Santa

Yesterday we took Ryan to visit Santa and I must say, I am very proud of how well he did. I've been teaching him about Santa, showing him pictures and making the name Santa fun and cheerful every time I would mention his name. When you ask Ryan what Santa says he will say "Huh Oh" It's really cute. So, yesterday was the big day and he did so good....no smile but no tears either! When we were walking away from Santa Ryan gave a little wave good-bye.






Here are a few other photos from yesterday....

Wordless Wednesday....Mickey Shirt

17 Months!

Yesterday Ryan turned 17 months. Seems like each month passes faster than the one before. Some days I find it hard to believe is already 17 months and at that at the end of this month we will have been home from Korea for 8 months. He is growing quickly and has transformed into a toddler leaving most of his "baby" qualities behind. In some ways, this makes me sad but in other ways, it is so exciting to watch him grow right before my eyes.

Here is what Mr. Ryan has been up....

*He hasn't added too many new words to his vocabulary but he is repeating sounds and syllables. If I say "thank-you" to him, he will say (Tee-Ta) or if I tell him to say "sorry" he will hum "Hmmm, hmmm"

*His most frequent words are Uh-oh, ball, all done, A-da (Hello), Bye-bye, Dee-Da (Daddy), that, what's that, and some.

*He points to EVERYTHING and is getting much at better at pointing at things he wants.

*He will always say Cheeeeeese when he is getting his picture taken!

*He makes a cow sounds, can meow like a cat, bah like a sheep, and makes some strange sound for a doggy.

*He tried talking to us all the time and gets frustrated that he can't communicate. It's really cute to hear him try though.

*We usually get pizza on Friday's and he LOVES it. He makes the P-sound for pizza. He saw a Jet's pizza commercial the other day and pointed to the TV while saying (Pa, Pa, Pa)

*He loves when I sing to him...especially the ABC song. He will try signing it on his own... C, C, C, B, C, C,...it's really cute.

*His new favorite thing to play with are his Mega Blocks! He loves building a tower for mommy then knocking it over! To him this is hilarious!

*He loves giving kisses!

*His appetite has expanded and appears to be gaining weight. He is almost completely out of all 12 month clothes and is wearing 18 months now.

*He loves music and loves to dance. Even if I start singing he instantly sways back and forth. The second he hears music he gets up and starts spinning in a circle.

*He continues to hold true to being "strong-willed" and is VERY impatient. He hates his winter coat and hat!

*He still loves Sesame Street but also loves Mickey Mouse Club and does the Hot Diggity Dog Dance!

*He loves trying to figure out how things works.

*As long as I am in the same room as him he will sit and play on his own for an extended period of time.

*He LOVES helping (swiffering, watering plants, throwing away his diapers, putting away his clothes in his drawers)

*He loves his bath but HATES getting dressed after his bath and most nights screams the entire time. He also HATES getting his teeth brushed!

*He loves books and "pretends" to read them on his own...this makes me so happy.

*We started Kindermusik last week. Even though someone was a little crabby, I think he will really enjoy it! Plus it's bonding time for us.

Ryan is a very happy little boy. However, if wakes up tired or crabby then he will be that way the entire day. Luckily, this isn't all the time. Most of the time he is a happy, silly, funny, loving little boy who we are so lucky to have!

Happy Referral Day!

One year ago today I saw this face for the very first time....



There aren't enough words to describe the love I felt for him the second I saw his sweet little face for the first time. It was a day I will never ever forget and one that changed my life forever.

Frozen

Sitting on the couch in our usual spots with Cooper in the middle of us just about to catch up on Mad Men episodes my phone alerted me that I had a new email. I grabbed my phone while keeping my eyes on the t.v. not thinking much about it other than probably more junk mail. I looked down at my phone and opened an email that changed my life forever. It was an email from our caseworker stating that we needed to call her immediately. I froze and could barely move. I read the email to my husband and we looked at one another and he said "It's our referral, it has to be." I was in denial because in my mind there was no way it was actually happening. My heart started racing as I sat frozen on the couch with a million thoughts running through my mind. I made my husband make the call to our caseworker because I could barely talk. He grabbed the phone and called her as I continued to remain frozen. I then heard him say from across the room, "It's a boy!" I couldn't believe that this was actually happening. I started jumping up and down as my eyes filled with tears. I was finally going to be a mommy and have a son. The only bad part was that we had to wait until the following evening to view the file and see pictures of Ryan for the firs time. Needless to say, I was up the entire night pacing the house trying to imagine what he looked like. We decided not to tell ANYONE until we had his file reviewed by a U.S. doctor. It was the hardest secret I've ever had to keep. It's hard to believe that one year ago today we still had no idea what Ryan even looked like. Now, he is sitting in his little chair, sucking his thumb with his blanky, while watching Sesame Street. It's amazing the difference a year can make.

Wordless Wednesday....Yogurt!

Halloween Fun!

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and I couldn't wait to take Ryan trick-or-treating! He seemed to really enjoy himself as he ran from house to house in his little monkey costume. He was more interested in trying to go into people's houses when they opened their door rather than get candy! Here are a few pictures from the weekend!

Let's just say my pumpkin carving skills aren't very good....


Joey's are much better than mine....

Say cheese.....


Trick-or-Treating....