Can you S-P-E-L-L?

Hello everyone - from the wayward blogger. I can't believe it's already March 11th! Where has the time gone? I think I'll be asking that question for the next 20 years.

Scott continues to grow and is the happiest boy I've ever seen. He has his bad days - he's a toddler after all. His hair is really coming in and he loves to spend time outside. He's learning to walk on uneven surfaces and is fascinated by the creek running behind our house. Yesterday Dave took him through the woods and let him put his fingers in the running water. He kept them there until the hand turned red from the cold water, but he loved it. He had this grin on his face and jabbered at the water. We each held a hand and let him walk through the woods. I wish you could see the expressions on his at each new experience. I think he's going to love being in the woods as much as we do.

The reason I asked if you can s-p-e-l-l is because the little guy is learning to understand English. I'm amazed that he's really comprehending what we're saying after months of looking at us blankly. There are certain words he knows and even says - go, out, up, cook (short for cookie) and of course the continuing favorite - cat. Callie has been replaced in the number one slot this week by the new word "duck." He wanders around playing and saying "duck" frequently. Today I told him we were going to visit Grandma and Grandpa and he needed to get his shoes. He lit up and ran looking for them. He used to fight putting shoes on and now he can't wait.

Dave and I have both been sick for the past few weeks. It's a nasty virus that for me blossomed into a bad infection. We're coughing and blowing but I think I've got the worst of it behind me. I'm still trying to talk him into seeing a doctor. It's hard to be sick with Scott around because he doesn't understand. Mommy should be able to run and play - and he gets this confused look on his face when I can't. I don't want to scare him, so I really tried to keep up. It's good to have my energy back! He's been pretty healthy - just the usual colds. Let's hope that holds.

We've all got Spring fever and these lovely days this weekend have been a blessing. The bulbs are starting to poke up from the ground and we could even see a tiny crocus bloom in Grandpa's sidewalk garden in front of their house. I told Scott that he's just going to love the springtime - and I'm looking out the window each day in anticipation of that first hint of the green that means it's really here.

The other morning there were 2 deer near the house when we got up. I held Scott and Callie looked out the window at them with us. We all quietly watched them as they nibbled the dry brown grasses and wandered away into the neighbor's backyard. Scott was fascinated and frankly I love seeing these creatures up close - except when they are eating our trees and flowers!

I think the biggest challenge to come will be keeping our little explorer close. He's getting so fast!

Hope everyone is well. :-)

Baptism!

I do apologize for the delay in updating the website. I'm still getting used to this schedule and the many demands on my time. I just e-mailed a good friend and told her that by the time we get Scott in bed at night, I just want to put my feet up and relax. After spending all day at a computer, this is not high on my list of things I want to do.

So it's Saturday night and I'm feeling up to a quick posting for friends and family. Scotty is being baptized tomorrow morning! We had to postpone from a December date due to 20 inches of snow and both of us being sick (poor Dad). We've had more snow this week, but not enough to stop this one. We'll be surrounded by family and friends and it's going to be a wonderful ceremony. My friends in the music group have some great songs planned and BW is going to cantor the psalm. She sang at our wedding too - so how perfect is that? I even got to select a few songs for the day.

We have our first follow up visit next week with the social worker. She's going to prepare the report to go to Russia letting them know how Scott is doing. He's doing so well I'm not worried about it all. We have great reports from our Parents as Teachers rep, our pediatrician and others, plus when you see him you know he's such a happy, healthy boy. We are very blessed! Our babysitter commented that he's the happiest baby all the time. Not long after she said that, we endured an incredibly fussy, grumpy boy for the evening, so she may have jinxed me. Ha! Actually, she's right. He's usually in a good mood and except when he's sick - he's happy.

He's started saying words and said one today that was clear as a bell. We'd had a small snack of some crackers and juice and I had put the crackers away after we shared a few. He was in his room playing and he looked up and said "cracker." I asked him if said "cracker" and he said "yeah" in return. I said okay and he took off for the kitchen. How cool is that?! He's been saying words and repeating things we say (time to watch it!) but that's the first real exchange we've had like that. I followed him in and gave him another cracker and that's all he needed. Then it was back to playing.

I've spoken to several women lately who are on a waiting list for an adoption. I can remember how sad and depressed I was at this time last year because the situation looked so bleak. I know that whatever I say to them isn't the kind of comfort I'd hope it could be because I have my son and they don't have their child yet. I can remember praying so much last year and wondering why the prayers just weren't being answered. Tonight I know that God had Scott picked out for us and we just had to wait until the timing was right. That's not the kind of thing I would have wanted to hear at this time last year, but now I know how true it is. Thankfully He stayed with us and gave us strength to see it all through. Tomorrow morning we'll have the baptism we've dreamed about for years and my heart will be full of thanks for the God who brought us to it.

Well, I'd better get some sleep. It's going to be an early morning. Much love to everyone!

What a Night - actually several of them!

Hello all.
We made it through the holidays and now we've made it over another big hurdle. Scott had his surgery to repair the hernia last Thursday. Poor baby - it's been tough on all of us. He's starting to go down for a nap right now, so I'm going to do a quick post to update you and then I'll have to run. I had thought about writing this as a retrospective - as if I were years in the future and looking back on a difficult time in Scott's childhood, but I'm too tired to be that creative. Sigh.

We did the pre-op meetings on Wednesday afternoon. It's strange because I was always concerned that I wasn't asking the right questions or I might be missing something. It's hard to concentrate when you've got a wiggling, giggling, whining toddler to hang on to. Thankfully we were both there and between the two of us, we got all of the necessary information. We were told to come back at 9 the next morning for the surgery.

When we got home, there was a phone message saying that another surgery had been postponed and that we were to be there at 7AM. I was actually relieved because I didn't want to have to explain to the baby why he couldn't have breakfast when he wanted it. We were up and moving by 5AM on Thursday and all 3 of us arrived on time. Scott was a little confused by it all, but did okay until they started trying to take blood pressure readings, etc. He's a smart kid and figured out that something was going on. They let us stay with him and entertain him until it was time to take him back to the operating room. I was working hard to stay calm and relaxed because he feeds off of our emotions. I had a rather surreal moment when a guy I knew from community theatre years ago walked in and said hi. He had retired from teaching and is now a medical technician. He was going to be working in Scott's operating room and was surprised to see me. I haven't seen him since I got married (11 years ago), but it was nice to see a friendly face at that time. He gave me a hug and was there when they took Scott away. I saw Scott going in to the operating room and a little bare foot had escaped the peach-colored hospital gown. I had a lump in my throat when I saw that tiny little foot. He looked so vulnerable!

We spent the next hour in the waiting room drinking coffee and eating a muffin. I was trying to focus on the Parenting magazine I'd brought but I kept staring at the clock on the wall. I called a few folks on my cell phone and did some praying too. It was a huge relief when the assistant came and told us that the doctor would be out shortly. We met with the doctor and he assured us that everything went very well. He said we'd be brought back when Scott was coming out of the anesthesia.

Seeing him lying on that gurney all groggy and confused is a sight I'll never forget. They got him up and in my lap under a warm blanket and he cried a bit out of confusion and hunger. He downed 8 ounces of pedialite very quickly and another 6 ounces of formula. They were amazed at what a good eater he is! We got the IV out and were soon told he could come home. He slept alot on Thursday.

Friday started out fine - he played and ate well throughout the day. Friday night - not so good. He cried and ran a fever and we did everything we could to try to make him comfortable and get the fever down. We called the urologist on call for the weekend and he made some suggestions. Scott just got worse about taking the liquid medication (lots of spitting it back out) and any kind of fluids (ditto). We were up regularly throughout the night.

Saturday morning, he didn't want to eat and the fever kept spiking. We tried everything we could think of - especially in light of the ice storm coming down all weekend. The last thing we wanted to do was go out in it with a sick baby. By 3PM on Saturday, the fever was nearly 103 and when we called the hospital, they wanted to see him. We got everything ready that we could think of - got ourselves ready and drove very carefully. By 4PM, we were at the ER and checking in.

He was so lethargic and fevered - I can't even describe the fear I felt. They said he wasn't dehydrated and his wounds looked good. They wanted to check for a bladder infection, so they needed a urine sample. They have an interesting little back to tape to that particular area of an infant. The nurse helped us force some motrin into him, and showed us another technique to help get the medicine in. She said she has a 15 month old baby and that's what she has to do as well. The doctor made some suggestions about how to alternate the motrin and tylenol to keep the fever down and that was good too. Then we settled in to wait for the urine sample. You can't tell a baby to pee. He just has to do it.

We also managed to get about 3 ounces of formula into him and did our best to entertain him. It was amazing to feel the fever start to come down and to see him perk up. He was limp in my arms when we brought him in and sitting up looking around when we carried him out 4 hours later. There was no sign of infection and the incisions were fine. What a relief.

We were starving and decided to get a different flavor of motrin in case that was part of the problem (it's not - we're still having trouble getting him to take medication). We went home past a Steak and Shake, so we went through the drive thru and got some burgers and fries. Scotty seemed interested in food, so I sat in the back seat with him and gave him a few bites of fries. He really liked them! I read somewhere to hang on to good moments and memories when things aren't going well. I'm never going to forget watching him in his snowsuit in the carseat as we travelled the ice covered roads and listening to the sleet hitting the windshield. Dave got us home safely and we bundled him in the house. He still seemed hungry, so I warmed up some mac and cheese and he ate about half of what was left - a good portion. He didn't like cold fries, so we skipped those. He then took about 4 ounces of formula and went to sleep. He woke up at 2:30AM and drank nearly a full bottle of formula. He settled back to sleep. There was no temperature at all then - thank God.

He awoke again at 6:30 to a pretty wet diaper and discomfort. I changed him and he didn't really want any juice or breakfast. Hi temp was up a little and we "convinced" him to take some motrin. He just seemed to want to sleep, so we all went back to bed and slept until 8:30AM. The exhausted parents were particularly grateful. He woke up happier than I'd seen him in days. He had a good breakfast and is trying to take a morning nap now. He keeps doing what we call the "black and decker" chorus - a drilling noise combined with singing and fussing. He's tired and wants to sleep, but doesn't want to sleep if you know what I mean. I'm going to take a few moments and catch a shower now that Dad is finished with his.

Thanks for all of the nice e-mails and support. Scott is going to be fine - I can see that now. It's just something that you have to get through and pray for the best. We'll keep doing that!

Much love and good wishes to all!
Anna

Merry Christmas!

Since we finalized the adoption, so many people have said "You know you'll have the best Christmas this year." Guess what - they were right! It's about 8:15PM and we've finished our bath/bedtime routine. He's in his crib and I'm listening to him through the baby monitor. He alternates between his "drilling" noise - a noise he makes when he's falling asleep - and babbling to Tigger and the mobile. He clicks and babbles and giggles and I wish I knew what he was talking about. He does eventually fall asleep and is great about sleeping through most of the nights.

He's had a great Christmas so far and we've got one more day of fun. We're going to see my folks tomorrow and after speaking to them today, I know we'll have a fun day. Unfortunately, my Mom was very sick last week with a stomach bug, so we had to change our original plan of going down today and spending the night with them. She's better and feeling up to company, so we're going there during morning nap and coming back during afternoon nap. Then some friends are passing through and coming over for dinner before heading home. They have two kids who love to play with Scott - and vice versa. It should be a great day.

We've had 3 days of playing, baking cookies, wrapping presents and generally enjoying ourselves. We've spaced out the presents - some on Christmas Eve and some this afternoon so we wouldn't overwhelm him. Last night was a bit crazy - he was fussy and didn't quite get all of the presents and attention. Dave's folks came over and we had a lovely dinner, of which Scott didn't eat much. It's all food he's typically loved - ham, mashed potatoes, green beans - but lately he's not been as interested in dinner. He ate some, but not nearly what he'd normally eat. I ended up making him some rice cereal, and he gobbled that up. He did it again tonight - once again rejecting a meal he used to love. Go figure. I'm hoping that once we get back on a regular schedule he'll get back to eating normally again. We're trying to maintain his schedule, but that's not always easy to do during the holidays.

There were some truly wonderful moments this weekend. My mother-in-law and I made cookie-press Christmas tree cookies and they turned out perfectly. The look on Scott's face when he was riding his new rocking horse. The delight on my father-in-law's face when Scott walked right into his arms and giggled. Dave telling me something really funny and Scott starting to laugh because I was laughing. Watching Scott see more new toys this afternoon and shaking his arms and gasping with excitement. Callie letting Scott chase her and even "catch" her tail a bit - and his shouts of joy when he did . Playing with both of them because the furry baby is getting a little jealous of the bald kitty. I made up a game where I trot through the house with her purple string while holding Scott. He giggles as we dart around corners and she comes racing after us to catch the toy. It requires balance, quick manuevering and strength. It's really building up my upper body strength - although it's a game I can't play for very long. He's getting heavier!

I'll admit that this Christmas has been one of the very best ever. It's not exactly what I expected in some ways. I guess I don't really know what I expected. I've just tried to enjoy each and every moment. I'm seeing Christmas through his eyes - all of the wonder and joy and that has been delightful. We gave Scott "The Polar Express" book and while he did look at the pictures with me, he's too little to enjoy the story. I took a bit this afternoon while he was napping to sit down and re-read that story and it brought tears to my eyes. If you don't know the story - a little boy is selected to take a special train to the North Pole with many other children. He gets picked to receive the first Christmas gift from Santa and he asks for one of the silver bells from the reindeers' harness. Santa gives it to him and it makes the most beautiful noise. Unfortunately, when he's back on the train, he finds out there is a hole in his pocket. The bell was lost and he was devestated. The next morning, there's an extra present under the tree - and the bell is inside. Santa left him a note saying he'd found it in his sleigh. His parents think the bell is broken because they can't hear it ringing. As people age and stop believing in Santa, they stop being able to hear the bell - except for some lucky people who never lose the ability.

For the first time in a very long time, I could really hear that bell ringing. There's a beautiful little boy who just fell asleep upstairs and he's the one who has helped me hear it once more. This Christmas has been wonderful - but I'm definitely looking forward to many more!

Holiday Rush

Hello all...
Here's a quick Saturday afternoon post while Scotty is napping. He's actually starting to wake up, so I'll make it brief. He is still doing great, despite having his first cold with us last week. He starting sneezing and coughing a week ago Wednesday, and I managed to follow him by a day or so. We got hit with 17 inches of snow (which is unusual!) last Friday and spent the unexpected 3 day weekend snowed in. Thankfully we had plenty of food on hand. We never lost power like some folks, for which I am also grateful. We were supposed to have Scott's baptism on Sunday, but that had to be cancelled since we couldn't get out and we were both sick. Dave managed to dig us out by Sunday afternoon and we were back in business on Monday morning. Scott recovered from his cold nicely, but mine turned into a sinus infection and I had to get antibiotics this week. I'm feeling better today - finally!

One thing I guess I didn't expect is the "Mommy guilt" when I'm sick. Dave was great about taking care of Scott and me, but I kept feeling guilty that I couldn't physically do as much. It's really a strange feeling. Logically, I knew that I needed to rest and that Dave could handle it all, but emotionally I felt bad. Weird.

He's taking five or six steps on his own now and he gets so excited when he does it. I just love his laughter. He giggles and laughs so much now and it's such a joy to hear. In the morning he's generally pretty happy, even when we've got to get out in the cold to go to daycare. He loves it there too. There are so many fun kids and great toys that he's worn out by the end of the day. Our provider tells us how happy he is and how much the other kids love playing with him. It's great to hear.

He's eating like a horse too. We took him to a fun diner last night along with Grandma and Grandpa and he was fascinated by the Christmas decorations. He had a kids meal of grilled cheese and mashed potatoes and really put the food away. Afterwards we came back and decorated the Christmas tree. He went to bed before we were finished, so he saw the finished product this morning. He had a huge smile on his face and seemed to really think it's cool. This morning I made pancakes and he helped Dad and I clean the house. Well, sort of. He didn't make a bigger mess before we could get the chores done, so that's good! We had friends over this afternoon for lunch and he played and had a great time with them.

I can hear him waking up, so I'd better head that way. We may go out for some shopping this evening. All in all - a great day so far! Now if I can just get all that Christmas shopping done........

The best Thanksgiving!

I can't believe how the time has flown by. I'm heading back to work tomorrow, and we'll begin our new routine. It's going to be busy and I know I'll miss being with Scott and Dave all day. We've tried out the daycare and Scott loves it. I think it will be harder on me! It's so hard to believe it's been 5 weeks!

We had an amazing Thanksgiving with Dave's folks and my parents. Scott received so much attention and you wouldn't believe how much food he ate. I thought he'd go into a food coma, but he loved the mashed potatoes, the stuffing, the green bean casserole and his Grandma's pumpkin pie (but only a small amount of that!). He's a good eater and is even feeding himself certain things. Green beans are a hit, as are peas and carrots.

There is a good chance that Scott will be the most photographed and videotaped child in history. My Dad got a video camera for his birthday and he had a ball taking video of Scott and the rest of us. Scott is practically walking on his own, and it's so fun to have him take 4 or 5 steps between me and Dave. The joy on his face is priceless. He's a changed boy - as everyone said he would be. He laughs so much and sings and plays. The bonding between the 3 of us is going so very well. If anything, he's kind of clingy to me, but I think that's normal at this age.

One of my favorite things is when we get up in the morning. He's so warm and cuddly and he rests his head on my shoulder and cuddles with me. I could just stay that way for hours, but this busy boy has places to go and people to see! It doesn't last long, but it's so precious.

I love this baby boy more every time I see him. He's the miracle we've waited for more than 10 years! When he throws himself into my arms when we're playing, or rests his head on my shoulder, I realize that all of that pain and waiting and frustration and sadness was worth the end result. I wish my words would convey that hope to everyone who is waiting, but I know that the words are hollow. I remember reading about successful adoptions and being happy for those couples, but it's not the same thing as knowing that you've got a baby. The pain that we went through is still there - and I can empathize with everyone who is still waiting. While I can't remove that pain for them, I hope that God will bring you peace and strength as He did for me and Dave through this process.

My folks and Dave's folks told us that this was the best Thanksgiving ever. I tend to agree. We're building such wonderful memories - it's just too bad that the days fly by so quickly. I'm trying to take time to enjoy each and every moment.

Peace and good wishes to all!
Anna

Hello from Kitsie Callie

I asked Mom if I could add to her blog and she said it would be okay. I'm Kitsie Callie, the original baby in the Hargis household. I'm a big kitty - 2 years old - and I thought I'd share my opinion of the bald kitty that they recently brought home.

Until 3 weeks ago, I was the princess of the household and pretty much had two of the big kitties at my beck and call. Then they took one of their vacations and were gone for a whole week. I was irritated, but very glad when they got home. Much to my surprise, they weren't alone. They brought the bald kitten with them. He's kind of noisy with big eyes and while I wasn't too happy at first, I think I actually like him now. As long as Mom or Dad is close by, I'll even let him touch my paw or tail - but otherwise, we don't get too close. I've seen how he shakes toys, so I'm keeping my distance.

This has increased my security duties significantly. I find that I have to watch him frequently, even when he's sleeping. I curl up and stand watch to make sure nothing bad comes near him. It may look like I'm napping, but I'm ever vigilant as any good cat should be. I'm not always happy when we have company, and we've had lots since the bald kitty arrived. I have to check all of them out, especially anyone who holds him. If they don't meet with my approval, I let Mom know. After all, you can never be too careful with your baby kitties, can you?

One really good thing...the introduction of more interesting television viewing. We have something called a Baby Einstein DVD with lots of animals. The cats aren't nearly as cute as I am, but the bald kitty and I both really like to watch that one. We both talk to the TV, and I've told him directly several times what each animal is, but he doesn't make the cat sounds quite right yet. I'll work with him on it.

He's walking with help, and our new game is to have Mom or Dad help him walk and he chases me throughout the upstairs. When I get tired, I jump up on something and swish my tail. Everyone seems to understand that signal. It's hard to train big kitties, but you have to stick with it. They do learn eventually.

Bath time is fascinating. The bald kitten likes to play in his duck tub now. I didn't like the noises he made when Mom tried to give him a bath at first. He wasn't very happy and he made noises like what I might make if someone put me in water. He's okay with it now though and makes unhappy noises when you take him out of the water. Go figure.

He likes to nap during the day, although not as long as me. The big kitties don't nap and sometimes make noise, but we're learning to deal with it. Dad put out the bird feeder, and I have lots of critters to "chup" at now. I'm trying to teach the bald kitty about chups, but he doesn't quite get it yet.

Mom and Dad took the bald kitty for a long weekend to San Antonio this past weekend. I got to stay home in the peace and quiet and had the whole house to myself. That was nice for a day or so, but then I missed my family and wanted them to come home. Even that strange new kitty. When they came back, I greeted them all enthusiastically at the door. It's good to have everyone home.

Anyway, it's time to nap, so I'm going to run. Maybe Mom will let me put another entry in later. She and Dad seem pretty happy, so I guess this new kitty will work out in our family. He does make life interesting. Meow!