A Special Message

To my "anonymous friend of a friend of a friend" ... thank you for your comment! I am honored and touched that our journey has given you (and your friend) hope for your future family. I know I've already said it many times and in many ways, but Owen truly is the best choice we've ever made. Everyday I look into his big brown eyes and my heart overflows with how very much I love him.

International adoption isn't necessarily the easiest path to a child. It's a long, frustrating process which at times can border on overwhelming. It's time-consuming, it's expensive, it's not something everyone agrees with or understands.

But, for me it came down to this: we needed a baby, and in a small town in a country halfway around the world there was a baby who needed a family. You'll know when the time is right for you to take that same leap of faith.

Please let me know how you are doing, or if I can help in any way. Feel free to contact me* at bobjodimd @ yahoo.com (remove spaces). I wish you the strength and confidence to follow your dreams no matter where they lead.

*Nina - it was a wonderful surprise to read your comment! I think of you, Alan and all my Atlantic Group friends often (Hi Isabelle!) and am so glad to hear you are doing well. I hope you will email me too!!

It's A Small World After All

I have to start by thanking Nanny for taking care of Owen all weekend - and putting up with my frequent calls! She gamely read the two page schedule I created and listened patiently as I pointed out all of Owen's stuff (as if she hasn't raised two kids and taken care of two other grand kids).

I know Owen had a fabulous time because each time I called he was laughing; we walked in Monday afternoon to find him and Nanny happily playing in the family room. And while I guess he was glad to see us, I know he was sad to see Nanny drive away!

As always we had a good time at Dover; the race itself was a bit boring, long and very hot, but for me the best part is catching up and relaxing with old friends.

This year we even had a very cool occurrence ... driving to the race I decided to play one of our Russian CDs for everyone. I pushed play for one of our favorite songs by "Legalize", and one of our friends Ty (who we only see once a year) says, "oh, I know this song". Really???

A few more questions revealed that his girlfriend is from Almaty, Kazakhstan!! Ty got her on the phone and her and I chatted for a few minutes (hi Lola!) and invited her to join us next year. I'm really looking forward to getting to meet her - talking with her was just really fun, and hearing her accent was a nice reminder of all the hours we spent with Rada, our interpreter in Kokshetau.

I love the idea of having another link to Kazakhstan. She'll be able to teach us even more about Owen's birth country and ethnic background. Who knows, one day I may be able to post of picture of her and Owen together (I did see some photos of her, and like 98% of all Kazakh women she is gorgeous)!

Couldn't resist posting this additional super cute pic of Owen in his racing suit, and my friend Jill and her son Garrett came over today for a play date - we like to call this shot "feeding the kids in the petting zoo".

Now about the middle picture ... Owen made it the whole weekend without a scratch (Nanny was worried about that), then we come home and while I'm in the process of adjusting his car seat to be forward-facing (I brought it inside to make sure the shoulder straps were at the right height), Owen manages to bump his head and get a big, old ugly bruise over one eye!

I'm sure it's the first of many, he's fine (and the bruise is already almost gone today) and he only really cried when we tried to apply ice using his boo-boo bunny, but of course I felt terrible. Whoever first said that being a parent is like having your heart walk around forever outside your body was so right!

Ready To Go Racing

Every year we go to the Dover NASCAR race with a bunch of friends. This year Owen really wanted to go - he even dressed in his racing suit - but instead Nanny is going to come stay with him this weekend and I know he'll love that even more (of course Owen's mommy is already wondering how she'll go two days without her baby!)

Thank You to You!

Today's post is for you ... our blog readers!

To Mom & Dad, Rich & Cathy, Kris, Mom B, Pam, Sue, Courtnay, Kelli, Kim and Sherry ... founding members of the FCC (Frequent Comment Club) and people close to my heart always.

To my fellow adoptive moms - Maureen, Alison, Susan, Amy T, and Shannon - who take time from chasing around their own Kaz cuties to leave me their encouragement and who have walked this amazing journey by my side.

To Brette, Amy B, Manda, Bea and Audrey, my oldest and dearest friends. I hope you all know that although distance and time and the daily business of life keep us from talking as often as we should, I cherish you always.

To Leah and Linda, friends of friends whom I've never met, but whose comments have touched me and made me smile.

To those who followed our time in Kazakhstan (Joan & Phil, Jeanne & Bud, Deb, Ty, Rob, Brenda, Demi, Eric aka EZ, Gwen, Kathleen, Krista, LeAnne, Karen, Colleen, Sharron, Kim, Ronie, Gladys, Beth, Jakkie, Todd & Maria, Gary, Michele, Janene, and Kristine) and left special notes that we will share with Owen as he grows.

To all those who click on the blog each day to see what Owen is up to, and who have maybe left one or two comments in the past and wondered if I noticed, (hi Tanya, Chris, Melanie, Calissa and Erin) I did ... and I appreciate it.

And to anyone who reads along but never comments - that's OK too (but remember, membership in the FCC is free and open to everyone)!

I love writing. I love being able to convey my feelings and thoughts - and having such a caring and supportive "audience". I love sharing Owen with you all. I love meeting or hearing of people near and far who enjoy following along. So today I thank you all for joining me. I hope you will keep reading!

Little Man Walking!

Owen celebrated being 14 months old today by walking several times and covering some real distance!! And life - for him and us - will never be the same!

How You Growin' Owen?

On the road again ... over the weekend we traveled to western Maryland to attend a fund raising dinner for The Maryland Salem Children's Trust (http://www.mdsalem.com/) , the school where my brother-in-law is the Education Director. Bob's company was one of the corporate sponsors and we were happy to attend as the school does an amazing job giving hope and guidance and opportunity to children who otherwise wouldn't have it. And of course we always love visiting Owen's Nanny (where there is usually something yummy to eat like cherry pie!), and seeing Aunt Maria, Uncle Todd and cousin Hannah!

I realised recently that many of my friends have blogs or websites chronicling their adoption journey and lives now that they are home; and they all do a really good job of updating on their kids' developmental milestones. So, I'm going to attempt to give you a quick glimpse that we'll call "How You Growin' Owen?"

• Although not yet walking by himself (that's our cautious kid), Owen is very steady on his feet when standing, stands by himself, stoops and recovers, walks when you hold his hand (can do it when you only hold one hand too), has taken a few steps on his own, pushes his truck all over, cruises laps around the coffee table and crawls very fast. Any day now!
• His fine motor skills are excellent - meaning he will find and pick up every minuscule piece of lint/hair/etc from the floor and hand it to me with a proud look on his face. Or try to eat it (with a devilish look on his face!).
• Owen is a big help around the house too - sorting laundry, making sure the cats have enough water, checking under the throw rugs for missing items, quality checking the opening/closing mechanism of the cabinets ... you get the idea.
• He has always been really good at sitting and playing with his toys - he's a "thinker" and likes to study something and figure out how it works. He now stacks his beloved cups, takes rings on and off the post, takes blocks, balls, etc. out of his toy chest/storage box and puts them back in, will attempt to throw a ball to Bob or I, bangs objects together, throws toys down the cat door (no, that's not my favorite). He also likes to play cousin Hannah's favorite game: when you clap, he'll pause and then clap too, and then wait for you to do it again.
• "Catfish" is still a good eater and he definitely has a sweet tooth. He eats "real" fruit and veggies and sometimes chicken and fish but doesn't like beef at the moment. He will pick up any food and feed himself and I've recently started giving him a spoon - he'll put the food on the spoon but it's still too tricky to get the whole contraption to his mouth.
• He babbles a lot - sometimes very loudly! - and has really started to try to mimic us. If I say "thank you" he'll repeat something that also has two words. He can say "cat" (what a surprise), "Sadie" (one of the cats) "duck", "daddy", and something that sounds like "what's that".
• While no match for his cousin Samantha, Owen will now bounce up and down when one of his toys plays music and seems to like it when I sing to him.
• He likes to look at his books, particularly the ones with pictures of animals and pages with textures, and he'll point at things in a book. We alternate the same three books at nap/bed time, and no matter where we are, if I start to recite one of these books he'll settle in and listen.
• After a short break when he apparently decided it was too much work, Owen once again waves bye to Bob in the morning and to anyone in the grocery store who thinks he's cute. He also gives us high fives and we are working on bumping fists which he thinks is hysterical.
• Owen loves to be spun around and tossed up in the air - this always made him laugh at the baby house too - and the "walk away then turn around fast" game never fails to get huge giggles from him. He still likes patty-cake and peek-a-boo (he now "hides" by covering his eyes with his forearm).
• It seems like everyday more and more of his sense of humor and personality emerges - he'll do things that he knows make me laugh or make up a new way to clap or play with a toy. My favorite thing he does is slowly lean his forehead or cheek into your face when you say "Owen, can I have a kiss?"

I know I've missed about a hundred things, but the most important thing is that Owen is a healthy, happy toddler (yikes!). But can someone please explain to me why, when Owen is in the 75% for height, most 12 month pants are still too long on him??

Buzzzzzz ....

I told Owen that the early poll results showed the scarecrow edging out the bee and soundly beating the bat. Above is his response, which I believe loosely translates to "Mama, I will not wear tattered clothes and a bird on my head for my Halloween debut". And so, Owen will be dressing as a bumble bee!

OK ... so what actually occurred is that I went to a consignment sale on Saturday morning with my friend Jill and found a bee costume for a $1! At Jill's urging I bought it, brought it home and tried it on Owen. Adorable! I'm going to add some wings and antenna and he'll be ready to treat or treat.

So scarecrow fans (and bat fans, whose numbers were limited I believe in part because the baby modeling the costume was, ummm, to use a Halloween term, a bit scary looking!) I do appreciate your vote, and I hope you are still satisfied with Owen's costume - I promise he will still be cute and candy worthy!

A Milestone Day!

Owen has been home six months! Most of the time it feels like he has been with us forever, although each and every day I am conscious of how lucky we are that he is our son.

Our little boy has grown so much and learned many new things since that wonderful day in March. He has brought joy and laughter to his family and friends. Owen has healed a hole in my heart and allowed me to let go of past disappointments and pain. He's taught me patience and reminded me to be open to both the big and small blessings in life.

I've learned a few other things along the way too:

• I love him completely, without hesitation, with all of my heart; and I always will.
• Apple Cinnamon Puffs are surprisingly tasty; Gerber's Mixed Vegetables are not.
• Getting bitten by six baby teeth hurts a lot.
• I like the sound of soft rain on the roof at night, the cats purring, Justin Timberlake's CD. My favorite sound by far is Owen giggling.
• A warm baby sleeping in your arms - even if it occurs in the mind numbing hour of 3:00 am after you've been roused from slumber - is a wonderful feeling.
• People have a need to tell you that your child looks like you. I don't mind since obviously I think Owen is adorable - but it did come as a surprise to us that Bob and I look Asian.
• Crawling babies can move astonishingly quickly, and will always go exactly where they shouldn't.
• Being a stay at home mom is sometimes really hard and tiring. There are no coffee breaks, no lunch hours, no water cooler gossip or sick days. Forget about performance bonuses or a salary! But it's all always, always worth it and I am so thankful to Bob for allowing me this opportunity.
• Have stacking cups, will travel.
• I miss sleeping in on Saturday mornings.
• Bodily fluids and other "outputs" aren't (quite) so gross when they are coming from your own kid.
• I understand mama bears completely - I too would destroy anyone who tried to hurt or take away or interfere with Owen in any way.
• You can have a whole room of toys but the cats water dish is much better entertainment.
• Being a mom is the best job in the world!

Thanks to you all for being part of Owen's journey home and his first six months in the US. There are lots of exciting things coming up ... Halloween (remember to vote for your favorite costume), Thanksgiving, Owen walking (really, any day now!), Christmas, and I'm sure, a hundred more moments - big and small - that we will cherish and share with you!

Need Your Help!

OK, faithful blog readers, I need your help in selecting a Halloween costume for our favorite little goblin! I've narrowed it down to the three choices shown, but write in nominations are also welcome. Let me know what you think by participating in the survey at the top right of the page!

Update:

Well ... the survey is no longer working and I've removed it (apparently Blogger released this feature before it was really ready) so you'll have to please "vote" by adding a comment to this post. It's really easy - anyone can do it - just click on the word "comment" at the bottom of this post and follow the directions written on the next screen.

Thus far it's all tied up at one vote a piece - now let your favorite be known!

Labor Day Weekend at Seaview

The Seaview Resort & Spa in Galloway NJ dates back to 1914; hosted Grace Kelly's 16th birthday party and her engagement celebration; boasts two world class golf courses (one hosts a LGPA event) and an Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa; and elegant surroundings that transport you back in time to the turn of the century.

But most important to Owen was the fact that Nana and Pop-Pop like to hang out there over Labor Day weekend and they invited us to join them! Owen showed off his swimming skills and loved pushing his truck down the long hallways. He and Pop-pop enjoyed a few walks around the beautiful grounds and Nana was always ready for a game of peek-a-boo.

We also had the opportunity to visit family friends Ken and Jessica at their bay front home in Strathmere where Owen lit up when greeted enthusiastically (but very gently) by their 11 month old golden retriever puppies!

In other news Cearra starts her senior year of high school today - unbelievable! And a reminder to enjoy each and every moment of Owen's childhood because they grow up way too fast!