Baby Giggles

This video is long overdue. It were taken while we were in China with Ty enjoying special moments with him. It is AMAZING to see how far he has come in such a short time! The guy is now a little chub compared to this video. That explains the pain in my lower back.

Fun with Daddy.

And He's Walking!

These videos say it all. He is so proud of himself and we are too!

From Pre-Walking...

To walking!

Indoor Sledding

Indoor Sledding: Take a laundry basket+ a dog leash + cool dad = loads of fun!

More Dad, More!

Baby Ainsley

While we continue to wait for a decent snowfall to use our new sled (Thanks Kristina!), we are practicing indoor sledding. This is what I came home to last Thursday after getting my haircut. Troy was doing laundry and of course Ty had to help. Troy added a new spin to laundry and this is what we got...

Ty has since recreated the scene for himself using Baby Ainsley, a Cabbage Patch Doll we received months ago from one of our Secret Pals from our original log-in date group.

Child At Work

No, we are not breaking any child labor laws. Our son desires to help out with cooking and cleaning/chores, so why not model it now and take advantage of his eagerness. Maybe he will be the next Top Chef or helpful husband. Troy enjoys vacuuming and dusting on Thursdays which is his day off. While I was outside cutting back our rose bushes for the season, I came inside to find Ty in the "Poppy Pouch" while Troy was vacuuming. I also took some pictures of Ty using the duster which Troy said he was fascinated by and couldn't get enough of.

The weather has been gloomy this past week, so Ty has been my "dumper and stirrer" when it comes to baking. We made some oatmeal cookies and banana/pumpkin mini muffins which he cannot get enough of. I modify recipes and have been using canned pumpkin instead of oil, in addition to flax seed meal and whole wheat flour instead of white flour. The kids doesn't know any better. I figure the habits I start him on now will stick with him for a while.

In The News...

Here is the link to the article on us in our local paper. Clarification is needed: Ty was abandoned in Zhengzhou, not Kaifeng. He also only had one surgery, not multiple. The actual paper had more photos which are priceless!

http://www.herald-review.com/articles/2008/11/09/news/local/1036918.txt

"Mom.... Please, Don't Spank Me"

Of course I am not going to spank my son for this. I know it is part of exploring his surroundings and it is NOT going to hurt him. He has been into everything, "non toy" the past two weeks...kitchen cabinets (especially our recyclables), bathroom cabinets, bookcase, craft room supplies, smushing bugs... the little guy has the BEST fine motor skills as he gives me EVERY crumb and bug he finds on the floor. He points out the details... just like his mom.

1962

When my parents came to visit, they brought my grandmother's dining room table and credenza I always tagged as "mine" whenever she passed away. Unfortunately, she went to heaven a few days before we left for China and her funeral was on the 12th of September, the day we arrived in China. Of course were unable to make her funeral, but it is so wonderful knowing we have a family heirloom. I love the clean lines and it fits perfectly into our space. It is made by Broyhill in 1962 from their Brasilia line...labeled "Danish Modern". (Excuse the pee pee pad in the picture. We leave them out for Jack whenever we leave since this is his way of relieving his anxiety. I guess I am so used to seeing them I was oblivious when I was taking this picture.)

Great News!

We received our appointment for Ty's consultation with Shriner's Children's Hospital in Chicago on Dec. 10! This will be a full day of meeting with a plethora Dr.'s and specialists to see what the plan of action will be for our little man. At this time, his palate does not really inhibit his eating. He is not fond of fruits and vegetables, but little does he know he is getting them. I have become Jessica Seinfeld and hide them in any thing that works. Just tonight, he had pureed watermelon, honey dew and cantaloupe in his yogurt/rice cereal mixture. Anything mushy and falls in the meat/potato category are his preferred choice. Sounds like a typical guy!

New Gifts are GREAT!

Dad enjoys the new toys too!

And the boy dunks and he has on the right outfit too!

Gifts continue to trickle in for Ty and who doesn't like to receive a little something new. At this point in time, cars and balls are his favorite toys. Thank you everybody for giving us lots of fun times and laughter!

Pre-Halloween Party

Jen from our house church invited us last weekend for a peanut free pumpkin party and it was Ty's first experience with Halloween. Since the Sunflower Pooh costume didn't work, we decided to be as noninvasive as possible. A friend of my mom gave Ty the cutest bibs and when we saw the one for a cowboy, we immediately knew what he would go as to the pumpkin party. All he needed was a hat, which he was OK with while in his PJ's, but once we put the whole outfit together, he didn't want anything to do with it. He had more fun playing Peek-A-Boo with which brought tons of toddler giggles.

Warning: Baby Lumberjack on the Loose

Ty enjoying the fruits of his labor.

Ty's first house to Trick-Or-Treat: Our neighbors Jack and Eloise.

"What happened to my puppy dog?"

"I am going to chop this stem off."

Ty's first Halloween was a blast and he understood more then what we expected him too. The idea of ringing a doorbell and getting treats was not a bad deal. We started the evening dressing him as a lumberjack since he wasn't too fond of the whole costume thing. We couldn't decide if he should go as a baby grunge rocker or lumberjack, but he fell in love with the homemade axe. He thought it was pretty cool and his pumpkin candy pail was even better. He is very close to walking and was trying so hard to walk with his pail in one hand and axe in the other.

The entire family headed out right at 6:00. Troy wanted to be the first on the street. We were back by 7:00 and Ty was enamored by all the treats he got. Of course the majority of it will be for Mom and Dad, but he enjoyed the toothbrush (Thanks Melinda!) and Teddy Grahams. It will be interesting to see what next year brings as he surprised us by his understanding this year. This kid has no fear...just curious!

What We Have Learned

Time escapes us and we have already been home more then a month with little Ty. It is amazing how our lives have changed and how precious our time with him is...and how little time we have for ourselves. We wouldn't trade it any other way. We KNOW he was meant for us and we fall in love with him more each day. Here is a little list of what we have learned in our short time with Ty:

* You can never have enough bibs for eating and bibs to wear to catch the drool and clean the snotty nose. We prefer the hand towel type bibs to plastic bibs for eating.

* Two piece P.J.'s are ideal when you have a period of nasty diapers.

* We prefer Huggies Supreme or Kirkland brand (thanks Mom and Dad) diapers for Ty. Luvs stunk and Pampers were O.K., but its the waistband in the Huggies that keep the junk in. Huggies wipes are better for us too. (I know we might get yelled at by some people for using disposable diapers, but it is the one thing I am not budging on since we have to deal with the type of diapers we do...they are getting better by the way. We do recycle just about everything we can and compost too.)

* It is possible to have a blowout diaper that reaches the shoulders when you do not have the right brand of diaper on.

* Never say, "I hope my kid won't do that" because they probably will. For example, poop in the tub, pee on the carpet after bath time before you have a chance to put a diaper on (Ty likes being in the natural state) and spit up all over the outfit you just put them in.

* Our time on the computer is limited, especially blogging if you haven't noticed.

* Kids music, especially Dan Zane, Justin Roberts and Ralph's world is pretty catchy for adults. I currently love "Father Goose" by Dan Zane.

* Just because your child was up later then their bedtime does not mean they will sleep in.

* We are grateful for Love Without Boundaries for their doctors, volunteers and all that they do for each child. The photo above is from them. We have received many more that I will have to post later, but isn't he the cutest little thing? Those cheeks continue to remain very kissable.

* We are grateful for Swallow's Nest, Ty's foster family in Kaifeng and all those that took care of him at ZZ SWI. We know he was in loving arms.

* Grateful that God chose us to parent Ty.

Our Library Pic

We have an incredible library in town (who has the greatest children's library staff) with the top floor being for children. There is an area for puppet shows, a play area and an auditorium where we have gone for storytime by BabyTALK (my employer) that includes story time, a craft, fingerplays and fun songs to sing. Since Ty has been in town, we have made it to the library at least once a week. Ty has become a great fan of Justin Roberts and Dan Zanes. Mom and Dad need to check out new CD's to because we are REALLY tired of the first ones even though we still play our favorite songs over and over again while in the car. As I have said before, Ty LOVES music and you can see his little lips moving pretending he is singing the songs. Anywase, this picture is from our first visit our first week home after I was over the stomach flu. The library staff takes a picture of each famiy on their first visit and then puts it on a wall. They thought this picture was so cute they emailed it to me. The staff has fallen in love with Ty and he turns on the charm each time blowing kisses and giving tons of smiles... even though you won't know from this picture.

Ty vs. La Gondola

Ty had his first experience with La Gondola, a local favorite known for their homemade sweet bread and spaghetti. They have a Family Feast which Troy was craving the other night and treated us using his birthday money. We stripped Ty down to his fighting pampers knowing he was going 12 rounds with La Gondola. It was a close fight at the beginning, but in the end, Ty pulled out a clear and messy victory knocking out the competition. He is looking forward to the rematch in the near future. Yeah Ty!

Escape from Doggytraz

Ty discovered the dog crate and our doggie-made screen door to the deck all in the same day. He is fascinated with all things Jack related, including his water bowl. Luckily he hasn't discovered Jack's toy box. Maybe it's because all of Jack's toys are dispersed amongst Ty's as Jack likes to share on his terms.

Mom, I Don't Want to Be Sunflower Pooh!

Sunflower Pooh was one of our first purchases in St. Louis when we arrived back in 2001. We were downtown taking care a business when we visited Union Station. The Disney Store had an incredible sale going on at the time and we bought this costume despite having only Joey, our poodle at the time. We had to let Ty try this costume on as it has traveled with us between all our moves, just waiting for the day a little bundle of our sweetness could wear it for Halloween (we have loaned it out for others to use). Well, it is obvious what he thought of this costume even though we would have modified it with holes for his feet. Oh well, no big deal. We will save it for #2, Lord willing.

First Taste of the Midwest

First I will cut my corn with a knife...

... and then try my fork.

So proud I have to kiss my "plowboy" dad.

I tease Troy about spending the majority of his childhood on a farm. If you knew me in my teen-age years, I was adament I would not marry or date a person who raised livestock or crops. I am not against these people at all, I just thought I was too "cultured" or a city girl to understand their way of life. God has a funny sense of humor and I married a "plowboy" as I call/tease Troy. He really didn't have an interest in the lifestyle and considered himself more of a city boy and moved to Austin once he got a chance. Now we call our current destination a mix between his hometown in Iowa and my birthplace, Austin. Agri-business is huge here and there are corn and soybean fields all around, which I have learned to appreciate their beauty. I am becoming more educated in the machines used and the difference between sweet corn and field corn.

Ty had his first try of corn this past Sunday and was not too sure of corn on a stick. I let him play around with the corn as he was intrigued with what it was all about. FIrst he tried a knife and then a fork. He figured out a way to eat some corn as he didn't want my help in his discovery.