his picture out and showed him off instead. "We're going to call him Owen," I told them.

I can't say that I didn't still have my doubts that it would ever happen. But it felt right. And these three pictures kept me going for another three and a half months until we met him in person.

Happy Referral Day, to my sweet baby boy who was so far away a year ago. In some ways it seems like a lifetime ago that we first saw your face. And yet, it also seems that we have known you forever. We can't imagine life without you.

(And Happy Birthday to Grandpa, who shares his birthday with Owen's Referral Day!)

Good Friends

Figured I'd add one more of my Christmas card practice shots. Oh, if only I had any chance at all of getting all three together like this...but I think that would be flying too close to the sun. I do like this shot. These two are definitely good friends - probably even more so now than say, a year ago.

No energy to post any more. Jim traveling all week. So. Tired. Looking forward to having him home all next week for the holiday. He should be well-rested after a week away from the craziness of home, right? I know, somehow it doesn't work that way.

Knock On Wood

Knock on wood...but things have been better the last 2 days between Owen and Natalie. She has seemed almost sweet with him. Now, for some reason Liam has been doing things to intentionally annoy Natalie. That's sort of unusual, and I'm hoping it stops soon on it's own accord. A little Thanksgiving peace is my wish....I know I aim high...I should just be thankful that we are all together this year. And I am thankful. But a little continuing peace would also be wonderful.

Don't let the sweet pictures fool you - they can be meaner than a skillet full of rattlesnakes. (OK, I didn't really need to add that, but I'm brushing up on my Southern sayings, ran across that one, and thought I really needed to use it in a post about Natalie and Owen).

Seen and Overheard

Seen:
One small boy hanging over the side of the slide, at the very top. He wasn't yelling or crying. Just hanging there by his fingertips, looking at me like "Ummm, this seemed like a good idea at the time..." Lucky for him he has quick reflexes and very strong arms. I think maybe he was showing off for Liam and a playmate, and thought he'd just swing right over the side.

Also seen: One small boy, with a bedside table on top of him. This time he was crying. I have anticipated many pieces of furniture that could fall on top of this boy, but have to admit, I didn't see that one coming. It's a short table, and it seems pretty stable. But...apparently when you open the drawer and then try to climb into it from the bed, it becomes a bit less stable. No injuries though, except probably pride.

Overheard:
One little girl, on the way to a bounce house/play area:
"Mom, do you think Owen might get lost at the Play Center?"
Me: "No, I don't think so."
"But maybe he could."
Me, realizing what she is saying: "No, we would not let him get lost. We would find him."
sighhhhhh...."Even if we had to use a microscope, huh?" (Dejectedly.)
Me: "Yes, even if we had to use a microscope."

Enjoying The Ride

Natalie's big present for her birthday was a girly bike. She had been using Liam's old bike, and really had outgrown it. So we finally got her a Very Girly Bike. Very girly. A Barbie bike, to be exact. And it has a tiny little bike on the handlebars so that a Barbie doll can ride with her.

Too. Darn. Cute. And probably a little obnoxious, especially if you don't like Barbie.

Now she wants to ride her bike all the way from home to school when we walk to pick up Liam, which is probably about a mile in total. She does really well, although it is kind of hard to help her over bumps and push Owen in the stroller. Today Owen fell asleep late and Jim was working from home, so I just left Owen asleep and I let Natalie ride. Something about the way she sits up straight and kind of wobbles back and forth reminds me so much of Elmo riding a bike (for those who watch Sesame Street often I think you'll know what I mean). Too cute. Plus, I think every female we passed, woman or child, let out a shriek when she saw the Barbie riding with her. I could tell Natalie was so proud. (Liam, maybe not so much...)

I almost hate to add this, because I hate for his accomplishment to be overshadowed by Barbie, but Liam also learned to ride his bike (withOUT training wheels) this week. Yippee! I was a little worried he would be 18 and not riding, because he had not shown much interest in trying. He has never been big on bike riding, even with training wheels. But, in typical Liam style, he took his time getting around to it but then when he really tried, he learned very fast. (Learning to walk was the exact same thing. It took him forever to try it, but then one day he just walked around like he had been doing it for a year.) I don't have a picture yet - just video. Maybe I will try to post some of that later.

The Run-Down

So I posted pictures, but I never gave the run-down on Halloween. It was better than I expected. Or Owen was better than I expected. Chaos and lots of children, noise, and excitement generally adds up to craziness for him. But he seemed to just take it all in on Halloween. He walked to a few houses with me, and then the two of us sat outside on the step and handed out candy. He loved to put candy in the baskets, but then quite often he would try to grab back the entire basket. Made for some surprised faces when he grabbed their whole stash. But who could resist being robbed by Robin? Of course I made him give it right back, and he was fine with that.

I was just happy that he didn't get too worked up outside. It probably helped that we used the monkey backpack with a leash. And yes, I had one little boy who stood in front of me angrily protesting, "He's not a dog! He's not a dog!" Well, little boy, when it's your turn to watch him you can go without a leash. Not on my watch, and especially not on Halloween.

We had a neighborhood campout night a few weeks back, and did not use the backpack/leash. The long and short of it is this: when there are lots of screaming children running around excitedly, Owen matches their excitement. All of it. The excitement of every single kid there. And ends up looking like a tiny boy who downed about 10 double-shot espressos. He runs. And runs. And if you pick him up, his legs keep running in the air. He trips over curbs, falls, and then keeps running. It's frenetic. It's crazed. It's exhausting. It's frankly a little scary.

Anyway, after Trick or Treat, when it was time to go in, the meltdown finally happened, and a good 45 minutes of screaming ensued (the sugar probably did not help). Then he was calm again, and sat on my lap facing me for our bedtime rocking ritual and he told me all about his evening. That was my favorite part of the evening, listening to him talk. Most of it was in non-words, or Owen-words, of course. But interspersed in there were words that let me know what he was saying. It went something like this: "Blah blah blah BOOOO BOOOO BOOOO (ghosts everywhere!) blah blah blah WOOF WOOF WOOF (he saw some dogs...anyway, he talks about dogs every night even when he doesn't see any) blah blah blah MOO MOO(for moon - it was so bright that night!) blah blah blah MnMnM (M&Ms - he loves them)." I so wish I had been able to record it. I'm also so thankful that we can always seem to come back down to our happy, calm place before bed. That is a blessing.

Halloween Pics

Happy Birthday Natalie!

Natalie turned 4 on Halloween. Oh happy day! She has been counting down the days for six months, I think. Mom, is it October 31st yet? Mom, how many more days until Halloween - that is October 31st - that is my birthday, in case you didn't know.

I think she had a great time, although it's quite possible that nothing could have matched the hype in her head. Still, she had cake, she had a tutu, she had pottery painting (she had no little brother at the pottery place...), she had trick-or-treat in an Ariel costume. Life is good.

So, here is my birthday tribute to my baby girl:

Natalie, I could listen to you all day (and sometimes I don't have a choice about that). I love that you are hysterically funny, and chatty, and animated so much of the time, and then when we are in public you become a mime. I love your passion and your humor and your energy. I love that your opinions are all definite, and that nothing can match your enthusiasm. I love that you are girly and feminine in ways that I never was, and can dance and twirl and do forward rolls around the house just on a whim. I love that you can write your full name already, even though it has 18 letters. I love your drawings and paintings, and how your personality shines through your art. I love your big heart, and the fact that you still, every time, will tell me that you love your little brother even though he drives you crazy. I think you will be able to do great things in life, and I can't wait to see what you will do next. I love you, baby girl!