New Babysitter??

We had another beautiful day on Thursday (though not quite as warm as Wednesday was) so we spent most of it outside. Christopher and I did some chores and groomed the horses, and he took the time to pet each horse we stood by, which is a huge step forward after the pony sneezing incident! :o)

When we were done with chores we pulled out the new cozy coup to take it for a test drive.....to say that he liked it would be a bit of an understatement! Actually he is still sitting in it! I think if we didn't force him to get out to sleep and eat, he would live in it! LOL! It is presently parked in its new "garage" under the overhang of our kitchen counter. I never thought I would be one of "those" parents, but what can you do? He is in love with this car, and no toy since he has been here has made him smile so much! Besides, we woke up this morning to more snow, so we can't drive it outdoors (give me a minute, and I'll try to come up with some more excuses). ;o)

I have been referring to it as the "babysitter" as I have been able to get a lot of cleaning done while he is perfectly content playing inside it. This little car may be a very helpful tool!

Enjoying our first ride outside!

He loved when daddy pushed him fast!

Happily parked in the kitchen.

This one cracks me up...wearing his "stud" bib with his elbow on

the door....looks like he is cruising for girls! ha ha!

Lets hope that Spring will be here for good very soon;

we all like to play outside!

I'll end on another cute note....

what's better than a good ear rub from your little boy!

Think Green!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We had a good day today! We slept in late, had a great breakfast and lunch, and spent lots of time outside..can't beat that! It was such a beautiful day and dare I say...Hot! (Yippee!) Christopher and I spent time in the front yard blowing bubbles, singing, and dancing on the lawn. This was the first time he really had fun running around outside with his little shoes on (green of course). He is just such a cutie!

This picture cracks me up...he looks like he is sneaking up on the bubbles!

We have an adorable inflatable Winnie the Pooh Christmas decoration that for the past two years has been covered with feet of snow within a day or two of being put up, so it is generally gone for the winter until the snow melts again. I have vowed that next year we will be putting it on the porch so we actually get to see it for more than one day! Since the last of our snow in the front yard finally melted just last week, we haven't taken the stakes out of the ground yet to put it away. I decided that It would be fun to blow it up so Christopher could see his very own life sized Pooh and friends as it has been buried since he came home. Unfortunately, he was not impressed! I am not sure if he thought they were going to eat him or what, but it definitely did not have the desired effect! Better luck next year!

We got a little car for him to ride in for our shower, so I decided it would be a great day to pull it out of the box and drive it around...the only problem was I didn't know it would come in so many pieces!! We pulled them all out into the yard and he helped to make it more comfortable by pulling up dead grass by the fistfull over and over and covering the seat while I worked. I guess it looked like it needed more padding! We never got to test ride it, because I put the front wheels on wrong and had to have Phil take it all apart when he got home....oops.

By the time dad finally got it fixed we were inside tending to wounds....Christopher took off running in the grass and when he hit the edge of the driveway with his little green shoes, he tripped and took a face plant into the concrete!!! Ouch!! Poor little guy! He has quite the goose egg on his forehead and a little "road rash" across his nose! We tried to make it better with the boo boo bunny, but ended up settling for a junior sized ice cream cooler (ok probably not the best thing to feed your one year old, but he liked and it made him feel better, so sue me!) ;o)

Despite the minor injuries and near death by inflatable cartoon characters, we had a lot of fun and a good day! Hopefully he will sleep well tonight and we will get a chance to take his new wheels for a real test drive tomorrow! In the meantime we will be dreaming of green (not brown) grass! Here is a little more cuteness for your enjoyment!

Self Portrait :o)

Making Friends

We have been having major computer trouble as of late, so we finally broke down and purchased a new one... I suppose it was time, our last one was over ten years old!! So here I am, finally writing on a nifty new 21st century computer...yeah me! We have had a busy month as usual and we are loving parenthood! Ok maybe not the sleepless nights, but the rest is great :o) We are starting to get a little spring fever around the farm, and I am looking forward to getting outside to plant some flowers....come on snow MELT!! Christopher is fitting right in and seems to be making friends with the critters...at least the inside ones. He tried to pet a pony on the nose this afternoon but was sneezed on...he was mortified and inconsolable...I hope he isn't scarred for life! LOL!

Christopher loves to read, and I snapped a photo of him "reading" the Barnyard Dance (a favorite) to Cee Cee the other day!

They are definitely buddies...they even shop together!

He loves our lab Rosie too. She is very gentle with him, even when he pets a little too hard!

It seems like there is always someone at the farm recuperating from some illness or injury. This month is no exception. Poor Buster tore a ligament in his left rear knee a few weeks ago, and had to have surgery. He has been avoiding the little guy and laying low since he is so sore and can't move around very well. I can hardly believe it, but the following really happened! Well, Buster is a very sentimental critter (if you can say that about a dog). He has a toy, his gingerbread man, that we gave him on his first Christmas home with us in 2005. I can't explain why it still exists...every other stuffed dog toy in our house has been reduced to shreds and fluff in a matter of seconds or minutes at the most, but for some reason the gingerbread man is still here! It is Buster's "lovey" if you will, and the other dogs for some reason just know to leave it alone. Well, apparently Christopher has realized that this toy has a special meaning to him, so when he saw Buster feeling so sad... Christopher brought it from the bedroom into the kitchen to give it to him! Is it possible he is so perceptive at only one year old? I love this little boy!

Christopher has been making some human friends too. On Saturday we attended a belated Lunar New Years party with several other families with Korean adopted children that I have met through our agencies online forum. We all had a blast and it was great to finally meet many of the ladies I have been chatting with throughout our adoption process. They have been such an amazing support system! Here is a picture of our little ones all dressed up for the holiday. Christopher is on the far right with the red hat!

And here he is making a little girlfriend...she was beautiful and I think he had a crush on her! Too cute!

Hopefully now that I have moved into the 21st century technologically speaking, I will be able to update the blog more often. In the mean time, enjoy a little more random cuteness from our little man...

So Many Firsts!

It has been an amazing month full of firsts for our family, and since this is our first child, Phil and I are enjoying each of Christopher's milestones as much as our little man! I can't say for certain, but we are pretty sure he said "Hi" yesterday!! It sounded like it to me, and it was certainly in the correct context, so we are going to mark the date...first English word!! :o) Last night he watched his first super bowl, and he got his first (mini) football from my boss to play with while we enjoyed the game! Since there are too many to count, and I only have a few minutes before he wakes up from his nap, I thought I would share a couple that we captured on film!
Last weekend, Christopher had his first haircut! He was such a trooper, and he didn't cry once! It was so much fun! I know it sounds crazy, but he looks so grown up to me with his new do! He is actually laughing in this picture!

Since we live on a horse farm, we thought it was important that Christopher learns just how much hard work it takes to keep them all happy and healthy, so he got to ride along with Daddy for his first "horse chores". (Ok so he pretty much just hung there, he was so bundled up that he couldn't move his arms even if he wanted to! lol).


He even got to take his first ride on Daddy's tractor (Gus).... He wasn't so sure about this one!


And for your viewing pleasure....more random cuteness.... I just can't imagine anything that could make me smile more than this little face!

Three Weeks Home!

It is hard to believe that we have had our little man home for three weeks now! I can't help but smile when I look at him! We are doing well overall, and starting to get into a daytime routine (sort of). The poor little guy is still struggling at night and sometimes is up every 20-30 min or so (when we can get him back to sleep)! We have dubbed him the "King of the power nap", as he seems to function very well throughout the day with very little sleep! I feel a bit like a zombie some days, but I know it will get better with time. (right?) He is exploring the house a little more and has discovered the pots and pans! Somehow he has already broken the child proof tab locking the cupboard and is a regular visitor....I think he is a natural born percussionist!

Christopher had his first birthday last week and his first check-up with the pediatrician. Unfortunately for him, they were the same day! His actual first birthday was a bit of a bust with the booster shots, and by the time we got his first cupcake in front of him, he fell asleep with only a little frosting on his lips...I don't think he actually tasted it! We made up for it with a nice little party on Saturday with both sets of Grandparents, and including Great Grandma and Aunt Julie! He had a blast, and certainly loved being the center of attention! He must have given 100 "high fives" and had them all in stitches with his giggles most of the day! He received many wonderful gifts of toys, books and additions to the college savings account he got from mom and dad! He is certainly a loved little boy! His new favorites include all his books (I think I'm going to have a good reader on my hands) a shopping cart to walk behind, a singing mailbox, a cell phone and a dancing monkey! Round two with the birthday cake was a little more fun, but I think he was more interested in squishing the frosting in his fingers than he was in eating it! He was however successful in getting frosting in his hair and ears and on his eyelids!

For those of you not familiar with Korean customs, the first birthday (Tol) is a big celebration in Korea! Those who attend the celebration bring prayers and wishes of good luck, longevity, and prosperity for the baby's future, traditional clothing called a Han-bok is worn, there is an offering table, and a doljabi ceremony to predict the child's future based on which things they choose from the table. It was actually pretty interesting to watch as Christopher seemed to contemplate what to pick up, as if he knew this was an important decision! His little hand hovered over the Korean flag, the thread, and the money, before he finally picked up the stethoscope, resulting in cheers from the grandparents! His second choice was a toothbrush! Maybe we will have a little oral surgeon on our hands! :o)

We are planning to take him for his first haircut this weekend, so hopefully I will have some pics to show soon. Dad is a little embarassed that he appears to be sporting a baby mullett!

In farm news, we were involved last week in the rescue of 14 unwanted young and baby male alpacas from a local breeding farm. The owner decided that they were of no value to his million dollar breeding industry, and told the farm hand if they were not off the property by the next day he was going to smash them in the head!! This may seem like an empty threat, but since it has actually been done before, we knew he meant business! If you have ever seen a baby alpaca you would know they look a little like a baby teddy bear and so sweet...the idea of someone intentionally hurting them makes me want to vomit! (This is why I am loosing faith in humanity!) Luckily some good friends of ours who run the local 4-H club got wind and initiated a mass rescue of the 14 males! Phil and Matt spent Saturday morning bringing them home to our farms. We were a little freaked out that we would end up with them stuck here permanently since we are running a little short on space and there is no way to put up new fencing in the frozen ground, but thanks to amazing efforts, they all found home in just 3 days!!! Thanks Matt and Lisa for the awesome job!!

That is all for now, below are just a few more photos of everyday cuteness that goes on here!

First Week as a Family!

Well it has been a long week, but a wonderful one! We are overjoyed to have our little man home! He is just adorable, and I really can't look at him without smiling! :) He is so smart and curious, and busy busy busy! He loves books and musical toys and has already picked his Pooh train as a favorite. Luckily I have already learned to tune out "is that Piglet hiding under the square key?" played ten thousand times a day!! lol His laughter and giggles are contagious and he keeps us in stitches all day! He has quite the appetite and last night he decided that he is ready to use the spoon all by himself! He did surprisingly well with his little spoon eating some yogurt this morning! I was impressed! He is quite the little problem solver, and I think we may be in trouble when he can finally reach the buttons and knobs in the kitchen... by the way he looks at them and watches how we use them, I am pretty sure he has them all figured out. We are finally starting to get into a routine and this makes night 3 that he has allowed us to put him in his crib to sleep. The first several days Phil and I had to take turns sleeping in the recliner chair in his room holding him, because he would scream and wail the second we put him down no matter how long he had been asleep. He was definitely grieving more at night and missing his foster mother. He would wake up about every 20 min or so and would look all around crying "umma" for her, it was heartbreaking to see him hurting so much, but we held him tight, and I think he is finally starting to feel a little better at night. I am crossing my fingers that he will be sleeping through the night soon (the bags under my eyes would probably appreciate that too)!

He is fitting in just fine with the dogs so far, and if he learns to pet them a little more lightly I think the kitties will be a little happier to see him too! Our big dog Buster even brought him his favorite squeaky toy today to try to play with him...it was so cute! We finally were successful in giving him a happy bath. After several unsuccessful attempts in the bathtub and then a smaller tub, we were able to get him to sit happily and splash around in the water in the kitchen sink (cleaned of course)! Whatever works I guess!

Yesterday we decided to take him out to see the big critters since it was finally above freezing. We bundled him all up... he was definitely not a fan of the hat!
Phil made him his first tiny little snow ball and put it in his hand... and he popped the whole thing in his mouth and ate it!! Yikes, we weren't expecting that! We were a little afraid that he would get a case of baby brain freeze and swear off snow forever, but he seemed OK. I think he liked the snow (good thing too, because we get a lot of it), and we got the greatest picture of him sitting in it for the first time!

After playing in the snow we took him to the barn to meet the horses, but I think he was so exhausted from all the excitement (and the trauma of having to wear the hat) that he didn't seem to even notice the horses...even when Billy was nuzzling his mittens! He fell asleep just a few minutes later when daddy put him in a sled and pulled him back to the house. If it is warm again tomorrow we will probably try again. Good night for now, I will write again when I can!

We're home!

Well, after 12 hours in the air with a screaming baby, a missed connection, two flight delays and a second trip back to the airport to pick up a forgotten diaper bag, we finally made it home Friday night! Our little guy is not much of a sleeper so far (at least not more than 30 min at a time), but he is an absolute blast! I love his little giggle and that "melt your heart" smile. I haven't eaten, showered, or slept in goodness knows how long, and my house looks a little like a tornado went through it, but I wouldn't trade it for the world! Hopefully we will be on a more normal schedule soon. I will post as often as possible. Thanks to everyone for all the well wishes and support!