A letter from one year ago...

Here he is...our laughing, and always-on-the-run, Bear Cub!

I was just looking back on old emails (yes, I still have ALL my Russia emails saved in my inbox) and saw this one, dated July 31, 2007. It was the very end of our Russian adventure and we were about to head home the next day. It's amazing to reread my words and think about all that we've accomplished in the last year. I did indeed print all my emails that were written while in Russia, and they are safely stored in a notebook that I continually work on for Bear Cub. So enjoy a little look back in time, as all of our "year-mark" anniversaries are about to come to an end. No longer is it an adoption adventure for us, but just the wonderful, extraordinary adventures of family life. I wouldn't have it any other way!

Hi everyone…one last time from Vladivostok! Our day to head home to the USA has finally come! Like I've said before, it's kind of hard to believe. We've been gone close to 4 weeks now….and what a four weeks it's been! We are still busy packing things up around here. It's pretty hard to know what to bring on the plane with us – lots of baby food, diapers, toys and extra clothes! I'm sure we'll do fine. BC slept really well last night and we'll try to wear him out today before our flight. By the time we leave Seoul, it will be close to his bedtime, so we'll keep our fingers crossed that he will be able to sleep peacefully on that long leg of our trip. We can make it through regardless. As soon as the plane touches down in L.A., he will be an official US citizen. What an awesome moment that will be for us all!

Thank you for following our story as we've been here. It's been great to record our days by email --- I've saved them all on the computer and will print them out for BC to have one day. This has been my form of a journal and it's been a fun way to chronicle our experiences here.

It's raining here today, just as it was the day that we arrived. Maybe that's just the way it's supposed to be? It's come around full circle for us. Except now we leave as three. I think I will feel a bit of sadness as we leave here. Vladivostok will always hold a special place in our hearts. A city that I had never heard of before our adventure began will now forever be a part of us. This is the birthplace of our son and our family. How can we not treasure it?

As this part of our journey comes to an end, we know that this is really a new beginning for us all. And so our story continues…..

From Russia with much love,
K, W, & Bear Cub

Happy, Happy Birthday!

Here's wishing my beautiful mama a very happy birthday, with a joyous year ahead! I love you with my whole heart and am so proud to be your daughter. You are more than just my mother, but my true friend. And I thank you for all that you are and all that you do. Hugs and kisses always!

Books...a steady love for Bear Cub

Reading with Daddy and Zoe - notice his arm draped around Zoe. He loves that lil' girl pup!
Our new bedtime routine - reading books on the couch while drinking his milk from his sippy cup. Yes, last week we officially said "So long!" to the nightly bottle. He was ready - it was Mama that was hanging on. He has had no issues and is happy to drink his milk this way. :)

As I was reading to Bear Cub tonight, I said to Daddy Bear, "You know, I heard you are supposed to read to a toddler for at least 15 minutes a day." We looked at each other and agreed at the same moment, that we read WAY more than that each day. We are so thrilled with BC's love of books and just hope that it continues throughout his entire life.

Some of Bear Cub's current favorites include, but of course are not limited to:

My Truck is Stuck! - Kevin Lewis

The Stray Dog - Marc Simont

Cars and Trucks and Things That Go - Richard Scarry

Soon I hope to post some of my current summer reads. I've read some really great books in the last few months. I still need to figure out how to put one of those sidebars on the blog for "Books Read." Another goal for another day, I guess!

Have a wonderful week ahead!

Here's hoping you all have a book on your nightstand that entertains and feeds your mind and your soul! :)

The Alternative Bath

It all started out as some early evening fun in the backyard. Soon, the diaper was big, sopping, and drooping, so he was stripped down to his birthday suit. Then, the idea of ...
"Hey, let's get the soap out here and be done with it for tonight."

Voila! A clean toddler!

The 2-year check-up

Along with the fun and festivities of turning 2 comes another dreaded component.

THE DOCTOR'S CHECK-UP (insert dramatic da-da-daaaaaa here, please).

Yes, today was our day to visit the doctor. I really like our pediatrician, as she is sweet with Bear Cub and tries so hard to make him feel comfortable there. I also like her because she too has a son adopted from Russia, so I feel a sort of special connection there. But regardless of all this, poor Bear Cub just does NOT like to go. I don't know what kind of doctoring experiences he had while in Russia, but I'm guessing they were not of the warm and fuzzy kind. So maybe he harbors some memories in the back of his mind about that. He is a brave little guy though and despite all of his tears, the screams (yes, they are indeed screams), and the muscling away from the nurses and doctor, he does leave with a sticker and a smile, as he knows we are on our way home once again.

His check-up went just fine. He weighs a whopping 25 pounds and is 32 inches tall. He is still small when you look at the growth charts for his age, but he is proportionate and continues to grow, so all is well there. The doctor seemed pretty impressed by his talking and thought that he was very well-mannered when he kept crying and saying, "No thanks!" as he tried to push her away from listening to his chest and back. Oh my...it is a pitiful thing for me to witness. To top it all off, he had to get some shots too. But with these shots, he is now all caught up with his vaccine schedule and won't need ANY more until he's four. Yippeee for that!! Ok -- he will need the flu shot come Fall, but as far as the other vaccinations, he's done. I am SO thankful for that. It will be nice to have a check-up in the future that doesn't involve needles.

No pictures from today, of course. But I will leave you with one from our trip to Indiana. Regardless of all of his tears and struggles today, I am as always, so very proud of him and think that he is one brave little boy. He is fast asleep now and will be ready to hit the pool again this afternoon. That's what he wanted as we were leaving the doctor's office. And you know what? Today this little Bear Cub of ours gets to do what HE wants. He deserves it...big time! :)

We're back!

Getting a push from Grandma and Grandma C.
Out for a fun walk in the park...
Sharing a big chuckle with Grandpa S.
Getting ready to help Grandma S. with some yard work.
High fives to his 3 year-old cousin. They had lots of fun running and chasing one another outside!

Hi everyone! We just returned home from our trip to Indiana. We had a great 4 days away! Bear Cub flew one last time as a "lap rider" on the plane and we all survived. :) Actually, he did really well and we even had a couple of ladies compliment his good behavior. Glad we weren't one of those families that got booted off an airplane for disruptive behavior! Bear Cub is a real trooper and was fascinated by the airport and airplanes. He hasn't flown since October, so he's done a lot of growing since then....and has definitely learned the art of fidgeting, too. He's a good traveler though, so we were thankful for that.

Bear Cub is lucky enough to have 2 sets of great-grandparents living in Indiana! We stayed 2 nights with each set and really had a wonderful visit. He loves all of his grandmas and grandpas and kept us all busy. Probably the most difficult part of the trip was getting him to bed at night. It took longer than usual and being in a different crib and room caused some distress. But despite a little less sleep, our trip was a success. Here are some pictures from the past few days!

P.S. I was hoping for some cooler weather...but much to my dismay, we seemed to bring our 90 degree weather north with us. Oh well!

Some new pictures from the past few days...

We had a wonderful first Adoption Day as a family. Here we are, reading his new book. He really liked it and kept saying, "Hap Adopt Day!"
We took him to the "fun place" that he kept wanting to take Daddy back to. We ALL had a great time -- it's playtime there for even the adults! We were all worn out after the bouncing, climbing, and sliding. It's a great place...and only $5 for BC!!
Shooting some hoops with Daddy
About to slide with Mama -- he kept wanting to slide again and again. He really is getting so brave!
He even got to the point where he wanted to go down alone! Wahoooooo!!!!

These boots were made for walking...
Trying on his new birthday backpack...it didn't stay on too much longer after this was taken. Doesn't he look like such a cute little guy??
Helping Daddy put together our latest IKEA purchase...a new daybed!!! We have been on an all-out organizing kick around here and it feels great. We are getting rid of things we've hung on to for TOO long and making space for BC's expanding collection of toys and goodies. This is also giving us more play space, which is wonderful!
It's hammer time!
The finished product...we LOVE it!!! This bedroom was once all filled up with a queen-sized bed. Now we have lots of open floor space for play. The great thing with this bed too is that the drawer system pulls out and another twin mattress is underneath, so we didn't lose any guest sleeping space. WE LOVE IKEA!!

Happy Adoption Day to us all!

Us then...

And look at us now!

Well, this is it...the year anniversary of our court date in Russia...making today Bear Cub's very first Happy Adoption Day! What an awesome journey into parenthood and family this has been for us this past year. It is hard to believe that a year has passed already...as I can vividly remember the details of July 13, 2007, as if it were just yesterday. The smells, sights, and activities of that very monumentous day in our lives -- all still there, fresh and bright in my mind and I have a very keen feeling that it will be like that for me FOREVER. It is a day that changed our lives in so many ways and it is by far the happiest day that I have ever experienced. What a year, what a miracle, what a beautiful son we have.

Here's a beautiful poem that I have kept in a notebook for Bear Cub. It was given to me by a friend before we traveled back to Russia. The author is unknown.

I know you're out there somewhere,

So very far away.

So I will keep you in my heart,

until that special day.

When we can be together,

Your daddy, you, and me.

I just can't wait until that day,

When we're a family.

Our day did come and with that day, our dreams came true.

We love you forever and always, Bear Cub!

Some Bear Cub-isms

(Bear Cub thought it was so funny when Daddy put the two halves of a plastic Easter egg on his ears. He even walked around the house for a few minutes like this!)

As I've mentioned in many previous posts, Bear Cub is chattering all the time. He talks basically all day long with me. It is so amazing to us the things he says! Granted, when he gets around more people, he tends to "quiet up" a bit, but wow, when he's feeling comfortable in a situation...get ready to listen to that boy! We laugh because he does a lot of self-narrating and likes to point out all kinds of things when we're walking, driving, shopping, you name it! So here are just a few of the funny things he says...there are so many more that it's too hard to remember! I've been trying to jot them down, but that gets difficult too. Anyway...he has his own little way of speaking and it seems to become more clear daily. Enjoy!

• "Yeh-no" -- one day, we asked him if he wanted something and he looked at us with his "Huh?" kind of look. So we explained that he had to say "yes or no" -- so quite frequently now when we ask him something, he responds with this "yeh-no" answer....um....that doesn't always help us figure his wants out. ;)


• "Du si in bu chair and wa show" -- here's some of his self-narration. He was saying his name (yea...his name doesn't start with a D, but he can't yet say the real sound of his first name...maybe by the time he hits kindergarten we'll get this one worked out) and then "sit in blue chair and watch show" And that is exactly what he did.


• "Take Da-deeee to su pla" - "Take Daddy to the fun place" -- it's a bouncy house place that he is desperately wanting to take Daddy to -- maybe this weekend. :)


• "Both guys ride in flat car" -- maybe not exactly this clear, but he was talking about putting 2 little toy guys into the flat part of his train.


• "Granpa get baby backs" -- Grandpa Bear likes to get his "baby back ribs," meaning he tickles his ribs. Now BC likes to talk about that!

And two of my personal favorites:

• "Oh! Shoot the ball...Mama!" -- this has a little story behind it here. One day, while driving, I had to come to a pretty quick stop and I exclaimed, "Oh, shoot!" Thank goodness I didn't use any other expletive, because BC quickly began repeating this phrase. So, thinking on my feet, I said, "Oh, Mama meant oh shoot the BALL - like basketball." Now when something comes apart, or he thinks we're having some kind of near miss in the car, this is the phrase I hear...."Oh! Shoot the ball, Mama!" Too funny.


• "Bi-ass-tru" -- NO...he doesn't really mean to say this, but this is how it comes out and actually, he is talking about a UPS truck. I don't know why it comes out the way it does, it just does! Regardless, we think it's pretty funny and quickly come back and say, "Oh, you're right....there was a UPS truck!" Oy. :)

Our Two-Year-Old!

Well, yesterday's birthday party here at the house was a major success. I will honestly tell you that I was exhausted by the time it was all said and done...and it really was an easy and casual kind of party!

Bear Cub had 5 friends come over -- the oldest being 3 and the youngest, about 10 months. I was so very proud of him and how well he did with sharing his toys with his friends. The only time he got upset was when I tried to put his presents inside the house because it wasn't time to open them yet. Well, he just didn't understand that, so I let him open one gift and that seemed to satisfy his need for ripping paper. :)

The kids got here at 10 a.m. and they were asked to come directly around the house to the back porch. Thank goodness we have a large covered porch, so we could all sit and play comfortably (well, minus the heat and humidity!) out back. The festivities began with some easy finger food snacks and then it was on to finger painting...with colored pudding!! I got this idea from one of my parenting magazines and it really did work out great! The kids had a blast smearing the pudding around and then of course, licking their fingers, and plates, as you'll see in one of the photos. But, when you're working with toddlers, activities don't last too long, so it was quickly onto the next thing...outside water fun!

I bought a cool sprinkler/hopscotch game mat that hooks up to the hose and then I filled up the frog pool that Mimi bought for Bear Cub. The kids were pretty tentative around the sprinkler set-up, but really got into the frog pool. We just kept the porch door open, so they went in and out as they pleased, which was also nice. It's good for toddlers to have a little freedom! Soon my watering cans were discovered...and you'd think they'd struck gold by how excited they were to play with those! Wow...wish I would have bought each of them a watering can...I could have put them all to work watering our plants and flowers around the house!

So by this point, the food-colored pudding had nicely washed off most of them, so the moms brought them back on the porch for cupcakes and presents. Boy, some of the kids gobbled their cupcakes down, but BC just stuck his finger into the frosting a few times, licked it, and then was off to play again.

Our boy knows how to open presents, that's for sure! He did great opening his gifts and I was so proud that he said "Thanks" (of course, when prompted by me...but hey, he said it!) and even gave hugs to his friends. If you had only seen how he was around other kids his age and younger about 10 months ago, you'd be just as impressed by all this hugging, sharing, and smiling that was done. :) He's grown so much and in so many wonderful ways.

The whole party lasted about an hour and a half and then Little Miss and Aunt J hung out with us and helped clean up the porch. Thanks again for that, Juls!!! :)

It didn't take long for BC to fall asleep --- it was quite an exciting and busy morning for him. He loves all of his new toys and it's wonderful to have new things to play with!

I was pooped...my body literally ached from all the "doings"...but I felt like a real Mama Bear. I threw my first birthday party and it was a hit! I told Daddy Bear last night that the party was homemade and heartfelt. And I think my little Bear Cub appreciated it all and loved every minute of it. His smile and joy are always gifts for this Mama Bear. Enjoy the pictures!

Our porch...decorated for his fire truck - themed party

The party hat didn't last long for BC...I'm lucky I even got this shot! No hats of any kind for this guy!

Riding a fire truck and drinking from his fire truck cup! Want to know how I made him smile? By repeating one of my favorite German phrases, "Bitte hunde on die leine!" Yeah...I'll do anything for a smile. And what does that mean? "Please keep your dogs on the leash." Love it!

Let the finger painting fun begin!

Why lick your fingers when you can just put your face directly into the plate of pudding? Hey, it worked for Bear Cub!

And this is what he looked like after the face plant!

I told BC to stand next to his little friend here...it was too funny because he backed up for about 5 steps before he finally got to her. So here he is...in reverse. :) The big man on campus here...the one and only 3-year-old. Cool dude!

This little guy LOVED the pudding!

The pudding lover hit the frog pool shortly after his painting session.

The birthday boy...trying out the sprinklers!

A gathering at the frog pool....Little Miss in bikini bottoms there! What a cutie pie.

The two lovely ladies that attended -- looks like some sort of discussion going on here...

"I'll meet ya in the middle!"

Flexing some two-year-old muscles here! Woo-hoo!

Getting a little help opening a card...

Wow...do you think these two liked that fire engine??

Here is BC's "What's that noise??" face. Too funny! One of his new fire trucks had just gone off - I can't believe I caught the look on camera!

Giving Little Miss one of his famous "head hugs" where he just sort of leans into someone. She's used to those hugs from him!

What a happy, happy birthday it was! And great news...all of that bright red/pink food coloring did indeed come out of Bear Cub's white shirt...and even better...MY ENTIRE OUTFIT that I had on yesterday. Yippee for that! :)

Happy, Happy Birthday, Bear Cub!

We are eternally thankful that this precious baby was brought into the world 2 years ago. Although we'd never met when this photo was taken, he was ours already...born into our hearts on July 9, 2006.
"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to!" Lots of tears were shed while he celebrated his first birthday in Russia. We may have been a few days late, but we were so happy not to have missed it by too much.
"Blowing" out his first birthday candle. This past Saturday, he really blew his candle out...all by himself!

Happy Birthday to our amazing son! Mama & Papa Bear love you more than words could ever express. You bring us such joy and you are a wonder to be around. The world is a better place with you in it!

A look back in time...

One year ago today...July 8, 2007, we were anxiously awaiting our passports with the new Visas to be FedEx-ed to us, as we were to be leaving that very next day to Russia. It was such a huge, unimaginable relief once those documents were safely in our hands and we finally knew that, YES -- we were indeed returning for our precious son. What a day in history for us!! After our paperwork arrived, and we tripled checked our house (we would be gone for just about 4 weeks!), we headed over to our parents' houses to celebrate our impending departure the next day. The excitement and joy of this day, one year ago, can not be put into words. We had waited 11 weeks to get back to Russia, and knowing that we only had one day left was unbelievable. Sweet, sweet memories and emotions that none of us will EVER forget. Here's a look back on this day in our family's history!

Here we are...opening some pre-travel gifts from our family. This sweet bib was given to us by Grandma & Grandpa for Bear Cub's first birthday (which would be on the day that we left for Russia). He did wear this bib to his birthday party that we had in Vladivostok! I can't believe his little neck could fit into that TINY hole! He was so small. :)

Taken July 9, 2007 -- moments before we left to head to the airport. Look at those big, happy smiles on our faces! We couldn't wait to get going!

Let the parties begin!

What a fantastic weekend we had! My sister and 2 of her "kids" -- all grown up now, really-- came to FL for a visit and were here to celebrate Bear Cub's birthday. It was "Cars" themed -- even though he's never seen the movie, he LOVES that red car! This cake was adorable and SO delicious too!

Our family...taken after the party
BC and Zoe about to jump in...who would win that race??
BC thought it was hysterical to have Zoe in the pool! They both got some good exercise that day!
Reading a new book with Mimi...
Reading the new potty book with cousin Hannah! Hopefully he'll get some good ideas from that book!

Blowing out the candle on his cake --- he was able to do it all by himself!
Mama Bear & Mimi
Digging into his presents! He was excited about ALL of his gifts and wanting to open them up right then and there! He's having a great time playing with all of his new toys!
Busy with his new train set
Sharing a laugh with Grandpa...


A big smile with Auntie A!

Just being silly...
Getting a hug from his cousin
And a big birthday squeeze from Mama!
He meticulously tore small pieces of wrapping paper from each present. He made the moment last, that's for sure! BC was lucky enough to have 2 great-aunts and a great-uncle come to his party, too!
Getting some help from Grandma

Having fun with his cousin, Isaac -- and this guy is my "baby" nephew! Where does time go??
Reading a book with Aunt Jessica -- they had lots of fun together!!
Getting ready for the party
Our happy family...
Us with our New Mexico family -- thanks for coming to Florida for the party -- we love you guys!

So, it was a very eventful and fun weekend! Wednesday is Bear Cub's actual birthday, and we'll be celebrating again! We are in party mode around here! I'll be sure to post more pictures after the next one.

Thanks so much to our wonderful family who helped make Bear Cub's first birthday at home a very special one. We love you all!