Part 2 of the snake post

You may remember that Jack and I had a run in with a snake last week. Ever since I ran away from it screaming like a little girl, he has been on my mind. I may be going crazy, but I think Michelle actually hissed at me with a forked tongue the other day. Anyway, I have been determined not to let this snake get the best of me. Last weekend Jack and Michelle had a Mommy-Son afternoon, so I went back to the park to confront him since I wouldn't have to put my 2-year old in harms way. So I went back there, fully expecting (i.e. hoping) not to see the guy. Sure enough though, he was right where Jack and I saw him. I was prepared for him this time, so I did not need a change of shorts upon seeing him. I took a couple of pictures to prove to myself that he was real. I don't want to say I conquered my fear of him (because I haven't), but I did want to post of a picture of him so you could have a visual of the snake in your minds along with the visual of me freaking out and running. There he is above!

Seriously though, the wildlife refuge where the Super Cobra Constrictor Boa Pit Viper Thingy lives is really a beautiful place. Jack and I went down there again today to walk some trails and get some exercise. Jack loves walking the trails and playing on the beach. We were the only two people for miles around, so it's really peaceful (aside from the obvious snake infestation). Michelle and I like the picture of Jack walking with his hands behind his back. He looks like he is deep in thought about something.

Anyway, if we don't post again before next week, we want to wish everyone a very safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Snakes and Prison Breaks

Today was a rough day around here. First of all, all three of us have been dealing with colds. Second of all, the time change last weekend is still messing with us. Jack has been getting up early and his naps have been sketchy at best. Somehow I think we adjusted to the 15 hour time change from Vladivostok better than a simple daylight savings time change. Anyway, I digress. Back to today.

The day started out like the other day this week, with Jack and I a little cranky since we were both up early. Morning nap was only a half hour which was fine because when he sleeps just a little in the morning, that usually means a decent afternoon nap. So, we get dressed and go out to play and have lunch with Mommy. When we get home from lunch, Jack seems tired, so I take him to his room where he pretty easily falls asleep (a good sign for a good nap since he is often tough to put down for an afternoon nap). So, once he is down, I head to the bedroom to watch a little TV while monitoring Jack in his crib on the baby monitor. When I check on him, he is laying down and moving his hands a little, but still in the same position I left him in so I fully expect a good nap. I turn my head to the TV and almost instantly I hear a "crash" followed by instant crying. I flew to his room so fast, the dogs didn't know what happened. I open Jacks door to find him sitting on his floor. This is the first time he has ever gotten out of his crib on his own. He was okay, but it was a little unnerving to think about what might have been had he landed differently. We often joke about how we can't take our eyes off Jack for a second or else he will get in our car and drive to Chuck-E-Cheese by himself. Today it wasn't a joke.

After calming both he and I down, we decided to go for a little drive to a really cool beach side state park we recently found. The park has a fishing pier that juts out into the Atlantic as well as a cool playground and nature trails and stuff. I was nervous with Jack on the pier since he had just pulled a "spiderman" and scaled the walls of his crib, so I let him chase birds for a minute then we headed to the playground. After some good playground time (pictured above) we set out on a little nearby trail. I saw a sign that said "beware of water moccasins" but figured maybe it was too cold for snakes to be out. WRONG! Not three feet from the sign, and right where Jack and I had just walked, we saw a snake that was a spitting image of the one on the "beware" sign. So, I quickly picked Jack up and we headed to the car. There is no photo proof of the snake because I was pulling a George Costanza and knocking people out of the way to get away from it.

What a day! I hope the "father of the year" voting isn't today or I may not win with Jack pulling his prison break on my watch AND me walking him near a venomous snake in a matter of a couple hours. The good news is I get a shot to redeem myself tomorrow. Not sure what we'll do, but we may both wear safety bubbles around the house tomorrow.

Happy Halloween!

Jack is looking forward to "trick or treating" tonight. He and his cousin, Emily, did some trick or treating yesterday at a local town center, but we are going door to door tonight. Jack is going as a puppy, but we may need to change his costume to a Frankenstein after there was a "jumping on the bed" accident last night. The bruises on his forehead in the pictures above are real, but we decided to make them look like Halloween scars. Cousin Emily has a bump on her nose that is doctored up for Halloween as well!

Hope everyone has a great Halloween with lots of treats and maybe even a few tricks!

One Year Home!

The top 2 pictures above are from the day after we got home from Russia. Jack was checking out his new bedroom. The rest are recent shots of the J-man these days.

A year ago today we touched down at JFK airport in New York and Jack became a citizen! Wow, what an exciting day that was! Over the last month, there have been so many times where we have said "at this time exactly a year ago we were doing ___(insert life changing event)___." It's been fun to reminisce about the month we spent in Russia, and the reflecting we have done over the last month or so has really allowed us to recapture all the great experiences we had. Perhaps the greatest of all the experiences though was touching down in New York with Jack. There was a sense of "nobody can take him away from us now". Throughout the whole adoption process, there seemed to always be a feeling that at any moment things could be called off and that would be the end of the dream. When we touched down in the States a year ago that fear immediately went away. Sure we still had/have a lot of work to do with post placements and things, but Jack was a citizen and our dream would live on, nobody was going to end that dream.

I still remember the feeling I had when we walked through the front door of our home with Jack for the first time. First of all, it was great to be home after a month in a foreign country, but to know that Jack was seeing his new home for the first time was really emotional. He was seeing his things for the first time. Wow, I would give anything to know what he was thinking that night. I know Michelle and I were thinking that every minute of the journey leading up to that night was well worth it.

I can't believe we have been home a year. In some respects it seems like it's been 20 years since we went to Russia to get Jack. In other respects it seems like yesterday. Anyway we look at it, it's been a wonderful year filled with growth and love, and we look forward to what lies ahead!

Adoption Article

I rather enjoyed this article about an adoptive child's perspective on embarrassing questions.

http://www.wacap.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=usxoLhvhjZI%3d&tabid=185

"Gotcha Day" + one year.

Dear Jackson,

You are napping in your room right now. We played all morning just like we have done every day for the last year. Exactly a year ago today we gained custody of you, or maybe you gained custody of us. Either way, we are so proud of you for the strides you make every day.

We don't know, nor will we ever know what you went through during the first 15 months of your life. What you felt when you got a boo-boo and nobody kissed it better. What it was like to go to bed without hearing a bedtime story and being kissed on your little head before being tucked in. What you felt like when you were hungry or thirsty and nobody gave you a snack or drink of milk. You were certainly loved those first 15 months, and you were taken care of as well as you could have been under the circumstances.

But God decided that you needed a Mommy and Daddy of your very own. So he sent Mommy on a mission to complete a lot of paperwork. Daddy didn't really understand why we needed 57 notarized copies of a document saying we have never had malaria, but Mommy made sure we got all of the paperwork completed as fast as humanly possible. When we started the process, we didn't know you and you didn't know us. But God knew all three of us and had already started us on a path towards each other. Mommy had to keep Daddy on track for the first few months of the process, but once we saw a picture of you and learned about you, it became clear why we were doing what we were doing.

There has been exactly one time in my life that I knew I was doing EXACTLY what I was put on this Earth to do, and that was adopting you. I know Mommy feels the same way about you. You are a pretty special little guy for God to have picked you out for us. We don't really understand why we got to be the lucky ones God called on to be your parents, but we will always be thankful He did.

As we continue to grow together as a family, we promise to love you every step of the way. Your boo-boos will always be kissed, and you will always be tucked in each night by your Mommy or Daddy. You have been loved each minute of your life since you were born, and you will be each minute of the rest of your life.

Thank You for allowing us to be a part of your life.

Happy Gotcha Day son. We love you.

Love, Mommy and Daddy.

One year ago this week

We were still in Russia, going back and forth to Artem Baby Home #2 to visit 'Jackson Androosha'. He was beginning to show affection toward us, cry less, and play more. Every visit we had, he interacted more and more with us and showed more promise. The change I see in him just floors me - both then and now.