FFF- Pajama Party

I realized I don't have very many pictures of Rudy in pajamas. This is one of my all-time favorites. It's from Antigua last June.


This video was also taken in Antigua at the same time (there's no sound). Rudy is playing with Tad - a frog that sings and counts in Spanish and English. Rudy just loved when it counted animals (coche, caballo, y perro) and then made the animal sounds. In this video, you can see him swaying to the song and then reacting and copying the animal noises the Tad makes.
EDIT: Sorry the video is so grainy - it was fine when I downloaded it.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

These are pictures of Rudy 'making' part of his dinner on Monday. We don't give him a roll with his burger or hotdog because he just takes the meat off of it and doesn't seem to miss it. But of course, after a while, he saw me take a roll and wanted one. I handed it to him, thinking he would just eat the roll. instead, he put a piece of his hamburger on it, then some Doritos and he took a few small bites. But then he realized Poppy and Grandpa were using mustard so he wanted mustard ("Rudy do it"). he added the mustard on top of the Doritos - yummy. He ended up using his finger to eat some of the mustard and then rejecting the rest of his 'sandwich". I think we'll keep him out of the kitchen for a while!

Rudy Playing Tee Ball

I think I finally figured out how to add a video. There is no sound because it is taken on our digital camera. Our neighbor gave us this tee and ball and bat today. Rudy loved it but had quite an interesting form when he batted. Paul thinks it's because when he pitches to Rudy, he puts his leg up and Rudy transferred that over to hitting.

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a fun weekend - the weather was nice enough to spend most of it outside. We started with a BBQ and party on Saturday for Paul's cousin, Sean, who just graduated from Temple (of course we forgot to take any pictures).

On Sunday, we visited friends who live on a lake and had another BBQ. Rudy got to play in the sand for the first time and watch geese and swans on the water. (What he really wanted to do, though, was jump into the water!)

Monday we went to a parade and then had a BBQ at home (Rudy has had more than his share of hot dogs this weekend).

A Proud Moment (for Paul)

Yesterday as we were pulling out of our driveway Rudy started to sing. This is what we heard "we all live submarine" over and over again. He was attempting to say "we all live in a yellow submarine". Paul, as many of you know, is a huge Beatles fan and is trying to ensure Rudy feels the same. It seems to be working, especially since Rudy hadn't heard that song all day and no music was playing in the car at that moment. Fortunately I like the Beatles so it's okay with me; but if he starts singing Bob Dylan, then we're going to have a problem!

FFF

This week's topic for Favorite Foto Friday is one favorite picture for the week. I took that to mean one favorite picture from this week. So here is my favorite picture this week:

Now I know you are thinking that this picture was not taken this week. That's true but we just received the picture this week, so in my mind it counts. Rudy's foster mother sent us this picture. I'm guessing he must be between 9 and 12 months old just by comparing his size and development to when we visited him at 7 months and again at 12 months.

The Artist

Tired Boy

Rudy usually falls asleep on the way home from the babysitter's each day ( he never seems to nap there - too much going on, I think). These pictures show some of his sleeping poses.

Changes

Our little boy is changing every day. Some of the changes are funny and keep Paul and I laughing. Most of the changes show Rudy becoming more and more of a little boy.



He's much more talkative and can tell us what he did during the day (like watch Spiderman and then demonstrate how Spiderman moves his hand). He can name all the "ninos" at his babysitter's. And he's definitely picking things up from them (all except one are older - between 3 and 5 years old). The other day he took a pen and piece of scrap paper from the computer table and said "Eat?". I assumed he wanted to eat so I said "Go ask Poppy". He went walking off with his paper and pen in hand and I realized he was asking for an order. I followed him in to the other room where I told Paul I thought he was trying to take an order. So he asked Paul "Eat?" and Paul ordered a hamburger and french fries and iced tea and Rudy "wrote" it on his piece of paper. He then went into the kitchen to open the refrigerator to take out the iced tea. I found the play food he had and pulled that out instead and told him to use that for Paul.



Rudy has also become much more affectionate. When he first came home, he would give besos to his toys and books and animals. But if a person asked for a beso, he would give you his cheek and allow you to kiss him. He slowly started giving hugs to Paul and I more often until it got to the point that if we picked him up, chances were he would lean in and hug us while we carried him. Just recently he has started giving besos without being asked. If he thinks one of us hurt ourselves, he'll walk over and say "Okay?" and then kiss whatever part of us is closest (usually our leg). And now when he leaves in the morning or goes to bed at night, he will lean in and actually give a beso instead of presenting his cheek.


He picks up things we say and figures out the right context to use them, too. The other day Paul said "Are you kidding me?" in relation to something the dog did. Rudy immediately starting using that phrase (it's a good thing Paul didn't say anything stronger) and of course when we laughed at him, he used it even more. But he used it properly. He would talk on his phone and then hang it up as if he was frustrated and say "Kidding me?". It's just amazing how perceptive he is sometimes.

Fun with dos primos

Let me start by admitting that I stole the post title from my sister-in-law. She also posted her pictures quicker than I did. if you want to see some more pictures of tres primos go to her blog http://theadventuresofmaxandlucy.blogpsot.com/ .

Yesterday Chris, Patti, Max and Lucy came down to visit us. We went to a local Mayfest. You can tell by this picture how the two of them are going to be trouble together. Our family vacation is going to be fun and exhausting I think.

Max and Rudy got to go on a carousel.

We all rode on the train (that's my crazy brother behind the boys),

and the boys got to jump in a moon bounce (this collision looks worse than it was - neither of them even flinched when the got back up).

Then everyone came back to our house to enjoy the sunshine and warm weather. Rudy found a friend.

My dad came over and relaxed with his grandsons.

Lucy chilled out on the blanket trying to figure out how to get all the adults (and the dog) to stop watching her so she could eat some rocks and grass.

All in all it was a great day and we're glad they came down.

FFF (Favorite Foto Friday)

Many bloggers have certain things they post each week. Fridays are usually Favorite Foto days. there's enough a site that suggests the theme (http://kissthefrog4me.blogspot.com/) for each week. So I figured this was another good way to help me post more often. This week's theme is Fun in the Sun. Of course since Rudy has only been home since October, most of our fun in the sun has been in Guatemala at swimming pools.

7 months old in Guatemala City

1 year old in Guatemala City

1 1/2 in Antigua, Guatemala

2 years old at home

Fun at the Babysitter's

Since my last few posts have been lacking in pictures, I thought I'd post some of the newest pictures from his babysitter's house. As you can tell he has a lot of fun there.

First Mothers' Day

This was the first Mothers' Day since 2003 that I've really enjoyed the day. In 2003 Paul and I were just thinking about starting a family and were full of confidence that it would be an easy process (ha), and my mom was still alive. By 2004, Paul and I were just beginning to decide how to add to our family, but it was the first year without my mom. In 2005 we were just a few months away from starting the adoption process and it was probably the first year we said "next year, we'll really be able to celebrate Mothers' and Fathers' Day". In 2006 Rudy was about 6 months old and we were planning to go visit him, thinking "next year" he'll be home with us. But it still wasn't a happy day - we had expected to have him home or almost home by then. In 2007 we were just amazed and devastated that yet another year was passing without us being parents, and without Rudy home after being in process to adopt him for over a year. And again we said "next year". There are those in the adoption community that consider themselves mothers during the adoption process, but with all the uncertainty and bad luck (or bad agency dealings) we had, I just couldn't let myself feel that way. Finally we were right and this year I was able to spend Mothers' Day as a mother and with my son. The joy was not at all in what we did or the gifts I received, it was in the hugs and kisses from Rudy, in the way he said "Happy Mothers' Day, Mommy" with Paul's urging, which later became "Happy Mothers' Birthday, Mommy" and later still became "Happy Mothers' Day, Lou" (our dog), and in the warm little hand that held mine as we walked to dinner.
To all my friends still waiting -I thought of you and prayed for you and hope that "next year" will be your year with your little Guatemalan cuties.

Girls' Spa Day

Completely unrelated to Rudy but I got to go out with my sisters (in-law) for the first A____(my maiden name, their last names) Girls Spa Day. It was my birthday present but one we've decided to repeat for each of our birthdays. We got manicures and pedicures and went to lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. And to top it off, I came home to a vacuumed house. It doesn't get any better than that!

Having grown up with two brothers, and always wanting a sister, it's nice to finally have two sisters. My brothers did a great job of picking out sisters for me (I'm sure they were thinking of what I wanted in a sister while dating;))! Thanks, Patti and Renee. I had a great time!

Rudy's Way

A common phrase recently is "Rudy do it". He is truly becoming Mr. Independent. Most days he wants yogurt first thing when he wakes up but he has to do it all himself. Paul and I can't even touch the refrigerator door without being told no. And if we open the door - it gets shut and Rudy starts all over again. In the frig, he always has to pick a yogurt from the back - he never picks the very front one. Then he closes the refrigerator and gets a spoon. Again, we can't open the drawer or even suggest a spoon - it just gets rejected. Lately he's been very attached to these small baby spoons that just spill yogurt everywhere- but of course I never think of it at any other time to hide the spoons. When he gets to his chair, sometimes he will let us help him into it. And he almost always lets us open the yogurt container for him.

He also likes to delegate who does what or who sits where. As we get ready for dinner, he'll point to our chairs and tell us which one is Poppy's and which is Mommy's. And after watching "Elmo Big Bird", he tries to pick who's putting him to bed (this one we don't let him decide - Paul and I have it worked out ahead of time- fortunately he accepts it if we say"no, Mommy's putting you to bed tonight" after he picks Poppy.)

While riding in his buggy around the back yard, he now tells us which direction to pull him. And if we don't go the way he wants, he will put his feet down on the ground a la the Flintstones to stop the buggy until we go the way he wants. It seems like if he can stop it that well, he should be able to propel it himself, doesn't it?!

When Rudy brings a book to one of us, he has two commands "read" or "pictures". If he says "read" we have to read the words in the story and not make any comments about the pictures or stray from the story (he always knows when we do). This is especially hard if it is a picture book and the only words to read are under each picture. I've tried explaining that I am reading and point to the words but usually he ends up moving to another book. If Rudy says "pictures" he wants us to talk about the pictures and point out what we see and ask him questions about them. Sometimes the command changes in the middle of the book.

Scenes from a Spring Day

What a change from yesterday's weather! Rudy has started trying to climb the tree in our front yard. It won't be long before he can pull himself up.



Rudy and Paul mowed the lawn.

Rudy was supposed to get some toys for outside for his birthday (in November) from Grandmom and Gram. They gave us the money but we never got around to buying anything. Then winter came and we weren't motivated to do it; and we kept changing our minds about what we wanted. So today we finally bought some new toys - a sand and water table (which is going to be a royal mess) and a slide. We also got a small pool which Rudy hasn't seen yet since it's not that warm.

The previous owner of our house was a gardener. I hate to think what she'd say if she saw the yard now. With a dog and a two-year-old we've given up hope of keeping all the flowers from being trampled - we just hope a few survive at this point. So today Rudy was following Lou around as he walked through this flower bed. Lou stopped to relieve himself and I told Rudy to stop following Lou and tried to get Rudy to come out of the bed. Instead Rudy wanted to watch Lou and proceeded to sit down right in the middle of the plants. From the expression on his face, I think he just saw a bug - it was kind of gnatty today and he wasn't enjoying it too much.

The Arc Walk

Today was our fundraiser walk (thanks to everyone who sponsored us -we ourselves raised almost $500 and by the time the walk started, the agency had already raised over $11,000- and donations are still coming in). The weather cooperated in that it didn't rain and wasn't so cold we were shivering - but it certainly wasn't a nice spring day. We walked just over 3 miles and Rudy probably walked about half of that (which, translated means Paul or I carried him for about half of the walk). Towards the end, only the lure of hot dogs when we finished kept him going. Then after walking, we had to go to Rudy's swimming lessons. It was my week to go in with him so as Paul said, Rudy and I both did 2/3 of a triathalon today- and at this point I am really starting to feel it!

A cold spring day on the boardwalk.

Taking a break for some "agua". This was obviously on the way back from the half way point. Rudy would periodically just sit to have some water or play with the sand between the slats of the boardwalk.